Huangming

Chapter 128 A Feast of Indulgence, Armored Soldiers and Bronze Camel Armor

December 15th, the first year of the Taichang reign.

The heavy snow has finally stopped.

The events at Chengtian Gate gradually came to an end.

Wang Ji and Sun Wei, the two main culprits who instigated the petition, were sentenced to death by a thousand cuts and their entire families were exterminated!

The rest each had their own crimes.

Riding this wave of opportunity, Zhu Youxiao punished all the so-called civil officials who had ties with the Beijing garrison and Shanxi merchants.

They were either beheaded, had their homes confiscated, or were exiled; in short, they were all dealt with at once.

Now, no one dared to submit a memorial uttering a single word of dissent.

The number of memorials requesting him to send civil officials to assist in managing the Xishan Ruijian Camp and the Fengtai Camp has decreased significantly in recent days.

Meanwhile, the publication schedule of the Huangming Daily became increasingly tight.

The second, third, and fourth issues were published in succession, with a brief newsletter almost every three days and a detailed report every seven days.

News of important events such as memorials submitted by students of the Imperial Academy, corruption cases involving the Beijing Garrison, and collusion among Shanxi merchants appeared in the newspapers one after another.

These reports are certainly not fair, and their words reveal a clear stance.

Its purpose is to tear off the hypocritical masks of those who appear virtuous, and to let the people know that the current emperor is indeed working tirelessly day and night for the sake of the country and its people.

At that time, the common people were not yet enlightened, few were literate, and those who could read and write were extremely rare. Those with discerning wisdom were truly exceptional.

This official gazette, bearing the official seal of the government and accompanied by a deluge of propaganda, was regarded as the golden rule by the common people.

In teahouses and taverns, anyone who could read a few words would point and comment on the newspapers; even those who were illiterate would prick up their ears and agree with the officials banging gongs and proclaiming the news.

The power of the imperial mouthpiece lies precisely in this: if it says the sun rises in the west, the people will actually go to the west to look for the sun.

The matter in the capital has come to an end, but on the other side...

After the emperor issued an edict urging them to hurry, the 20,000 soldiers of the Beijing garrison rushed as fast as they could and finally arrived in Kaifeng today.

All the soldiers of the Beijing garrison were stationed outside the city.

Upon the arrival of the main army in Beijing, General Zhang Jiace of Henan went to the camp to pay his respects to Duke Zhang Weixian of Yingguo.

He had initially thought that the soldiers of the Beijing Garrison were the elite of the Ming Dynasty, but the sight before him as soon as he stepped into the Beijing Garrison camp shocked him.

The soldiers in the camp gathered in twos and threes, some dozing off with their chests and bellies exposed, others squatting on the muddy ground throwing dice and gambling, their shouts never ceasing.

Some people even staggered past carrying wine jars, their clothes askew and no one seemed to care.

The tents along the way were dilapidated, with patches upon patches on the tarpaulin, and moldy crumbs were scattered around several stoves.

The weapons rack was covered in rust, the bowstrings were loose as withered vines, and the arrows in the quiver were scattered about.

The warhorse was emaciated, and the fodder in the manger was mixed with mud and sand.

From afar, one could hear shouts and curses. Two soldiers were wrestling on the ground over half a roast chicken. Instead of stopping them, the surrounding soldiers laughed and placed bets on who would win.

Zhang Jiace's hand, gripping the whip, trembled slightly. This rabble was no match for the Henan garrison's drills, let alone suppressing bandits and defending against invaders.

Are these the elite troops of the Ming Dynasty's capital garrison?

With mixed feelings, Zhang Jiace, the General of Henan, entered the central camp of the Beijing Garrison and saw Duke Zhang Weixian of Yingguo sitting upright in the camp, with his son Zhang Zhiji standing beside him.

Besides these two, there was also Li Yongzhen, a eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial, dressed in the robes of a Directorate of Ceremonial, sitting to one side.

"Zhang Jiace, General of Henan, pays his respects to the Duke of Ying! Pays his respects to Eunuch Li!"

"General, there's no need for such formalities. Please rise."

Zhang Weixian didn't put on any airs, and Li Yongzhen didn't say anything, but simply nodded to Zhang Jiace.

"sit down."

Zhang Jiace, the General Commander of Henan, was a capable middle-aged man. He was appointed by Emperor Wanli as the General Commander of Henan. After Emperor Taichang ascended the throne, he was actually replaced as the General Commander of Henan, and Wang Hong, the Deputy General Commander of Xuanfu, was transferred to the position.

However, before the appointment reached Wang Hong, Emperor Taichang passed away.

To this day, Wang Hong has not come, so naturally he is still serving as the Commander-in-Chief of Henan.

In order to keep his position as the General of Henan, Zhang Jiace was determined to do a good job in the task assigned by the emperor after receiving the emperor's secret decree, so as to leave a good impression on the new emperor!

"Your Excellency has had a long and arduous journey to this point. His Majesty has issued a secret decree that I will follow Your Excellency's orders throughout the entire campaign. Please tell me what exactly I am required to do?"

As soon as he sat down, before his bottom had even warmed up, Zhang Jiace couldn't wait to get to work.

Zhang Weixian was not in a hurry. He pondered for a moment and asked, "General, what were your impressions on the way here?"

feel?

Zhang Jiace swallowed hard.

Can I be frank and say that the soldiers of the Beijing Garrison are not even as good as the local militia under his command?
After pondering for a long time, Zhang Jiace said against his conscience, "The Duke's way of governing the army is indeed unique. When I entered the camp just now, I saw that the soldiers were not concerned with formalities and had the heroic spirit of 'removing their clothes and sitting cross-legged' in ancient times."

This relaxed atmosphere seems more genuine than those camps where soldiers are always tense and stern. It seems the Duke deliberately loosened the reins so the lads could conserve their energy for the upcoming training exercises.

His gaze swept over the crooked weapons rack outside the tent, and he added, "A rusty blade conceals its weakness; this is precisely the beauty of 'feigning weakness when capable' in military strategy. However..."

He suddenly lowered his voice: "This humble general dares to guess that this behavior is probably intended for certain people in Kaifeng. If that is the case, I hope the Duke will enlighten me so that I can cooperate and make this play a complete success."

Zhang Zhiji couldn't help but laugh after hearing Zhang Jiace, the Henan General, make such a high-EQ remark.

"General Zhang, there's no need to be so formal. Those soldiers from the Beijing Garrison outside are just a rabble."

Zhang Jiace smiled awkwardly and said, "Your Excellency is mistaken. How can the Imperial Guard of the Capital be called a rabble?"

"Cough cough!"

Duke Zhang Weixian of England coughed twice, his face showing reproach.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Zhiji's smile vanished instantly, and the young man immediately stood at attention.

Seeing that his son had become obedient, the Duke of Yingguo then said to Zhang Jiace: "I have indeed put the general to use in my service by ordering me to come to Kaifeng to train troops."

Zhang Weixian looked at Zhang Jiace with a scrutinizing gaze, pondering the question in his mind: Is this person trustworthy?
Upon hearing this, Zhang Jiace did not hesitate or refuse at all, and immediately clasped his hands and said, "Please give your orders, Duke."

Reorganizing the Beijing Garrison was a matter of great importance, so Zhang Weixian decided to investigate this person's background.

He chuckled and said, "I dare not give orders, but I would like to ask how many soldiers the General has at his disposal?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jiace frowned slightly.

Should we reveal the details of Henan's situation to the British public?

after all
He didn't know the purpose of the Duke of England's trip—whether it was to train troops or to deal with Henan.

but.
Thinking of his precarious position as the Commander-in-Chief of Henan, he gritted his teeth and decided to tell the truth.

"The troops under my command are divided into two parts. One part is the directly subordinate garrison troops: three thousand soldiers of the standard battalion and five thousand soldiers of the auxiliary garrison battalion. These can be directly mobilized."

The other part consisted of the garrison troops: there were four garrisons under the jurisdiction of the Henan Military Command: Xuanwu Garrison stationed in Kaifeng, Henan Garrison stationed in Luoyang, Guide Garrison stationed in Shangqiu, and Zhangde Garrison stationed in Anyang, with a total of 20,000 to 30,000 men on paper.

Furthermore, if Your Excellency urgently needs manpower, I can temporarily conscript 10000 local soldiers, but this will take some time.

Hearing Zhang Jiace's answer, Zhang Weixian's smile grew even brighter.

This Zhang Jiaze was willing to confide in him, and what he said was not much different from the results of the Jinyiwei's investigation.

He wasn't lying.

It seems this person is usable!
Zhang Weixian immediately laid his cards on the table with Zhang Jiace, saying frankly, "General Zhang, to be honest, most of the soldiers from the Beijing garrison that I brought to Kaifeng for training are just drawing salaries without working. They have deep-rooted connections in the Beijing garrison and rely on their ancestors' influence to get a job. It's not that I'm deliberately putting on a show to make them look like a rabble; it's just that they are truly useless."

His Majesty's decision to send them out of the capital is precisely to reorganize the Beijing Garrison. A few days ago, I received an urgent secret report from the palace that the Beijing Garrison had been initially reorganized; now it's our turn to reorganize the 20,000 Beijing Garrison soldiers in Kaifeng.”

The emperor urged them to march quickly, partly to prevent those stationed outside the capital from receiving outside news.

Zhang Weixian, whether intentionally or unintentionally, blocked communication between the Beijing garrison and the outside world, which is why the news has been kept secret until now.

But
Once they arrived in Kaifeng, with so many people around, Zhang Weixian wasn't sure how long this matter could be kept secret. The best course of action now was to act quickly!
No matter how useless these people are, Zhang Weixian doesn't want to give them any chance to resist.

They were unwilling to leave themselves even the slightest risk!

If blood is drawn, the throat must be sealed!
Upon hearing this, Zhang Jiace, the General Commander of Henan, became solemn.

Reorganizing the Beijing Garrison was no easy task, but if done well and exceptionally well, it would surely attract the Emperor's attention. Whether he could retain his position as the Commander-in-Chief of Henan depended on whether he could help Duke Zhang Weixian of Yingguo to reorganize the 20,000 soldiers of the Beijing Garrison.

"This matter is of great importance. May I ask what Your Excellency requires of me? I will certainly cooperate!"

What Zhang Weixian wanted was precisely this statement from Zhang Jiace.

He immediately said, "If I want you to transfer the soldiers over today, how many soldiers can you call upon?"

After a moment's thought, the Henan General said, "The standard battalion has three thousand soldiers, plus the auxiliary garrison battalion of two thousand, and Xuanwu Guard can mobilize a thousand men. That should be enough."

"should?"

Zhang Weixian was not satisfied with Zhang Jiace's answer.

"I need the exact number."

Zhang Jiace's face was bitter as he said, "The Duke is well aware of the quality of the inland guards. The Xuanwu Guard was able to send out a thousand men, which means they must have mobilized their entire force."

Even the garrisons of the Beijing Garrison were extremely corrupt, let alone the garrisons in the interior.
The four garrisons under his command were said to have 20,000 to 30,000 men on paper, but in reality, even as the General of Henan, he had no idea how many men could actually be conscripted.

Perhaps, there aren't even three thousand people.

"Let's forget about the rabble."

Zhang Weixian silently estimated in his mind.

The 3,000-strong standard battalion was the most elite force under the command of the Henan General, and it was Zhang Jiace's main asset. It was mainly composed of personal guards and combat troops.

These men were well-equipped, including cavalry, infantry, and firearmsmen, and were quite formidable in combat.

The auxiliary garrison, which was divided among various prefectures, was also a capable fighting force.

These extra five thousand men, plus the thousand White-Spear Soldiers behind them, and his personal guard of one thousand,
In total, there are already seven thousand people.

That's enough!
After thinking it through, Zhang Weixian immediately said, "Tonight, I request General Zhang to gather elite troops and station them at the Beijing Garrison's drill ground to assist me in reorganizing the Beijing Garrison's soldiers!"

"Your subordinate obeys!" Zhang Jiace replied solemnly.

After saying this, the Duke of England turned to Li Yongzhen, the eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial who was listening quietly to the side, and asked, "What does Eunuch Li think?"

Li Yongzhen grinned and said, "I'm an amateur and don't know anything about military affairs. Since the Duke thinks it's appropriate, then so be it!"

With Li Yongzhen's support, Zhang Weixian turned to his son Zhang Zhiji and said, "Today, invite all the officers above the rank of commander to brothels, and we'll wipe them out in one fell swoop."

Arrest the leader first; even if the others want to resist, they'll be like headless flies.

Zhang Zhiji felt a surge of warmth in his heart and immediately said righteously, "For His Majesty's important task of reorganizing the capital garrison, what is a little sacrifice of my beauty with those official prostitutes?"

Although he spent many days in brothels like Zuixianlou and Jiaofangsi before heading south from the capital, indulging in nightly revelry, he almost lost interest in women.

However, these days have been filled with marching and marching, leaving no time even for going out to visit prostitutes.

His heart inevitably began to itch.

If he is like this, then everyone else is even more so.

"Failure to complete this mission will result in court-martial!"

With outsiders present, Zhang Weixian suppressed the urge to kick his rebellious son and immediately discussed the details of reorganizing the Beijing garrison with the Henan general.

Although in terms of major matters, it seems that everything is fine.

But details determine success or failure, and Zhang Weixian didn't want any accidents to happen.

Zhang Jiace, the general of Henan, shared the same view.

This matter concerned his position as the General of Henan, and he didn't want to mess it up.

Kaifeng, due to its status as a hub for canal transport, attracted numerous merchants.

With more wealthy people, there will naturally be more places to squander money.

The "Eight Lanes" on the west side of the Zhou Prince's Mansion were home to many high-class brothels, where the famous courtesans mostly came from Yangzhou and Suzhou and were proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting.

Since it's a high-class brothel, it means high consumption.

A banquet costs 10-20 taels of silver, equivalent to half a month's salary for a county magistrate.

Visiting prostitutes here is something not everyone can resist.

As dusk settled, the city of Kaifeng was illuminated by lanterns.

Today, Xuexiang Tower is deserted, with few people around.

The vermilion-lacquered and carved gate was tightly closed, but the gilded lanterns hanging under the eaves cast a warm red glow in front of the gate. The sound of string and bamboo instruments mixed with the fragrance of cosmetics seeped out from the cracks in the gate, attracting the frequent glances of passersby.

of course
This is not because Xuexianglou is empty of customers; on the contrary, it is full.

Zhang Zhiji, son of the Duke of England, booked the entire Xuexianglou restaurant to entertain officers of the Beijing Garrison with honors of over a thousand households.

Thanks to Zhang Zhiji's recent association with Guo Yinglin and others, he has been involved in petty theft, kidnapping, and other illegal activities.

These纨绔 (sons of wealthy and powerful families) of the Beijing Garrison already considered him one of their own.

Invited by Zhang Zhiji to enjoy himself in the city, no one suspected that he had any other motives.

Inside the building, Zhang Zhiji leaned against the peony-patterned screen in the second-floor private room, his fingertips twirling a celadon wine cup, his gaze sweeping over the drunken generals at the table.

Although he appeared drunk, his eyes were remarkably bright.

Marquis Guo Yinglin of Wuding was embracing a courtesan from Yangzhou dressed in an apricot-red gauze dress. The woman peeled crystal grapes with her slender fingers and fed them to his mouth, but he turned his head and bit the pearl pendant on her earlobe, chuckling indistinctly, "This pearl is not as sweet as the rouge on your tongue, young lady!"

This remark drew laughter from everyone present.

Marquis Yangwu, Xue Lian, was already so drunk that his robes were loose. He kicked over the gilded charcoal brazier at his feet, and the embers splashed onto the brocade boots of Marquis Funing, Zhu Guobi. Zhu Guobi, however, did not care at all. He simply pressed the trembling young prostitute in his arms onto his knees and poured wine down her collar from the wine jug: "Drink! This is the fine wine I'm giving you!"

Downstairs in the main hall, dozens of commanders had long since lost their official bearing.

Some people danced the "Hu Xuan Dance" on the table, their embroidered spring knives clattering against the cups and plates; some pulled the pipa player's handkerchief to blindfold themselves and stumbled around playing hide-and-seek; and some even took out dice and slammed them on the table, shouting that they would use their military pay as a wager.

The servants carried gilded food boxes and moved among the crowd, but no one touched the camel hump, orangutan lips, and abalone sashimi on the plates.

A courtesan dressed in a moon-white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) appeared carrying a zither. Before she could even pluck the strings, Guo Yinglin pulled her into his arms.

He ripped open her clothes, reached into his inner pocket, pulled out a handful of loose silver coins, and threw them at the surface of the zither: "What are you playing, 'Yangguan Sandie'! Sing 'Eighteen Touches' for me!"

The string snapped with a sharp "clang," and the woman, startled, shed tears that fell onto the back of Xue Lian's outstretched hand. Xue Lian, however, licked his fingertips and exclaimed, "Salty! Could it be tears of longing? Hehe, I love married women the most!"

These people are truly scum!

Zhang Zhiji coldly watched this absurd spectacle, tapping his knuckles three times on the bottom of the table.

Several servants immediately appeared from behind the screen, carrying gilded wine pots and pouring wine at each table.

The spout of the jug concealed a mechanism; when clear wine was poured into his cup, turbid wine mixed with sleeping potion was poured into the commander's cup—a trick he had learned from the Imperial Music Bureau.

He has already 'drunk' three or four commanders.

"Why isn't the young Duke drinking?" Zhu Guobi suddenly staggered over, his breath reeking of alcohol.

"Could it be that you look down on these ordinary, vulgar women?"

He clapped his hands and shouted, "Someone! Bring Su Xiaoxiao, the top courtesan of Xuexiang Pavilion! She is a descendant of a famous courtesan from the Zhengde era. She can even imitate Yang Guifei's drunken sniffing of peonies. Little Duke, you must treat her with great care."

"My lord, there's no need for such formalities."

Before he finished speaking, the sound of orderly footsteps suddenly came from outside the building.

Upon hearing this sound, Zhang Zhiji immediately knew that the time had come.

The smile on his face vanished abruptly. He stood up and smashed his cup as a signal. The carved window on the second floor was smashed open with a "bang," and dozens of black-clad archers drew their bows and aimed their arrows at the table.

Almost simultaneously, the main entrance to the hall was breached, and armored soldiers from the Henan Battalion surged in like a tidal wave, their blades gleaming so brightly that even the hairpins and ornaments of the prostitutes in the hall paled in comparison.

"Everyone."

Zhang Zhiji slowly fastened his jade belt. He looked around at everyone in the building, but his words sent chills down one's spine!

"His Majesty intends to reorganize the capital garrison. Your crimes are obvious. If you surrender, you may still have a chance to live; if you dare to resist, you will be killed without mercy!"

(End of this chapter)