Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Second Imperial Edict
“What’s going on? To take charge of the Ministry of War—does His Majesty intend to transfer the Marquis?”
“To take charge of the Ministry of War? What of our Heavenly Strategy Command, then?”
“Why the Ministry of War? Wasn’t he to be ennobled as the Martial King? Why would a prince be appointed to lead the Ministry—such a reward!”
...
The crowd around erupted, voices boiling over. If they hadn’t heard it themselves, most would have suspected their ears were deceiving them. Kneeling beside the Marquis of Martial, Xu Changhai gazed at the Marquis’s back, waves of turmoil surging within him.
The Marquis’s elevation to king was a reward far beyond anyone’s expectations. The Great Tang had stood for eight centuries, and many had been granted kingship, but most were mere figureheads, lacking real power. The Marquis of Martial, however, commanded the Heavenly Strategy Army; his authority far exceeded that of ordinary princes and dukes. Yet now, His Majesty’s decree summoned the Marquis to take charge of the Ministry of War, stripping him of the powers of the Heavenly Strategy Command. It was a classic case of promotion in name, demotion in reality.
“How could this be? Is it because of the matter with the Shangguan family?”
Xu Changhai’s eyes widened, lips trembling, his mind a chaos. The Heavenly Strategy Command had fought bloody battles on the northern frontier—was all of it merely for a position not even at the head of the Command? A prince leading one of the Six Ministries—this was unprecedented since the founding of the Great Tang!
Almost instinctively, Xu Changhai sensed something amiss in the imperial court.
“Your servant accepts the decree!”
Silence!
The entire area around the Heavenly Strategy Command fell deathly quiet, the festive atmosphere vanished. Even the ordinary Khorasan warriors—ignorant of Tang politics—felt the shift.
“Eunuch, forgive me for speaking out of turn, but since His Majesty has ennobled the Marquis as king, why must he lead the Ministry of War as well? Isn’t this against proper rites?”
Once the imperial edict was read, Xu Changhai stepped forward, voicing the very question that troubled everyone in the Command.
The Marquis had overseen the Heavenly Strategy Command since the previous emperor’s reign; in the struggle for the throne two centuries prior, it was the Marquis’s army that brought His Majesty to power, tipping the scales decisively. Yet now he was stripped of military command, a nominal promotion but in truth relegated to the Ministry.
“Divine General Xu, this is His Majesty’s will. Are imperial decrees to be discussed with you?”
The portly eunuch glanced at Xu Changhai with a sly smile, his tone neither warm nor cold.
Instantly, Xu Changhai’s brow furrowed, and the faces of those around him darkened. As the Great Tang’s formidable general, guardian of the Heavenly Strategy Command, Xu Changhai had never been addressed so bluntly—even by the emperor’s own attendants.
“If His Majesty relegates the Marquis to the Ministry, does he not fear chilling the hearts of the Command’s warriors?”
Xu Changhai’s tiger eyes narrowed, a chill radiating, his dissatisfaction clear.
Yet even these words sent shivers down the spines of Right Chancellor Li Linfu and the eunuch High Grand Steward.
The Marquis had led the Command for over a century; the army was like his private force, indelibly marked by his influence. Though he harbored no rebellious intent, if the decree bred resentment and he directed the Command to act, even the emperor’s edict might prove powerless.
“Changhai, stand down…”
At that moment, a refined voice sounded through the crowd. The Marquis of Martial, who had until now kept silent, spoke:
---
“Your Majesty’s decree—I understand. I accept the command.”
The Marquis’s words were calm and unruffled, yet in that instant, silence fell. Every gaze turned toward him.
“Martial King, you have heard His Majesty’s command. Congratulations on your ennoblement! Since His Majesty has ordered you to reform the Ministry of War, please proceed to hand over the Command’s military authority.”
Right Chancellor Li Linfu now spoke, his face rosy and smiling, stroking his beard as he chuckled.
“What? Hand over the Command’s military authority!”
“The Marquis has only just received the imperial decree, and you ask him to surrender his command now—what are you playing at?”
“The Marquis aided the northern frontier from afar, countless Command warriors were lost. Not only is there no reward, but now, upon being made king, his military power is stripped and he’s sent to a hollow Ministry!”
...
At once, every warrior of the Command stirred, voicing outrage on the Marquis’s behalf.
“Enough!”
The Marquis suddenly spoke:
“This is the court’s decree, the imperial command. The monarch’s word is never spoken lightly; how could it be changed at whim? Xu Changhai, hear my order: since His Majesty has decreed you to temporarily lead the four divisions, from this day forth you shall be acting master of the Command, until the young master is fit to assume command.”
With these words, the Marquis drew a golden dragon token from his robes and handed it to Xu Changhai. He then looked to the eunuch.
“Though His Majesty has ordered me to lead the Ministry, that must wait until after the enthronement ceremony. Today, I am still master of the Command. I trust the Chancellor and Grand Steward have no objection to this?”
The Marquis spoke solemnly.
“Marquis…”
Behind him, Xu Changhai stared at the Command token in his hand, his heart trembling. From the moment the edict was read, the Marquis had been calm, yet Xu Changhai, who had followed him for years, noticed the Marquis’s arm hidden in his sleeve quivering ever so slightly.
Xu Changhai knew well that the Marquis’s heart now was far more conflicted than anyone present.
“Marquis, naturally! You remain master of the Command. I simply wished to remind you of the handover. We shall take our leave.”
Li Linfu’s smile remained undisturbed, the Command’s fury seeming not to touch him at all.
“Scoundrel!”
The Command’s warriors watched Li Linfu’s departing figure, fists clenched in anger.
“Marquis! Will you just leave like this?”
---
Within the council hall of the Command, faces were etched with anger, deeply dissatisfied with the imperial edict.
“The monarch’s command cannot be defied.”
A rich voice rang from the dais, the Marquis sitting upon the throne, eyes closed, speaking calmly.
“But if you leave, what will happen to the Command?”
“Yes, it sounds grand—ennobled as king—but in reality, you’re sent to the Ministry! Hmph, now the Crown Prince acts as regent, aggressively pushing the Inspector-General system. The armies of the provinces and prefectures are no longer under the Ministry’s control. The Minister of War is but an empty shell! Aside from the four Protectorates, who still obeys the Ministry?”
“Marquis, you must not go to the Ministry. It’s not what it once was.”
“That’s not entirely true. Though the Ministry is weakened, the Protectorates’ garrisons are still under its command. A prince overseeing the Ministry is indeed a humiliation.”
“Agreed, I side with General Tiger Roar. Though the Inspector-General system exists, it’s limited to a few regions. Not all of Tang’s provinces follow it; the Ministry’s authority is not so diminished. At least, the Double Command and Four Armies remain under its jurisdiction. Moreover, with the Marquis in charge of the Ministry, the Divine Strategy Command is under his control—this is good news for us.”
Within the hall, the generals were divided: some believed the command should not be accepted; others felt the Marquis’s appointment to the Ministry was not a bad thing. Aside from the few Inspector-Generals, the Ministry still commanded Tang’s armies elsewhere.
“Jianqiu, what do you think?”
The Marquis raised his hand, interrupting the debate, and addressed the sole scholar among them, a middle-aged man.
“Marquis, His Majesty has long dwelled deep in the palace, yet now personally issues a decree. Clearly, His Majesty still harbors apprehension toward you. Unless one rebels, the post of Minister of War—whether you wish it or not, you must accept.”
The scholar spoke gravely, his brow furrowed with concern.
His last words, his gaze deep and penetrating, fixed upon the Marquis.
The Marquis looked to the scholar, sinking into a long silence, as if something dawned upon him.
“In that case, I shall take charge of the Ministry.”
With these words, the Marquis brushed his sleeve, rose from his seat, and walked slowly outside.
...
At that same moment, as the imperial edict was read at the Command, a swift horse sped from the Central Secretariat, its rider bearing a command flag inscribed with the imperial decree, galloping southward.