Chapter 25: Unrest in the Southwest

Qin Liangyu did not sit down; instead, she first invited Zhu Youxiao to return to the Dragon Throne and then spoke earnestly, “Your Majesty has bestowed such favor upon me. I must speak candidly and leave nothing unsaid. Should I overstep in any way, I beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness.”

Zhu Youxiao smiled, “In Great Ming, we do not punish people for their words. General Qin, please speak freely. I have enough tolerance for that.”

“Then, with all due respect, I shall speak. In my humble opinion, there are three major flaws in the Great Ming's military. First, civil officials command the military. Most civil officials do not understand matters of the army but frequently require generals to follow their chaotic orders, ignoring the advice of commanders and scorning the soldiers, resulting in discord among the ranks. Second, there is a distinction between native and guest troops. Guest troops, fighting far from home, do not receive local support for provisions. When my White-Pole troops aided Liaodong, for example, if we stayed in one county for a day, we received rations; if we passed through two counties in a day, neither provided supplies, and we had to wait until the next day. Thus, soldiers often go hungry. Third, there is the issue of private retainers. Across regions, commanders withhold pay from regular soldiers, concentrating resources on their retainers. These retainers are well-armed and courageous in battle, while other soldiers lack proper equipment and are unable to form ranks. Retainers are essentially private armies; when a commander is transferred, his retainers follow, meaning the court’s funds are used to support the personal forces of generals. If this continues, the fighting strength of the imperial army will decline while the power of commanders grows, and the calamity of regional warlords will not be far off. My words may be improper; I beg Your Majesty to punish me.” With that, she knelt to the floor.

“General Qin, please rise. As I said, words are not crimes,” Zhu Youxiao replied, waiting for her to stand before continuing, “Your words have merit, General Qin. I have considered these issues myself. They can only be addressed gradually, but I have reorganized the capital garrison: all units are now led by military officers, and generals are forbidden to maintain private retainers. This reform will be extended from the capital to other regions, and someday, the whole empire will follow suit. Today, I’d like to invite you to inspect my troops. General Qin, what do you think?”

If the emperor wishes to show you his troops, how could you refuse? Besides, Qin Liangyu was eager to see the new army the emperor had trained, so she gladly agreed, and they went together to the capital garrison.

The salute performed by the capital troops astonished Qin Liangyu, and the words of praise from Lu Qin and the others made her feel almost embarrassed. After watching the drills, she reciprocated by praising the weapons, armor, and formations of the garrison.

Zhu Youxiao, observing the group’s mutual flattery, laughed, “Weren’t we going to ask General Qin to point out deficiencies in the capital garrison? How is it all praise?”

Only then did the others realize they had left the emperor out. Zhou Yuji smiled awkwardly, and Lu Qin said, “Exactly so. General Qin is seasoned on the battlefield, her eyesight keen as lightning, and we shamelessly ask her to point out any shortcomings in the capital garrison—and if possible, suggest remedies as well.”

In truth, Qin Liangyu was already astounded by the state of the capital garrison. She had long known of its disorder, even worse than the frontier armies, but now, seeing the orderly camp, high morale, especially the fine equipment and disciplined ranks, it was utterly different from before. When Zhu Youxiao had said he would show her the garrison, she had been skeptical, not believing the emperor could turn a chaotic force into a fighting army in mere months. But seeing it with her own eyes, aside from lacking battle experience, in other respects it far exceeded the frontier troops she had seen.

She clasped her hands in a formal salute and replied, “I dare not presume. In my view, the capital troops may be called elite. The only concern is their lack of battlefield experience.”

She turned to Zhu Youxiao and performed the newly learned salute, saying, “The southwestern regions have shown signs of unrest lately, and there are frequent bands of bandits. If the capital garrison could dispatch some elite troops under the pretext of bandit suppression, patrolling the southwest, it would serve both as training and deterrence. This is my humble opinion, submitted for Your Majesty’s judgment.”

As the pacification commissioner of Shizhu herself, a native chieftain, it was remarkable that she could make such a suggestion, reflecting her loyalty to Great Ming. Zhu Youxiao replied, “General Qin’s proposal is excellent. I shall discuss it with the other commanders and then decide. The empress is eager to see you—would you go to the palace?”

He ordered attendants to escort Qin Liangyu to the empress’s palace, while Zhu Youxiao and the garrison commanders discussed her suggestion. Lu Qin spoke first, “The people of the southwest are fierce, and there are indeed frequent bandits. But sending the capital garrison after small bands seems a bit excessive.”

Yang Guangkui said, “That’s only the official reason. The main goal is to deter unstable native chieftains. The southwest’s complex terrain makes it a good place for military training. I believe the method is sound.”

Yang Guanggao and Zhou Yuji agreed. After all, it wouldn’t require many troops, and it could serve as a training exercise. Zhu Youxiao, however, considered another point: the problem of local versus guest troops. The capital garrison would be guest troops in the southwest, providing an opportunity to test new supply methods. If successful, these could be implemented nationwide.

Since everyone found it feasible, Zhu Youxiao decided to dispatch one cavalry battalion and two infantry battalions from the capital garrison to suppress bandits in the southwest. Every commander wanted to go, which was impossible. After intense argument, the emperor decided that Lu Qin would lead the three battalions.

However, if they claimed the capital garrison was being sent to the southwest to suppress bandits, the court officials would never accept it. So, it was decided that after Qin Liangyu brought the White-Pole troops to Shanhai Pass, she would be tasked with recruiting more of them, and Lu Qin would escort her back to the southwest—thus giving the civil officials no grounds for objection.

The commanders who missed out on the southwest assignment were disappointed, especially Yang Guanggao and Zhou Yuji. Zhu Youxiao promised to send them to Liaodong in the same way, forbidding engagement with the Jurchens for the time being, which soothed their grievances.

Having finally appeased the capital garrison commanders, Zhu Youxiao returned to the palace and learned that Qin Liangyu had already left. That night he stayed in Consort Chun’s palace. Duan Ying still hadn’t recovered from the excitement of meeting her idol and spent a long time discussing Qin Liangyu with Zhu Youxiao.

Zhu Youxiao laughed, “Would you like to be a general next time, my beloved?”

Duan Ying looked at him incredulously, “Really? Is it possible? Can an imperial consort become a general?”

“Of course. But to be a general, you must first learn to ride a horse. Can you ride?”

“I learned to ride at home.”

“I haven’t learned yet. How about you teach me?”

“Where can we find a horse at this hour? Tomorrow, perhaps?”

“Tomorrow won’t do. Why not let my beloved be my horse tonight, so I can learn to ride right away?”

“You’re terrible, Your Majesty! I was being serious!”

“So was I, and I’m about to do something quite serious... ah!”

Laughter and teasing filled the chamber, breaths mingled, and spring blossomed within.