Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

Taiyuan, the headquarters of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"I never expected that the Governor-General would actually send Lord Fan to Taiyuan in person."

In the study behind the main office, Ouyang Hong met a familiar face dressed in plain clothes.

This man, named Fan Wenda, was one of the most trusted advisors in the staff of Fan Jizu, the governor of Xuanfu, Datong, and Shanxi. He held the title of Director of the Department of Military Affairs of the Ministry of War and was a civil official of the sixth rank.

Ouyang Hong had dealt with Fan Wenda several times and they had some kind of relationship.

"Commander Ouyang".

Fan Wenda handed an official document to Ouyang Hong.

"The Governor-General has sent me to Taiyuan to oversee the investigation of the case reported by Commander Ouyang, in which Zhang Yin, the Commander of the Left Guard of Taiyuan, secretly made a deal with Anda to buy the head of a barbarian and claim credit for it."

I humbly request Commander Ouyang's assistance.

"This is my duty, and I will do my best to cooperate."

Ouyang Hong took the official document and glanced at it. It was an appointment for Fan Wenda to investigate Taiyuan Left Guard with full authority, and it was stamped with the governor's seal of Fan Jizu.

It's finally here!

Zhang Yin, the commander of the Taiyuan Left Guard, had a secret deal with Anda, and the Mongol heads used to report merits were all bought with silver.

This charge was actually fabricated by Ouyang Hong himself.

The secret order he received from the commander that day had only one content: to fabricate a charge and accuse Zhang Yin, the commander of the Taiyuan Left Guard, of colluding with the Mongols and plotting a rebellion to Fan Jizu!

The purpose was to get Fan Jizu to summon Zhang Yin to Shuozhou for investigation.

He racked his brains for a long time before finally coming up with the crime of buying enemy leaders and claiming credit for them.

Zhang Yin was the Ming general who took the most enemy heads in the campaign against Jinang and Anda's invasion of Shanxi. It is quite normal for some people to be envious and anonymously report him to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Ouyang Hong believed that even Governor Fan himself had doubts about Zhang Yin's ability to capture so many Mongol heads, but he suppressed his doubts in order to boost the morale of the Ming army in Shanxi.

Now that the Mongols have withdrawn beyond the Great Wall, and it was the Taiyuan Jinyiwei Thousand-Household Office that delivered the whistleblower letter, Fan Jizu will certainly investigate.

It wasn't just to find out if the Mongol heads Zhang Yin handed over were really bought from Altan Khan with silver, but also to show the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

If the investigation is conducted by the Governor-General's office, it will not harm Fan Jizu. However, if it is discovered by someone else, then Governor-General Fan, who previously praised Zhang Yin so lavishly, will become a laughing stock.

"Zhang Yin has been gone from Taiyuan for several days now. Does Lord Fan know if he has arrived in Shuozhou yet?"

Ouyang Hong asked, "As long as Zhang Yin arrives in Shuozhou, I will have completed the task assigned by the Commander."

"It arrived three days ago."

Fan Wenda nodded.

"As soon as he arrived in Shuozhou, he went straight to the governor's office."

The governor encouraged Zhang Yin in person, and then told him that the Ministry of War official who was verifying the heads had objections to some of them and was still verifying and comparing them.

Let him stay in Shuozhou City for a few days. After the accurate figures are obtained, the Governor-General will hold a grand ceremony to publicly commend him.

Of course, this was entirely to keep Zhang Yin in Shuozhou for the time being.

As soon as Zhang Yin left the governor's office, the governor sent Fan on two horses to change horses at post stations along the way, so as to reach Taiyuan as quickly as possible.

The governor believed that verifying the head would not reveal any problems, and that a breakthrough was needed from other angles.

The dozen or so personal guards that Zhang Yin brought to Shuozhou were all his confidants. These men would surely keep their master's mouth shut. Making a move against them rashly would only alert the enemy.

Moreover, even if the anonymous whistleblower letter is false, it won't lead to a ridiculous situation.

The best approach would be to take advantage of Zhang Yin's absence from Taiyuan and target the mid-level officers of the Taiyuan Left Guard.

Such a large-scale top-down transaction would be unknown to the lowest-ranking soldiers, but it's impossible for mid- to high-ranking officers to be completely unaware of it.

Even if we don't know where these heads came from, we can't be unaware of whether we've taken many heads on the battlefield.

High-ranking officers are likely all Zhang Yin's cronies, but among the mid-ranking officers, if we use some methods, someone will eventually speak out.

"Lord Commander."

At this moment, a member of the Imperial Guard rushed into the study.

"Governor Liu of Shanxi has sent someone to ask you, Commander, to go to the governor's office immediately for a meeting, saying that there is an extremely urgent military matter."

"What?!"

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Hong abruptly stood up from his official chair.

"Didn't the Mongols just withdraw from the Great Wall? How could they possibly have any urgent military situation?"

Ouyang Hong was initially displeased that his subordinates had barged in while he was entertaining guests, but he couldn't care less at this moment.

"The one who came was a close confidant of the governor."

The captain quickly replied,

"He only said it was related to the Taiyuan Left Guard, and he didn't know anything else."

"It's actually Taiyuan Left Guard?!"

Fan Wenda was also taken aback and stood up.

"Commander Ouyang, I will accompany you to the Governor's Office to meet Lord Liu."

. . .

Taiyuan City, Shanxi Governor's Office.

"Your humble servant Fan Wenda greets Your Excellency the Governor."

Upon meeting Liu, the Governor of Shanxi, Fan Wenda greeted him with courtesy.

"I have been ordered by the Governor-General to investigate whether Zhang Yin, the Commander of the Left Guard of Taiyuan, has bought enemy leaders to claim credit for his services."

Having heard of the urgent military matter that the Governor summoned Commander Ouyang to discuss, which concerns the Taiyuan Left Guard, I have come uninvited. I hope you will forgive my intrusion.

"Buying enemy leaders to claim credit?"

Liu Nie snorted coldly.

"Lord Fan, there's no need to investigate further; it must be true."

This matter is utterly insignificant compared to the serious crimes Zhang Yin committed!

I have just received an urgent military dispatch jointly signed by the commanders of Zhen Ding Wei, Ding Zhou Wei, and Bao Ding You Wei.

They claimed that a large stronghold of the White Lotus sect had been discovered in Pingding Prefecture, which they were ordered to defend, and that the number of sect members could be as high as tens of thousands.

They had surrounded the stronghold of the cultists and were engaged in a fierce battle with them.

The cultists were not only well-trained, but also equipped with weapons and even iron armor of the Ming Dynasty's regular army.

The three guards, with five thousand soldiers, attacked for a whole day, suffering hundreds of casualties.

From the captured cult members, the three commanders extracted a shocking confession.

According to the prisoners' confessions, the one who had been providing shelter to this group of religious bandits was Zhang Yin, the commander of the Taiyuan Left Guard!

Moreover, the armor and weapons used by the bandits in the mountain stronghold were all provided by Zhang Yin.

In addition to sending messengers to report the matter to their respective officials, the three commanders also dispatched messengers to the capital and Shuozhou.

In a couple of days, the Governor-General will also know about this!

This is no longer just about buying enemy leaders to claim credit; Zhang Yin is practically colluding with the White Lotus Rebellion!

"How dare you, you scoundrel?!"

Fan Wenda was speechless with astonishment.

"Oh no! The messengers of the three commanders have all arrived in Taiyuan City. I'm afraid the White Lotus rebels' messengers have arrived as well!"

Zhang Yin alone could not have accomplished this level!

The entire Taiyuan Left Guard area is probably infiltrated by accomplices of the White Lotus Rebellion.

Fortunately, Zhang Yin has been summoned to Shuozhou by the Governor-General and is no longer in Taiyuan!

The Taiyuan Left Guard will be slower to react now that it has lost its overall leadership, but it cannot wait any longer, or things will change.

"Your Excellency, at this critical juncture, we must strike first!"