Chapter 51 I Promise in the Name of the Emperor

General Qi Jiguang entered the capital to receive his reward and was enfeoffed as the Earl of Qian'an. Yang Bo opposed this on the spot, but Zhang Juzong used facts to argue whether one should judge by actions or by intentions. Just as this court dispute came to an end, an urgent report from the border entered the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Zhang Juzong delivered a devastating blow straight to the hearts of the Shanxi Faction, requesting the Censor to head to Xuanfu and Datong to oversee the construction and fortification of the border defense Great Wall.

At this moment, Ge Shouli's attitude appeared particularly crucial, and the Emperor asked Ge Shouli whom he should dispatch.

Ge Shouli stepped out of the ranks and bowed, saying, "In my humble opinion, Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of War, Li Le, is the most suitable candidate."

Li Le was a metropolitan graduate of the fifth year of Longqing. That year, Zhang Juzong was the chief examiner and his official patron. The implication was crystal clear: since the Senior Grand Secretary wanted an investigation, they would appoint the Senior Grand Secretary's own man for the task.

The moment the name Li Le was uttered, even Zhang Juzong was momentarily stunned. Had Ge Shouli finally seen the light? As a man from Shandong, he had been mingling with men from Shanxi day in and day out; while he considered the Shanxi Faction his own people, the Shanxi Faction had never once regarded him as one of their own.

It seemed Ge Shouli was not entirely beyond redemption.

Zhu Yijun did not know who Li Le was, but judging by the surprised look on Zhang Juzong, the astonishment of Wang Chonggu, the mixed emotions of Yang Bo, and the puzzlement of the assembled officials, he more or less understood that this Li Le was likely one of Zhang Juzong's men.

Zhu Yijun pondered for a moment and said, "In that case, this matter shall be left to Senior Grand Secretary to handle. Though I am young and lacking in virtue, I rely on the assistance of both civil and military officials, within the court and without."

"Your subject obeys the imperial decree." Zhang Juzong bowed and accepted the command.

Zhu Yijun smiled without replying. He stood up, flicked his sleeves, and said, "General Qi, follow me."

As soon as the young emperor finished speaking, Feng Bao raised his voice and shouted loudly, "Court dismissed!"

"We, your subjects, respectfully send off His Majesty." The officials performed the rites once more. The sky of the Great Ming had finally changed.

Led by a junior eunuch, Qi Jiguang arrived at the Hall of Martial Valor. The young emperor had already changed into his martial attire and, accompanied by his sparring partners, began his daily martial arts training.

With the court assembly held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony today, Zhu Yijun's imperial lectures had been suspended for the day. Being the emperor, no one dared to make him take a compensatory day off, but his martial training had never been interrupted for a single day.

"The Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard trains using the *New Book of Military Efficiency* and *Practical Records of Military Training*, which were authored by General Qi. Whether the training methods are proper, I ask General Qi to correct any flaws." With these words, Zhu Yijun commenced his martial exercises.

Hearing this, Zhu Xixiao felt the fire in his heart ignite once more! Even though he knew the young emperor was deliberately fanning the flames, he was still furious!

Extremely furious!

Who on earth was he looking down upon?!

After watching for a long time, Qi Jiguang asked in a complex tone, lowering his voice beside Zhu Xixiao, "Is the Commander always this daring?"

This was the Emperor!

The Commander of the Northern Bureau of the Imperial Citadel's Embroidered Uniform Guard actually dared to put the young emperor through such ruthless and punishing drills. This went far beyond ordinary audacity and lawlessness!

"It's something His Majesty demanded himself. For over a month, he has never stopped," Zhu Xixiao said with a complicated expression. If his training wasn't harsh enough, the young emperor wouldn't be pleased and would find all sorts of ways to provoke him, opening his mouth in ways that made one's blood boil. Back and forth it went; Zhu Xixiao had no other choice, for an imperial decree could not be defied.

"His Majesty possesses great perseverance!" Qi Jiguang was one of the foremost military strategists of the Great Ming. He knew that the most crucial element in practicing martial arts was perseverance, alongside innate constitution, of course. Some people were born with heart conditions and could not engage in strenuous activity, naturally cutting them off from martial arts.

After warming up, Zhu Yijun began his stance training, and before long, started doing high-speed shuttle runs. The benefits brought by a stable lower body were exceptionally evident; as his center of gravity continuously shifted during the sprints, his lower body stability allowed his movements to remain smooth, almost flowing like moving clouds and running water.

After a month of high-intensity training, the slightly chubby young emperor had finally lost five pounds. This was primarily because the emperor did not restrict his diet; his main goal for training was not weight loss, but physical endurance and the conditioning required to become a true soldier.

Qi Jiguang possessed a broad chest, thick waist, and thick arms, with a belly even thicker than a water bucket. When fighting wars, one endured the wind and slept in the dew, sometimes unable to properly eat for three to five days; body fat was combat effectiveness, for otherwise, upon encountering the enemy, one wouldn't even have the strength to lift a blade, rendering combat utterly impossible.

Zhu Yijun finally finished his physical endurance training. The blade-bearing attendants, imperial guards, and junior eunuchs began playing *cuju*—following only the rules without any fancy techniques, playing purely for physical confrontation.

"Your Majesty." Seeing that the young emperor had finished his training, Qi Jiguang and Zhu Xixiao hurriedly stepped forward to pay their respects.

"General Qi." Zhu Yijun draped a square towel over his shoulders, wiping the sweat pouring down like rain from his forehead, his heart beating like a pounding drum. He gulped down a large bowl of warm rock-sugar pear water that had been set aside to cool.

Looking at Zhu Xixiao beside him, Zhu Yijun asked, "Has the Commander applied himself diligently during the training?"

"His Majesty is still of tender years, and this is somewhat overly arduous." Qi Jiguang replied with worldly tact, praising the young emperor's extraordinary perseverance in enduring such hardship, while also commending the Commander for devoting his utmost effort and sincerity, thus perfectly answering the Emperor's question.

"I thank the Commander." Hearing this, Zhu Yijun bowed slightly to Zhu Xixiao, performing a student's courtesy.

During Zhang Juzong's lectures, Zhu Yijun also performed this student's courtesy. Under strict ritual propriety, bowing slightly was already a sign of utmost respect. After all, apart from being a ten-year-old child, Zhu Yijun's most important identity was that of the Emperor.

"This subject dares not accept such an honor." Zhu Xixiao hurriedly returned the bow. Every time the Emperor bowed to him, it left Zhu Xixiao somewhat overwhelmed by the unexpected favor. Although it had been over a month, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was still unaccustomed to an emperor who showed such respect to military men.

What had Qi Jiguang just witnessed?

He had witnessed the Emperor of the Great Ming showing respect to a military man!

This aroused in his heart a spark of unwarranted expectation: that the Great Ming might one day produce an emperor who truly valued military affairs. However, he quickly extinguished this trace of expectation.

Qi Jiguang was already forty-four years old, having passed the age of confusion. He had experienced a great deal and held no more doubts about life. This shred of expectation ought not to be harbored, so he should not indulge in such extravagant hopes; he had already experienced too many disappointments.

These disappointments were countless. Back at the Battle of Cengang, he had once hoped the imperial court would grant him an extra five hundred troops to attack Cengang, but instead, it earned him dismissal from his post with orders to redeem himself through meritorious service; in Taizhou, he repelled the Japanese pirates, only to be impeached by Supervising Secretary Luo Jiabin for intentionally prolonging the war to preserve his own position; at Shangfang Nest, how he had longed for reinforcements, but no reinforcements came—there was only a fight to the death; in Fujian, he broke through sixty camps in a single night, pacifying the southeast in one battle, only to be impeached for launching an unauthorized attack because the Fuqing garrison had rushed into battle eagerly; in Xinghua, in Pinghai, in Xianyou, in Meiling—the instances of disappointment were simply too numerous, eventually turning into a state of willing resignation.

It wasn't that Qi Jiguang lacked spirit. When he was openly humiliated by a company commander, the reason he chose not to pursue the matter was simply because he didn't want to invite trouble.

For a victorious general who had slaughtered countless enemies to become so smooth and worldly—was this Qi Jiguang's true nature, or was it the tragedy of the Great Ming?

Qi Jiguang harbored no extravagant desires. Whether it was building the Great Wall or anything else, as long as he could continue leading troops into battle, that was enough. Did he really wish to be forced into idle retirement like Yu Dayou before he could be content?

Truly, Qi Jiguang had long since resigned himself to his fate.

Zhu Yijun cast a glance at Qi Jiguang. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, stood up straight, and said with considerable solemnity, "Qi Jiguang, if I give you two hundred thousand troops and ten years of time, can you train an army capable of annihilating Altan Khan?"

"With golden armor and iron horses, swallowing ten thousand miles like a tiger."

"No need to answer. Look at me."

Zhu Yijun's tone was exceptionally gentle. He was not asking Qi Jiguang to sign a military pledge, nor was he demanding a commitment; rather, he was making a promise. He promised Qi Jiguang the treatment he rightfully deserved, while what the Emperor wanted in return was: to wash away past humiliations!

Foreign barbarians driving their horses to drink in the imperial suburbs, the stench of slaughter wafting through the city gates!

When the enemy threatened with force and made demands, we responded with exhausted strategies!

To submit and accept a humiliating alliance beneath city walls—how shameful was that!

Utterly shameful!

The flame within Qi Jiguang's heart was instantly ignited, and that forbidden trace of expectation grew brighter, clearer, and more intense!

Could he do it? He was entirely capable of it!

He knew his own talent; he was well aware of how dazzling his military genius truly was!

At eighteen, when he witnessed Japanese pirates burning, killing, looting, and committing every imaginable evil, burning with the desire to slay bandits yet finding no commanders to summon and no troops to deploy, he had written: *Clouds guard the piled bamboo slips, stars embrace the crossing sword; seeking a title of nobility is not my intent, I only wish for the pacification of the seas!*

At forty-four, the young emperor asked him if, given ten years and an army of two hundred thousand, he could pacify the northern barbarians! Could he lead an army with golden armor and iron horses, swallowing ten thousand miles like a tiger?

He knew he could. Absolutely, he could.

"Your subject..." Qi Jiguang's gaze was extraordinarily resolute. He straightened his back and prepared to give a definitive answer to the young emperor's question.

"No, I said you do not need to answer. I already know the answer." What did Zhu Yijun see? He saw in Qi Jiguang's eyes an intensity bordering on tangible frustration—the frustration of a man whose talents were recognized yet left unapplied, the frustration of feeling like an unwanted tumor with nowhere to display one's abilities!

He was unreconciled to being treated as redundant and useless; he knew he was not. It was a frustration so intense it bordered on pain!

The corners of Zhu Yijun's mouth curled into a smile, which quickly blossomed into a bright, cheerful, and radiant grin.

"I promise you, Qi Jiguang, I will not let you wait too long for the sharpest sword in the Great Ming. The day it is drawn from its scabbard will surely come." Zhu Yijun interrupted Qi Jiguang's words. He did not need Qi Jiguang's pledge; he was making a promise in the name of the Emperor.

Perhaps, possibly, likely, presumably, and maybe there would truly come a day for the Great Ming—a day when the military might of the Great Ming would dazzle with heavenly majesty!

Qi Jiguang bowed and offered a bitter smile. He did not understand why, in his middle age, he had suddenly given birth to such an intense ambition—hoping for the day when the Great Ming's iron-clad cavalry would swallow ten thousand miles like a tiger, hoping to see the military might of the Great Ming display its heavenly majesty once more!

Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "Let us go pay a visit to the two Empress Dowagers."

"I am an official from outside the inner court; such an action would be most inconvenient," Qi Jiguang hurriedly replied. For an outer minister to meet with the inner palace—even if it was Empress Dowager Li, who exercised imperial authority on behalf of the throne—was contrary to proper protocol.

"General Qi is now the Earl of Qian'an, a titled noble and a meritorious minister. How can you still call yourself an outer minister?" Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "The Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard can have audience with the Empress Dowager, and General Qi can do so as well."

"Those outside ministers who make a fuss are simply the ones who understand nothing of etiquette."

Qi Jiguang finally snapped to his senses. He was already a member of the military nobility, holding a peerage. Holding a peerage meant his wife would receive imperial titles—it was a matter of status.

He had yet to adapt to this transformation in status. Zhu Xixiao hailed from the Duke of Cheng's estate and was likewise a military noble.

With ritual propriety strictly enforced, the two Empress Dowagers were not giving Qi Jiguang trouble; rather, they were meeting him from behind a lowered screen. In plain sight of everyone, no scandalous rumors would spread, meaning this could not truly be considered a formal private audience with the Empress Dowagers.

"Mother, Esteemed Mother," Zhu Yijun bowed slightly to acknowledge them.

Empress Dowager Li was already aware of the events in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. With a rather solemn expression, she said, "General Qi is already a meritorious noble; enrolling in the All-Chu Guildhouse once again恐怕 would hardly be appropriate."