Chapter Forty-One: Half the Warriors Lie Dead Before the Battle Lines, While Beauties Still Sing and Dance Beneath the General’s Tent

Censorate officials petitioned the imperial court, and the foremost outspoken official was about to return to the capital. This news somewhat placated the Censorate officials' anxieties about inadvertently harming the ears and eyes of the sovereign, yet Zhang Juzheng remained deeply concerned that the Emperor might harbor a grudge against them, and thus intended to submit a remonstrance.

"Rise and speak, Senior Grand Secretary," Zhu Yijun said, looking slightly displeased. He had already made it clear that this was no momentous affair; there was no need for such formalities, and he could simply stand and speak.

As long as Zhang Juzheng refrained from turning his faction into a network of matrimonial and regional alliances, and as long as he continued to prioritize the revitalization of the Great Ming as his primary duty and ambition, Zhang Juzheng was entitled to stand upright when addressing him as Emperor.

"Ah?" Caught halfway through his kowtow, Zhang Juzheng had no choice but to stand up, his mind fixed on the intended remonstrance.

Bowing his head, Zhang Juzheng said, "Your Majesty, the Founding Emperor established the Censorate and the Grand Censorate with the sole mandate of holding all officials accountable, rectifying injustices, overseeing the various circuits, and acting as the eyes, ears, and moral compass of the Son of Heaven."

"Whenever high officials turn traitorous and wicked, whenever petty men form cliques to wield arbitrary power and disrupt the government, they are to be impeached. Whenever officials are corrupt, greedy, and undermine official discipline, they are to be impeached. Whenever their scholarship is unorthodox, or when they submit memorials attempting to subvert the constitutional laws out of a desire for advancement, they are to be impeached."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun immediately understood what Zhang Juzheng was driving at. With a smile, he said, "Senior Grand Secretary, the matter of the officials gathering outside the Chengtian Gate has already been settled; there is no need to dwell on it. The *Code of Statutes and Precedents* states: 'Any censor who commits a crime shall have his sentence increased by three degrees, and offenses involving bribery shall be punished with the utmost severity.'"

"These officials made a mistake, hence the threefold increase in punishment. Yet the censors and Censorate officials were merely incited by petty men. Consequently, I sent Grand Eunuch Feng and Chief Censor Ge to explain the situation to them. Once they learned the truth and received the news of Hai Gangfeng's return to the capital, most of them were greatly inspired and dispersed."

"Among the Censorate officials, many still possess a compliant spirit. For instance, the more than thirty officials who left first did so because they learned the truth and chose to depart. The empire of the Han dynasty has never lacked loyal and capable men from generation to generation; this is hardly a matter of grave consequence."

Censorate officials possessed the prerogative to remonstrate even with the Emperor—that was their bounden duty. They were tasked with oversight and could even berate the Senior Grand Secretary. However, should they break the law, their sentences would be increased by three degrees, meaning an ordinary sentence of banishment could result in decapitation, with penalties exacerbated further if bribery was involved.

As for the gathering outside the imperial gate, it was purely the work of petty villains.

Someone had exploited a gap in timing—a maneuver petty men were exceptionally fond of.

Following the court session yesterday, the penalties punishing the three cliques for ostracizing the Censorate officials were decided, but the formal issuance of the official documents required the completion of procedural steps by the following day. This intervening twenty-four-hour window became the breeding ground for petty men to stir up trouble and incite the crowd.

The censors had only heard rumors that officials were being punished without understanding the actual circumstances. With a little agitation, compounded by Zhang Juzheng's notoriously poor reputation, they naturally rushed to the imperial gate to protest.

"Incited by petty men..." Zhang Juzheng remained silent for a moment before bowing his head and saying, "Your Majesty is wise."

Normally, the incitement of petty men would be whitewashed as righteous indignation. How, then, was one to distinguish between the two?

Before official documents were formally issued, continuously whipping up public sentiment and spreading rumors constituted the mischief of petty men.

Conversely, if dissatisfaction with the disciplinary actions persisted even after the official decrees were promulgated, and if individuals still felt that ritual and righteousness had been violated, that was true righteous indignation.

Initially, Zhang Juzheng had intended to put in a good word for the Censorate officials, urging His Majesty to distinguish between the mischief of petty men and genuine righteous indignation so as not to harbor misunderstandings, noting that these newly minted metropolitan graduates lacked worldly sophistication.

Yet, hearing the Emperor articulate the situation with such absolute clarity, Zhang Juzheng realized his worries had been entirely superfluous.

The young Emperor was extraordinarily well-versed in statecraft and the intricate maneuvers of officialdom. Of course, it was also quite possible that Feng Bao spent every day whispering in His Majesty's ear.

"Grand Eunuch Feng handled this affair admirably. Being a palace eunuch, had Feng Bao spoken alone, they might have assumed the court was acting out of fear. By provoking Ge Shouli and having him make the clarification instead, the timing was pitch-perfect. Excellent work," Zhu Yijun said, turning to Feng Bao. When a task was well-executed, he was never stingy with his praise.

Feng Bao carefully chewed on these words. Some remarks had entirely different effects depending on who uttered them. Had a eunuch spoken, it would have seemed as though the Emperor and the inner court were terrified; but with Ge Shouli speaking, it represented the collective decision of the court debate—the exercise of authority and institutional power, embodying a unified resolution of the imperial government.

"I thank Your Majesty for the praise!" Feng Bao said cheerfully. His own little scheming had escaped Ge Shouli's notice, yet the Emperor had seen through it with crystal clarity.

"Senior Grand Secretary, may the imperial lecture commence?" Zhu Yijun asked with a smile.

Studying was of paramount importance. Without education, how could he shatter the seemingly indestructible ideological imprint deeply embedded in Zhang Juzheng's heart?

Every single question Zhu Yijun posed functioned as a form of cognitive hazard and memetic contamination. Yet, as the imperial tutor, Zhang Juzheng had no choice but to bite the bullet and proceed with the lecture. Gritting his teeth, he finished lecturing on the *Analects*, and then brought out the *Illustrated Mirror for Emperors* to recount the stories contained within.

The subject for the day remained Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin.

Standing straight and rigid, Zhang Juzheng narrated in a smooth, flowing tone: "Prince Qin defeated Song Jingang in Luzhou, routing his subordinate Xun Xiang. Exploiting the victory, he pursued them relentlessly for two hundred *li* day and night, engaging in dozens of skirmishes before shattering Song Jingang's forces once more."

"When encamped at Gaobiling, Chief Administrator Liu Hongji remonstrated: 'Your Highness has routed the bandits and pursued them far enough; your merit is already complete. To press deeper into enemy territory risks grave danger. Furthermore, the soldiers are both hungry and exhausted. It would be best to remain at Gaobiling, await the logistics and baggage trains, and then attack Song Jingang later.'"

"Prince Qin replied: 'Song Jingang's forces are at their wit's end and can only flee; their soldiers are disunited in heart and mind. While merits are difficult to attain, failure is easily met. If we wait at Gaobiling, Song Jingang will regroup, and it will be too late. We have pledged our utmost loyalty to the state; how can we cower and cherish our own lives?'"

"Thereupon, Prince Qin advanced, pursuing Song Jingang to Quezhu Valley, where he shattered Song Jingang's formations across eight successive battles. By this time, Prince Qin had gone two days without food and three days without removing his armor. The entire army was left with only a single sheep, yet Prince Qin shared it equally with his soldiers to eat."

"Song Jingang still had twenty thousand men. Prince Qin dispatched Chief Administrator Li Shiji to engage them, but the battle proved inconclusive. Prince Qin then led three thousand elite troops, striking unexpectedly from the rear to completely crush Song Jingang's forces. Song Jingang escaped with slightly over a hundred horsemen, and though Prince Qin pursued him to Zhangnan Fortress, he failed to capture him."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun furrowed his brow and remarked, "Covering two hundred *li* in a single day and night—isn't that somewhat exaggerated?"

Zhang Juzheng replied with absolute conviction, "The Tang army could accomplish it, and the army of our Great Ming can likewise achieve it. Traveling light and unencumbered, two hundred *li* in a day and night is well within the capability of elite troops."

"On the twelfth day of the ninth month in the twenty-third year of Jiajing, following the great victory at Niutian, the southern troops under the command of General Qi marched to Xinghua, and then onward to Lindun, covering one hundred and forty *li* in a day and night. They muffled their drums and flew no banners during the night, arriving at Lindun early the next morning."

"On yet another day, they pacified the old lair of the Japanese pirates at Lindun, taking over two thousand heads in battle and capturing thirty thousand prisoners."

Mentioning the southern troops of General Qi’s army, Zhang Juzheng straightened his posture visibly.

"In that case, apart from the southern troops, does our Great Ming army possess any other forces capable of such rapid forced marches?" Zhu Yijun asked, only now realizing the terrifying combat efficacy of the Qi family army.

One hundred and forty *li* in a single day and night—were these men even human? A doubt born of military ignorance escaped Zhu Yijun: did these soldiers fly through the heavens or skim across the earth?

"None remain," Zhang Juzheng answered with a hint of discouragement upon hearing the ten-year-old Emperor's inquiry.

His Majesty certainly had a talent for touching upon sore spots.

If such elite armies still existed, would the northern barbarians have been allowed to run rampant in Xuanfu and Datong for twelve full years?

Zhu Yijun nodded and said, "In the Battle of Quezhu Valley, Prince Qin defeated Song Jingang by winning all eight engagements. The Tang army was newly victorious and brimming with high morale, whereas Song Jingang's forces were newly defeated and demoralized. That outcome is understandable."

"Your Majesty, Quezhu Valley is extremely treacherous, navigable only through the narrowest gorges where the terrain drops dozens of feet, wide enough for only four or five men to walk abreast—a place where a single man could hold the pass against ten thousand," Zhang Juzheng explained after a moment of reflection.

Much like Qi Jiaguang crushing Lindun: the Japanese pirates entrenched there were far from weak. Lindun was crisscrossed by a labyrinth of water trenches, presenting a deeply complex terrain accessible by only two paths—the main route known as the Huangshi Grand Avenue, and the minor Xihong Trail.

Even after falling into a trap laid by a traitor, Qi Jiguang captured Lindun within a day and night, taking two thousand enemy heads and over thirty thousand captives.

That Prince Li Shimin could achieve victory across eight consecutive battles in Quezhu Valley and capture the strategic pass was by no means as effortless as a simple passing remark might suggest. If Song Jingang was weak, it was because he met Prince Qin; if the pirates were weak, it was because they crossed paths with Qi Jiguang.

Behind that brief sentence—fierce combat on narrow mountain paths atop ten-thousand-foot precipices, waged by starving and exhausted soldiers who triumphed in eight successive battles—lay an unfathomable depth of hardship.

Dry and dull history suddenly sprang into vivid life.

"What became of Song Jingang afterward?" Zhu Yijun asked, knowing that Prince Qin had eventually ascended the throne.

In lecturing on the *Illustrated Mirror for Emperors*, Zhang Juzheng hoped the young Emperor would take past monarchs of the Central Plains as role models and become a virtuous and brilliant sovereign. The Great Ming desperately needed an ambitious ruler to lead its resurgence.

Zhang Juzheng knew his own limitations; he was merely a minister. Throughout history, reforms spearheaded solely by ministers never amounted to anything without the support of the sovereign ruler.

To the Emperor's question concerning Song Jingang's fate, Zhang Juzheng replied, "Song Jingang escaped with a hundred horsemen into the territory of the Turks, where he was captured by the Turks and executed by being cut in half at the waist."

Zhu Yijun pressed further, "And what was the Crown Prince, Li Jiancheng, doing at this time?"

Bowing his head, Zhang Juzheng answered: "Crown Prince Li Jiancheng indulged his desires to the sounds of phoenix dances and Luan bird songs; jade carriages and carved chariots guided his amusements. Crown Prince Consort Zheng wept and pleaded with clasped hands, lamenting with a humble heart that he should constantly ponder frugality while in a position of eminence, and repeatedly rebuking extravagance in favor of simplicity."

"When Prince Qin later became Emperor, flunkey ministers eager to curry favor no doubt fabricated such slanders against Crown Prince Li Jiancheng to win the favor of Emperor Taizong," Zhu Yijun observed with a trace of skepticism.

Zhang Juzheng bowed and said, "This minister dares not deceive Your Majesty. Just now, I was not quoting the Old and New Books of Tang or the *Zizhi Tongjian*, but rather the epitaph of Crown Prince Consort Zheng. By the time Crown Prince Consort Zheng passed away, Emperor Taizong had already been entombed for twenty-sept years, and those past events had long since become ancient history."

"The Old and New Books of Tang and the *Zizhi Tongjian* do not contain a single line recording Crown Prince Li Jiancheng as extravagant and devoid of restraint."

Historical chronicles required exercising discretion regarding the sovereign and the esteemed, hence the descriptions of Li Jiancheng's extravagance were glossed over in official texts. Paradoxically, it was recorded in the epitaph of Consort Zheng, which simultaneously answered a lingering question:

Why did Li Jiancheng lose all popular support during the Xuanwu Gate Incident?

Crown Prince Consort Zheng died in the third year of Shangyuan—twenty-seven years after Li Shimin's death. Since the Zhenguan era lasted twenty-three years in total, fifty full years had elapsed between the Xuanwu Gate Incident and the passing of the Crown Prince Consort.

How long is fifty years? Long enough for people speaking of the Xuanwu Gate Incident to treat it merely as dinner-table gossip or a fragmented shard of history.

After fifty years of shifting landscapes and changing times, the inscriptions carved upon a tombstone carried a far greater ring of truth.

"I see." Zhu Yijun found that Zhang Juzheng's historical lectures were marked by a striking rigor. When discussing the Battle of Quezhu Valley, he spoke of Prince Qin; when citing the epitaph of Consort Zheng, he spoke of Emperor Taizong. Every single reference was sourced and accounted for, demonstrating total accountability for his words.

Zhang Juzheng was indeed a true scholar. His purpose in recounting these events was not to debate the rights and wrongs of the Xuanwu Gate Incident, but to ensure the young Emperor genuinely grasped certain fundamental truths.

During the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Li Shimin had slain his elder and younger brothers, coerced Emperor Gaozu into abdication, and seized the throne himself.

Could Chengzu of Great Ming, Emperor Taizong Zhu Di, have ever dared execute a maneuver like the Xuanwu Gate Incident while the Founding Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang or Crown Prince Zhu Biao were still alive?

Most certainly not.

Both Emperor Taizong of Tang and Emperor Chengzu of Ming possessed genuine military genius. Men endowed with such tactical brilliance could truly do as they pleased upon the battlefield.

Having heard the entire narrative, Zhu Yijun pondered for a moment and remarked, "Prince Qin was willing to share a single sheep with his common soldiers, whereas the Crown Prince indulged in phoenix dances and jade carriages. The shifting of popular allegiance and the collapse of morale could never be more vividly demonstrated."

"Soldiers at the front lines face life and death half the time, while beauties in the imperial tent still sing and dance."

"Your Majesty is truly wise," Zhang Juzheng said, filled with gratification. The young Emperor had comprehended his underlying message, which was the most desirable outcome. He did not harbor extravagant hopes that the young sovereign would become as brilliant and martial as Li Shimin, but he fervently prayed that His Majesty would avoid falling into a life of boundless luxury, extravagance, and reckless whims.

The Great Ming could simply no longer endure the turbulence of a dim-witted ruler.