Chapter 595: The Game of Shooting Willows – The Essence of Military Affairs

Shooting willows and hitting targets have always been traditional events in the Ming army’s grand reviews. Unlike combat trials, these exercises rarely result in injuries; the former focuses on archery and horsemanship, while the latter emphasizes control over the horse. Zhu Di often used these two to assess his nobles. For Zhu Zhanji, who had grown up practicing archery and horseback riding with the imperial guard, shooting willows was as routine as daily life. In an instant, he sped forward and shot three arrows in quick succession.
“Great!”
Some of the young soldiers in the imperial guard had followed Zhu Zhanji to the northern battlefields, some had trained with him for years, while others had been newly recruited. But at that moment, seeing all three arrows hit their targets without missing, everyone cheered loudly. Amidst the thunderous applause, Zhu Zhanji, dressed in red, quickly turned his horse around and returned. Seeing Zhang Yue already ready with his bow and arrows, he smiled and stopped his horse aside. Only after seeing Zhang Yue mount his horse and charge forward did he approach Peng Shisan.
“Peng Shisan, I heard you taught him martial arts back in the Yuan Festival era?”
Although Peng Shisan saw Zhu Zhanji approaching and stepped back slightly, he didn’t expect the crown prince to speak to him. Seeing Zhang Yue shoot three arrows in a row, clearly cutting through the willow branches seventy steps away, he raised his eyebrows in amazement before quickly bowing to Zhu Zhanji.
“Your Highness, it wasn’t just back then. Even now, whenever I accompany the young master, he always spends half an hour practicing martial arts in the morning. As a child, he had a weak constitution; he could manage swordplay and boxing, but his lack of strength in his arms made it difficult for him to draw a bow. So we tried many methods to build his strength, and eventually he was able to draw a bow. However, starting to learn horseback riding and archery at ten was a bit late, so he’s definitely not cut out to be a warrior. Still, his current skills are enough for self-protection.”
“So, aside from studying the Four Books and Five Classics under Du Yishan as a child, he also endured a lot of hardship in training martial arts?”
It was the first time Zhu Zhanji had heard this, so out of curiosity, he asked more questions. Hearing about Zhang Yue’s frail physique when he first started training, he couldn’t help but recall his own strict upbringing under Zhu Di, feeling a sense of empathy. When Zhang Yue returned triumphantly on horseback, Zhu Zhanji set aside those fleeting thoughts and ordered his two attendants to go ahead and shoot.

Although Hu An, the elder brother of the Imperial Heir’s wife, Hu Shi, was a commander of the palace troops’ vanguard, since Zhu Zhanji did not favor Hu Shi much, he also showed little interest in her brother. This time, at the shooting range, he kept him at a distance. As usual, he and Zhang Yue shot at willow branches 80 steps away, while the others shot at branches 100 steps away. Seeing that both of the people he had chosen failed to hit one out of three shots, he was quite dissatisfied. When Peng Shisan returned after cleanly cutting three willow branches, he became even angrier.

Could it be that they would lose this time?

Just as Zhu Zhanji was torn between anxiety and hope, Shi Hen rushed forward like an arrow on horseback. Zhang Yue had brought him here specifically to see how this young man would perform. Suddenly, there was a thunderous shout, followed by a sharp sound of arrows flying through the air. In just a short while, that sound came three times in a row, and soon the figure returned. Shi Hen was already stocky, but now his face was red, almost resembling the appearance of Guan Yu with a reddish complexion.

“All three willow branches cut!”

Hearing this loud declaration, Zhu Zhanji forgot his anger and curiously examined Shi Hen as he approached. Although he himself never missed a shot, the difference between 80 steps and 100 steps was significant. It was already remarkable for such a young man to possess such shooting skills. After asking Zhang Yue for Shi Hen’s name, he called him forward. Upon learning that Shi Hen used a sword, he ordered him to dismount and demonstrate some sword skills. When he saw the silver light from Shi Hen’s sword movements, he couldn’t help but praise him.

Zhang Yue, who was watching nearby, had intended to give Shi Hen a chance. Seeing how well he seized opportunities and was willing to endure hardship, he felt somewhat impressed. Being good at seizing opportunities and able to endure hardship were virtues of a warrior, but one also had to be cautious if someone was too adept at taking advantage of situations. Seeing Zhu Zhanji be so enthralled that he didn’t notice a few officers carrying willow branches approaching quickly, Zhang Yue didn’t interrupt and walked away on his own.

“Lord Zhang, these are the cut willow branches from today’s shooting.”

To prevent cheating, all the cut branches from shooting at willow branches had to be submitted for inspection. Zhang Yue checked them one by one and saw that all the hits had completely severed the branches at the exposed parts. He waved his hand and ordered the officers to step back for now. When he returned to Zhu Zhanji’s side, he saw that Shi Hen had finished his demonstration and was standing there with his hands hanging down, not daring to make a sound.

“What a talented person! Yuanjie, you truly have a keen eye for talent—bringing along such an excellent individual!”

Filled with excitement, Zhu Zhanji gave the title he had originally given to Zhang Yue to someone else. After all, having been the crown prince for over a decade, he knew well not to bestow honors recklessly. He merely offered a few words of praise, ordered the man to stay in the front guard of the imperial army, and then sent Chen Wu and several other eunuchs to clean the horses. Although these eunuchs were castrated, they had never done such menial work in the palace before. They had found it amusing to see Zhang Yue do it himself, but now they were left at a loss, able only to watch as Zhu Zhanji took Zhang Yue and the others out of the city.

The Ming Dynasty placed great emphasis on firearms. Zhu Di, having suffered a severe defeat at the hands of Sheng Yong on the battlefield in the past, also attached great importance to their development. Later, for the northern expeditions, he established the Shengji Army dedicated to firearms. All the military units of the Ming army were equipped with gunners, but they were usually assigned according to the number of households per hundred, rather than forming an independent army. The front guard of the imperial army numbered over 20,000 men. Like the guards of other princes, they, as Zhu Zhanji’s bodyguards, were also equipped with gunners. However, due to the limited production of gunpowder by the imperial powder bureau, gunners did not have as much practical training as those in the Shengji Army.

But today, with the crown prince personally inspecting them, things were naturally different from usual. Three hundred carefully selected and strong gunners from various units gathered at the training ground designated for gunner drills, all dressed neatly and full of energy. After bowing, they began the actual drills. Since they were all using new-style firearms and arrows, the targets included not only wooden targets covered with cowhide but also cast-iron targets armored with iron. At the command to fire in three rounds, smoke billowed everywhere, and the sound of gunfire echoed loudly.

Out of fear that someone might plot something sinister, Zhu Zhanji was tightly guarded by a group of guards, so he could not see what was happening in the drills no matter how he looked. Only after the smoke cleared did he call Zhang Yue over and carefully examine the targets that had been severely damaged from a distance of 100 steps.

“These firearms are indeed powerful, but if we were to face the Mongols, we still need to ensure that the cavalry on both flanks have sufficient strength to hold back the enemy, and the spear soldiers must follow closely behind. Otherwise, even the most skilled gunners would be doomed if the enemy suddenly attacked them after a round of firing. Compared to bows and arrows, these firearms are expensive to produce. To keep improving and equipping them would likely require an enormous amount of money. Yuan Jie, you were there during the last northern expedition; you must know the truth. Although we captured many warhorses, we lost even more in terms of military horses and supplies. As for the casualty figures reported to the Ministry of War, they are greatly understated.”

Zhu Zhanji was not a noble born into the imperial palace, but he disagreed with Zhu Di’s relentless military campaigns to the north. He knew that Zhang Yue was different from those officials who always reported everything upward; taking advantage of the fact that everyone else had dispersed, Zhang Yue spoke his thoughts directly. After walking a few steps with his hands behind his back and seeing that Zhang Yue hadn’t followed, he turned around.

“Your Highness’s words are indeed wise. The Divine Strategy Army’s success in its northern campaigns indeed relies on the support of the Three Thousand Troops Camp and the Five Armies Camp. Even though the Divine Strategy Army has advanced firearms and well-trained soldiers who can fire in unison against cavalry charges, their accuracy drops beyond a hundred paces, and within that range, the danger is too great. Moreover, the main force of the Three Thousand Troops Camp consists of former Mongol troops—these people can be a great asset if used well, but a great threat if misused, just like the Wulangha people. It’s good for the court to show kindness and divide the Mongols, but many of those who surrendered are fickle and not reliable to station at the borders.”

It was only when Zhang Yue quickly caught up and spoke these words that Zhu Zhanji felt relieved. He was even more satisfied that Zhang Yue wasn’t simply seeking military glory or titles, nor was he solely focused on showing kindness. Although he was close to officials like Yang Shiqi in the Eastern Palace, he disliked their control; though he had fought alongside nobles, he despised their encouragement of Zhu Di to launch more northern campaigns. However, given his status, he rarely had peers around him, and even if there were, they were often constrained by bureaucracy and too afraid to speak freely. That’s why he found Zhang Yue particularly agreeable.

“So, there’s really no need to keep attacking Arutai. It’s better to give the Oirats a chance. But even Minister Xia and the others can’t persuade Grandfather, let alone I. Now that you’re here, we can think of a solution together. Do you know that Grandfather, hearing that Arutai still isn’t defeated, once expressed his intention to continue the northern campaigns in front of me?”

“Continue the campaigns?” Zhang Yue was shocked and took a deep breath. “We just returned last year. Not to mention the costs of food, horses, and manpower for the campaigns, Grandfather is already old—how can he endure such trips across the border?”

“We must persuade Grandfather, by any means necessary. If these campaigns continue, it will only be a waste of resources and manpower.” Zhu Zhanji blurted this out without hesitation, then tightly clenched the leather whip in his hand, turning to stare at Zhang Yue. “April 17th is Grandfather’s birthday. The day before, I invited him to the training ground in the Western Garden to inspect the vanguard of the imperial army. You’re always resourceful—think of a plan by then.”

The training ground in Xiyuan on April 16th? At the thought of this, Zhang Yue was immediately inspired and agreed without hesitation. Since they needed to find a way, they might as well handle both matters at once.