“Next, we address the second issue: the weakness of our official army and the decay of the guard system!” Zhang Jing said slowly, his gaze sweeping over the assembly.
The guard post commanders in the room shifted uncomfortably. They managed the posts and knew better than anyone how feeble they had become.
The official army wasn’t just weak—it was utterly deplorable!
The guard posts weren’t merely decayed—they were practically useless!
Guard troops could only bully civilians. Against pirates, they lost nine out of ten battles, with the tenth ending in total annihilation.
Hearing Zhang Jing’s intent to address the army’s weakness, the commanders grew tense, unsure how he planned to solve it—or if, failing to fix the army and posts, he’d simply “solve” them instead.
“First, the guard posts must be rectified immediately. The practices of inflating troop numbers and filling ranks with the elderly, young, sick, or disabled must be corrected and stopped. I’m giving all guard post commanders here one month to self-correct. If you rectify the issues, I’ll overlook past faults. But I warn you—don’t try to deceive me. In one month, I’ll conduct unannounced inspections. If I find any false reports or unfit soldiers, I’ll punish severely without mercy. The Emperor has granted me the authority to execute first and report later. When the blade is at your neck, don’t say I didn’t warn you!”
“At the same time, you must rigorously train the guard troops, overhaul equipment, and enhance their combat strength!” Zhang Jing said sternly, his piercing gaze fixed on the guard commanders.
“Rest assured, Governor-General. We’ll return and reform the guard posts without fail!” the relieved commanders replied, breathing easier. Zhang Jing’s offer of a chance to self-correct showed he didn’t intend to solve the problem by eliminating them.
“Of course, training troops and boosting combat strength takes time, which we lack given the escalating pirate threat. Thus, I’ve summoned 6,000 spearmen from Shandong and 14,000 wolf soldiers from Guangxi’s chieftains—‘Tianzhou Wa Clan Army,’ ‘Sien Army,’ ‘Donglanzhou Army,’ ‘Yongshun Army,’ and ‘Baojing Army,’ with the Tianzhou Wa Clan providing over 6,000 wolf soldiers. These 20,000 elite guest troops have arrived. With these 20,000 as our spearhead and the local guard troops as our foundation, we’ll quell the current pirate threat!” Zhang Jing announced confidently.
“Governor-General, your wisdom is unparalleled!” the room praised.
“A weak soldier is one thing, but a weak general drags down the whole army. Good soldiers need good generals! I plan to place these 20,000 guest troops under the command of Generals Lu Tang, Tang Kewan, Yu Dayou, Li Fengshi, and Zou Jifang. Any objections?” Zhang Jing asked, scanning the room.
“No objections,” Zhu Ping’an and others replied. Who would object at a time like this? Even if they had concerns, they’d keep silent.
“Thank you for your trust, Governor-General. We’ll repay it with our lives, charging through fire and blades without hesitation!” Lu Tang, Tang Kewan, Yu Dayou, and the others named stood, their faces filled with fervor as they cupped their fists.
“Good,” Zhang Jing nodded, satisfied, and began assigning roles. “Generals Li Fengshi and Zou Jifang, step forward!”
“Here, sir!” Li Fengshi and Zou Jifang stepped forward, cupping their fists.
“The 6,000 Shandong spearmen will be split between you, 3,000 each, stationed in South Zhili!” Zhang Jing ordered.
“Yes, sir!” they responded, accepting the command.
“Generals Lu Tang, Tang Kewan, and Yu Dayou, step forward!” Zhang Jing continued.
“Here, sir!” the three stepped forward in unison.
“Of the 14,000 wolf soldiers, 2,000 will serve as my personal guard. The remaining 12,000 will be divided among you, 4,000 each. Lu Tang, you’re stationed in South Zhili; Tang Kewan and Yu Dayou, in Zhejiang!” Zhang Jing commanded.
“Yes, sir!” the three replied, accepting their orders.
“I’m entrusting these guest troops to you because I trust your leadership. Don’t let me down!” Zhang Jing said to Lu Tang, Yu Dayou, and the others.
“A soldier dies for one who knows him. With your trust, we’ll repay it with our lives!” they declared passionately.
“Excellent. I’ll take you to the guest troop camp shortly to assign the troops. You’ll be responsible for their training and integration. I have big plans for them,” Zhang Jing said, nodding.
“Thank you, Governor-General!” Lu Tang, Yu Dayou, and the others cupped their fists.
“With soldiers and generals in place, we come to command authority. A scattered, disjointed effort won’t just fail to defeat the pirates—it’ll give them chances to pick us off one by one! The Emperor appointed me to oversee Jiangnan’s pirate suppression, so from today, whether in South Zhili, Zhejiang, Fujian, or elsewhere, all military command, large or small, will be centralized under me!” Zhang Jing said, his burning gaze landing on Tu Dashan, Zhu Ping’an, and the other inspectors.
He was stripping the inspectors of their military command.
Zhu Ping’an frowned. Military command was the most critical power of an inspector—without it, his role as Zhejiang Inspector would be hollow. Just as he was about to speak, Tu Dashan, beside him, spoke up.
“Governor-General, we inspectors are also appointed by the Emperor to govern our regions, oversee the three offices, and manage military affairs. If you take all our military command, our roles as inspectors would be meaningless, defying the Emperor’s intent. As regional stewards, how can we stand by while pirates ravage our lands?” Tu Dashan, a former Governor-General now demoted to South Zhili Inspector, was already rankled by his lower status and refused to accept the loss of military authority. He objected almost immediately.
“You’re appointed by the Emperor as inspectors, but I’m appointed as Governor-General! If you act independently and defy orders, what’s the point of my role?” Zhang Jing shot back, his eyes blazing at Tu Dashan.
He then turned to Zhu Ping’an, singling him out. “Young Lord Zhu, do you have any objections?”
“Governor-General, as the Emperor’s appointed overseer, it’s only right you unify Jiangnan’s military command,” Zhu Ping’an said slowly.
“Good!” Zhang Jing nodded, pleased.
Tu Dashan whipped his head toward Zhu Ping’an, his face brimming with disdain and dissatisfaction.
“Hmph! So young, yet already spineless!” Tu Dashan snorted, openly mocking Zhu Ping’an.
