Chapter 471: What’s the Purpose of Using the Topic as a Cover?

Xuanfu Town is located south of the capital, bordered by deserts to the back and the strategic Juyong Pass to the left. With its natural defenses, it is one of the key border towns of the Ming Dynasty, even regarded as one of the nine most important border forts. Since Zhu Di ascended the throne, generals such as Zheng Heng, Marquis of Wu’an, Zhao Yi, Earl of Xincheng, and Xu Heng, Marquis of Xing’an, have served as commanders here. Zhang Fu, Duke of Yingguo, Wang Cong, Marquis of Wucheng, and Li Yuan, Marquis of Anping, have also trained their troops here at various times.

A total of 120,000 border soldiers are stationed throughout Xuanfu, with tens of thousands more in the city itself, belonging to the three military garrisons of Xuanfu. Though it is a war-torn and dangerous region, the city is rich and prosperous, with a dense population. Buildings are constructed wherever there is space in the streets and alleys, even in the most remote areas. Artisans, merchants, commoners, and officials live together here, and it’s hard for those who’ve never been there to imagine that this is the front line against the Mongols.

This prosperity stems not only from the goods brought by merchants and military officers but also from self-sufficiency through military settlements. Meng Jun, who had been appointed as an official in Xuanfu for over half a year, understood this best. Before coming here, he thought it was a desolate and barren place, but upon arrival, he found it far more prosperous than the capital. Yet now, with war breaking out, all the grain that Xuanfu had painstakingly accumulated over the past two years had to be used up, and more had to be transported in from other regions.

Standing on the platform of Xuanfu’s training ground, he couldn’t help but think of a common saying from the northern regions: “Xuanfu’s training ground, Yu Zhou’s city walls, Shuozhou’s barracks, and Datong’s women—these are known as the Four Wonders beyond the borders.” Before leaving, Zhang Qing had warned him not to get involved with the troublemaking women of Datong, mistaking Xuanfu for Datong. In fact, Xuanfu is most famous for its large training ground, which is said to be forty li long and ten li wide. Now, the soldiers of Xuanfu’s left garrison, standing on that ground, seemed like tiny boats in a vast ocean.

The one inspecting the troops from above was Xu Heng, Marquis of Xing’an. Although Meng Jun was the legitimate son of the Marquis of Baoding, since he was currently just an unranked official, Xu Heng only gave him occasional attention, not worrying that he would take away his military power. At that moment, Meng Jun glanced sideways at Wang Guan sitting beside him. His expression remained unchanged, but inwardly he felt displeased. A eunuch had been forced into this warzone—a situation no one could tolerate, especially since almost all of Xuanfu’s expert archers were under his control.

If Zhang Fu, Duke of Yingguo, were here, why would he have to put up with the arrogance of a eunuch?

It is certain that the large army will set out on a campaign next spring, and this military parade will certainly not be a trivial affair like before. Yet there were those who failed to maintain proper military discipline, those who were careless or lazy, and those who did not obey orders… In short, with so many rules to follow, the slightest mistake meant being punished with whips. For a while, all that could be heard on the training ground was the orderly marching and loud commands, while on the execution platform nearby, the sounds of suffering from burning bamboo shoots and meat filled the air. Finally, when the drill was over, Wang Guan stood up, dusted off the corners of his robe, and gave Xu Heng a slight bow.

“I still have some matters to attend to. Since this is over here, I’ll be leaving first.”

Xu Heng nodded, only to see Wang Guan turn around and walk away with several attendants. He immediately recalled the events of recent days, and anger surged within him. He ordered his subordinates and generals to return home, and kindly invited Meng Jun to go with him. As soon as they mounted their horses, he asked, “This place outside the capital is different from the capital itself. Brother Meng, you really are willing to send you here for experience. Although you’re here to learn military affairs, you can’t stay without a proper position. I was also like you back in the day. Well, since I’m going on this northern campaign with the emperor, you can come with me. Take two thousand men and test your skills first.”

Although Meng Jun wasn’t ambitious, coming from a noble family, he understood the importance of achieving fame and success, so he had honed his martial skills since childhood. Yet when Xu Heng mentioned two thousand men, he couldn’t help but freeze: “Sir, I’m new to this. If I rashly lead troops, mistakes might occur. Following you is certainly the right choice, but two thousand men…”

“Don’t call me ‘sir’ when no one’s around. Stop being so formal! My grandfather was of the same generation as yours, and I’m only ten years older than you. In terms of seniority, we’re peers. Have you forgotten how you called me when we were kids?” Xu Heng cut Meng Jun off irritably, his large hand like a fan grabbing Meng Jun’s reins. “Even an eunuch can lead troops. You come from a military family—what’s two thousand men to you? Besides, when the emperor says to fight somewhere, we just fight there. As long as we’re not greedy for glory and act rashly, nothing bad will happen!”

Since Xu Heng said so, Meng Jun couldn’t refuse his kindness and could only mumble an agreement. Since the large training ground was outside Xuanfu City, the two of them, along with their attendants and guards, walked slowly. Along the way, Meng Jun asked Xu Heng more questions about military affairs. As they neared the city gates, he saw dust rising in the distance—several riders were speeding toward them.

“Reporting to sir, the military equipment sent from the capital has arrived!”

“There are two days left until the scheduled date; it arrives just as planned!” Xu Heng nodded in satisfaction. After asking a few more questions, he waved them off to go back first, then said to Meng Jun, “Although it rarely rains here, last year at this time there was heavy snow that blocked the roads. Fortunately, your brother-in-law was lucky this time. If it snows, not only will the roads be covered with thick snow making them difficult to traverse, but even the firearms and gunpowder wrapped in oilcloth might get damp.”

After a pause, he continued, “As per tradition, to prevent substandard items or losses en route, ten main weapons are issued along with one spare. This time, there will probably be an extra ten percent. Since you’re free now, oversee the distribution and storage. Remember, supervise personally—don’t let others handle it. There are many tricks involved!”

Meng Jun had once spent some time at the Five Armies Command, and through observing his elders, he was already well aware of the tricks in the military. So he wasn’t surprised by these words. Although the Meng and Zhang families had become slightly estranged due to events before the New Year, that was only for show. He and Zhang Yue had always been close. Besides, he wanted to ask Zhang Yue why he suddenly took on such a tricky task, and he also had important matters to remind him of. So he agreed without hesitation.

Xuanfu City was 24 li in circumference and 35 feet high. Its city walls were made of rammed earth covered with blue bricks, making it far more impressive than other cities in the area. The commander’s residence was located on Bingfu Street in the southeast of the city. It had originally been the private residence of Prince Gu. After Prince Gu, Zhu Luo, was demoted to a commoner, the emperor ordered the outer walls of Prince Gu’s mansion to be demolished and turned this residence into the commander’s office. After Xu Heng and Meng Jun dismounted in front of the commander’s residence, guards came forward to report that Zhang Yue and the others were inside. Xu Heng then asked, “Where is Eunuch Wang?”

“Eunuch Wang says he’s not feeling well and won’t come. Everything will be handled by Marquis Xing’an.”

Hearing this, Xu Heng raised his eyebrows in surprise at Wang Guan’s audacity. Although this eunuch had held a certain status in the palace before, since he was sent to guard Xuanfu, he shouldn’t act in such a manner toward people from the capital. Moreover, he knew all too well about the emperor’s suspicious nature. With the Eastern Depot added to the Jinyiwei, and the eunuch Lu Feng being its supervisor, how dare Wang Guan treat them so negligently?

Since arriving in Xuanfu, Meng Jun had never sought power for himself nor dealt with those eunuchs in charge of camp management. He had spoken to Wang Guan no more than a handful of times. Though he was surprised now, he didn’t take it to heart. Following Xu Heng to the main hall, he spotted Zhang Yue at a glance and couldn’t help but nod slightly with a smile.

Although Zhang Yue was an imperial envoy, his role was merely to supervise the transportation of military weapons, and he wasn’t in charge of Xu Heng, the commander of Xuanfu. Thus, there was no need for complicated formalities between them. It was already the end of September, and snow could fall at any time outside the city walls. So even though the military weapons had been delivered to Xuanfu, the work wasn’t done yet—there was still the task of distributing them and storing them. When Qian voluntarily offered to take charge of managing grain reserves and military weapons in Wanquan and Youwei, Xu Heng readily agreed. Before leaving, Zhang Yue also received an imperial order from Zhu Di to personally inspect Kaiping and Xinghe, so he had to seek Xu Heng’s advice.

Lu Feng, however, wasn’t patient. Seeing that everything revolved around business, he coughed lightly and said, “Marquis of Xingan, we encountered a strange incident on the way, and everyone is very puzzled. The court has always had rules: young men returning from the north are usually inspected and registered locally. Why did Xuanfu insist that these people were Tartar spies to be executed without any inquiry? It’s normal to be cautious ahead of a major battle, but can’t these accusations of Tartar spies be made arbitrarily?”

Hearing this, Xu Heng’s expression changed instantly. He tried to stand up but remembered it wasn’t his concern. Reaching for the armrests of his chair, he sat back down and said with a bitter smile, “It was Lord Wang who said this. He said the emperor had previously issued an order that Xuanfu, as a strategic location, must conduct strict screenings to prevent Tartar spies from infiltrating and gathering military information. Therefore, any suspicious individuals should be captured immediately, and if they couldn’t be interrogated successfully, they should be executed right away.”

Lu Feng had asked this just to stir trouble. He then pretended to be surprised and looked around. “I forgot that Lord Wang is the eunuch in charge of guarding Xuanfu. Strange—why isn’t he here today? Not even those eunuchs in charge of the camp are in sight!”

“Well, Lord Wang said he wasn’t feeling well, so he sent someone to inform us.”

“Sick? What a good excuse! If I had known, I would have just claimed to be sick too. Would the emperor really assign someone else? If I heard correctly, he was still watching military drills at the training ground today. How dare he claim to be sick now!”

Seeing Lu Feng’s furrowed brows and furious expression, Zhang Yue had no choice but to step in to smooth things over. First, he sent Yu Qian away, who was impatient and had gotten involved in such matters. Sensing that Xu Heng seemed intent on using this as an excuse to make a point, and tired of staying to listen to these troubles, he pretended to need to supervise the storage of gunpowder and left. As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Meng Jun following him.

“Xing’an Bo has long disliked that man. You’ve given him a perfect opportunity this time. Enough about that—go handle your work quickly. I’ll treat you to Xuanfu’s finest dish tonight.”

Zhang Yue and Meng Jun, who was his brother-in-law, had always gotten along well. Hearing this, he naturally agreed with a smile, though he felt somewhat uneasy. Hu Cheng had already been captured by the Jinyiwei under Lu Feng’s command in Baoanzhou. It was likely that news would reach Xuanfu before long. A eunuch in charge of Xuanfu could hardly defy the head of the Eastern Depot, but behind the throne, it was more the other nobleman who held real power—after all, Hai Shou, the deputy head of the Imperial Horse Supervision Department, had clearly stated his position in front of him.