Chapter 87

"Yongzhen, you know that the military household system of the nine borders of the Great Ming has largely collapsed. The hereditary generals are incompetent and corrupt, exploiting their subordinates and unable to fight. Even though they number in the hundreds or thousands, they scatter at the first touch. The court has no choice but to recruit brave men from all over to replace the hereditary soldiers. Yongzhen, with your talent, why must you be a mere garrison commander? I can recommend you to He Shixian's command as a battalion commander. In a few years, it won't be hard to become a brigade commander or even a general."

Hong Qingquan spoke with deep concern and reason. However, Zhang Ke knew that the situation of the Ming army had reached a point of no return and needed to be rebuilt from scratch. He couldn't say this directly to Hong Qingquan.

He could only smile and say, "Lord Hong, I have a bold question. Imagine there is a beautiful woman, and suddenly someone pours countless filthy things on her, making her stink so badly that everyone is repulsed. What do you think should be done with this beautiful woman?"

"This is easy, just wash her off, and it will be fine."

"Lord, you are wise, but some people just throw the beautiful woman aside and ignore her, while others even want to kill her!"

Hong Qingquan's brows furrowed slightly, and he chuckled, "Although my body is damaged, I would never do such a cruel thing."

Zhang Ke smiled, "Exactly. The founding emperor defeated the Mongols and maintained a million-strong army to awe the four directions, relying on the military households and the garrison system. Now that the hereditary soldiers have declined and are riddled with problems, the right path is to revitalize them and make them effective again. The more we abandon them, the more they will decay. Isn't it like watching a beautiful woman roll in the mud and sink into depravity?"

"Ha ha ha, Yongzhen, your thoughts are indeed different!"

Hong Qingquan laughed heartily, "Your analogy is excellent, and your words are well-spoken. However, the hereditary soldier system is deeply entrenched. The court has tried to reform it, implementing various evaluation methods and dismissing incompetent officers, but the results have been minimal. After a brief improvement, things revert to their old state, and sometimes even worsen. Yongzhen, if you want to solve the problem of the hereditary soldiers, it will be like an ant trying to shake a tree!"

Zhang Ke, of course, knew that the Ming Dynasty, after more than two hundred years, was like an old, sick person with countless ailments, carrying a heavy burden and infested with parasites, staggering along. Yet it had to run a marathon against the Jurchen, with predictable consequences.

Just the case of his brother had made Zhang Ke see through the decay of the Ming Dynasty. What he had to do was extremely difficult, but not doing it meant certain death!

"Lord Hong, I don't dare to hope to solve the problem of the hereditary soldiers, but at least I want to train a formidable army to serve the court and alleviate the emperor's worries!"

Hong Qingquan finally nodded, "You have spirit, young man. The emperor has a reward for you, Zhang Ke, kneel and receive it!"

Zhang Ke, hearing that the emperor had a reward, hurriedly knelt and bowed towards the capital.

Hong Qingquan took a large red garment from a young eunuch. Zhang Ke glanced at it and saw a golden dragon embroidered on the chest, rich and dazzling, clearly a high-quality item.

Zhang Ke couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. Could it be that Emperor Wanli was granting him a dragon robe, the highest honor?

"Hong Qingquan, Zhang Ke is filial, loyal, and brave, both literate and martial. He has contributed to the court with innovative strategies, and the emperor is pleased. Therefore, he is specially granted a flying fish robe as a reward!"

It turned out to be a flying fish robe! Zhang Ke was already a member of the Jinyiwei, but he hadn't received the flying fish robe or the spring knife yet. Was this to make up for the previous omission? Surely the emperor wouldn't be so stingy!

While Zhang Ke was lost in thought, Hong Qingquan couldn't help but cough, "Yongzhen, why don't you bow and thank the emperor? This red flying fish robe was previously only worn by high officials of the six ministries and the generals of the nine borders. Although it has become more common since Emperor Wuzong, even ordinary generals and brigade commanders might not receive such an honor!"

Hearing Hong Qingquan's explanation, Zhang Ke realized that although they were all flying fish robes, different colors represented different ranks, and his was top-tier. He hurriedly bowed and thanked the emperor.

Hong Qingquan handed the flying fish robe to Zhang Ke and said earnestly, "Yongzhen, the emperor and the ancestors remember you, but they don't want you to be promoted too quickly, which could be counterproductive. However, you shouldn't be like other ordinary officials. With this robe, you can act freely without hesitation!"

Zhang Ke, upon hearing this, felt the robe in his hands become even heavier. This thing was like a sword of authority, far more impressive than the ugly yellow coats of the Qing. It seemed best to keep it in a safe place rather than wear it.

"Thank you, Lord Hong!" Zhang Ke bowed deeply.

...

Hong Qingquan stayed in Dacheng Fort for three days. During this time, Zhang Ke wrote detailed plans on how to establish a royal bank, how to exchange gold and silver, and analyzed the situation of the Japanese feudal lords. He even mentioned the sea merchant and pirate Li Dan, who, though not well-known, had a famous adopted son, Zheng Zhilong!

According to Zhang Ke's memory, Li Dan was a merchant who traded between China and Japan. With his help, the task would be half done.

After three days of intense work, Zhang Ke presented a thick stack of documents to Hong Qingquan.

"Yongzhen, I won't read this. I'll send it to the capital with an urgent courier. The emperor is waiting for it!"

"Lord Hong, are you not returning to the capital?"

"No, the ancestors have appointed me to take over my godfather's position as the mining supervisor and also to serve as the military supervisor. My godfather is returning to the palace to join the Office of Ceremonial. If you have any matters, you can send a letter directly to him!"

Zhang Ke was delighted. As the saying goes, having someone in the capital makes it easier to do business. After the case of his brother was sent to the capital, Zhang Ke had no idea how the various parties were negotiating and could only wait for the decision.

This sense of powerlessness made Zhang Ke feel particularly frustrated. Now, at least, things had changed, and his network of connections was forming!

Hong Qingquan was going to Liaodong, and Zhuo Shisan was also ordered to take command of the Jinyiwei battalion in Liaodong. Previously, the Ming Dynasty's attention was focused on Mongolia, but now, with the rise of the Jurchen, the court could only rely on reports to understand the situation in Liaodong, which was weak. Sending Zhuo Shisan was a logical move.

When this Thirteenth Protector arrived at Dacheng Fort, he immediately went to the training ground and became interested in watching the soldiers practice. Without a word, he rushed forward and knocked down three or four people.

"Little brats, you practice well, but you lack real skills!"

Zhuo Shisan's words made everyone's faces turn red. At this moment, Zhang Feng, who had been watching from the back, suddenly stepped forward.

"Friend, you call others' skills superficial, but why don't you look at yourself? Just because you know a few moves of the Tongbei Fist, you think you can be arrogant?"

"Good boy, you recognized the Thirteenth Protector's fist style. Fine, I'll see what you can do!"

Zhang Feng and Zhuo Shisan almost simultaneously threw punches and started fighting.

The young men around them formed a circle and cheered for Zhang Feng.

"Put some effort in, beat him up!" Qiao Fu shouted at the top of his lungs.

Zhang Feng and Zhuo Shisan exchanged blows, each punch landing with force, like a tiger and a leopard fighting, neither giving in. Zhang Feng saw an opportunity and landed a punch on Zhuo Shisan's chest.

This punch was powerful, hitting the muscular chest with a loud thud, as if it had hit a rock!

"Such strong hard qigong!"

"Ha ha ha, you have some eyes, boy!"

Zhuo Shisan laughed wildly and threw a powerful punch. Zhang Feng tried to dodge, but it was too late. He was hit by Zhuo Shisan's fist and took three steps back. Everyone's hearts sank.

"Brother Feng, are you okay?"

"I won't die!"

Zhang Feng gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot, and attacked again.

"Boy, my hard qigong is impervious to blades and bullets. Do you still dare to hit me?"

"Less talk, I'm hitting you!"

Zhang Feng threw several punches at Zhuo Shisan, but they were all ineffective, and he took several hits in return. Fighting such a muscular opponent was exhausting, but with so many brothers around, Zhang Feng wasn't one to give up. He desperately looked for Zhuo Shisan's weaknesses.

At this moment, Zhuo Shisan threw a punch at Zhang Feng. Zhang Feng gritted his teeth and didn't dodge, instead, he charged forward.

Bang!

The punch hit Zhang Feng's chest, but he didn't fall. His left hand grabbed Zhuo Shisan's sleeve, and his right hand used a move called "Black Dragon Grabs the Pearl," pinning Zhuo Shisan's throat in a flash.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

A trickle of blood flowed from Zhang Feng's mouth, but he smiled brightly.

"What about it, your neck isn't impervious to blades and bullets, is it?"

In that instant, Zhuo Shisan broke out in a cold sweat. After years of martial arts practice, he had never felt the threat of death so strongly. He had no doubt that the other's hand could crush his throat.

"Fine, I, Zhuo Shisan, admit defeat!"

The two men released each other and stepped back. Zhuo Shisan looked at Zhang Feng meaningfully and smiled, "Friend, from your fighting spirit, it seems you have experience on the battlefield?"

"That's right, I've personally killed no fewer than ten Jurchens! In terms of martial arts, I may not be as good as you, but on the battlefield, you would be the one to die!" Zhang Feng said with confidence.

...

"Brother, Thirteenth Brother keeps praising you. It seems he wants you to join the Jinyiwei. What do you think, are you interested?"

"No way!" Zhang Feng shook his head frantically. "Brother, don't ruin me. I can't handle the Jinyiwei. Besides, if our father knew I joined, he'd skin me alive!"

Zhang Ke laughed, "Brother, don't forget, I'm already in the Jinyiwei. You're not afraid of our father, but you're afraid that your father-in-law won't let you in the door!"

Zhang Feng's face turned red, and he suddenly said sternly, "Practice in the coldest winter and the hottest summer. You can't skip a day of practice. You haven't practiced for three days, go practice your sword with me!"

Zhang Ke, with no choice, followed his brother into the grueling training. After thousands of sword swings, his arms felt like they were about to break.

One day, while practicing, they heard cries and saw a large group of black shadows moving slowly towards Dacheng Fort.

"Lord Zhang, save us! Lord Zhang, take us in!"

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