Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 286 Reorganizing the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Investigating Spies (Part 1)

The Embroidered Uniform Guard, as the emperor's personal guard, enjoyed immense prestige.

With their power of acting first and reporting later, and their authority to kill without regard for burial, the Embroidered Uniform Guard wielded boundless power.

There was a time when court officials would tremble at the sight of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The Imperial Prison of the Northern Garrison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was even more terrifying and chilling.

It can be said that the Embroidered Uniform Guard was a sharp blade used to protect imperial power. Sometimes this blade was so sharp that it was frightening. Almost everyone was terrified and desperately submitted memorials and remonstrances, begging the emperor to take control.

Therefore, inner court departments such as the Eastern Depot and Western Depot, which limited the power of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, came into being.

To put it bluntly, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had too much power, which made everyone afraid. Even the emperor had to use eunuchs in the inner court to limit it.

Unfortunately, by the Taichang reign, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had been abolished. They could no longer protect imperial power, and they couldn't even save the emperor's life.

The fact that Taichang and Tianqi died suddenly and mysteriously is clear evidence of this.

By the time of the Chongzhen Emperor, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had been completely abolished and seemed to have lost its ability to frighten people.

When the Ming Dynasty fell, the Embroidered Uniform Guard seemed to have vanished, as if it had never existed. When Emperor Chongzhen was forced to go to Coal Hill, he had no Embroidered Uniform Guards by his side. The fact that the Embroidered Uniform Guard had become so useless was a legend.

Why did the Embroidered Uniform Guard become so useless?

This was probably because the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was too incompetent.

The saying goes, "If one general is incompetent, a thousand soldiers will die." If the commander is too useless, the Embroidered Uniform Guard will naturally become useless.

At this point, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was extremely tight-lipped, and they simply couldn't find any traitors among them.

The position of Commander, Duke Ningguo Wei Liangqing, seems to be merely a figurehead. Without Wei Zhongxian's backing, the Embroidered Uniform Guard would probably be completely useless and incapable of doing anything.

More importantly, there are traitors within the Embroidered Uniform Guard. If he sends these traitors to investigate each other, they will naturally fail to find out.

Therefore, Zhu Jue wanted to reorganize the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so he first organized secret guards to investigate the traitors.

The question is, who should be in charge of these bodyguards?

If we don't find a capable person to take charge, then the secret guards will probably be useless.

He thought and thought, but couldn't seem to think of anyone who could take on such an important task.

Nowadays, the officials in the outer court are all only interested in seizing imperial power, while the officials in the inner court are all very busy. He has too few people at his disposal.

Who should be in charge of the bodyguards?

As he was pondering this, Lu Xiang-sheng suddenly strode in, cupped his hands, and bowed, saying, "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty."

Aren't you setting up the venue for the martial arts examination?
The East Outer City Grand Training Ground alone would require the construction of over a thousand fighting arenas, which couldn't possibly be completed in a single day.

Zhu Jue asked with some surprise, "Jian Dou, what's wrong? Is something the matter?"

How do you say this?

Lu Xiang-sheng hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid I'm not able to preside over this martial arts examination. I dare to ask Your Majesty to reconsider the candidate."

Ah!
Are you no longer able to preside over this martial arts examination?

Zhu Jue was taken aback for a moment, then asked with concern, "Jiandou, are you feeling unwell?"

This has nothing to do with physical health.

Lu Xiang-sheng shook his head slightly, then couldn't help but sigh, "Your Majesty, my health is fine, but the key is that my son wants to participate in this martial arts examination. I must recuse myself, otherwise people will definitely think that this martial arts examination is unfair."

Your son wants to participate in this martial arts examination?

Lu Xiang-sheng's son seems to have no historical significance.

Zhu Jue thought for a moment, then asked, "What's your son's name?"

Without hesitation, Lu Xiang-sheng replied, "My son, Wen-wei."

Lu Wenwei is indeed not famous at all in history.

This is because Lu Xiang-sheng in history was leading troops in battles in the south and north, and had no time to take care of his family. As a result, all three of his sons died young!
The eldest son, Lu Wenwei, died young in history, so naturally he could not be remembered in history.

However, at this time he was deeply favored by the current emperor, controlled the capital garrison, and his life was relatively stable, so none of his sons died young.

Zhu Jue thought for a moment, then asked, "How is your son's literary talent and martial arts skill?" How should I put it?

Lu Xiang-sheng couldn't help but say with some pride, "I cannot comment on Wen-wei's literary and martial talents. However, he was the top scholar in the Southern Zhili military examination last year. I believe he should be able to serve Your Majesty. Therefore, I do not wish to prevent him from participating in this year's military examination."

Your son is actually the top military scholar in Southern Zhili!
That's incredibly powerful.

The saying goes, "Like father, like son." With Lu Xiang-sheng's abilities, his son was bound to be quite good, as evidenced by Lu Wen-wei's first-place ranking in the Southern Zhili military examination.

Lu Wenwei should be useful. The key is that this guy has never entered officialdom, so he probably doesn't know many people. He's perfect for being in charge of the secret guards.

Zhu Jue nodded slowly and pondered, "Actually, your son doesn't necessarily have to participate in this martial arts examination. You have worked hard and made great contributions over the years, and I haven't given you any reward yet. How about I bestow the title of Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard upon Wenwei?"

Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?

A military officer of the third rank!

This is equivalent to the treatment of the second and third place winners.

Lu Xiang-sheng was taken aback upon hearing this, and then cautiously said, "Your Majesty, if I may be so bold, I only wish for Wen-wei to serve Your Majesty and be loyal to the country, not for him to be promoted or made rich."

Do you think I just want to give him a nominal title so he can enjoy a life of leisure?
Zhu Jue shook his head slightly, then explained carefully: "Jian Dou, I am not giving him an honorary title. I have important matters for him to handle."

You should know that there are many traitors in the imperial court, and even more in the Northwest. If these traitors are not purged, they will become a huge hidden danger.

The problem is that the Embroidered Uniform Guard is now completely ineffective, and there are many spies planted within it. Sending them to investigate the spies is completely useless.

Therefore, I intend to reorganize the Embroidered Uniform Guard. First, I will organize the secret guards to investigate internal traitors, and then I will thoroughly reorganize the Embroidered Uniform Guard in public.

This requires a highly capable person to be in charge, and it cannot be an already well-known official or general.

"Your son, Wenwei, has achieved the top rank in the Southern Zhili military examination, so his abilities are undoubtedly exceptional. Furthermore, he currently holds no official position, so the officials in the court are certainly unaware of him. Having him organize the secret guards to investigate traitors is perfect."

Oh, so Wenwei was sent to reorganize the Embroidered Uniform Guard and organize secret agents to investigate traitors.

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiang-sheng slowly nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I understand. I will certainly teach Wen-wei a lesson in this matter."

This means agreeing.

The next issue is the selection of bodyguards.

Zhu Jue pondered, "You still need to select a group of elite secret guards for him, and these secret guards must be guaranteed to be free of traitors."

Forget about the Imperial Guard households in the capital; it's hard to guarantee there aren't spies among them. And if we secretly recruit elite Imperial Guards, those spies will definitely notice.

Here's what I'll do. I'll have someone deliver a secret decree to Boya, instructing him to select elite secret guards for Wenwei in Liaodong. Anyone who has rendered meritorious service in Liaodong, whether they are soldiers from the capital garrison or the Liaodong garrison, should be carefully selected. First, secretly select 10,000 elite secret guards for Wenwei.

The soldiers in Liaodong Town are seasoned veterans, far superior to the pampered and spoiled soldiers of the Imperial Guards in the capital.

You also had Boya select elites in Liaodong Town to serve as secret guards!

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiang-sheng nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty is wise. Those selected from the soldiers who participated in the battle in Liaodong Town must be the elite of the elite."

Simply selecting elites is not enough.

Zhu Jue pondered further, "The secret guards don't necessarily have to be young and strong; the old, young, women, and children can all be selected. After these elite secret guards are chosen, we need to gather their families together in a secluded place and train them properly."

Where do you think the scenery is best in the capital region? Ideally, somewhere not too close to the capital, about a hundred miles away.

For this place to be truly secluded, it must be deep in the mountains and forests, and there can't be many people passing by frequently.

Lu Xiang-sheng thought about it carefully, and then said cautiously, "Your Majesty, I think Jiulong Mountain in the northeast of the capital is quite nice. It is located between Pinggu and Jizhou, with mountains and water, and beautiful scenery. It is only about a hundred miles away from the outer city of the east. The key is that there are no roads in the mountains, so not many people go there usually."

Jiulong Mountain?
never heard of that.

Yeah, I want a place that's not well-known.

Zhu Jue nodded without hesitation and said, "Alright, I will have Yuan Guozhang organize the craftsmen to build a summer resort there."

So you mean you're using the Summer Palace as a cover to train your secret guards, right?
Lu Xiang-sheng nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

Now that we have the people and the location, we need to get started.

Zhu Jue thought for a moment, then decisively said, "If I am foolish, I will draft an imperial decree to grant Jian Dou's son the position of Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

The fact that they didn't mention the name was to keep the officials outside the court completely unaware.

(End of this chapter)