Chapter 550: Planning for the Long Term, Secret Conspiracies in the Dead of Night

The Oirat tribes of the Duyan Three Guards had always been a double-edged sword for Zhu Di. When he rose in rebellion to quell the Jingnan Campaign, his first move was to leave his queen, heir, and others in Beiping to defend the city, while he headed straight for Danning Guard. Using countless tactics, both open and secret, he eventually brought Prince Ning Zhu Quan on his side and secured the Duyan Three Guards, which he desired most. His ability to resist and even conquer the entire realm was largely thanks to the Oirats fighting alongside him in battles across the land. After ascending the throne, he moved Danning Guard to Baoding Prefecture, exiled Prince Ning Zhu Quan to Nanchang, and then gave the land of Danning to the Duyan Three Guards for grazing.

Yet, despite the gradual abandonment of the old city of Danning, he never allowed the Oirats to enter it. Moreover, due to the Duyan Three Guards’ collusion with Arutai, conflicts along the border never ceased. Unable to find Arutai this time, he vented all his anger on the Duyan Three Guards. But this point raised by Zhang Yue was something he had never considered before.

A ruler must not make empty promises! He could find ways to prevent the Oirats from moving south, but how could he reclaim a territory he had given away?

Zhang Yue did not fully understand the emperor’s thoughts at that moment, but he could tell that Zhu Di seemed displeased. However, in his view, the gradual shift of the northern border southward since the early Yongle era was because Zhu Di and Zhu Quan—two princes originally tasked with defending against the Mongols—had one become the emperor while the other was reluctantly confined to Nanchang. Since Zhu Di later decided to move the capital to Beijing to defend against the Mongols, why not use the Oirat rebellion as an excuse to reclaim Danning?

Today’s Ming Dynasty had military strength and a sense of righteousness—it just lacked determination!

Silence reigned inside the imperial tent. The few eunuchs who did not understand state affairs held their breath and stayed silent. Seeing that the emperor, though displeased, did not explode immediately, Yang Rong realized the emperor was hesitating. He was skilled in military affairs and capable of making decisions, but only when the emperor asked him to. If Danning Guard were unimportant, the founding emperor would not have stationed Prince Ning Zhu Quan there, nor would the Ning and Yan principalities be considered among the strongest in the realm. Giving Danning to the Duyan Three Guards provided an extra layer of defense for the capital, but it also introduced an extra layer of threat. Without the Oirats, would Arutai have recovered so quickly and learned so much about Ming Dynasty movements?

Jin Youzi had accompanied the northern expeditions twice and was extremely familiar with military affairs. In such a tense atmosphere, he awkwardly shifted his shoulders slightly before immediately rebuking Zhang Yue, “The Emperor has granted the land of Danning to the Wulangha people for grazing for over a decade. If they show submission during this campaign, their great kindness will be overlooked as if nothing happened. Even if they resist stubbornly, only the ringleaders should be punished—how can we casually consider changing the decision? Military matters are no joke; do not speak rashly!”

Zhang Yue simply gritted his teeth, stepped forward, and kowtowed, saying, “Since the Emperor has launched a campaign, it is surely his wish to resolve the issue once and for all. They keep invading and causing trouble at the borders. Even if heavenly troops arrived, they would not submit or apologize but instead try to escape by chance or even confront us with their troops. The Emperor granted them the land of Danning for grazing as a reward for their past merits. Now that they have committed crimes, taking it back would be adding more punishment. Rewarding merit and punishing faults—this is the proper way for sovereign and subject!”

Unlike Yang Rong’s thoughtful expression, Jin Youzi frowned deeply, while Zhu Di’s expression changed slightly, his anger fading a bit. Although Zhang Yue was just a minor official in the Ministry of War and not qualified to discuss such major policies, he had previously shown his straightforwardness, and Zhu Di knew this young man from the Zhang family had an honest temperament. His statement that merit should be rewarded and faults punished was resounding. This time, for the northern expedition, one minister died and two were imprisoned, yet Arutai managed to escape—so the blame fell on the Wulangha people!

“Considering your good intentions, I will not pursue your crime of speaking rashly. Go and reflect carefully! Remember to prepare to join me on a mission to strike at the Wulangha people’s stronghold!”

Faced with such a lenient response, Zhang Yue had no choice but to retire. The two ministers remaining in the imperial tent felt this punishment was far too mild. Once Zhang Yue left, Yang Rong spoke up, “Your Majesty, the three garrisons of Danning have been stationed in Baoding Prefecture for over a decade, and their combat strength is now much weaker than before. If we re-establish them in the old city of Danning, food and supplies will be another major issue. Moreover, the Doyan garrisons have occupied that area for over a decade. Even if they dare not resist out of fear of our military might this time, they are likely to make a comeback later.”

Yang Rong spoke obliquely, but Zhu Di naturally understood his meaning. He had built his fortune in Beiping but ascended the throne in Nanjing. Back then, he abolished the five garrisons of Kaiping in one go and left almost the entire Beiping military command to the Duyan Three Garrisons for grazing, hoping that without him blocking the way in the north, the Wulangha people could hold off the Tatars and Oirats for him. Yet now, those who had once helped him turned against him. Of the nearly destroyed Beiping military command, only Kaiping Xinghe, along with a few post stations and earth forts, remained.

“I will consider this matter carefully!”

After leaving the imperial tent, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but look up at the sky and saw a crescent moon already high in the heavens. Though surrounded by 300,000 troops, strict military orders ensured there was little noise. Within twenty li around, there were troops everywhere; each camp had a set number of lanterns, along with strict fire prevention and night watch measures. Looking around, all he saw were dim lights stretching in all directions—a truly spectacular sight.

He hadn’t realized it when giving his advice in the imperial tent, but now, upon reflection, he felt a bit scared. Emperor Zhu Di was extremely suspicious. If his words were misinterpreted, that would surely lead to disaster. Thinking about how he had been on this northern expedition for so long yet had never met Zhang Fu privately, he realized it wasn’t wise to approach him rashly despite his many doubts, which made him even more frustrated.

“By the way, is it the sixth day of the sixth month tomorrow?”

Suddenly remembering this, seeing that the military tent he shared with Yang Rong and Jin Youzi was not far away, and that burly man was already wandering outside the tent, he quickly walked over and called out, “Lao Peng, come with me for a walk.”

Peng Shisan, who was originally chewing on a grass root and looking up at the stars to determine direction, quickly turned his head at the sound. “Walk? Didn’t you say before that we shouldn’t wander around casually in the central camp?”

Seeing Zhang Yue’s displeased expression and recalling that the person just summoned by the emperor had also been called away, he immediately understood. “Since it’s still early before bedtime, let’s take a walk around the central camp!”

Zhang Yue, silent, nodded, and the two walked out one after the other. Every northern expedition started in spring, and by the time fighting really began on the grasslands, it was usually summer. The imperial tent was located in the inner camp, surrounded by wooden fences. Beyond the fences, one could clearly see countless soldiers sleeping on the ground under felt mats. Zhang Yue stood in front of the fence for a while but ultimately didn’t go out through the main gate. Instead, he led Peng Shisan slowly around to the right side.

Although Marquis Anyuan Liu Sheng commanded the central army, the elite troops guarding the inner camp belonged to the Imperial Horse Supervision’s personal guard. It was still not late at night, and aside from the footsteps of the night watchmen, there were few other sounds. Zhang Yue had originally hoped to relieve his longing for his family by taking a walk, but after walking most of the way, his longing only grew stronger. His son would be holding an object to determine his future occupation the next day—what would it be? Even if it was just cosmetics, it didn’t matter; after all, his father would take care of all the hard work. As long as his son had good character and liked to indulge in cosmetics, it was fine. Then again, he wondered if those nights of madness had truly brought them a precious daughter… How was his grandmother’s health? Did Zhang Jing still cling to his sister-in-law as before? Would Zhang Chao and Zhang Qi become restless because they hadn’t succeeded in joining the army? Were those maids still stubborn as ever…? As his mind wandered with these thoughts, he suddenly felt someone gently pull his arm and immediately stopped in his tracks. Turning around, he saw Peng Shisan signaling to him. He was stunned, but before he could react, Peng Shisan swiftly rushed over and pulled him into a corner of another tent. Before he could figure out what was going on, he heard some rustling footsteps. “I thought there was someone here. It seems there was a mistake! Hey, ask quickly if you have something to say. I need to get back before Eunuch Liu finds out.” Hearing this, Zhang Yue’s heart tightened. From the tone of voice, was it someone from Liu Yongcheng’s entourage? “Did Eunuch Liu really send someone to deliver a message?” “Of course. I saw it with my own eyes outside the tent. Eunuch Liu commands the imperial guards. Not only is he utterly loyal to the emperor, but he is also close to the crown prince, so no one else can interfere. Moreover, he isn’t as greedy as Hai Shou. Although he does pocket some money, he knows the stakes. If he’s removed, anyone else will be easier to deal with.” “To get rid of him, we just need that letter. News from Kaiping should arrive soon. As long as we catch him with the evidence, even the crown prince won’t be able to escape consequences!” “The emperor already hates it when people spy on his activities, let alone a high-ranking eunuch in charge of the Imperial Horse Supervision. This is a great chance to make a move—finally, the emperor can get his revenge.”

The two voices were extremely muffled. If not for Zhang Yue’s exceptional hearing, it would have been difficult even to grasp a rough idea of what they were saying. Of course, if Peng Shisan hadn’t been agile enough to find a place to hide, he would have already been discovered by those two who, despite whispering, remained highly vigilant. There wasn’t the slightest bit of light here; even if he could stick his head out to look, he wouldn’t be able to identify those two shadowy figures. He could only memorize their voices carefully while rapidly figuring things out in his mind.

Although the eunuch in charge of the imperial stables, Liu Yongcheng, was sarcastic and not as upright as Zhang Qian, he was still firmly part of the crown prince’s faction. If his letter contained anything important and it were indeed intercepted, the consequences would likely be worse than those in the 12th year of Yongle’s reign. Back then, it was merely the crown prince who arrived late; this time, it was the eastern palace attempting to spy on the emperor and seize control of the imperial stables’ military power!

Only after those two had left for a long time did Peng Shisan quietly pull Zhang Yue out, then chuckled and said, “I noticed the young master looking deep in thought, so I deliberately stepped back a bit. Who would have thought I’d happen upon such sneaky guys?”