Chapter 828: Turbulent Changes and Countermeasures Against Repression

The small training ground once had a fitting nickname—“Ghostly Fear.” Such a chilling name arose because during the Hongwu era, extremely strict rules were established for hereditary military positions. At the age of 20, one had to compete in trials at this training ground; those who failed the initial test would only receive half their salary and serve as acting officers. After two years, they would take a second test, and failure would result in being sent to military service. During the Jingnan Rebellion, the two opposing armies in the north and south were known for their bravery, regardless of strategy—this was largely due to the severity of these rules.

At the beginning of the Yongle era, these rules still applied. Dozens of young officers who failed the martial arts tests were defeated in the second trials and were sent to places like Jiaozhi or Gansu to serve in the military.

Yet now, even though it was the bleak early winter, with the lush trees from summer left with bare branches trembling in the cold wind, and many people shivering in their tattered cotton coats while stamping their feet in frustration, the vast majority wore relaxed smiles. No matter how poor their families were, they had saved enough money to secure a hereditary military position—after all, it provided sustenance for life. No one would be so short-sighted.

Depending on rank, they could receive 60% of the stipulated amount in rice. A thousand-household officer of the fifth rank could get 10 dan of rice per month, while a hundred-household officer of the sixth rank could get 6 dan. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to support their families. As the sun rose higher, the trials were coming to an end, and those who had remained silent up until then began to chatter among themselves, their faces filled with smiles.

“My father died early. With this money, I can get married!”
“Indeed. In the capital, you need at least 30 to 50 dan of rice as a dowry, not to mention the banquet expenses—half of your annual income goes just for that!”
“Ah, but it depends on the higher-ups not cutting corners. If the payment is delayed, you might not be able to marry for another year!”

As a few acquaintances were chatting animatedly, a mocking voice suddenly appeared nearby.
“Still thinking about getting married? Dream on! Just now, news came that Vice Minister Zhang from the Ministry of War came secretly to inspect us. He’s not impressed at all—saying our archery and horsemanship are poor. He’s going to submit a report to follow the old rules! Forget about getting this military position and the government salary—if we’re lucky, we won’t even be sent to military service!”

The few people who had been cheerful and talking loudly just moments ago suddenly froze like statues. Soon, those nearby who had heard their conversation came over to ask what was going on. As that person spoke loudly, the crowd immediately erupted into chaos. From then on, no one paid any attention to the rules requiring silence during the training exercises, and the area around the field became a hub of uproar.

Having spent many years in the officialdom, Zhang Yue, though not entirely perceptive of human nature, was always cautious in dealing with matters. When Fang Jing volunteered to take on the task, he agreed after a brief consideration but remained wary. From a distance, he saw Fang Jing speak a few words before being helped away, which immediately alerted him. Hu Qi, who was with him, gave a subtle signal to a burly man nearby. The burly man quickly stepped back and signaled from behind a big locust tree, and soon several people moved to cover that area.

Indeed, after just a short while, Zhang Yue saw the young officers around him start making a fuss. Soon, the area was in complete chaos, and the noisy complaints and curses could be heard even from his distance. He recognized his own name being mentioned several times, but he remained calm, while Hu Qi, who was with him, was far less composed.

“Sir, should we leave first…?”

“No need. There are only over a hundred people here. Since everything is prepared, we just need to watch.”

Zhang Yue stopped Hu Qi and continued to stand there with his arms crossed, coldly observing the field that resembled boiling water. When the noise completely disrupted the training, he saw a servant strike the gong loudly. Then, an official wearing a black hat and a blue official robe stepped forward. Though his face couldn’t be seen from afar, Zhang Yue recognized him as Shang Yong, someone he had seen many times at the Ministry of War.

“Let’s go up and hear what he has to say!”

With that, Zhang Yue quickly stepped forward. Although Hu Qi was extremely reluctant, seeing that Niu Gan and the other guards had already followed, he had no choice but to hurry after them, giving signals to the men he had sent around. Still, he felt uneasy. The skills of those young men were indeed mediocre, but with so many people involved, if a major disturbance broke out, even if Zhang Yue was in the right, it wouldn’t be beneficial if things escalated.

Since Zhang Yue had deliberately changed his clothes when coming out today, although they were not quite like those of the young men’s jackets, he still didn’t stand out in the crowd. Coupled with the tall people in front blocking his view, he didn’t expect to be noticed. So after stopping, he observed Shang Yong and Zhou Ping’an through the gaps between heads. Now that they were closer, he noticed Zhou Ping’an sitting there seemingly at a loss, while Shang Yong stood calmly, even speaking with a hint of sharpness.
“This is a serious training ground—why make noise?”
“Sir Shang, some say Vice Minister Zhang from the Ministry of War came and said all today’s results are invalid and must be redone. Is that true?”
“If we fail the retest, we’ll be sent to military service. Is that true too?”
“We’ve all earned our military positions through hard work—why can he just revoke them at will?”
Faced with the angry crowd, a faint smile that no one else noticed appeared on Shang Yong’s lips, before he grew serious again. “Nonsense! Such a thing doesn’t exist. How can you believe random rumors?”
“Sir Shang, don’t deceive us with lies. I clearly saw someone approaching to talk to you! If you don’t give us a definite answer, we’ll go to the Ministry of War to demand justice!”
“The annual competitions organized by the Military Selection Department are a long-standing tradition, not something that can be changed just because of a current official. Besides, the Military Selection Department is under the direct supervision of Minister Zhang. Vice Minister Zhang sent someone here, saying these competitions are trivial, but since they’ve always been held this way for years, there’s no reason to change them arbitrarily. Today’s competition is already over. Shang Yong and I will submit the list immediately and argue our case…”
As Shang Yong spoke, a loud voice like a broken gong rang out from the crowd: “Don’t listen to him! We can’t just sit around waiting for them to take away our military positions and send us to military service! Let’s go to the Ministry of War to demand justice!”
His shout immediately drew responses from those behind him. Seeing the situation getting out of control, Shang Yong stepped down to try to calm them. Before he could say a few insincere words, a sharp sound cut through the air in front of him. As he was stunned, he felt something fly past his ear, followed by a loud clang—something had hit the gong precisely. Many people turned to look behind, including Shang Yong.

However, with just one glance, Shang Yong saw Zhang Yue surrounded by several people. Next to him stood a tall figure holding a bow—a burly man. Seeing Zhang Yue gaze at him calmly, he couldn’t help but recall the situation when Fang Jing had come to deliver the message earlier; his originally hot back suddenly felt cold.

Peng Shisan now had a wife and children waiting for him at home, and Zhang Yue usually didn’t disturb his peaceful life. He only asked him to come to the mansion every now and then to train the newly recruited guards together with Zhang Bu and the others. He rarely asked Peng Shisan to go out with him anymore. It was only after hearing Hu Qi mention this matter yesterday that he brought Peng Shisan along. Now, seeing him intimidate everyone with a single arrow, he couldn’t help but nod in approval.

“Old Peng, all these years, your archery skills haven’t declined at all. Has the Duke of Ying praised you for remaining as sharp as ever?”

“I’m not old yet. There’s no such thing as remaining sharp as ever. Besides, I don’t want to be overshadowed by the younger generation before I even reach an appropriate age.”

Everything was quiet around them, and the two’s conversation, as if they were alone, could be heard clearly by everyone. The crowd, which had been restless earlier, now watched the group with surprise and suspicion. Shang Yong’s face turned pale. Seeing Zhang Yue walking slowly toward him with his hands behind his back, his mind went blank—he didn’t even know what expression to wear.

“It seems it was only a matter of time before chaos ensued. Lord Shang, am I not too late?”

Seeing Shang Yong stammering as if trying to say something, Zhang Yue turned to look at the people behind him. At first, he had only taken a distant look and found them colorful and amusing. But upon closer inspection, these various garments were truly striking—some were made by piecing together pieces of the same color; some no longer showed their original color and felt greasy even without touching them; some were simply modified from old clothes. Some of them claimed to be twenty years old, but looked no older than thirteen or fourteen.

“Weren’t you all discussing this just now? I am Zhang Yue, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War.”

At these words, the crowd, which had already been speculating, immediately erupted in uproar. Zhang Yue didn’t continue speaking. He just watched as the people went from whispering to talking among themselves, then to arguing loudly, before finally falling into a strange silence. Seeing the tension, resentment, and other indescribable emotions on many faces, he chuckled lightly before his expression turned stern.

“Who told you that today’s results don’t count? Who told you that a new competition will be held another day, and those who fail will be sent to military service immediately? And who told you that I intend to revoke your hereditary military positions?”

Although his voice wasn’t loud, with wave after wave of questions, Zhang Yue stepped forward two more times. Seeing the people in front of him hurriedly retreat, he became even more determined, knowing they still feared his authority at least. With a cold smile, he said, “I indeed finished my tasks early and came from the Ministry of War to see what talents might emerge from this annual competition. I was a bit disappointed after taking a quick look, so I sent someone to ask the current in-charge whether this is the case only this year or every year. Just one sentence, yet so many rumors have spread—how strange!”
A silence fell over the crowd for a while, until someone finally couldn’t hold back and asked, “Sir, will you really dismiss us from our military positions?”
Zhang Yue didn’t answer directly but looked at the thin young man who had been pushed forward and smiled slightly. “I remember that about a dozen people took part in the archery and horseback shooting practice just now, and you hit one target out of three. Tell me, how long have you been practicing?”
The young man wore a gray jacket, and for some reason, his sleeves were rolled up, revealing his strong, firm forearms. Hearing that Zhang Yue still remembered his previous performance and asked such a direct question, his face turned red immediately. Then he honestly replied, “My family is poor; I can’t afford a horse, so I only practiced by borrowing someone else’s horse. This bow was passed down to me by my father, and its string isn’t in good condition anymore. If I’m in a good mood, I can shoot at a target a hundred steps away while standing still.”
By the end, his voice had become much louder. Seeing his confident expression, Zhang Yue nodded and said, “Bring your bow and arrow over for me to see.”
When Peng Shisan handed them over, Zhang Yue glanced at them and immediately realized it was a bow that had been used for many years, marked with the serial number and the craftsman’s name from the Military Arms Bureau. He quickly calculated—it was one of the weapons he had before joining the Armory Department. At that time, the Military Arms Bureau and the Armory Department weren’t the reorganized versions later on. Even when intact, this bow had limited accuracy. So after a quick glance, he returned it to the young man and nodded again.
“It’s already quite good to hit one target out of three with such a bow.”
It was just a compliment, but the young man’s face lit up with joy as he quickly bowed in gratitude. At that moment, the other people around them showed envy, jealousy, or disdain, and their murmuring grew louder, drowning out the previous chaos. Shang Yong, who was at the far edge, couldn’t help but clench his fists tightly and secretly made a gesture with his hand behind his back.

If it were just about investigating him and Zhou Ping’an for accepting bribes, it would still be bearable. But seeing Zhang Yue’s calm and composed demeanor, it seems he might have uncovered even more secrets! They can’t afford further investigation here; unless they cover it up with something bigger, not only will their official positions and lives be at risk, but even their families won’t be safe!
Zhang Yue had no eyes behind him and couldn’t afford to worry about the two people from the Military Selection Bureau at the moment. Seeing that the fervent crowd had calmed down significantly, he softened his tone and said, “I’m truly dissatisfied with today’s competition. But many of you have elders above and younger siblings below, and quite a few can’t practice martial arts due to poverty. Even if I’m dissatisfied for now, I won’t casually revoke the military positions passed down by your ancestors. I plan to suggest to the emperor that martial academies be established in the capital, where all young officers inheriting military positions must undergo proper training for two years. If your elders left you the rank of hundred or thousand households, don’t you want to become commanders or governors?”
Hearing this, Hu Qi, who was right beside Zhang Yue, was filled with surprise. He had only reported the situation to Zhang Yue the day before, yet he had already come up with a solution?