Chapter 33: Disunity of the Three Guards of the King of Yan

The pain on the surface can be resisted with strong willpower. But what if the will collapses?

The soldiers of the Three Guards understood clearly, as did the residents of Beiping. The reason why the new military policy were not implemented in the Three Guards of King of Yan was not due to the court or the emperor, but because of the King of Yan himself!

It was the King of Yan who refused to allow the new military policy in the Three Guards!

He rejected such enormous benefits!

The strikes of the sticks on their buttocks were painful, very painful, to the point of making people want to cry.

Some people were heartbroken.

Some people sobbed quietly.

Some people looked up to the sky, tears streaming down their faces.

Why?

Your Highness King of Yan, why did you not allow the new military policy in the Three Guards,

King of Yan!

As your strongest force, we have followed you through life and death, battled on the battlefield. Are we not even given the opportunity to enjoy the the new military policy and secure blessings for our future generations?

Throughout our lives of countless battles and countless injuries, for the sake of our homes and our country, we have braved the wind and snow, traveled through thousands of miles of desert, and stepped over mountains of corpses and seas of blood. And in the end, with just a few words from you, you discarded all of our interests?

Why?

Your highness, King of Yan!

Weren’t you always the most considerate of us?

Why can’t you just nod your head?

The feeling of disappointment spread among Three Guards of King of Yan.

Zhang Yu led the group away. When they arrived, they were full of energy and fearless, displaying an arrogant attitude towards death. When they left, each one of them appeared soulless and lifeless, like walking corpses.

The unity of people’s hearts has been shattered.

Zhang Yu and Zhu Neng, realizing the seriousness of the situation, quickly gathered the leaders of the Three Guards of the King of Yan for discussions. With the approval of Consort Xu Yihua, they issued martial law orders, explicitly stating that:

Anyone who the camp without orders shall be executed!

Anyone who discusses the new military policy shall be executed!

Anyone who expresses dissatisfaction with the army shall be executed!

Anyone who slackens in training and disobeys orders shall be executed!

When the order of execution was conveyed to the Three Guards barracks, not a single soldier said anything. They remained silent like a ghost, and numbly accepting it.

The actions of the King of Yan chilled the hearts of the Three Guards from top to bottom.

No one could understand why such a new military policy should be rejected by the wise King of Yan, even a blind or deaf person would have agreed.

The respect for the King of Yan, vanished after Ping An’s speech and the spreading of the news.

Zhu Neng led more than a hundred people and broke out of Beiping City, heading directly south. He heard that Zhu Di had arrived in Jinan, and after a few days he would arrive at Beiping.

But Zhu Neng couldn’t wait for a few days. Currently, the new military policy were being implemented in Beiping Prefecture on a large scale, and even Shanhai Pass had started adopting the same policy.

In order to facilitate the smooth implementation of the new military policy, although the court did not allocate funds and provisions from the capital, they allowed Zhang Bing, the Beiping Administration Commissioner, to use the summer taxes that had not yet been transported to the capital and allocate them directly to the military garrison and various guards.

The increased demand for food and meat in the military garrison directly stimulated animal husbandry and farming in the surrounding areas of Beiping Prefecture.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Bing encouraged the various counties and prefectures of Beiping Prefecture to expand animal husbandry and farming, especially for pigs, sheep, cattle, chickens, ducks, geese, etc. To dispel the concerns of farmers, Zhang Bing posted notices stating that the prices would be based on the market prices of September in the thirty-first year of the Hongwu era. In the future, the army would purchase them at no less than the September market prices.

In terms of pork, the market price in September was nine wens per catty. An adult pig weighing around 200 catty would be worth 1,800 wens, nearly two taels of silver.

Although the farmers had to work harder, wouldn’t they earn more income?

Wouldn’t it be easier when it came time to pay taxes in the future?

Previously, they always worried about raising animals without a market, but now they didn’t have to worry anymore because the military would come directly to purchase them, ensuring that the farmers would not suffer losses.

Zhang Bing’s actions greatly encouraged the enthusiasm of farmers in animal husbandry and laid the foundation for ensuring the soldiers’ food supply.

Whether it was “Meat” administration commissioner Zhang Bing or the “New Military Policy Envoy,” Ping An, they were constantly exploring new paths for development.

Zhu Yunwen had given these two individuals significant authority. Zhang Bing wanted to loosen restrictions on merchants and recognize their official status, no longer requiring them to be affiliated with other households. He was preparing to create conditions for the development of commerce in Beiping.

Zhang Bing wrote a memorial and sent someone to deliver it to the capital. At the same time, he began the process of lifting the ban on commerce.

Provincial Administration office.

Zhang Bing gathered the main merchants from various industries in Beiping, including some traveling merchants and peddlers, and carefully listened to their demands.

The merchants’ demands were not many; they only hoped that the court would lift the ban on commerce and allow them to freely engage in business. If the court agreed, the merchants were willing to accept a tax rate of 25 to 1, instead of the current 30 to 1. ^[1]TL’s note: the tax rate 25 to 1 is simple, means you have to pay 1 dollar for each 25 dollars you earn.

Zhang Bing did not fully agree to the merchants’ demands. He simply informed all the merchants that within the jurisdiction of Beiping Prefecture, the Commissioner at all levels would no longer restrict the merchant household and would allow merchants to engage in business freely.

As for the issue of commercial taxes, it would be decided by the court.

After hearing this, the merchants were overjoyed. Although the scope was limited, it was still the first step.

Of course, Zhang Bing did not lose out either. By loosening the household registration policy, he gained the support of the merchants. When Zhang Bing mentioned the current difficulties of having an abundant food supply in Beiping but limited silver, these merchants pledged their support and guaranteed to purchase the grain at the government’s specified price with silver.

Zhang Bing would convert the tax grain into tax silver, keeping thirty percent for local use, and the remaining seventy percent would be sent to the capital.

On September 14th, Zhu Di entered Beiping Prefecture looking exhausted, not even sitting in a carriage.

When he left Beiping, Zhu Di was accompanied by soldiers and civilians, with a grand procession. But upon his return, everything had changed. Even the soldiers guarding the city gate only gave a simple salute to Zhu Di, without the smiling faces of the past.

Zhu Di was mentally and physically exhausted. On his way back, Crown prince Zhu Gaochi fell ill, delaying them for two days in Jinan. Shortly after leaving Jinan, they encountered Zhu Neng and learned about Ping An’s implementation of the new military policy, Three Guards of King of Yan creating disturbances in Provincial Military office, Martial law implementation and other things.

The situation was worse than Zhu Di had imagined.

Zhu Di did not expect that Ping’an would implement the New Military Policy in such a way that it became widely known throughout the city. He also did not expect that Ping’an would inform the world about his prohibition of the New Military Policy in the Three Guards!

This is not Ping’an’s method!

Zhu Di understood that behind all this was Zhu Yunwen!

It must be Zhu Yunwen who informed Ping’an about how to operate this matter, and signaled Ping’an to provoke dissatisfaction among the Three Guards of King of Yan, making the situation escalate, and finally making him take the blame himself, causing the Three Guards of the King of Yan to lose cohesion and loyalty!

At this moment, Zhu Di finally understood that Zhu Yunwen did not intend to weaken the vassal kings, but he intended to take away the will and courage of every soldier to resist the court!

King of Yan’s residence.

Zhu Di gathered all the core personnel, including the Yan Mountain Three Guards generals, and asked, “How are the Three Guards now?”

Zhang Yu’s eyes were sunken, he forced himself to be alert and said, “Your Highness, the soldiers have strong emotions, everyone yearns for the New Military policy. If this issue is not resolved, there may be turmoil.”

“Ah, New Military Policy, New Military Policy!”

Zhu Di gritted his teeth. He had been pondering all the way but couldn’t find a solution.

If Ping’an had only promoted the New Military Policy within the military garrison and the news did not reach the ears of the Three Guards of King of Yan, they could have sealed off the information. But Ping’an’s methods were too cunning. Not only did he make the entire Beiping Prefecture aware, but he also left a deep impression on the Three Guards!

“Your Highness, if we can come up with a better policy, not only can we regain the trust of the Three Guards, but we can also attract soldiers from the various guards in Beiping Prefecture and gain more support.”

Yuan Rong said confidently.

“Idiot!”

Zhu Gaochi muttered.

“What did you say?”

Yuan Rong jumped up and pointed at Zhu Gaozhi, shouting.

Zhu Gaochi coldly looked at Yuan Rong and said, “I said you’re an idiot! Have you forgotten that the Three Guards of King of Yan are under the court’s control, and they are fed by the court’s provisions. What policies can we come up with? What power do we have to propose policies? Once the Yan Prince’s Mansion gets involved in logistics, believe it or not, the Provincial Military office can immediately march to our doorstep!”

“Besides, how much financial resources does the King of Yan’s Mansion have to support the expenses of 80,000 soldiers? According to the New Military Policy, those who serve for twenty years can retire, and those who pass the assessment after twenty years of service will have their salaries doubled, and then doubled again after five years. Go and calculate how many soldiers in the Three Guards of King of Yan are veterans of twenty or thirty years?”

“Some of them joined the military at the age of fifteen or sixteen. Now they are only in their forties, in their prime. Who dares to let them retire? If they don’t retire, can you provide enough money and provisions? Take Qiu Fu as an example. He has been in the military for thirty-five years. According to the New Military Policy, he should receive over a thousand taels of annual salary. Can you afford that?”

Yuan Rong’s face turned pale after being scolded by Zhu Gaochi.

Although Zhu Gaochi was physically bloated and had mobility issues, he was a very insightful and capable person.

Imitating the New Military Policy, there is neither legal support nor the necessary conditions to support it.

Yuan Rong’s ideas are too naive and overly idealistic.

He wouldn’t pay attention to Yuan Rong if it weren’t for his good looks and the fact that he was Yuan Hong’s son. How could his father have betrothed his eldest sister, Princess Yong’an County Zhu Yuying, to him?

In ordinary days, he was somewhat arrogant, but Zhu Gaochi, out of respect for his sister’s face, would not pay any attention to him. However, now that the King of Yan’s Mansion is facing life and death, in this critical and perilous moment, he unexpectedly pretends to be suave and holds all the cards of wisdom.

If you don’t have a brain, don’t pretend to have one.

Otherwise, when it comes to a face slap, it will be a resounding slap.

Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui looked at Zhu Gaochi and didn’t object. Although they had some conflicts with Zhu Gaochi on ordinary days, they had to admit that his analysis was correct.

Zhu Di stood up, rubbed his temples, and said, “If Dao Yan were here, we would certainly not be so helpless.”

“Your Highness, did master Dao Yan’s leave any strategies behind?”

Zhu Neng asked.

The letter Dao Yan left for Zhu Di was handed over to him personally by Zhu Neng. Zhu Neng and Zhang Yu were not aware of its contents.

Zhu Di frowned and said, “He didn’t leave behind any strategies, but he recommended someone to me.”

“Who?”

Zhu Gaochi and the others asked.

Zhu Di looked at everyone and said slowly, “Jin Zhong.”

Everyone was puzzled.

Zhu Di sighed and said, “In the early years, I arranged for Dao Yan to seek out talented strategists. First, there was Yuan Zhongche, and then Jin Zhong. You already know about Yuan Zhongche, a master of metaphysics. But this Jin Zhong is even more extraordinary. He not only understands yin and yang but is also knowledgeable in military tactics. He is a talented individual.”

“Father, what are we waiting for? Where is Jin Zhong?”

Zhu Gaoxu quickly asked.

Zhu Di sat down, took a sip of tea, and gradually calmed down. He looked at Zhu Gaoxu and said, “”You go to a secluded alley and invite the fortune teller there into the mansion. Remember, it should be done discreetly to avoid attracting attention.”.

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