Emperor Ming: Your Majesty, you have caused me so much suffering.

The news of the reorganization of the Beijing Garrison could not be concealed at all. The capital was not a large city, and at least among the court officials and noble families, it was already common knowledge. However, everyone was currently in a wait-and-see state.

Since Zhu Qiyu had not yet put forward a public opinion, this matter could not be directly submitted to the emperor for discussion. As the saying goes, "the first bird to stick its head out gets shot." If Zhu Qiyu suppressed Yu Qian's memorial, anyone who rashly discussed this matter would be walking into the line of fire, which would be tantamount to courting death.

The most anxious people in the capital were not the civil officials, but the military officials and the powerful relatives of the emperor.

Shi Heng and others naturally hoped that the resolution would be passed, so that the military officials who participated in the defense of the capital would instantly become powerful figures. If they could win the war and obtain titles, wouldn't they become the backbone of the military force, which would also be a way to benefit their descendants?

The noble families and relatives of the emperor were worried that once the system was reformed, apart from a few nobles such as Gu Xingzu, Liu An, Zhu Ying, and Wang Tong who would still have the opportunity to control the military, the other old nobles would completely lose the opportunity to command the army, including the Duke's Mansion. This was unacceptable to the descendants of these founding heroes and those who had made great contributions to the Jingnan Campaign.

However, the three major camps that were the core base of these former nobles were now empty, and it would be useless for them to resist. Strength determines the right to speak, and Zhu Qizhen had already "helped" these nobles lose their right to speak.

Jiao Jing, Zhang Ni, and others were very anxious. They could do nothing, and their only hope was that His Majesty would help these nobles again. Otherwise, they would have no choice but to divide the country between the north and the south.

The strongholds of these former nobles in the south were almost undamaged. Chen Mao, Wang Ji, Zhang Yi and others were still in the south, the Nanjing Duke's Mansion remained standing, and Nanjing was still the territory of these former nobles.

But to lose power right under the emperor's nose is hard to accept.

In fact, Jiao Jing and Zhang Ni's worries were unnecessary. Zhu Qiyu wanted to promote the new elite group that supported him, but he also did not want to completely abandon the old elite group.

Otherwise, Zhu Qiyu might have actually become the emperor who controlled half of the country. Now, the north is in chaos, and the Ming Dynasty's base of operations is in the south. If the south is lost directly, and the support of these people is lost, then the future governance will be essentially ruined.

Just when everyone was extremely anxious, Cheng Jing came to convey the imperial decree.

Upon hearing of Zhu Qiyu's summons from their respective residences, the two hurriedly went directly to the palace.

When Jiao Jing and Zhang Ni met in the palace, they didn't dare to exchange many words and went directly to see Zhu Qiyu.

In the Qianqing Palace, Jiao Jing and his companion hurriedly greeted His Majesty, saying, "Your Majesty, we pay our respects. May we ask why Your Majesty has summoned us here?"

Zhu Qiyu gestured for the two men to come closer, and without further ado, asked directly, "The court has proposed reforming the military system, adding ten battalions. What are your thoughts on this?"

The two were secretly alarmed. Jiao Jing cautiously said, "I believe that it can be temporarily set up for wartime needs, but if it becomes a permanent system, it still needs to be discussed. The three major camps were the ancestral system, and it has only been established for a short time. If we change the system rashly, it may cause controversy."

Zhu Qiyu waved his hand and said, "There's no need to test me. I intend to reform the system. The Three Great Camps are already empty. If the loyalist army is put into the Three Great Camps and we win this battle, you will occupy important positions in the Three Great Camps. Do you think it will be these military officials who do the work and the credit that goes to you? If that's the case, the army will surely rebel. Moreover, if the army is given to you, can you train it properly? You two should speak frankly and state your needs together."

Jiao Jing and Zhang Ni exchanged a glance, slightly stunned. Was it really that direct?

We shouldn't just go through the motions, test each other's intentions, and haggle over the price.

The two had to admit that what Zhu Qiyu said was true; it was no longer possible to win by doing nothing. However, they were unwilling to let themselves be sidelined like this.

Upon hearing that Zhu Qiyu had made up his mind, Zhang Ni knew that the possibility of reversing the decision was extremely slim, so he mustered his courage and asked, "Your Majesty, may I take a look at the list of commanders of the Tenth Battalion?"

"This is the list of recommendations made by Minister Yu and others!"

Zhu Qiyu nodded and handed the list of commanders of the ten battalions to Jiao Jing and his companion.

After a closer look, the two men felt a pang of unease. Only three nobles, Gu Xingzu, Liu An, and Zhu Ying, each commanded a battalion, while the rest were commanded by military officers. This broke the old rule that no one without a noble title could command a battalion.

Zhang Ni dared not openly object, so he could only say indirectly, "Your Majesty, according to custom, the appointment of a military commander requires the joint recommendation of the Ministry of War and the five high-ranking officials. If the Minister makes such a decision on his own, it may break the rules."

Zhu Qiyu saw through Zhang Ni's thoughts at a glance and laughed, "You want Wu Xun to take command of the army, don't you? Even if I gave all of you command of the army, could you train a strong army that could defeat the Oirat and protect the Ming Dynasty?"

Faced with Zhu Qiyu's barrage of questions, Zhang Ni was momentarily speechless, stammering, "This..."

Your Majesty, this is too hurtful! So even food is a sin!

Jiao Jing, sensing Zhu Qiyu's tone, knew that Zhu Qiyu was favoring the meritorious officials, and immediately prostrated himself on the ground, saying, "Your Majesty, we will obey you!"

Zhang Ni also reacted and landed with a thud, the landing incredibly smooth.

"I second that proposal!"

Seeing their attitude, Zhu Qiyu nodded and said, "My intention is to add two more battalions, making a total of twelve regiments. You two will each command one battalion. These two battalions will be responsible for logistics and will serve as support when necessary, not for main combat. However, if forced to fight to the death, they cannot be exempted from this responsibility. The three main battalions, as the core battalions, will be handed over to Marquis Li Xian of Fengcheng. What do you two think of this?"

The two men's eyes lit up upon hearing this. In this way, it was five to seven, and with the old camp added, at least half of the troops were still in Xun Gui's hands. Indeed, His Majesty was still reliable. The two men wanted to laugh, but dared not, and could only ask hesitantly, "Really?"

Zhu Qiyu gestured for the two to stand up, his expression turning serious. He said, "Don't be too happy yet. If you ruin the soldiers, I'll take your heads. Think it over before you accept!"

"We, your humble servants, will certainly not fail in our mission!"

Upon hearing this, the two men immediately straightened their backs. After all, they were men, and at worst, they could live and eat with the soldiers for a while and use some good assistants. The Beijing garrison still had some veterans. If they couldn't even train the logistics soldiers well, then they would have lived in vain.

Zhu Qiyu nodded slightly and instructed, "Go back and tell everyone that reforming the military system is urgent and there is no need to cause any more trouble. This is wartime, and all decisions should be made quickly. I do not want to drag things out and have endless arguments."

A matter cannot be dragged out for too long, otherwise it will become distorted. Such a decision should be made quickly, otherwise people will be unsettled, and what kind of war can we fight?

The two nodded solemnly upon hearing this, understanding that this was the greatest benefit His Majesty could secure for Xun Gui; anything more would be as bad as nothing at all.

"If you feel there is anything wrong with my arrangement, bring it up now and we will resolve it face to face. If you try to trip me up later, don't blame me for being ruthless."

The two men immediately composed themselves, almost patting their chests and saying, "We have no objections and will obey Your Majesty's decree. There will certainly be no dissenting voices among the nobles in the capital."

Zhu Qiyu glanced at the two men with satisfaction, pondered for a moment, and said, "However, there is one thing you two are correct about. The Commander-in-Chief of the Camp needs to be recommended by the court, and then we will recommend candidates according to this list."

Although the outcome remains unchanged, this process is necessary because the final decision rests with Zhu Qiyu.

"Here you go!"

After the two left, Zhu Qiyu summoned Xing'an.

"His Majesty!"

"Xing Banban, have the Bureau of Armory forge twelve short swords," Zhu Qiyu said, handing Xing An a piece of paper. "Each sword will retain its original design, but these markings will be engraved on it. Get this done quickly!"

"Here you go!"

Xing'an respectfully accepted it and glanced at the paper.

Fenwu, Yaowu, Lianwu, Xianwu, Ganyong, Guoyong, Guyong, Xiaoyong, Liwei, Shenwei, Yangwei, Zhenwei—exactly twelve names, not one missing!

Is that a bugle call?