Iron Dynasty

“Now, take my imperial decree to the Imperial Guard’s grand camp and dispatch some troops to quell this chaos.”

Seeing that the security forces were no longer able to maintain order in the city, Xiao Ming gave the order. As for the cause of the chaos, it would be investigated later.

Qian Dafu responded and took Xiao Ming’s military tally to the Imperial Guard’s camp. Meanwhile, Xiao Ming returned to the imperial palace under the protection of his guards.

Outside the palace gate, Fei Ji and Pang Yukun were waiting for Xiao Ming. Upon seeing Xiao Ming return, the two immediately approached him.

Before the two could speak, Xiao Ming said, “Whatever it is, let’s discuss it in the imperial study.”

With that, he dismounted from the carriage, leading the two into the imperial study.

Sitting down in a chair, Xiao Ming looked at the two. He said directly, “I know your purpose in coming here. It’s about the chaos in the city, isn’t it?”

Fei Ji said, “Precisely. An article about the ‘Treatise on Celestial Bodies’ in the Qingzhou Daily sparked this chaos. For this reason, I specifically read that article; it is truly astonishing.”

“Elder Fei exaggerates. It’s not astonishing, merely stating some facts.” Pang Yukun seemed unconcerned. Having spent a long time at Bowen Academy, Pang Yukun’s thinking was now no different from that of the students who specialized in technology.

Xiao Ming had not discussed the “Treatise on Celestial Bodies” with the two, which was why this matter caught them somewhat off guard. After a moment of contemplation, he said, “Since you both know about it, what are your thoughts now?”

Fei Ji was the Emperor’s family and also a Grand Secretary. What he cared about most was naturally Xiao Ming’s imperial authority. Other matters were negotiable, but if anyone threatened Xiao Ming’s position, he would immediately confront them.

After a moment of thought, he said, “Your Majesty, your old servant worries about giving others a pretext. In the future, they will make an issue out of this. Your Majesty, please do not forget that the threat of the Prince of Chu has not been resolved, and the Third Prince is still in Yizhou.”

“The Third Prince? Haha, Elder Fei worries unnecessarily. My administration of the Third Prince in Yizhou is superficially management, but in reality, it is exile. Moreover, the secret guards have been monitoring his every move. At the necessary moment, I know how to deal with him,” Xiao Ming said.

Pang Yukun and Fei Ji exchanged glances. Pang Yukun said, “Your Majesty, what Elder Fei truly worries about is the Prince of Chu. If the imperial throne is not derived from heavenly mandate, wouldn’t that align with Chen Sheng and Wu Guang’s words, ‘Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers born with special lineage?’ This might cause powerful officials to covet the imperial throne.”

Xiao Ming squinted at Fei Ji and Pang Yukun. He understood their meaning; the two had ulterior motives.

“Are you worried about the army?” Xiao Ming frowned.

Fei Ji bowed and said, “Your Majesty, indeed. Although the army has the Chief Clerk to restrain it, what should be done if the Chief Clerks and generals collude?”

“Since ancient times, the most taboo thing has been when a large army is abroad and returns triumphantly. If the generals harbor ill intentions, it would be extremely dangerous. Now that the ‘Treatise on Celestial Bodies’ is out, the concept of a ruler’s mandate from heaven will become a thing of the past. The greatest fear is that the generals will become unrestrained,” Fei Ji said earnestly.

Pang Yukun did not oppose Fei Ji this time, clearly agreeing with him on this matter.

Historically, there were countless instances of armies abroad disobeying imperial orders, which was the root of their concern.

Hearing this, Xiao Ming sighed slightly. What the two said was not unreasonable, but he could not again revert to emphasizing civil authority over military authority just because he worried about a military rebellion.

He said, “I understand what you two Grand Secretaries mean. Precisely because of this, I have kept the most elite Imperial Guard to protect the capital. Moreover, under the current premise of civilian control of the military, the army is responsible for fighting, and the imperial court is responsible for logistics. An army without provisions will achieve nothing. Furthermore, the power to mobilize the army is now in my hands, so there will be no problem for the time being. After the main army returns to the capital this time, I will also change the commanders of the Huben Army, so that they cannot turn the army into their private force.”

Fei Ji and Pang Yukun merely used this matter to remind Xiao Ming again. Seeing that Xiao Ming already had a good strategy, they were much relieved.

Especially Xiao Ming’s last point put them at ease. Currently, the Huben Army was divided into the 1st Army, 2nd Army, and 3rd Army, plus the Shenji Army. Xiao Ming meant that the commanders of these four armies would regularly rotate positions. Lu Fei would not permanently stay in the 1st Army but would serve for two or three years according to the system and then go to the 2nd Army.

This way, generals would be unable to establish deeply rooted power within the army.

“Your Majesty is wise,” Fei Ji and Pang Yukun said in unison, feeling somewhat relieved.

Xiao Ming smiled. He was indeed managing his army using modern methods of army management. Of course, Fei Ji and Pang Yukun also had good intentions. Even in modern times, there were situations where military governments overthrew ruling parties, let alone in this era of backward information.

Setting that topic aside, Xiao Ming said seriously, “The most important thing now is the ‘Treatise on Celestial Bodies.’ Ge Yiren, Yu Zhiyong, and Ni Kuang have already met with me. The three of them are sensible and have promised me that they will quell this matter and also promote the New Confucianism. So, you two need not worry. You only need to appease the officials in court. I do not wish to see any officials causing trouble by siding with the Confucian scholars.”

After a pause, Xiao Ming emphasized, “Any official who dares to criticize the ‘Treatise on Celestial Bodies’ will be immediately dismissed. This time, I am determined to correct the corrupt practices in the Great Yu Empire.”

Fei Ji and Pang Yukun both felt a tremor in their hearts. This time, Xiao Ming was serious. If the current situation in the Great Yu Empire did not make drastic progress, it would surely fall behind others.

The two responded with a “Yes” and left after bidding farewell to Xiao Ming.

After seeing the two off, soon, Qian Dafu returned from outside, reporting the situation in the city.

“Your Majesty, this matter was indeed caused by a fight between Confucian scholars and merchant’s sons. Now, merchants are very fond of the ‘Treatise on Celestial Bodies,’ and they are actively promoting it, showing considerable influence.”

Xiao Ming nodded. The reforms concerning merchants over these past few years had begun to show results. Now, after the scholar class, a merchant class had emerged, and this nascent class was contending with the scholar class for its own interests.

For Xiao Ming, this was a good phenomenon. Although he had never harbored much affection for capital, it had to be said that this force was the primary driver of reform.

“Your Majesty, the Imperial Guard has now arrested several hundred people and imprisoned them. They are now awaiting Your Majesty’s disposition,” Qian Dafu said.

“Who started the fight?” Xiao Ming asked.

“It was a Confucian scholar.”

“That makes it simple. All merchants involved in the brawl are to be released. Let the Confucian scholars think carefully in prison and ponder over it. The Great Yu Empire of today is no longer the world it used to be,” Xiao Ming said calmly.

In fact, he had made up his mind on the way back. No matter who started the fight, he would release the merchants and punish these pedantic Confucian scholars.

Because he wanted to convey a message to the common people of Qingzhou Province: that he firmly stood on the side of the “Treatise on Celestial Bodies.”

The novel has already been fully translated up to the final chapter. You can access it on my Patreon at /c/caleredhair