Di Ming

Chapter 213 My sister has had a long and arduous journey!
Zhu Yin, dressed in a crimson casual robe with a brocade insignia indicating he was a fourth-rank civil official, stood out conspicuously among the heavily armored military generals.

Zhu Yin continued, "Since ancient times, many famous generals have been named Li. General Li Song has a tiger-like head and a swallow-like chin, and his imposing presence is truly remarkable. He is indeed a famous general of ancient times, and I am deeply impressed by him. With General Li leading the charge this time, the General and I feel as if we have divine assistance."

Li Rubai was somewhat surprised to see Zhu Yin so enthusiastic, without any airs of an imperial envoy, governor, or a genius.

Is the renowned Zhu Lang of Jiangzuo really being this polite to me?
Zhu Yin achieved the highest honors in the imperial examinations at the age of twelve, displaying extraordinary talent and brilliance unprecedented in history. The name of Zhu Lang of Jiangzuo resounded throughout the land, and the common people believed that he was the reincarnation of the God of Literature, far surpassing ordinary civil officials.

At only fifteen years old, he is already a legend. The noble and refined character of a civil official has reached its zenith.

It is no exaggeration to say that many people in the world do not know the Grand Secretary, but very few do not know Zhu Yin.

Li Rusong originally thought that this kind of person would be arrogant and domineering like many civil officials, showing no respect to military generals, but he was surprised to find that he was so approachable.

My second brother said that Jiangzuo Zhu Lang and he were very close friends, despite their age difference. Could it be that he only favors me because of my second brother's influence?

Li Rusong, a dignified second-rank military officer (Vice Commander-in-Chief), a seasoned general who had fought countless battles, was somewhat flattered by Zhu Yin's words and quickly bowed his head in gratitude:
"Your Excellency is too kind. I dare not accept such praise. Your esteemed name is renowned far and wide, and I am only now, having met you in person, that I know the rumors are true."

Li Rusong's face, usually so composed and serene, suddenly felt slightly flushed. He couldn't help but recall the feeling he had when his teacher, Xu Wei, praised him during his youth while studying military strategy.

Li Rusong and Li Rubai are brothers, but they look very different.

Li Rubai had a chubby, round face and narrow eyes, and his appearance was somewhat like that of a Tibetan fox. Although he had the air of a military general, he also had a touch of comicality about him.

Li Rusong was different.

He was over forty years old, his face showing signs of age, and his tall, upright figure, as majestic as a pine tree, lived up to his name. Moreover, he had thick eyebrows, large eyes, a straight nose, and a square mouth, exuding an imposing and dignified aura, clearly a military general.

In Zhu Yin's opinion, Li Rusong is a handsome, rugged middle-aged man with a great presence. He looks a bit like Zhang Fengyi and a bit like Duan Yihong.

Li Rusong was a student of Xu Wei, and as the eldest son of Li Chengliang, he was a senior figure. He had been appointed as the General of Shanxi nine years earlier.

A few years ago, Li Rusong was transferred to the position of Commander-in-Chief of Xuanfu. However, this son of a military family had the integrity of a warrior and offended civil officials many times, and was impeached repeatedly.

At that time, Xu Shouqian, the newly appointed governor of Xuanfu, was inspecting the border troops. According to custom, Li Rusong should have taken the initiative to pay his respects to the governor and let Mr. Xu take the seat of honor, while he himself would have humbly sat in the same seat.

As a civil official, the imperial inspector naturally sided with Governor Xu Shouqian. Therefore, the inspector impeached Li Rusong for being "arrogant," resulting in Li being dismissed from his post as commander-in-chief of Xuanfu and transferred to Shanxi.

After arriving in Shanxi, he was impeached again by civil officials, and could no longer stay in Shanxi, so he had no choice but to return to Liaodong.

The emperor summoned him to the capital to take up a sinecure in the Central Military Commission, but how could the proud and arrogant Li Rusong go there to retire? So he stayed in Liaozhen with the title of Vice Commander-in-Chief.

This time, Zhu Yin, the governor of Ningxia, took charge of suppressing the rebellion. He immediately arranged for Li Rusong to take over as the commander-in-chief of Ningxia, serving as the deputy to Qi Jiguang, the military commander.

In the original history, Li Rusong was appointed as the military commander to suppress the Bo Bai Rebellion.

Li Rusong was grateful for Zhu Yin's recommendation, but little did he know that if it weren't for Zhu Yin, the time traveler, he would have been the commander-in-chief instead of Qi Jiguang, who should have died of illness several years earlier.

Introduced by Qi Jiguang, Zhu Yin then greeted Dong Yikui, the General of Datong, Ma Lin, the Deputy General, Chen Lin, the Assistant General, and Luo Shangzhi in turn. He was approachable and warm in his speech, showing no airs of an imperial envoy supervising the army.

He was especially kind to Li Rubai, who was wearing leather shoes.

The generals immediately felt even more favorably toward this exceptionally noble young imperial envoy.

Military officers are already insecure in front of civil officials, let alone those who have achieved the highest honors in the imperial examinations, served as Hanlin scholars, and taught princes.

This is the epitome of civil officials, the most virtuous of ministers, a nobleman worshipped in shrines by the common people. Yet he treats these mere warriors who only know how to wield halberds with such respect. How can one not be moved?

Thinking of this, all the generals were filled with gratitude, and their perfunctory attitude vanished.

Li Rubai was radiant and couldn't help but look at his elder brother, whom he both respected and feared, with a smug expression.

The meaning is clear: "Brother, did you see that? Mr. Zhihu and I are old friends, close acquaintances despite our age difference."

Even Li Rusong now felt a sense of respect for his younger brother.

Zhu Yin solemnly said, "The safety of the nation and the affairs of Ningxia are entrusted to you gentlemen. Although I am not a military general, I am willing to join you in drawing your bows and shooting down the Heavenly Wolf, and to fight side by side on the battlefield!"

The generals were deeply moved. Li Rusong cupped his hands and said, "We dare not let you take such a risk, sir! You should remain in your tent and strategize, while we fight bravely on the front lines, even if it means our deaths!"

Zhu Yin laughed loudly, "How could I dare to lag behind! On the day of our success, I will drink with you all at the headquarters and present the captives at the Meridian Gate!"

The generals were surprised by Zhu Yin's magnanimity and exclaimed with joy, "We are willing to fight to the death for you!"

Immediately afterwards, a group of civil officials came out to greet them. Leading the way was Xing Jie, the governor of Datong, followed by Huang Jiashan, the prefect of Datong, and others.

The civil officials were much more casual when they saw Zhu Yin, simply bowing with their hands clasped in greeting, and addressing him differently.

Governor Xing Jie of Datong stood on the right side of the road and bowed, smiling broadly as he said, "I have long heard of Brother Zhihu's great name. Brother Zhihu, you must be tired from your journey. Please come into the city and rest for a while. Please! Please!"

Xing Jie was fifty years old, while Zhu Yin was only fifteen, yet Xing Jie addressed him as "Brother Zhihu," which made perfect sense.

Although both were governors with the title of Vice Censor-in-Chief, he was far inferior to Zhu Yin.

Xing Jie became an official more than a decade earlier than Zhu Yin, but he only achieved the third rank in the imperial examinations and rose through the ranks to become a county magistrate. Although he was considered senior, how could he compare to Zhu Yin?
In the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty, first one's official rank, then one's background, then one's seniority, and finally one's age.

The criminal official is old and senior, but unfortunately, he only entered the third rank and started as a county magistrate. I am only a fourth-rank Vice Censor-in-Chief.

Zhu Yin? He was the top scholar in the imperial examination and started his career as a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy!
Even disregarding the fact that he achieved the highest honors in all three levels of the imperial examinations, just considering that Zhu Yin was a scholar from the Hanlin Academy and a tutor to the princes, he could only accept being at a disadvantage.

The other civil officials were also very polite, which shows how important one's background is. Once the signboard of passing the imperial examinations three times in a row was displayed, and the prestige of being a Hanlin Academician was put on display, no one looked down on his youth, and no one thought he was inexperienced.

After returning the greeting, Zhu Yin smiled and said, "Brother Jinbo, you're too kind. Please, Brother Jinbo, and please, everyone!"

He had great respect for Xing Jie, who was the historical Governor-General of Jiliao and the strategist in the fight against Japanese pirates.

The crowd then escorted Zhu Yin into the city.

Zhu Yin crossed the moat and entered Datong, the former capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty and a secondary capital of three dynasties, through the Heyang Gate.

The city is a formidable place, with numerous corner towers and military outposts facing each other, exuding a majestic and imposing aura. It truly deserves its reputation as the key to the northern lands and a magnificent ancient city.

Upon entering the city, the first thing Zhu Yin saw was the Prince of Dai's residence.

Datong City was the capital city, and the most magnificent building was not the governor's office, the prefectural government office, or the general's headquarters, but the Prince Dai's Palace.

The enormous Prince Dai's Mansion was located in the center of the city, occupying one-fifth of Datong. No matter which gate one entered Datong from, one had to pass near the Prince Dai's Mansion; there was no way to avoid it.

Zhu Yin's entourage, surrounded by a large number of civil and military officials, headed towards the Imperial Envoy's residence. As they passed the Prince of Dai's residence, they glanced to the left and saw a man dressed in the everyday clothes of a prince standing on a tall building near the high wall.

It was dusk. The king leaned on the railing, gazing into the distance, his eyes blank, with the evening glow filling the sky above and the silent red building behind him.

This scene looks rather desolate.

Everyone gazed at the king in silence. No one bowed, and no one paid him any attention.

But the king suddenly bowed to Zhu Yin and his group, seemingly saying something.

Seeing that the king had actually taken the initiative to pay his respects, Zhu Yin had no choice but to immediately dismount and bow to the king in the high building, saying, "Your subject pays his respects to Your Majesty from afar."

Qi Jiguang, Li Rusong, and others also cupped their hands and said, "Your Majesty, we pay our respects from afar."

Although officials were strictly forbidden from associating with princes and from entering their residences to pay their respects, they were still required to bow to them if they encountered a prince.

This king, of course, is the nominal ruler of the Great Harmony, the King of Dai.

It sounds absurd that a prince would bow to a passing governor, but that's just how the world is. Nowadays, let alone a governor, even local officials are not to be easily offended by a prince.

After the Yongle Emperor, the system of prohibiting the feudal domains was continuously strengthened and tightened with each generation, to the point of becoming outrageous and absurd.

Each emperor, upon ascending the throne, would strengthen the system of vassal states, binding the princes and members of the imperial family with another rope and affixing another seal.

In Zhu Yin's eyes, the Ming Dynasty princes at this time were a group of pitiful people.

How pitiful were they? Essentially, they were prisoners. Not only was the vassal king himself a prisoner, but his entire family was.

First, they couldn't leave their fiefdom; then they couldn't leave the royal city; and finally, they couldn't even leave the royal palace—the restrictions kept increasing.

To perform sacrificial rites outside the city, prior approval was required. As for sightseeing and shopping, forget about it; many things that ordinary people could do casually required prior approval.

It is strictly forbidden to associate with any official other than those serving in the Prince's residence. Even if the other party is only a ninth-rank official, that is still prohibited.

Even brothers among the feudal lords could not meet.

When King Xiangxian parted ways with his younger brother, King Liangzhuang, King Liangzhuang said with great sorrow, "We are brothers, and we will never see each other again in this lifetime." King Xiangxian was deeply saddened, and all those around him wept.

The princes were not only confined to their residences with no freedom, but they were also monitored by at least four types of people: local officials, officials of the prince's residence, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and eunuchs dispatched to other places.

Many princes never had the chance to see the scenery near their palaces, or even know the full picture of the city where their palaces were located. They never visited the teahouses and taverns of their own city, nor experienced the local customs and culture.

Throughout history, only the Ming Dynasty treated its imperial family like pigs, and only the Ming Dynasty's imperial family was truly pathetic.

However, the strict system of prohibiting foreign vassals by the imperial court saved Zhu Yin from trouble.

If it were during the early Ming Dynasty, around the time of Emperor Taizu, he would have had to kneel before the Prince of Dai and listen to his instructions.

But now, he can completely pretend that the King of Dai doesn't exist. And the King of Dai can't ask him for anything.

When the soldiers and civilians in Datong learned that Mr. Zhihu had entered the city, they all rushed to pay their respects. Many people knelt down involuntarily when they saw Zhu Yin and addressed him as "Master".

Some overly superstitious people even addressed him as "Lord Star," leaving Zhu Yin bewildered and forced to maintain a facade of ignorance.

The fact that someone could achieve the highest honors in all three categories at the age of twelve was a national auspicious omen, and its influence among the people was immense.

All the civil and military officials present were filled with envy.

Why is there such a big difference between officials?

The crowd escorted Zhu Yin into the imperial envoy's headquarters. For the next few days, Zhu Yin had to remain in Datong to await the arrival of other troops, and more importantly, to prepare provisions and supplies.

Without these preparations, the army cannot move.

We will have to wait at least half a month in Datong before we can send troops.

As for Ningxia, the only option is to have the detachments sent from Guyuan and Yansui garrisons confront the rebels.

Zhu Yin calculated that in about half a month, Qin Liangyu's White Spear Army and Xiong Tingbi's troops should arrive.

Two familiar enemy troops are also nearby; they should arrive tomorrow.

One of them was a woman, haha.

...

Sure enough, the next afternoon, Hao Yunlai and Zheng Guowang, as military supervisors, led two battalions of Zheng Luo's troops from Yanghe City to Datong, accompanied by a lieutenant general and two guerrillas.

Although there were only four thousand men, more than a thousand of them were cavalry, all of whom were elite troops.

Zheng Luo was very generous to them.

Zhu Yin already knew this information.

"This humble official greets the Governor-General!" Hao Yunlai reported first. "This humble official has been ordered by the Grand Coordinator to supervise the troops under the command of the Governor-General!"

Although Hao Yunlai was very familiar with Zhu Yin, he deliberately acted distant because Zheng Guowang was present.

Zheng Guowang raised his eyebrows and casually cupped his hands, saying, "I am the same. I have been ordered by the Grand Marshal to be under his command."

After speaking, he took out the protective charm and verification talisman. His expression was extremely aloof and arrogant.

In recent years, she has become increasingly aloof, not daring to get close to anyone, for fear of being exposed.

Zhu Yin glanced at the two of them with a half-smile, each with a different meaning in his gaze.

He said frankly, "Since the two Taoist priests are under my command, then I will handle this matter officially."

"You will lead the garrison and temporarily station yourselves at Desheng Fort."

"Station at Desheng Fort?" Zheng Guowang's swan-like neck stiffened. "General Zhu, the Mongols are right outside Desheng Fort. That was originally a border market for trade. You want us to station troops there?"

Zhu Yin smiled slightly, "Master Zheng... are you afraid?"

Zheng Guowang's eyes, as cold as an autumn pool, said, "Who's afraid? What's wrong with going? You're the head of the military supervisors, so you get to decide. Humph."

Hao Yunlai didn't argue and said directly, "Then please have the military envoy write down the order."

He was also very dissatisfied with Zhu Yin.

What's going on with you? Why did you send us to Deshengbao to face the Mongols face to face?

Zhihu, I'm from your hometown! Is this how you treat me?
Zheng Guowang received Zhu Yin's order, snorted coldly, and turned to leave.

She never took Zhu Yin seriously.

Hao Yunlai cupped his hands in greeting and withdrew with a complicated expression.

Zhu Yin watched the two figures as they walked away and smiled slightly.

……

In the following days, three thousand soldiers from Qi Jiguang's army, three thousand chariot soldiers from Jizhou, and five thousand soldiers from Shanxi arrived one after another, and provisions were almost ready.

A few days later, a female general dressed in silver armor led three thousand soldiers armed with white-handled spears to the outskirts of Datong City.

The White-Spear Soldiers have arrived!
Although they numbered only three thousand, their fierce and imposing aura was impossible to conceal. Even the renowned Qi Family Army dared not underestimate this visiting force.

Upon hearing the news, Zhu Yin personally went out of the city to welcome him.

The female general outside the city hadn't expected that the imperial envoy and military supervisor would personally come out to greet her. Startled, how could she dare to be negligent? She twisted her waist and leaped off her horse.

This female general who came from afar was none other than Qin Liangyu.

Upon seeing Qin Liangyu, Zhu Yin greeted her with a familiar smile and said:

"Sister, you must be tired from your journey! Your brother has been waiting for you for a long time!"

P.S.: I was too busy with the company's annual meeting today, so I can only write this much. Thank you!
(End of this chapter)