RPAGF Chapter 103 Shocking All Sides, All Gather in the Capital!
Chapter 103 Shocking All Sides, All Gather in the Capital!
Chapter 103 Shocking All Sides, All Gather in the Capital!
"Your Majesty, I have been training with muskets and cannons in the three major camps in the capital for many days."
"The 20,000 soldiers of the Shenji Battalion are now fully proficient in using flintlock muskets and breech-loading cannons!"
"More than half of the soldiers in the Fifth Army Battalion have mastered the tactics of using flintlock muskets and breech-loading cannons."
"As for the Twelfth Battalion, as His Majesty instructed, I have not yet begun training them."
Zhu Houzhao listened to Wang Shouren's report and nodded slightly. He was quite satisfied with the progress.
Before the Jingtai era, the Beijing garrison consisted of the old three major battalions of the Beijing army.
These consisted of a cavalry battalion of 3,000 men, an infantry battalion of 5 armies, and a firearms battalion called the Divine Machine Battalion.
These armies were all under the command of the Five Military Commissions.
However, during the Jingtai era, after Yu Qian took over the Ministry of War, the first thing he did was to abolish the system of the three major military camps in the capital.
The soldiers of the three major battalions were all scattered and reorganized into the ten regiments that would later become known as the Tenth Battalion.
Furthermore, the 10th Battalion was directly under the command of the Ministry of War, and the Five Military Commissions were sidelined, directly losing their authority to lead and command troops.
Yu Qian held ten battalions in his hands, was in charge of all military affairs, and commanded all the troops in the country!
During the Jingtai era, no one could stop Yu Qian from doing what he wanted to do, and no one could do what Yu Qian didn't want to do!
He is not a physiognomist, but a strategist!
After Emperor Yingzong Zhu Qizhen was restored to the throne, he executed Yu Qian and regained control of the Ten Battalions.
Furthermore, Zhu Qizhen retained the old system of the Three Great Camps, restored the military power of the Five Military Commissions, and vigorously cracked down on the military power of the Ministry of War.
In the third year of the Chenghua reign, Zhu Jianshen reorganized the Ten Battalions and expanded them into Twelve Battalions, but the power to command the troops remained in the hands of the Ministry of War.
Therefore, the troops in Xishan military camp are actually divided into two parts.
One part consisted of the three major military camps in the capital controlled by the Five Military Commissions, and the other part consisted of the twelve regiments controlled by the Ministry of War.
Zhu Houzhao never trusted the Twelfth Battalion, so from the beginning of his reign, he vigorously developed the three major battalions in the capital, intentionally or unintentionally suppressing the Twelfth Battalion.
Zhu Houzhao asked, "How many troops are there in each of the three major camps in the capital? And how many are in the twelve regiments?"
After a moment's thought, Wang Shouren gave an accurate answer: "Your Majesty, the Shenji Battalion has 20,000 firearm soldiers, the Sanqian Battalion has 30,000 soldiers, and the Wujun Battalion has 70,000 soldiers."
"The twelve battalions each consist of about five thousand soldiers, totaling sixty thousand troops."
Zhu Houzhao calculated that the three major camps in the capital had a total of 120,000 troops, while the twelve regiments only had 60,000. Therefore, the entire defense force of the capital was less than 200,000.
Zhu Houzhao still felt that this amount of power was somewhat insufficient.
Of course, this time the number of troops is the actual number after the military has been investigated, and there is no longer any issue of receiving salaries without working.
After all, according to the official organization, the five military camps alone during the Yongle era should have had more than 400,000 troops.
The Shenji Battalion was originally scheduled to have 50,000 men, but now it only has a mere 20,000.
During the Chenghua era, each of the Twelve Battalions had more than 10,000 men, but now they only have 5,000.
Our military equipment is in disrepair! Our military equipment is in disrepair!
Zhu Houzhao's expression turned serious. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Seize every opportunity to train the soldiers in the use of firearms. The 12th Regiment Battalion should also be trained at the same time."
"I want to see all these soldiers fully trained before the Mid-Autumn Festival!"
"On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, all 180,000 troops were mobilized to surround the capital, preventing anyone from entering or leaving."
"Using fireworks as the signal, when the fireworks are in full bloom, we will lead this army of 180,000 to storm the capital!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Shouren's expression immediately turned extremely serious.
An army of 180,000 men stormed into the capital?
What is Your Majesty trying to do?!
Wang Shouren didn't understand, but in that instant, he broke out in a cold sweat.
Wang Shouren bowed and accepted the order: "Yes, Your Majesty, your humble servant obeys!"
"Go."
"Your humble servant takes his leave."
After Wang Shouren left, Zhu Houzhao picked up his pen again and wrote two handwritten edicts, which he then handed to Liu Jin.
"As soon as possible, turn these two handwritten edicts into imperial decrees, one to be handed to Qi Jingtong, the Admiral of the Ming Navy, and the other to Shen Ying, the Governor-General of Gansu and Ningxia."
3
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Liu Jin received the imperial edict and quickly left Chongzhi Hall to go to the Directorate of Ceremonial to prepare the imperial decree.
After doing all this, Zhu Hou looked at the crescent moon outside the window and quietly waited for it to become full.
On that day, he would see if anyone dared to challenge him at the top of the Forbidden City!
Tonight, most people in Beijing will find it hard to fall asleep.
Shenhou Mansion.
After leaving Xiyuan, Zhuge Zhengwo returned to Shenhou Mansion without stopping and summoned his four famous constables.
Ruthless, Iron Hand, Cold Blood, and Life Chaser gathered at the Divine Marquis's Mansion. Seeing Zhuge Zhengwo's solemn expression, their hearts sank slightly.
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"Uncle, what's happened now?"
Zhuge Zhengwo looked at the four people in front of him and said in a deep voice, "Are you aware that Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue will have a decisive battle at the Forbidden City on Mid-Autumn Festival?"
Ruthless and Iron Hand had heard a little about this matter, but they nodded solemnly.
Leng Xue and Zhui Ming's eyes widened in shock: "What? A decisive battle at the Forbidden City?"
Zhui Ming was so angry he laughed: "Are those two courting death? Daring to use force in front of His Majesty?"
"Cao Zhengchun, Yu Huatian, and Uncle Shi are all among the top martial arts masters in the world, not to mention the tens of thousands of secret police and constables."
"If they're so eager to die, they might as well just kill themselves and be done with it; we won't have to lift a finger."
Zhuge Zhengwo glanced at Zhuiming and said coldly, "Zhuiming, do not underestimate him!"
"Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue are both top masters in the world today. It is said that Ye Gucheng has already reached the realm of man and sword as one, while Ximen Chuixue is even more difficult to defeat."
"We are no match for them at all—"
"Uncle's lesson is correct; Zhui Ming has realized his mistake."
Zhuiming's smile faded, and his expression turned serious.
"Moreover, His Majesty has already ordered that Ling Luoshi be allowed to enter the capital to report on his duties!"
"What?!"
Zhuge Zhengwo's words shocked the four famous constables present.
They had dealt with Ling Luoshi before and knew all too well how terrifying he was.
Leng Xue's face stiffened, and he clenched his fists: "Ling Luoshi is a wolf in sheep's clothing. How could His Majesty allow this man to return to the capital?"
"Ling Luoshi is returning to the capital, and Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng are about to have their final showdown at the Forbidden City —"
Iron Hand gasped, "This capital city is about to get lively—"
Wuqing frowned deeply and said with some resentment, "Uncle, why don't you try to persuade His Majesty? Isn't the capital chaotic enough already?"
Zhuge Zhengwo sighed, "How can I possibly dissuade His Majesty from making a decision?"
"Therefore, from now until August 15th—no, until Ling Luoshi leaves the capital, the Six Doors must be on high alert."
"Protecting His Majesty's safety is always of paramount importance."
At this point, Zhuge Zhengwo looked at Wuqing: "Wuqing, you are a woman, so it's much easier for you to enter and leave the harem than for us."
"I want you to live in the palace and serve as His Majesty's personal bodyguard. What do you say?"
Wuqing's heart skipped a beat when he was suddenly entrusted with such an important task by Zhuge Zhengwo.
"I—I will obey Uncle's arrangements in everything."
"Very well, I will report this to His Majesty shortly."
The thought that he might have the opportunity to enter the palace and meet the emperor made Wuqing feel nervous, excited, and even flustered.
Since Zhu Houzhao ascended the throne, she has carried out many of his orders, but has never entered the palace to meet the emperor.
She was also very curious: how could a teenager, who had only been on the throne for a year, have so boldly reformed the Ming Dynasty and made it thrive?
What kind of person would such an emperor be?
Not only the Six Doors, but also the Eastern Depot, Western Depot, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard were shaken at this moment.
That night, secret messages were continuously sent from the offices of the Eastern Depot, Western Depot, and Embroidered Uniform Guard to various parts of the Ming Dynasty.
After receiving the secret letter, a large number of secret agents from the Imperial Guards, who were hiding throughout the Ming Dynasty to gather intelligence, all returned to the capital overnight.
The residents of Beijing could clearly feel that the atmosphere in the capital had become extremely serious overnight.
Countless pairs of eyes have appeared in the streets and alleys, monitoring the movements of the people in the capital.
The number of people entering the capital began to surge, with hundreds of unfamiliar faces entering the city every day.
They were all dressed in shorts, had fierce faces, and acted domineeringly; many of them even knew each other.
Restaurants and hotels in Beijing are increasingly fully booked, and prices are rising steadily.
However, all of these people booked their rooms for August 15th.
The restaurant owners were all wondering what big event was happening on the fifteenth of August that could attract so many people.
This year's Mid-Autumn Festival is quite unusual.
Hulong Mountain Villa.
Zhu Wushi received a letter from the Eastern Depot.
The letter indicated that Zhu Houzhao not only allowed him to enter the capital to meet the emperor, but also ordered him to bring all the imperial spies from the Dragon Guard Villa to the capital!
Zhu Wushi put down the letter, his eyes deep, and took a few deep breaths to suppress the turmoil in his heart.
Zhu Houzhao allowed him to enter the capital, which was a good thing.
Zhu Houzhao's offer to let him bring all the imperial spies from the Dragon Guard Manor was an even greater stroke of luck.
However, Zhu Houzhao had previously forbidden him from entering the capital, but now he was being asked to bring all the imperial spies from the Dragon Guard Manor into the capital.
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The changes were too rapid and too drastic, which made Zhu Wushi feel somewhat uneasy.
Was it simply because Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue were going to have their final showdown at the Forbidden City on Mid-Autumn Festival that Zhu Houzhao urgently summoned him back to the capital?
Zhu Wushi could tolerate Zhu Houzhao using the Dragon Guard Manor as a weapon, but he could not allow Zhu Houzhao to use the Dragon Guard Manor as only a weapon.
If Zhu Houzhao only regards the Dragon Guard Manor as his subordinates, such as the Imperial Guard and the Six Doors, then he should be careful that the Dragon Guard Manor is a knife that will devour its master!
After hiding and disguising himself for so long, he has finally gotten his chance to enter the capital!
Zhu Wushi sternly ordered, "Men, go and fetch Duan Tianya, Guihai Yidao, and Cheng Shifei for me!"
"Yes, my lord!"