Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 26 A wise man keeps his talents hidden; he doesn't move unless absolutely necessary.

In modern times, taking a girl to the zoo on a first date would likely earn you the label of being a "straight man."

But in this era, it's obviously not so bad.

Outside the Tiger City in Xiyuan, Zhou Yu was carefully using a long iron fork to spear a piece of bloody fresh meat and slowly pass it into the cage.

The caged tiger merely lifted its eyelids lazily, glanced at the piece of meat, yawned, turned over, and fell asleep again.

"Hey! You silly tiger, why aren't you eating!"

Zhou Yu was immediately annoyed. She put away the iron fork, put one hand on her hip, and scolded the tiger in a coquettish voice.

Zhu Youjian couldn't help but chuckle as he watched from the side.

Just then, a young eunuch hurried over from a distance and whispered a few words in Gao Shiming's ear.

Gao Shiming immediately stepped forward, bowed, and reported: "Your Majesty, Xu Yingyuan, the head of the Imperial Horse Administration, has sent someone to report that the Imperial Guards have assembled at the inner training ground and are awaiting Your Majesty's inspection."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Youjian's smile vanished.

His relaxed and carefree demeanor vanished instantly, and he switched back into imperial mode.

"Let's go, Changqiu." He turned around and said in a calm tone, "Accompany me to see this eunuch army."

After saying that, he walked outside.

Zhou Yu could clearly sense the change in his aura, so she didn't dare to say anything. She just snorted at the tiger, lifted her skirt, and quickly followed after it.

Behind them, the tiger, which had been sleeping soundly, slowly opened its eyes.

It slowly got up, walked to the edge of the cage, and swallowed the bloody piece of meat whole.

Afterwards, it watched the departing figures of the group, squinted its eyes, and lay down to sleep again.

……

The inner training ground was only a few hundred steps away, and we arrived quickly.

Even before you get close, a chilling aura hits you.

Looking out into the distance, the training ground was an endless expanse of golden-orange.

Three thousand Jingjun soldiers were dressed in brand-new bright armor, covered with bright yellow net leaf armor, and wore sun hats with indigo-dyed swan feathers that fluttered slightly in the autumn wind.

Zhu Youjian's imperial carriage appeared at the edge of the training ground, causing a small commotion in the crowd, but it quickly subsided.

He did not immediately ascend the reviewing stand, but instead, accompanied by Zhou Yu and a group of eunuchs, slowly walked along the edge of the procession.

Countless eyes were focused on him.

He could clearly see the faces under the helmets; most of them were quite young, some looking uneasy and a little nervous, while others had a fawning expression on their faces.

Several groups of people were accompanied by tall horses, which snorted restlessly and occasionally pawed at the ground, becoming the only sounds of change in the silence.

Zhu Youjian walked slowly up the high reviewing stand, expressionless.

The moment he stood still.

"Crash-"

The three thousand soldiers below the stage were pressed down as if by an invisible hand, and knelt down on one knee in unison!
The sounds of clashing armor and shouts of praise merged into a deafening torrent.

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!!"

Standing behind Zhu Youjian, Zhou Yu was so intimidated by his aura that she couldn't help but hold her breath and tightly gripped Zhu Youjian's sleeve with her small hands.

Zhu Youjian raised his right hand and gently pressed it down.

"Crash-"

With another unified sound, three thousand people instantly stood up and stood quietly, their movements swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

The vast training ground fell silent once more, with only the sound of the wind rustling through the flags.

Xu Yingyuan, the chief eunuch of the Imperial Horse Administration, trotted up to the high platform and knelt down.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Guard is officially designated to have 3,017 men. Seven men are on sick leave, leaving 3,010 men present. Please review them, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Youjian took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Let's begin."

A flag officer standing nearby suddenly waved his command flag.

The army of three thousand men moved instantly!
Starting from the west, squads of soldiers marched out in neat formation, forming two horizontal lines, and slowly passed beneath the training platform.

The sounds of armor rubbing against each other and military boots slamming together blended into one, as men, horses, flags, and armor advanced like a wall, appearing as a flowing yellow brocade.

Zhu Youjian held his breath.

No wonder, no wonder Emperor Wuzong referred to inspecting the imperial guards as "passing through brocade" in his daily records. Such extravagance and magnificence are truly well-deserved!
The military formation stretched endlessly before returning to its original position, perfectly aligned as if it had never moved.

Xu Yingyuan stepped forward again to ask, "Your Majesty, shall we conduct a military drill?"

Zhu Youjian leaned on the railing, his eyes fixed on the railing, and simply nodded slightly.

The flag officer waved his command flag again!

Three thousand men instantly formed a huge square formation, with infantrymen in front holding long spears like a forest, and cavalrymen in the middle standing firmly.

“Your Majesty,” Xu Yingyuan explained in a low voice, “this is a defensive formation.”

With three wave of the command flag, the military formation changed again: a wedge formation in front, cavalry on the left and right flanks, and a square formation advancing from the rear.

"Your Majesty, this is an offensive formation."

The flag bearer waved the command flag continuously, and the formation kept changing. Whether splitting or merging, it was all smooth and flowing, without any sense of stagnation.

After the military drills were completed, Xu Yingyuan said, "Please demonstrate horsemanship and archery for His Majesty!"

The cavalrymen flew out in succession, drawing their bows and firing arrows from their galloping horses. In an instant, the straw targets outside the field were riddled with arrows!
When the final curtain fell, Zhu Youjian couldn't help but close his eyes and remain silent for a long time.

His fingers tapped unconsciously on the cold white marble railing, making soft "tap, tap" sounds.

On the training ground, three thousand soldiers stood motionless, and the atmosphere, which had been fiery just moments before, gradually became somewhat oppressive.

Can the Jingjun (a group of people) fight?
Zhu Youjian knew perfectly well that it was highly unlikely he could fight.

Because of castration, eunuchs lose their testosterone levels, and the gaps between their bones widen, which makes them appear taller and stronger than ordinary people.

However, precisely because of this, they are unable to engage in heavy physical labor and are extremely prone to lower back pain.

Not to mention, one could not expect a group of eunuchs and their flag bearers to have any fearless spirit or courage.

But... judging from today's scene, it's definitely enough of a show.

With gleaming armor, ample pay, and relentless training, they should be more than capable of intimidating the poor soldiers and civilians in the surrounding garrisons.

This is enough.

The Book of Changes says, "A wise man keeps his talents hidden until the right time to act."

Zhu Youjian thought to himself with a self-deprecating smile, "But this 'weapon' of mine can only be hidden away; it must never be touched."

Its value lies in its concealment and its deterrent effect.

At this moment, seeing that the emperor had not spoken for so long, some subtle discussions and disturbances had begun to occur in the training ground.

Zhu Youjian quickly opened his eyes; if he didn't make a sound, the army would be exposed for what it truly was.

He stepped forward and declared loudly, "The soldiers fought bravely and are truly elite!"

"I am very pleased!"

"By imperial decree, everyone who participated in today's review will be rewarded with one tael of silver! Those at the rank of junior officer and above will receive an additional tael!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a messenger spurred his horse and galloped off to deliver the emperor's decree to the entire army.

The deathly silent training ground was instantly ignited!

"Long live our emperor! Long live! Long, long live our emperor!!"

The pent-up emotions transformed into even more fervent cheers that lasted for a long time.

Seeing that Zhu Youjian was in a good mood, Xu Yingyuan quickly seized the opportunity, stepped forward, and said in a roundabout way, "Your Majesty's grace is boundless, this servant... this servant dares to conceive of the Grand Eunuch Li..."

Before he could finish speaking, the smile on Zhu Youjian's face vanished instantly.

"Ok?"

With just one word, Xu Yingyuan was terrified out of her wits. She fell to her knees with a thud and kowtowed heavily, saying, "This servant deserves to die! This servant misspoke! Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Youjian looked at him and sighed.

"Xu Yingyuan, the two rules I mentioned in the Qianqing Palace were meant for you in good faith, and I truly wanted to share wealth and honor with you."

"I hope you will not make a mistake for yourselves."

His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of every eunuch on the stage.

Xu Yingyuan lay prostrate on the ground, trembling like a leaf, not daring to utter a single word.

Zhu Youjian ignored him and instead asked, "What is the current situation of the Four Guards Battalion and the Warriors Battalion?"

Xu Yingyuan gritted her teeth, countless lies flashing through her mind, but in the end she still answered truthfully: "Your Majesty, this servant...this servant has been cleaning up the army these past two days, and...I have not yet fully taken control of the two Yongwei battalions."

"Very good." Zhu Youjian nodded. "The Clean Army is indeed more important."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Here's what you'll do. Make the arrangements so that the Imperial Guards will escort me tomorrow. I will personally inspect the four guards of Tengxiang."

He thought for a moment, then sighed and added a sentence.

"Let's inform them in advance, lest we embarrass the Ming Dynasty."

　[Historical Materials in this Chapter]

　　1. Regarding the number of Wei Zhongxian's inner guards, the records of late Ming scholars are all exaggerated, with some even saying that there are as many as 40,000 (Shuangyuan Collection).

　　2. But in fact, in the twelfth year of Wanli, Minister of War Zhang Xueju wrote: "Although the number of soldiers in the inner palace is only three thousand, the standard is clearly 3000. If Wei Zhongxian had exceeded this standard and violated the ancestral system by increasing it to 6000 or 12000, Yang Lian would not have failed to mention it when he submitted his memorial.

　　3. Of course, there are many other historical materials, including the number of eunuchs who entered the palace and the number who were sent out during the Tianqi period, etc., as supporting evidence. We can be 80% certain that the number was around 3000.

　　4. As for the training, archery, and formation of the Imperial Guard, these were all routine operations. I believe that with Tianqi's shrewdness and Wei Zhongxian's "loyalty," this Imperial Guard must have looked very impressive, at least on the surface, and significantly surpassed the level of the Beijing Garrison. Otherwise, it would be an insult to Tianqi's intelligence—he often personally inspected them.

　　5. In conclusion, we have the very visually appealing but probably not very combat-effective "clean army" mentioned in this article, but it's not a big problem. Even useless things have their uses, and besides, this isn't useless; it's just a decorative vase.

　　The two military formation diagrams above are from Qi Jiguang's "Training Records," namely the Horse Camp Diagram and the Great Mandarin Duck Formation. Just get the general idea. I probably won't go into too much detail about Ming Dynasty battle formations; that would be too much like Zhao Kuo's approach.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)