Chapter 1646: Seizing the Army, Part Two

"Open the gate, open it quickly! We are Wei Chengyun, grandson of the Nine Thousand Nine Hundred Years Grandfather, come by imperial order to distribute rewards to the brothers of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses' main camp! Do you see? The silver has already been carried over — why haven't you opened the gate at once?"

"What? Distributing rewards in the middle of the night?"

"His Majesty is in high spirits! He gave a verbal decree to the Nine Thousand Nine Hundred Years Grandfather, saying the brothers of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses have done their duty well, so they are to be rewarded. Hurry and open the gate! Once the rewards are distributed, We still have to report back to the Nine Thousand Nine Hundred Years Grandfather!"

"Fine, fine, fine — opening the gate right away!"

The eunuch of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses in charge of watching the main camp gate, yawning continuously, naturally recognized Wei Chengyun. This fellow was the acknowledged bootlicking king of the Directorate of Ceremonial, the one who most won Wei Zhongxian's favor, following at Wei Zhongxian's side from morning to night and often sent out to carry out or convey Wei Zhongxian's orders. So this gatekeeping eunuch did not suspect any trick and hurriedly ordered the gate-watching palace guards to open the gate for the Nine Thousand Nine Hundred Years Grandfather's precious grandson.

"Who is on duty today?" Wei Chengyun asked as he waved his hand, letting the several dozen eunuchs and guards pushing handcarts proceed through the gate.

"It's Supervisor Pang and Director Lu."

The senior eunuchs of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses included the seal-holding eunuch, the supervising eunuch, the superintendent eunuch, and the eunuch superintendents of the various camps, while the supervising eunuchs and director eunuchs belonged to the middle tier.

These past two days, the senior eunuchs inside the Forbidden City had all been busy to the point of flying. They were all men advanced in years, and their health was poor — as if they were missing some part — so they were all somewhat unable to hold up. And now that the new sovereign had ascended the throne and the overall situation was tentatively settled, it seemed there was nothing more to do, so the senior eunuchs had all gone back to doze. The only ones still left keeping watch in the Directorate of the Imperial Horses' main camp were Pang Tianshou and Lu Jiude, two middle-tier eunuchs who were still a bit younger.

These two eunuchs, Pang Tianshou and Lu Jiude, had also already lain down to sleep and were shaken awake by their subordinates. Upon hearing that rewards were being distributed, they got up yawning. In their hearts they were naturally not too pleased — what rewards were being distributed at this hour of the night? Couldn't it wait until tomorrow morning? The two of them had also been bustling about for two or three days and were somewhat unable to hold up.

But however displeased they were in their hearts, they still had to get up and attend to the matter! Otherwise, if the Nine Thousand Nine Hundred Years' punishment came down, the two of them could not bear it!

The two men very briskly arrived at the main hall of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses. Many candles had already been lit in the hall, making it as bright as day. All around the great hall stood eunuchs and guards dressed in mourning clothes, bearing weapons and guarding the twenty or thirty chests that had already been set out in the hall. Behind the official desk in the hall sat a person, and on either side stood several men with hands pressed on sword hilts — quite an imposing display!

Pang Tianshou and Lu Jiude both assumed the person sitting behind the official desk was Wei Cheng'en, and both frowned slightly — that seat was one only the seal-holding eunuch, the supervising eunuch, or the superintendent eunuch of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses could occupy! How could you, a mere attendant eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, sit there?

But since the man had come to deliver silver and also bore an imperial command, they could not well reproach him to his face, so they could only go up smiling to greet him. Only when they drew near did they discover something was wrong.

This man was not Wei Cheng'en. He was much younger, looking to be sixteen or seventeen, yet between his brows there was an air of kingly dominance!

Moreover, this person looked somewhat familiar, as if he were the new His Majesty of the Great Ming. But wasn't the newly arrived His Majesty dozing in the Hall of Literary Splendor? How had he come to the Directorate of the Imperial Horses?

The Directorate of the Imperial Horses was outside the Forbidden City — how had he gotten out?

"Pang Tianshou, Lu Jiude — what's the matter? Don't you recognize Us?" Zhu Youjian was delighted the moment he saw Pang Tianshou and Lu Jiude.

These were his own men! Just like the three loyal and righteous men Sun Yingyuan, Zhou Yuji, and Huang Degong, they were good eunuchs who later followed Zhu Youjian with unwavering loyalty in the struggle for the Great Ming's realm!

"Your slaves Pang Tianshou and Lu Jiude respectfully inquire after His Majesty's sacred well-being."

Once Pang Tianshou and Lu Jiude confirmed that the visitor was Zhu Youjian, they naturally kowtowed at once — no matter why Zhu Youjian had come, he was the Emperor of the Great Ming!

"Rise, rise and speak!" Zhu Youjian said with a genial smile, bidding the two to get up.

The two eunuchs were inwardly anxious, knowing that something major was about to happen, but they still obediently rose and stood at Zhu Youjian's side, hands lowered and shoulders dropped.

"Open them!"

At Zhu Youjian's single command, the twenty or thirty chests were opened one by one — a dazzling expanse of glittering gold!

Seeing so much gold, Pang Tianshou and Lu Jiude understood at once what Zhu Youjian intended to do! The two of them were also somewhat startled by the scale of Zhu Youjian's move.

Although Zhu Youjian had become Emperor, he had not yet truly gained control of the inner court. This meant Zhu Youjian had not yet obtained the inner court's treasury silver. He had previously been a young prince who had not even been enfeoffed — how much savings could he have? Where he had gotten so much gold was a mystery. And now he was taking it all out at once to buy the loyalty of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses — he was truly willing to part with it!

"Pang Tianshou, Lu Jiude," Zhu Youjian pointed at Wei Chengyun standing to the side, "do the two of you know him?"

Pang Tianshou and Lu Jiude turned their heads to look — wasn't this the Nine Thousand Nine Hundred Years' adopted grandson Wei Chengyun? And standing beside him were Sun Yingyuan, Zhou Yuji, and Huang Degong.

Pang Tianshou said, "We know him. He is the Nine— he is Wei Zhongxian's grandson!"

"No, I am not the grandson of the traitor Wei!" Wei Chengyun immediately spoke up to draw a clear line between himself and Wei Zhongxian.

Lu Jiude was startled and blurted out, "Traitor Wei... Wei Zhongxian is going to rebel?"

Xu Yingyuan, standing behind Zhu Youjian, immediately took up the question: "The traitor Wei Zhongxian is indeed about to rebel! His adopted grandson Wei Chengyun's conscience is not yet extinguished, and he has turned informant to His Majesty!"

Pang Tianshou and Lu Jiude were both startled and at once cast admiring looks at Wei Cheng'en — You ruthless bastard! To climb higher, you even sold out your own adopted grandfather!

Wei Cheng'en was also startled — since when had he ever exposed the Nine Thousand Nine Hundred Years Grandfather?

Zhu Youjian looked at Pang Tianshou and Lu Jiude: "Pang Tianshou, Lu Jiude — now that Wei Zhongxian has rebelled, whom will you help?"

Of course they would help Zhu Youjian! Only by bringing down Wei Zhongxian could the two of them become brush-holders, superintendents, seal-holders! If they did not help His Majesty, their heads would fall to the ground at once!

"We will help His Majesty!" Pang Tianshou immediately declared. "Your slave Pang Tianshou would be crushed to powder to protect His Majesty!"

"So will I!" Lu Jiude also cried out. "Your slave Lu Jiude will fight that traitor Wei to the death!"

Zhu Youjian nodded and said, "How many soldiers are in the main camp now?"

"There are 3,565 men," Pang Tianshou said.

Zhu Youjian asked, "Can they all fight? Are the weapons and equipment sufficient?"

Lu Jiude said, "Eight or nine out of ten are fit for battle. The weapons are excellent and the warhorses sturdy — no outside troops can compare."

The three camps of elite troops under the Directorate of the Imperial Horses were all cavalry, hence they were equipped with warhorses. Directly opposite the Directorate of the Imperial Horses' main camp was the Inner Grass Fodder Yard where the horses were raised.

"Eight or nine out of ten — that means one or two in ten are not quite serviceable." Zhu Youjian addressed Sun Yingyuan, Zhou Yuji, Huang Degong, Shang Fuming, Pang Tianshou, Lu Jiude, and the rest. "Sun Yingyuan and Shang Fuming will take ten thousand taels of gold to take command of the Loyal and Brave Camp; Zhou Yuji and Pang Tianshou will take ten thousand taels of gold to take command of the Four Guards Camp; Huang Degong and Lu Jiude will take ten thousand taels of gold to take command of the Braves Camp.

You are given one double-hour to distribute rewards, select troops, and reorganize the ranks. Each camp may select only 1,000 men. Officers at every level are to be reassigned, and you yourselves will choose suitable men for the posts. As for the five hundred-odd men who are discharged, hand them all over to Zhou Shizhi, the managing eunuch of Qianqing Palace!"

Even those discharged from the Directorate of the Imperial Horses were stronger than Capital Camps soldiers and palace guards. These men had not gotten in by making up numbers; they had merely grown old or suffered battle wounds and were somewhat disabled.

Moreover, the soldiers of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses had all been selected from the frontier garrisons and had no roots in Beijing, so they could not easily be controlled by the ennobled and favored families of the outer court!

Using them to guard Qianqing Palace would be far more reliable than relying on the imperial guard units controlled by the ennobled and favored families.

The three groups each took along some eunuchs and guards from Zhu Youjian's entourage and departed. In less than half a double-hour, the barracks of the Loyal and Brave Camp, the Four Guards Camp, and the Braves Camp were seething with excitement.

They were handing out gold!

And moreover, they were going to follow His Majesty to suppress the traitors — and the traitor was Wei Zhongxian!

Just how "treasonous" Wei Zhongxian was, no one knew, but everyone knew that Wei Zhongxian and his faction had money!

After another half double-hour, the sound of voices shouting "Long live His Majesty!" rose from the Inner Grass Fodder Yard opposite the Directorate of the Imperial Horses' main camp!

(End of Chapter)