Wude Palace

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Wude Palace (武德宫)
Affiliation	Great Shun; primarily supports the School of Heavenly Principle, while containing competing Old Five Battalions and Commoner factions 41 55
Occupation/Role	Military academy training future officers
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 41

Background / History

Li Guo established Wude Palace after Great Shun's founding, rejecting the former Ming military-post inheritance system and earlier dynasties' military-examination model as the primary route to officership. Officers not promoted from the ranks, including those born to meritorious noble houses, were required to complete its military education before receiving appointments. 152

The institution was originally a military camp and was built outside the Capital City's western gate, farther from the city than the nearby Academy of Sciences. Its campus is heavily guarded and contains numerous martial experts. 81 86

Wude Palace historically reserved places for noble descendants and the Old Five Battalions, while examination candidates required guarantees from sufficiently high-ranking Great Shun officials. This restrictive system reflected the dynasty's fear that an uncontrolled army could become a source of rebellion. 56

A Commoner Faction within the palace allied with the Yongjiu School to undermine the Old Five Battalions' privileges. The conflict culminated in the assassination of headmaster Bai Deyou and the abolition of the Old Five Battalions' fixed establishment. 55 88

Admissions and Education

Entrance Examination

Requirement	Details
Official guarantee	Examination candidates require a recommendation or guarantee from a Great Shun official of a specified rank or higher. 56
Written subjects	Literature and history, mathematics, geometry, and general knowledge. 92
Technical difficulty	Mathematics and geometry include ballistic calculations, calculus, plane and solid geometry, and curve calculations. 92
Martial examination	Candidates with martial arts may take a special examination for bonus points. 92
Branch selection	Top-thirty entrants may choose between artillery, cavalry, engineering, and infantry. 152

Course of Study

Wude Palace's standard program consists of two years of academy study followed by a half-year military internship. 92

Area	Subjects / Training
Military foundations	Tactics, military organization, topography, weaponry, and fortification construction 157
General studies	Mathematics and physics 157
Practical training	Infantry drill, horsemanship, shooting, and martial arts 157
Supplementary instruction	Music, Confucian studies, etiquette, law, and either French or Latin 157

The first year emphasizes shared foundational study; students begin specialized practical training in their chosen fields during the second year. 157

Campus and Student Life

• Each intake contains roughly three hundred students, who verify their identities, collect supplies, and receive dormitory assignments at Shiji Hall. 152
• The palace uses a closed teaching system: students board on campus and normally leave only on rest days. 151
• Ordinary students occupy small private dormitory rooms, while noble students reside in separate courtyards with their personal servants. 154 157
• The daily timetable has four shichen of classes and two rest days every ten days. 157
• Students use a reading room to borrow domestic and foreign newspapers and periodicals. 172
• Although outside food is officially restricted, restaurants deliver meals over the outer wall by fishing rod; the administration tacitly tolerates the practice due to its noble students. 155

Administration and Factions

Leadership

• Bai Deyou — Former headmaster; a Mystic Realm expert, descendant of Bai Jiuhe, and a staunch defender of the Old Five Battalions' fixed quotas. He was assassinated after being lured away from the palace. 81 86 88
• Duke Chu, Dang Huaiying — Dean appointed after Bai Deyou's death. Emperor Dezhang placed him in the role after Duke Chu had resigned over the imperial-kiln smuggling affair. 153
• Zhang Jiansheng — Martial-examination examiner and enrollment official; also reports the infiltration incident involving People's Daily to Duke Chu. 92 152 192
• You Dongyun — Artillery Department orientation instructor and Circulation Realm cultivator. 153

Political Blocs

• Old Five Battalions — Held reserved admission places and fixed establishment quotas; Bai Deyou was one of their principal defenders. 56 81
• Commoner Faction — A palace faction willing to cooperate with the Yongjiu School in exchange for assistance against the Old Five Battalions. 55 56
• School of Heavenly Principle — Wude Palace's principal ideological backer, though not all palace members genuinely share its views. 41 55
• One Heart Society — An elite student society within Wude Palace. Its Young General position rotates annually between noble and commoner students. 159 160

Relationships

• Great Shun Army — Wude Palace serves as its officer-training institution; military technology and battlefield instruction are central to its curriculum. 152 157
• Academy of Sciences — Nearby institution and co-host of the capital's scientific and mathematical culture; both stand outside the western city gate. 65 81
• Sea-Pacifying Palace — A comparable naval academy founded later on Wude Palace's precedent; it also modeled its elite student society after Wude Palace's One Heart Society. 179
• Paris Royal Military Academy — Sends a visiting delegation to Wude Palace for a six-month exchange. 153 173
• Yongjiu School — Attempted unsuccessfully to infiltrate Wude Palace in the past, then gained access through its alliance with the Commoner Faction. 55 56

Story Role / Major Arcs

Old Five Battalions Conflict

Wude Palace becomes a focal point in the struggle over the Old Five Battalions' fixed quotas. Bai Deyou's resistance and the Commoner Faction's alliance with the Yongjiu School turn the academy into a battlefield for wider court politics. 55 81

Bai Deyou Assassination

Chen Wu enters Wude Palace's examination process partly to gather intelligence on Bai Deyou for Wang Jiuyuan. Bai's tightly controlled routine and the palace's security force the assassins to lure him away before killing him. 81 86 88

Chen Wu's Enrollment

Chen Wu tops the entrance examination, earns a Grade A in the martial examination, and later chooses the artillery branch after enrolling. 92 152

International Exchange

Under Duke Chu, Wude Palace hosts the Paris Royal Military Academy delegation. Chen Wu's victory over Davout, the delegation's foremost martial artist, establishes him as Wude Palace's leading martial prodigy. 153 176 177

*People's Daily* Incident

Copies of the banned People's Daily circulate within the palace reading room. Later, Lu Xun infiltrates the campus and scatters copies bearing a handwritten message addressed to Wude Palace's talented students. 191 192

Notable Quotes

“The founding of People's Daily is truly a grand event beneath Heaven. I have heard that Wude Palace gathers talented men in abundance—how could it lack People's Daily for all to examine together?” 192

Trivia

• Wude Palace predates the Paris Royal Military Academy by nearly eighty years. 152
• Despite its military purpose, its curriculum includes music, etiquette, Confucian studies, and foreign-language electives. 157
• Its relaxed schedule and accommodation for noble servants reveal that aristocratic privilege remains embedded in its military education system. 157 158