Prince Jing’s smile was forced.
“General Guo, your words are most apt,” he said.
What?
Guo Hu, unexpected at his composure, found himself speechless for a moment, only managing an awkward laugh. “May I ask, Your Highness, what are your esteemed opinions on this situation? I shall heed your every word…”
Heh.
Prince Jing suddenly raised his eyes, two gaze like cold lightning piercing through. Seeing that Guo Hu was not feigning sincerity, he then smiled indifferently. “I am young and ignorant, what esteemed opinions could I possibly have? General Guo, simply give your orders, and I shall obey without question.”
Guo Hu sighed inwardly, thinking: This young man has likely endured too much hardship. Perhaps there is no one left in this world he can trust… If this person were to ascend the throne, one could only imagine what the future would hold?
Little did he know, Prince Jing was actually full of confidence at this moment. The reason he had been deferring was simply because the situation had not yet become clear.
That day, outside Desheng Gate, he had found his former subordinate Wu Ding, who was indeed serving as a參將 (Canzhang, Brigadier General) in the Capital Garrison. In the twenty-ninth year of Jiajing, the Tuanying (Rotating Garrison) was disbanded and merged, then reorganized into three major camps: the Shenshu Camp, the Shenji Camp, and the Wujun Camp. Wu Ding’s former Three Thousand Men Camp was renamed the Shenshu Camp. That day, Prince Jing had been forthright with him. Wu Ding had contacted their former comrades, and even under Guo Hu’s nose, had managed to win over more than a third of the Shenshu Camp.
Apart from this, the Embroidered Uniform Guard (Jinyiwei) officers Li Si and Wang San had also been persuaded by Ge Jing. These two were also actively working behind the scenes, contacting old acquaintances and disgruntled officials. Although these two were idle, they were still serving Jinyiwei officers. Coupled with Ge Jing, who had led the Imperial Guards for nearly twenty years, their efforts, though taking only a few days, had already won over a large portion of the Imperial Guards’ officers.
It could be said that Prince Jing, without making any overt moves, had already become an undeniable force. Even if something unforeseen were to happen in the capital, he was confident of his own safety.
Regarding the current battle situation, his intelligence was even greater than Guo Hu’s.
For instance, he already knew from Li Si’s informants that Zhang Juzheng had secretly ordered Li Chengliang to defend the Gubeikou area against Tumen Khan’s entry into the passes. He also knew that Zhang Juzheng had secretly dispatched a batch of firearms with Wang Guoguang, ostensibly as a gift for Altan Khan, claiming it would be a meeting present. Though not numerous, these firearms were enough to persuade Altan Khan. As for the Xinhai front, Wang San learned from the Yan family’s retainers that Yan Shifan himself had sent a letter to Altan Khan, and had dispatched Niu Xin to the Xinhai stronghold in the Horqin region, successfully swaying him.
Such information, without the eyes and ears of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, would be difficult for even the Yan family to fully ascertain. Guo Hu, merely a Commander of the Capital Garrison and having acted as Deputy Commander, could hardly know these details. Thus, fighting blindly, he was naturally lost.
The reason Prince Jing remained so composed was that the matter of Prince Yu’s ascension to Crown Prince had yet to be settled…
This, of course, was the most crucial point.
If Prince Yu was not deposed, how could he succeed to the throne?
And in order to succeed him after Prince Yu’s downfall, two things had to be accomplished:
The first was to not lift the siege too quickly;
The second was to lift the siege swiftly when the time was ripe.
These two seemingly contradictory objectives were, in fact, the true crux of the matter. If the siege was lifted too early, the pressure from the Yan family would lack its intended force, and Prince Yu would not be deposed. And if Prince Yu remained in his position, he might launch a swift counterattack. These past few days, he had learned from Li Si and Wang San that his Third Brother was no longer the same as before. The subordinates under him, such as Mu Chaobi and Zhang Er, were all first-rate individuals, not to be underestimated. It could be predicted that as long as Prince Yu could overcome this hurdle, even if he besieged the Yuxi Palace and forced the old Taoist Emperor to his death, he would do it. In that case, his greatest threat, Prince Jing, would be the first to be eliminated.
On the other hand, for Prince Yu to fall, Liaoyang had to fall, or at the very least, not be relieved too soon. And once Prince Yu’s position as Crown Prince showed signs of instability, he would have to quickly establish merit, ideally in a dazzling fashion, to make a remarkable feat a halo upon his reappearance before the world.
To achieve this was not impossible. He had been contemplating it for two or three days—
The only way forward was:
A surprise attack on Zhuoshan!
Although Zhuoshan was not yet the royal encampment of the Tuman (Chahar), it was the first hub for the Tuman’s military operations. In recent years, the Tuman had been migrating eastward, always departing from the grasslands within Zhuoshan. Tumen Khan also had a temporary encampment there, where a large number of horses and supplies were kept to support the forces invading eastward. From scattered intelligence these past couple of days, it could be determined that Zhuoshan was also a place where the Tuman held sacrifices, which meant his judgment was likely correct.
Therefore,
To lift the siege, the only way was to launch a surprise attack on Zhuoshan. Under the fear of Tumen Khan, he would likely retreat to defend, thus resolving the threat of invasion. Even if he were defeated at Zhuoshan, as long as he survived, it would still be a great achievement. After all, this action would resolve the crisis facing the capital!
This plan had long been decided, yet he delayed, waiting for Liaoyang to fall.
At this moment,
Guo Hu was also anxious, and seeing that Prince Jing was still unwilling to confide in him, he decisively stated, “Your Highness, my mind is made up. We should hold our positions… After all, the various passes have been mutually reinforcing for years and often coordinate. I believe defending the Great Wall line should be no problem. As long as the Tuman does not enter the passes, we shall have committed no offense…”
Prince Jing nodded and smiled. “Since you cannot make up your mind, let us simply discuss it when the time comes…”
Mm-hmm.
Guo Hu also nodded, patted him on the shoulder, and said helplessly, “Yes, we can only wait…”
Just as he was about to go out for some fresh air, he heard the sound of hurried horse hooves and a voice hoarsely shouting:
“Imperial Decree from the Ten Thousand Longevity Emperor!”
Huh?
Guo Hu was stunned—
What was this?
But Prince Jing vaguely guessed something, and a surge of inexplicable excitement rose in his heart.
Indeed,
After the scouts came two eunuchs. They dismounted before the tent and proclaimed:
“Imperial Decree from the Ten Thousand Longevity Emperor!”
Prince Jing, Guo Hu, and the other officers and generals exited the tent and knelt.
The eunuch read:
“It is decreed:
I, having been weary with state affairs, have retired to the Taoist Palace, and have appointed Prince Yu as the regent Crown Prince, to govern all civil and military affairs of the realm. I have also appointed several trusted ministers to assist him, with a period of three years, hoping for the ultimate governance of the realm. Yet, I have suddenly heard that the Tuman, Altan Khan, and the Jurchens have audaciously invaded our borders, and rumors are stirring in the Jiangxi provinces, all shaking the foundations of our state. I am shocked and filled with dread upon considering this.
Now that autumn has arrived, and the metallic forces are to be mobilized, apart from human affairs, can there be no divine will? The Book states, ‘When all countries sin, the sin lies with me.’ I recall that the ancestral tombs at Hanshui have not been swept for ten years, and the ‘Palace of Receiving Heaven’ must surely be experiencing ominous signs. I hereby command the Crown Prince to proceed swiftly to Hanzhong Shou Mountain to sweep the ancestral tombs, perhaps to avert Heaven’s imminent wrath.”
As the eunuch read this peculiar imperial decree, Guo Hu and the others listened with great trepidation.
Although they were military men, they were aware of some of the tactics employed during the Jiajing era. Whenever the Emperor spoke through divine decrees, it signified matters of even greater importance. And this matter, as expected, was related to Prince Yu. Although they could not grasp the nuances, they instinctively felt that the situation had become quite serious.
Prince Jing listened to every word while kneeling, pondering them, his heart filled with mixed feelings of joy and concern—
His joy stemmed from the fact that this divine decree, in a very subtle way, highlighted the crux of the current situation: Prince Yu’s regency was failing, and the empire was facing internal strife and external threats. The old Taoist Emperor used exaggerated terms, speaking of his own fear and dread, which was meant for the Yan family…
This indicated that the old Taoist Emperor had decided to make concessions to the Yan family.
However, the problem was that this concession was only half a step!
After all,
He was only ordering Prince Yu to sweep the ancestral tombs. Though he had implied it to the fullest, even being extremely exaggerated, saying that destiny was precarious and Prince Yu’s faults were immense, boundless even, he still kept the matter vague… This meant that he was still leaving room for maneuver—
If the situation were to become less dangerous, if the crisis were resolved, would Prince Yu’s virtue be restored?
Of course,
Interpreting the words literally, it could also mean that the Crown Prince could be spared death. After all, the so-called “Heaven’s imminent wrath” used very strong language, implying that Prince Yu might no longer be the Crown Prince…? Even for the exceptionally intelligent Prince Jing, after several attempts at interpretation, he still could not ascertain the old Taoist Emperor’s intentions…
But then he thought—
Even if Prince Yu’s position as Crown Prince was not immediately abolished, this divine decree was not false! The officials and the people of the realm would naturally know that the Crown Prince had indeed lost his virtue…
In that case,
As long as he himself possessed virtue, he could naturally contend for this heavenly mandate?
And virtue,
Of course, was not about morality, but about merit and achievements.
Gazing afar at the departing eunuch who delivered the decree, Prince Jing vaguely saw his path to glory…
Now,
It was time for him to make his move.