Chapter 636: Years of Struggle and Hardship

For the common people, the emperor’s procession was undoubtedly the best opportunity to see something exciting—whether it was the grand procession, the accompanying troops, or the elaborate costumes, all of which would be the subject of conversation for days. For those accompanying the emperor, ensuring his safety was of utmost importance; as for the imperial physicians, diagnosing the emperor’s condition daily was a task that filled them with dread.

Yet Zhu Di, inside the carriage, paid no attention to these matters that concerned others so much. The route taken for this inspection was not the well-maintained official roads used every year. Not only were large vehicles unusable, but even the larger and smaller palanquins pulled by eight or four horses could not be employed. Had it not been for the persistent advice of his ministers, he would have insisted on riding his horse the entire way. During his past northern campaigns, he had taken concubines with him, but this time he broke with his usual habit and did not bring any concubines or maids; only two young eunuchs were in the carriage.

Along the way, they visited Longmen Guard, Xuanfu, and Wanquan, then turned back via Juyong Pass, continuing to Miyun, Chaohesuo, Jizhou, and Xifengkou. In the blink of an eye, a month passed, and the weather turned cool. Although news of the imperial inspection had spread long ago, at first they still encountered some isolated tribal cavalry who crossed the Great Wall to raid. Naturally, these scattered forces were utterly defeated after just a few battles. Even in such outnumbered situations, Zhu Di rode out to oversee the battles several times, leaving his civil and military entourage in great concern.

At that moment, the window on the side wall of the carriage was wide open, allowing cool winds to blow in. The two young eunuchs, dressed lightly, shivered not only from the cold but also out of fear that the emperor’s untreated cold might flare up. Yet, faced with the emperor’s tightly closed lips and expressionless face, neither dared say a word and could only kneel there in terror.

“Your Majesty, Scholar Yang and Physician Zhang have arrived.”

Hearing the report from Hai Shou, the head of the imperial stables, Zhu Di finally came back to his senses. He casually pulled down the thick curtains and ordered the red curtains with blue edges at the front to be moved aside. Seeing Yang Rong and Zhang Yue standing by the carriage on either side, he said indifferently, “Mian Ren has been to Jian’an, accompanied you on three northern campaigns, and has also been to Gansu. Zhang Yue grew up in Henan and has been to Shandong, the Jiangnan region, and Xinghe in Xuanfu—so they can be considered to have traveled far and wide. But this route must be their first time, right?”

“It is indeed our first time,” Yang Rong replied carefully, trying to figure out the emperor’s intent behind the question. “But since Your Majesty is now rebuilding the ruined city of Danning and stationing troops there again, it’s possible we may have to come here often in the future.”

Zhang Yue also recalled how Zhu Di had once seized Prince Ning Zhu Quan in the north and later lured the Doyan Three Guards south by offering them land in Danning. Yet such matters could never be mentioned, so he had an idea and then said with a smile, “I’ve just remembered a saying: There was no path in the world originally, but as more people walked on it, it became a path. Now that Danning, Kaiping, and Xinghe are connected, in the future, whether the emperor inspects the borders or dispatches troops, more people will use this road, and it will naturally become as smooth as the official roads that connect the north, south, east, and west.”

Yang Rong was only 28 years old when he first entered the Wenyuan Pavilion. Over these more than twenty years, having served by the emperor’s side day and night, he had seen countless young and talented individuals pass by, and Zhang Yue was not the most outstanding among them. Yet five years later, Zhang Yue still remained firmly in his position, and he had gradually changed his earlier thoughts. Hearing these words, he was quite impressed and immediately joined in the conversation.

“Once Danning is rebuilt, there will be a vast area from the capital to Liaodong and the Nurgan Commandery, allowing for both offense and defense. It will not only prevent collusion between the Tatars and the Doyan Three Guards but also guard against the Jurchens in Liaodong. It will greatly facilitate the transmission of military reports and goods. This land is fertile, and if we maintain a strong garrison here, we can ensure security in the east.”

As he spoke, he seemed to have completely forgotten his initial hesitation about rebuilding Danning. Seeing Zhu Di nod in agreement, he calmly discussed various arrangements for the future. Zhu Di listened carefully, interjecting from time to time, making few changes. Then he waved his hand, ordering Yang Rong to go and handle some memorials sent from the capital together with Jin Youzi, leaving only Zhang Yue behind. Meanwhile, the massive convoy continued to move forward. He ordered the curtains on the left side to be rolled up and instructed Zhang Yue to ride beside the carriage.

“I originally planned to bring Zhanji along this time, but then I thought it was better to leave him in the capital to assist the crown prince. You’ve spent quite some time in the Eastern Palace—what do you think of my crown prince?”

Unexpectantly, Zhu Di asked this again. Zhang Yue naturally thought the emperor’s memory was already poor, so he replied, “The crown prince is intelligent and brave. With the emperor’s guidance and the support of his teachers in the Eastern Palace, he is well-qualified in both civil and military affairs.”

Zhu Di let out a light hum and then said nonchalantly, “But the few senior officials I sent to teach Zhanji often say in front of me that although he has great talent, sometimes he refuses to devote himself fully to studying and governing the country. He prefers to play around. His military skills are passable, but if he goes too far, he won’t know what’s primary and what’s secondary.”

Zhang Yue had earlier heard Zhu Zhanji complain about those old scholars and pedants who often spied on others behind their backs, and now he couldn’t help but frown. Though these people’s intentions were good, they didn’t consider that even a person with great talent and perseverance would be suffocated by such forced learning. If they took a moment to slack off, they’d face endless admonitions and reproaches—truly pitiable.

“Your Majesty, I believe that possessing both literary and martial skills is the true way to govern a country. Focusing on one at the expense of the other is not advisable. The crown prince was raised under Your Majesty’s own guidance—he is not a pampered prince raised in the palace. By practicing martial arts in addition to studying, he can serve as a role model for the whole realm. Throughout history, empires are established through military strength, but they fall when military readiness declines and literature is valued over martial arts, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and regret too late. Moreover, everything requires balance; constant pressure is pointless.”

“I knew you’d take his side!” Zhu Di shook his head irritably before saying calmly, “But you’re right. My descendants can’t just idle away in the palace. They must be able to govern the country and quell rebellions to maintain order. However, if Mianren Youzi or even your father-in-law heard this, they might scold you. The way to govern has always been through civil officials… Back then, if I had been just a bookworm who only studied, I wouldn’t have listened to that old Taoist, nor would I have gone to Dading at the critical moment and left Beiping in the hands of the crown prince to defend it…”

Hearing Zhu Di’s words grow increasingly fragmented, Zhang Yue glanced sideways at the carriage. The emperor seemed lost in thought. After pondering for a moment, he rode a few steps behind. Yet the faint voices carried by the wind continued to reach his ears.

“…At that time, he had the Duyan Three Guards under his command, yet he still chose to sit back and watch others fight, thinking they were all fools…”

“…He was assigned to defend Xuanfu at such a young age… If he were smart, he wouldn’t have returned to Nanjing; if he were smart, he wouldn’t have played such tricks after surrendering—did he think I was Zhu Yunwen…”

“…He had so many guards from the royal family, yet he was captured without any warning and sent to Yunnan. If not for me, he would have stayed there forever!”

“…Is everything predestined? Hmph, opportunities don’t come again—that’s why we have today…”

Zhang Yue had already walked more than ten steps away from the carriage. It is said that people tend to become more nostalgic as they age, and this certainly applied to Zhu Di. Thinking about the emperor’s excellent spirits throughout the journey and the fact that it didn’t seem like a last gasp, the weight in his heart lifted, and he naturally didn’t want to disturb the emperor’s memories. Returning silently to his own seat, he began to calculate the time it would take to reach Danning.

Anyway, with Zhang Fu in Danning, his heavy burden should finally be lifted.

That night, the army camped outside Zunhua City, while the imperial entourage was escorted by the Imperial Horse Supervision’s personal troops to rest inside the city. This place was only a little over a hundred miles from Xifengkou, with Songting Pass, Malanyu Pass, and Xifengkou Pass to the north. Beyond Xifengkou and across the Kuanhe River lay Danning. Although the Doyan Three Guards had long submitted to the Ming Dynasty, invasions often occurred in autumn and winter, so the defenses at these passes were extremely strict, and even the curfew in Zunhua was particularly severe. Thus, since Danning had once again been garrisoned, the people of Zunhua City were among the first to experience these changes.

Since it was an imperial inspection, the Imperial Horse Supervision’s guards were naturally essential for accompaniment. But this time, Liu Yongcheng stayed in the capital to guard the city, leaving only Hai Shou to accompany him. He had to oversee nearly four thousand imperial troops, which was a huge challenge. After all, he was from Korea, and although he held the title of Deputy Head of the Imperial Horse Supervision, he had never dared to get involved in actual military affairs. Now, with all these responsibilities thrust upon him along with those related to the emperor, he regretted having focused only on amassing wealth and having no trusted allies in the military.

What angered him even more was that, whether it was because Liu Yongcheng had forgotten due to the urgency of this border inspection or deliberately as a warning, none of the eunuchs he had with him knew anything about military affairs. In the first few days, whenever reports came in regarding camp setup or night patrols, he could only deal with them vaguely. Eventually, with no other choice, he had to assign someone to ask questions constantly, and finally, he managed to get through the difficulties.

At that moment, Hai Shou efficiently arranged the evening patrols and then left the county government building, which served as the temporary residence. Zunhua County wasn’t very large, and now that many civil and military officials had arrived, the space became extremely cramped. The county magistrate worked tirelessly to make arrangements.

Both Yang Rongjin and Youzi were busy handling important government and military affairs, so they took a small courtyard within the county yamen, avoiding the need to crowd with others. Although he was a eunuch, he didn’t have to serve at the emperor’s side constantly, so he occupied a room near the second hall, with Zhang Yue right next door. He knocked on the door confidently and entered. Seeing Zhang Yue put down his book and look up, he smiled and nodded.
“Lord Zhang, we’ll reach Xifengkou tomorrow. Finally, we can breathe a sigh of relief.”
“That’s right, Hai Gonggong. Thankfully, the road has been peaceful.”
Along the way, Zhang Yue had gotten used to dealing with Hai Shou. Though the man hadn’t said it outright, Zhang Yue understood the situation, but he preferred to pretend not to. Hai Shou sat down and then started asking various questions intermittently, interspersed with a few important ones. As usual, Zhang Yue handled them skillfully. Finally, he suddenly said with a smile, “Once this northern inspection is over and we return to the capital, Hai Gonggong will truly deserve the title of deputy head of the Imperial Horse Supervision Bureau.”
“Ah, Lord Zhang, to be honest with you, I only care about that title; I don’t care about military power at all.” Realizing Zhang Yue understood his intentions, Hai Shou became embarrassed and shook his head. “Lord Liu really… If anything goes wrong with the Imperial Horse Supervision Bureau’s troops, not only will I suffer, but he too won’t be able to escape blame. Why go through all this? Thankfully, I came up with a clever plan in a hurry. You’re also a kind person, Lord Zhang. Otherwise, I would really have been in trouble this time. I’ll definitely remember this favor!”
Zhang Yue knew Hai Shou must have had some reason for approaching him directly. Hearing this, he couldn’t help but decline a few times. Eunuchs were incomplete people, and it wasn’t a big deal for them to be greedy, so he didn’t look down on them. Moreover, since Hai Shou clearly preferred money over power, he was more reliable than Lu Feng, who was insatiable and wanted everything. Thus, their casual conversation passed by quickly.
“Hai Gonggong, I have an urgent matter to discuss!”
Just as Hai Shou was about to leave, a high-pitched voice came from outside. Recognizing the voice, Hai Shou immediately stood up, rushed out, and opened the door. Seeing it was a minor eunuch from the emperor’s court, he let him in right away. The eunuch glanced around and saw only Hai Shou and Zhang Yue, hesitating slightly. Seeing this, Hai Shou scolded him irritably, “Lord Zhang isn’t a stranger. Just speak plainly!”

The young eunuch swallowed hard and quickly lowered his voice, saying, “Academician Yang and Academician Jin have just gone to report the situation to the Emperor. Before long, an imperial edict was issued summoning Marquis Anyuan Liu Sheng and all the other marquises and earls! Later, I faintly heard something like it being an urgent military report from the commander at Xifengkou—troops were invading Danning!”
Invading Danning?
Hearing this, not only Hai Shou was stunned, but Zhang Yue was also greatly surprised. After all, the news that the Emperor was personally leading troops to patrol the borders had already spread. Even those minor incursions we encountered earlier were one thing, but who would dare to launch a full-scale attack on Danning now? Not to mention the 30,000 troops here, Danning had nearly 20,000 soldiers under the command of Duke Yingguo Zhang Fu—how could they be easily dealt with?
The two exchanged glances for a moment. Hai Shou quickly sent the young eunuch away before awkwardly explaining to Zhang Yue, “Lord Zhang, I’m just worried about the Emperor, that’s why…”
“It’s only natural for Lord Hai to accompany and keep an eye out,” Zhang Yue replied, having no patience to hear his explanation. He uttered those words insincerely before frowning and saying, “Although it’s already night, given the Emperor’s temperament after hearing this news…”
Before he could finish speaking, a commotion came from outside. Soon, the main door was flung open. The middle-aged eunuch who rushed in couldn’t catch his breath and said anxiously, “Lord Hai, Lord Zhang! The Emperor has issued an order—immediately mobilize the troops! We must set off within half an hour from Xifengkou to Danning!”