Chapter 263: Stances

For the Ming Dynasty, its greatest enemy was naturally the Mongol Yuan. Therefore, regions adjacent to the Mongols such as Kaiping, Xuanfu, Datong, Xinghe, and Wanquan had always been garrisoned with large numbers of border troops, all commanded by distinguished generals with illustrious battle records. When Zhang Fu returned from his second expedition to Jiaozhi in the eighth year of the Yongle era, he had spent a year training troops and overseeing logistics in Wanquan, Xuanfu. Returning to these places now, he felt no discomfort.

Zhang Fu had joined his father Zhang Yu in the campaigns to suppress the Rebellion of the Princes during the Yan forces’ uprising. He was among the first group of meritorious soldiers to be granted titles, becoming the Marquis of Xinan. At that time, fourteen people were conferred marquis titles; he was only 28 years old and ranked nineteenth among all meritorious soldiers, fourth among the marquises. However, in the third year of Yongle, he was promoted to Marquis of Xincheng, and in the sixth year, due to his decisive victory in the campaign against Jiaozhi, he was further elevated to Duke of Yingguo, reaching the pinnacle of official rank. In contrast, most of those who had been granted marquis titles remained at that rank, with few seeing further promotions.

Standing on the walls of Xuanfu City and gazing into the distance, he could almost hear the sounds of hooves, horns, battles, and clashing swords, seemingly oblivious to the strong winds blowing around him. Xu Heng, the Marquis of Xing’an, who stood behind him, was the grandson of Xu Xiang, another meritorious general from those campaigns. Having inherited his title, he had spent many years guarding the northern borders. He had always admired Zhang Fu, who was five years his senior, and now stepped forward with a smile, saying, “Duke of Yingguo, I heard that your wife is now pregnant. By the time you return from training, there might be a new baby boy on the way!”

A letter from Lady Wang, his wife, had already arrived, and Zhang Fu was already happy. But as someone who was usually serious and unwilling to lose composure in front of subordinates and colleagues, he simply replied with a smile, “I’ve always had trouble having children. My wife is also getting older, so I didn’t expect good news at this time. By the way, although the Oirats and Arutai have both submitted, the Oirats are obedient while Arutai harbors malicious intentions. Moreover, he tends to flee when defeated—having escaped twice despite large-scale military campaigns, we must be cautious.”

As Zhang Fu shifted the conversation back to matters of state, Xu Heng immediately became serious and detailed the military preparations in Xuanfu, Datong, and other areas. To defend against the Mongol Yuan, Xuanfu was surrounded by three military units—Xuanfu Three Guards, Wanquan Left Guard, Wanquan Right Guard, Huai’an Guard, and Huailai Guard—along with 25,000 military households, all of whom were brave and skilled fighters in times of war. Datong alone had eight such military units, totaling 40,000 troops. It could be said that these border troops were the foundation for the Ming Dynasty’s repeated northern expeditions.

The Ming army remains a formidable force in the land today. Moreover, the heroes who guarded the borders were often renowned generals who had experienced the Jingnan Campaign and numerous military campaigns in the north and south, so they paid great attention to training and tactics. Xu Heng accompanied Zhang Fu to inspect the training grounds of the Three Guards in Xuanfu, then summoned the officers at all levels of the guards and inspected the weapons in the armory. It was not until sunset that they returned to their residence in the city.

Zhang Fu had been sent by imperial order to supervise the training, so Xu Heng stepped aside and allowed him to use the main house of the camp. As they were both military men, neither Zhang Fu nor Xu Heng brought any women with them; their daily needs were taken care of by the maids already in the camp. These maids were experienced in serving successive commanders and imperial envoys, and each of them was diligent and cautious.

In the evening, after returning to the main house of the camp, Zhang Fu was served food by two maids, who then stood silently by his side without saying a word. Coming from a noble family, he had always emphasized the importance of not talking while eating or speaking while sleeping. Moreover, since they were in the midst of training, he ordered that meals be simple—just one piece of meat, one dish, and one soup—with each meal taking no more than the time it takes to drink tea.

After dinner, he planned to discuss tomorrow’s plans with Xu Heng, but at that moment a household servant came in, handing him a letter sent by Zhu Yong, the Duke of Cheng, from Nanjing. After taking it and opening it, his brows immediately furrowed. He held the letter in silence for a while before heading straight to the study. There, he ordered his trusted servant to bring a charcoal basin and burn the letter along with its envelope to ashes. Only then did he approach the map hanging on the wall and gaze intently at the several places marked in vermilion ink.

Although he was away from home, the residence of the Duke of Ying sent letters every three days. In addition, Zhu Yong, the Duke of Cheng in Nanjing, and other loyal heroes from various places often sent letters as well. Thus, although Zhang Fu couldn’t claim to know everything about the world, he was well-informed. He learned about Zhang Yue being recalled to the capital, Du Zhen being imprisoned by the Jinyiwei, and even the emperor’s hesitation in making decisions—yet he didn’t pay them much attention. However, the letter sent by Zhu Yong that day worried him greatly.

Prince Zhu Gaochi’s illness had improved, but the crown prince, Zhu Zhanji, had fallen off his horse during an outing! Although Zhu Yong said he was not seriously injured and that the guilty eunuchs and attendants had been executed, and the imperial physicians were treating him carefully, who could know what might happen? Moreover, judging from these training exercises, it was possible the emperor, refusing to admit he was getting old, might again consider launching a campaign in the north after moving the capital.

“Master, your wife sent Manager Rong over.”

Hearing such a voice coming from outside the study, Zhang Fu immediately frowned deeply and then ordered in a grave tone, “Let him in.”

The distance from Beijing to Xuanfu wasn’t too great, but Rong Shan changed horses rather than people along the way and arrived here in just two days and nights. Naturally, he was covered in dust with a yellowish complexion. After stepping into the study, feeling the two heavy doors close behind him, he hurried forward and knelt down respectfully, placing his hands on the ground and bowing his head in greeting.

“You’ve had a hard journey. Get up. I’ve always said you have poor knees and legs—don’t keep kneeling around. Besides, there’s no urgent matter at the moment. You could have changed clothes, eaten, and drunk something before coming to see me. Look, your lips are even cracked. What exactly is the matter that your wife insisted you come here in such a hurry?”

Only then did Rong Shan slowly stand up, bending one knee. Smiling, he said, “I haven’t seen my lord in several months, so I naturally couldn’t neglect proper etiquette. It wasn’t appropriate to send someone else for this matter, and it couldn’t be explained in a letter, so my wife asked me to deliver a message in person. I thank my lord for his understanding. Actually, I’ve already eaten and drunk while on horseback, so it’s no big deal.”

As he spoke, he licked his cracked and painful lips before straightening up and saying, “Lord You Er has returned and has taken up the position of Deputy Commander of the Left Army. Although he doesn’t hold as much military power as before, if he endures another two years and earns more military achievements, he might be granted a title. This time, Lord You Er also brought back a concubine. It is said that Lord Mu of the State of Qian acted as the matchmaker—she is the daughter of a Baiyi chieftain and is already pregnant, causing quite a stir in the Zhang family’s residence in Wuanhou Hutong.”

Mu Sheng? Zhang Fu was quite surprised. He had worked with Mu Sheng several times during the campaign in Jiaozhi and knew well that this Lord of Qian wasn’t the kind to meddle in affairs, let alone act as a matchmaker. Considering that the Baiyi were powerful local rulers in Yunnan and Guizhou, he was even more puzzled as to why Zhang You would be involved with a Baiyi chieftain’s daughter. After thinking it over, he decided it was someone else’s family matter and not important enough to dwell on for now.

“My wife only asked me to mention this to my lord. What’s more important is another matter. Young Master Yue has returned, and the emperor has summoned him once—apparently, he’s to return to Qingzhou to execute those White Lotus Sect bandits. According to court rumors, at least hundreds of people will be killed this time. My wife has always liked Young Master Yue very much, and knowing that my lord also values him highly, she asked me to inquire whether my lord has any advice to give him, as this matter is unavoidable.”

“Additionally, the second master has now also moved from Nanjing to Beijing and often attends banquets at the Zhao family’s mansion. It is said there are also financial dealings between them. The third master failed in his previous mission and has been staying at home for days. A few days ago, when the third madam came to visit the first madam, she asked her to intercede with the master on his behalf, seeking to arrange a proper status for Young Master Jin.”

Faced with all these complicated matters, Zhang Fu felt dizzy. He was too lazy and impatient to deal with his two full-blooded younger brothers, so he immediately instructed Rong Shan to convey his message: let Lady Wang handle those two families however she wished, without further interference, to avoid ending up with nothing despite all the effort. As for Zhang Yue’s situation, he pondered for a long time.

“Pass the message to Young Master Yue—say it’s my wish that he act boldly according to the imperial edict. Despite those civil officials always clamoring about governing with benevolence and righteousness, they are usually very cautious about such matters. No matter how many people he kills, it won’t harm his reputation. After all, he is part of the Zhang family. In such situations, decisive action is needed; there’s no need to fear killing. He must remember his stance. As for what the common people say, it doesn’t matter. After all, the importance of being an official is to govern and subdue the people. While it’s good for them to respect one, making them fear one isn’t necessarily a bad thing either. Tell Lady Wang to meet with some ladies from prominent families who have good connections, and see if she can arrange for some soldiers from the imperial army to accompany him to Qingzhou. If those White Lotus rebels try to retaliate, they can be caught all at once!”

With each word Zhang Fu spoke, Rong Shan nodded, eventually showing a look of deep conviction. Being a cautious man, he repeated all of Zhang Fu’s instructions to be sure nothing was missed before departing. As he reached the door, he heard Zhang Fu’s voice again and quickly turned around.

“You’ve traveled hard. Rest for a night before heading back. You’re not young anymore. Don’t treat yourself as you did when you followed me to Jiaozhi. I and Lady Wang still have many tasks in mind for you in the future. Also, tell Lady Wang to take good care of herself. Leave the household affairs to Xi Yu—she grew up watching her, so she’s more reliable than others. Make sure someone visits Auntie regularly to show respect. And…”

Recalling the letter sent by Zhu Yong, the Duke of Cheng in Nanjing, Zhang Fu added one last thing: “If Lady Wang is well enough to go to the palace, ask her to mention it to Consort Wang. With the capital’s relocation approaching, the crown prince and crown prince heir should be brought to Beijing as soon as possible.”

Honorable Shan felt warm inside as he listened to what was said earlier, but at the end his heart skipped a beat. He had followed Zhang Fu for many years and seen many storms and challenges; it took him a moment to understand the meaning behind Zhang Fu’s words. Had his own British Duke’s family originally been on good terms with the Han King, and were they now truly beginning to lean toward the Eastern Palace?