Chapter 46 News Leaked, The Plan Begins

"Your servant Wei Zhongxian pays respects to Your Majesty!"

A quarter of an hour later, Wei Zhongxian arrived.

Chongzhen looked at Wei Zhongxian and said, "Wei Zhongxian, the Inner Garrison troops you command have been forming since the second year of Tianqi's reign, and it has been five years now. You should know how many officials voiced their objections and how much pressure my late imperial brother had to endure. Yet, they have not seen a single actual battle. Today, Zhang Weixian's idea aligns quite well with my wishes. In three days' time, during the battle, the Inner Garrison must display their momentum and save face for me."

"Furthermore, since this is the first military drill, all commanders above the rank of Company Commander among the remaining personnel must go to observe the battle to summarize and learn from the experience."

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty. Although the Inner Garrison has never seen actual combat, their combat proficiency and weapons and equipment are quite superior. With men skilled in martial arts, six thousand against six thousand, your servant is confident we will not lose."

"For this military drill, will you command the Inner Garrison personally, or will Tu Wenfu do it?"

Wei Zhongxian cautiously glanced at Chongzhen, pondered for a moment, and replied, "Your Majesty, this subordinate believes it would be best for Tu Wenfu to command. Although the Inner Garrison was established by this subordinate, Tu Wenfu has handled all the training. He is much more familiar with them than I am. This subordinate will take the rest of the personnel to observe and learn from the sidelines!"

"As long as you have a plan in mind, go and prepare!"

Wei Zhongxian bowed and withdrew.

Inside the East Warm Chamber, Chongzhen let out a long sigh.

On one hand, he wanted nothing more than to slice Wei Zhongxian into a thousand pieces; on the other hand, he still had to pretend he was his trusted confidant. Acting was truly damned difficult.

Three days from now, when the White-Pole Troops entered the capital, the entire court would undoubtedly be shocked.

There was no need to wait until they entered the capital; as long as the White-Pole Troops entered within a two-hundred-li radius of Beijing, the news could no longer be kept under wraps.

Once the Eunuch Faction and the Donglin Faction learned the news, they would definitely take action. The Donglin Faction was easier to deal with; the main focus was on guarding against the Eunuch Faction.

The military strength of the Eunuch Faction mainly consisted of five factions: the Eastern Depot, the Inner Garrison, the Four Brave Guards, the Brocade Guard, and the twenty-one garrisons under the Ministry of War.

While it seemed like a formidable force, as long as Chongzhen stepped forward and invoked imperial authority, these forces would certainly not dare to make a drastic move. However, there was no guarantee that there wouldn't be die-hard loyalists of Wei Zhongxian who would make a desperate final struggle in a desperate situation.

Not fighting meant waiting for death; having committed so many evils, would the Emperor simply let them off the hook easily?

Fighting might still leave a sliver of hope. Although that hope was slim, it was hope nonetheless—what if they succeeded?

Chongzhen could not guarantee anything and could only make foolproof preparations to minimize the impact.

Once the Inner Garrison entered the Capital Garrison camps, Zhang Weixian had plenty of ways to make those men lay down their weapons.

Among the Four Brave Guards, only the Commander of the Right Valiant Guard had defected to the Eunuch Faction, and the other three guards could easily resolve that single unit.

Among the Brocade Guard, elites were controlled by Li Ruolian, Wang Guoxing, Gao Wencai, and others, and the remainder was nothing to worry about.

As for the twenty-one garrisons under the Ministry of War, the Minister of War had already been replaced by Li Banghua. Without the approval of the Ministry of War, those twenty-one garrisons could not be mobilized, though one had to guard against certain commanders who had defected to the Eunuch Faction.

Of the five forces, only the Eastern Depot was not under control, but the personnel in the Eastern Depot were not numerous. The Brocade Guard commanded by Li Ruolian was sufficient to protect the Palace of Heavenly Purity and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility.

"Big Brother, go summon Li Ruolian and Li Banghua to see me!"

"Also, go to Ciqing Palace to notify the Empress Dowager to come to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, and have Imperial Noble Consort Tian and Noble Consort Yuan come there as well! Convey my imperial edict: over the next few days, without my permission, no one is allowed to leave the Palace of Earthly Tranquility!"

Wang Chengen received the decree and went to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, relaying Chongzhen's words.

Empress Zhou and Empress Dowager Yian both trembled all over, exchanged glances, and saw the worry in each other's eyes.

Chongzhen's plan had long been discussed with them. According to the timeline, the White-Pole Troops should already be approaching Beijing. Combined with the beheading of the Minister of War a few days ago, it was clear that the most critical moment was about to arrive.

After Wang Chengen left, Empress Zhou took the hand of Empress Dowager Yian, Zhang Yan, and said with deep anxiety, "Sister-in-law, this..."

"Rest assured, Sister. His Majesty is so wise. Since he sent word, it means he has made foolproof preparations. We just need to wait for the news."

Imperial Noble Consort Tian and Noble Consort Yuan, standing nearby, heard the conversation and were filled with puzzlement.

However, they knew that since the Emperor had only told Empress Zhou and Empress Dowager Yian and not them, asking further would constitute the grave crime of interference in state affairs by the inner palace.

When Wang Chengen returned to the East Warm Chamber, Li Ruolian and Li Banghua had also arrived one after another.

Chongzhen looked at the two men and said softly, "In three days, the White-Pole Troops will enter the capital!"

"The White-Pole Troops entering the capital? That's impossible? I just checked the recent troop deployment records at the Ministry of War, and there are no White-Pole Troops."

Li Banghua blurted out, "From Zhongzhou to Beijing City, along the prefectures and counties..."

Li Banghua's voice gradually trailed off until he fell silent. The look in his eyes as he gazed at Chongzhen was filled with utter shock.

He finally came to his senses and realized where the Emperor's confidence from a few days ago—stating he would kill whoever dared to block him—truly came from.

Li Ruolian, on the other hand, let out a silent sigh of relief, his eyes revealing a look of "as expected."

When Chongzhen had people intercept the correspondence traveling between Zhongzhou and Beijing outside the city, Li Ruolian had already guessed something; now that it was verified, his heart finally settled.

"We await Your Majesty's instructions!"

Li Banghua and Li Ruolian bowed in unison.

"After tonight, Tu Wenfu will lead the Inner Garrison into the Capital Garrison camp. I have asked Wei Zhongxian to take the remaining Inner Garrison commanders to observe and learn, so I will leave that side to the Duke of Ying."

It took a full quarter of an hour for Chongzhen to finish explaining the plan—a plan he had turned over and over in his mind for nearly a month.

"Your Majesty, I will go to the Imperial Horse Stables. As for your side..."

"Lord Fang, although I may not be able to defeat you in a fight, I am confident in my martial prowess. With me here, along with thousands of Brocade Guards, Your Majesty will be safe and sound."

Seeing Chongzhen nod, Fang Zhenghua had no choice but to drop the matter.

"Gentlemen, let us take down the Eunuch Faction and join me in creating a brand-new, prosperous era for the Great Ming!"

"We are willing to follow Your Majesty and serve the Great Ming unto death!"

Everyone in the East Warm Chamber wore excited expressions. Factional strife had brought suffering to the imperial court and, even more so, to the common people. Now that it was about to come to an end, how could they not be joyful?

"Very well, act according to the plan!"

The crowd dispersed.

By the afternoon, the entire city of Beijing was abuzz with activity. News of the upcoming military drill between the Capital Garrison and the Inner Garrison had spread throughout the city, and ordinary citizens were discussing it animatedly.

"One is the Emperor's imperial guard composed of eunuchs, and the other is the capital garrison defending Beijing. I wonder which one is stronger."

"It must be the capital garrison; after all, they are the elite of the entire nation, and their combat power is definitely astonishing."

"That's what I think too. Besides anything else, without that certain 'part,' their physical strength is definitely inferior to normal men."

"If you put it that way, I have to argue. Some time ago, Fang Zhenghua single-handedly thrashed over sixty men from the capital garrison. How do you explain that?"

"That's right. Fighting isn't just about raw strength; equipment is also a factor. The eunuch army's firearms are rumored to be the best."

"Get lost. Can you use firearms in a military drill? Is this a drill or suicide? If you talk like that, the capital garrison has Red-Barbarian Cannons, too."

"Capital garrison or Inner Garrison, I think neither compares to the combat prowess of the border troops. What can you tell from two bunches of cowards? The border troops are the true whetstone."

"Now you're just being argumentative. The border troops? Why don't you just drag the White-Pole Troops over to act as the whetstone?"

"Hehe, now that's a real possibility. The White-Pole Troops are less than two hundred li away from Beijing."