Chapter 49: Submission of the Four Tengxiang Guards

Beijing Jinfangtai, the garrison headquarters of the Four Guard Divisions of Tengxiang.

At this moment, outside the main camp gate, two large banners fluttered in the wind. Faintly visible on one side was the embroidered image of a tiger's head, while the other bore the character for "Ming."

"Halt, whoever comes!"

The guards at the camp gate stared at the hundreds of fully armed troops and shouted immediately. Behind the barricades, several soldiers holding matchlock firelocks stood at strict attention.

Fang Zhenghua glanced over and produced an imperial edict: "This servant is the Emperor's personal attendant, here by His Majesty's command to deliver an imperial decree. Open the camp gates at once and summon the four commanders and vice-commanders to receive the decree."

With that, he tossed his tally badge across. The guard took a look, handed the badge back to Fang Zhenghua, and motioned for the barricades to be pulled aside to clear the way.

These men were wearing official attire; the possibility of them being impostors was extremely low.

Besides, this was the encampment of the Four Guard Divisions of Tengxiang, numbering over ten thousand men. Would merely two or three hundred people come here just to court death?

Moments later, inside the main tent of the Four Guard Divisions of Tengxiang, the commanders and vice-commanders of the four divisions had all arrived.

"Grand Eunuch Fang, why is it you?"

Meng Quanzhou, commander of the Left Division of Tengxiang, looked at Fang Zhenghua standing in the center, a trace of joy on his face.

Fang Zhenghua nodded, swept his gaze over the people in the main tent, and his expression instantly turned cold: "Lord Meng, where are the men from the Right Division of Wuxiang?"

"Grand Eunuch Fang, Lord Zhou was just holding a meeting and will be here shortly."

As Meng Quanzhou's voice trailed off, the sound of hoofbeats echoing like thunder could be heard from outside.

Fang Zhenghua rushed out of the main tent ahead of the others, only to see several hundred cavalrymen charging toward the camp gate.

"What is Old Zhou doing? Is there a mission? Why did none of us receive any notice?"

Meng Quanzhou furrowed his brow, his eyes filled with perplexity.

Hearing this, a sneer crossed Fang Zhenghua's face. With a swift leap, he sprang onto the roof of the main tent and shouted sternly: "His Majesty has decreed that Zhou宾, commander of the Right Division of Wuxiang, has attached himself to the eunuch faction, taking bribes and breaking the law... Let him be cast into the imperial prison by the Brocade Guard. Thus it is decreed!"

"Meng Quanzhou, Yu Ming, Wang Qi! Capture the traitor Zhou宾 immediately! Show no mercy to those who resist."

Seeing the bright yellow imperial decree held high in the right hand atop the main tent, Meng Quanzhou and the other two froze for a moment before charging out immediately.

As they ran, they roared at the top of their lungs: "Close the camp gates! All troops, capture the traitor Zhou宾 at once!"

In an instant, the entire encampment of the Four Guard Divisions of Tengxiang was thrown into utter chaos, making Fang Zhenghua frown deeply.

Lacking training and actual combat experience, they plunged into such utter disarray in the face of a sudden emergency. If they were to encounter a foreign enemy, they would have been completely wiped out long ago.

After watching for a moment longer, Zhou宾 was finally surrounded tightly.

Fang Zhenghua descended from the roof of the main tent, mounted a horse, and rode up before the gathered troops: "Zhou宾, are you planning to rebel?"

"Bah!"

Seated on his horse, Zhou宾 spat toward Fang Zhenghua and said viciously, "Which of your eyes saw me rebelling? I am merely carrying out Grand Coordinator Wei's orders to intercept the White-Pole Troops."

"Meng Quanzhou, tell your men to stand aside. Can you bear the consequences of delaying Grand Coordinator Wei's orders?"

"Whether it is Grand Coordinator Wei's order is open to question, but right now His Majesty wants to apprehend you. We are the Emperor's personal troops, and naturally, we obey His Majesty."

"Meng Quanzhou, step aside, or don't blame me for disregarding all these years of camaraderie."

Zhou宾 shouted harshly: "Meng Quanzhou, don't be so naive. Although you haven't pledged loyalty to Grand Coordinator Wei over the years, how much less have you looted in bribes?"

"Brothers, according to the Great Ming Code, anyone guilty of corruption exceeding sixty taels shall be executed without mercy! Once the Emperor disposes of Grand Coordinator Wei, will any of you have a way out? Why not follow me and break out of this camp? The world is vast—wouldn't it be wonderful to find some county town and live out your lives as wealthy gentlemen?"

Meng Quanzhou's expression turned stern: "Zhou宾, do you take us for opportunists like you, willing to fawn on power and persecute loyal officials? We are the Son of Heaven's personal guards, and our duty is to protect His Majesty. Have you forgotten the original aspiration of our Four Guard Divisions of Tengxiang? Even if we have made some mistakes over the years, our original aspiration remains. Lay down your weapons and do not force us to use violence."

"Hahaha! Original aspiration? Can original aspiration fill your stomach or be spent as silver..."

Fang Zhenghua sneered coldly: "Obstinate and incorrigible! Kill them!"

As the words fell, the men from the Five City Patrol Command, who had been prepared long ago, relaxed their right hands, and hundreds of sharp arrows rained down upon Zhou宾 and his dozen-odd men.

Wave after wave of arrow rain poured down. Even though these were men trained in martial arts, after enduring four or five waves of arrows, every single one of them was pierced through like a sieve.

"Lord Meng, assist the Brocade Guard in conducting an inventory to see if anyone was missed!"

A quarter of an hour later, a Brocade Guard came to report: "Grand Eunuch Fang, everyone on the list is dead."

Fang Zhenghua nodded, looking at Meng Quanzhou and the others: "Lord Meng, until a new commander for the Right Division of Wuxiang is appointed, you shall concurrently serve as its commander. You must immediately and fully reorganize the Right Division of Wuxiang, minimize the impact of today's incident, and prepare yourself to be mobilized at any moment."

"Lord Yu, lead the Right Division of Tengxiang to the Inner Drill Camp. Surround them without attacking, and await further orders."

"Lord Wang, lead a detachment of the Left Division of Wuxiang to Upper Central Post, Upper Rear Post... Surround them without attacking as well, and await further orders."

Having finished speaking, Fang Zhenghua turned and walked toward the outside of the camp, but after taking only a few steps, he was called back by Meng Quanzhou.

"Grand Eunuch Fang, give us a straight answer. Will His Majesty..."

"Since His Majesty has said there will be no further massive purges, there certainly will not be. You can rest assured on that point."

Fang Zhenghua thought for a moment, then lowered his voice: "I will point out a path to survival for you: His Majesty is short of silver!"

Meng Quanzhou and the others froze. Exchanging glances, each saw the incredulity in the other's eyes.

"Furthermore, the city is under martial law enforced by the Five City Patrol Command and the Shuntian Prefecture office. All inner and outer city gates of Beijing have been closed, and no one is permitted to enter or leave without His Majesty's permission. Conduct yourselves accordingly."

Fang Zhenghua left, yet his words continued to echo inside the main tent.

Everything that needed to be said—and everything that shouldn't have been said—had been spoken. Anyone who wasn't a fool knew that this was the exact moment to pledge loyalty to His Majesty.

After a long silence, Yu Ming said in a deep voice, "Old Meng, can Grand Eunuch Fang's words be trusted?"

Meng Quanzhou pondered for a moment: "They can be trusted. What His Majesty wants to purge is the eunuch faction. We haven't committed any heinous crimes over the years—we've only taken some bribes. Once His Majesty finishes cleaning out the eunuch faction, he will inevitably be short of capable men. Therefore, the political situation will not undergo a massive purge; at most, we will be stripped of our official posts. Since His Majesty is short of silver, we will simply spit back out the money we've amassed over the years."

"Spit it all back out? Then..."

"Do you want to die, or do you want to live? If you die, what will happen to your family and children?"

Yu Ming and Wang Qi fell silent. If survival was an option, who would choose to die?

Since His Majesty dared to make such a drastic move, it proved that the rumors circulating in the city about the White-Pole Troops approaching Beijing were true. That was the source of his confidence.

"Alright, let's put this matter aside for now. I will go pacify the Right Division of Wuxiang. You two lead the troops to the Brocade Guard and the Inner Drill Camp; make sure you handle it cleanly and properly."

The others nodded, turned, and left the main tent.

Moments later, squads of soldiers poured out from the encampment of the Four Guard Divisions of Tengxiang, heading in various directions across the city.

Meanwhile, inside the Ministry of War offices, the commanders of the twenty-one guard divisions were gathered together. At the head of the table, Li Banghua wore a cold smile at the corner of his mouth.

"I have summoned you all here for no other reason than to ask: which of you has pledged allegiance to Wei Zhongxian?"