Chapter Twenty-Six: The Chief Supervisor of the Imperial Stables

The imperial entourage had originally planned to enter the city of Huailai, but Zhang Yi, the Grand Academician of the Cabinet accompanying the army, argued that Huailai was too small for such a massive force. With tens of thousands of troops marching, even if most of the capital garrison were left outside the city, the twenty-six elite guards assigned to protect the emperor would still need to be stationed within its walls. Given the size of Huailai, it was clear the city could not accommodate them. Moreover, the city had long been neglected, its streets filthy, and with the summer heat, crowding so many soldiers within would inevitably breed disease. Better, Zhang Yi advised, for the emperor to camp outside the city: it would spare the citizens from disturbance, prevent outbreaks among the troops, and make it easier for the army to pitch tents and fetch water—a solution that served many purposes.

Cao Nai, the First Academician, and Kuang, the Minister of War, who also accompanied the army, supported Zhang Yi’s proposal. The emperor’s decision was quickly made, and thus, the imperial camp was set up on the open plains outside Huailai, the main force spread across the fields, the guards stationed at their posts, and the officials busied with their duties. The generals and court ministers alike recognized the wisdom in this arrangement: it avoided unnecessary risk, eased logistical strains, and kept the army healthy and ready for battle.

Because the weather was stifling and the imperial tent had not yet been properly erected, Emperor Zhu Qizhen commanded his trusted eunuch, Xi Ning, to oversee the preparations. Meanwhile, he ordered his jade carriage to stop by the Xishui River, less than half a mile from the encampment. There, he could enjoy the river’s scenery and escape the oppressive heat.

Leaving the camp, the elder in red robes led a retinue of eunuchs toward the riverbank in search of the emperor. Along the way, civil and military officials yielded the road at his approach; flatterers among them hastened forward to shower him with praise. The guards and soldiers on duty treated him with utmost respect. As he walked, it was clear that he stood second only to the emperor himself—a man of unrivaled power and influence.

In the whole Ming court, there was only one such figure: the red-robed elder, whom the emperor called “Teacher” with every utterance, the Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Secretariat, Wang Zhen.

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Spotting the jade carriage by the river from afar, Wang Zhen halted and turned to the group of eunuchs trailing behind him. “You may all withdraw,” he said. “I will go to the emperor alone.”

“Yes, Lord Wang!” came the chorus of obedience. None dared disobey. They dispersed, each to their own duties, save one who remained unmoved: Chen Guan, Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Horse Administration, Wang Zhen’s trusted right hand in the inner court. The other, Tang Tong, Chief Eunuch of the Eastern Depot, was still in the capital and had not joined the expedition.

All others departed, but Chen Guan lingered. Wang Zhen seemed accustomed to this and knew Chen must have business to discuss. “What is it?” he asked.

Chen Guan straightened himself and bowed respectfully. “Lord Wang, after today’s incident in the Third Thousand Regiment, the Four Flying Guards are also unsettled. To prevent further disturbances like that in the Third Thousand Regiment, I ask your permission to remove certain officers from the Four Guards, lest they undermine the army’s morale.”

Wang Zhen did not reply immediately. He pondered, and Chen Guan stood quietly, hands at his sides.

The Four Flying Guards Chen referred to were the Flying Left Guard, Flying Right Guard, Martial Left Guard, and Martial Right Guard under the Imperial Horse Administration. These units, formed in the eighth year of the Xuande reign from the elite horsemen of the Imperial Guards and personal troops, were part of the emperor’s own twenty-six elite guards—his personal army, and the only force directly controlled by the Horse Administration.

The Third Thousand Regiment was not a personal guard, but part of the capital garrison, known alongside the Divine Machine Regiment and the Five Army Regiment as the three major forces of Ming. When it was founded, it consisted of only three thousand Mongol cavalry, but over the reigns of Yongle, Hongxi, Xuande, and Zhengtong, its numbers had grown to over forty thousand, all cavalry. The Five Army Regiment drilled infantry formations, the Divine Machine Regiment trained in firearms and cannons, and the Third Thousand Regiment specialized in cavalry patrols. Whenever the emperor personally led an expedition, these three regiments formed the core of the army: Divine Machine on the flanks, Third Thousand in the center, Five Army in reserve.

As the main force of the capital garrison, the Third Thousand Regiment’s fighting power was undeniable. Yet today, during the march, some officers and several hundred soldiers caused a disturbance that delayed the army for a full hour. The trouble started after a sudden afternoon downpour—a heavy but brief storm that lasted barely the time it took to burn half a stick of incense. Still, the army pressed on toward Huailai as planned. Unexpectedly, some soldiers of the Third Thousand Regiment, led by their officers, began protesting: they claimed the roads were too muddy to continue marching and demanded the army return to the capital.

Though the incident was quickly quelled, it revealed a troubling weakness. If a unit could refuse to march due to muddy roads, would it not, in future, refuse to fight the enemy for the same reason? In the days of Emperor Taizong, the Third Thousand Regiment traveled a thousand miles across the northern steppe, ate and slept in wind and dust, and fought the Northern Yuan cavalry to the bitter end. Now, after a mere rainstorm, they balked at marching. This change in morale and discipline was alarming. Most infuriating of all, the emperor had only just left the capital, yet already some were clamoring for a retreat. Did they treat the nation’s affairs as a child’s play?

Upon hearing of the disturbance in the Third Thousand Regiment, Wang Zhen immediately instructed the Minister of War, Kuang, to take swift and decisive action. He ordered that those responsible be arrested and punished, their ringleaders executed if necessary, to restore discipline to the force. The others, though shaken, soon resumed their duties, but the underlying issues could not be ignored. If the capital’s finest troops faltered so easily, what hope was there for the rest?

The Third Thousand Regiment belonged to the capital garrison, overseen by the Five Army Command, while the Four Flying Guards were the emperor’s personal troops, outside the jurisdiction of the Five Army Command and the Ministry of War. Should trouble arise, the responsibility would fall on Chen Guan as the chief eunuch of the Horse Administration. Thus, for both official and personal reasons, he could not allow unrest to spread among the Four Guards.

While Chen waited, Wang Zhen made up his mind, his expression darkening. “The emperor is leading this campaign himself; the army must not falter,” he declared. “Do as you see fit. If trouble arises, I will bear the blame. Arrest those who need to be arrested, execute those who need to be executed. I refuse to believe the court can feed these men for a thousand days, yet they complain at being called upon for a single hour. What grievances can they possibly have? Must the emperor really retreat for them to be satisfied? Someone is surely behind this, manipulating things from the shadows. Investigate discreetly, and find out who is meddling in the capital garrison and the personal guards. I know there are those who do not wish the emperor to lead the campaign, who would rather he not defeat Esen in person, and who resent my own influence. But if they think they can make trouble under my very nose, they are gravely mistaken—I will not tolerate a single grain of sand in my eye.”

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ps: I wonder if any readers of this book might be willing to add themselves as fans?