[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties":3,"chapter-i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-49":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I Really Am Not Neglecting My Duties",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2363318,4622,"Chapter 49","i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-49",49,"\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng sent You Qi to deliver the message to Qi Jiguang; Qi Jiguang already knew that Wang Chonggu was coming with the several capital garrison officers who had clashed with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Jiguang felt it unnecessary—merely a verbal dispute; why make such a fuss?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Jiguang stated firmly: “It’s a minor matter. Friction between border troops and capital garrison is common; the Provincial Military Commander and Regional Commander can punish them by flogging under military law.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Jiguang meant to spare their lives: let the capital garrison handle the punishment—whether to strike hard or light, whether to pad the back or not, it was their responsibility; he would not watch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The capital garrison was full of noble families; if they killed someone, Qi Jiguang, as a border Regional Commander, would gain many enemies at court—right now, the Duke of Chengguo Zhu Xixiao and Viceroy Wang Chonggu would immediately be offended, since these men were theirs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Xixiao smiled slightly; face was given in mutual respect. Since Qi Jiguang offered this courtesy, everyone would save face in the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“General Qi is a true gentleman,” Wang Chonggu exclaimed, then kicked the Battalion Commander and the two Platoon Leaders hard, barking: “Quickly thank General Qi for sparing your worthless lives!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank General Qi for sparing my life! Thank General Qi for sparing my life!” The Battalion Commander knelt on the ground, bowing his head repeatedly; though bound tightly, he completed every bow, utterly stripped of his earlier arrogance at the city gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They never expected to cause such a massive incident; previously, when border troops entered the capital, they had often bullied them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Da, a southern commander who had followed Qi Jiguang back to the capital, felt his commander had been unjustly lenient—how could he let these men off so easily? If they returned to the capital later, these petty men would harass again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Qi Family Army maintained strict discipline; soldiers’ duty was obedience; he did not oppose Qi Jiguang’s decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Jiguang chose to forgive the Battalion Commander, the two Platoon Leaders, and the three soldiers—he was magnanimous; he did not want troops to turn on each other, for that harmed the Great Ming and contradicted his ideals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At curfew, Qi Jiguang received news.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Chonggu had beaten the men to death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Disobeying superiors merits one hundred lashes; one hundred lashes delivered with full force, no padding, could kill in ten or so blows—but with skillful technique and padding, the sound was loud yet the man lived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dead?” Chen Da, Qi Jiguang’s Assistant Regional Commander, heard the news and clenched his fists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This civil official Wang Chonggu never wanted harmony between capital garrison and border troops—he killed them outright; to the capital garrison, this became proof that Qi Jiguang lacked magnanimity!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah,” Qi Jiguang heard the news and felt a sudden desolation; all emotions condensed into a heavy sigh, thick with unresolvable sorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Three Garrisons, he was indeed General Qi—his orders were obeyed without question, discipline was ironclad, he could fight and win.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The army was rife with north-south tensions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He brought six thousand southern troops, his right and left hands, but Jizhou, Shanhai, and Yongping were all northern troops; the northerners saw southerners as General Qi’s executioners, drillmasters, and torturers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The southerners saw northerners as lazy, disrespectful of discipline, and lax in military readiness; north-south tensions were compounded by differences in customs, accents, habits, and daily routines, making conflict fierce.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The army was saturated with severe troop tensions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Great Ming, “soldier” specifically meant volunteer militia—the three thousand volunteers Qi Jiguang recruited to suppress pirates—recruited troops; “troops” meant hereditary military households, garrison soldiers who inherited land cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Jiguang’s recruited troops received daily rations worth 0.33 tael of silver; during marches, field rations were worth 0.12 tael; annual pay totaled roughly eighteen taels of silver, which Qi Jiguang personally oversaw—his foundation for discipline: sufficient pay ensured victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hereditary military households received pay under the garrison system—a scheme for officers from Assistant Regional Commander down to Platoon Leader to siphon soldiers’ wages; Qi Jiguang repeatedly tried to investigate corruption, but all efforts ended in failure—cutting off someone’s livelihood was like killing their parents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hereditary troops watched southern volunteers enjoy fine food and drink, receiving eighteen taels of silver every year, and naturally resented them; they did not fear scarcity but inequality—when everyone suffered equally, no one noticed, but once they realized soldiers could live this way, conflict erupted immediately; troop tensions became complex and intractable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The army was rife with equipment disparities: southern troops, rewarded with vast silver for suppressing pirates, used much of it to upgrade arms; in the Three Garrisons, equipment was decayed, still using matchlocks from the Yongle era, while southern troops were uniformly armed with bird guns—daily drills inevitably sparked friction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These multiple tensions influenced, balanced, and exacerbated one another until they became irreconcilable; even within the army, Qi Jiguang was seen as a useless blemish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, Wang Chonggu had flogged to death a Battalion Commander, two Platoon Leaders, and three soldiers—this grudge was fully sealed; another rift between capital garrison and border troops would now fester.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under such tensions, could Qi Jiguang still win battles? Only a man with military genius could truly command the battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Jiguang believed all tensions were not problems—if he kept winning, victories would turn all tensions outward, not inward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning, days of gloom vanished; the sun rose in the east, bathing the earth in dawn light, illuminating the capital and the Northern Earth City in radiant glory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Villagers on the capital’s outskirts began carrying hoes and shoulder poles to till their fields; city ward gates slowly opened, streets grew noisy, cries of vendors rose and fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Steam rose from breakfast stalls; vendors hurried to fry and brew tea, agilely dodging and weaving to prevent spills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In teahouses, storytellers recounted legendary tales, their plots gripping and moving; when the wooden clapper struck, audiences erupted in cheers—but when they paused with “To be continued,” a chorus of boos followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Jiguang donned his court robes early and rode with Assistant Regional Commander Chen Da to Desheng Gate; Desheng Gate was the military entrance, and Qi Jiguang must enter the capital through it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minister of War Tan Lun, Vice Minister of War and Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate Liu Yingjie, and Vice Minister of War and Right Assistant Censor-in-Chief Wang Daoqun arrived with a retinue of court officials to greet him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tan Lun and Qi Jiguang were old comrades; together they suppressed pirates in the south; in the north, Tan Lun was Viceroy of Jizhou, Qi Jiguang was Regional Commander of Jizhou—their coordination was seamless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Jiguang dismounted, exchanged formal greetings, then switched to carriages; they traveled along the imperial road from Desheng Gate to Left Chang’an Street, arriving before Chengtian Gate; Qi Jiguang stepped down and entered the imperial precinct, passing through the gate arch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The view opened suddenly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Left side civil, right side military—the square was lined with capital officials and military nobles; Embroidered Uniform Guard in flying-fish robes, swords at waist, halberds in hand, stood rigidly at attention, solemn and dignified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Melodious horns sounded; war drums thundered before Fengtian Hall; the Temple of Ritual’s musicians began to play and dance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Jiguang walked step by step to the Nine-Dragon Altar Steps, awaiting the Emperor’s audience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun rose at the fourth watch for his first morning court at Fengtian Hall; dressing alone took half an hour—the twelve-section dragon robe with sun and moon on the shoulders, twelve-bead crown, was the Emperor’s ceremonial attire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This robe was cumbersome to put on and take off; worn for sacrifices to Heaven, Earth, and the ancestral temple; Zhu Yijun could not even dress himself—he needed palace maids to assist; over ten ornaments hung from his person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Zhu Yijun normally walked with measured, steady steps; otherwise, the dangling ornaments would clatter as he moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Morning bells, evening drums: at the fifth watch, the bronze bell on Jingyang Tower rang as firemen struck it, awakening the capital; opposite, drums began beating, invigorating the spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ming followed Tang custom: morning bells rang before drums; at curfew, drums beat before bells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun arrived at Fengtian Hall; the dragon throne had been carried onto the moon terrace; Zhu Xixiao swung the ceremonial whip; court officials entered, chanting “Ten thousand years!” three times—just as they finished, Qi Jiguang arrived beneath the Nine-Dragon Altar Steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The timing was perfect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minister of Rites Lu Shusheng did not disrupt the rites; since the court deliberation had passed, further meddling would only invite trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun sat upright and said calmly: “Summon General Qi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Summon Regional Commander of the Three Garrisons Qi Jiguang to audience!” Feng Bao, Chief Eunuch of the Directorate of Palace Affairs, straightened at the Emperor’s words and shouted loudly in a high-pitched voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two lines of young eunuchs at Fengtian Hall’s entrance shouted the Emperor’s decree in succession: two passed to four, four to eight, then sixteen, then thirty-two, each layer echoing the Emperor’s imperial pronouncement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Jiguang adjusted his sleeves, lifted his robe hem, and ascended the steps one by one, entering Fengtian Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Regional Commander of Shanhai, Yongping, and Jizhou, Qi Jiguang, bows before Your Majesty! May Your Majesty live ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!” Qi Jiguang knelt and performed the full five prostrations and three kowtows, chanting “Ten thousand years!” three times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Regional Commander of the Three Garrisons Qi Jiguang, receive the edict,” Feng Bao flicked his fly whisk, stepped forward two paces, and two young eunuchs unfurled a twelve-foot-long, one-foot-wide imperial decree woven with black rhinoceros horn scrolls, auspicious clouds, and crane motifs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I, of meager virtue, ascended the throne in my youth, ever fearful of failing my ancestors’ trust and the people’s devotion; I hold succession as paramount, safeguarding the ancestral altars and state; the foundation laid by my ancestors is of utmost weight—I tremble day and night, fearing I cannot bear it; I rely on loyal civil and military ministers to jointly govern, bringing harmony to all lands, blessing the people, and renewing the realm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since the year Renyin, the barbarians have annually demanded tribute and trade; our state, wishing to cease war and rest the people, acted with sincere intent—but we failed to strengthen our defenses; barbarian horses drink at our borders, slaughter and stench reach our city walls; they threaten with arms, we respond in desperation, accepting humiliating peace under their walls—is this not disgrace?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My late father heard that Qi Jiguang combines civil and military talent, possessing both strategy and courage; he knows men, wins men’s hearts, and controls them; after consultation with court ministers, I hereby appoint you Commander of Jizhou and Liaodong, solely to train border troops.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now I hear that Dong Huli came demanding rewards; you set ambushes at Beigukou, General Tower, Meizi Tower, and Xifengkou, repelled the Duoyan Guard chieftain Dong Huli, claimed over two thousand five hundred enemy heads, drove off the enemy forces, captured Dong Huli’s nephew Buha Chu alive, and sent him to the capital—I am greatly pleased.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For your victories against northern barbarians, I hereby promote you to Right Grand Director of the Central Military Command, concurrently Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince; for your achievements suppressing pirates and repelling enemies, I enfeoff you as Marquis of Qian’an, with an annual stipend of eight hundred shi; your unwavering loyalty is witnessed by Heaven alone!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In accordance with ancestral precedent, I proclaim virtue and grace, notifying all under Heaven.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is my decree.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun smiled and said: “Rise, my minister.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Jiguang bowed again and declared loudly: “Thank Your Majesty for this great grace.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fengtian Hall fell into an unnerving silence; the Emperor had unexpectedly enfeoffed Qi Jiguang as Marquis of Qian’an—though no hereditary patent was granted, it was enough to shock everyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who instructed this? Was it Zhang Juzheng favoring his own lackeys?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What did the Emperor intend?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was the Emperor planning rebellion!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Those with matters, step forward and speak; those without, withdraw,” Feng Bao flicked his fly whisk and shouted loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minister of War Tan Lun took one step forward, then withdrew—whoever opposed, let them oppose; Tan Lun had no intention of opposing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minister of Personnel Yang Bo glanced left and right, his expression complex; finally he shook his head, stepped forward, and bowed: “Your Majesty, I have a memorial to submit.”\u003C\u002Fp>",2076,"2026-06-21T07:55:54.218Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","804e373449c168cbb1d7afed98852509ceacc12303c2555dac3decce342632e2","i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-50","i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-48",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-cover.jpg"]