Chapter 106: Archery at the Willow

Chapter 106: Willow Archery

Zhu Yong sighed and said, "I did not expect this either. But with some children, there is simply no hope; it is an unavoidable reality. Take the Gu family of this generation, for instance—it leaves one speechless. The old Marquis of Zhenyuan was a hero of his age, one of the rare veteran generals of Emperor Taizu among the heroes of the Jingnan Campaign, but this current generation of the Gu family? I truly don't know what to say."

Zhang Fu’s mind was not focused on this, but he had heard whispers about the second-generation wastrel, Gu Xingzu.

Gu Cheng, the first Marquis of Zhenyuan, was a veteran of the Hongwu era. During the reign of Taizu, he guarded Guizhou and won many military honors. However, he was sent by the Jianwen Emperor to suppress the rebellion, only to be captured by the Taizong Emperor. Gu Cheng originally refused to surrender, but the Taizong Emperor tricked the Jianwen Emperor into believing that Gu Cheng had already defected, leading to the execution of several of Gu Cheng’s sons. This left the old general heartbroken, and only then did he submit to Taizong.

When the Southern Army of 800,000 besieged Beiping, it was the old general Gu Cheng who assisted the Crown Prince—the future Renzong Emperor—in defending the city. Without him, the inexperienced Crown Prince could never have held the city against such a massive siege, let alone drive the Southern Army back in defeat.

The current Marquis of Zhenyuan, Gu Xingzu, was one of the children of the sons who were executed; he was still an infant in swaddling clothes when his father was killed and was saved by others. Gu Cheng, ever the veteran, returned to govern Guizhou for another twelve years before passing away in the twelfth year of the Yongle era. The title then fell to Gu Xingzu, who was but a youth at the time. Without his grandfather’s discipline, he abandoned himself to debauchery. Though he caused endless chaos, the Emperors Taizong, Renzong, and Xuanzong all overlooked it out of respect for the Gu family’s past merits—for in his time, Gu Cheng was one of the few military leaders who supported the Renzong Emperor.

Had Gu Xingzu possessed even a shred of talent, the Renzong Emperor would surely have employed him out of respect for the old general. Perhaps it was foresight on the part of fate; when the Tumu Crisis arrived ten years later, countless nobles died in battle, yet Gu Xingzu was the only one to flee back alive.

"Was it his doing yesterday?" Zhang Fu asked.

"Hard to say," Zhu Yong replied.

Zhang Fu continued, "Setting that aside, surely you can tell me which family’s child among the next generation is the most capable in battle? You know I rarely pay attention to such matters."

Zhu Yong sighed. "It would have to be the children of the Meng family."

Zhang Fu sighed softly. "Prosperity truly wears down ambition. I have few descendants, so I shall say nothing of my own, but you must discipline your children well. Otherwise, I fear our Jingnan lineage will be overshadowed by the new nobility."

The Meng family Zhu Yong referred to was the family of the Marquis of Baoding. Both brothers of the Meng family had been top-tier, ferocious generals during the Jingnan Campaign. To speak of the Mengs is to speak of the first Marquis of Baoding, Meng Shan.

Meng Shan was a veteran who had followed Xu Da on the Northern Expeditions and Fu Youde on the Southern Campaigns. In the Jingnan Campaign, he defected to the Taizong Emperor, and his most famous feat was defending the city of Baoding with only a few thousand soldiers. His two sons were also warriors of the highest caliber. However, due to their entanglement in the succession struggle—the eldest had been too close to the Prince of Han and was executed by Taizong—the second son, the current Marquis of Baoding, Meng Ying, was exiled to Yunnan and only returned to Beijing to inherit the title after the Zhengtong Emperor ascended the throne.

Even so, the mark of the Prince of Han could not be washed from the Meng family. Although they held a title and were ranked among the nobility, they lived the most difficult lives. The reason was simple: after Meng Ying’s dozen years of exile, even the closest of personal ties had faded. Knowing he was under suspicion, Meng Ying kept a low profile, closing his doors to guests and focusing entirely on educating his children. Consequently, the Meng descendants became the most outstanding among the young nobility.

Zhu Yong sighed again. "My children are decent enough, though they are not what they once were. When I was young, I thought my father was too harsh, but now I realize that without a firm hand, these little rascals are good for nothing." He paused. "By the way, is it Jiang Gui you mean by 'new nobility'? Isn't that placing too much expectation on that old man?"

Zhang Fu shook his head. "Do not underestimate Jiang Gui. He is a late bloomer and will surely achieve great things. His only problem is that he came to prominence late; how many more years can he fight on the battlefield? I estimate that within ten years, he will retire. His heirs are also incompetent; I fear the mansion of the Earl of Pingxi will be nothing but an empty shell in a few decades. But tell me, is there really no other famous general in our Great Ming besides Jiang Gui?"

"If His Majesty has the will to wage war, then as the fighting increases, famous generals will naturally emerge. The surging waves sift the sand to find the gold; it is just hard to say whether we ourselves are the sand or the gold."

"I do not care," Zhang Fu said with a touch of melancholy. "As long as my descendants inherit the title, it is enough. But you—you should think carefully."

His words were desolate. With his only son’s future uncertain and his own household empty, there was a sense of helplessness that left Zhu Yong with nothing more to say. The two discussed a few more matters before departing to prepare for the willow-archery ceremony the next day. One had to display some flair in front of the Emperor.

Early the next morning, thousands of cavalry surrounded the field. Zhu祁zhen sat upon a wooden platform while the civil and military officials were seated in ranks. Zhang Fu and Zhu Yong sat on either side; as the two dukes, they could not avoid taking their places at the head of the nobility.

With a command from Zhu祁zhen, soldiers planted willow branches into the ground. Although buried deep, the nature of the willow caused them to sway gracefully in the wind. Zhu祁zhen, an archer himself, knew well that shooting through a willow branch under such conditions was no small feat; the slightest shift in wind would cause the target to move. This was a true test of skill.

"Begin," Zhu祁zhen ordered.

From the ranks, the heir to the Duke of Cheng, Zhu Yi, stepped forward. Though only a teenager, he showed a certain prowess on horseback. As he rode past the platform, he drew his bow, leaning almost entirely to the side of his steed, and released an arrow that skimmed the ground. The willow branch snapped and fell.

"Good!" Zhu祁zhen exclaimed. "The children of the Duke of Cheng truly have a deep family tradition."

Zhu Yong hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty is too kind; the boy simply took advantage of the target’s weakness."

Zhu祁zhen knew, of course, that Zhu Yi had taken the easy route. The willow branches were easiest to sway at the top but firm at the base; since Zhu Yi could not hit the swaying top, he aimed for the bottom.

"No matter," Zhu祁zhen laughed. "Not everyone can take such an advantage, and he is young. With careful tempering, he will surely uphold the prestige of the Duke of Cheng’s mansion."

This was true. Mounted archery was notoriously difficult, and not everyone could master it. It remained a standard test of cavalry skill precisely because it was so challenging. As Zhu祁zhen had anticipated, many who followed Zhu Yi missed entirely; their arrows flew off into the distance, leaving the willow branches standing untouched.

Zhu Yong and Zhang Fu’s expressions darkened. They stole glances at Zhu祁zhen, but his face remained unreadable. He had expected this. The scandals and debauchery of these young nobles in the capital were no secret; the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot had no shortage of reports regarding their brawls and jealous rivalries. Expecting them to hit the mark every time was a delusion.

However, Zhu祁zhen did find talent. Two young generals performed exceptionally well—one even shot two willow branches with a single arrow, turning archery into a true display of art that drew cheers from the crowd.

Zhu祁zhen could not help but ask, "Whose families do these two belong to?"

Zhu Yong, showing a look of resigned expectation, replied, "These two are from the Meng family of the Marquis of Baoding. One is Meng Jun, the eldest son of the Marquis of Baoding, Meng Ying, and the other is the son of Meng Xian."

As Zhu祁zhen was about to respond, Wang Zhen leaned in and whispered, "Your Majesty, this Meng Xian was the eldest illegitimate son of the former Marquis of Baoding. He was involved with the Prince of Han and was executed by the Taizong Emperor."

Wang Zhen had to remind him—one could not afford to say the wrong thing.