I grant you the surname Zheng and the name He!

Zhu Yunwen looked at Zhu Di and asked, "Is there a eunuch named Zheng He in the Prince of Yan's Palace?"

"A eunuch?"

Zhu Di was even more bewildered.

Was His Majesty making sport of me?

There was no one by that name in the entire Prince of Yan's Palace. How could there be a eunuch with that name?

Seeing Zhu Di's bewilderment, Zhu Yunwen knitted his brows. Could Zheng He not yet be serving Zhu Di?

That couldn't be right. There was no Zheng He serving me, either.

Xu Huizu remained silent, privately wondering just who this Zheng He was to merit the emperor personally asking for him.

A eunuch?

Was the imperial palace short of eunuchs?

Zhu Yunwen did not press him further. Zhu Di had raised no objections even when he had asked for Dao Yan; he would have even less reason to object over Zheng He, unless he genuinely knew nothing.

Leaving the study, Zhu Di led Zhu Yunwen toward the rear garden. Their conversation grew much more relaxed, with occasional laughter.

Before the moon gate stood a solemn-looking man roughly two meters tall. Seeing Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Di approaching from afar, he knelt to one side.

Zhu Yunwen glanced at him and passed through the moon gate. After only two steps, however, he suddenly stopped, turned toward the gate, and asked Zhu Di, "Who is this guard?"

"Ma Sanbao."

Zhu Di answered at once.

Zhu Yunwen's eyes lit up.

Damn it, how had I forgotten? The name Zheng He came about because, during the Jingnan Campaign, Ma Sanbao devised strategies for Zhu Di at the Battle of Zhengcunba and helped him win. After Zhu Di became emperor, he granted Ma Sanbao the surname Zheng and the name He.

No wonder I couldn't find him!

Zhu Yunwen walked back. Ma Sanbao tried to kneel again, but Zhu Yunwen stopped him and said, "Just stand properly."

Ma Sanbao looked at Zhu Yunwen, at a loss.

Zhu Yunwen studied Ma Sanbao. His face was as fair as jade, his chin beardless. His forehead, cheeks, and cheekbones were prominent, his brows and eyes well defined, and his ears large.

"How long have you been in the Prince of Yan's Palace?"

Zhu Yunwen asked.

Ma Sanbao's voice rang like a great bell. "Your Majesty, thirteen years."

"Come, let's have a few words. Fourth Uncle, Duke of Wei, don't follow us just yet."

Calling this to the astonished Zhu Di and Xu Huizu, Zhu Yunwen led Ma Sanbao into a nearby pavilion and gestured for him to sit. Ma Sanbao did not dare and merely stood there uneasily.

"May I ask what Your Majesty..."

"As-salamu alaykum."

Zhu Yunwen spoke calmly.

Ma Sanbao's eyes widened at once, and he hurriedly replied, "Wa alaykum as-salam."

Zhu Yunwen smiled. It really was him.

Their exchange was simply a greeting used by Muslims.

Zhu Yunwen had said, "May God grant you peace," and Ma Sanbao had answered, "May God grant you peace as well."

Although Zhu Yunwen had little interest in Western religions, as someone from a later age, he had encountered something of their culture. He knew at least a little about Jehovah in Christianity and Allah in Islam.

At the very least, he had eaten Lanzhou Beef Noodles.

Most Lanzhou Beef Noodles shops were run by Hui people, who followed Islam-the same faith as Ma Sanbao.

"Y-Your Majesty..."

Ma Sanbao began to tremble. It had been so many years since he had heard a Muslim greeting. Who could have imagined that this sudden greeting would come from the emperor of the Great Ming himself?

Looking at Ma Sanbao before him, Zhu Yunwen's heart surged. He had finally found the commander for his Age of Discovery!

Yet Ma Sanbao's past was painful to look back upon.

In the seventeenth year of Hongwu, Fu Youde and Lan Yu marched into Yunnan. Ma Sanbao, then only ten years old, became a captive.

Afterward, he was castrated and sent into the palace to serve.

"I am not a follower of Islam, but I have read the Quran."

Zhu Yunwen spoke slowly.

Ma Sanbao grew excited. He had never imagined that the emperor had actually read Islam's Quran.

"I do not care whether Allah is your god. But from this day forward, I want you to follow me and be loyal to me! I will give you the chance to sail the seas and make a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca! To fulfill your dream as a Muslim!"

Zhu Yunwen spoke solemnly.

Ma Sanbao's breathing quickened, his eyes shining.

My dream!

His Majesty supported my dream!

I could sail overseas?

I could go to Mecca?

I could touch the Black Stone and pour out my heart to Allah?

"Are you willing to follow me?"

Zhu Yunwen asked.

Ma Sanbao dropped to his knees with a thud and cried, "I am!"

Zhu Yunwen raised a hand. "Rise. Since you are following me, your name will no longer be Ma Sanbao. I grant you the surname Zheng and the name He! You will enter the Imperial Stables Directorate as Chief Eunuch!"

"Zheng He!"

Ma Sanbao repeated the name, then knelt in gratitude. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for granting me this name!"

Zhu Yunwen laughed heartily, his spirits soaring.

He led Ma Sanbao back to Zhu Di and Xu Huizu and said, "Fourth Uncle, I am taking this man."

Zhu Di looked at Ma Sanbao and frowned.

He had no idea what madness had seized Zhu Yunwen, making him snatch away his eunuch and guard.

This time, however, Zhu Yunwen left no room for negotiation.

The emperor wanted the man. What else could he do but let him go?

Zhu Di nodded helplessly.

Ma Sanbao knelt before Zhu Di and said, "I have been blessed by your care, Prince of Yan. Words cannot express my boundless gratitude. May your fame reach across the four seas, and may you enjoy good health."

Zhu Di sighed. This guard had earned his deepest trust, but now...

"Fourth Uncle, I brought the Duke of Wei here today because there is something I wish to discuss with you."

Zhu Yunwen spoke gently.

Zhu Di's smile was strained. He looked at Xu Huizu, wondering what other tricks were in store.

Xu Huizu took out a document and handed it to Zhu Di. "These are the new military policies. They have been implemented in the Capital Garrison for over a month, with tremendous success. His Majesty has said that all troops under heaven belong to the court and should enjoy the same policies, with no distinction between those within and without, or those close and distant."

Zhu Di accepted the document and read it carefully. The more he read, the more alarmed he became.

These policies covered logistics, promotions, the soldiers themselves, their families, and even pensions after retirement!

Any single one of them would be enough to win men's hearts!

Once such policies spread throughout the Great Ming, every army would surely give its allegiance to the court-to Zhu Yunwen!

Then who would risk his life for me?

They would only risk their lives for Zhu Yunwen!

These weren't new military policies. They were policies for seizing my army!

Didn't soldiers enlist to endure hardship, trading their strength for a mouthful of food?

Many men became soldiers out of desperation, driven by the need to survive!

But once Zhu Yunwen's New Recruit Policy spread, soldiering would no longer be a miserable chore. It would become a satisfying "good posting"!

Who would the soldiers thank then?

The emperor of the Great Ming, the Jianwen Emperor Zhu Yunwen, of course!

Even if I raised my arm and called them to my banner, even if I waved until my arm broke and shouted until my voice went hoarse, hardly anyone would follow me into rebellion. They might even tie me up and deliver me straight to Nanjing!

"Well... Your Majesty, this New Recruit Policy will surely consume vast quantities of silver and grain. Would implementing it not be somewhat risky? If we failed to fulfill it, might that not easily provoke a mutiny?"

Zhu Di could not allow these policies to be introduced-at least not within his own army!

Otherwise, there would scarcely be anyone left whom he could command!

Standing beside the pavilion and looking at the lake, Zhu Yunwen said, "Allocating silver and grain is the Revenue Ministry's concern. They have discussed it and said there is no problem."

Zhu Di swallowed, glanced down at the document, and continued, "These policies are too generous. I fear they may weaken the soldiers' resolve to fight to the death. What if, on the battlefield, they cherish their lives too much and shrink back in fear?"

Zhu Yunwen gestured for Liu Changge to gather some pebbles for him, then said to Zhu Di, "That is why these policies must be accompanied by ideological education. Every soldier must understand that he fights for the emperor and for the Great Ming. His death is for the empire, so that these mountains and rivers will never lose their splendor, even after ten thousand years!"

"Besides, I do not believe that treating them well would make them unwilling to risk their lives. Are you saying that if I treat you sincerely, Fourth Uncle, you would not treat me sincerely in return? I will not believe such absurd claims!"

Zhu Di was completely out of options.

Looking at the document in his hands, he wished he could tear it to shreds.

Zhu Di dared not imagine how many of the troops under his command would still be his men once these policies spread!

Seeing Zhu Di's silence, Xu Huizu said, "These policies have succeeded in the Capital Garrison and won the soldiers' hearts. They should naturally benefit every soldier in the empire. His Majesty and the Five Army Commandery agree that the Prince of Yan is loyal, filial, benevolent, and righteous. As commander in the north, you also enjoy great prestige. Thus, they wish to entrust this matter to you and have you implement the new military policies among the troops around Beiping Prefecture."

Zhu Di seethed until the roots of his teeth ached. Loyal, filial, benevolent, righteous, and highly esteemed? Weren't they simply afraid I would rebel? They wanted to implement these policies in Beiping Prefecture first to dismantle my power!

"I fear my abilities are limited. For a matter of such importance, I ask Your Majesty to choose someone more capable..."

Zhu Di politely declined.

Zhu Yunwen chuckled. "Since you are unwilling, Fourth Uncle, we shall have Ping An of the Beiping Regional Military Commission implement them. As for the Prince of Yan's Three Guards..."

Zhu Di's eyes suddenly widened, and he looked at Zhu Yunwen in alarm.

Zhu Yunwen tossed a game piece into the lake and said, "They are under your management, Fourth Uncle, so I will not concern myself with them."

Only then did Zhu Di's tense heart settle.

But Zhu Di also understood that, as Zhu Yunwen closed in step by step, he had already lost the power to strike back!

If Ping An implemented the New Recruit Policy, everyone in Beiping Prefecture would hear of it. The surrounding guards would inevitably respond and give their allegiance to the court.

All he had left were the Prince of Yan's Three Guards and his personal troops-just over fifty thousand men in total! Trying to use those few soldiers against a united army of four hundred thousand that had hemmed him in would certainly be courting death!

Whether Zhu Di liked it or not, Zhu Yunwen would push the New Recruit Policy through, with Beiping Prefecture as his foremost priority.

This was because, although the guards in Beiping ate grain supplied by the court, many of their men had once served under the Prince of Yan. In particular, many commanders and officers had been personally promoted by Zhu Di. If he made a move, those men would supply him with troops.

Zhu Yunwen would not allow that. The implementation of the New Recruit Policy would proceed alongside the replacement of commanders and officers.

Even at this stage, Zhu Yunwen had still shown Zhu Di considerable consideration.

After all, he had left the Prince of Yan's Three Guards untouched!

Although nominally the Prince of Yan's guards, these units were, in essence, regular troops of North Zhili. True authority over them belonged to North Zhili's regional military commissioner.

It was simply that, under Zhu Yuanzhang's system, imperial princes assumed command on his behalf.

Besides the Prince of Yan's Three Guards, Zhu Di also had nearly ten thousand personal troops. Zhu Yunwen had left them untouched as well.

Zhu Yunwen was waiting-waiting for the weight of circumstances to crush Zhu Di and force him into complete submission!