Chapter 363: The Beginning

At the grand court assembly on the first day of the sixth month, the court discussed roughly three major matters: one was the arrangement for army expansion; another was the preliminary plan to launch a second round of rotational warfare simultaneously at Hezhong Prefecture, the lower Yellow River, and the Bohai Sea, despite the summer heat; the third was the discussion on establishing the Six Offices to supervise the Six Ministries… Finally, the court also vaguely released word of His Majesty’s southern inspection tour.

Among these, the first matter remained far from optimistic.

Military commanders everywhere, just like last time, all felt that their own units should be the ones to expand. Local civil officials all said that no more troops should be sent to their areas. The high-ranking ministers at court still firmly opposed further strengthening the three garrisons west of the Pass—that is, the units of Han Shizhong, Li Yanxian, and Wu Jie… If they were strengthened any further, the military power west of the Pass would be enough to overturn the realm.

But this ran directly counter to the military plans the court had been discussing—even if Zhao Jiu believed Yue Fei was more reliable, everyone, including Yue Fei himself, would say that taking Hedong would cause Hebei to fall on its own, while taking Hebei would not allow Hebei to defend itself.

The geographical conditions of northern China were set in stone. In later ages, Shanxi Province’s geographical advantage over Hebei Province was truly one of looking down from a height, taking whatever one wanted. No one could defy the laws of nature.

In response, Zhao Jiu even considered at one point whether to have Yue Fei shift his garrison westward. However, the problem was that Yue Fei’s Imperial Guard Forward Army was mostly composed of refugees from Hebei. Sending them to fight in Hedong was not impossible, but who would then bear the combat tasks in the Hebei direction?

Most critically, where would Li Yanxian’s Hedong and Shaan-Luo troops be placed? Could they be made to abandon Li Yanxian and take orders from Yue Fei?

Li Yanxian was not the same as Zhang Jun, and his subordinates were not the same as the subordinates of the Imperial Guard Right Army.

Under the current circumstances, forcibly breaking the regional character of army groups would likely have a far greater impact on combat effectiveness than even a major purge.

Of course, what Zhao Jiu did not know was that historically, even when Yue Fei himself launched his northern expedition, he first gathered the volunteer armies of Shaan-Luo, then tried to move toward the Taihang Mountains. And Dong Xian, Niu Gao, and other major generals under Li Yanxian who operated in the Shaan-Luo area were at that time ‘outsiders’ enjoying a special status under Yue Fei.

But the problem was that at that time in that timeline, these officers and soldiers from Shaan, Luo, and Hedong not only had no Li Yanxian above them, but even the leading figures like the Zhai brothers had died for the country early on. Moreover, because of the evil deeds done by Qu Duan and the Fuping Campaign, they had no connection whatsoever with the Western Army… So under those circumstances, the heroes and righteous men who still insisted on resisting the Jin had nowhere else to go but to throw in their lot with Yue Fei, who had established his base in Hubei.

That was the situation. The geographical features of the north could not be shaken by human effort, and the major general blocs that had naturally formed in the army based on regional ties and the military-political situation after the Jingkang Incident were also basically unshakable:

The Imperial Guard Forward Army was an army composed of the Hebei refugee military group and the Kaifeng Prefecture Defense Command. It had the strongest desire to launch a northern expedition, and the Forward Army Commander-in-Chief Yue Fei was precisely the leader of the Hebei refugee officers and the successor to the Kaifeng Prefecture Defense Command.

Li Qiong, who had not become a Military Governor, was the second-in-command of this group. He was also a Hebei refugee officer and one of the orthodox successors of Zong Ze. His rise to power was itself the result of an unspoken understanding between the court and Yue Fei. However, his army was not directly split off from the Kaifeng Prefecture Defense Command or from Yue Fei, but rather from Wang Yan’s Hebei Eight-Character Army, which had a grudge against Yue Fei… This army itself could not be placed under Yue Fei, or else major chaos would ensue.

In fact, Wang Yan had gone through a round of ‘washing’ in the localities before transferring to the central government. On the surface, there were many explanations, but privately, some people directly muttered that it was the result of the court and His Majesty making a choice between this man and Yue Fei.

Li Yanxian was the leader of the Shaan-Luo-Hedong volunteer armies. The Zhai uncle and nephew were semi-independent affiliated members of this group. But it is worth mentioning that the fundamental army with which Li Yanxian had recovered Shanzhou back then was actually the remnant forces left after the Western Army’s great defeat earlier.

The Wu Jie and Wu Lin brothers were the most orthodox successors of the Western Army remnants. The Imperial Guard Rear Army was also a unit reorganized from the traditional structure of the Western Army.

Qu Duan and the Imperial Guard Cavalry Army were newly established units, but due to personnel issues, they were inextricably linked to the Western Army, with ‘bones broken but sinews still connected.’

As for Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun, Wang De, and the Imperial Guard Left Army, Right Army, and Central Army they commanded… although they all had strong Western Army characteristics, they shared another very prominent common point: they were the armies that had followed His Majesty’s traveling court from the very beginning, fleeing and escaping.

Not to mention Han and Zhang, Wang De and his subordinates were basically former subordinates of Liu Guangshi. And these three families combined exactly corresponded to the original foundation of the Imperial Guard.

Matters under heaven were just this troublesome—the army’s factional strongholds, the personal prestige and position of the generals, the regional characteristics of the army’s composition, and the interest groups formed by the current garrison areas… every aspect, every right and wrong, always required making some choices, settling on some decisions, and then making some people happy and some people resentful.

It was just that this time, the matter was especially troublesome.

The matter of army expansion remained unresolved… Of course, this was also related to the fact that this matter was not urgent. After all, even the first round of the expansion plan from early last year had not yet been fully implemented. To push a new plan, at the very least, one would have to wait until after this round of rotational warfare was over.

As for the rotational warfare, there was nothing more for anyone to say.

For one thing, His Majesty had never delegated the decision-making power for military operations, so the court naturally lacked a voice. For another, ever since the bizarre yet inevitable Song-Jin trade had begun in all sorts of strange ways, the Great Song’s fiscal and economic leeway actually far exceeded the imagination of the court officials, including His Majesty.

This was a fiscal category that no one had thought of before, but which in reality was extremely consistent with economic laws, and involved a huge amount of money.

In fact, looking back at the great enterprise of building fiscal resources over the past year or more, and checking the revenue, one would find that the Song-Jin luxury goods trade, the Sino-Japanese precious metals trade, the Guang-Yue cloth-and-grain trade, the Dali mineral trade, the Western Regions Silk Road trade… compared to the benefits brought by these trade agreements, the things that His Majesty and the court officials had racked their brains to come up with—things that were superficially financial innovations but were actually draining the pond to catch all the fish—were simply not worth mentioning!

What was that saying?

Globalization and free trade were the only way out for the twelfth century; engaging in financial innovation was a dead end.

And as things stood, when money and grain gradually ceased to be a problem, military action would naturally seem a matter of course. This matter was quickly passed, almost by default.

As for the establishment of the Six Offices, to be honest, the key point of the discussion on this matter was somewhat unexpected to Zhao Jiu.

Originally, Zhao Jiu thought that although the matter was proposed by the Minister of Revenue, Lin Jing, the other ministers might not agree, because while such a thing would serve a supervisory function, it would also clearly benefit the Chancellor in restraining the Six Ministries… However, unexpectedly, the Six Ministries did not have much objection, but a fierce dispute broke out over who would control this new supervisory body.

The Department of State Affairs, the Bureau of Military Affairs, and the Censorate all cited precedents and argued that they should be the ones to control it.

For a time, neither side would yield.

Of course, this was another instance of Zhao Jiu’s ignorance… Historically, the establishment of the Six Offices and the related evaluation and supervision system for central government officials occurred in the mid-Ming Dynasty. At that time, the Grand Councilors had real power but no official title, the Grand Secretariat was nominally just the Emperor’s secretarial staff, on par with the Hanlin Academicians, while the Six Ministries were long-standing departments with real power, so there was always a struggle between the Grand Secretariat and the Ministries.

But for the Song Dynasty, it was exactly the opposite. From the perspective of Song political tradition, the political status of the Grand Councilors was beyond doubt, while the Six Ministries had not gained real power for even a few years.

Hence the current situation—the Six Ministries themselves did not object, but the Eastern and Western Palaces, which actually had Grand Councilors in residence, and the Censorate, which could be considered to have half a Grand Councilor, were fighting fiercely among themselves.

This was a matter that had to be resolved before the southern inspection tour.

But compared to the matter of army expansion, it should be quite simple… Once sorted out, a single word from His Majesty would suffice.

Finally, there was the southern inspection tour. There was nothing much to say about this. At the grand court assembly, through a memorial submitted by Hanlin Academician Lu Benzhong, the wind was slightly let out to everyone… There were no fierce objections.

And so, after a round of calculations and chaos, when the court was dismissed, the various officials could not help but harbor their own thoughts as they returned to their respective posts.

It was at this moment that the newly returned Left Vice Minister of Works, Gou Long Ruyuan, was startled to discover on his desk the transfer order from the Department of State Affairs, along with His Majesty’s decree demanding that he strictly investigate the mastermind behind the trend of slandering Hu Yin for being unfilial.

The decree’s wording was vehement, and at the end, His Majesty’s personal signature as ‘Zhao Jiu of Cangzhou,’ along with the genuine imperial seal and the outer strip from the Department of State Affairs that attached the decree and the document, were all perfectly correct.

Gou Long Ruyuan naturally knew what this meant—it meant that this decree represented the will of the empire’s highest authority.

Imperial power, and the highest representative of the bureaucratic system that could nominally impose even a slight restriction on imperial power, had already reached a consensus on this issue.

It was the afternoon of the sixth month, the height of summer, possibly the hottest time of the entire year. Even the wind in the air was hot.

And the former Left Vice Minister of Works, now Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Gou Long Ruyuan, sat rigidly in his own office. First, his heart pounded and he broke out in a cold sweat, then he paced back and forth in hesitation and fear, and finally, after his whole body went cold, he sat motionless… Clever as he was, how could he not realize that his actions had been exposed?

Yet even so, this newly appointed Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review spent an entire afternoon forcing himself to recognize reality, because he simply could not bring himself to admit that His Majesty wanted him dead.

This conclusion was too shocking.

The sun gradually set in the west. Deep across the street, a bell suddenly rang out from the Great Xiangguo Temple. It announced the end of the workday for the officials on either side of the Imperial Way, and also prompted a reaction from Gou Long Ruyuan, who had been pondering in his office for a long time—he threw down the decree, forced himself to walk out of his office with reason, first went to an office under the opposite corridor, called out the Right Vice Minister of Works, He Zhu, and then, under the gaze of the Ministry of Works clerks who were also leaving for the day, entered together the central office in the Ministry of Works compound.

This office had always had its doors wide open for anyone to enter, because it was the office of the Minister of Works, Hu Yin.

Hu Mingzhong had no intention of leaving for home directly upon hearing the bell. He looked up from a desk full of documents, first glanced at the pale-faced Gou Long Ruyuan, showed no reaction at all, then lowered his head to look at the documents on his desk, signed his name, and only then looked up again.

This time, he saw He Zhu, who was clearly puzzled, following behind Gou Long Ruyuan. Only then did he slightly lean forward and clasp his hands in a gesture of courtesy.

Inside the office, several clerks who had finished packing their things deftly placed two chairs opposite Minister Hu’s desk, then wisely left for the day. For a time, only the three high officials were left sitting around the table.

Hu Yin’s expression did not change. He simply sat upright and looked at the two men before him. He Zhu, momentarily confused, used his eyes to glance at Gou Long Ruyuan, who had summoned him.

The pale-faced Gou Long Ruyuan, after a brief pause, slowly spoke: “Minister Hu, His Majesty has issued a decree, transferring me to the post of Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, to investigate the case of your false accusation… His Majesty’s meaning is that behind this case there must be someone like Wang Ciweng secretly pulling the strings, and he ordered me to be sure to root them out, and then punish them severely without leniency.”

Vice Minister He was stunned for a moment. In his heart, he understood why Gou Long Ruyuan had called him over, but for a moment, he did not know whether he should congratulate Gou Long Ruyuan, express sympathy to Hu Yin, or offer an opinion on the case.

In the end, this Right Vice Minister of Works simply remained silent and looked back at Minister Hu Yin.

Unexpectedly, Hu Yin still showed no change in expression. He merely nodded slightly… It was very clear, just as He Zhu had thought, that this trusted minister, whom His Majesty was willing to protect even at the cost of sullying his own reputation, had certainly known about this matter long ago.

But the next moment, Gou Long Ruyuan caused Vice Minister He to stop thinking entirely: “There is no need to investigate this case, because the one who, on that day, had people tell those Fujian scholars that Minister Hu had a grudge against Liu Mian was none other than myself. And indeed, I wanted to drive Minister Hu out, to see if I could advance a step further.”

He Zhu was completely stunned on the spot, but Hu Yin showed no extra reaction, merely nodding slightly: "I know."

Gou Long Ruyuan pondered for a moment, then sighed softly in response: "Minister Hu, have you read the *Book of Rites*?"

Vice Minister He had just come to his senses, only to be baffled again... What kind of talk was this?

Hu Yin, however, remained unperturbed: "I read it at age six."

"The *Rites* says: 'Lu had its beginnings.' And your father, when lecturing, also quoted the *Liezi*: 'The Great Beginning is the start of qi.'... Minister Hu should know the meaning of this 'beginning,' shouldn't you?" Gou Long Ruyuan continued to ask earnestly.

"I do. It means that all things have a cause and a start." Hu Mingzhong replied calmly.

It was from this point that the thoroughly confused He Zhu wisely gave up any intention of interjecting, sitting obediently to listen to the two men converse.

"Minister Hu, before I understood the principle that 'everything has a beginning,' I drifted through provincial posts for over a decade..." Gou Long Ruyuan said with a sigh. "I worked diligently, tried earnestly to gauge the intentions of my superiors, yet always found myself thwarted by one thing or another, repeatedly sinking to the bottom. It was only as I grew older that I gradually came to grasp this truth. Although later, trapped by the great situation of the Jingkang Incident, I still couldn't rise to prominence for a time, I could at last glimpse the true essence of the court's affairs, no longer muddling through."

Hu Yin looked at him and asked seriously: "Is this 'beginning' so powerful?"

"Everything has a beginning. If one can act according to the 'beginning' of a matter, things will always be simple. Conversely, if one fails to see where and what the true 'beginning' of a matter is, one will inevitably fall into difficulty."

Gou Long Ruyuan ignored the other's sarcasm, growing even more emotional. "On a small scale, the 'beginning' of the Quanzhou foreign temple case lay in His Majesty having long shown an attitude of vigilance toward foreign merchants, unwilling to grant them imperial documents and banners. Ridiculously, other officials thought the court would tolerate evil for the sake of a bit of commercial tax, never considering that His Majesty's temper had always been consistent. On a larger scale, the court's 'beginning' lies in the Jingkang Incident... With this 'beginning,' one naturally understands why the old and new factions no longer exist in court personnel, replaced by struggles between war and peace, offense and defense, urgency and delay; one also realizes why His Majesty and the two Retired Emperors have such friction; and one comprehends why all major court policies revolve around the Song-Jin war."

"Not bad." Hu Yin immediately nodded. "What you say makes sense... Since the Jianyan era, the nation's politics, ethos, and personnel have all changed, with the root in Jingkang. Even the Quanzhou foreign temple case, you, a thousand li away, perceived its original beginning."

"Moreover, why war over peace? Why offense over defense? Why urgency over delay? These too have their 'beginnings.'" Gou Long Ruyuan raised his left hand, using his right to count off his left fingers one by one, speaking earnestly, not relaxing even with the other's acknowledgment. "The Emperor's accession is the first 'beginning.' He came to the throne unexpectedly and had to advocate war to legitimize himself, and having suffered sudden upheavals, he often acts extraordinarily..."

"Holding the line at the Huai River is the second 'beginning.' Once we briefly checked the weary Jin troops, we learned that the Jin too have their limits, and realized that China's vastness might not be indefensible..."

"Moving the capital to Nanyang is the third 'beginning,' showing both inside and outside that the Zhao clan has no intention of seeking mere comfort..."

"Returning to Dongjing is the fourth 'beginning,' making it clear to all within the seas that Song has not perished..."

"The desperate fight at Yaoshan is the fifth 'beginning,' letting the world know that China still has hope..."

"One beginning piled upon another. By the time of Yaoshan, the momentum for the Northern Expedition was already irreversible. Ridiculously, there were still those who wanted to surrender, to negotiate peace, to hold ground, to delay, not realizing that things were already fated." Gou Long Ruyuan put down his counting hand and shook his head. "It was from that point that I cast aside all scruples, and my actions have since aligned with the central strategy... Thus, my career progressed smoothly. Yet, knowing full well this 'one beginning piled upon another,' knowing where His Majesty's 'beginning' in employing people lies, I still, bewitched by greed, did such a thing—equally ridiculous!"

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Hu Mingzhong finally grew impatient.

"I wish for Minister Hu to convey a few matters to His Majesty..."

"Speak."

"First, I am aware of the nation's major policies. To have committed such a despicable act was truly because my lust for power blinded me. I beg His Majesty to spare my useful life."

Hu Yin remained silent, merely staring coldly at him. Even Vice Minister He, who had been quiet all along, couldn't help but glance sideways at this colleague.

"Second, establishing the Six Offices is necessary, but the focus should be on supervising and evaluating the Six Ministries, not on spying and probing into people's hearts... Because I, Gou Long Ruyuan, am merely a petty man who entered the capital barely a month ago. It is perfectly normal for the court to have overlooked me momentarily. Please do not suspect that the central officials have so quickly become corrupt."

Hu Yin finally nodded, but his expression did not change at all: "On this matter, I will certainly speak to His Majesty."

"Third." Gou Long Ruyuan continued earnestly. "Since the Six Offices are established, they are an extension of the Censorate and Remonstrance Bureau. Their institutional 'beginning' lies in the Remonstrance Bureau, and they should be placed under the Censorate."

Hu Yin's expression finally softened slightly.

"Fourth, His Majesty's journey south is correct, because the hearts of the people in the regions are the true 'beginning.' But since going south, rather than embracing a gentle rain, it is better to wield the power of thunder; rather than probing the hearts of scholar-officials, it is better to inquire into local customs and morale; rather than observing famous cities and great prefectures, it is better to glimpse the villages and fields; rather than looking at commercial taxes and mineral revenues, it is better to examine land taxes and corvée labor..."

"Is this whole string also the learning of 'beginnings'?" Hu Yin finally spoke.

"Yes." Gou Long Ruyuan bowed slightly. "The former are the branches, the latter are the roots... If one can follow the root, there is no need to mind the branches!"

"Then the 'beginning' of this speech of yours is actually still the first point?" Hu Mingzhong pressed on frankly. "Since awakening to this principle of 'beginnings,' your own 'beginning' has been to rise to prominence?"

Gou Long Ruyuan was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Yes... But for His Majesty, for the court, my 'beginning' is merely a 'branch,' and my 'branch' might become His Majesty's 'beginning'... I beg Minister Hu to convey these words."

"I will go with Vice Minister He to see His Majesty right now." Hu Mingzhong was silent for a moment, then stood up. "I have had a photographic memory since childhood, and I remember everything I hear. I will not change a single word of your speech. Vice Minister He will bear witness as you wish. Will you wait here, or go home and wait?"

He Zhu finally understood completely and quickly stood up.

Gou Long Ruyuan thought for a moment, then also stood up and bowed earnestly: "I will wait here."

Hu Yin nodded, and together with the silent He Zhu, left the office and strode away.

After about half a shichen, neither He Zhu nor Hu Yin returned. Instead, Chief Eunuch Lan Gui led several Imperial Bodyguards into the Ministry of Works compound... As soon as he entered the Minister's office, he spoke bluntly to the trembling Gou Long Ruyuan:

"His Majesty's oral decree: 'Minister Gou, since you know My beginning, you should also know that I have always delighted in unrestrained excess, discarding the root and keeping the branch.'"

With that, this Chief Eunuch of the Inner Service turned and left without looking back, leaving Gou Long Ruyuan utterly speechless in the room... How could he not know that his last struggle had failed?

Yet Gou Long Ruyuan still clung to a thread of survival instinct. That day, he waited in the office until dark, hoping for a turn of events before the throne, and that Hu Yin and He Zhu would return to say a word to him.

But until the sky was pitch black, no one came back. Under the watchful eyes of the two Imperial Bodyguards at the door, Gou Long Ruyuan could only return home in despair.

Back at the new residence allotted by the court, this newly appointed Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review summoned his wife, concubines, and children, telling them bluntly that his days were numbered. He divided up the government bonds and gold and silver stored at home, and ordered them to leave at dawn the next day for their hometown in Sichuan... When dawn came, his family was driven out by servants, covering their faces as they fled. Gou Long Ruyuan himself several times tried to kill himself for dignity's sake, but could not bring himself to do it.

In the end, he could only remain trapped at home, waiting to die.

And waiting to die he was... That day, Vice Minister of Works He Zhu went in turn to the Department of State Affairs, the Bureau of Military Affairs, the Censorate, and the Ministry of Justice, publicly presenting evidence that Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review Gou Long Ruyuan had framed colleagues, sowed discord between ruler and ministers, shifted blame onto the Retired Emperor, divided the imperial family, deceived the sovereign, and committed crimes unpardonable.

The court was instantly in an uproar.

Because the accused was the Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, the case was transferred directly to the Ministry of Justice. That afternoon, two minor clerks from the Ministry of Justice, accompanied by two jailers, came to Gou's residence, dragged Gou Long Ruyuan out, and sent him to the Ministry of Justice prison.

Seizing a high-ranking minister was like leading away a chicken or a dog.

This time, both the court and the public were in an uproar.

The matter was grave, and no one dared to be negligent. Just one day later, Minister of Justice Ma Shen, with the Censor-in-Chief as witness and three Censors as assistants, personally opened the court session. He summoned Minister Hu Yin, Vice Minister He Zhu, and the intercepted Fujian villagers for cross-examination and investigation.

After obtaining the confession without error, before noon, three identical copies were sent to the Censorate, the Department of State Affairs, and via the Bureau of Military Affairs to the throne.

His Majesty Zhao did not hesitate for a moment and immediately replied:

"Gou Long Ruyuan harbored malicious intent, deceived the sovereign out of selfishness, framed colleagues, and threw the state into chaos. He has lost all sense of a minister's integrity, a colleague's fellowship, and an official's conduct—there has never been such a man! In this time of war, military law shall apply. Strip him of all honors and titles since his entry into office, and execute him by beheading immediately!"

The reply was quickly transmitted back from the Inner Service, and the Department of State Affairs and the Bureau of Military Affairs directly added the seals of the Eastern and Western Administrations to the document, as if handling some ordinary decree.

At the same time, the Censorate, unaware of the reaction at the Chongwen Institute, upon learning of His Majesty's reply, hesitated noticeably. They held an internal meeting at the Wutai and only reached a consensus by evening: to suggest that His Majesty Zhao discuss the matter publicly at the next court session.

Immediately, Li Guang personally took the document to the Chongwen Institute, found the Bureau of Military Affairs, and demanded that the duty officer transmit it to the Inner Service at dawn the next day.

Unexpectedly, the next morning, while this sole document openly opposing His Majesty's decree was still in process, a squad of Imperial Bodyguards entered the Ministry of Justice prison. They first presented all legal documents, dragged the limp, flesh-like Gou Long Ruyuan out, hauled him to the front of Xuande Tower, publicly announced his crimes, then one held him down while another swung a blade—as swiftly as they had killed the imperial horse there before—and beheaded this man who had been a high-ranking minister just days ago.

When Minister of Justice Ma Shen and Censor-in-Chief Li Guang received the news and hurried to the scene together, they were shocked to find that even the bloodstains on the ground had been washed clean. Only the long-rotted, bone-only horse head hung on Xuande Tower, stirred by the warm wind, making a mournful sound.

The two, who had just been discussing whether to have Gou Long Ruyuan 'exiled to a distant place without pardon,' fell completely silent.

A few days later, the court issued an internal document and official gazette announcing the conclusion reached by His Majesty and the chief ministers: the Six Offices were established for evaluation, not surveillance, and were placed under the Censorate's Remonstrance Bureau.

A few more days passed. Just as the front lines launched another round of battles, the official gazette published another decree from His Majesty Zhao, stating: 'Everything has a beginning. The beginning of the court's restoration lies not in the Central Plains, nor in arms, but in Jiangnan, in the scholar-officials and the people.' His Majesty would set out in the seventh month, leading 1,500 Imperial Bodyguards and 2,000 Imperial Camp Cavalry, to tour and inspect Jingxiang and the Southeast, entrusting state affairs to the chief ministers and the Secretariat.