Chapter 47: Invaders at Laizhou
There was little to say about the imperial edicts granting official promotions and dispatching assignments to Zhu Heng, Gao Gong, and Yang Jisheng.
Except that Gao Gong, who knew the background, was somewhat surprised by the Crown Prince’s favor with the Emperor.
Zhu Heng and Yang Jisheng, on the other hand, felt more confusion and uncertainty.
In the main hall of the Wenhua Palace,
after the edicts were announced, Zhu Zaiyu handed the three imperial decrees to the men.
“You are the pillars of our great Ming dynasty. In these difficult times for the nation, I must rely on your strength to ease my father the Emperor’s burdens.”
Among the three, Zhu Heng was the eldest.
With age came greater composure.
Zhu Heng clasped the edict tightly, savoring the sudden weight of becoming a high-ranking provincial official, and quietly asked, “May I inquire what instructions Your Majesty has for me as I go south to serve as governor over Zhejiang and Fujian provinces?”
Zhu Zaiyu looked at him and spoke deliberately, “As governor of these two provinces, you shall oversee the maritime defenses and strictly enforce the sea ban. Not a single plank shall be allowed to enter the sea!”
Now that the plan was to pilot the opening of the sea in Laizhou, Zhejiang and Fujian were to be locked down entirely on land.
Zhu Heng’s expression tightened, a heavy invisible pressure weighing down his shoulders.
Zhu Zaiyu’s eyes glimmered with a faint smile. “I have heard that when you served as a county magistrate in Huizhou, you stood fearless before Minister Wang of the Ministry of Personnel, never allowing him to find fault with you. Such steadfastness commands my utmost respect.”
Inside the hall, Gao Gong and Yang Jisheng exchanged glances as they looked at Zhu Heng, now a provincial governor.
The Crown Prince’s words, though ostensibly praise, were in fact a challenge.
If he could face down the Minister of Personnel as a mere magistrate,
then now, as governor over two provinces, did he still possess the courage to offend the powerful officials and gentry of those regions and enforce a strict prohibition on maritime trade?
Zhu Heng suddenly raised his head and met the Crown Prince’s steady gaze.
His heart sank, but he bowed deeply and said, “Though I lack the strength to wield sword and horse, I still possess a courageous heart!”
He had faced down Minister Wang Hang back then.
Now as governor of two provinces, what was there to fear from smugglers and illicit maritime traders?
Zhu Zaiyu’s face brightened with joy. He then revealed, “My father has already instructed Commander Lu Bing, and the Jinyiwei officer Shen Lian will escort you south to the two provinces. All orders must be obeyed without question.”
The Shen Lian mentioned was the famous figure recorded in history. Yet he had not started as a Jinyiwei officer but was recruited into the secret service by Lu Bing while serving as magistrate in Henan.
Zhu Heng carefully noted Shen Lian’s name, understanding that this was likely all the support the Emperor would give him on this southern mission.
From here on, he would have to open the way on his own once he reached Zhejiang and Fujian.
Having finished instructing Zhu Heng, Zhu Zaiyu turned his gaze to Gao Gong and Yang Jisheng.
The two immediately understood and bowed deeply.
“I shall go south to Shandong. Please rest assured, Your Majesty, Your Highness. Failure is not an option,” Gao Gong declared.
Gao Gong was known for his fiery and upright character.
Yang Jisheng likewise feared neither hardship nor the threats of the powerful.
Though both readily accepted their tasks, Zhu Zaiyu worried more about the trial opening of the sea in Laizhou Prefecture than the affairs in Zhejiang and Fujian.
He composed himself and said, “Though Shandong is not far from the capital, communication will still take time. The navy and the Sea Opening Guards will take a while before they can be of use. The Jinyiwei have no additional manpower, but some men will be allocated to you to guard against bandits. When you depart on your assignments, someone will come to find you.”
Since matters were not yet finalized, he did not reveal everything.
Still, Zhu Zaiyu intended to borrow some troops from the Duke of Cheng’s household for Gao Gong and Yang Jisheng.
Though the noble families of Ming had grown ineffective, every household maintained personal soldiers and veteran troops.
By cobbling together forces here and there, it was possible to assemble some men for Gao and Yang.
As for mobilizing troops from the capital garrison,
there was simply no trust to be had.
Yang Jisheng said little, instead pondering how, as commander of the Denglai military route, he would bring the two prefectural armies under his control to cooperate with Gao Gong in the opening of the sea.
Gao Gong, however, hesitated, then finally spoke, “Your Highness, I—”
Zhu Zaiyu read his expression and smiled faintly. “Regarding the two prefectures of Denglai, any suspicion or doubt, you have my permission to arrest. This is a favor I have petitioned my father the Emperor to grant High Scholar Gao.”
The highest-ranking official in the two prefectures was only a county magistrate of the fourth rank.
Yet above them were the three commissions of Shandong Province.
Seeing Gao Gong’s reaction, Zhu Zaiyu said no more.
Yang Jisheng glanced sideways at the hesitant Gao Gong, then was the first to clasp his fists and bow deeply.
“Your Highness’s grace and authority inspire us. We shall carry out our orders with utmost diligence and not betray the trust placed in us by the sovereign.”
Hearing Yang Jisheng’s words, Gao Gong quickly recovered and bowed in agreement.
Zhu Zaiyu smiled, stood, and looked toward the hall’s entrance.
“I entrust these national affairs to your steadfast shoulders.”
“When the day comes that your missions bear fruit, I will petition my father to hold a banquet here in the Wenhua Palace to celebrate your accomplishments!”
Zhu Heng left.
Gao Gong and Yang Jisheng followed.
In Beijing, May grew hotter still. Since the spring rains had fallen, not a drop had been seen.
The Emperor had rejected all candidates recommended by the cabinet and central government, choosing instead these three to take up office; the news spread gradually.
The Crown Prince’s pronouncement of their appointments in the Wenhua Palace naturally leaked out.
But just like the trial opening of the sea in Laizhou Prefecture,
most officials in court believed that though the Crown Prince was put forward, it was the Emperor who made all the actual decisions.
Until the fifth day of the fifth lunar month,
due to the prolonged drought, the Emperor issued an edict ordering officials to reflect upon their conduct and personally prayed at the imperial altar within the palace for heavenly dew to fall.
It was a marvel.
Shortly after the Emperor’s prayers, past noon that day,
a light mist began to descend over Beijing, clouds gathered thick and dark, blotting out the sun, and the rain gradually intensified.
The parched capital region, cracked and fissured, eagerly drank the life-giving rain.
The rain came down harder and harder, as if it would fall for days on end.
That very night,
a courier squad sped into Beijing from the direction of Tongzhou.
Their banner bore the urgent military dispatch emblem from Shandong, and they raced straight to the Meridian Gate.
In the downpour and under dark clouds, the riders were soaked through but dared not delay.
As night fell,
the layers of clouds gathered overhead, swirling as if amassing the power of thunder and lightning.
“Urgent dispatch!”
“Urgent dispatch from Shandong!”
The calm of the Western Garden was shattered by sharp, uneasy voices.
The Emperor, who had already retired to bed, had to rise from his couch.
Outside, news poured in.
“Urgent dispatch from Shandong Command: pirates arrived by sea under stormy skies. Their numbers unknown. At Laizhou Fushan, our forces were overwhelmed; all from the captain down to the soldiers perished!”
“They crossed Jiaozhou Bay, attacking the town of Fengmeng, slaughtering countless people; corpses lie everywhere.”
“Approaching Jiaozhou city, they burned the granary, destroyed the Ling Mountain military depot, plundered the gentry’s estates, then escaped through the Jugu River into the outer sea.”
Boom! Thunder roared and lightning cracked.
The night sky was filled with heavy rain, punctuated by flashes of lightning and rolling thunder.