Chapter 213: Unrest in Denglai

"An imperial envoy has come to Caozhou—has His Majesty given some instruction?" Mou Wenshou invited Li Fengxiang to the seat of honor used for war councils, seated himself below, and asked eagerly.

At this time, all the generals in the marshal's residence had assembled, including Assistant Regional Commander Mou Wenju. Looking at these burly, rough-hewn officers below, even Li Fengxiang dared not put on airs, and said with a smile:

"I have not come this time to deliver an edict, but it amounts to much the same—I bear His Majesty's oral instruction, and wish to ask Regional Commander Mou's intent." Li Fengxiang coughed twice, and seeing that Mou Wenshou and the others showed no change of expression, only then continued:

"Regional Commander Mou should have heard from the dispatches that, by decision of the Grand Secretariat and the various ministers, the court intends to establish a military academy in the capital, with a standing much like that of the Imperial Academy among civil officials. In the future, a branch academy will also be added at Nanjing.

The Duke of Ying, the Earl of Xinjian, Governor Gao of Xuan Garrison, and Regional Commanders Huang and Yang of the Ji Garrison have all had their sons and nephews choose days to go to the capital to study. I have heard that Regional Commander Mou's son is already nineteen—just the right age to enroll in the military academy.

You should know, once they graduate, they become disciples of the Son of Heaven, and conducting affairs outside will be much more convenient."

Mou Wenshou had only learned of the court's news yesterday. His first thought at the time had been to send his own son to study at the military academy. In fact, his cousin Mou Wenju felt the same way and also wanted his son to go.

Mou Wenshou was no Liu Zeqing, still less Zuo Liangyu. Mou's troops and Liu's troops and Zuo's camp were entirely different kinds of official forces. For a military commander loyal to the court like Mou Wenshou, such a matter could only bring benefit and no harm.

After thinking it over briefly, Mou Wenshou said: "Steward, please rest assured. Your subordinate has also been worrying that my worthless son has no place to gain experience. The court opening a military academy is truly a tremendous good thing. In a few days I shall have my son set out. But there is one request I hope the steward will grant."

Originally, Li Fengxiang's greatest worry had been that Mou Wenshou would be difficult to deal with. If Mou Wenshou, as Regional Commander of Shandong, would not go, then there was no point even mentioning Vice Regional Commander Qiu Lei, stationed at Wuding Prefecture, or Chen Hongfan, the Denglai Regional Commander stationed at Penglai.

If it truly came to that, they would certainly find every way to refuse, and then he would be unable to deliver on his mission and would himself suffer the consequences. With no further worries in his heart, Li Fengxiang relaxed considerably and said directly with a chuckle:

"No need for requests. If Regional Commander Mou will speak it out, how could I possibly refuse to grant face?"

"In that case, Wenju, you speak." As Mou Wenshou said this, he shifted aside to make room, and from behind stepped forward a rough man with a face full of stubble, who bowed his head in salute: "Your subordinate, Shandong Assistant Regional Commander Mou Wenju, pays respects to the steward!"

"This… what does General Mou mean by this?" Li Fengxiang could not quite fathom the other's intent, and his voice carried caution and care.

"My worthless son Dazhuang is eighteen this year. Ordinarily he idles about in the army, possessing only brute strength—no military merit, yet extremely conceited. Your subordinate wondered whether the steward might make an exception, and let Dazhuang go along with Guoxi to study. First, to broaden his horizons and earn the title of disciple of the Son of Heaven; second, to learn what your subordinate himself lacks, and serve the dynasty better." Mou Wenju appeared extremely ill at ease, not even daring to raise his head while speaking, as if he held the imperial envoy Li Fengxiang in great reverence.

"So that's it—easy to arrange, easy to arrange." Li Fengxiang secretly wiped his sweat and said: "His Majesty has already mentioned this matter. This enrollment at the military academy is not restricted to the sons of generals and meritorious nobles—even ordinary commoners may attend. On this point, General Mou may rest fully assured. So long as your sons go, they will get in smoothly."

Mou Wenju was hearing of this for the first time, and was extremely astonished at once, asking: "But if that is so, then couldn't just anyone sneak into the military academy? The title of disciple of the Son of Heaven would then be worth nothing."

"Wenju, how can you be so rude before the imperial envoy?" Mou Wenshou said with a frown and a heavy voice.

"Imperial envoy, please forgive me—I am a crude, boorish man who knows no propriety." Mou Wenju was also very honest, admitting his fault directly without another word.

"No matter, no matter." Had Mou Wenshou not mentioned it, Li Fengxiang truly would not have noticed. He waved his hand and said with a smile: "Naturally, not just any rotten melon or split date can slip through, or else wouldn't the military academy be the same as not establishing it at all?

With the Imperial Academy, spending some silver gets you in. But even if you get into the military academy, that is only the beginning—they will be screened out batch after batch. These men will all be going out to hold real posts in the future, so naturally there can be no carelessness."

At Caozhou, Li Fengxiang had comparatively smooth success in getting the Mou clan to hand their sons and nephews over to the court. Next he went to Wuding Prefecture, where Qiu Lei entertained Li Fengxiang with great warmth.

At the time, Qiu Lei had been somewhat reluctant—wasn't his son gaining experience by following him into battle? What was the point of studying books? Reading books turned everyone into fools—could they fight?

But no matter what, Qiu Lei remained extremely loyal to the court. This matter was after all the emperor's will, and not easy to refuse, so his attitude toward Li Fengxiang was also most respectful. When he heard how proactive Mou Wenshou had been, he appeared extremely shocked as well.

Mou Wenshou had played this move decisively—he had even sent the sons of his own subordinates along as well.

Since that fellow had done this, Qiu Lei naturally could not lag behind. Without another word, the man immediately had his own son Qiu Ding set a date to go to the capital for the military academy, and smilingly asked the intentions of the several brigade commanders under him.

Those brigade commanders wore bitter faces, and could only send their own sons and nephews along with Qiu Ding to study at the military academy. Qiu Lei smiled with satisfaction at the time, and very earnestly asked Li Fengxiang how he was finding his stay in Wuding, whether he would like to listen to some music, and so forth.

Compared with Mou Wenshou and Qiu Lei, the conduct of Chen Hongfan, the Denglai Regional Commander, was somewhat unclear and unfathomable.

Li Fengxiang had traveled all over the realm the previous year—he had been to the front lines, to Nanjing, and even made a trip to Pidao—but this was the first time he had encountered a Regional Commander and Governor who so disregarded an imperial envoy like himself.

On the day he arrived at Penglai, Chen Hongfan, the Denglai Regional Commander, used the excuse that he had blistered his feet from walking the previous day and did not come to receive him. That was tolerable—Li Fengxiang could bear it and let it pass.

According to protocol, a banquet should next have been held for Li Fengxiang, the imperial envoy. But the conduct of Chen Jin, the Denglai Governor, was even more interesting—with great solemnity he declared that Chen Hongfan was the Regional Commander, and without him no banquet could be held, thus fobbing off the matter entirely, arranging a courier station for Li Fengxiang and his party to lodge in, and leaving it at that.

Li Fengxiang said nothing at the time, but with a dark face went the next day to seek out Chen Hongfan and Chen Jin on his own initiative. As expected, he was refused at both doors—the two men seemed to be deliberately avoiding him.

At that point, Li Fengxiang could barely contain himself. I am, after all, a trusted confidant of the Son of Heaven—even if you two want to court death, this is no way to go about it!

Li Fengxiang, finding the matter suspicious, was contacting Gao Wencai, a Chiliarch of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who had just arrived at Denglai, to investigate secretly. But Zhang Guoyuan, the eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial at Wuchang, was not so fortunate.

No matter how much Chen Hongfan and Chen Jin disregarded Li Fengxiang, they still had to show surface respect—after all, Denglai was still within Shandong's borders, and the Regional Commander and Vice Regional Commander, Mou Wenshou and Qiu Lei, were both diehard loyalists of the emperor.

But Zhang Guoyuan, the eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial who had come to Wuchang to deliver the message, was not so lucky. Those people there had killed who knows how many imperial envoys by now, and the court had never made much trouble over it.

At present, Zhang Guoyuan found himself surrounded by a crowd of grinning, ill-intentioned military officers. He could see that before these men, he was in truth like a monkey eager to perform—possessing not a shred of an imperial envoy's dignity.

The army stationed at Wuchang was known in every household. Their reputation in this age resounded across the length of Jiangnan and Jiangbei, much like the Qi family army of years past—only with this difference: what the Qi family army spread was a good name, while what this force spread was a bad name, and one so foul it stank to high heaven.

So what force was this army at Wuchang? That's right—it was the camp soldiers of Zuo Liangyu, the Earl of Ningnan.