Chapter 411: Determination

The Zhang family and Jiaozhi seemed to be tied together by an unbreakable bond—Zhang Fu led three military campaigns there, Zhang You stayed in Jiaozhi for ten years, Zhang Xin was exiled and still remained there, and Zhang Yue served in the Military Armory Department, often having to deal with Jiaozhi. Thus, when he suddenly uttered such a statement, Fang Bin was shocked, while Zhu Di merely raised his eyebrows, his words utterly merciless.
“Zhang Yue, how dare you speak rashly about such important military matters?”
Ever since he received a letter from his father Zhang Zhuo asking him to find a way to get his uncle Zhang Xin out of that damned place of Jiaozhi, Zhang Yue had been carefully planning. He didn’t think it was a good idea to scheme under the emperor’s nose, but he knew Jiaozhi wasn’t insignificant—it was a crucial region. Instead of bringing Zhang Xin back, it might be better to strengthen the emperor’s resolve. This was undoubtedly a great opportunity, so he stepped forward calmly.
“I am not speaking rashly. The Duke of Ying went to Jiaozhi three times, each time successfully quelling rebellions. The last time, he completely put down Chen Jikuo’s rebellion. So why do so many people still follow that clown Li Li? Jiaozhi is remote in the southwest, and the court sent many capable ministers there mainly to pacify the region. As far as I know, the emperor has never ordered that ten thousand peacock tails or ten thousand fans be supplied from Jiaozhi, nor has he ordered a hundred ivory tusks to be collected there each year, nor has he ordered tortoiseshell and amber to be purchased from Jiannan.”
Zhu Di was stunned by these three “never” statements. Once he understood their meaning, his already stern face grew even darker—although Zhang Yue didn’t explicitly name who was exploiting Jiaozhi for personal gain, it was clearly someone he trusted as a key ally. Recalling Mu Sheng’s previous hints, he remained silent, lips pressed together. Ordinary ministers would have panicked and apologized at such a look, but Zhang Yue had seen it many times and wasn’t intimidated.

“Li Li was originally a general under Chen Jikuo. After submitting to our Great Ming, he was only given a minor position as an inspector, so he had long been dissatisfied. However, the pretext he used to rebel was that the court forced him to hand over his daughter. Fearing the same might happen to them, the people also joined in the rebellion. Pan Liao, who held the hereditary position of prefect of Yi’an, appeared obedient on the surface but harbored ulterior motives. When chaos broke out in Jiaozhi, he took the opportunity to rise in rebellion, just like other local officials who rebelled one after another. Though such people certainly had their own agendas, without opportunities or excuses, how could they start trouble? The people of Jiaozhi are no different from those in the Central Plains. If they can live peacefully, who would choose to risk their lives by joining a rebellion?”
Fang Bin brought Zhang Yue along today merely to bring good fortune and avoid misfortune, but who would have thought he would get entangled in such a troublesome situation for no reason? Seeing the emperor staring at him coldly, he immediately felt distressed, knowing that the emperor must think he had said something behind his back. With that in mind, he could only muster the courage to say, “Zhang Yue, this meeting is about military personnel in Jiaozhi. Who gave you permission to talk about this?”
“Jiaozhi is separated from the sea to the east, borders Laos to the west. To the south, it faces Champa across the sea, and to the north, it connects to Siming and Nanning in Guangxi, as well as Lin’an and Yuanjiang in Yunnan—all fertile lands. If Jiaozhi is stabilized, then the southwestern tribes will be under control. Moreover, if our army advances, the rebels will surrender at the mere sight of us, first out of fear of our imperial power and second because the people support our Great Ming. After the Duke of Ying stabilized Jiaozhi, the key was defense. If managed properly, this region can gradually become peaceful. But if defense is ineffective, chaos will ensue again. Now, as our army suppresses one area in Jiaozhi, another rebels, and when we deal with that, the original area rebels again. The soldiers are exhausted from constant fighting, so it’s inevitable that military personnel will be depleted.”
Seeing the emperor’s expression grow darker, Zhang Yue spoke even more fervently. Even Fang Bin, known for his sharpness, was now sweating profusely, deeply regretting having brought Zhang Yue along today. Just as he was in a state of turmoil, Zhu Di suddenly said coldly, “Fang Bin, leave.”
“Your Majesty…” Fang Bin originally wanted to stand his ground to protect his subordinates, but seeing the emperor’s expression, as if thunder might strike at any moment, he swallowed his words. After kneeling, he left the hall. Once outside, with the cold wind blowing, he regained his senses and pondered for a long time before finally understanding Zhang Yue’s intentions and the reason for the emperor’s anger.
“Young and arrogant, thinking you can do as you please just because the emperor favors you? Zhang Xin won’t return so easily… Once you anger the emperor, it’s a fate beyond redemption. Even the Duke of Ying can’t save you… What a pity…”

Inside the main hall of the Qianqing Palace, the emperor and his minister, now without Fang Bin’s presence, were stuck in a stalemate. Zhu Di glared angrily at Zhang Yue. Seeing his calm and unflinching demeanor, he grew even more infuriated and demanded sharply, “Did your uncle write this to tell you?”
“Your Majesty, my uncle sends only one letter every six months. The last one was sent before the New Year, and aside from greetings, it contained nothing else. Apart from what my eldest uncle, the Duke of Yingguo, mentioned during my visits to his residence, and my second uncle, the Marquis of Yangwu, shared from his years of fighting in Jiaozhi, these are the results of my reviewing documents at the Ministry of War.”
“You are an official in the Armory Department. If I remember correctly, this should be the responsibility of the Geography Department!”
“Your Majesty is right. But since You Majesty ordered Eunuch Zhang to bring that document, in addition to fulfilling my duties in managing the Armory Department, I naturally should do whatever else I can. Otherwise, how could I live up to Your Majesty’s expectations? As Your Majesty just said, my uncle is currently in Jiaozhi, but compared to him, both my eldest uncle and second uncle have spent far longer there. Many members of the Zhang family have fought and made contributions in Jiaozhi. So although I have never been there, I am not ignorant about it. At least I know that Your Majesty’s determination to conquer Jiaozhi was aimed at ensuring long-term stability in the southwest, not merely for the sake of territorial expansion!”
“You arrogant brat!”
Zhu Di laughed in anger, but after uttering those words, he felt quite pleased. To this day, the court was still dissatisfied with the expenditure of money, resources, and troops in Jiaozhi, and many criticized him for being overly ambitious. Thus, Zhang Yue’s last remark dampened much of his anger. Realizing that Zhang Yue’s criticism was aimed at Ma Qi, the military supervisor in Jiaozhi, he began to ponder deeply. Although he had also dispatched some troops to Jiaozhi, the number was far less than what Zhang Yue mentioned. Moreover, he wasn’t foolish enough to ignore the local conditions there and insist on forced requisitions.

Seeing the emperor’s hesitation, Zhang Yue knew he had chosen the right moment. Ever since Huang Yan was involved in the treason case, he had keenly sensed that Zhu Di no longer trusted eunuchs as completely as before—Lu Feng had complained to him that Zhu Di would often summon Yuan Fang for verification after meeting him, and Zhang Qian had also mentioned that the emperor now spoke harshly to eunuchs frequently. Hai Shou, during his only visit to the Ministry of War to handle matters, had hinted that the emperor’s temperament was now unpredictable. Ma Qi, the eunuch stationed in Jiaozhi who had been away from the capital for years, indeed had a history of misdeeds, so it wasn’t difficult to convince the emperor of this.

After much deliberation, Zhu Di finally decided to send a reliable person to investigate. Of course, he refused to show it on his face and instead issued stern orders, but Zhang Yue could easily tell that it was more thunder than rain. When he heard the emperor order that a report on Jiaozhi’s strategy be prepared and submitted, he became even more certain and simply replied before leaving. However, upon returning to the Ministry of War, he found everyone around him looking at him strangely.

Seeing Zhang Yue enter the office, Wan Shijie took the opportunity when no one else was around and rushed up to him. After examining him from head to toe, he finally sighed, “Just now, Lord Fang returned with a deathly pale face. Several people who went in to report matters suffered greatly. It was only after a vice minister went in that we found out what was going on. You’re really bold—Lord Fang originally intended to use you as a shield, but in the end, you used him instead! Since you came back unscathed, it must mean you succeeded.”

Zhang Yue nodded with a smile. “The emperor is already inclined, but he will surely send someone to verify it.”

“As long as they investigate, there’s no doubt they’ll uncover that eunuch’s crimes. The officials in Jiaozhi must already be furious with that retired emperor! He ruined everything for no reason—his crime as supervisor is the greatest. Besides, no one else can accuse him but you. You’ve already brought down three top officials from the Imperial Secretariat—truly the nemesis of powerful eunuchs…”

“Cough!”

Wan Shijie, who was talking animatedly, stopped abruptly at the sudden cough. Turning around, he saw Minister Fang Bin standing at the door. He was startled at first, then quickly put on a serious expression, stepped forward, and bowed. “Lord Fang, could it be you have something to assign to us?”

Although Fang Bin only heard the latter half of the words at the door, the information he inferred from them filled him with surprise and a hint of jealousy. He never expected the emperor not only to fail to rebuke Zhang Yue for his reckless speech but also to actually believe it—Zhang Yue had said similar things himself, and he also loathed that eunuch Ma Qi deeply, yet he could only allude to it indirectly, while Zhang Yue managed to say it so bluntly without any consequences! It had to be said that the emperor showed excessive favoritism toward the Zhang family. Didn’t he see how many high-ranking officials they had produced? Was he really intent on making them the most prominent family in the Ming Dynasty? Though he disagreed in his heart, Fang Bin maintained a calm expression on his face. After giving Zhang Yue a slight nod, he handed over a document: “This is a report just arrived from Jiaozhi. Although anyone else could handle this matter, after careful consideration, I think it’s best if you go. Visit the Left Army Commander’s office and inform Marquis Baoding.” Hearing it came from Jiaozhi and was meant for Marquis Baoding Meng Ying, Zhang Yue felt a sudden chill in his heart. Sure enough, moments later, Fang Bin said bluntly, “Li Li of Jiaozhi captured Zhengpingzhou, and Meng Xian died in battle.”