Chapter 428: Sitting by the Candlelight, the Emperor’s Unexpected Visit

Since the early Ming Dynasty, when Emperor Hongwu Zhu Yuanzhang set an example by working diligently and even making unannounced inspections of various government offices, it became common for officials to stay behind at night, especially in crucial departments like the Ministry of War. With various military reports arriving from both the south and north these past few days, the three senior officials and the Bureau of Geography became the busiest places. Although the Bureau of Armories had some free time after finishing matters related to the south, they still couldn’t neglect the situation in the north.

Since the emperor had spoken of touring Xinghe in the north, who knew if he might suddenly decide to launch another campaign there?

That evening, after leaving the office, Zhang Yue sent Lian Sheng home to deliver news and instructed him not to return. He then asked Lian Hu to go to Front Gate Street to buy food and drinks. Since two clerks would be staying overnight as well, Lian Hu bought extra supplies as ordered. After delivering them to the main office, he went to the side room and placed two oil-paper wrapped packages on the table with a smile.

The two clerks had brought their own meals earlier and had just warmed them up in the common kitchen—just plain rice, radishes, and cabbage, with only a few bits of minced meat. Although the work at the Bureau of Armories seemed easy, there were several challenges: First, Minister Fang Bin controlled all affairs of the Ministry of War, and nothing could escape his notice. Second, as a new official, Zhang Yue’s temperament was unpredictable. Third, with frequent military campaigns, the weapons produced by the Armory Bureau were needed urgently, and any attempts to exploit the situation could lead to complaints from powerful military officials. As a result, they lived frugally despite having valuable resources, cutting costs wherever possible.

Seeing the two oil-paper packages, the two clerks hesitated. Lian Hu, being a servant himself, understood their thoughts well. He said with a smile, “Our lord said we need energy to stay up late, so he asked me to prepare more. Inside are peanuts and marinated meat. Eat quickly and then come to the office. Tonight, our lord plans to sort out the accounts for this year’s military equipment distribution, and there’s also the matter of farming in Jiaozhi that needs further discussion with the Ministry of Revenue. We’ll handle it all together tonight.”

Hearing this, the middle-aged clerk immediately thanked him gratefully, saying, “Thank you very much for thinking of us. Please convey our thanks to Brother Lian, and we’ll be there in a moment.”

Zhang Yue and Wan Shijie also had a simple meal—each had a large bowl of lamb noodles and two bean-filled steamed buns, which quickly filled their stomachs. After eating, they wiped their hands, and Zhang Yue said to Wan Shijie with a smile, “I asked Lian Hu to buy some noodle tea for late-night snacks. Just rinse it with boiling water, add some jujubes and pea yellow paste, and it should be enough for the night.”
“If it weren’t for your reluctance to cause trouble, someone from your family would probably have to bring meals here. I can definitely take advantage of this little treat by staying with you!”
Seeing Lian Hu come to clean up, Wan Shijie joked, then got up and stretched. Zhang Yue also moved his limbs around. Seeing that it was almost time, he instructed Lian Hu to light two more lamps and candles. Once the two clerks who had finished eating entered the office, he assigned them their evening tasks. Soon, the room fell quiet, with the four of them each doing their own job, only occasionally talking when they encountered difficulties. Lian Hu had originally intended to stay to serve tea, but Zhang Yue waved him off and ordered him to go sleep in the adjacent room. He had no choice but to leave reluctantly.
It was originally an ordinary night. However, at the first hour of the Xu period, Fang Bin, the minister who had returned home early due to urgent matters during the day, suddenly returned to the Ministry of War. With a stern face, he inspected each room one by one. Several officials who had been slacking off while on duty were caught red-handed. Without scolding them immediately, he left coldly. When he arrived in front of the armory office, he stood outside for a while. Seeing Zhang Yue working hard at his desk inside and Wan Shijie explaining something to the clerks, with no one even noticing him, he raised his eyebrows slightly before heading straight to the main hall.
After a while, Zhang Yue, who was deeply focused on the accounts, heard someone knocking on the door. He quickly stood up and saw a familiar night-duty servant standing there, looking around nervously. He stepped forward and scolded jokingly, “What are you doing lurking outside at this late hour?”
The servant glanced around before softly saying with a smile, “Doesn’t the master know? Minister Fang just came by. He went around the offices, scaring those officials to death. Those who were caught have gone to the main hall to confess their faults. Minister Fang should have come here too—didn’t he push the door open just now?”
“Minister Fang came? We really weren’t aware of that. Thank you for the update, but everyone is busy right now. I won’t keep you any longer.”

Zhang Yue always carried a small amount of money on him, and this time he gave some to him before turning and entering the house. The three people inside heard that the Minister of Rites had suddenly started inspecting each room one by one, and Wan Shijie said with a wry smile, “Fortunately, we didn’t slack off. Otherwise, we would have been too ashamed if caught. It seems Minister Fang is upset and venting his anger on others. Tonight, it’s us and the Ministry of Geography who are the busiest. Those people in the Ministry of Geography have been working hard for days, so it’s not a big deal if they take a rare break. I wonder how things are at the Ministry of Military Recruitment—those people are after all Minister Fang’s confidants!”
“Let’s not worry about them. Just focus on our own work!”
Waving his hand, Zhang Yue gave the two clerks a glance, and the four of them sat down again. After what seemed like a while, the accounts related to this year’s military equipment requisition were finally sorted out. Since there were always supplementary rules in place for cases outside the regular procedures, Zhang Yue instructed Wan Shijie to organize all the expenses related to this supplementary rule into a ledger the next day. With no more official tasks at hand, he gradually felt hungry and said he would go outside to ask Lian Hu to prepare some noodles and tea. The middle-aged clerk quickly stood up.
“Since Brother Lian is sleeping, let him have a good rest. The people in the common kitchen must be slacking off right now. I’ll go and boil water myself.”
Seeing that the other clerk also wanted to go, Zhang Yue simply allowed them to. Once the two left, he went over to Wan Shijie and said, “Since spies have reported that Arutai plans to attack Xinghe, the emperor has ordered the military headquarters to strengthen defenses. It seems he’s planning a northern expedition.”
“The first two battles broke Arutai’s spirit, and the last one completely crushed the Oirat’s ambitions. But taking advantage of the Oirat’s severe setbacks, Arutai has risen again. It’s no wonder they have some strange plans now, as they’re being suppressed by him. However, when it comes to a northern expedition, manpower and resources are secondary. Arutai always flees at the news and tries to lure large armies into traps—this makes him very difficult to deal with. More importantly, supplying food to the army is extremely challenging.”

Zhang Yue knew that since Wan Shi Jie arrived at the Ministry of War, he had put in considerable effort in military affairs. Although he agreed with the other person’s views, he still had another concern: “You’re right. On these grasslands, they are the local rulers. They know every hill and pasture better than we do. If we act rashly in pursuit of glory, we’re likely to fall into an encirclement without even realizing it. Although a northern expedition can’t completely eliminate the remnants of the Mongol Yuan dynasty, it can at least make it harder for them to recover. If we just stick to defense, I’m afraid that in ten or twenty years, we’ll be facing a fierce tiger that can’t be controlled. Back during the first northern expedition, Alutai suffered heavy losses, yet in just a few years, he managed to recover! Even if Alutai were destroyed, stronger tribes would emerge on these grasslands.”

At this point, both of them fell silent. But anyone who had read history knew about those powerful tribes that once dominated the grasslands—from the Xiongnu to the Turks, the Uyghurs, the Khitans, and even the Western Xia, Jurchens, Mongols, and Yuan dynasty—each generation fell while another rose. When the Central Plains were strong, these tribes were suppressed to the point of barely breathing; when the Central Plains declined, they had to bow to their will or even be ruled by them. Even if powerful emperors and empires suppressed them for a time, they couldn’t keep it up forever.

“Just think about Li Li in Jiaonan, who caused such chaos—let alone the grasslands. They are both farmers and soldiers. A tribe may consist of just a few hundred people, but all of them can go into battle. They fight by plundering without having to worry about supplies, which is naturally different from us in the Central Plains.”

“If a large army marches in, these people will run away. But if a small force attacks, they might even be wiped out completely. Back then, Qi… was also a famous general, yet he was lured into a trap and his entire army was destroyed. Many of today’s nobles are second-generation warriors. Although they may have achieved some success on the battlefield, their ability to command large-scale operations still isn’t as good as that of the generals who died in battle in the past. It’s no wonder the emperor can’t trust them.”

“A northern expedition indeed consumes a great deal of money and resources. But if we don’t launch one and let the Mongol Yuan dynasty grow stronger, who can say they won’t covet the prosperity of the Central Plains and the good times of the Mongol Yuan dynasty? The south is full of petty troublemakers who can be pacified, but the north is like vicious wolves. Once given a chance to grow stronger, they’ll turn around and attack us the next day. They may fight among themselves all day long, but look—when Alutai is strong, he oppresses the Oirats; when the Oirats are strong, they oppress Alutai. There are also many other tribes waiting to rise…”

At this moment, Zhang Yue and Wan Shijie had completely forgotten why the two scribes who went to fetch water hadn’t returned after such a long time, and gradually began to discuss past and present events. Outside, under the eaves on the right side, Fang Bin anxiously peeked at Zhu Di’s expression. Seeing the emperor frown from time to time, he inwardly groaned in distress. When the emperor started ascending the steps, his heart leaped into his throat.

Yet, to his surprise, after just a few steps, Zhu Di turned around and went back down the steps. Watching the emperor pass by without being able to move for a long time, he finally rushed after him. What surprised him even more was that Zhu Di didn’t head to the main hall of the Ministry of War but instead walked toward the main gate. Trembling, he escorted him to the door, only to see the emperor turn around.

“I didn’t expect that besides Zhang Yue, your Ministry of War has another remarkable person. It’s rare for a scholar to have such insight.”

Fang Bin couldn’t tell whether this was praise or sarcasm, so he could only stammer in response. As he racked his brains over how to reprimand those two talkative fools, he heard the emperor instruct Yuan Fang, the commander of the Jinyiwei, beside him: “Release those two scribes you detained just now. Also, send someone to tell that audacious kid that I’ve read the memorial he submitted last time asking for frank advice. Although it isn’t nonsense, his reasons aren’t sufficient to make me change my mind. Besides, have him stay away from matters related to the south; otherwise, he’ll be too busy dealing with matters in the north alone.”