Seven Seas Beacon Fire

Chapter Two: The Unpredictable Human Hearts Within the Hall of Martial Valor

Li Che's car drove directly into the Forbidden City in Yingtianfu. In his memory, the last time he was here was when he accompanied that girl to Huijing in another world and visited the Southern Zhili Forbidden City Ruins Museum. At that time, the Yingtianfu Forbidden City, as a tourist attraction, did not require an entrance fee. After all, only some foundations remained, and they probably wouldn't have dared to charge an entrance fee.

Looking at this ancient architectural complex, which was even taller and more imposing than the Forbidden City in Shuntian Prefecture to the north, he, a "country bumpkin from the Prince of Jin's Mansion," was indeed somewhat awestruck. In any case, compared to this Forbidden City, his family's Prince of Jin's Mansion in Shanxi was simply a "landlord's mansion" in the literal sense.

When the car arrived at Chengtian Gate of the Forbidden City, Li Che thought he would have to get out of the car there. However, the officer driving the car turned the steering wheel and drove straight in. The car drove from Chengtian Gate through Duan Gate and Wu Gate before stopping.

The reason we stopped here and didn't continue driving in wasn't because anyone was blocking our way, but simply because after the Meridian Gate is the Inner Five Dragon Bridge. These exquisite stone bridges made of white marble are not suitable for cars, so we have to walk in from here.

After getting out of the car, Li Che tidied himself up a bit. After all, he had slept on the street all night, so he needed to groom himself. However, just as he was adjusting his collar in the car's rearview mirror, a soft, respectful voice came from behind him: "Greetings, Your Highness."

Li Che then discovered that a maid who originally belonged to the palace was already waiting here. To Li Che's surprise, this maid, who spoke fluent Nanjing Mandarin, was actually a mixed-race woman with blonde hair, and her facial features suggested she was half-Russian.

The Ming Dynasty abolished the eunuch system 100 years ago, so all the servants in the palace were female officials. Li Che had heard before that there were some heavy physical jobs in the palace that used to be done by eunuchs, but after the abolition of eunuchs, some strong women were selected.

Back when the Ming Dynasty fought against the Russians in the north and northwest, they discovered that many of the Russian women were strong and healthy, especially after they reached middle age. So they captured some of them and sent them to the palace. As a result, the Ming Dynasty had a long tradition of using Russian women in the palace. So it is not surprising that there are young maids with Russian blood like today.

"His Highness Prince Jin has instructed me to wait here for His Highness for quite some time. I will then lead His Highness to the Wuying Hall. If His Highness encounters any problems in the palace today, he may tell me." The half-haired girl's maidservant bowed respectfully and stepped forward to help Li Che tidy his clothes.

Although Li Che allowed her to help him tidy his clothes, he did not believe her words. Before the Ming Dynasty removed the plaque, the waters of the Forbidden City were already murky, and now that the plaque had been removed, the waters had become even more murky. He now maintained a cautious attitude towards everything in the Forbidden City.

After tidying his clothes, Li Che straightened his hat one last time. The maid gestured for him to proceed ahead, and Li Che followed behind, passing through the Inner Five Dragon Bridge and Fengtian Gate. Behind Fengtian Gate, the three main halls came into view. Wuying Hall was located to the west of the three main halls. As Li Che followed the maid around the corner and walked westward along the corridor, he couldn't help but take a look at the Huangji Hall, which he was seeing for the first time.

In the other world, he had only seen the foundation of this great hall. But the current great hall, with its tightly closed doors and gloomy atmosphere, seemed less pleasing to the eye than the foundation.

After passing through the Middle Right Gate and the Right Martial Tower, you can see the Martial Valor Hall. Even when you are still some distance away from the Martial Valor Hall, Li Che can hear some noise coming from inside the hall.

The young maid walked ahead and arrived at the palace. Just as she was about to announce the arrival of Li Che, the heir of the Prince of Jin's residence, Li Che preemptively placed his hand on her shoulder and gently shook his head, signaling her not to announce it loudly, as she turned to look at him with a slightly surprised expression.

Some officials had already gathered inside the Wuying Hall. For Li Che, this was a good opportunity to learn about the officials currently stationed in Yingtian Prefecture. He didn't want to attract attention as soon as he entered, like he was being shone under a spotlight.

Walking alone to the entrance of the Wuying Hall, before even stepping inside, Li Che was already able to discern many clues from the people who had already arrived, gathered in small and large circles.

At least in terms of clothing, most of the people in the hall at this moment can be divided into several different styles.

First, there were some young and middle-aged officials, scattered and alone inside the hall, dressed in Western suits and ties. From their attire, it was clear that they belonged to the Westernization Movement faction, which had risen to prominence and wielded considerable influence in the court more than a decade before the outbreak of the World War.

Compared to these young men in suits, what stood out most were the officials who were now roughly lined up on the left and right sides of the hall.

They were all dressed in completely retro red and blue official robes that are now only worn at some grand ceremonies, with rare birds and animals embroidered on their chests. In addition, they wore black gauze hats on their heads, giving the impression that they had returned to the mid-8th century or earlier.

These people were generally much older, with almost no young people among them. Apart from a few in red robes, most of them were middle-aged people wearing blue robes.

Although everyone was wearing official hats, it was obvious that most of them had shaved their heads and were beardless. They probably had pulled out their retro official robes from the bottom of their trunks, which made them look somewhat ridiculous. They did not have the dignity of an official, but rather looked like the eunuchs who had disappeared for more than 100 years had reappeared.

The noisy conversations in the main hall mostly came from these people. They were talking to each other and bowing. When Li Che entered the hall, most of them just glanced at him. After seeing that he was just a young man with two plain four-pointed stars on his collar, they didn't bother to look at him any further.

After all, a lieutenant (or second lieutenant) is just an ordinary, low-ranking officer in their eyes. There are more turtles in the moat outside the Forbidden City than such a low-ranking officer.

Finally, there were groups of three to five young and middle-aged people dressed in modern Hanfu-style formal attire with a left collar and right lapels. Most of them remained silent, or occasionally exchanged a few words. Compared to the young people in suits and ties, their backs were ramrod straight, just like the formal attire they wore resembled military uniforms without collar and shoulder insignia. These people also exuded a military bearing.

These people were slightly taken aback when they noticed Li Che, but then they all took the initiative to come forward. Their actions quickly attracted the attention of the others in the hall.

"Guocheng, who is that who came in? Look, those Northwest gang members are all going to greet them."

"Hey, Xiao Duo, you still haven't figured it out? Look at the attitude of those Northwest Gang members. Do you think that young man is just an ordinary deputy captain? Think about why we're here today. Can't you guess who that young master is?"

"Could it be... that 'wise grandson'?"

"Who else could it be? Prince Jin has an exceptionally intelligent grandson; everyone knows that."

"Are you sure that's really the Grandson?"

"I had the honor of meeting him once before the war broke out. At that time, the Crown Prince was only eleven or twelve years old, but he looked about seven or eight parts similar to him now... Look, the Northwest Gang has already acknowledged His Highness the Crown Prince. How could the Northwest Gang mistake the Crown Prince of Jin?"

At this moment, in front of the Wuying Hall, amidst a flurry of warm greetings, Li Che was trying to recall the officials from the Northwest. These officials from the Northwest, who came from the former Ming border regions, had dealt with the Prince of Jin's mansion quite a bit. Although he didn't recognize all of them, it didn't prevent them from recognizing him.

Li Che was also full of questions. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he took the initiative to ask an official whose name he could recall, "Mu Zhi, what brings you here as well?"

The man known as Muzhi was named Liu Zheli, with Muzhi being his courtesy name. He and the other officials, who were regarded as part of the Northwest Gang, were not actually a close-knit political group or faction. As can be seen from the way they were addressed, they were a group of officials selected from the western and northern border regions of the empire.

During the early Ming Dynasty, the empire was divided into the area inside and outside the Great Wall. The area west of Jiayuguan, north of Shanhaiguan, southwest of the Tengyue Eight Passes, and south of Zhennanguan was the area outside the Great Wall. The area inside and outside the Great Wall differed in many ways. For example, the area outside the Great Wall still retained the improved garrison system, which can now be understood as a production and construction corps in this historical context.

It was said that this was simply because the frontier was a harsh and sparsely populated place, making it easier to manage. However, coincidentally, these garrisons became the backbone of the country's modern industrialization and constitutional revolution. Due to the court's long-term political favoritism and extra-economic exploitation of the garrisons, and the need for continuous large-scale development in Southeast Asia due to a shortage of manpower, the garrison soldiers were the first to use steam engines and became the first industrialized population of the Ming Dynasty.

Furthermore, in the 9th century, these military garrisons became an important part of the Ming Dynasty's "state-run capitalism"—more than 1800 million military households provided the empire with 80 standing troops, 230 million reservists, and nearly 1 million eligible men who had completed military service registration. At the same time, their production function provided output equivalent to about 30-40% of the military expenditure, built more than 5 kilometers of railways and more than 90 kilometers of highways in the Ming Dynasty, undertook almost all major construction tasks, and managed almost all of the empire's important mineral resources. They can be called the pillars of the state.

These military households, comprising 18% of the Ming Dynasty's population, provided 30% of the number of officials and have always enjoyed considerable political privileges. Due to the imperial court's order "not to allow military households to split up their households," some of these military households outside the Great Wall have formed large Han Chinese families. Relying on these families, they have also developed a complete system of compulsory education through clan schools, thus gaining an advantage in the imperial examinations.

However, Emperor Yongning, in order to sell official positions and titles, promoted the selection of officials and abolished the use of civil service examination officials, which completely deprived the huge military household class of their upward mobility. In addition, the Westernization faction cabinet's inhumane and foolish acts of blaming the emperor and betraying the army finally made the 9 million garrison households unable to tolerate it any longer, which led to the Prince of Jin's "rebellion under the mandate of Heaven".

Therefore, these officials from the frontier garrisons were among the most pragmatic bureaucrats in the empire. They neither advocated wholesale Westernization like the Westernization Movement, nor were they as rigidly conservative as the Huang School of thought in this era.

"As you know, Your Highness Prince Jin finally made up your mind to uphold the imperial authority and lead his army into the pass. We also mobilized manpower to provide logistical support for the army. After arriving in Yingtian Prefecture, we were supposed to go back, but Your Highness Prince Jin used the excuse that there was a shortage of manpower and that we needed people here to keep us all."

Liu Zheli briefly explained why they were there: they had been conscripted by their grandfather. Li Che nodded, then looked at the other people in the hall. Li Che didn't ask any questions, but the question was conveyed through his eyes—what's going on with the other people in this room?

Liu Zheli, understanding the unspoken message, explained: "These officials dressed in traditional robes are all members of the Huang faction who are at odds with the former Grand Secretary."

"Would they wear such retro clothes on occasions like this before?" Li Che had certainly heard of the Huang School before. Although it had declined somewhat, it had once held a very important position in the Ming Dynasty court.

As a political faction that inherited and carried forward Huang Zongxi's ideas, it was undoubtedly well-known. However, although he had heard of it, Li Che was still puzzled to see such a group of people dressed in retro attire in the court.

“The official robes of the Huang School are like the wool wigs on the heads of British judges; they have become a special symbol of status,” Liu Zheli explained. “Of course, in recent years, this kind of attire has also been seen as a special symbol of distancing oneself from the Westernization Movement; this was the case in the court of the Ming Dynasty.”

Li Che nodded to indicate that he understood, and his gaze also noticed that besides the two groups of people, there were several other people in the Wuying Hall whose attire was different from that of the other officials.

The leader of these people was wearing a navy blue naval uniform with four gold bands (one wide and three narrow) on his cuffs, indicating that he was a proper admiral.

At this moment, in this room, his status is undoubtedly the highest.

No one needed to introduce him; Li Che recognized the admiral's identity the moment he saw his face.

Sa Dingming.

Chapter Three: The Prince of Jin

The group led by Sa Dingming were the only people in military uniforms besides Li Che in the Wuying Hall at that moment.

At this critical juncture, the officials still serving in Yingtian Prefecture and the military representatives appearing in the Wuying Hall are naturally here to discuss national affairs. As for why there are only a few naval officers besides the officials, it is because the protagonist of today's grand event, the Prince of Jin, who represents the most powerful known ground armed force in the entire country, has not yet arrived.

Before his grandfather arrived, Li Che lowered his voice and asked Liu Zheli, "Brother Liu, do you know why Grandpa called us all here?"

Li Che's consciousness ended its wandering in another world early this morning. Usually, after each consciousness transmigration, he needs some time to sort out the memories of his experiences in this world.

Not to mention that he was "forced offline" on the other side this time. He was still a little dizzy from what had happened in the past few days when he woke up early this morning, so he didn't know what his grandfather wanted to do by gathering these people together.

Hearing Li Che's words, Liu Zheli waved his hand with a wry smile: "You're mistaken, Your Highness. These people weren't summoned by His Highness Prince Jin. In fact, they've gathered here to ambush His Highness Prince Jin."

"They're blocking my grandfather here?" Li Che glanced at the people in the hall with some surprise, then asked with a wry smile, "Don't they know that grandfather just imprisoned all the high-ranking officials of the provisional government?"

Yesterday, my grandfather almost became "Dong Taigong" (a reference to a famous Chinese historical figure). When he first entered the city, the troops he led were referred to as the "Xiliang Army" in the newspapers. At this time, so many officials took the initiative to come to his door. Among these officials, were there any surnamed Yuan or Cao?

"Of course they knew that at the beginning, it was only Lord Yuan and a few other officials who requested an audience with Prince Jin outside the Forbidden City."

"Wait a minute? Outside the Forbidden City? Seeking an audience with my grandfather? Don't they know my grandfather slept under the city gate tower last night, just like any other soldier in the army? Why would he suddenly decide to go to the Forbidden City to see my grandfather?"

"Because they felt that the Prince of Jin making the soldiers sleep on the streets was just a show. How could the Prince of Jin himself possibly sleep on the streets with ordinary soldiers after entering the city?" Liu Zheli spread his hands and said, "These are all veteran officials. They didn't want to leave even if we asked them to, so we brought them here."

"And who are the others...?"

Liu Zheli said with a sense of helplessness, "After we reported the situation here to His Highness Prince Jin, His Highness agreed to meet with us in Wuying Hall this morning. But we didn't expect that after the news spread, so many people have come by this morning."

"You came uninvited?"

"Yes, I have a feeling these people have ill intentions today..."

“You’re mistaken.” Li Che shook his head. “In this city, we are the ones who have come here.”

Li Che's words made Liu Zheli chuckle: "Your Highness, what you said is truly..."

Before Liu Zheli could finish speaking, an even louder voice came from outside the hall. Although it was still some distance away, everyone in the shop, especially those near the door, could hear it clearly.

"How many times have I emphasized this to you? When we enter the city this time, the troops must act like they are on a military campaign! Military discipline must be strict! I have repeatedly ordered that we must not disturb the people, and you have ignored my words?"

"Father, Commander Chu didn't intentionally disobey your orders, and they didn't disturb the people. He just felt that the school had just been built and hadn't been put into use yet..."

"No one is allowed to stay at the school! I slept under the city gate tower yesterday, and he brought people to let me sleep inside the school?"

"Some of the female students in his medical team are soldiers; female soldiers, after all..."

"Female soldiers are soldiers too. If you can't stand the hardships of military service, go home and be a pampered princess! You can join the army on a whim of patriotism, but in the army and on the battlefield, bullets don't discriminate between men and women!"

Before seeing him, Li Che heard his grandfather's loud voice from afar, as well as his father's aggrieved tone, caught in the middle.

It seems that his grandfather took the order given yesterday, requiring his troops to perform at the same level as Yue Fei's army after entering the city, very seriously, and not allowing any discounts in its execution.

As the voices grew clearer, Prince Jin, his heir, and several deputy generals (equivalent to lieutenant generals) and adjutant generals (equivalent to major generals) with one or two gold four-pointed stars on their collars entered the Wuying Hall.

Li Che carefully examined his grandfather, Prince Jin, Li Zongdi, who had just entered the main hall. His grandfather looked tall and sturdy, and his military uniform was stretched taut. Although his abdomen had some fat like a general's belly, this was the most common physique for generals on the battlefield. Even the most solid muscles need sufficient fat to withstand the high-intensity consumption of war.

His weathered face, with its slightly graying beard, was more striking than the medals on his chest. His hawk-like gaze, beneath his thick eyebrows, swept across the hall. Even without uttering a word after entering, his aura was so powerful it was almost tangible.

In contrast, his father, wearing a military uniform without rank insignia, followed behind his grandfather. It had been a while since he had seen his father. He hadn't expected that his father, who used to be as fat as Sun Yue, had now become as thin as Yu Qian. Although he still looked quite chubby, he was much healthier than before.

"It's quite lively today, so many people have come. Is there going to be a banquet in the Wuying Hall today?"

Although the Prince of Jin seemed to have a smile on his face, it didn't feel like a gentle breeze at all; when he spoke, it was as if he was spitting out ice shards.

Facing the Prince of Jin and the elite soldiers who followed him, who had fought their way from the Northwest Ursus Empire to the Southeast Victoria Empire and the United States of Colombia, and with this murderous aura that seemed to have rolled out of piles of corpses on the battlefield, some officials couldn't help but take a few steps back.

Some retreated, while others stepped forward to greet him. An elderly official in a red robe stepped forward and bowed, asking, "May I ask Your Highness Prince Jin, have you come to the Wuying Hall today to be like the Duke of Zhou or Huo Guang, or to be like Emperor Taizong or Emperor Chengzu of Tang?"

These words immediately made everyone else in the Wuying Hall breathe a little softer. Even Li Che admired the old man's courage. He had previously served as the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief during the signing period, a position second only to the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief, the most common position held by the de facto head of civil officials since the Longwu Emperor. Now, in this hall, he could be considered the "head of all officials" to a certain extent. It can only be said that his courage was indeed worthy of his former official position.

To throw out such a pointed question right at us—are these people really not afraid of death to cause trouble today? Asking him in front of his grandfather whether he's here to be the Duke of Zhou, Huo Guang, or Li Shimin and Zhu Di... This Ming Dynasty has gone through more than 500 years of ups and downs, and there really is a group of "loyal men."

After all, even he wasn't sure what his grandfather was thinking. The army has always been a machine of violence, and his grandfather was now the person who controlled the most powerful machine of violence in the country.

"I come from a military background. On the battlefield, soldiers fight to the death. During lulls in the fighting, the cooks bring food up, and we barely manage to fill our rumbling stomachs. It's inappropriate for officers to start discussing seniority before we've even eaten."

Li Zongdi did not seem to show any significant emotional fluctuations from the words of the former Right Vice Censor-in-Chief. Li Che watched as his grandfather walked into the main hall with his hands behind his back. There was no dragon throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Wuying Hall. Instead, there were some tables and chairs on both sides of the hall for the public officials to rest while waiting. So Li Zongdi went straight to the center of the hall, making himself, who was already attracting a lot of attention, stand in the most prominent position.

"Gentlemen, everything I have done in the past, including standing here today to face you all, is for one purpose: to save our country from the quagmire!"

Our country has experienced too many upheavals in the past year, from setbacks on the front lines and factional struggles in the court to the later Nanjing Incident. Our country should have been a giant, but this giant has suffered from a blood clot in its cardiovascular system!

Then, the provisional government that temporarily took over power actually planned to hand over all these foreign countries of China to others while our soldiers were fighting bloody battles against the Western wolves in Silla, Luzon, Yanping, and Palembang!

Having spent half my life in the military and not being particularly well-read, I absolutely cannot accept that our country's interests will be handed over to such a group of spendthrifts, and I absolutely cannot accept that our enemies will place cannons in front of our national gates!

Therefore, those of you who have come here today, if you are here to discuss national affairs, then please stay. If you are here to take advantage of this opportunity to seek promotion and wealth, then please leave. I cannot stand seeing people who are afraid of death and only think about promotion and wealth appear before me.

After Li Zongdi finished speaking, the people in the hall looked at each other. Some seemed unsurprised, while others exchanged surprised glances with their colleagues.

Especially those officials who originally worked in the capital, in recent years they have often dealt with some divine beings in Yingtian Prefecture who are almost able to sit at the same table as the 'Tongliao Divine Lord'.

There was the former Ming Emperor Yongning who sold official positions to make money and created a "Zhu family cabinet" for his own power. In the end, he and the Left Censor-in-Chief, who was of royal lineage, staged a play that was almost a replica of "Heavenly Father Kills Heavenly Brother". In the end, he completely messed up and forced the Ming Dynasty, which had lasted for more than 550 years, to resign.

There were also officials from the Westernization Movement who were originally expected to take charge of the provisional government after the Nanjing Incident. However, apart from promoting the big businessmen of the Southeast Chamber of Commerce who were associated with them to important positions, they were also prepared to use rather unbelievable conditions to exchange for a ceasefire with the West.

Compared to these people, Prince Jin seemed almost unbelievably normal. Li Che felt as if he were watching a video of the Tongliao ship in another world, after seeing a bunch of "African gods" before, and then suddenly came across the Burkina Faso episode.

"Your Highness, Prince Jin." The first to step forward was an official from the Court of State Ceremonial: "The previous negotiations between the provisional government and the Western sides regarding a ceasefire..."

This was clearly a rhetorical question, or rather, the official from the Court of State Ceremonial was deliberately using such a question to make his position clear from the outset.

Those unaware of the truth might wonder: the reason and justification for Prince Jin's launch of the Jingnan Campaign was that the provisional government was weak and traitorous, and that the current ceasefire negotiations were being interrupted. Isn't that an obvious stance?

Don't think this official is just making things up. Starting with Emperor Yongning of the Ming Dynasty, emperors have never been willing to take the blame in court, regardless of whether the mistake originated from the emperor himself. Emperor Yongning was unwilling to take responsibility.

Anyone who has worked knows how high your blood pressure can go if you have a boss who is unwilling to take responsibility. Moreover, if a higher-level leader is unwilling to take responsibility, then the next level of leadership will also be unwilling to take responsibility, eventually leading to a situation where no one wants to take responsibility. The political atmosphere has gradually developed to the point where you will be scolded as long as you do anything.

Moreover, this kind of scolding isn't the kind of street argument you can ignore. Being scolded will drag you into factional strife, and the result of being dragged into factional strife is that everyone debates the scriptures together, and after the debate, you get back to work.

It's like the Ming Dynasty in the early 17th century or a beacon in the 21st century.

"Talk my ass! They haven't even gotten what they want on the battlefield yet. Do you expect us to hand it over to them from the negotiating table? Withdraw our negotiators and tell them before they leave that if they want territory, they should send troops to fight us!"

Prince Jin has made his stance clear. After all, he started the Jingnan Rebellion because he opposed the provisional government's signing of a treaty that betrayed the country. Prince Jin's smooth success in the Jingnan Rebellion was also inseparable from the support of the people at home. Even today, a large part of the Ming Dynasty's social class and a considerable portion of the population would rather continue the war than sign a humiliating ceasefire agreement like the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.

Prince Jin came to Yingtian Prefecture carrying the expectations of these people, so how could he easily betray and disappoint them?

Chapter Four: Bearing the nation's shame, becoming the ruler of the world (1)

"Your Highness Prince Jin is right! There's no point in talking to these Western bandits!" Liu Zheli, standing beside Li Che, shouted loudly after Prince Jin finished speaking. Li Che was slightly startled by his sudden action. What Liu Zheli saw in his eyes was a completely different kind of fanaticism and worship than before.

His words also represented the attitude of the vast majority of officials from the Northwest. Unlike the officials born in the Southeast coastal areas, who were terrified of the West after the naval defeat, the Ming Dynasty advanced alongside Letania in the early stages of this world war, forcing Ursus to withdraw from the war after only two years, becoming the first country to withdraw from the war.

Ninety percent of the achievements made in the Northwest campaign against Ursus can be attributed to them. Although Ursus was the weakest link among the Western imperialist powers, the country's size and the title of the European Gendarmerie made it a force to be reckoned with. Their record in the campaign against Ursus gave these young Northwest officials enough confidence to say no to the Victorian Empire and the United States of Colombia.

In the past, Prince Jin, who held the authority of a general on the northwestern frontier and was in charge of both military and political affairs, naturally gained the respect of many young officials from the northwestern military households. These were the "fervent fans" that Li Zongdi had accumulated through his personal abilities and charisma. Liu Zheli and the young officials around him were clearly of this kind.

However, not everyone in the hall agreed with the decision made by Prince Li Zongdi just now.