The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 46 The Emperor Appoints Generals in the Central Military Tent

That night, countless people felt panicked and heartbroken.

Tu Chengyu slept peacefully and comfortably until dawn.

After waking up, I washed up with the help of the guards.

He sat in the military tent waiting for his father to summon him.

At this time, it was just dawn, the sun had not yet risen above the hills, and the chill of spring had not yet dissipated.

Outside the Imperial Camp gate, the area was already bustling with activity, and every now and then, fully armored generals would come with three or five personal guards to request entry.

These people were all officers of various ranks in the Beijing Garrison, who had come to take their places by imperial decree.

Judging from how early they arrived at the Imperial Camp, they probably didn't set off very early; they must have been waiting nearby last night.

By the time the sun had just risen over the mountains, all the generals of the Beijing Garrison had arrived.

Then, the sound of drums rang out from the central command tent. This was a signal to gather the generals and remind them to arrive quickly, otherwise, those who had not arrived by the time the drums stopped would be dealt with according to military law.

The emperor then beat the drum and raised the tent to conduct his first military review since ascending the throne.

Tu Chengyu naturally arrived at the central command tent of the imperial camp with his three older brothers.

When Tu Chengyu arrived, he saw a rammed earth platform, about one person tall and three zhang long and wide, in front of the imperial tent where his father had summoned him the day before.

This is the platform where my father will be calling out his troops today.

A bright yellow crown stands in the middle of the high platform, and a chair sits beneath the crown.

The high platform was surrounded by flags, and more than a dozen burly palace guards, fully armored and armed with knives and guns, stood by the platform.

Below the platform, on the left, right, and rear, stood three neat rows of palace guards, dressed in the same armor as those on the platform.

Only directly in front of the high platform stood several rows of military officers from the Twelve Guards of the Beijing Garrison.

Tu Chengyu and his three brothers were led by the imperial guards to the front of these military officers, to the position closest to the high platform.

Not long after the brothers took their positions, a general from the Imperial Guard stepped forward and shouted from below the platform:
"The Emperor Raises His Banner"

As soon as the sound faded, more than a dozen military drums standing in the four directions sounded simultaneously, followed by military ceremonial music.

Accompanied by ceremonial music, the emperor, accompanied by a group of guards, slowly ascended the command platform.

Today, the Emperor, clad in golden helmet and armor, and a bright red cloak, appeared exceptionally valiant amidst the presence of his guards.

The emperor ascended the command platform, stood in the center of the high platform, looked around, and waited for a moment before the drums and music stopped.

As soon as the drums and music stopped, all the generals and soldiers in the imperial camp shouted in unison.
"Long live"

After the ceremony, the emperor officially began to select the generals. The process was rather tedious, so I won't go into details here.

After the generals were called up, the main event of the day began: inspecting Changshengwei.

The emperor waved his hand, and a general stepped out from the imperial camp, took the imperial edict from Xia Shouzhong, stood on the left side of the high platform, and read it aloud. "By imperial decree: Jin Ruohai, the Left Military Governor of the Five Armies and Prince of Xining, and Ding Changxian, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, are hereby ordered to lead their respective generals and officials, as well as the outer camp of the Imperial Camp and the Imperial Horse Administration, to Changshengwei to inspect the troops and verify the generals."

As the imperial edict was read, three people stepped forward from below the stage: an elderly man in his fifties, fully armored, who was none other than Prince Jin Ruohai of Xining; a middle-aged civil official in his forties, presumably Ding Changxian, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War; and a middle-aged eunuch, who was probably the head of the Imperial Horse Administration.

The three men came over, received the imperial edict together, and then called upon their respective subordinate officials and generals. In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they had already left the camp gate and headed towards the temporary garrison of Changsheng Guard in the south.

While they were inspecting Changshengwei on behalf of the emperor, the emperor was not idle. He took the list of generals he had just reviewed and compared it with the list of generals below the stage one by one.

If the emperor encountered a general who interested him, he would specifically call him out of the ranks and inquire in detail about matters concerning the military camp.
The emperor could grant his men free rein, yet it made many of his generals sweat profusely, because most of these generals held their positions but rarely entered the military camps. They would send their lieutenants or nephews to guard the camps for them, while they themselves resided in the capital.

These people might be able to answer questions about military strategy and tactics, but they certainly wouldn't be able to answer questions about the current situation in the military camp.

Therefore, when they saw the emperor inquiring about the current situation of the military camp, they were all impatient.

Fortunately, the emperor seemed to be aware of their predicament. Whenever his name was mentioned, he would either skip it or ask only a few simple questions, without intending to make things difficult for them.

On the contrary, the emperor would question the generals who were often stationed in the military camps in greater detail, and would loudly reprimand them if they couldn't explain something clearly. This made these generals tremble with fear.

From sunrise until past noon, the emperor spent the entire morning questioning his generals on the reviewing stand.

The emperor did not stop until Jin Ruohai and his men, who had been inspecting Changshengwei, returned.

As Jin Ruohai walked into the gates of the Imperial Camp, the atmosphere below the command platform gradually became heavy.

Everyone here knows that the emperor's main target during this inspection of the capital garrison was the Changsheng Guard.

Yesterday, the assassination of Prince Su and the emperor's order to arrest the Yingmao Army throughout the city happened, and Changshengwei lost its last chance to save itself.

Chang Shengwei or the Shao family are beyond saving. Now it depends on how much the emperor will punish the Shao family.

The military register in the hands of the Prince of Xining was clearly the basis for the emperor's punishment.

Upon reaching the command platform, the Prince of Xining presented the military register. Before the emperor could even peruse it, he disregarded his armor, knelt with difficulty, and shouted:
"Your Majesty, this humble general is guilty."

Upon hearing this, the emperor stepped forward, looked down at the kneeling Prince of Xining, and asked, "Prince of Xining, why do you plead guilty?"

Jin Ruohai said, "Your Majesty, I have failed in my duty to manage my subordinates and I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

The emperor frowned and said, "Kneeling is not allowed in the military camp. Prince Xining, please stand up and speak."

After speaking, the emperor beckoned, signaling the imperial guards on both sides to help Jin Ruohai up.

As soon as Jin Ruohai stood up, he immediately said, “Your Majesty, I have been ordered to inspect Changsheng Guard. It has now been found that Changsheng Guard has many vacancies, and the officers are suspected of drawing salaries without working. Moreover, the generals of Changsheng Guard treat the soldiers in the camp as slaves, and often drive the soldiers to dig coal, plant crops, and transport money for them.”

Upon hearing this, the emperor snorted coldly and said, "Such a thing has happened. Has the Prince of Xining investigated how many vacancies there are in the Ever Victory Guard and how many soldiers are being treated as household slaves?"

Jin Ruohai wiped the sweat dripping from his forehead and said with difficulty, "According to my investigation, the Changsheng Guard is half-full of its personnel, and of the soldiers in the camp, 90% are being labored by the generals."

Although he was mentally prepared, the emperor still couldn't help but clench his fists tightly upon hearing such devastating news.

He tilted his head back and said coldly, "Have any of the generals of the Ever Victorious Guard arrived?"

(End of this chapter)