Huangming

Chapter 96 Driving Thunder and Lightning, Heavenly Might Subdues the Army

The standard military garrison system in the Ming Dynasty consisted of five garrisons (front, rear, left, right, and center). However, due to the special nature of the Imperial Guards, the Wuxiang Left Guard was actually divided into three garrisons in the first year of the Taichang reign.

Qianqianhu Office: Specializing in firearms, stationed at the West Garden Firearms Depot.

Left Thousand Household Office: in charge of internal military training, stationed at the drill ground inside the Xi'an Gate of the Imperial City.

The Later Thousand Household Office was responsible for guarding the Tangquan Imperial Palace and also for protecting the Ming Mausoleum at Tianshou Mountain.

In name, Li Ruzhen was the chief officer of the Wuxiang Left Guard, but he had been dismissed from his post and no longer had any authority.

In reality, the people in charge were the eunuch in charge of the Left Guard of Wuxiang and the supervising eunuch.

These people have all been 'invited' by the emperor.

Zhu Youxiao had made preparations in advance to reorganize the Four Guards Camp. Under the pretext of military training and inspection, he summoned the soldiers of the three thousand-household garrisons to the training ground in the West Garden.

At this moment, there was a large group of people in the inner training ground, most of whom were not wearing armor.

The snow was falling heavily, and the snowflakes drifted down and hit everyone.

Those soldiers who were barely wearing armor were in no better condition.

Some of the armor was tattered and worn, with cotton wadding showing through the gaps, shivering in the cold wind; even worse, some people used paper armor as substitutes, which, after being soaked in snow water, clung limply to their bodies, offering no protection whatsoever.

Many of the people in the crowd were thugs and hooligans who had been temporarily conscripted to make up the numbers.

They didn't act like soldiers at all, whispering and making noise in the inner training ground.

Some had grass roots in their mouths, looking around carelessly; others were pushing and shoving each other, completely ignoring that they were in the training ground.

They were all wondering whether the imperial court would give out rewards after this military exercise.

If I can make a fortune, I can go back and live a life of luxury for a while.

However, the expressions of the several commanders were not so relaxed.

Ma Chengguang, the former commander of the Qianhu Office, had a furrowed brow and was stroking his beard from time to time, his eyes revealing a hint of unease.

Looking at these disheveled soldiers, he felt a sense of unease. What was His Majesty planning by summoning them to the inner training ground this time, and not allowing them to bring weapons or wear full armor?
Mao Guoqi, commander of the Left Thousand-Household Office, and Wang Yinglong, commander of the Rear Thousand-Household Office and concurrently the chief of defense of the Tangquan Palace, both had worried expressions on their faces.

They were already puzzled by this sudden summons, and now, seeing the chaotic scene before them, they were even more uneasy.

The Emperor's mind is unfathomable, and the future looks bleak!

The snow fell heavier and heavier, and the atmosphere on the training ground became increasingly oppressive.

The soldiers' clamor echoed in the cold wind, and the mood of the several commanders was as gloomy as the sky.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from the entrance of the training ground. A group of Imperial Guards suddenly appeared in the snow, their embroidered spring knives gleaming coldly, and their fish-embroidered robes fluttering in the wind.

Wei Zhongxian, wearing a sable cloak, walked at the front with a gloomy expression, followed closely by officials from the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Censorate, all with solemn expressions.

Even more alarming was the arrival of Qi Jin's five hundred Qi Family Army soldiers, who pressed forward like an iron wall. Their armor was gleaming, their spears were like a forest, and their steps were perfectly synchronized, instantly surrounding the entire inner training ground.

The previously lazy soldiers of the Wuxiang Left Guard immediately fell silent, a few thugs shrank their necks and squeezed into the crowd, and even the commanders tensed up.

Officials from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue quickly set up their desks below the platform, with account books and rosters spread out on the table, along with writing brushes, inkstones, and official seals.

The censor from the Censorate coldly surveyed the entire room, holding a copy of the impeachment memorial in his hand.

Wei Zhongxian slowly walked onto the stage, snowflakes falling on his shoulders, but they could not conceal his imposing aura.

He squinted at the three commanders, his voice high-pitched but leaving no room for argument: "His Majesty has decreed!"

The three thousand households were in a very tense situation.

Upon hearing Wei Zhongxian's shrill voice, the three men instinctively knelt down.

Wei Zhongxian glanced at the three commanders in the front row and slowly said:

"The Emperor, by the Will of Heaven, decrees:
I have heard that the Wuxiang Left Guard is understaffed, poorly equipped, and short of supplies. I hereby order a thorough investigation and rectification.

Under the pretext of internal military drills and inspections, officers and soldiers from the front, left, and rear garrisons were summoned to the training ground in the West Garden. The Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Censorate jointly verified the actual number of soldiers, the stock of military equipment, and the expenditure of grain and salary over the years.

Commanders Ma Chengguang, Mao Guoqi, and Wang Yinglong are to immediately lead their troops to await inspection and must not conceal or delay.

Anyone found to have deceived or misappropriated funds will be severely punished according to the law.

Admire this. "

After speaking, Wei Zhongxian accepted the imperial edict and said with a smile, "Three commanders, today I am here by imperial decree to inspect the personnel, weapons, and provisions of the Wuxiang Left Guard. I hope you will cooperate fully."

Ma Chengguang received the imperial edict, but felt that it weighed a ton.

"Your subject will certainly cooperate."

"That's good."

Wei Zhongxian smiled sinisterly, waved his hand, and said, "Let's take it one step at a time. First, according to the Yellow Register of the 44th year of the Wanli reign, let's count the number of soldiers in the Wuxiang Left Guard."

During the Ming Dynasty, the management of military personnel in the Beijing Garrison (including the Four Guards) followed a regular verification system, with a "military personnel review" usually conducted every three years, overseen by the Ministry of War.

However, actual implementation is often delayed due to bureaucratic negligence.

There were two relatively recent instances of military clearing and smuggling.

First, in the thirty-sixth year of the Wanli reign, due to serious corruption in the Beijing Garrison, Censor Sun Juxiang requested an investigation into the misappropriation of military service quotas and the falsification of troop numbers. Emperor Shenzong ordered the Ministry of War to conduct an investigation, and the Four Guards Battalion, as a component of the Beijing Garrison, was also included in this investigation.

Secondly, in the 44th year of the Wanli reign, Zhao Xingbang, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of War, reported on the vacancies in the Beijing garrison, which triggered another local investigation.

As boxes of yellow books were taken out, the three commanders panicked, as did the thugs and ruffians who had been hired to make up the numbers.

Mao Guoqi's eyes darted around frantically, grasping at any straw, and he said to Qi Jin, who was standing by with his sword, "Old General, do you still remember your subordinate?"

Mao Guoqi came from Qi Jiguang's army and was appointed as the commander of the Left Thousand-Household Office of the Wuxiang Left Guard because of his military achievements.

Although more than 80% of the commanders and centurions of the Wuxiang Left Guard were hereditary, the remaining 20% ​​were promoted for their merits on the frontier.

Mao Guoqi was one of these two groups.

Qi Jin nodded, but remained expressionless and silent.

Mao Guoqi was anxious, but there was nothing he could do.

The old boss's demeanor clearly indicated that he didn't want to deal with him anymore.

He could only turn his attention to the hired thugs and hooligans, hoping they would cause some trouble to cover up the day's events.

And these hired thugs certainly did not disappoint him.

Scarface Zhao Si spat out a mouthful of saliva, spitting the grass root in his mouth onto the snow, a fierce glint in his eyes.

He came here to ask for a reward, not to die!
He ripped open the loose collar of his shirt, revealing an old scar across his chest, and roared gruffly, "It's freezing cold, what the hell are you doing checking the Yellow Register! The court won't even give us a hot meal, but they have time to torment us!"

He kicked over the wooden box beside him, scattering the ledgers all over the ground, the ink stains turning into a black muddy mess by the snowmelt.

"Brothers, this is clearly an attempt to withhold our wages for risking our lives! Let's go back to camp and demand our reward!"

With Scarface Zhao Si leading the way, the crowd immediately erupted in chaos.

A few thugs took the opportunity to overturn the desk, and the Ministry of Revenue officials cried out and rushed towards the flying account pages.

Someone grabbed a snowball and threw it at the Imperial Guards, the snow powder exploding into mist on the Embroidered Spring Blade.

In the chaos, Zhao Si grinned maliciously and led the charge towards the edge of the training ground. "You want to make me, Zhao Si, suffer? In your next life!"
However, before he could finish his thought, he suddenly felt a chill between his brows.

"Whoosh!"

A feathered arrow pierced the air, its tip tearing through the wind and snow, and precisely pierced Zhao Si's forehead.

His ferocious expression froze on his face. He staggered half a step, and brain matter mixed with blood spurted out from behind his head, splashing out a dazzling red plum blossom on the snow.

As the body crashed to the ground, the white fletching of the arrow was still trembling, emitting a faint hum.

The noise came to an abrupt halt.

Qi Jin slowly lowered the iron bow, the veins on his arms beneath the armor still visible.

"Anyone who dares to make a fuss will be killed without mercy!"

Five hundred soldiers of the Qi Family Army stepped forward in unison, their spears striking the ground with a thunderous sound. The cold glint of their spear tips wove a dense net, forcing the restless crowd back to their original positions.

"Kill without mercy!"

"Kill without mercy!"

"Kill without mercy!"

Qi Jiguang's army shouted three times, their shouts filled with murderous intent.

Those thugs who had been shouting just moments before were now ashen-faced, some with foul-smelling wet stains seeping from their crotches, melting into yellowish-brown ice crystals on the snow.

One arrow can quell the army's morale.

No one dared to make a sound.

Wei Zhongxian stroked the snowflakes on his fur coat and chuckled, "Oh, isn't this quite proper?"

He nudged Zhao Si's stiff fingers with his toe.

“Drag him away and hang his head on the Xi’an Gate as a warning to the public.”

Two imperial guards immediately dragged the corpse along, their brains carving winding furrows in the snow.

Mao Guoqi's knees buckled and he knelt on the ground, only to see Qi Jin's gaze sweep over him. The old marshal's eyes were like knives scraping bones: "Back then, I taught you to form ranks and kill the enemy, but today you've learned to let bandits run rampant in the camp?"

Mao Guoqi's throat bobbed, and he finally slammed his forehead heavily into the snow mixed with blood and mud.

Ma Chengguang, the former commander of the Qianhu Office, his expression flickering with uncertainty, finally clenched his fist and stepped forward, saying:
"I implore the Grand Eunuch, as well as all the Censors, Secretaries, and Doctors, to make a clear judgment: the Four Guards Camps were not thoroughly investigated in the 44th year of the Wanli reign. The number of personnel in the Yellow Register has been inaccurate for many years. If we were to verify them one by one, there would certainly be gaps. However, this is not our fault. I implore you, sir, to investigate thoroughly!"

Wei Zhongxian sneered and said, "Is that really so?"

Ma Chengguang forced a smile and said, "That's true."

His eyes kept glancing into the crowd.

What about the commander and supervising eunuch of the Wuxiang Left Guard?

He usually gives so much tribute, and he could always get away with it during the military purges. Why can't we see those two eunuchs today?

If they were here, why would things have turned out this way?
"Commander Li, what do you say?"

Wei Zhongxian called out, and Li Ruzhen, dressed in the robes of the Commander of the Left Guard of Wuxiang and with half-white hair and beard, slowly appeared from behind a group of Jinyiwei.

He walked with heavy steps, the hem of his robes covered in snow and mud, and the sword at his waist, though sheathed, seemed to weigh a ton.

When Ma Chengguang saw Li Ruzhen, it was as if he had seen a ghost.

"Commander, didn't you resign?"

Li Ruzhen cupped his hands in greeting to Wei Zhongxian, then turned to Ma Chengguang and said, “Commander Ma, confess and you will be treated leniently, resist and you will be punished severely. I know the details of the Wuxiang Left Guard all too well. To resist stubbornly will only increase your punishment.”

Ma Chengguang's hand, which had been gripping the hilt of the Embroidered Spring Blade, tightened and loosened repeatedly, the murderous intent in his eyes sometimes gathering and sometimes dissipating.

"Is the commander trying to force us to our deaths?"

Although Li Ruzhen was only the nominal commander of the Wuxiang Left Guard, he had held this position for many years and was very hospitable, so he was well aware of the dirty dealings within the Wuxiang Left Guard.

When Ma Chengguang saw that Li Ruzhen was siding with Wei Zhongxian, he knew things were about to end. Li Ruzhen shook his head, looked at Ma Chengguang's struggling appearance, sighed, and said, "You're the one who's forcing yourself to your death, how can you say I'm forcing you to your death?"

Ma Chengguang, don't blame me, blame yourself.

At this opportune moment, Wei Zhongxian stepped forward and said, "If Commander Ma is innocent, why is he afraid of this and that? If he is not clean, he has now confessed and can be treated as a minor offense. If he remains stubborn, being executed by slow slicing and skinned alive is no joke."

Ma Chengguang turned to look at his trusted confidants.

His trusted confidants, who hadn't even brought weapons, were also in a panic, seemingly waiting for him to make a decision.

To make a scene or not?
Commander Ma then turned to look at Qi Jin and the five hundred Qi family soldiers.

Five hundred soldiers of the Qi Family Army stood like an iron wall around the inner training ground. They wore phoenix-winged helmets and iron-scaled armor. Their five hundred long spears pointed diagonally at the sky, their tips forming a chilling silver light in the snow.

One look at them and you know they are elite.

We can't compete!

Ma Chengguang sighed deeply, as if resigned to his fate, and said, "I am willing to confess everything, and I hope that the Grand Eunuch will keep his word."

After saying this, Ma Chengguang seemed to have all his energy drained away, and in an instant, he looked more than ten years older.

Wei Zhongxian grinned, revealing his yellow teeth, and said, "Of course, would my family lie to you?"

With Ma Chengguang's hand gesture, the others, though unwilling, had no choice but to obediently follow orders.

Soon, the Ministry of War began the process of approving the names.

Lu Shanji, the chief clerk of the Ministry of War, took a deep breath.

His eyes were clear and bright. He held the yellowed book from the 44th year of the Wanli reign in his hand, unfolding the yellowed pages in the snow. The red ink markings had long since faded.

For each name he read out, three clerks would simultaneously verify it: one with the garrison roster, one with the military household register, and the other with the grain and salary disbursement record.

"Wang Hu!"

When Wang Hu's name was read, the scarred man in the front row shuddered. The clerk immediately noticed that the man's handwriting was different in the three books: the yellow book was written in neat regular script, the roster was written in cursive script, and the pay book was written with the words "Wang Xu".

The Ministry of War official sneered and drew a blood-red cross next to the name with a vermilion pen.

"Those who misuse military status and fraudulently claim military pay must be apprehended!"

Immediately, two Imperial Guards stepped forward and arrested the man.

"Shi Zhenxiang!"

"Zhu Yiqun!"

"Shen Jingbing!"

Lu Shanji, the chief clerk of the Ministry of War, acted like the King of Hell calling out roll call; for every two names he called, one would be arrested.

After all the names had been called, only about a thousand people remained in the inner training ground.

Of these, there were only 351 officers, and only 630 officers.

(Guanyong refers to militia temporarily recruited, while Guanqi refers to officers and soldiers of hereditary garrison posts.)
The level of corruption within the Fourth Guard Battalion far exceeded everyone's expectations.

It should be noted that a thousand-household garrison typically consists of 10 officers and 1120 soldiers, totaling 1130 people.

The three thousand-household units of Wuxiang Left Guard should ideally have 3390 people at full strength.

As a result, less than 30% of the nuclear troops were produced.

These people were able to get away with it entirely because they had thousands of thugs and hooligans in to fill the ranks.

Now that there's nothing left to fill the gaps, their true colors are immediately revealed.

Wei Zhongxian remarked with a sigh, "If even the emperor's personal guards are like this, one can only imagine what it's like in other places."

Qi Jin showed no surprise upon receiving this result.

He was used to it.

In reality, a thousand-household garrison in Liaodong typically had only five hundred to eight hundred people.

The situation is even worse in the inland thousand-household offices, where there are fewer than three hundred people in each office.

The Wuxiang Left Guard is consistent with the current situation of the inland thousand-household garrison.

However, considering that the reason why the inland thousand-household garrisons were difficult to maintain at full strength was because the military farmland could not support them (it was occupied).
The Left Guard of Wuxiang was paid by the emperor, and their rations were distributed on time. It is quite interesting to see who received the extra rations.

"Has the Ministry of Revenue released the results yet?"

The sun was almost setting, and Wei Zhongxian had been waiting so long that the flowers were about to wither.

The official from the Ministry of Revenue immediately said, "Eunuch Wei, it's still a bit short."

Wei Zhongxian frowned slightly, but he was helpless and could only watch as the Ministry of Revenue reviewed the payroll.

Li Daiwen, the chief clerk of the Ministry of Revenue, spread out ten account books in front of him, from the thirty-sixth year of the Wanli reign to the first year of the Taichang reign, each stamped with the vermilion seal of the Wuxiang Left Guard.

His fingertip traced the entry for winter clothing silver, then suddenly stopped on the page for October of the first year of the Taichang reign: it recorded that 300 sets of cotton armor were distributed, but only 73 sets were found during the on-site count.

Even more strangely, there were traces of ink that had been scraped off the edges of the ledger, and when held up to the light, the words "discounted silver" could be seen.

Li Daiwen immediately took out a steelyard and weighed the silver in the garrison's treasury in front of everyone, discovering that the so-called "pure silver" was actually mixed with 40% lead.

After that, he slowly investigated the other categories.

Wei Zhongxian was anxious: These old geese are so slow.

However, the situation is now under control.

It's okay if it's slow.

After overseeing the Ministry of Revenue's assessment of salaries, Wei Zhongxian hurried to the arsenal.

Upon entering the armory, they saw Cao Qincheng, an imperial censor from the Censorate, personally inspecting it.

"The number of these breech-loading cannons doesn't match up!"

Censor Cao Qincheng frowned deeply.

He discovered that of the "twenty breech-loading cannons" registered by the former thousand households, only five were actually in existence, and they were severely corroded.

“Pry him open.”

He ordered his men to pry open the breech of the gun, revealing the inscription "Made by the Ministry of Works in the first year of the Tianqi reign" carved on the inner wall.

Upon seeing these words, the censor was completely stunned.

It's still the first year of the Taichang era, and the first year of the Tianqi era will be after this year, but the armory has already contained items from the first year of the Tianqi era.

absurd!

It's ridiculous.

Even more absurdly, the "one hundred new-style muskets" reported by the former commander were actually inferior goods pieced together from old musket barrels. The censor casually broke them in half, revealing the moldy wood chips inside.

If this musket were taken to the battlefield, it would be even less useful than a fire poker.

Gee tut.

The level of corruption within the Wuxiang Left Guard had reached such an extent.

It wasn't until nightfall that the Ministry of War verified the troops, the Ministry of Revenue verified the pay, and the garrisons verified the weapons. Only then was the series of actions finally completed.

Wei Zhongxian was in high spirits as he looked at the results of the day.

When in a good mood, even treacherous officials can smile. He looked at the censors of the Censorate, the officials of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue, and said with a smile, "His Majesty is considerate of your hard work and will reward each of you with ten taels of silver."

Everyone was really exhausted today.

To say that there are no complaints in one's heart
That's definitely impossible; they just don't dare to show their resentment.

Now, this ten taels of silver, though not a large sum, is at least an imperial gift.

This shows that the emperor cared about them.

Holding the silver ingot in their hands, it felt heavy, giving everyone a warm and reassuring feeling.

Then, Wei Zhongxian looked at the soldiers of the Wuxiang Left Guard, who were shivering in the strong wind in the inner training ground.

"The Ministry of War has completed the verification of troops, the Ministry of Revenue has completed the verification of pay, and the garrisons have completed the verification of weapons. You are all registered and recorded, so there is no need to worry. Tonight, you can rest in the West Garden. His Majesty has prepared wine and meat for you."

After Wei Zhongxian finished speaking, the terrified soldiers of the Wuxiang Left Guard finally breathed a sigh of relief.

What happened today was like a nightmare for them.

Fortunately, this nightmare is finally over.

Wei Zhongxian turned to Qi Jin and the five hundred Qi family soldiers and shouted, "Brothers, you will have to work harder. His Majesty has also prepared rewards for you."

At this moment, Qi Jin stepped forward and asked, "Eunuch Wei, what should we do with those thugs?"

The old eunuch frowned: This is indeed a problem.

Wei Zhongxian turned to look at Censor Cao Qincheng and asked, "Censor Cao, according to the Great Ming Code, what crime is this?"

Cao Qincheng immediately said: "According to the Great Ming Code, 'impersonating an official or soldier' ​​is punishable by one hundred strokes of the cane, tattooing, and exile to the border garrison. The Criminal Law supplements this by stipulating that impersonating a member of the Beijing Garrison (such as the Wuxiang Left Guard) or the Embroidered Uniform Guard is considered 'overstepping the forbidden area' and can be executed by slow slicing, with the family members exiled."

Wei Zhongxian was speechless.

These local thugs, for a few meager sums of money, impersonated the Left Guard of Wu Xiang to collect rewards, but now they're risking their lives.

but.

After all, it involved nearly a thousand lives; he dared not make the decision to execute them on his own. He should consult the Emperor's decree before making a final decision.

He said to Qi Jin, "First, imprison these nearly a thousand people and keep them under good guard. If any of them are unruly or cause trouble, kill them on the spot!"

Qi Jin nodded.

He who receives the emperor's salary must be loyal to military affairs.

Anything concerning His Majesty is Qi Jin's business, and it is Qi Family Army's business!
now.

Inside the East Warm Pavilion.

The emperor was still dealing with state affairs.

From time to time, eunuchs would come to report on the progress of the reorganization of the Four Guards Camp, so that the emperor could keep abreast of the overall situation.

When Zhu Youxiao saw Wei Zhongxian's old face, he knew that the reorganization of the Wuxiang Left Guard was already halfway done.

The reason it's only half done is because there's more to this story.

The remaining soldiers of the Wuxiang Left Guard still need to be screened, and the old and weak need to be dismissed.

After the screening and dismissal, what soldiers will be added to the Wuxiang Left Guard?

And what crime should be charged with those involved in this matter?

How should we deal with the thousands of thugs and ruffians who impersonated Wu Xiang Zuo Wei?
Of course, Zhu Youxiao was more concerned about the other three garrisons. He hoped that the reorganization would go smoothly and that they wouldn't cause any trouble for him!

(End of this chapter)