Chapter 383: A Shocking Change, Commanding the Army

Since the annual imperial examinations organized by the Ministry of Rites were approaching next year, it was now the end of the year, and candidates from all over were gradually arriving in Beijing. This was the second time Beijing hosted these examinations. Compared to before, the nine city gates of the inner city stood tall and intact, and the streets had been thoroughly repaired.

However, the newly built lodgings were only available for local residents, so candidates from other places still had to find accommodation elsewhere. As a result, some well-off candidates had come up with a good idea after failing the exams last time—they purchased or rented halls near Xuanwu Gate to serve as hometown associations, where fellow candidates could stay for free, thus avoiding the high cost of renting. Those who passed the exams would naturally remember this kindness, and even if they failed, they could maintain connections with their peers.

Early that morning, there was a long queue outside Chongwen Gate of those preparing to enter the city, while inside, there were many men holding signs with place names, ready to pick up candidates—these were all laborers hired by the hometown associations. Although it was easier to leave the city than to enter it, the crowd caused chaos, forcing Zhang Yue to stop his horse and wait for things to clear up. He then turned to those behind him and said, “Look, among those people, many are carrying bookcases and wearing straight robes; some are accompanied by apprentices coming to take the exams. Now, prosperous provinces like Zhejiang have their own hometown associations, which is much better than you and Xiao Xia having to search for accommodation everywhere last year.”

These scholars from the Hanlin Academy had just completed their training. Logically, the quick-witted Wan Shijie should have been able to stay easily, but because he was unrestrained by convention, he was betrayed at a critical moment, ruining his chances. In contrast, Xia Jishun, who wanted to serve outside the capital, successfully obtained a position as an editor. Zhang Yue, on the other hand, was assigned to the Ministry of War as a minor official and sent by his superiors to assist Zhang Yue. Seeing those candidates with hopeful expressions, he thought back to those days.

“That’s true. Back then, we gave you, a local tycoon, an advantage, didn’t we? Xiao Xia spent a fortune!”
“How dare you say that! I haven’t charged you rent for the past two years—haven’t you been living here for free?”
“But I only go back home once every five days, and I even help take care of that kid, Fang Jing!”

Both of them were firmly convinced of their rights and exchanged a glance before bursting into laughter. Although they had been apart more often than together over the past two years, as close friends, they naturally felt their bond hadn’t faded at all. As they slowly made their way out of the city through the crowd, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but think about how Chongwen Gate, once known as the best tax checkpoint in the land, now collected little in the way of trade taxes. His thoughts were just beginning when he saw a horse speeding toward them from the end of the road, disrupting the long queue outside the city gate. Soon after, several riders rushed in at top speed, also ignoring the crowd and heading straight for the city gate.

Wanshi Jie grew angry upon seeing this: “Who dares to be so presumptuous under the emperor’s feet?”

Zhang Yue frowned, also wondering the same thing. Just then, the lead rider suddenly reined in his horse and shouted loudly, “Make way! Hurry up and clear the path! Don’t block us from delivering bad news to the Prince of Zhao’s palace!”

The originally complaining crowd immediately fell silent. Hearing that it was about delivering bad news to the Prince of Zhao’s palace, Zhang Yue quickly figured it out after a moment’s thought. Unlike the crown prince and the King of Han, Prince Zhao Zhu Gaosui might have ruined his health by indulging in beauty too much, making it extremely difficult for him to have descendants. He only had two sons— the crown prince and the Prince of Anyang—both born to his legitimate wife in earlier years. This Prince of Zhao’s crown prince and the sickly crown prince of the King of Han, Zhu Zhantan, could be considered fellow sufferers. It was said that they had moved to Tanze Temple outside Beijing half a year ago to recuperate.

Since it was such an urgent message, the soldiers guarding the city didn’t dare to stop them and hurriedly cleared the path for them to pass through. Only after they left did the crowd start murmuring among themselves. However, since royal affairs had little to do with ordinary people, they didn’t know much about it. Soon, the scholars’ conversation shifted to the exam questions for their studies. Many also took a curious look at Zhang Yue and Wanshi Jie as they left the city.

For those who had not yet entered officialdom, becoming an official was naturally their first goal.

The military camp in the western suburbs of the capital.

According to regulations, the military camp and guards were equipped with weapons in peacetime and armor in wartime. The Ministry of War and various guard units kept records separately, and even during peacetime, any checks were merely cursory. Since Zhu Di had asked Zhang Yue to keep an eye on the military camp, guards, as well as the Five Armies Command Department and the Changshan Guard during the equipment change, he still felt he had to go, even though he had completed his tasks. Along with Wanshi Jie and two capable accountants from the Armory Department, he arrived here and, after meeting Liu Sheng, directly stated his purpose.

“Account books?”

Although Liu Sheng was straightforward in nature, he was still extremely sensitive to certain matters. At this moment, he couldn’t help but frown. “Though I am in charge of the capital garrison, the left and right outposts are nominally under the control of other noble officials. Moreover, there are imperial eunuchs overseeing them—isn’t the Ministry of War overstepping its bounds? Besides, these accounts are inspected month after month and year after year until they’re worn out. I dare say nothing new will be discovered this year. Do you really intend to dig through my finances to see how many empty positions I’ve filled and how many weapons I’ve hidden??”

Though these words sounded like half-joking, Zhang Yue understood that if things went wrong, the joke could turn into real resentment. At that moment, he spoke seriously, “Who doesn’t know that the Marquis is the noble with the longest tenure in charge of the capital garrison? Who would dare not trust him? Moreover, every time the emperor goes on a campaign, he needs the three major garrisons to accompany him. It would be extremely noticeable if there were a shortage of troops or weapons. I don’t believe the Marquis would do such a thing. However, it’s not just the Ministry of War—the emperor has also repeatedly ordered that the gunpowder in the Divine Machine Camp be carefully inspected.”

Only then did Liu Sheng relax. Although he was in charge of the three major garrisons, he knew the Divine Machine Camp best. He had witnessed the power of firearms against infantry during his campaigns with Zhang Fu in Jiaozhi, and again when following Zhu Di on his northern expedition against the cavalry. Thus, he understood better than anyone the consequences of any mishaps with firearms.

“Why didn’t you say it was for the Divine Machine Camp earlier? Since firearms are so powerful, there’s an unwritten rule in the army. Last time you distributed new Yongle hand cannons, you provided our soldiers in the Divine Machine Camp with ample gunpowder. But by convention, they’re not allowed to keep it on their own—moisture is one issue, loss another. So it’s always stored centrally and distributed all at once… Never mind. Words are empty; seeing is believing. Come with me and take a look!”

Seeing Liu Sheng drag Zhang Yue out of the spacious hall without even glancing at him, Wan Shijie thoughtfully stroked the bridge of his nose before quickly following them. He now understood why the emperor had assigned Zhang Yue this tedious task. Whether it was him, the official from the Armory Department, or even the Minister of War Fang Bin, this haughty Marquis of Anyuan would likely ignore them. Making the best use of people and resources—the emperor’s method of employing officials was truly masterful.

Zhang Yue certainly understood that a gun without gunpowder was no different from a rifle without bullets—useless except for smashing people with that heavy copper barrel. Yet, upon seeing the extremely sturdy warehouse guarded by a full hundred men, he was still stunned and a wildly absurd idea crossed his mind. The Divine Machine Camp had a total of five thousand soldiers, and just those fifteen thousand loads of gunpowder, if they exploded, would likely send the entire camp flying into the air. Moreover, to ensure there was enough gunpowder for use at critical moments, the warehouse held additional reserves—enough for each soldier to fire five more times, a total of eight shots—far exceeding the Divine Machine Camp’s needs in battle.

Liu Sheng personally took the key to open the first gate, followed shortly by the guard captain who used his key to open the second gate. At this point, Liu Sheng stood outside without entering, pointing at the neatly labeled drawers and saying, “The gunpowder is divided among the hundred commanders. In case of an emergency, I can distribute it to all soldiers within half an hour. All transactions of gunpowder are clearly recorded. Unless it’s me, the two deputy commanders, and Eunuch Chang, no one else can enter—unless the entire military camp rebels…”

As Liu Sheng spoke confidently about these measures, an officer rushed over like the wind. Before he could steady himself, he gasped, “LordLord… The Emperor has sent Eunuch Hai from the Imperial Horse Supervision Bureau to deliver an imperial edict. He asks LordLord, Eunuch Chang… and Lord Zhang to come and receive it immediately! He’s already waiting in the hall. Please hurry, LordLord.”

An imperial edict? Why was he specifically called? Thinking of the mourners he had seen at the city gate before coming here, Zhang Yue gradually frowned. Though rulers could be heartless, he was after all their own grandson. Zhu Di would surely be displeased upon hearing the news of his death. But this matter should have nothing to do with the military camp, and there was no need to include him when delivering the edict to Liu Sheng and that Eunuch Chang.

Liu Sheng, however, didn’t have Zhang Yue’s complicated thoughts. He grabbed Zhang Yue and hurriedly headed outside. Even in such an emergency, he didn’t forget to ensure the door was locked and gave strict instructions. When they rushed back to the hall, they saw the tall and thin Eunuch Chang waiting there in a qilin-patterned robe, with Hai Shou, the young supervisor of the Imperial Horse Supervision Bureau dressed in a crimson brocade robe, standing in the center.

Unlike previous times when delivering edicts, Hai Shou didn’t put on any airs. Upon seeing Liu Sheng and Zhang Yue enter, he cleared his throat gently and said, “In times of urgency, we must act pragmatically. There’s no time to prepare anything else for the altar. The three of you may directly receive the edict.”

“Imperial decree: Liu Sheng and Chang Tai, commanders of the military camp, are to dispatch a thousand men from the Divine Machine Camp to the capital to protect the imperial palace.”

When Zhang Yue followed Liu Sheng and Eunuch Chang to listen to this simple imperial edict, he, who had been confused at first, suddenly felt a knot form in his heart. Could something have happened in Beijing? But if that were the case, what was the point of deploying a thousand men? Seeing that the three of them were staring at him after standing up, Hai Shou snapped angrily, “Today, the ZhaoPrince’s mansion first reported the death of its heir, and then the HanPrince’s mansion sent word that its heir was critically ill. The emperor asked, out of respect for the ancestral relationship, that imperial physicians be sent to treat him. Right after that, the crown prince, still on his way, sent a urgent message saying that his grandson was ill… The emperor summoned Wang Shecheng from the Imperial Observatory, but he spouted a bunch of nonsense about the unfavorable celestial signs these days. In anger, the emperor relapsed into his old habit. After finally calming down, he ordered me to deliver this edict. In addition to the troops in the capital, a thousand men from the Jingwei and Shencewei guards, along with a thousand men from the Changshan Guard, are to be conscripted. Lord Zhang, the emperor has ordered that you and I shall temporarily command these three thousand men together!” At this moment, Zhang Yue was filled with horror. What was this—joint defense by multiple armies, with each checking the other?