Chapter 139: Dianqian Division
The Palace Army’s camp was carved out from the Imperial Guard.
Xiao Yi’s encampment was built along the northern city wall, facing Xuanwu Gate from afar.
It was organized according to “five cities to a camp, five camps to an army.” One camp was one command. He had a solitary camp, two hundred paces in circumference, with rammed earth walls, equipped with palisades and sentry posts, but the black flags had not yet been raised.
With a hundred men moved in, it appeared rather empty.
Although the environment was not as good as the Two Corridors Guard Room, everyone was very happy, especially Lu Chou. Gazing at the sky outside the camp, he laughed, “Haha, it’s so much more freeing, not like the Imperial Palace which feels so restrictive.”
“General, these worthless fellows don’t deserve to be called the First Command. Why not weed some of them out?”
“Brother Tie Ya, how can you say that?”
“Otherwise, if you watch yourselves get trounced by other camps in the future, who in the military won’t provoke us?”
“Tie Ya is right. If we don’t strive for some merit, how can we be first?”
The subordinates bickered noisily, but Xiao Yi knew in his heart that the Palace Army would not expand too much immediately; for now, they were just building a framework.
Military reforms must proceed gradually.
After the encampment was set up, a messenger soon arrived, inviting him to the main camp for a meeting. Xiao Yi, with Zhang Mantun, Hua Nong, and Old Pan, left the camp and arrived at the former military yamen of the Control Crane Guard.
The front courtyard was filled with young generals, full of youthful vigor.
Xiao Yi only recognized about half of them, such as Tang Jin, Guo Shouwen, Li Chongju…
His gaze shifted and he saw Liu Tingrang, Cui Yanjin, Hai Jin, and others gathered in a corner. He went over to greet them but overheard their conversation.
“They would definitely trust their nephew and son-in-law more.”
“If you think about it, General, who has more merit, him or Xiao Yi? Before, Xiao Yi was on equal footing with him, and now, look, he has risen to the very top.”
“Hush, Xiao Yi’s Imperial Palace Guard commander was appointed by the former Empress Dowager. It is only natural that he deliberately tarnished his reputation and is now subordinate to Li Chongjin.”
“I see, it makes sense. High favor, young age, difficult to arrange.”
“Who cares who is the military head. Official positions are worthless; getting paid quickly and being happy is what’s real.”
Xiao Yi slowed his pace and waited until they changed the topic before approaching.
After a brief chat, the Dianqian Division was newly established, divided into the Left and Right Wings of the Iron Cavalry and the Left and Right Wings of the Control Crane Guard, which were essentially cavalry and infantry.
For the time being, each wing had only one army and one command, with a quota of five hundred men each, for a total of one thousand. Liu Tingrang was the commander of the Right Wing of the Iron Cavalry, Tang Jin and Guo Shouwen were the commanders of the Control Crane Guard, and Li Chongju was assisting Guo Shouwen.
It seemed like they were just letting the young people mess around.
Before long, Zhang Yongde and Li Chongjin arrived side by side. The two men exchanged polite deferrals, and it was Li Chongjin who spoke.
“Ahem, I won’t waste time with pleasantries. The Palace Army is newly established and has only one supreme commander, which is His Majesty! From now on, I am the commander of the Iron Cavalry, and this is the commander of the Control Crane Guard.”
Zhang Yongde clasped his fists again and smiled, “All of you are either direct guards of His Majesty or elite soldiers from the army; you are all heroes. Yongde is young and has reluctantly stepped up. I ask for your indulgence in the future.”
“We pay our respects to the two commanders!”
Xiao Yi noticed that Tang Jin clasped his fists perfunctorily, while Hai Jin was whispering to Cui Yanjin and was rebuked by Liu Tingrang with a look.
In this era, the soldiers were arrogant and fierce; they likely did not have much respect.
Entering the hall, Zhang Yongde tore off a piece of red cloth, picked up a brush, and wrote three large characters, which he placed over the original plaque of the Imperial Guard. Everyone cheered.
“Good!”
Tang Jin, while clapping, sidled up to Xiao Yi and asked, “What did he write?”
“Dianqian Division.”
“Good!” Tang Jin exclaimed loudly and asked in a low voice, “Why should we cheer?”
“The calligraphy is good.”
“Why don’t you write some too?”
“My handwriting is ugly.”
“Then aren’t you inferior to him?”
Xiao Yi didn’t know why Tang Jin was comparing him to Zhang Yongde; he had no intention of comparing himself to others.
Zhang Yongde raised his hand to stop the cheers and said, “The Dianqian Division is newly established, and the first order of business is to select and train elite soldiers and fill the ranks. Recruitment notices have been sent to all Imperial Guards and provincial troops. We ask all of you to weed out the old and weak from your ranks. We will inspect the troops on the drill ground in ten days. If they are not elite, the Palace Army will not accept them.”
“Hahaha, where would I find any old or weak soldiers under me? I came from the direct guard.”
“Exactly, if the direct guard aren’t elite soldiers, then who are?”
“Two commanders, if we are to select soldiers from elsewhere to join our Palace Army, we need to discuss the salary first.”
“Bah, then why should the Imperial Guard be transferred over?”
Li Chongjin said, “One day, you will understand the benefits of the Palace Army!”
“Alright, then each of you will select your soldiers…”
Xiao Yi observed carefully; only Li Chongju did not object. The others, more or less, felt that Li Chongjin and Zhang Yongde were too young to hold such high positions.
Of course, if it were him in their place, it would be the same. Now was not the time to worry about others; he was more concerned about his own soldiers being weeded out.
After a moment of thought, seeing the martial men arguing and chattering about other things, he clasped his fists and said, “Two commanders, if we are to select soldiers, we must establish rules.”
“Commander Xiao, please speak.”
“First, verify their identities and backgrounds to ensure they have not rebelled, committed crimes, deserted, or mutinied. Second, their physical appearance, height, weight, physical strength, and endurance—a standard must be set. For archery, cavalry, saber, and spear, personnel cannot be selected arbitrarily by each army or command; unified testing must be implemented. Third, intellect and obedience are most important; there should be a process to see if they follow commands and cooperate as a team. Additionally, for those with special skills, the standards can be appropriately relaxed.”
These were things the generals all knew, but the difficulty lay in being able to articulate them in an organized manner.
Xiao Yi deliberately cultivated a sense of discipline that differed from other generals. With a clear direction for the meeting, things proceeded much more smoothly.
By noon, the specific details had been decided.
Zhang Yongde was very sociable and said with a smile, “Today, I will host a banquet at Near Que Tower for all of you to drink.”
“Good!”
Xiao Yi had originally planned to go to Li Tao’s residence today, but it seemed he would have to postpone it again.
These past few days had been almost entirely spent accompanying Zhang Yongde.
Near Que Tower was located outside the Imperial City, adjacent to Imperial Street.
The generals changed into casual clothes and rode their horses to the restaurant. They bustled into a private room, some listening to music, some gambling, and some chatting in small groups.
Hai Jin clamored for courtesans to accompany them, but Liu Tingrang rebuked him.
“You have no tact. Don’t you see Commander Zhang’s status!”
“Oh, fortunately, I’m ugly.”
Xiao Yi stood by the window, looking south, and saw that the location of this restaurant was indeed excellent, situated in the most prosperous part of Kaifeng, bordering the Bian River, with dense shops and bustling crowds.
Looking down Imperial Street, one could see the Paiyun Pavilion and the Glass Hall of the Great Xiangguo Temple. East of the Great Xiangguo Temple was Madai Street, and to the north was the Guo Residence.
Shifting his gaze westward, he saw Zhou Bridge, and further west was Kaifeng Prefecture. Li Song’s former residence was just north of Kaifeng Prefecture, east of Yanqing Temple, but he could only see a corner faintly.
Zhang Yongde walked over and said, “Are you looking at your new residence, Xiao Lang? It’s over there, on Guanqian Street.”
Li Chongjin said, “Xiao Lang is truly bold to have demanded Su Fengji’s residence. Everyone knows that Su Fengji has expanded and renovated his residence over the years, making it luxurious and magnificent.”
“Why shouldn’t I dare to demand it?”
“If Wang Jun doesn’t get the Shi Residence, he’ll definitely be angry that you took Su’s residence.”
“Is that so?”
Zhang Yongde said, “Chongjin is repeating baseless rumors. Minister Wang indeed has an old acquaintance with Li Song and cannot bear to part with the Li Residence.”
Xiao Yi heard this and took note.
Li Chongjin turned to the crowd and exclaimed, “Why am I speaking baseless rumors? Who among us here isn’t annoyed by Wang Jun? I’ve never seen a more arrogant old man than him.”
With that, he brought the relationships with the generals closer, and the atmosphere became more lively.
Liu Tingrang put down his chupu game and scoffed, “Recently, I heard a term called ‘gazing at the empresses with lust.’ Have any of you heard of it?”
“It’s like a fart of a certain flavor.”
“They all say Wang Jun has a small mind and craves power. He suppresses any junior who doesn’t want to attach themselves to him.”
“Pah, can he suppress them?”
Xiao Yi listened with interest, but saw Zhang Mantun and Li Chongju approaching.
“General Xiao, we are all former subordinates of Lord Shi, and we cannot stand by and watch Wang Jun seize the Shi family’s fortune.”
“Exactly, Da Lang Shi is still alive, we must find him.”
Li Chongju said, “His Majesty has deep affection for Lord Shi and does not wish for the Shi family to be without an heir. He is currently looking for Da Lang. If he cannot be found, he intends to give the Shi Residence to Lord Shi’s brother in Xingyang.”
Zhang Mantun said, “We must find Da Lang, General, don’t you agree?”
That’s nonsense.
Xiao Yi did not wish to get involved in this matter, but he knew that people highly valued loyalty. For example, Tang Jin, who was formerly Du Chongwei’s servant, benefited greatly from his loyalty to his former master.
Thinking further, if he were to be loyal to his former master, as a former servant of Li Song, what he should do would be to transfer the Shi family’s fortune to the Li Clan.
Casually listening to the two discuss, continuing to gaze out the window, Xiao Yi suddenly had a thought and said, “This is Fan Lou.”
The Fan Lou of later generations was here, on Kaifeng’s Imperial Street. He had also substituted for a role in a Fan Lou play, playing the scene where Yan Qing seduced Li Shishi without his shirt on.
Coincidentally, the restaurant’s shopkeeper knew that distinguished guests had arrived and personally came to greet them. Upon hearing this, he laughed and said, “Replying to the general, this is not Fan Lou, but Lin Que Tower. Our establishment’s owner is not surnamed Fan.”
Xiao Yi suddenly remembered that Li Ye’s ledger had specifically marked Yan Jinqing’s properties as including a restaurant, which must be extraordinary. He then thought that Yan Jinqing’s ability to be so well-informed at that time probably meant he had more than just one source of information in the palace.
He beckoned the shopkeeper closer and asked softly, “Is your owner surnamed Yan?”
“Replying to the general, I cannot speak much about the owner’s affairs.”
Before long, the food and drinks were served, and everyone ate heartily.
The patrons were all martial men. After they were full, they started drinking endlessly, seemingly prepared to drink until nightfall.
Xiao Yi could not stay long and found an excuse to take his leave from Zhang Yongde. Seeing Zhang Mantun and Tang Jin engaged in a drinking contest, he did not call out to them, and only brought Old Pan and Hua Nong out of the restaurant.
Seeing that it was not yet dark, he decided to go directly to Li Tao’s residence to avoid any further delays.
