latelenovela Chapter 468 The Showdown at Bei'an Gate
Chapter 468 The Showdown at Bei'an Gate
Qin Tian and the other officers were stunned when they heard Yan Guang's words.
Qin Tian asked, puzzled, "Didn't we help the imperial court win a great victory? Why are you still making things difficult for us?"
Yan Guang sneered: "What does helping the Zhu family win a battle have to do with the people below, especially these lazy officials in Nanjing? Besides, the general once offended someone, one of the three bigwigs in Nanjing, so..."
Qin Tian wasn't stupid. He immediately thought of Chang Wei, whom Lin San had personally beaten up back in Suzhou, and blurted out, "The Nanjing garrison eunuch?"
"That's him."
"But what's the big deal about beating his godson? A dignified eunuch in charge of the garrison wouldn't risk such a trivial matter by bringing up matters of national importance, would he?" Qin Tian was completely baffled.
Liu Ye spoke up: "Xiao Tian, you're thinking too simply. On the surface, I beat up his godson and embarrassed him, but what I really offended him the most was cutting off his source of income. If I hadn't interfered, he could have used Chang Wei as a puppet to pressure the Suzhou silk merchants to provide raw silk at low prices or even for free, making a huge profit. That's a business worth millions of taels of silver. How could he not hate me to the bone?"
Yan Guang continued, "Without that thing, eunuchs can't marry, have children, or continue their lineage. Their only interest is in money. So every eunuch who guards the city has tried every means to make money. As the saying goes, cutting off someone's source of income is like killing their parents. If this is true for ordinary people, then for eunuchs, this hatred must be remembered until their graves."
Qin Tian finally understood the truth, shook his head, and stepped back behind Liu Ye.
Liu Ye asked Yan Guang, "Mr. Yan, you just mentioned the three powerful figures in Nanjing. I only know of one eunuch who wields great power. Who are the other two?"
Yan Guang, a native of Nanjing and a former minor official in the Ministry of War, naturally knew the ropes and explained: "After the capital was moved to Beijing in the nineteenth year of the Yongle reign, a Nanjing garrison commander was appointed to oversee all the garrisons in Nanjing, as well as the affairs of the Nanjing garrison and defense. He was typically a duke, marquis, or earl, and concurrently managed the Nanjing Central Military Commission. This was one of the key figures. In the first year of the Hongxi reign, another eunuch was appointed as co-garrison commander, nominally equivalent in status to the garrison commander, essentially the current garrison eunuch. This was the second key figure. Furthermore, Nanjing retained the Six Ministries, but did not establish the Provincial Administration Commission, the Provincial Surveillance Commission, or the Provincial Military Commission. Originally, the three commissions..." The authority to exercise these duties was then handled by the Six Ministries of Nanjing, with the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War wielding the most power. The Minister of War held the title of "Advisor on State Affairs" and, together with the garrison eunuchs and meritorious officials in charge of Nanjing's defense, jointly managed the affairs of Nanjing's garrison and protection. These three were the most powerful figures. In fact, in the third year of the Jingtai reign, an additional Assistant Garrison Commander was appointed, filled by a Marquis, Earl, or Commander-in-Chief, who concurrently managed the affairs of the Five Military Commands (Front, Rear, Left, Right, and Central), with the Central Military Command as its headquarters, controlling the other military commands. However, this Assistant Garrison Commander was a fellow nobleman, closely related to the Garrison Commander, and essentially served as his subordinate, so he is disregarded.
"I see." Liu Ye had learned something new. He had thought that Nanjing was a retirement home for officials in the Ming Dynasty, where anyone who was not doing well would come to Nanjing to "retire to the second line" and just get by. He hadn't expected the management system to be so complicated.
Yan Guang continued, “Of these three, the Minister of War is responsible for the defense of the area surrounding Nanjing. All 49 guards in Southern Zhili are under his command. It seems like he has a wider jurisdiction, but in reality, he has the lowest status within Nanjing. The garrison commander has always been a hereditary Duke of Wei, the number one noble in Nanjing, with a prestigious position, but he doesn't interfere much in the daily affairs of Nanjing unless there is a war. As for the garrison eunuch, he can meddle in everything except the Six Ministries…”
"I see." Liu Ye understood the status and power of the three leaders. He pondered, "So, if we want to enter Nanjing, we have to be mindful of this Eunuch Chang's attitude?"
“That’s right,” Yan Guang advised. “If the general doesn’t want to cause too much trouble in Nanjing, we can take a loss and bypass Nanjing to other surrounding prefectures. We can go down the river to Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Yangzhou. The local officials there will never dare to stop us from entering the city, and the prefect of Suzhou is an old acquaintance of ours…”
"No way." Liu Ye didn't accept this way out. "Our wounded soldiers need medical treatment and recuperation. They can't keep running around. Nanjing is right in front of us. Why should I go to Suzhou or Hangzhou? Besides, the Qionghai Army won a battle. It's not something shameful. If we leave like this, it will make us look like we're in the wrong." He was no longer the ignorant man he once was. He was now capable of challenging the so-called bigwigs in Nanjing. If he chose to slink away in the face of powerful figures, it would not only damage his own prestige but also be a huge blow to the morale of the troops who had just won a battle.
He turned to the officers and said, “Listen up, everyone! We’ve won a great victory. We can take not only Nanjing, but even Beijing. Besides, your comrades are wounded and need to enter the city to recuperate. So we absolutely must enter Nanjing. If that Commander Niu brings good news, fine. But if he still won’t let us into the city, we’ll just charge in and see who dares to stop us!”
The officers were all straightforward, and hearing the general's tough stance made them feel relieved. They shouted, "Yes, charge in! Beat up anyone who tries to stop us!"
Liu Ye instructed a guard beside him: "Send someone to the riverbank to inform the fleet to prepare to set sail and be ready to act at any time." Although the Yongle-class warships did not enter the Yangtze River this time to suppress the bandits in Anhui, the Wuyi-class warships came in with the transport fleet to escort it.
Although Liu Ye did not explicitly state what orders he was waiting for, the guard understood what Liu Ye meant: Nanjing is located on the Yangtze River, and Nanjing Port is one of the largest inland river ports in Jiangnan. If necessary, warships and giant cannons can be used to demonstrate military force to Nanjing.
"Yes, General, I will go and relay the order immediately."
Yan Guang was somewhat worried and whispered to Liu Ye, "General, isn't this a bit inappropriate? Nanjing is, after all, a secondary capital, not Guangzhou, much less Lingao County..."
Liu Ye gave a cold laugh: "No need to worry. The Qionghai Army is no longer the escort force it used to be. The world is vast, and we can go anywhere. In the future, we will enter the capital. What is this temporary capital?"
At this moment, Commander Niu returned and said to Liu Ye, "The higher-ups have said that the army will temporarily be stationed outside the city. The commander-in-chief may bring two people into the city to consult with the Nanjing garrison commander and the eunuch in charge of the garrison regarding relevant matters..."
Liu Ye coldly replied, "What's the point of asking for instructions!" He turned around and ordered, "Get to work! Disarm the guards at the city gate, tie them all up, and we'll enter the city openly!"