Chapter 11: The Yongwei Camp (Seeking Favorites)

In the study of Zhongcui Palace, Zhu Cilang was flipping through the files of the Yongwei Camp. He had deliberately arranged this trap to deal with Zhu Chunchen, and had not gone himself.

Zhu Cilang was very cautious in his dealings, distancing himself from this matter as much as possible, trying not to let anyone suspect him. So he entrusted the matter to Li Tingbiao and Xu Sheng, with Li Tingbiao sending men to cooperate.

Xu Sheng stood by Zhu Cilang's side, recounting the events with great excitement, then chuckled and said, "Your Highness is truly brilliant. The trap you set wore the Duke of Cheng down until he could barely stand. How satisfying!"

Zhu Cilang smiled faintly and said, "This is but a minor punishment for him. Dare to oppose this prince, and his days will not be easy from now on. When that old thing sees that the hundred thousand taels of silver he paid only bought him a handwritten copy of the accounts ledger, his heart will not only ache, but he will never feel at ease again. This is what they call a blade at the neck, suspended but not falling — let him live his days in fear and trepidation..."

After Zhu Chunchen returned to his mansion and saw that what had been delivered was a handwritten copy of the accounts ledger, what with fury and exhaustion, fear and dread, he fainted on the spot. Subsequently he fell gravely ill and nearly reported to the King of Hell.

After obtaining the hundred thousand taels in silver notes, Zhu Cilang finally had sufficient confidence. He gave Li Tingbiao ten thousand taels as operating expenses.

He also took out five thousand taels of silver and had Sun Yingyuan record it on the Yongwei Camp's accounts. His imperial father would surely learn of his borrowing money from Empress Zhou, and would inevitably have someone investigate where the money had gone.

Zhu Cilang had to be careful in everything, considering every angle.

After settling the matter of Zhu Chunchen, Zhu Cilang prepared to go inspect the Yongwei Camp. The decree appointing him Governor-General of the Yongwei Camp had been issued several days prior, and he had been studying the camp recently but had not yet visited.

Zhu Cilang's style of doing things was: no matter what the matter, understand it first before acting — know yourself and know your enemy.

This time he again went out in plain clothes, bringing only a dozen or so Eastern Palace personal guards, intending to make a surprise inspection of the Yongwei Camp to see the true situation.

Before long, Zhu Cilang and his party arrived at the Yongwei Camp's encampment, stationed at the Beihai Drill Ground.

The Yongwei Camp's encampment was surrounded by wooden palisades, with a watchtower at intervals, forming a fairly complete set of defensive fortifications.

Zhu Cilang swept his gaze over the general condition of the camp and nodded inwardly. To maintain such proper standards even within the imperial city — this Cao Huachun truly had considerable skill in military governance.

Cao Huachun had been ordered to reorganize the former Tengxiang Four Guards into the new Yongwei Camp. Given Cao Huachun's high position and great authority, it was impossible for him to devote himself solely to commanding the Yongwei Camp.

To maintain actual control over this army, Cao Huachun selected Lu Jiude and Liu Yuanbin from his own faction to serve as supervisors, thereby establishing the Yongwei Camp's status as directly subordinate to the inner court.

At the main gate of the Yongwei Camp stood four soldiers on sentry duty. These four fierce and sturdy soldiers bared their arms, coarse dark hands gripping steel sabers, standing at the gate like statues, utterly motionless.

"This is a military camp — all unauthorized persons, leave at once!" One of the soldiers raised his steel saber, pointing it at Zhu Cilang's party, his face ferocious as he spoke.

"How dare you!"

Suddenly, an extremely piercing shrill cry rang out, accompanied by the sound of a group of footsteps drawing ever closer.

The newcomers were a group of soldiers, flanking two eunuchs. The voice just now had come from one of the eunuchs.

"This servant Lu Jiude, this servant Liu Yuanbin, pay respects to His Highness the Crown Prince, long may he live."

The two immediately prostrated themselves in salute upon seeing Zhu Cilang, and the group of soldiers behind them also knelt in a clatter across the ground.

"Rise!" Zhu Cilang lightly raised his right hand, bidding them to stand.

Lu Jiude and Liu Yuanbin, who had been lounging comfortably in their residences within the imperial city, each received word that His Highness the Crown Prince was heading toward the Yongwei Camp's encampment. The two leapt to their feet on the spot and rushed over posthaste.

Seeing that a soldier of the Yongwei Camp actually dared to point a saber at His Highness the Crown Prince and his party, Lu Jiude and Liu Yuanbin nearly had their souls scared out of them, and began shouting from afar.

Lu Jiude pointed at the soldier who had just raised his saber, and said in a shrill voice, "You base soldier, how dare you show disrespect to His Highness the Crown Prince! Are you tired of living? Men! Bind him and execute him on the spot!"

By this time, that gate-guarding soldier had long since dropped his saber, his face pale with fright, his legs trembling.

"Forget it." Zhu Cilang stopped him. He walked to the camp gate, looked at the soldier who was drenched in cold sweat from fear, and said, "He did not know my identity — what crime has he committed?"

"Your Highness is benevolent and virtuous. Count yourself lucky, boy — get out of the way now!" Liu Yuanbin also shot the soldier a glare, then continued, "Your Highness, this servant will immediately assemble the entire camp for your inspection."

Zhu Cilang waved his hand and said, "No need. I'm just taking a casual look — let's go straight in."

"Your Highness, please!" Lu Jiude and Liu Yuanbin hastily cleared the way on either side.

Zhu Cilang walked at the very front. As he passed through the camp gate he paused briefly, nodding slightly to the four soldiers: "Well done!"

His Highness the Crown Prince had actually praised them? All four soldiers felt their ears must be playing tricks on them, and stood there dumbfounded. By the time they snapped back to their senses, Zhu Cilang and his party had already entered the Yongwei Camp.

As the group entered the camp, the soldiers of the Yongwei Camp were in the middle of training.

It was afternoon, the sun hanging directly overhead. Though the weather had only just begun to warm, most of the soldiers had removed their shirts and were drilling bare-chested.

There were about five thousand soldiers on the drill ground, all thick-skinned, burly brutes.

Under the sunlight, the soldiers' skin gleamed with a bronze luster, beads of sweat sliding off and dripping to the ground.

The officers drilling the soldiers were also bare-armed, muscles bulging on their bodies, cords of raised veins writhing like coiling dragons, exuding a wild and savage aura.

The leading officer wore a stern expression, his face devoid of emotion, hands clasped behind his back, his gaze sweeping across each soldier in turn as he roared: "Sweat more in training, bleed less on the battlefield — do you hear me?"

"Yes!" Several thousand soldiers roared in unison, their voices like claps of thunder.

But that officer shook his head with a dissatisfied look and roared again: "Have you lot got no balls? Or are you all a bunch of women? Even a shout comes out weak and lifeless."

The moment Lu Jiude and Liu Yuanbin heard this, their faces turned black. No balls? Who the hell are you calling out?

"Yes!"

Several thousand men shouted again with heart-rending force, all in unison, as if mountains were crumbling and rivers splitting apart. It rendered everyone deaf, ears ringing with a buzz so that nothing could be heard.

"Who is this man?" Zhu Cilang pointed at that officer, asking Lu Jiude.

Lu Jiude immediately replied, "To answer Your Highness, this man is named Huang Degong, known as 'Huang the Dasher.' He is a renowned general of the Capital Camps."

Although Huang Degong had just inadvertently mentioned the matter of balls, fortunately Lu Jiude was a decent sort and did not take offense, nor did he seize the opportunity to pour poison in his ear.

Zhu Cilang asked curiously, "Why is he called 'Huang the Dasher'?"

Lu Jiude pointed at Huang Degong and said, "Assistant Regional Commander Huang was incomparably fierce even in his youth. At twelve years of age, he secretly drank wine brewed by his mother, née Xu. When Xu scolded him for it, he laughed and said he would pay her back.

To earn the money for the wine, Assistant Regional Commander Huang took a saber, mixed in with the government troops, ran off to the Liaodong battlefield, chopped off two enemy heads, collected a bounty of fifty taels of silver, and returned home to present it to Xu, saying it was payment for the wine.

Later, Assistant Regional Commander Huang joined the army. Before every battle he would drink a few mouthfuls, then plunge deep into enemy camps, heedless of life or death, regardless of gain or loss — and so he came to be called Huang the Dasher."

"So there is such a story behind it — truly a fierce general!" Zhu Cilang exclaimed in admiration.

Zhu Cilang nodded and said, "These soldiers are all a force of tiger-like warriors."

Lu Jiude said proudly, "Of course. These officers and men were all hand-picked by Supervisor Cao from among over a hundred thousand troops of the Capital Camps. One could say they are the very core combat strength of the entire Capital Camps."

To genuinely improve the new army's combat effectiveness, Cao Huachun was extremely meticulous in selecting talent. Lu Jiude and Liu Yuanbin, the two supervising eunuchs, were themselves men knowledgeable in military affairs from within the inner court, and the officers who entered the Yongwei Camp were loyal and courageous men carefully recruited by Cao Huachun.

Take, for example, Huang Degong, who hailed from Liaodong and had long experienced the trials of battle — such skilled warriors rapidly elevated the Yongwei Camp's combat strength.

Chongzhen placed great hopes on this army and offered the officers and men extremely generous treatment.

Such an excellent Supervisor Cao — Zhu Cilang did not understand why those later generations' films and television dramas listed him as a villain: chief of the Eastern Depot, persecuting officials, harming the martial world, and even voluntarily opening the city gates when Li Zicheng attacked Beijing.

Cao Huachun had returned to his hometown to retire years before Li Zicheng fought his way into Beijing. Did he open the city gates with his thoughts?