roccoschili Chapter 75 Establishing Secret Guards
Chapter 75 Establishing Secret Guards
Seeing that no one objected, Zhu Gaoxi adjourned the meeting and asked Zhu Gaoxu and Guantong to stay behind.
"General Guan, I intend to appoint two commanders to lead the secret guards. Do you and my second brother have any suitable candidates to recommend?"
Before Guan Tong could speak, Zhu Gaoxi said firmly, "You can set up the position of Commander as before, but I will take charge of the secret guards."
The situation is delicate at the moment. As Zhu Gaoxi's second elder brother, Zhu Gaoxu is still not at ease entrusting such a private matter to others.
Although the fourth prince never revealed the truth, before he left Beiping, his father had privately told him the ultimate purpose of the trip: to help the fourth prince compete for the throne.
Only if the fourth prince wins the position of crown prince can he possibly obtain the title of prince.
The Crown Prince has already been established and holds great power; vying for the throne is tantamount to risking one's life.
Being the head of the secret guards is even riskier.
Despite the fact that the fourth prince always pretends to be deeply in love with Xu Miaojin, Zhu Gaoxu knows in his heart that the fourth prince is very clear-headed. Even if he likes Xu Miaojin very much, he would not set up secret guards just for her.
The fourth brother is full of wicked schemes; the fact that he mobilized so many people to form a secret guard must mean he has other important purposes.
"It's not appropriate for you to leave the Prince's residence."
The secret guards need to act in secret, tracking and investigating, which is similar to the function of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Zhu Gaoxi was worried that his second brother might accidentally give himself away and be discovered, which would be troublesome.
"Why not? You don't even trust your second brother? You're a prodigy, and your second brother isn't bad either," Zhu Gaoxi said, frowning in thought. "As for the deputy commander, I think General Guan's younger brother, Wanzhe Timur, is suitable. He's the same age as Zhang Fu."
Upon hearing this, Guan Tong was about to decline when Zhu Gaoxi said with utmost sincerity, "General Guan, you should not hesitate to recommend worthy people regardless of personal relationships. I need absolutely reliable people to carry out secret missions."
Upon hearing this, Guan Tong immediately guaranteed, "Wan Zhe Timur will swear to serve the prince to the death."
Zhu Gaoxi nodded in satisfaction and told Guan Tong to bring Wanzhe Timur over.
Guan Tong immediately got up and left. He understood that the young prince was trying to prevent him from getting involved in the matter.
He was old and had lived in the capital with Haixi Marquis Nahachu for a period of time. After Nahachu passed away, Guantong went to Beiping. Many court officials knew him.
Nahachu was a descendant of King Muqali, one of the "Four Heroes" under Genghis Khan.
In the first year of the Hongwu reign, Xu Da and Chang Yuchun led the Ming army to attack Dadu (Beijing). Emperor Shun of Yuan fled north in panic. Nahachu then commanded 200,000 troops and stationed them at Jinshan, controlling the Liaodong area.
When Zhu Yuanzhang captured Taiping Prefecture, he captured Nahachu alive, but spared his life and allowed him to return to the Yuan Dynasty in the north.
Considering the kindness shown to Nahachu in sparing his life, Zhu Yuanzhang repeatedly sent envoys to persuade him to surrender, but Nahachu remained unmoved.
In the twentieth year of the Hongwu reign, after years of preparation, Zhu Yuanzhang sent Feng Sheng to lead troops to attack Liaodong.
With overwhelming military force at the border, Nahachu finally surrendered to the Ming Dynasty and was granted the title of Marquis of Haixi.
The secret guards needed unfamiliar faces to carry out their missions, and Guan Tong knew that he was unsuitable, regardless of age or status.
Given his current position, he is best suited to be bait, such as feigning surrender to gain the trust of his opponents.
Zhu Gaoxi worried that Wanzhe Temur's distinct Mongol features would be too conspicuous and attract too much attention, so he hesitated and asked, "What does Wanzhe Temur look like...?"
Zhu Gaoxu knew what his younger brother was worried about, so he patted his chest and assured him, "Don't worry, fourth brother, his face looks more like a Han Chinese than your second brother's. Not only does he look like one, but even the way he speaks and acts is exactly like a waiter in a restaurant in the capital."
"He opened a tavern in Beiping, specifically to entertain officials who came from the capital," Zhu Gaoxu said, covering his mouth and leaning closer with a meaningful chuckle, lowering his voice, "It is said that he served those officials so well that they were reluctant to leave."
While we were discussing serious matters, my second brother's thoughts wandered far off-topic, like Sun Wukong somersaulting on his cloud.
Zhu Gaoxi was speechless. Just as he was about to ask another commander about his choice, Yishiha came in from outside to report, while Wanzhe Timur was waiting outside.
Zhu Gaoxi got up and went outside to greet him. He saw a young man of average talent, with a fair complexion and a scholarly appearance, standing at the door. This man was none other than Guan Tong's younger brother, Wanzhe Temur.
Wanzhe Timur stepped forward humbly and respectfully and bowed, saying, "This humble general greets Your Highness."
Zhu Gaoxi nodded with a smile, "Come in."
Once inside, Zhu Gaoxi inquired in detail about Wanzhe Temur's life and background.
Guan Tong submitted to Zhu Yuanzhang much earlier than Nahachu. When Nahachu was captured alive by Zhu Yuanzhang in Beiping Prefecture, Guan Tong stayed by Nahachu's side.
Strictly speaking, Guan Tong was originally a servant of Nahachu, but as Nahachu's power grew, his status and position rose accordingly.
After Guan Tong secretly submitted to the emperor, he sent his younger brother to the capital as a hostage.
Therefore, Wanzhe Temur lived in the capital from the age of eight. In order to avoid attracting attention, Zhu Yuanzhang had officials open a tavern for him as a place to stay.
Wanzhe Timur did indeed have a talent for business, and he ran the tavern very successfully.
After Nahachu surrendered, Zhu Yuanzhang was so pleased that he granted the tavern to Wanzhe Timur as his private property.
After the death of Crown Prince Zhu Biao, Prince Yan Zhu Di returned to the capital for the funeral. He found that Wanzhe Timur was very good at business, so he took him to Beiping and entrusted the management of the tavern in the capital to the manager.
Based on the above analysis, Wanzhe Timur was practically a tailor-made spy. He grew up in the capital and knew the streets and alleys and local customs like the back of his hand, only his name seemed a bit out of place.
"Change your name, it will make things easier for you when you're on official business," Zhu Gaoxi said with a kind smile.
"Your Highness, my Han name is Wu Liang," Wanzhe Timur replied, bowing.
"Wu Liang, the same name as the Duke of Jiang," Zhu Gaoxi said thoughtfully, "why not change the name?"
"Don't bother with that. There are many people named Wu Liang, not just the Duke of Jiang," Zhu Gaoxu thought there was no need to change it.
Zhu Gaoxi thought about it again and realized that Zhu Gaoxu was right. Wu Liang had been used for many years, and changing his name suddenly would only arouse suspicion.
If the secret guards are to be under Zhu Gaoxu's command, there is no need to appoint another commander for the time being.
Top secret; the fewer people who know about it, the safer it is.
Since that's the case, let Zhu Gaochi handle the rest.
Guan Tong was excluded from the secret guards and could not participate in confidential matters. Zhu Gaoxi was worried that Guan Tong would become dissatisfied, so he had someone bring Guan Tong over for a special in-depth conversation.
The reason Guan Tong wasn't put in charge of the secret guards wasn't due to trust, but simply because it wasn't appropriate.
Guan Tong had already figured out the crux of the matter and had no complaints whatsoever. He even vowed that he was willing to feign surrender and contribute his remaining strength at the crucial moment.
Zhu Gaoxi was deeply moved upon hearing this, and he would never allow Guan Tong to put himself in danger unless absolutely necessary.
Zhu Gaoxi treasured loyal and capable generals like Guan Tong and used them sparingly.
Zhu Gaoxi and Zhu Youdun discussed the details of the secret guards repeatedly. Before they knew it, it was getting late, so they had to return to the palace.