Chapter 600: Under the Dragon Banner of the Training Ground
Although the Imperial Printing Bureau under the Secretariat for Rites was responsible for overseeing officially printed versions of books, Buddhist, and Taoist texts, the entire facility consisted of only twenty or thirty rooms—by no means spacious. After all, there were numerous palaces within the Western Garden, and the craftsmen allowed to enter this area had to be strictly controlled. Another reason was that the Secretariat for Rites had neither the authority to approve documents nor any role in government affairs, so it was even less likely for them to make the printing bureau overly ostentatious.
As a result, even though Zhang Yue had been standing there for quite some time, no one from the printing bureau came out to inquire. Even the two gatekeepers hid inside the rooms, leaving everything utterly silent. Ever since word spread that the emperor had passed by, all printing operations had stopped to avoid startling him.
After waiting for a full fifteen minutes, Zhang Yue finally saw the emperor’s entourage set off again. He adjusted his attire and stepped forward to greet them. Since Zhu Di had only appeared once since his return—at the New Year’s court meeting—he had seen the emperor just once in over half a year. After bowing, Zhang Yue glanced secretly at Zhu Di and noticed that he appeared much older than during his northern campaigns, which reminded him of the rumors.
No matter how strong his physique had once been, Zhu Di was now in his sixties. With his increasing obsession with women and his desire to return to battle, wasn’t it just foolishness?
The Western Garden still belonged to the imperial city, so aside from the emperor, everyone else walked. Although Zhu Di was old, he still possessed the physique honed through years of fighting in battle. Ordinary horses could not carry him, so he rode a fine breed brought as a tribute from the Western Regions. The horse, along with its rider, was almost as tall as two people. Standing beside him, Zhang Yue felt a strong sense of oppression from Zhu Di’s towering presence; to look at the emperor, he had to tilt his head back.
Having not seen officials other than cabinet ministers and high-ranking officials for a long time, Zhu Di kept asking questions as Zhang Yue escorted him. Since Zhang Yue used to be an official in the Ministry of War and, though now in the Eastern Palace, was not a lecturer, his questions naturally focused on military affairs. Gradually, the conversation shifted to the situation in the north. When it came to Arutai fleeing at the first sign of trouble and refusing to fight, Zhu Di let out a cold snort.
“Since I was stationed in Beiping all these years, I don’t even know how many battles I’ve fought. Among all my opponents, Arutai is the most shameless and fickle! He disappeared last year, and now it’s said he’s returned with his tribe, uniting the various Tatar clans and even fighting against the Oirats again. I refuse to believe he can hide forever—I refuse to believe I can’t capture him!”
Zhang Yue glanced sideways at Zhang Qian and Hai Shou with the corner of his eye and saw that their expressions were grim. After pondering for a moment, he replied, “A defeated general cannot be praised for his bravery. In the past, Arutai relied on his strong army to rebel against our Great Ming, but when faced with the emperor’s massive forces, he could only barely escape with his life. He once ruled because of his strength, but now he is nothing but a spent arrow.”
“Daring to say Arutai is a spent arrow—aren’t you afraid people will accuse you of boasting?” Recalling that Arutai’s eldest son had died indirectly at Zhang Yue’s hands and that even the Tatar banners had been lost because of him, Zhu Di thought of Zhang Yue’s previous military achievements that hadn’t yet been rewarded. Smiling, he asked, “Then tell me, why doesn’t Arutai give up?”
“Whether it’s the Tatars or the Oirats, hierarchy is determined by strength. His provocative stance is merely to intimidate his people and prevent the Oirats from launching an attack. But while the Oirats stopped acting rashly after one defeat, Arutai has already suffered two defeats and fled, losing all face. Now that his strength is insufficient, even if he sends a large army across the border, he’ll likely flee at the first sign of trouble. It’s not that I underestimate him, but even if our dynasty doesn’t send troops, within ten years, the name Arutai will become a thing of the past.”
“I just called you a boaster, yet this time you make such a bold assertion! Well, I’m eager to hear how you’ll justify this.”
Zhu Di shook his head irritably. With the inner training ground in sight, he couldn’t continue questioning. He whipped his horse sharply and rode off at full speed. His sudden move startled Zhang Qian, Hai Shou, and the group of imperial guards following behind. With Liu Yongcheng, who had been in charge of the imperial stables for years, absent, the once orderly formation quickly disintegrated. A crowd rushed after the speeding emperor, creating a rather spectacular scene.
Inside the training ground, soldiers were gathered in large numbers. Due to limited space and the fact that large groups of soldiers entering the palace violated regulations, three hundred elite soldiers from each category—swordsmen, archers, spearmen, and gunners—were selected. All were skilled warriors with clean records, under eighteen years old and full of vigor. They greeted Zhu Di at the entrance of the training ground. Zhu Zhanji then led the emperor to a platform adorned with dragon flags and explained a few things beside it.
“The morning ceremony for the Birthday Festival tomorrow is nothing but a formality. Since you’ve invited me here today, let’s go shoot at willows right away so I can see if your martial skills have improved!” he instructed Zhu Zhanji. Seeing him bow in response without hesitation, Zhu Di smiled and went down to get ready. Even more satisfied with his valiant grandson, Zhu Di waved for Zhang Yue to come forward. “You only said half of what you had to say earlier. Go on, continue—let me hear your prescient ideas!”
“I certainly can’t claim to be prescient, but what I said before wasn’t a lie. Right now, Arutai is isolated and his military strength has dropped to its lowest point. That’s why he has to pretend to compete with the Ming Dynasty on the surface. His goals are twofold: first, to prevent the three Oirat tribes from uniting to attack him; second, to continue using the Borjigin clan of the Golden Family as a symbol to rally the various Tatar tribes under his command. During the previous northern expedition, the three Oirat tribes agreed to send troops at first but then stood by, hoping to take advantage of a situation where both sides would be weakened. Fortunately, Your Majesty was wise enough to withdraw immediately after defeating the Wulangha people, thus depriving them of such an opportunity.”
Zhu Di had heard countless times phrases like “wise as a hawk” and “naturally brilliant,” and he was long immune to them. But Zhang Yue’s earlier words were quite similar to those of ministers like Yang Rong, so he began to ponder. At that moment, the soldiers below had already started their drills. Their red coats appeared extremely bright under the sun, and the tips of their spears and blades gleamed with a cold light, but his mind was nowhere near that.
Seeing Zhu Zhanji already bending his bow to shoot at willows, and recalling what the crown prince had said to him earlier, he didn’t back down even though Zhu Di’s expression wasn’t favorable. Last time during the northern expedition, tens of thousands of horses and cattle were captured, but without counting the food consumed—due to the massive scale of supplies, over 25,000 mules and horses died transporting food—along with losses from weapons and other factors, those spoils were but a drop in the ocean.
“Your Majesty, previously, the Maham tribe of the Oirats was defeated by the Ming Dynasty, and later by Arutai. Even his son Tuohuan was captured. But after Tuohuan was restored to power, his Choros tribe has had several years to recover. It is not only stronger than the Khuit and Kereit tribes but can also be considered the strongest among all Mongol tribes. The three Oirat tribes combined are now far stronger than the Tatar tribes themselves. Tuohuan is ambitious. Last year, seeing Arutai avoid battle with the Wulangha people and nearly face extinction, he certainly won’t sit idly by while Arutai recruits troops. As long as he can persuade King Tianping and King Tutubolo, the Oirats will surely take action this year.”
In the past, Genghis Khan waged campaigns across the land, laying the foundation for the Mongol Empire. Thus, Genghis Khan’s direct descendants remain the most formidable force that the Ming Dynasty must guard against to this day. Since the Oirats were located in the western deserts, their threat to the Central Plains was far less than that of the Tatars. Therefore, Zhu Di once supported the Oirats in their early days, but when they showed signs of rebellion, he struck back hard. Even so, he still preferred the Oirats to the Tatars as replacements.
You see, without the banner of the former Yuan Dynasty, even if the Oirats unified the steppes, they would eventually be overthrown by dissatisfied tribes!
“Long live the Emperor!”
A roar like a tsunami suddenly arose, and the emperor and his minister on the platform snapped back to reality. Seeing Zhu Zhanji riding swiftly toward them with high spirits, Zhu Di immediately realized that his great-grandson had once again hit all three targets with his arrows. Overjoyed, he set aside all other matters for the moment. When Zhu Zhanji dismounted and knelt down, offering his respects with twigs in his hands, Zhu Di praised him repeatedly. After calling him up, he casually removed the sword at his waist.
“With a grandson as brave and decisive as you, I am at ease! This sword has been with me for many years. Though it can no longer be used in battle, it is a true weapon of death. I bestow it upon you today!”
“Your grandson thanks you for your grace!”
Zhu Zhanji had seen Zhu Di wear this sword since he was young. Hearing these words, he was overjoyed and quickly knelt down to accept it. Seeing Zhu Di excitedly descend from the platform, he caressed the sword affectionately, then promptly took off his own sword and handed it to Zhang Yue. He hung the imperial sword on a hook and said to Zhang Yue, “Since Grandfather has bestowed this sword upon me, I’ll give my sword to you! You’ve often accompanied me in shooting and horse racing these days—this is my reward for your hard work.”
“Thank you, Your Highness!”
Zhang Yue immediately recognized that the sword Zhu Di gave to Zhu Zhanji was the imperial sword he had once owned. As he was pondering, he heard the next words and was stunned. He quickly thanked him. However, since he was also wearing a sword that day, he couldn’t throw it away like Zhu Zhanji did and could only hold it in his hands. As Zhu Di prepared to leave, he glanced downward and saw Liu Yongcheng coming around from the left side of the training ground.
Haishou, who was following Zhu Di, also saw Liu Yongcheng and quickly stepped forward to report, “Your Majesty, Eunuch Liu has returned.”
By then, Liu Yongcheng had caught up. As someone who often accompanied the emperor, he simply knelt down, stood up immediately, stepped back beside Zhu Di, and reported that he had sent the person back. His voice then grew quieter.
“Your Majesty, I sent Li Maofang back, and I also ordered that all the eunuchs serving in Wanchun Palace be brought in for questioning on charges of illegally holding prisoners. As a result, one little eunuch, fearing punishment, claimed… claimed that Li Maofang used the maids for sexual purposes every day in Wanchun Palace, and this time he even made them draw blood to use as ink for copying scriptures…”