Imperial Guard

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Imperial Guard
Original Name	锦衣卫
Affiliation	Great Yu Dynasty Imperial Court; serves the Emperor
Occupation/Role	Imperial military and investigative institution; guards the palace, supervises officials, and suppresses threats in the martial world
Status	Active 545
First Appearance	1

Background / History

The Imperial Guard was founded by Great Yu’s founding emperor as a hereditary institution. Unless a family line dies out, a descendant must inherit the predecessor’s post; the system was intended to preserve the Guard’s strength against threats from martial artists. 86

This inheritance system makes service compulsory as well as dangerous. Bai Lizheng’s death during a bandit-suppression mission required his son, Bai Yan, to succeed him as Brigade Leader, while rivals sought to exploit the vacant post. 1 2 Imperial Guards are widely viewed as imposing servants of the Emperor, but members recognize the profession as a life-or-death occupation shaped by internal rivalries and hazardous assignments. 1 2

The Guard has a feared reputation among the martial world as the Imperial Court’s sharpest weapon for suppressing martial artists. Major sects are reluctant to provoke it because an attack on the Guard is treated as an affront to imperial authority. 99

Its standing among ordinary people is more conflicted. The Guard carries out confiscations and arrests against officials, and its association with actions attributed to Grand Chancellor Wang Qingquan has led many civilians to view it as ruthless and corrupt. 60

Organization & Command

Northern Commandery Investigation Bureau

The Northern Commandery Investigation Bureau contains sixteen Battalion Commanderies, an Imperial Prison, a Scripture Pavilion, and supporting storage and logistics departments. 2

Unit	Subordinate Structure
Battalion Commandery	Four Company Commanderies 2
Company Commandery	Four Brigade Leaders 2
Brigade	Four Squad Leaders and forty Enforcers 2

A field organization also places four Hundred-Households under each Thousand-Household Officer; each Hundred-Household commands four Brigade Leaders. Including officers, a Hundred-Household force numbers 165 personnel. 279

Imperial Guard command posts exist in every prefecture of Great Yu, though commanders stationed outside Yongtang generally hold less status and may have lower cultivation than their counterparts in the Northern and Southern Commandery Investigation Bureaus. 270

Thirteen Imperial Guards

The Thirteen Imperial Guards are elite Imperial Guard officers who hold Battalion Commander rank and answer directly to the Imperial Guard Commander and the Emperor. They operate independently of the Northern and Southern Commandery Investigation Bureaus; even the Guard’s Deputy Commander and Assistant Commander cannot mobilize them. 37

They are regarded as the Emperor’s personal blades, holding authority greater than ordinary Commandery Governors and Battalion Commanders while attracting intense hostility from civil and military officials. 37

• Their Flying Fish Robes are two specifications above those of ordinary Battalion Commanders. 122
• A Thirteen Imperial Guards token grants status and authority exceeding that of an ordinary Battalion Commander; ordinary Battalion Commanders are expected to obey its bearer. 122
• At the time of Bai Yan’s appointment, the first twelve members had all first become Battalion Commanders and earned major merits. 122
• Known members include Qiu Qianlong (Commander), Wei Qinie (Second Imperial Guard), Zheng Haihan (Third Imperial Guard), He Lian Mingge (Fourth Imperial Guard), Xie Luyun (Ninth Imperial Guard), and Bai Yan (Thirteenth Imperial Guard). 37 270 479

Authority & Duties

• Palace security — The Guard is Yongtang’s strongest military force and is responsible for guarding the imperial palace and protecting the Emperor. 79
• Supervision of officials — The Guard supervises officials and possesses the authority to execute first and report afterward. 300
• Suppression of martial artists — It intervenes against threats to the Imperial Court and populace, while ordinarily allowing purely martial-world feuds to remain outside its concern. 156
• Arrest, interrogation, and confiscation — Guard personnel conduct raids, arrests, interrogations, and property seizures involving officials, sects, and criminal organizations. 60 302
• Imperial privilege — Against suspected dangerous martial-world criminals, the Guard may act on suspicion rather than complete evidence, reflecting its policy of eliminating threats before they can escape. 407
• Foreign intelligence — Members of the Thirteen Imperial Guards are dispatched to strategic provinces and enemy states, where they establish intelligence networks. 479 484

Facilities

Scripture Pavilion

The Scripture Pavilion stores martial-arts manuals, including divine arts. It is protected by visible patrols and far more extensive hidden security; numerous experts who attempted to steal manuals reportedly died inside without escaping. 5

Access is available through service in the Imperial Guard or, alternatively, by joining the Eastern Depot. 5

Imperial Prison

The Imperial Prison is located in the southeastern corner of the Northern Commandery Investigation Bureau. Though its surface structure has two floors, it extends seven levels underground. 46

Level	Prisoners Held
First	Local officials below the fourth rank 46
Second	Yongtang officials above the fourth rank 46
Third	Notorious bandits and rogue martial artists below the Innate realm 46
Fourth	Innate-realm martial artists and imperial generals 46
Fifth	Master-realm experts 46
Sixth	Grandmaster-realm experts 46
Seventh	Purpose undisclosed; entry requires an imperial decree 46

The prison’s underground conditions are cold, damp, and sunless. Enforcers assigned there often become pale and gaunt, and those unable to reach the Innate realm are expected to have shortened lifespans. 46

Equipment & Formations

• Flying Fish Robe — The Guard’s recognizable official uniform. Its presence identifies the wearer as an Imperial Guard, while the Thirteen Imperial Guards wear a superior version. 2 122
• Spring Embroidered Saber — The Guard’s exclusive standard weapon; its possession can identify personnel even when they are not wearing uniform. 2 225
• Imperial Guard token — Identifies a member’s rank and authority. Forging one is punishable by the extermination of nine generations. 23
• Command tokens — Senior officers may issue tokens granting extraordinary operational authority. Zheng Haihan’s personal token allowed Bai Yan to execute any Guard member below Battalion Commander rank. 49
• Repeating crossbows — Used by Guard units during combat operations. 223

Imperial Guard Formation

The Imperial Guard Formation was created by the Guard’s first Commander. When deployed correctly, it can amplify the participating Guards’ strength by tenfold or even twentyfold, allowing a formation core to rival a substantially stronger martial artist. 132

Internal Security & Casualties

The Guard’s hereditary system, political authority, and access to imperial secrets make it a frequent target for infiltration. The Azure Lotus Sect/Demonic Cult has placed numerous hidden agents within its ranks, including the long-serving Thousand-Household Officer Wu Tailai. 289 291

• During an operation against the Demonic Cult, the Guard lost more than 200 men and three Company Commanders. 41
• Prince Xingtai’s palace rebellion included the defection of five Imperial Guard companies, each a thousand men strong. 168
• The palace rebellion killed three Battalion Commanders from the Northern Commandery Investigation Bureau alone. 190
• A Heavenly Will Sect ambush in Dai Prefecture killed Commander Meng Feixiong and seriously wounded Wu Tailai. 269
• The Northern Border campaign cost the Guard more than 1,500 officers below Hundred-Household rank, over sixty Hundred-Household or Probationary Hundred-Household Officers, and six Thousand-Household Officers. 293

Major Operations

Operation	Imperial Guard Involvement	Outcome
Azure Lotus Sect crackdown	Investigated Demonic Cult hideouts and infiltrators in Yongtang; Zheng Haihan appointed Bai Yan to lead an assault while he sought to capture a Heavenly Gang Hall Master. 41	The Guard’s contributions earned imperial rewards and restored morale after rival agencies were reprimanded. 81
Purge of infiltrators	Monitored and arrested Guard officers implicated in Demonic Cult collusion, including Captain Zhou Zaiwei and fleeing Hundred-Households. 49 52	Demonstrated the Guard’s authority to suppress corruption within its own ranks. 52 53
Prince Xingtai’s rebellion	Defended the palace after rebel forces sealed the gates and infiltrated the Guard. Surviving experts attempted to breach the palace walls under arrow fire. 168 169 172	Bai Yan’s arrival raised allied morale, and Prince Xingtai was captured alive, strengthening the Emperor’s trust in the Guard. 173 179
Northern Border rebellion	Wei Qinie, Bai Yan, and later Xie Luyun led operations against the Heavenly Will Sect in Dai Prefecture. 279 280	Rebel leaders were assassinated, but the campaign suffered ambushes, traps, severe losses, and evidence of internal betrayal. 279 287 293
Great Chen intelligence mission	Bai Yan took control of the Imperial Guard’s intelligence network in Great Chen from He Lian Mingge. 484	Guard agents in Great Chen submitted to Bai Yan’s command and provided intelligence on Upper Capital City and Great Buddha Temple reinforcements. 484
Northern Wastes mobilization	Zheng Haihan led an elite contingent to suppress rebellion and purge traitors, supported by a major Imperial Court mobilization. 545	The deployment caused panic among Northern Wastes sects and foreign spies. 545

Relationships

• Emperor Shunying — The Guard serves as an imperial military institution; the Thirteen Imperial Guards are among the Emperor’s most trusted agents. 37 179
• Qiu Qianlong — Commander of the Imperial Guard; oversees Yongtang’s defenses and is permitted to remain in the palace overnight as a special imperial privilege. 249
• Northern Commandery Investigation Bureau — Major Yongtang branch containing sixteen Battalion Commanderies, the Imperial Prison, and the Scripture Pavilion. 2
• Six Doors — A fellow Imperial Court agency that may operate alongside the Guard, but was reprimanded after the Azure Lotus Sect operation while the Guard received credit. 81 172
• Eastern Depot — Another Imperial Court agency with a comparable secret armory; its agents also participated in the palace-rescue effort. 5 172
• Four Symbols Legion — Yongtang’s second-strongest military force after the Imperial Guard; fought rebel forces at the palace gates during Prince Xingtai’s uprising. 79 172
• Azure Lotus Sect / Demonic Cult — A century-long enemy of Great Yu that repeatedly incites rebellions and maintains infiltrators within the Guard. 8 291