Chapter 56: Arrangements for Military Expansion

"The wretch said... he said... it was Commander Liu who sent him. I know I was wrong, I won't dare do it again, I really won't! Spare my life... spare my life... spare..."

The screams grew fainter and fainter, until they vanished along with Wei Yunshan.

Chang Zhilang forcibly suppressed the look of shock on his face, trying to keep his thoughts clear. He had originally believed he was following a future minister of high ideals, ambitions, ability, and potential.

But at this moment, Chang Zhilang suddenly recalled the absolute loyalty of the five hundred elite soldiers and the submissiveness of Wei Yunshan. Could this really be the behavior of a mere official?

Even the feudal lords of the Warring States period were no more imposing than this.

At this thought, a terrifying idea surged in his mind, which he desperately pushed down, pretending he had never conceived it at all.

Just as Chang Zhilang was lost in these wild thoughts, footsteps echoed, and several officers walked in.

After the exchange of greetings, Chang Zhilang recognized the arrivals as Liu Sheng, Liu Zhen, Liu Quan, and Li Jun.

Zhu Cailang did not stand on ceremony. He started directly: "The Linqing Battalion will be expanded to three thousand men within three months. The remaining two thousand five hundred are already being recruited from the various brick kilns around Linqing; within five days, this force will be assembled. Chang Zhilang!"

"Here, my lord!" Chang Zhilang steadied himself and replied sternly.

Zhu Cailang looked at him and said: "The Tax Inspection Office must prepare six months of military supplies for three thousand men."

"Understood! Your subordinate accepts the command." Chang Zhilang suddenly caught a drift. Zhu Cailang was so serious about the supplies for these three thousand men for half a year, yet he had not mentioned a word about the massive military budget of nearly one hundred thousand taels. It seemed...

"Liu Sheng!" Zhu Cailang turned to the burly, heroic-looking Liu Sheng. "Your task is to establish a training corps once the new infantry recruits arrive and manage their training well. The goal for this drill is to be able to form ranks, recognize military orders, and march to the beat of the drums within seven days. They are only required to function as basic auxiliary troops; there are no other combat requirements for now. As for the objective after the seven days, I will explain it later."

"Understood! Your subordinate accepts the command!" Liu Sheng was puzzled by this strange training order, but he accepted it quickly.

"Liu Zhen!" Zhu Cailang looked at him next. "Your task is to scatter your men. I want this entire area of thirty miles cleared of any sneaky, suspicious characters!"

"Understood! Your subordinate accepts the command!" This order was standard, and Liu Zhen accepted it without hesitation.

"Liu Quan, Li Jun!" Zhu Cailang turned to them. "After the new recruits arrive, you may have priority in selecting personnel until you reach your capacity limit. For the artillery, the task is to teach these new recruits the lower-tech, easier-to-master skills. I need an artillery force that can quickly reach combat readiness. And Li Jun, your task is to ramp up the research and development of firearms, while simultaneously overseeing the maintenance and production of all military equipment."

"Understood! Your subordinate accepts the command." Liu Quan responded solemnly, then quickly wrote down Zhu Cailang's words on a shorthand board for Li Jun to see.

After reading it, Li Jun bowed and accepted the order, looking quite pleased.

Seeing this, Zhu Cailang clapped his hands and smiled: "Alright, everyone get to work! Very soon, we shall give certain people a very big surprise."

***

Capital, Forbidden City, Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Youjian looked at the memorial in his hand, a smile blossoming on his face that seemed to brighten the entire palace atmosphere by thirty percent.

This was the memorial submitted by Zhu Cailang, and beside it lay the memorial from Liu Zeqing, the Regional Commander of the Shandong Garrison. Theoretically, Zhu Cailang, a director of the Ministry of Revenue's Tax Inspection Office, and Liu Zeqing, a military commander, moved in different circles and should have had nothing to do with one another. Yet, having their memorials arrive together produced an effect that had Wang Cheng'en reciting auspicious words repeatedly, keeping Zhu Youjian in a wonderful mood all day.

"My 'Unicorn Son' has done well." The Chongzhen Emperor held Zhu Cailang's memorial, using its hard cover to flip open Liu Zeqing's, and as he read the spirited words, his smile became impossible to contain. "I have long wanted to deploy the Shandong troops to Henan to suppress the rebellion. But this Liu Zeqing... he has some ferocity, but getting him to truly commit to a fight is far too difficult."

At this, Wang Cheng'en chimed in: "But as soon as the Crown Prince stepped in, he accomplished what even the Governor of Shandong, Wang Gongbi, could not!"

"True, true! Lang-er has real ability. Now that Liu Zeqing has personally requested to lead his troops into battle, the conflict in Henan can be quelled sooner! Lang-er deserves top credit for this." Zhu Youjian smiled, then looked at the memorial and asked: "Where is Yixing? Go see if he has arrived yet."

Wang Cheng'en hurried off to urge him. Before long, a panting Zhou Yanru ran in to pay his respects: "Your Majesty!"

"No need for such formalities, Minister!" Zhu Youjian, in high spirits, waved his hand and held up Liu Zeqing's memorial. "You must already know about the request from Liu Zeqing of the Shandong Garrison. Once the Cabinet has discussed this, draft the decree as soon as possible so the Shandong troops can move into Henan to suppress the rebellion. This time, allocate twenty thousand taels of silver first, and have the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War arrange the remaining supplies immediately. Also, draft a decree for me telling Liu Zeqing to fight well!"

"Understood! Your humble servant accepts the command." Zhou Yanru was also in a good mood; Liu Zeqing was his own protégé. Since he had taken the initiative to request battle, Zhou himself stood to gain prestige. If Liu Zeqing won a victory, his own standing in the court would be significantly bolstered.

Seeing the Emperor in such good spirits, Zhou Yanru remembered the silver and the letter Liu Zeqing had sent him via express courier. He smiled and added: "Your Majesty, the Shandong troops are diligent in their service to the throne and truly deserve a reward. I suggest we include a provision in the decree for local authorities to expedite the preparation of military supplies to incentivize them. Furthermore, Liu Zeqing's memorial bears the joint signature of Qin Xia, the director of the Tax Inspection Office. In my view, why not let Qin Xia handle the local procurement, and issue another order for the Shandong officials to cooperate?"

As Zhou Yanru finished speaking, his eyes suddenly twitched.

From his peripheral vision, he saw the smile on Zhu Youjian's face slowly fade away.

For a moment, the palace, which had been warming up with the coming of summer, felt suddenly chilled. This made Zhou Yanru's heart tighten, and he felt a flicker of panic.

But Zhou Yanru was, after all, a veteran official who had achieved fame young and weathered half a lifetime of political ups and downs. After a brief reflection on his own words, he gradually regained his composure.

There was no fault to be found in his statement; it could even be interpreted as a sign of his respect for Zhu Cailang's talent, and the final suggestion for the Shandong officials to cooperate was a clear expression of his care for the Prince.

Sure enough, after the smile had vanished from Zhu Youjian's face, he looked at Zhou Yanru with a look that was neither quite a smile nor a frown, and said: "Yixing is right. I understand. Let the Cabinet draft the proposal as quickly as possible. Wang Cheng'en, tell the Directorate of Ceremonial to move quickly."