Chapter 868: Entering the Divine Machine Camp Again

A year’s plan starts with spring, and a day’s plan starts with the morning—even in the dead of winter, the morning is the most crucial time of the day. Thus, at the city gates early in the morning, a large crowd of people gathered, waiting to enter the city: woodcutters carrying loads of firewood, vegetable vendors pushing carts, and ordinary peasants intending to buy New Year’s goods. In the alleys, aside from those who continued singing and playing music until dawn, shops also removed their shutters and hung up signs, ready to greet the first customers of the day with full enthusiasm to secure a good start. The sounds of footsteps, horse hooves, and wheel rolls on the roads outside the shops combined to invigorate people, filling them with energy as they welcomed the new day.

After all, those who couldn’t see the sunrise because of last night’s events were but a tiny minority.

Early in the morning, Zhang Yue got up on time as usual. After rinsing his mouth and brushing his teeth, he washed his face with cold water, after which his servant brought him porridge warmed by a small stove.

He scooped up the lily, red bean, and pork rib porridge. Last night, someone had made a special trip to his home, not only delivering dinner but also preparing a complete breakfast. Naturally, he felt relieved. After all, who would want to eat the same bland dishes from the palace when they could have home-cooked food? With four kinds of pastries—small flower rolls, crystal steamed dumplings, sesame cakes, and pea yellow—along with a large bowl of porridge, he ate until he was warm all over, finishing everything in no time before putting down the bowl.

Having to treat the yamen like his home, he put on his coat and took a few steps in the courtyard as a post-breakfast exercise to aid digestion. Through the three gates, he could see the officials arriving in small groups—since the emperor was not present, there were no court sessions, so they only had to go to work. With the minister absent, Zhang Yue had also waived the daily roll call, allowing them greater freedom, but they still didn’t dare be late arriving at the yamen.

However, before he had walked two rounds, he spotted someone peeking out from behind the third gate—it was Cui Fanzhi from the Armory Department.

“What’s the matter? Why are you hiding?”

“Sir, outside… there are many more Jinyiwei outside the yamen.”

“Is it just our Ministry of War, or is it the same in other yamens too?”

“It’s the same in all yamens. Even at the Hanlin Academy, there are twice as many people!”

Hearing this, Zhang Yue shook his head impatiently. “Then it’s fine. Since it’s not just our yamen, there’s no need to panic. Do your own job and stop worrying unnecessarily.”

“Yes, yes, with your words, we below are reassured. Who doesn’t know you’re the rock that steadies the seas?” Cui Fanzhi, considering himself a long-time subordinate of Zhang Yue and having spent considerable time with Wan Shijie, naturally adopted some of Wan’s smooth-talking habits. With a smile, he said that and then turned to give a gesture somewhere unseen before heading straight into the Three Gates. Seeing Zhang Yue frown, he helplessly shrugged and said, “Sir, it’s not that I intend to bring up troublesome matters so early, but these days I’ve taken the time to go through some old records, and I’ve indeed uncovered something.”

What Zhang Yue feared most now was the word “something.” His already furrowed brows almost knotted together. Fortunately, he didn’t want to become an prematurely aged old man, so he quickly pressed his fingers against his forehead a few times before asking, “What is it? There are already plenty of matters at the Ministry of War these days. Don’t suddenly throw another burden on me.”

Cui Fanzhi was in his early thirties, only five or six years older than Zhang Yue, so he was used to this familiar tone in their private conversations. But at the thought of what he had to say, his face turned grim. “It’s about the Divine Machine Camp.”

Looking at Cui Fanzhi’s cautious expression, Zhang Yue thought for a moment before waving him in and saying, “Let’s talk inside.”

Just over fifteen minutes later, Cui Fanzhi left the room and hurried out through the Three Gates. But soon after, he returned with a bundle, stayed inside for a while longer, and then left looking normal. Meanwhile, Zhang Yue summoned a servant to send word to Li Cheng, the head official of the Ministry of Works, to come to the Ministry of War.

The main training ground of the Divine Machine Camp.

Both the Five Armies Camp and the Divine Machine Camp had a central command along with left, right sentries and flanks, all under the command of meritorious officials. As the Three Thousand Cavalry Camp consisted of cavalry with a growing number of troops, more horses needed to be raised. Especially after the old wood factory outside Chaoyang Gate was converted for horse breeding, the number of personnel surged by another two thousand. Compared to the dozens of imperial guards stationed near the capital, these three camps were the true elite forces. Among them, although the Divine Machine Camp was established later, thanks to the gradual improvement of firearms and its remarkable achievements in numerous battles, it received priority in terms of horses, personnel, monthly rations, and even military equipment.

After Zhang Fu stepped down as the commander of the Central Command, Zhu Yong, the Duke of Chengguo, was ordered to take over. Though young, he was a descendant of meritorious officials and was more trusted than the Duke of Weiguo and the Xu family’s Duke of Dingguo. With the urgent situation in the capital, he immediately took charge of the capital garrisons to strengthen defenses and hadn’t been home for two days and nights.

At just over thirty, he was naturally extremely young among the military nobles. Yet, due to his ruddy face and thick beard, as well as his imposing appearance, he held considerable authority among the soldiers. Now, as the commander of the capital garrison and in charge of the three thousand troops in the Divine Machine Camp, the nobles at least appeared to respect him, and military affairs were well-organized. Like Liu Sheng before him, he attached the greatest importance to the Divine Machine Camp. That day, as he watched the soldiers training below, he would occasionally nod slightly from the wooden watchtower beside them.

“Duke, Vice Minister Zhang of the Ministry of War and Officer Li from the Ministry of Works have arrived.”

Only then did Zhu Yong turn his gaze away from the training ground. Though he was outside the capital, he remained well-informed, with regular updates sent to him by people at home, and his brother-in-law Mu Bin also sent letters regularly. So he knew exactly what had happened in the capital the previous night. That’s why he had ordered the soldiers of the Divine Machine Camp to train early in the morning, considering whether to send troops to suppress the rebellion in Jin. Hearing that Zhang Yue had arrived, he thought it was to deliver an imperial edict or order, but when he heard the second name, he was taken aback.

“Officer Li? Is it that Li Cheng?”

Upon confirming this, Zhu Yong descended the wooden ladder from the watchtower, his red face tightly clenched. He held no affection for Annam—had it not been for his father’s expedition there, his father would not have died so young. Thus, he always kept his distance from those Annamese defectors. Although Li Cheng was in charge of firearms production, Zhu Yong usually let others handle those matters. So when he met Zhang Yue, he ignored Li Cheng as usual and only nodded at Zhang Yue.

“What brings you, my hardworking friend, here in person?”

Zhu Yong spoke in a friendly, teasing tone. Zhang Yue skipped the formalities and replied with a smile, “I reviewed the documents sent by the Divine Machine Camp to the Armory Department last night. Since I had some free time, I brought Officer Li along. After all, he’s an expert in firearms.”

When Zhang Yue was at the Armory Department, Li Cheng had been sent on an external mission. By the time Zhang Yue returned, Li Cheng had taken time off due to his wife’s death. So aside from encountering each other in court, this was the first time they had worked together. Li Cheng from the Divine Machine Camp, however, often came by. As he worked in the Ministry of Works, his skills in manufacturing firearms might not be the best in the world, but they were definitely among the top three. So although military officers were difficult to please, they still treated him politely—but this didn’t work when it came to Zhu Yong.

After all, if it weren’t for his father becoming king in Annam, Zhu Yong wouldn’t have led an expedition and died in a foreign land.

So, he didn’t take Zhu Yong’s rude behavior to heart and remained respectful. What puzzled him even more was Zhang Yue’s mention of some experiment with newly made firearms, forcing him to come over. But with so many matters piling up in the capital these days, how could this acting Minister of War have the interest for such things?

Yet, as Zhang Yue and Zhu Yong walked toward the barracks, they spoke without avoiding him, and his initially anxious mind gradually settled. It wasn’t until Zhang Yue suddenly turned around and asked a question that his already calm heart suddenly tightened again.

“Li Shizhi, as you know, I spent some time in the Armory Department and was in charge of replacing military weapons. When the Divine Machine Camp switched to Yongle hand cannons, a batch of old models was replaced. I have a question: what is the typical lifespan of military cannons? Can those old models still be used?”

Upon hearing this, not only was Li Cheng shocked, but Zhu Yong also remembered recent events and frowned. “What? Were those cannons replaced by the Divine Machine Camp not destroyed? Is it the responsibility of the Military Weapons Supervision Bureau, the Armory Department, or the Divine Machine Camp?”

Zhu Yong immediately thought of the key aspects and asked about all related details, earning Zhang Yue’s admiration for his experience. Seeing that Zhu Yong’s entourage only followed from a distance and there was only Li Cheng, clearly shocked, Zhang Yue spoke directly: “Because of the cotton armor issue, although the Armory Department gave assurances, several officials still checked the records carefully. They didn’t find anything related to the cotton armor, but they uncovered clues regarding the cannons. The cannons replaced by the Divine Machine Camp were sent to the Military Weapons Supervision Bureau for remelting, but the receipt somehow turned out to be very unclear.”

Among the six ministries, the Ministry of Works was the most complicated and lowly, yet also the most lucrative. Even a minor official in the Military Weapons Supervision Bureau could extract a large share from the craftsmen and materials allocated by the court. However, when dealing with other ministries, they had to bow low. Li Cheng’s family had recently welcomed two distant relatives from Annam, adding to their already troublesome household affairs. Now, with Zhang Yue mentioning the unclear receipt, this minor official in charge of the Military Weapons Supervision Bureau felt cold sweat pouring down his back.

“Lord Zhang, although I wasn’t there when those items were handled, the records were kept, and they were sent to the Armory Department for remelting. If you don’t believe me, I can immediately return to the Ministry of Works to get the confirmation from them.”

“Is it the person in charge of the Armaments Bureau?” Zhu Yong’s already furrowed brows tightened even more. “If that’s the case, the eunuch in charge really needs to be investigated thoroughly. By the way, wasn’t it said earlier that there was another batch of eunuchs sent to the palace with problems?”
“The Armaments Bureau…” Zhang Yue wasn’t one to believe things at face value. Seeing Li Cheng sweating profusely from stress, he nodded slightly and said, “There’s no need to rush. After all, those are replaced items, so their range and power should be inferior to the current batch of hand cannons in the Divine Machine Camp. But I also found in the records of the Armory Department that the Divine Machine Camp scrapped a batch of twenty Yongle hand cannons before the New Year. Due to the small quantity, the Armory Department inspected them and sent them back to the Military Armaments Bureau, informing them that new ones would be sent. Sir Li, is this true?”
“Yes. Those items were remelted by the Military Armaments Bureau. But it was the person in charge of the Armaments Bureau who sent the new ones. I remember it wasn’t twenty… but rather…” Li Cheng, already sweating heavily, even started to grind his teeth. “I remember the receipt filed by the Military Armaments Bureau stated forty!”
It was fortunate that he had an excellent memory and paid close attention to such important matters, remembering the numbers exactly. So after a brief pause, Zhang Yue smiled and said, “You don’t know until you investigate. The Armory Department’s inspection was superficial. If there are more such cases, it’s not just this issue. For example, exaggerating the loss of gunpowder, or other things…”
“Stop talking!”
Zhu Yong abruptly interrupted Zhang Yue. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to hear, but he needed to carefully consider the consequences of this matter. He had only been in charge of the capital garrison for a short time, and it wasn’t impossible to shift responsibility. Moreover, it was traditionally taboo for the commander-in-chief of the central army to oversee the capital garrison, so he merely acted as a figurehead while the nobles in charge of various units made the decisions. After pondering for a long time with his hands tightly clenched, he turned to look at Zhang Yue.
“Have you reported this to the Empress Dowager? Or informed the Jinyiwei and the Eastern Depot?”
“Not yet. But I have an imperial gold plaque granted by the Empress Dowager.”

Zhang Yue slowly took out an object from his sleeve. Li Cheng didn’t mind, but Zhu Yong was after all a military commander who had seen such gold-plated tokens many times before. Five inches long and two and a half inches wide, with a red silk thread tied to the hole at the top, and dragons and qilins engraved on both sides. It differed from the usual tokens used to dispatch troops in that there was a line missing from the back—only “Those who disbelieve shall be beheaded” was engraved there. Zhu Yong had intended to bow, but seeing Zhang Yue shake his head slightly, he rolled up his sleeves and took the token with both hands. After checking it carefully and confirming its authenticity, he felt an inexplicable sense of dread, though he dared not voice it. He carefully returned it.

“I brought Officer Li here today not to conduct any inspections, but because the Armaments Bureau and the Military Equipment Supervision Office recently submitted several newly designed weapons,” Zhang Yue said, using this excuse to summon Li Cheng. Seeing his still fearful expression, he added with a meaningful smile, “The Ruan siblings live with you, don’t they? Send someone to call them here as well. They have quite unique insights regarding firearms, which is why I ranked them among the top candidates during my time in Jiaozhi. Since you’ve brought those things like the Divine Might Arrows, it would be good to test them together with the Duke of Cheng. If they prove effective, I can write a memorial to claim credit when I return.”