Di Ming

Chapter 431 "The Grand Tutor Reigns Over the Court!"

Zhu Yin, with an air of self-righteousness, laughed and said, "Within a month, the two provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou will surely submit to the Southern Dynasty. When you lead your troops to Yunnan, you will just be there when the flags of Yunnan and Guizhou change hands. As the newly appointed, first-ever Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou, you will be able to take charge of Kunming."

"Lead troops?" Hao Yunlai was overjoyed. "I'm going to lead troops to Yunnan?"

Zhu Yin nodded and said, "That's right. The situation in Yunnan and Guizhou is complicated right now, so you should take troops with you when you go there. But right now, the Southern Dynasty has few soldiers who can fight, and even fewer elite soldiers, but it urgently needs troops to guard various places. I can only give you five thousand elite soldiers."

"Five thousand men?" Hao Yunlai, who was originally delighted, suddenly became serious. "The Yunnan and Guizhou provinces are densely populated with chieftains, and the situation is complicated. You only give me five thousand men? If I go, I'm afraid I won't come back."

Zhu Yin was also speechless, but he really couldn't spare any more soldiers.

The exact number of soldiers capable of fighting in the Southern Dynasty was a military secret, known only to a few people in the Grand General's Office, such as Zhu Yin, and second only to the Minister and Vice Minister of War.

How many soldiers does the Southern Dynasty have right now? Not counting the chieftain's troops, the total is 95,000, less than 100,000!
Among them, 20,000 were from the Eight Banners of Jinghai, and 10,000 were armed merchant corps incorporated into the Tiger Guard Army. These 30,000 men were the most elite main force and the direct troops of Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei.

Then there were the 27,000 Ming soldiers commanded by Xiong Tingbi, Mao Wenlong, and Cao Wenzhao. These 27,000 to 30,000 were also elite armored troops, whose strength was comparable to the elite field armies of the Northern Dynasties' nine border regions.

Then there were the 25,000 combat-ready soldiers from the Beijing Garrison and Xiaoling Guard, commanded by Xu Xiaobai and Zong Qin. Although these 25,000-plus soldiers were armored warriors, they were clearly inferior to the elite troops of the Northern Dynasties.

As for the five provinces of Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Huguang, Guangdong, and Fujian, the number of troops on paper totals more than 300,000, which sounds like a lot, but half of them are vacancies, and most of those on duty are poorly equipped garrison troops, who are only there to maintain order.

The number of armored soldiers actually capable of fighting in the five provinces totaled only a little over ten thousand! It was truly shocking.

On average, each province has only three thousand soldiers capable of fighting tough battles, and almost all of them are the governor's guard battalion!
These figures are unbelievable.

These five provinces have a population of at least 60 to 70 million, but the number of armored soldiers capable of fighting tough battles is a laughable 10,000 or so, which is less than any town in the Nine Border Regions!
This demonstrates just how weak the military was in the south during the Ming Dynasty. This also explains why Japanese pirates were so rampant along the southeastern coast, and why Burma was able to annex a significant portion of Yunnan.

Eighty percent of the Ming army's elite troops were stationed in the north. As a result, every time the Ming Dynasty suppressed a rebellion by local chieftains, it invariably involved drawing troops from the north or dispatching local chieftain soldiers to control local rebellions.

The Ming army in the south (excluding those under the local chieftains) was consistently weaker and less capable compared to the north. Many soldiers lacked even armor, and cavalry was extremely rare. The largest cavalry unit in the entire south was only a thousand-man squad.

This was, of course, a deliberate act by Zhu Di's faction.

Since the capital was moved to Beijing, the military strength of the south had to be significantly weakened. The elite troops of the Ming Dynasty were concentrated in the Nine Garrisons, the capital region, and Guanzhong. This was not only to defend against the Mongols, but also to weaken the military power in the south, so as to prevent rebellions in the south and the loss of vital areas with abundant resources.

At present, under Zhu Yin's painstaking management, the Southern Dynasty has more than 90,000 soldiers ready for battle. However, defenses need to be set up in Huguang, troops need to be stationed in Jiangbei, and the southwest needs to be guarded against the rebellion of the local chieftains. Major cities such as Nanjing, Hangzhou, Wuchang, Guangzhou, and Suzhou need to be heavily guarded. Where can we not have elite troops?
With these 90,000-plus men deployed like pepper, there simply aren't enough soldiers anywhere!
Even in the capital Nanjing and its surrounding areas, such an important place, only 20,000 soldiers were stationed there; the rest were assigned to various other places.

He allocated 5,000 elite troops to Hao Yunlai, which was already a difficult task, as he had to scrape together what he could from various sources.

He comforted Hao Yunlai, saying, "The scouts have reported that the King of Toungoo, upon learning of the division of the Ming Dynasty into North and South, sees this as a golden opportunity and has already issued an edict to invade the North. He has mobilized an army of 180,000 and 3,000 war elephants. The Governor of Yunnan, the Duke of Qian's Mansion, and the Mu Family Chieftain are all making urgent preparations for war."

"But they certainly can't stop the Toungoo army; at most, they can only hold out for three months. Once they can't withstand the Burmese army, they'll have no choice but to surrender to Nanjing and seek the court's support. So, as long as you lead five thousand elite troops to Kunming, they'll have no choice but to accept you as their governor, and they might even have to curry favor with you!"

Hao Yunlai's face turned green. "My Grand Tutor! The King of Dongyu is leading an army of 180,000 to invade the north, and you want me to take 5,000 men? Even the Mu family and the Mu family couldn't stop them, how can my 5,000 men stop them? Zhihu, are you trying to comfort me?"

Zhu Yin laughed and said, "That's why I said I wanted to invite you to be the governor. As long as you represent the court, unite the people, and coordinate all sides, you can hold off the Dongyu army for half a year, or at most half a year, and the situation will be reversed! At that time, I will personally lead a large army to support you!"

"Moreover, there are people secretly supporting you and providing you with confidential intelligence. With Brother Huaji's abilities, it won't be difficult for you to hold out for half a year!"

"Although you have few soldiers, you brought a lot of silver with you. I'll give you two million taels!"

Hao Yunlai thought for a moment and asked, "Six months? I might be able to hold out for six months, but can you really lead a large army to come to our aid after six months? I know you are training a new army, and I heard you are recruiting 200,000 men, but what kind of elite soldiers can be trained in six months? General Qi is the best at training soldiers, but it still takes him one or two years to train qualified soldiers."

"What's the point of recruiting 200,000 new soldiers if they've only trained for half a year? Do they dare to fight a tough battle against the fierce Burmese war elephants?"

"You don't need to worry about that," Zhu Yin said confidently, picking up his teacup and taking a leisurely sip.

"In short, I will be able to lead my troops to support you within six months. As the Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou, as long as you unite the forces of all parties and hold off the King of Toungoo for six months, you will have accomplished your mission. At that time, it will not only be a matter of your future as Governor-General, but also a matter of being ennobled and entering the cabinet."

He was essentially offering his official position and titles in exchange for Hao Yunlai buying the court a few months of strategic time.

What the Southern Dynasties needed was time!

"Great!" Hao Yunlai was burning with enthusiasm. "I'll do it! Even if I'm crushed to pieces, I'll at least delay the court for half a year!"

"Brother Huaji, you're so kind!" Zhu Yin clapped his hands. "The imperial decree will be issued soon. The situation in Yunnan is dire right now, so Brother Huaji, you should set off in three days. Your mother, sister-in-law, and nephews and nieces can stay in Nanjing; I will take good care of them."

Hao Yunlai knew what was going on and smiled, "I feel at ease knowing they're staying in the capital. By the way, I heard that among the empress candidates you've chosen for the Emperor are women from the Yang family of Bozhou and the Peng family of Yongshun, both of whom are Han Chinese chieftains."

"You want to use marriage to win over Bozhou and the Peng family, but if the marriage is really arranged, won't they resent you as a powerful minister and instigate the emperor to get rid of you? They have quite a few troops."

Zhu Yin smiled slightly, "Brother Huaji, these are heartfelt words, showing your sincerity. But for the sake of the court, I have no choice but to resort to this measure. The Yang and Peng families both command tens of thousands of troops and are very prestigious among the chieftains. What the court needs right now is stability among the chieftains; they absolutely cannot rebel. At least not right now!"

“If the Empress and Imperial Concubines are daughters of Han chieftains, the chieftains will be stable for at least two years. However, I have told Caiwei and the Empress Dowager that no matter which chieftain's daughter she is, she must be favored by the Emperor. If the Emperor does not favor a woman, no matter how powerful her family is, I will not force her. It is true that I need the Emperor to form a marriage alliance, but I cannot allow the Emperor to marry a woman he does not love.”

Hao Yunlai chuckled, "You really are a good imperial tutor. I also heard that you actually sent envoys to Annam to arrange a marriage alliance with the Zheng ruler? And the Zheng woman is also a candidate for empress? Although the Zheng family are Han Chinese, they have been rooted in Annam for three generations. The Zheng family considers themselves the rulers of Annam and is willing to marry their daughter to him?"

"Even if the Zheng ruler is willing, would our ministers agree? The Ming Dynasty has been established for over two hundred years, and the empress has never married a woman from a vassal state. I have heard that some officials have already criticized this."

Zhu Yin narrowed his eyes. "Marrying the daughter of the Zheng ruler as the Empress of the Ming Dynasty is a great honor for them. If they agree to the marriage, fine; if they don't, it will become an excuse for future attacks. I'd love for the Zheng ruler to disagree. My main purpose in sending envoys wasn't the marriage, because the Zheng ruler would definitely disagree. What I really wanted was... their refusal!"

Hao Yunlai looked astonished. "You want to take back Jiaozhi?"

Zhu Yin nodded. "There is no such thing as Annam. There has always only been Jiaozhou of my Han people. Sooner or later, we will take back that land. How can we allow others to snore beside our bed?"

Hao Yunlai smiled bitterly and said, "How easy is it? Although Jiaozhou is the homeland of the Han people for thousands of years, it was already independent during the Five Dynasties period. Although it was taken back by Emperor Chengzu more than 400 years later, it was abandoned by Emperor Xuanzong. Now it has been 170 years, and the Annamese people have long since become an independent entity."

Zhu Yin sneered, "So what if they become their own entity? They can choose not to come back, but we'll leave them with the land and not their people. I want to see how many tough nuts they have to crack then."

Hao Yun glanced at the nineteen-year-old regent and, upon hearing his murderous words, felt a chill run down his spine.

He chimed in, saying, "Annam is currently divided into three factions and has not yet been unified, which is precisely the time to wage war."

Zhu Yin personally poured tea for Hao Yunlai, saying, "This is also the second reason why I appointed you as the Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou. In the early stages, the task is to block the northward advance of Toungoo, and in the later stages, it is to prepare for the conquest of Vietnam. The army will be dispatched by land and sea, and Yunnan is one of the routes! After recovering Jiaozhou, we will then conquer Toungoo. It will be easier at first and more difficult later."

"Brother Huaji, I'm entrusting the affairs of Yunnan to you. It's a long and arduous task."

Hao Yunlai was filled with emotion. He stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "The Grand Tutor has given the order. How dare I not do my utmost to serve the king!"

……

On the ninth day of the eighth month of the first year of the Taichang reign, the regular court session was held.

Before dawn, Zhu Yin rode in his magnificent golden carriage from Dagongfang, accompanied by Lan Cha and others, to the palace to preside over the court assembly.

Upon reaching the Meridian Gate, the lights shone like stars, and the palace was filled with court officials preparing to enter. Seeing Zhu Yin's presumptuous imperial carriage, their gazes were complex and helpless. Yet, they still bowed to Zhu Yin's entourage. Regardless of their inner thoughts, they could only fulfill the formalities bestowed upon the Regent Grand Tutor by the new emperor.

Hopefully, the Grand Tutor will keep his word and return power to the Emperor in a few years.

However, the officials are still happy now, because it is said that the Grand Tutor will also have acts of benevolence towards officials.

Although many people were dissatisfied with Zhu Yin's autocracy, they had to admit his talent and methods.

After the Grand Tutor took over the reins of government, the Southern Dynasty not only immediately gained a foothold, but also had provinces submitting to it one after another. Now it has half of Southern Zhili, six provinces, and one Chongqing Prefecture.

The entire south, except for Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, was submitted to the Southern Dynasty.

Although this was due to the new emperor's appeal, the Grand Tutor's prestige and methods were also indispensable.

The Grand Tutor's absolute power certainly drew criticism. Yet, his conduct was impeccable; he was truly a pillar of the Southern Dynasty, a vital link between the sea and the people.

Therefore, most officials still held Zhu Yin in high esteem.

Zhu Yin, dressed in specially made official robes, sat upright in his golden carriage. Lan Cha, wielding a spiked club, followed closely behind the carriage directly to the foot of the Five Phoenix Tower.

All the officials rode in sedan chairs, including military generals and nobles like Xu Xiaobai, but Zhu Yin rode in a golden carriage, accompanied by a retinue of over a hundred people.

This was Zhu Yin's deliberate use of the privileges of the ritual system to strengthen his regency position, in order to openly tell the officials: I am the regent, and you are my subjects!
The fact that he did not force the officials to submit to him, nor did he ride in the imperial carriage, shows that the Regent Grand Tutor was already being very polite.

"Clang, clang—" The Jingyang Bell at the Meridian Gate rang, and officials filed in, lining up outside the Hall of Literary Glory after entering the palace.

According to the rules left by Emperor Taizu, the grand court session was held in the Fengtian Hall, while the regular court session was held in the Huagai Hall.

All the officials walked, except for the Regent Grand Tutor, who changed to a palanquin at the Five Phoenix Tower and was carried into the palace by several men. Moreover, he was allowed to bring a guard with him. Lan Cha, fully armored and clad in armor, swaggered along with Zhu Yin, like a shadow.

Scorpion shit, unique!
Zhu Yin valued his life highly. Although the palace guards and imperial guards were all his private soldiers and the Jinghai Army, he couldn't guarantee that no reckless courtiers might try to assassinate him during court sessions.

Although the palace guards were his men, it wasn't safe. He also had Lancha, a hundred-man warrior, with him, and wore a soft armor underneath his clothes.

After the officials and ceremonial guards took their positions, ceremonial music began to play. Zhu Yin alighted from his palanquin on the platform, holding a jade tablet that none of the officials possessed, and entered the palace with Lan Cha, who was carrying a spiked club.

The master of ceremonies at the palace gate announced, "The Grand Tutor is holding court!"

Then, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Zhu Yin sat on the regent's seat below the throne, only three feet lower than the throne. Lan Cha, leaning on a spiked club, stood beside Zhu Yin, exuding an imposing aura that drew the attention of all the officials.

At this moment, Zhu Yin's situation was: everyone else was standing while I sat alone.

Immediately, a whip cracked, and the master of ceremonies announced, "His Majesty has arrived! All officials kneel to welcome him!"

With a whoosh, all the officials knelt down, while the Regent stood up.

At this moment, Zhu Yin's situation was: everyone was kneeling while I stood alone.

As the emperor descended from his jade carriage and ascended the throne, the master of ceremonies announced again, "Your Majesty ascends the throne! Bow! Cheers!"

All the officials kowtowed together, shouted slogans, and danced.

However, Zhu Yin simply bowed deeply with his hands clasped, and at this moment it was: "Everyone bows to me, but I alone bow."

He was extremely aloof in etiquette, always placing himself above all other officials.

The fifteen-year-old Emperor Taichang, dressed in a round-necked, narrow-sleeved robe and wearing a black gauze winged crown, sat calmly at his desk.

The main hall was very dark, and under the illumination of the palace lanterns, the emperor's youthful face seemed like a ghost of the ancient palace.

The grand music, while exuding a majestic and elegant atmosphere, also conveyed a sense of gloom. Inside the main hall, the jade tablets and belt hooks of the officials gleamed with a cold, eerie light under the illumination of the palace lanterns.

It seems that no one realized, or if they did, they were helpless: the morning court session started too early.

The emperor and his ministers were already in their positions, but it was still dark in the palace as dawn was breaking.

During this period, every time Zhu Changluo went to court and sat on the throne in this ancient Huagai Hall, he couldn't help but feel a little creeped out.

This was the seat that Emperor Taizu and Emperor Jianwen had once sat in. But now, the throne belonged to Emperor Chengzu's lineage, and he always felt that there was a pair of eyes watching him in this dark hall, not knowing whether it was Emperor Taizu or Emperor Jianwen.

At these times, the officials below who were paying homage looked like ancient ghosts or zombie dolls from the early days of the dynasty, as if they had arrived from two hundred years ago. This made him feel very unreal.

Only when he saw his master and the tall warrior behind him did he feel much more at ease.

"The homage ceremony is complete!" the master of ceremonies announced. "Greetings to the Regent!"

The officials stood up, turned slightly, and bowed deeply to Zhu Yin, who was seated. Zhu Yin himself simply returned the bow while seated.

Hao Yunlai, attending the Nanjing court session for the first time, was filled with envy upon seeing the imposing presence of Zhu Yin, the Regent Grand Tutor.

After all the officials had performed the three rounds of salutations to Zhu Yin, the morning court session officially began.

Zong Qin, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, stood below the steps and loudly proclaimed, "Officials, please report any matters you may have!"

These words were like a signal. As soon as he finished speaking, the emperor said in a clear and youthful voice, "Ministers, please discuss state affairs in court. In important matters, the Grand Tutor shall have the authority to make decisions."

It means that although I am the emperor, you should not ask me anything, but listen to the Grand Tutor.

After saying that, a math problem he hadn't solved yesterday popped into his mind, and he couldn't help but fall into deep thought. What was the solution? Interesting…

Sitting in the regency seat, Zhu Yin spoke without hesitation:

"There are five matters I would like to discuss with you this morning. After I have finished discussing these five matters, you may then present your cases in court."

It means: I'll speak first. After I've finished speaking, you can then report your matters.

All the officials secretly wondered in unison, "What five things will the Regent Grand Tutor discuss today?"

...

P.S.: To find out what five things the Grand Tutor has to say, please stay tuned for the next installment. I'm not feeling well today, so I'll stop here. Thank you all for your support, please vote and leave reviews! Goodnight!

(End of this chapter)