Jingtai: Making the Ming Dynasty Great Again

After the court assembly, Zhu Qiyu ordered Xing'an to convey his decree summoning Yu Qian, Shi Heng, Sun Tang, and Fan Guang to an audience in the side hall of the Wenhua Hall.

Zhu Qiyu said in a deep voice: "Zhang Yi and others made trouble in the court today. Although I have temporarily suppressed it, they will never give up."

Minister Yu, as a civil official, you oversee military affairs and hold the power of the Commander-in-Chief of the Capital Garrison, making you a target of public criticism.

There will likely be even more open and covert attacks in the future; you must be extremely careful.

Upon hearing this, Yu Qian remained expressionless and bowed, replying, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

Having accepted this responsibility, I have long since disregarded my personal safety.

With a heart devoted to the public good, what fear is there of attacks from petty villains?

However, I also have some concerns.

The family had a long history of intermarriage, and their protégés and former officials were spread throughout the capital garrison and various military posts.

Many officers in the army were either his protégés or had received favors from him.

If they harbor resentment, feign compliance while secretly opposing, or even deliberately delay military operations, then the great cause of defending the city will be in grave danger.

"Hmph!" Shi Heng, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but snort coldly. "A bunch of spoiled brats who only know how to dress up and ride horses, and how to play chickens and fight dogs, what do they know about military strategy and tactics?"

Relying on the protection of their ancestors, they dare to point fingers at His Majesty!

"Your Majesty, if anyone dares to disobey orders during wartime, Your Majesty need not worry; this humble general will first use his sword to slay such parasites to uphold military law!"

Fan Guang was rather cautious: "General Shi, we must not be careless. Although the nobles do not understand military affairs, they have extensive connections."

Many mid- to low-ranking officers in the Beijing Garrison had connections with various military governors' offices.

Sun Tang nodded: "General Fan is absolutely right. I suggest that we take advantage of the fact that the war has not yet started to reorganize the personnel in the camp as soon as possible."

Zhu Qiyu pondered for a moment and looked at Yu Qian: "Minister Yu, you should handle this matter as appropriate."

Furthermore, the four of you must work together sincerely and never fight amongst yourselves.

I know there may be some discord between you.

But with a formidable enemy at hand, personal grudges must be put aside!

Anyone who neglects public duty for private gain will be severely punished by me!

Zhu Qiyu was mainly speaking to Shi Heng.

Shi Heng and Yu Qian had a long-standing friendship dating back to the Zhengtong era.

When Shi Heng was stationed in Datong, Yu Qian submitted a memorial impeaching him for being "greedy and unruly," "privately employing soldiers," and "allowing his subordinates to disturb the people."

At that time, Zhu Qizhen favored Wang Zhen and mostly kept such memorials in the archives without issuing them.

Although Shi Heng was not actually punished, he harbored a deep resentment towards Yu Qian for daring to expose his advantages.

After the Tumu Crisis, Yu Qian strongly recommended Shi Heng, which eased the tension between the two.

However, Zhu Qiyu knew that the easing of tensions was only temporary.

Shi Heng was indeed brave and skilled in battle, but he was also greedy for power, narrow-minded, and fickle.

Historically, Shi Heng was deeply grateful to Yu Qian after the Battle of Beijing.

To repay the favor, he recommended Yu Qian's son, Yu Mian, to serve as an official in the imperial court.

However, Yu Qian sternly refused, saying, "The country is in turmoil, how dare a subject act out of personal favors?"

Furthermore, Yu Qian publicly reprimanded Shi Heng for favoritism, causing Shi Heng to lose face.

Shi Heng's gratitude turned into resentment, and he eventually became one of the main forces that framed Yu Qian during the "Tumu Crisis".

Therefore, Shi Heng is the one most likely to be "conquered" among these people.

He was not loyal to the Ming Dynasty, nor to the Emperor; he was loyal to his own interests.

It just so happens that Zhu Qiyu can bring him benefits right now.

Such a person is like a double-edged sword; if used well, they can defeat the enemy, but if used poorly, they can harm themselves.

If the court were not so short of soldiers and generals, Zhu Qiyu would never have been willing to easily employ such a hidden danger.

Shi Heng, Sun Tang, and Fan Guang felt a chill run down their spines at the chilling intent in Zhu Qiyu's words. They all knelt on one knee, clasped their hands in a fist salute, and solemnly declared, "Your humble servants will unite as one and defend the city to the death!"

"Very well." Zhu Qiyu's expression softened slightly, and he waved his hand. "Military affairs are busy, the three generals may step down for now."

"This humble general takes his leave!" Shi Heng and the other two bowed again and then left the side hall.

After the three men left, Zhu Qiyu said to Yu Qian, "Minister Yu, I know that it puts a great deal of pressure on you, a civil official, to command military generals."

But now, in the court, only you can shoulder this heavy responsibility.

I will fully support you, but you must promise me one thing.

"Your Majesty, please speak."

Zhu Qiyu's eyes were burning: "We must win this battle no matter what."

"As long as you win, I will shield you from all criticism and pressure."

Yu Qian bowed deeply: "Your Majesty, I understand. If we are defeated in this battle, I will surely die on the city wall."

Zhu Qiyu nodded and said nothing more.

Some things don't need to be said.

After Yu Qian took his leave, Zhu Qiyu stood alone in the hall, gazing at the huge map of the Ming Dynasty's territory hanging on the wall.

Beijing was just a small dot on the map, but at that moment it was the key to the survival of the Ming Dynasty.

The city contained loyal ministers and generals, as well as ambitious nobles and civil officials.

They had the determination to defend the city to the death, but also deeply entrenched interests.

Zhu Qiyu muttered to himself, "Truly beset by internal and external troubles..."

Historically, Yu Qian was a civil official during the early years of the Jingtai reign.

Despite the hostility of the elite clique, the suspicion of some civil servant colleagues, and a huge military disadvantage.

They fought a decisive battle to defend Beijing, turning the tide of the war.

However, that victory did not eliminate the conflict.

On the contrary, the series of reforms implemented by Yu Qian after he came to power, aimed at strengthening the central military power and suppressing the powerful military generals, deepened the rift between him and the vested interest groups.

Ultimately, eight years later, when the "Tumu Crisis" broke out, Yu Qian was executed for the crime of "intention".

This was certainly partly due to the chance occurrence of Zhu Qizhen's restoration.

But isn't it also a final reckoning and eruption of the accumulated resentment and conflicts of interest among political enemies over the years?

Zhu Qiyu clenched his fist: "In this life, I will make history change drastically."

But to change history, we must first win this battle.

To win this battle, we must first stabilize our internal situation.

Although the nobles have temporarily retreated today, they will never give up.

Zhu Qiyu walked to the desk, took out his brush, and wrote a secret edict. He then summoned Cheng Jing.

"This decree was secretly handed over to Lu Zhong."

He was tasked with secretly monitoring the recent movements of Zhang Yi, Jing Heng, Chen Hao, and other nobles, especially their interactions with court officials and military officers in the capital.

Remember, it must be done in secrecy; do not alert the enemy.

Cheng Jing accepted the secret decree with both hands: "Your subject obeys the decree."

Watching Cheng Jing's retreating figure, Zhu Qiyu muttered to himself, "It seems I must speed up the process of cultivating my own people."

As two secret service agencies directly controlled by the imperial power, the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot were extremely inconvenient for Zhu Qiyu to use.

Let's not even talk about the Eastern Depot. Thanks to Wang Zhen, almost everyone in the Ming Dynasty now hates eunuchs.

Sending them out on missions would only be counterproductive and could even lead to bloodshed.

This is also why Zhu Qiyu hasn't used the Eastern Depot for so many days.

As for the Embroidered Uniform Guard, most of those in office were hereditary, and the quality of its personnel varied greatly.

Their fathers were certainly good men from loyal families who were devoted to the emperor, but they themselves might not be so.

There are very few first-generation officials like Lu Zhong.

Therefore, Zhu Qiyu needed to cultivate his own intelligence personnel.

This battle to defend Beijing served as a crucial test for him in selecting personnel.

The eight hundred guards that Yu Qian selected were his first batch of candidates.