The First Prince of the Ming Dynasty

Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Houzhao sat on the dragon throne and, very unusually, appeared before several important officials.

Liu Yong, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and Qian Ning, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, accompanied him to meet with the ministers. Liu Yong personally handed the battle report of the victory at Zhangjiakou to the people present for them to read.

Besides Yang Yiqing, the Minister of Personnel, those present included Liang Chu and Jin Gui, cabinet ministers, Lu Wan, the Minister of War, and Wang Qiong, the Minister of Revenue who had been temporarily summoned.

"My lords, I never expected this battle to be won so easily. When I first learned that the Tatars might invade our borders, I actually wanted to personally go and defend against the barbarians, but I was unable to leave the capital. I still feel regretful when I think about it now."

Zhu Houzhao said these things to emphasize that the victory in this battle was achieved under his "wise leadership".

You all said you were afraid something might happen if I went, but I didn't go and we still won the battle.

Jin Gui said, "Your Majesty, the Battle of Zhangjiakou may seem easy, but it was actually very dangerous. The defending officers disregarded the lives of the surrounding soldiers and civilians, allowing the Tatars to break through the city gates instead of fighting them outside the North Gate. This is cowardice and fear of war! Your Majesty should not consider this a merit, but should issue an edict to severely reprimand them."

"Huh?" Zhu Houzhao's eyes widened upon hearing this.

Unfortunately, his eyes were not big to begin with, and even when he stared, they still couldn't form a circle.

Qian Ning said, "Judging from what Grand Secretary Jin said, if you were to go, you would definitely do a better job than Jiang Bin, Zhang Yong, and the others? You would be able to slaughter the Tatars outside the city walls, leaving not a single one alive?"

"presumptuous!"

Jin Gui rebuked him without hesitation, "Qian Ning, as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, what right do you have to spout such nonsense? This is a matter of national importance; how dare a treacherous minister like you participate in its discussion?"

Qian Ning hadn't expected Jin Gui to be so rude to him. In the moment of his daze, he looked at Zhu Houzhao with a pitiful expression, as if waiting for his godfather to stand up for him.

Zhu Houzhao didn't react much.

Although he was unruly by nature, he was well-mannered, and at least he was able to maintain relative restraint when dealing with these ministers.

"Isn't winning enough? Why nitpick?"

Zhu Houzhao seemed to have been doused with a bucket of cold water.

He was clearly going to show off his power in front of these veteran officials, but he ended up being scolded by Jin Gui right away?

Although the insults were directed at Qian Ning, they were actually a slap in the face to the emperor.

"Mr. Yang, do you also think that Jiang Bin and his men performed poorly in this battle?" Zhu Houzhao looked to Yang Yiqing for help.

Yang Yiqing clearly hadn't expected the cabinet's attitude to be so tough; he had originally intended to act as a mediator.

But right now, if he were to speak in favor of the emperor and his military officials, his situation would be very awkward.

Neither side is a good fit.

Yang Yiqing said, "Your Majesty, this old minister believes that Jiang Bin and others' strategy was basically in line with the facts. After all, according to the report from Xuanfu, the walls of Zhangjiakou Fortress have been severely damaged by the Tatars' attacks over the years. In this battle, the direction of the Tatars' arrival cannot be clearly determined, so choosing to hold the position is a good strategy. However... this minister does not understand why the battle report mentioned that the strategy was decided by a mere scholar, Tang Yin."

Zhu Houzhao exclaimed in surprise, "Mr. Yang, don't you know? This Tang Yin claims to be able to foresee the future. It was thanks to his prophecy that I accurately knew the Tatars would invade Zhangjiakou on April 20th. Tell me, without advance warning and my decree to mobilize the troops, could the garrison around Zhangjiakou Fort have withstood the Tatars' fierce attack?"

Now it seems Zhu Houzhao has grasped the crux of the problem.

If you insist that the strategy of "closing the door to beat the dog" in this battle is wrong and a disgrace to the nation, then I must tell you how farsighted I was to believe Tang Yin's prophecy and use it to deploy troops and achieve victory in this battle!

Yang Yiqing waited for Liang Chu to come out and express his views.

But Liang Chu did not refute the emperor.

He then said, "Your Majesty, I request that Jiang Bin, Xu Tai, Zhang Yong, and others be commended and rewarded, and that the Ministry of War deliberate on this matter and issue a notice to all the garrisons along the nine borders!"

Jin Gui said, "Minister Yang, the merits of this battle are not enough to inspire the entire army. If every battle relies on the method of defending the pass, and others follow suit, will all the passes of our Great Ming be in peril?"

Yang Yiqing also had a headache when he heard this.

He was also wondering what Jiang Bin and Zhang Yong were up to.

Don't they know that letting the enemy into the pass is a major taboo?

You've won now, so you can't be punished, but if you lose, your crimes will be much greater! The censors could impeach you until you're completely torn apart!

Have you never thought about building good relations with the censors and the civil officials in the court?

Zhu Houzhao said with a dark face, "So, it seems that winning the Battle of Zhangjiakou Fortress has become a crime? Are you suggesting that I should not reward those who have rendered meritorious service?"

Jin Guidao said, "The achievements in this battle did not meet expectations. The Tatars basically retreated unscathed, and they may return in the near future. Furthermore, Zhangjiakou Fort will need to be renovated, which will leave hidden dangers for the future!"

"Then shall I personally go and supervise the battle?" Zhu Houzhao asked, his tone urgent.

Jin Gui said bluntly, "Your Majesty's risky actions will only worsen the situation regarding border defenses."

"Hmph, Grand Secretary Jin, you also know that the defenses in the Northwest have been in complete disarray these past two years? That Tatar prince has already purged the internal opposition, and now he's single-mindedly focused on restoring the glory of the previous dynasty. He's won a battle; shouldn't he encourage the entire army? Are we to let the soldiers in the Northwest remain demoralized in the cold wind?"

Zhu Houzhao was furious.

The Ming Dynasty's borders are clearly in dire straits, yet the senior officials in the court are not only not helping, but now they are making sarcastic remarks.

"Ministry of War!"

Zhu Houzhao then turned his gaze to Lu Wan, "Given the increasingly tense situation in the Northwest, does the Ministry of War have any detailed plans or intentions?"

Lu Wan appeared very reserved.

At least for now, people in the court think Lu Wan is a representative of the conservative and rule-abiding faction.

But Lu Wan's biggest problem is that he is very worldly. He likes fame and fortune, but he hides it very well in front of others.

A worldly person will naturally try to please their superiors, but doesn't want to be noticed.

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of War has deliberated and proposed to select a Grand Minister to oversee military affairs in the Northwest and command troops from all directions. In addition, the Tatars have repeatedly harassed Xuanfu and Datong in the past two years. Therefore, the office of the Grand Minister to oversee military affairs in the Northwest should be moved from Yulin Guard on the three borders to Xuanfu or Datong. As for the specific candidate, I propose that the court decide on the matter."

Lu Wan, with a seemingly neutral stance, indicated the tension in military affairs in the Northwest.

A temporary victory cannot solve the problem of the Tatar army pressing on the border. It not only shows that the crisis in the northwest is huge, but it also means that we should cater to the emperor's opinion and make more efforts to strengthen the defenses in various parts of the northwest.

Zhu Houzhao said, "Commander-in-Chief of the Northwest Military Affairs... Hmm, very good."

At this point, Zhu Houzhao was very satisfied with Lu Wan.

Or rather, he was very satisfied with the establishment of this position, and he couldn't help but want to take on this "important responsibility" himself and personally coordinate everything in the Northwest.

You all object to me personally leading the army into battle, so I'll transform myself into a court official, or rather, a military officer, and go to the northwest to command troops in battle. Surely you won't have any objections then?

"The order is given!"

Zhu Houzhao immediately ordered, "Xu Tai shall remain to guard Zhangjiakou Fort, and the governor of Xuanfu shall dispatch 3,000 troops from this town to reinforce Zhangjiakou. Jiang Bin, Zhang Yong, and others shall return to Juyong Pass and await further orders from me."

His idea was very simple.

The most difficult hurdle for him to overcome in the Northwest was not the city defenses of the capital, which he could leave whenever he wanted.

If I want to go to the Northwest, I need to cross the Juyong Pass. I can let Jiang Bin and Zhang Yong take over the defense, and then I can go and meet them at any time.

Once I'm beyond Juyong Pass, the sky's the limit! No one can stop me!