Chapter 634: A Lifetime of Glory

Since the north was occupied by the Mongol Yuan dynasty, during the Hongwu era when kings were appointed to rule various regions, Zhu Yuanzhang placed his most trusted sons along a line surrounding Mongolia, from Liaodong to the northwest, establishing kings such as the King of Liaodong, King of Ning, King of Yan, King of Dai, and King of Gu. Among them, the King of Ning and the King of Yan were regarded as the two most powerful regional rulers in the north and held the upper hand in their battles against the Mongols over the years. Thus, the abandoned city of Danning, ruled by King Zhu Quan, was once a formidable fortress. Yet twenty years later, all that remained were ruins.

In the past, Zhu Di had raided King Zhu Quan in the north, allied himself with the Doyan Three Guards, and then marched south to seize control of the realm. Zhang Fu was among those who followed him. But even before the northern expedition against the Wulangha people last year, he had not been here for nearly twenty years. Now, as he supervised the reconstruction of this ruined city, he couldn’t help but feel emotional despite his usual lack of sentimentality as he wandered through the city. Yet these emotions came and went quickly.

After all, the abandoned city of Danning had been desolate for many years. Although the Wulangha people of the Doyan Three Guards had not settled inside the city, even after a severe defeat last year, they still posed a threat that could not be underestimated—underestimating them could lead to disaster.

The Ministry of Works sent capable officials and a large number of craftsmen. With the concerted efforts of the soldiers, it took only four months to repair the western and southern walls of the abandoned city, and many earthen houses were built inside. The scorching summer had passed, and it was the perfect time to speed up construction. As he led his personal guards through the city, the soldiers along the way stepped aside to pay respects. He nodded in acknowledgment, but his mind was preoccupied.

Although he had traveled far and wide in the past, he had returned to the capital several times. During that time, he had participated in northern expeditions and trained troops in Xuanfu Wanquan. Last year, he followed the emperor on another northern campaign. Each time, his time away was short, and he likely wouldn’t stay in Danning for long this time either. If this place was rebuilt, it would connect Danning, Kaiping, and Xinghe into a continuous line. Xuanfu Wanquan would then not need to station so many troops, and these three areas could serve as strongholds for both offense and defense, acting like three nails driven deep into Mongol territory. But from what he saw now, the emperor had appointed him specifically for wartime considerations. Yet did the emperor truly want to fight, or did he intend to use this place for defense?

“Duke of Ying!”

Zhang Fuzheng was about to enter his temporary office when he heard a voice behind him. Turning around, he saw it was Zhou Bailing, the commander of the Danning Left Guard who had accompanied him on this mission. Since Zhou had been promoted at the recommendation of Liu Shengbao, a former general under him, and had repeatedly shown merit under Zhang Yue, Zhang naturally regarded him differently—after all, most of his subordinates and former personal soldiers were now scattered far and wide. Nodding to indicate that Zhou didn’t need to bow, he gave a few orders to his bodyguards before entering the tent first.

Zhou Bailing followed into the tent and, seeing Zhang Fuzheng seated, hurried over, bowed, and said, “Duke of Yingguo, I have just returned from leading a patrol. The Wulangha people are very honest and dare not approach here. However, some tribal chiefs sent a few elders, saying that their people have already submitted and asking the court to reopen the horse market. Additionally, many merchants have come to find out whether the court intends to station troops in Danning temporarily or permanently, as well as to inquire about the ‘Kai Zhong’ system. After all, they have seen the land we have cultivated and the cattle and sheep we raise.”

“Whether it’s reopening the horse market or implementing the ‘Kai Zhong’ system, both require reporting to the court,” said Zhang. He knew well those Wulangha people—after all, he had once been a comrade-in-arms with Mongol generals like Huo Zhen and had fought side by side with Mongol warriors from the Doyan Three Guards. He understood that they would only submit to those with strength. But he wasn’t as lenient with merchants and immediately ordered in a stern tone, “Merchants are driven by profit—be extremely cautious and don’t let spies slip in. By the way, I asked you to send people to investigate the situation of the Tatars—hurry up with that as well.”

“Report! An official document from the Imperial Rear Army Command!”

Before Zhou Bailing could respond, he heard a loud shout from a bodyguard outside the tent. Glancing at Zhang Fuzheng, he left without further hesitation. As soon as he left, a burly bodyguard rushed into the tent, saluted, and handed over a sealed document. Zhang took it, opened it, and immediately stood up.

Some defectors claimed that Arutai intended to invade from the south? That the Oirat Prince of Shunning, Tuohuan, had defeated Arutai, causing his forces to scatter and flee north? That the court had sent envoys to the Oirats? Behind this series of news, there might be other clues hidden…

After walking back and forth a few times in the tent, Zhang Fuzheng was convinced that the emperor must be extremely angry. Thinking of his previous three northern expeditions—once overseeing supplies, once in Jiaozhi, once leading the Right Guard—he realized he hadn’t even had a chance to confront Arutai once. He couldn’t help but sigh.

Putting the last expedition aside, the first two campaigns had been quite successful, but they only managed to defeat the Tartar and Oirat forces. After just a few years of rest and recovery, those forces regained their strength. In contrast, each time hundreds of thousands of troops were sent out, it placed an even greater burden on the treasury. If we include Qiu Fu’s expedition of 300,000 troops, which ended in his complete downfall at the Luqu River, there have been four such large-scale campaigns during the Yongle era—how could the treasury still manage to cope?

“I understand. Now that the weather is favorable and the horses are strong, to prevent the Tartars from invading, issue orders for strict precautions throughout the army!”

Since the three garrisons of Danning had been moved to Baoding Prefecture twenty years ago, this once-mighty army now had only ordinary combat capabilities. Worst of all, the officers never imagined they would return to Danning one day. These days, Zhang Fu kept training and inspecting the troops repeatedly, coupled with the hard work of building fortifications, leaving the officers extremely exhausted. They dared not complain during the day, but at night, during patrols, some would inevitably start discussing things.

“What a dilapidated place! Who knows how my father managed to survive here back then? These endless drills—when will they ever end?”

“That’s because you’re short-sighted. Back in the day, Danning was a prosperous place in the north. Its decline is only recent.”

“Even if it was once prosperous, it’s in this state now! Isn’t the Duke of Ying the emperor’s most trusted man? The Duke of Cheng stayed in the capital after his birthday ceremony, yet the Duke of Ying, who still has filial duties, was sent here instead. There’s gold, silver, and ivory in Jiaozhi, but what does this place have? Nothing at all!”

“Stop talking nonsense. How could the Duke of Ying be exiled? You haven’t seen him in Annam—his force of thousands scared the bandits. The emperor is getting old; perhaps he plans to use the Duke of Ying to lead the troops.”

Unable to sleep at night, Zhang Fu changed into casual clothes and went around the city with a few bodyguards. By chance, he overheard their conversation. He signaled his bodyguards not to make a sound and listened for a while. Eventually, he couldn’t help but feel a pang in his heart. Thinking about how he hadn’t fought a proper battle since returning to the court in the 14th year of Yongle, he pondered for a moment before silently laughing.

Once the voices faded away, he ordered his bodyguards, “Issue orders tomorrow: from now on, the troops will rest one day every seven days during training.”

In the city of Danning at night, only a few torches were lit for illumination, leaving most areas in darkness. Zhang Fu walked almost a full circle and passed by an oilcloth tent with blazing torches at its entrance; someone happened to be coming out at that moment. When their eyes met, illuminated by the firelight, he immediately recognized the young man in front of him, who was under twenty years old.

“Meng Tao?”

“Ah… Duke of Yingguo!”

Due to their father’s connections, Meng Tao and his brother Meng Fan came to Danning as mere junior officers. Although Marquis Baoding Meng Ying could easily arrange for them to serve as hundred-household officers, the brothers, mindful of Zhang Yue’s words, chose to keep a low profile. As a result, few in the army knew their true status, and they lived and ate together with ordinary soldiers. Upon seeing Zhang Fu, he bowed and called out softly, then glanced anxiously behind him at the military tents. Only after hearing the continuous snoring sounds did he feel relieved.

“There will be a competition in the army tomorrow; the winner can try for the position of hundred-household officer. You two should put in more effort!”

After saying that, Zhang Fu ignored him and continued walking without looking back. When he returned after completing his rounds and saw his own tent from afar, he noticed a dark figure standing beside the flagpole, seemingly looking around. Frowning, he approached, and the figure quickly ran up to him. At first glance, he was shocked, then his expression darkened.

“Peng Shisan, what are you doing in Danning?”

“If it weren’t for the orders from Madam and Young Master Yue, I wouldn’t dare come and face your scolding!”

After bowing, Peng Shisan shook his head helplessly. He first handed over a letter from Lady Wang. Seeing that the guards around were reliable, he lowered his voice and said, “A few days ago, on Lady Wang’s birthday, the Han Prince’s mansion sent a jade Guanyin statue, ten pieces of leather goods, and twenty sets each of other items. Since it was sent by the Han Princess, she insisted that Lady Wang accept it, saying the Han Prince remembered his old friendship with your father. Following the younger master’s advice, the Guanyin statue was placed in the shrine behind Daqing Shousi Temple to pray for the late Empress Renxiao, while the leather goods were given to the Zhang family’s school, where the poor relatives praised your father’s kindness.”

“Damn it! Sometimes tough, sometimes soft—will it ever end? It’s exhausting to deal with all this!” Even though Zhang Fu rarely showed his emotions, he was genuinely annoyed now. He cursed angrily and changed the subject. “What did Young Master Yue ask you to do?”

“Young Master Yue, well…” Peng Shisan scratched his head before speaking seriously, “Many nobles volunteered to lead the troops this time, but the emperor rejected them all. Yet the Duke of Cheng insisted on recommending you, and the emperor even mentioned you in front of Young Master Yue.”
Hearing that it was Zhu Yong who recommended him to lead the expedition, Zhang Fu was stunned before shaking his head irritably. He had grown up watching Zhu Yong, and the two families had always supported each other, so their relationship was extraordinary. But Zhu Yong spent his days in Nanjing among those scholars and officials; he must have heard too much about righteousness and morality. He focused only on the emperor’s poor health preventing him from leading the army personally, forgetting other considerations. As the only remaining dukes among those who had contributed to the Jingnan Campaign, he wasn’t worried that the emperor would suspect collusion between them. However, the emperor still harbored resentment toward Arutai—after all, Arutai had been defeated, surrendered, and then rebelled again. Could just any general’s campaign ease that resentment?
“The Duke of Cheng was reckless this time… Anyway, Brother Yue probably didn’t send you just for this matter. What other message does he want you to deliver?”
Peng Shisan looked peculiar before shrugging and saying, “I’m just here a step ahead of the imperial messengers… Master, although the emperor isn’t preparing to send a large army this time, he plans to lead 30,000 troops to patrol along the Great Wall, with the final stop being the old city of Danning. The emperor has made up his mind, and no one in the court dares to dissuade him. Please prepare early as well. After all… the emperor has already been seriously ill before. At such a critical moment, Master must protect your reputation for life.”