Winning them over, arresting Zhang Yu and Zhu Neng

In November, biting north winds swept through Beiping Prefecture, and the land lay frozen in bitter cold.

The banners above the tents of the Prince of Yan's Three Guards snapped in the wind. A dozen icicles of varying lengths hung from the tent eaves. On the Military Parade Ground, only gaunt white poplars and a few heaps of lingering snow remained; scarcely a soldier could be seen.

Deep into the night, the camp grew quieter still.

Several figures glanced around, and once they were sure no one was watching, slipped out of their tents. They crept carefully toward another tent, lifted its heavy flap, and ducked inside.

Three men were already inside, sitting silently around a stove that warmed their hands.

More men arrived one after another, until over twenty had gathered in the tent. They spread out around the space without a word.

"Commander, everyone is here."

Someone spoke from the gloom.

Hundred Households Commander Ni Qiong rubbed his hands and looked up, lowering his voice. "You should all know by now that the court has set a deadline. The New Army Strategy closes on the last day of November. Miss it, and we'll have to wait another ten years. Whatever you have to say, speak freely."

"Commander Ni, we'll follow your lead."

"That's right. We'll all follow you."

Low, uneven voices in the tent repeated the same sentiment.

Ni Qiong warmed his hands and sighed. "Brothers, I'll be frank with you. I have friends serving in the Regional Military Commission. They told me the New Army Strategy has been working extremely well. Even when difficulties arise, everyone is willing to wait patiently. The Family Affairs Office has now established ties with the Beiping Provincial Administration Commission. Whenever the commission receives a case involving soldiers' families, it transfers it to the Family Affairs Office, which steps in to coordinate and handle it."

"You must have heard about the farmer who was savagely beaten at Wang Family Fort outside the city half a month ago. His son is an ordinary soldier under the Regional Military Commission. After the Family Affairs Office received word, Regional Military Commissioner Ping An intervened personally. Not only did he make the landlord pay ten taels of silver in compensation, he also made him apologize publicly to the farmer and promise never to harm him again."

"Plenty of people witnessed it. I hear the Family Affairs Office has handled over three hundred cases in these past two months. Whether it does anything, whether it can actually get things done-we're neither blind nor deaf. Ask around, and you'll know perfectly well. As for the Imperial Medical Funds, the forces under the Regional Military Commission have issued detailed rules. Minor illnesses like colds don't qualify, but once the cumulative cost exceeds three taels of silver, you can submit a claim to the Regional Military Command Office."

"As long as you bring the doctor's prescriptions and receipts, the Regional Military Command Office pays half the expenses on the spot. Liu Big Club's father was seriously ill and bedridden. He died a few days ago. Liu Big Club took in the ledger of his family's debts to Changchun Hall, and without another word, the Regional Military Command Office paid him twelve taels from the Imperial Medical Funds. Mind you, those were expenses from the past five years, not just since the New Army Strategy took effect."

"Brothers, I'm not a man of great ability, nor do I understand lofty principles. But I know the emperor's New Army Strategy is meant to help us. Now there are only ten days left before the deadline. Miss it, and we'll have to wait another ten years!"

"Ten years! We might well be dead before those ten years are up! I have parents, a wife, and children. Even if I die, I want to leave them something. My mind is made up. I'm going over to Commissioner Ping An. If you consider me a brother, don't stop me. If you don't, report me straight to the Prince of Yan. I won't blame you!"

Ni Qiong's words left everyone in the tent silent.

They had believed in Zhu Di and believed that the New Army Strategy could not last. But one month passed, then two, and it showed not the slightest sign of faltering. Instead, it kept overcoming problems and achieving solid results.

They had heard that when some veterans wanted to retire and return home, Ping An made the arrangements immediately. He even organized a send-off with military honors of the highest order. Moved to tears, the veterans swore that if war broke out, one summons would bring them straight back to camp.

The New Army Strategy had solved many seemingly impossible problems, while the court's money and provisions seemed inexhaustible. Whether it was the Imperial Medical Funds, the Family Affairs Office, military pay, or retirement payments, not a single man had been left short.

All these stories had reached their ears.

After all, however intensive the training, Zhu Di could hardly keep every man inside the camp for two months. Besides, Ping An represented the emperor and occasionally brought supplies to comfort the Prince of Yan's Three Guards. Naturally, the men accompanying him spoke to the guards about the New Army Strategy.

It was Ping An himself who, during one such visit, had announced that the deadline for the New Army Strategy was the end of November, and that anyone who missed it would have to wait another ten years. He had also explained why: once the logistical supply routes were fixed, changing them would be costly and affect the overall situation.

He warned the Prince of Yan's Three Guards that unless they joined the New Army Strategy before the deadline, all the supplies originally prepared for them would be sent to Daning. For the next ten years, that supply route would belong to Daning alone.

Naturally, this news threw the Prince of Yan's Three Guards into turmoil.

With loyalties wavering, agents of the Great Ming Security Bureau seized the opportunity. They thoroughly investigated the backgrounds of the guards' Hundred Households Commanders, choosing those with elderly parents and young children, and who had followed Zhu Di for a relatively short time, as targets to win over.

Hundred Households Commander Ni Qiong was one of them.

"Commander, we'll go with you!"

Someone stood up, his voice sounding somewhat aged.

"I'll go with you too!"

"I'm coming too!"

"So are we!"

Everyone in the tent rose to their feet.

Ni Qiong stood up, satisfied, and said solemnly, "Then tomorrow we'll all go over to the commissioner and join the Beiping Guard. We'll still be serving Great Ming!"

"Agreed!"

With their plan settled, the men quietly dispersed.

The Prince of Yan's Palace.

Zhu Di had been suffering from internal heat lately, and two blisters had formed at the corners of his mouth.

Zhu Yunwen had appointed Tie Xuan as Regional Military Commissioner of Jinan and ordered Geng Bingwen, the Marquis of Changchun, to lead fifty thousand elite troops from the Capital Garrison into Hebei to reorganize and train the forces of Zhen Ding, Baoding, and Hejian prefectures.

Zhu Di knew all this. Whether it was the three strategic strongholds of Zhen Ding, Baoding, and Hejian, or Jinan, a crucial hub of land and water transport, each stood in the way of his southward advance.

Worse still, Zhu Yunwen had designated Jinan Prefecture as the logistical base for the Northern Expedition, ordering reserve supplies to be stored there. This meant that Beiping Prefecture would no longer hold large stocks of military grain.

Once he rose in rebellion, Beiping Prefecture's meager grain reserves would not even feed his army for three months. If he failed to capture Jinan within that time, he would have no grain left!

Although Jinan was guarded by the little-known Tie Xuan, Geng Bingwen, stationed across Zhen Ding, Baoding, and Hejian, was no ordinary figure.

Geng Bingwen, the Marquis of Changchun, was a veteran exceptionally skilled in defense. During Zhu Yuanzhang's war against Zhang Shicheng, he had held Changxing for ten years, leaving Zhang Shicheng helpless, able only to sigh in frustration.

Zhu Di had no confidence that he could capture the three prefectures under Geng Bingwen's control!

But what gave Zhu Di the greatest headache was the New Army Strategy. He could spread counterpropaganda and indoctrinate his men, but Ping An could spread propaganda too. And with his title as the man inspecting the guards on behalf of the "Son of Heaven," no one could stop him from entering the Three Guards' camp.

The New Army Strategy blazed ahead like a raging fire, while Zhu Di felt as though he had fallen into an ice pit.

The situation changed by the day, and his troops' morale grew ever more unstable. If this continued, he would not have to wait two years. Their loyalty would crumble within six months.

"Disaster! Disaster!"

Qiu Fu shouted in a panic.

Zhu Di frowned at Qiu Fu's lack of decorum and snapped coldly, "What is it? Why all this fuss?"

Qiu Fu's face was pale, and his hands trembled slightly as he told Zhu Di, "More than five hundred men from the Three Guards have left camp and gone over to the Regional Military Command Office. Ping An has already incorporated them into the Beiping Guard. Three of them are Hundred Households Commanders."

"What?"

Zhu Di sprang to his feet. The world suddenly spun around him, his vision went black, and he collapsed.

"Your Highness! Your Highness!"

Qiu Fu shouted at the top of his lungs.

The Prince of Yan's Palace erupted into chaos. After examining him, the doctor said only that an acute surge of anger and excessive anxiety had caused him to faint. He merely needed a period of quiet rest.

Princess Consort Xu Yihua personally tended to Zhu Di. Seeing Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Gaoxu, Zhang Yu, Zhu Neng, and the others fidgeting anxiously in the room, she asked them to wait outside.

At the doorway, Zhu Gaoxu's face was icy. Through gritted teeth, he said, "Those bastards! We've always treated them so well, yet they chose this moment to turn against us! Unless we kill them, we'll never bring the troops into line!"

Zhu Gaochi shook his head and countered, "How would we kill them? They're no longer our men. They belong to Ping An now! Besides, there are over five hundred of them. Can you kill them all?"

"If we don't start killing, every man in the Three Guards will run off!"

Zhu Gaoxu shouted indignantly.

Zhu Gaochi understood the problem too. But killing might not solve it. Instead, it could spread panic through the Three Guards and drive them into Ping An's arms even faster.

"Master Jin, what should we do in the present situation?"

Zhu Gaochi asked Jin Zhong for advice.

Jin Zhong sighed mournfully and said with some bitterness, "I'm afraid it will be difficult to win back the Three Guards' loyalty. For now, we should seal off their camp immediately. Once the final deadline for the New Army Strategy has passed, things should improve."

"Sealing off the camp is easy. But what if Ping An invokes the emperor's orders and forces his way inside?"

Zhu Gaochi frowned.

Jin Zhong considered this, then said slowly, "Then drill the new troops in front of him without any breaks. Give Ping An no opportunity to speak."

Zhu Gaochi glanced at Zhang Yu and Zhu Neng. Both hurriedly cupped their fists in acknowledgment and left the Prince of Yan's Palace.

Beiping, the Regional Military Command Office.

Ni Qiong and the other five hundred-odd men had offered proof of their allegiance, revealing everything about how Zhang Yu and Zhu Neng had incited the Three Guards against the court and plotted rebellion.

Ping An and Sheng Yong urgently summoned Zhang Bing, and the three discussed how to respond.

After pondering for a long time, Zhang Bing said, "This matter is of grave importance. If mishandled, it could trigger a major war. We had best send a report to the Capital and let the emperor decide."

Sheng Yong spread out a map of the mountains and rivers and said gravely, "Even by express dispatch at eight hundred li a day, it will take ten days for a message to go there and back. If word leaks out during those ten days, the Prince of Yan is certain to make a move. By the time we try to act, it may already be too late."

Zhang Bing hesitated. "That may be true, but Zhang Yu and Zhu Neng are the Prince of Yan's strongest generals, and they have long enjoyed great prestige in the army. If we arrest them both, how can we ensure the situation doesn't take a sudden turn for the worse? Besides, for something this serious, without an imperial decree, if anything goes wrong and blame comes down, who will bear it? Who can bear it?"

Watching Zhang Bing and Sheng Yong argue endlessly, Ping An tapped the table and said solemnly, "Arrest Zhang Yu and Zhu Neng. I'll take full responsibility. To prevent unrest among the Prince of Yan's Three Guards, Sheng Yong will keep Beiping Prefecture under strict control. I'll make the arrests myself!"