Chapter 99: The Imperial Guard Parade
Chapter 99: The Imperial Guard Parade
“Build a Yue Fei Temple?”
Wanli said meaningfully.
“Your Majesty, this humble subject was just chatting with Assistant Commissioner Xu outside. I believe that since Your Majesty has canonized both Guan Yu and Yue Fei as sages, you should not favor one over the other. The capital has a Temple of Guan Yu, but Sage Emperor Yue Fei is relegated to the Three Loyalties Temple. How can this make the people know about absolute loyalty and serving the country? However, the court is currently facing many difficulties. We need to deploy troops beyond the passes and also provide relief to disaster victims inside the passes. Funds are tight. Therefore, I wish to take the lead with Assistant Commissioner Xu. We will first pool some silver, then solicit donations from the army to raise funds to build a separate temple for Sage Emperor Yue in the capital. However, the location requires Your Majesty’s grant. I suggest building it inside Anding Gate, so that Sage Emperor Yue may bless the Great Ming from the heavens for national peace and prosperity.”
Yang Xin said.
Wanli suddenly revealed a faint smile.
“Although court expenses are tight, we are not so poor that we lack the silver to build a temple. I will grant you five thousand taels from the imperial privy purse. You shall oversee the temple’s construction. If it is not enough, find other ways to solve it. As for the temple site…”
He pondered for a moment.
“Anding Gate is indeed a good location. Let it be in Lingchun Ward. Henceforth, Lingchun Ward shall be renamed Loyalty Ward!”
He added immediately.
Anding Gate was indeed a good location.
The Confucian Temple was inside Anding Gate, right in Chongjiao Ward, just a street away from Lingchun Ward. On one side would be the Confucian Temple, on the other the Yue Fei Temple. There would be fun to watch in the future. Clearly, Wanli was also angered by the scholars’ demonstration of crying at the Confucian Temple. These fellows were becoming increasingly ungrateful. They needed to be taught a lesson.
Furthermore, Yue Fei was indeed the Sage Emperor Yue he had canonized.
So was Guan Yu.
But it was also true that Beijing had only a Temple of Guan Yu and no Yue Fei Temple. Yue Fei was worshipped in the Three Loyalties Temple alongside Zhuge Liang and Wen Tianxiang. At this time, the Great Ming needed Yue Fei more; it needed a model of absolute loyalty and serving the country. Now, Yang Xin, this living model of absolute loyalty and serving the country, was tasked with building a temple for the deceased model. This could showcase His Majesty the Emperor’s favor towards loyal ministers, letting all under heaven know that as long as one was truly absolutely loyal and served the country, the living could enjoy wealth and honor, and the deceased would receive the admiration of the people. It would also let those civil officials know that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty did not rely solely on them. They were used because they were useful, not to let them take an inch and demand a mile, thinking the emperor had to listen to them.
They even dared to demonstrate by crying at the Confucian Temple. This was truly presuming on favor to act arrogantly.
“As for you.”
Wanli picked up a memorial.
A young eunuch nearby hurriedly took it and handed it to Yang Xin, who stood there bowing.
“The Jiannu are attacking Joseon?”
Yang Xin said in astonishment, looking at the content.
“According to Xiong Tingbi, the Jiannu had all the grain they plundered earlier in Kaiyuan taken by you when you lured Chahua to steal it. After that, you set fire to the mountains and forests, burning everything. With no way to find food, they had no choice but to risk attacking Joseon in this harsh winter to plunder grain.”
Wanli said.
Wild Boar Skin was indeed desperate.
Their raids yielded almost no harvest because of Yang Xin’s interference. Afterwards, this scoundrel set another fire for him. The winter, already hard to endure, became even more difficult. Coming out again to raid Liaodong offered little hope due to Xiong Tingbi’s strict defense. So, attacking Joseon became their only option. Xiong Tingbi’s memorial reported that Wild Boar Skin remained in Hetu Ala, while Daišan and Manggultai split their forces into two routes, crossing the frozen Yalu River. They captured Joseon’s Uiju and Sakju respectively and carried out massacres in both cities. Not only did they loot all the grain and take all the living people captive, they left not even corpses behind. Moreover, Daišan continued the attack. Wherever they passed, it was like locusts sweeping through farmland, leaving only emptiness.
“Rescuing Joseon is necessary. Even if they had some collusion with the Jiannu, they are still subjects of our Great Ming. But in this harsh winter, we cannot dispatch troops for rescue! Whether by land or sea, we cannot provide them aid. By land, the Jiannu will surely defend strictly. By sea, we could land directly, but the sea is frozen now. The entire coast is covered in sea ice. At least until the sea opens next year, we can do nothing.”
Yang Xin said.
Save them? Not a chance!
Wasn’t Wild Boar Skin turning to attack Joseon a cause for celebration for all?
Never mind that he looted Uiju and Sakju; even if he looted Hanseong, we wouldn’t rescue them. It would be best if Wild Boar Skin spent the whole next year fighting in Joseon. Then Liaodong would have more time to prepare. As for Joseon, the Great Ming would help them recover their lost territory later. Besides, Wild Boar Skin probably had no interest in occupying their land. Wild Boar Skin only wanted food.
“Since that is the case, they will have to endure for now. Presumably, in this harsh winter, the Jiannu will not attack too far.”
Wanli said with satisfaction.
“Your Majesty is wise!”
Yang Xin said quickly.
Then, holding the Imperial Edict, he took his leave and soon exited the West Flowery Gate.
Xu Xianchun was already waiting for him, and behind were hundreds of Imperial Guards.
“Where is your Commander?”
Yang Xin asked.
Xu Xianchun shook his head. Clearly, the Imperial Guard chief Luo Sigong did not want to get involved. This guy, who had managed the Imperial Guard so poorly that even the Imperial Prison grew weeds, was a smart man. He did not want to be the target that opposed the civil officials. But he also did not want to incur resentment from his subordinates, since the scholars were targeting the Imperial Guards. What Xu Xianchun and his Imperial Guards did was not wrong. What mistake was there in carrying out an imperial order? Just because they did not make way for the scholars, and they had already been penalized with salary deductions, yet the scholars still relentlessly pursued them in this manner—it was clear the Imperial Guards were being bullied. As their chief, even if he did not step forward to uphold justice for his men, he should not add insult to injury.
Moreover, Wanli was already provoked.
Therefore, the old fox Luo Sigong chose to do nothing but also did not forbid his subordinates from acting.
“Is this Righteous Yang?”
A shout sounded then.
Yang Xin quickly turned and saw a man wearing a Flying Fish Robe leading several hundred Imperial Guards towards them.
“Deputy Commander Tian!”
Xu Xianchun hurriedly saluted.
“Assistant Commissioner Xu, no need for formalities. We are all brothers. Our Imperial Guards are considered law-abiding if we don’t bully others. How dare anyone bully us? Tian may not usually meddle in affairs, but at such a time, I cannot but step forward.”
The latter said indignantly.
Yang Xin immediately guessed his identity.
This was Tian Ergeng.
Hereditary Deputy Commander, of Imperial Guard lineage, but…
Also without real power.
His grandfather Tian Le was the Minister of War during the mid-Wanli period. For his achievements in the Qinghai Songshan campaign, he was enfeoffed as Count of Songshan and granted an iron certificate. Tian Ergeng inherited the position of Deputy Commander through his ancestor’s merit. Although of Imperial Guard lineage, he was also just a figurehead. The real chief of the Imperial Guards was the one in charge of Imperial Guard affairs. The official title was not necessarily Commander. When Luo Sigong truly took charge of the Imperial Guards in the fortieth year of Wanli, he was merely a Deputy Commander, only one rank higher than Xu Xianchun. Historical records often mention titles like Left Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guards or Commander of the Imperial Guards, but the actual title should be reversed: Left Commander-in-Chief in charge of Imperial Guard affairs, or possibly even just in charge of the Brocade Guard’s Judicial Bureau. For example, in the seventh year of Tianqi, Xu Xianchun held the titles of Left Commander-in-Chief of the Right Army Chief Military Commission and even Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, all rank one, but in reality, he was just a rank five in charge of the Northern Judicial Bureau.
Official titles for Ming military officials were all like this.
The rank and the actual duty were not the same.
But civil officials were different. A rank seven Imperial Censor could frighten a bunch of high-ranking military officers.
“Come, brothers, let us go pay homage to Sage Emperor Yue!”
Tian Ergeng raised his arm and called out.
“Let’s go, pay homage to Sage Emperor Yue, and by Imperial Edict, build a temple for Sage Emperor Yue!”
Xu Xianchun also shouted loudly.
Yang Xin cooperatively raised the Imperial Edict in his hand.
Although this was a direct imperial order, without the Grand Secretariat’s draft approval or review by the Six Offices of Scrutiny, it was not issued to various levels of officials either. Such an Imperial Edict was sufficient among the Imperial Guards. Seeing the Imperial Edict in his hand, over three hundred Imperial Guards, their hearts now bolstered, shouted in unison. Then they mounted their horses and headed straight for Xi’an Gate. When this group reached Xi’an Gate, more Imperial Guards who had received news arrived. The Imperial Guards were also a nest of relatives—relatives of Xu Xianchun and his men, relatives of the group brought by Tian Ergeng—a large number also of Imperial Guard lineage.
Even Fang Shihong, still wearing mourning clothes for his uncle, arrived in an Imperial Guard official robe, leading a bunch of similarly disreputable friends.
He was also of Imperial Guard lineage.
And not just from the Imperial Guards; many idlers from other imperial guard units also came.
Tian Ergeng and Xu Xianchun were both nobles. Nobles never lacked disreputable friends, and these friends were all from the Imperial Guards or other imperial guard units. They simply networked, then put on their respective official robes and poured out from their homes to join this procession.
This was not a challenge match.
This was absolutely not targeting the ongoing ceremony at the Confucian Temple.
This was simply the military households of the various capital guards, especially the Imperial Guards, enlightened by the scholars’ ceremony at the Confucian Temple, suddenly remembering that the Sage Emperor Yue, representing the military officials’ spirit of absolute loyalty and serving the country, still had no temple. Thus, they spontaneously gathered to pay homage to Sage Emperor Yue at the temple site just designated by His Majesty, and to lay the foundation for the Yue Fei Temple.
As for why it was right next to the Confucian Temple…
Coincidence, purely coincidence.
Besides, would Confucius disdain being neighbors with Yue Wumu?