Every autumn, the frontier regions would experience unrest. Ever since the remnant Yuan forces fled to the grasslands and established the Northern Yuan regime, they had resumed their primarily nomadic lifestyle.
When winter came, if grain and livestock were insufficient, they would harass the frontier, burning, killing, and plundering. At such times, the Great Ming mainly focused on defense, because Ming armies were primarily from the south and could hardly endure the grassland winters, rarely taking initiative to attack. The outcome of winter campaigns was basically getting lost in grassland blizzards and then freezing to death collectively.
Northern Yuan armies generally plundered and fled, never lingering in battle, since Ming armies wouldn’t pursue them indefinitely anyway.
So every time the Great Ming launched northern campaigns as counterattacks, they basically waited until spring when the weather warmed before departing. After autumn, when frontier situations became tense, various military movements and intelligence flowed day and night to the Hongwu Emperor’s imperial desk.
From the Hongwu Emperor’s gradually cooling gaze, the situation didn’t look optimistic.
The day after Hu Shanwei departed was the Frost Descent solar term, when the Hongwu Emperor held a grand military review.
Since the founding of the Great Ming, the Hongwu Emperor believed the Yuan Dynasty had corrupted rituals and music, leaving the realm chaotic and disordered. He therefore instituted various ancient ceremonies, such as military rituals, promoting flag and standard worship. On the left side of the Mountain and River Altar, he established a special Flag and Standard Temple, enshrining seven great divine positions including the Flag General and Six Standard Generals. Every year on the Awakening of Insects and Frost Descent, he commanded Crown Prince Zhu Biao to lead the princes in worshipping the flags and standards.
Today on Frost Descent, the Hongwu Emperor personally worshipped the flags and standards and held a grand military review that same day. In recent days, the autumn harvest had been bountiful. The Hongwu Emperor ordered grain officials everywhere not to store collected grain in the national treasury but to send it directly to the frontier as military provisions. Court discussions were rampant:
Before troops move, provisions must go first. This was a sign of preparing for the fourth northern campaign!
On the day of the grand review, all officials wore bright red casual robes, first going to the Military Review Gate to await the imperial presence.
As a second-rank Assistant Commander of the Rear Army Commander-in-Chief’s Office, Mu Chun also stood in line with the military officials, though before this group of dukes, marquises, earls, and other military generals, his position appeared quite humble.
His father Marquis Xiping Mu Ying, grand-uncle Duke Songguo Feng Sheng, and uncle Duke Yingguo Feng Cheng were all in the front row, while he stood at the back, only able to see his elders’ backs.
Mu Chun looked up at the sky, wondering where Sister Shanwei had reached by now. Was she looking at the same sun as him at this very moment?
The dazzling autumn sun stung his eyes. He gave up staring at the sun and rubbed his eyes, feeling dizzy—the sky was dim, the earth was dim, and people were dim too. On Sister Shanwei’s first day away on business, he missed her.
In the distance, drums thundered as the Hongwu Emperor arrived in his imperial carriage. All civil and military officials knelt to welcome the imperial presence, with the drum sounds stopping only when the bells chimed.
The Hongwu Emperor took his imperial seat, and Minister of War Wu Lin memorialized: “Order all battalions to ready their troops and horses.”
Horns blew from the platform and yellow flags waved. Mu Chun changed into military dress and returned to Eagle Guard as the grand review began.
First came the formation review. After three cannon blasts, officers and soldiers entered the training ground, demonstrating various battle formations. The Hongwu Emperor watched as Mu Chun led Eagle Guard in well-coordinated advances and retreats with bright banners, greatly pleasing the dragon countenance. He said to Marquis Xiping Mu Ying: “The child can be taught.”
On the day of military review, one couldn’t speak inauspicious words, so Mu Ying had to swallow his pride and say: “Mu Chun has indeed improved.”
Next came the archery review. The scope of participation in the archery review was broad. After Minister of War Wu Lin’s memorial, all dukes, marquises, earls, prince consorts, Embroidered Uniform Guard commanders, and other high-ranking military officials competed in archery skills on the general’s platform.
There were two competitions: one was mounted archery, where participants could shoot three arrows; the second was dismounted, standing on the ground to shoot six arrows, for a total of nine shots.
If an arrow hit the bullseye, drums would sound to announce it, with censors and War Ministry officials recording and monitoring nearby to ensure fair competition.
While these generals competed in mounted archery, on the other side of the training ground, the Divine Engine Battalion demonstrated various guns, blades, firearms, and other weapons before the emperor, displaying various new military equipment. The Hongwu Emperor was particularly interested in fire god guns, cannons, and other firearms, even descending from his imperial seat to observe in detail.
When the firearms demonstration ended, the generals’ archery competition on the other side had also concluded. Minister Wu presented the results for the Hongwu Emperor to review. Veteran battlefield commanders like Duke Weiguo Xu Da and Marquis Xiping Mu Ying had all scored nine hits out of nine shots. Even young Mu Chun had achieved the same excellent results. The Hongwu Emperor was naturally pleased and specifically called the youngest, Mu Chun, to the imperial seat, saying: “You performed well today. What reward do you want?”
Mu Chun said: “According to the grand review archery rules, nine hits out of nine shots merits a reward of ten taels of silver—that would suffice.”
No matter how thick-skinned Mu Chun was, he didn’t dare ask for more.
The last time the Hongwu Emperor had appointed the barely seventeen-year-old him as Assistant Commander of the Rear Army Commander-in-Chief’s Office, many in court were already dissatisfied, feeling it unfair. Even his own father Mu Ying had asked His Majesty to let him serve probationally before official appointment.
Though Mu Chun appeared carefree on the surface, he was under great internal pressure. He drilled his troops at Eagle Guard almost frantically. Though clearly still a virgin, he deliberately acted like an experienced libertine, saying crude words and making vulgar gestures that had scared away Sister Shanwei, all to prove he deserved this position and could earn a marquis title without relying on his father’s favor.
The grand review was nearing its end, and the tense atmosphere relaxed. The Hongwu Emperor looked at the military’s abundant talent, with old, middle-aged, and young generations all maintaining their heritage, each generation producing capable people. This was the foundation for the Great Ming’s impending fourth northern campaign. The Hongwu Emperor was very satisfied and full of confidence.
He then bestowed wine and food, and all officials gave thanks. When the wine was half-drunk, Mu Chun’s uncle, Duke Yingguo Feng Cheng, seemed somewhat intoxicated and pointed at the father and son Mu Ying and Mu Chun, saying: “They say the student surpasses the master. Today brother-in-law and nephew achieved identical archery scores, evenly matched. This shows brother-in-law’s sword hasn’t dulled, but nephew still needs to work harder!”
The conflict between Feng Cheng and Mu Ying was known throughout the city. Many people stirred things up: “Today’s opportunity is rare, with both father and son here. Could they compete once more to decide the winner?”
Mu Ying didn’t want to fight: if he won, it was expected—after all, he was the father. If he couldn’t win and lost to his own son… it would damage his dignity.
Thus, Mu Ying deeply resented his brother-in-law Feng Cheng’s terrible idea—you’re deliberately pretending to be drunk! Trying to make me look foolish!
The Hongwu Emperor was in a good mood today and still unsatisfied after the grand review. Thinking this idea was good, he asked Mu Chun: “Chun’er, do you dare accept your father’s challenge?”
Mu Chun was wildly delighted inwardly: My father usually beats me whenever he sees me! As his son, I can’t resist or fight back with him, or I’d be unfilial. I can only flee in embarrassment each time. Today I have a chance for fair confrontation—this is truly a heaven-sent opportunity!
So he said: “I await Your Majesty’s command.”
The Hongwu Emperor said: “Good, then compete in mounted archery. Set up nine targets on the training ground. You father and son will ride from east and west directions, galloping and shooting arrows to see who hits more targets and wins.”
Mu Chun: Excellent! Mounted archery is exactly what I’m good at.
With the emperor’s golden words spoken, no matter how unwilling Mu Ying felt inside, he had to maintain his smile: “Your subject obeys the decree.”
Mu Chun picked up his longbow and was about to go prepare when the Hongwu Emperor saw the somewhat worn bow in his hands and paused, asking: “Chun’er, this bow looks familiar.”
Mu Chun respectfully presented the longbow with both hands: “Your Majesty has keen eyes. This is a relic of your subject’s maternal grandfather, given to your subject by uncle.”
Duke Yingguo Feng Guoyong had died in battle at only thirty-six.
The Hongwu Emperor stroked the longbow in his palm as scenes of past heroes competing for dominance surged in his heart: “Your maternal grandfather was a hero. If he were still alive…”
The Hongwu Emperor fell into reminiscence, and the veteran generals present were moved by the scene, all sighing. Even Duke Weiguo Xu Da, father of Princess Yan and Xu Zengshou, and the Great Ming’s foremost founding contributor, sighed: “During the Shaoxing battle, Duke Yingguo saved my life. He charged in to rescue me, was severely wounded himself, couldn’t be treated effectively, and just died like that.”
Mentioning his father, the second Duke Yingguo Feng Cheng wept on the spot.
Seeing Feng Cheng weep, Mu Ying also wept for his father-in-law.
Hypocrite!
Mu Chun silently cursed his father, thinking: If my maternal grandfather were still alive, my mother wouldn’t have died of melancholy, and you wouldn’t dare beat me all the time.
Everyone grieved for quite a while. By the time the father and son Mu Ying and Mu Chun began their mounted archery competition, it was already dusk. With the setting sun, this time was disadvantageous for those on the eastern side, as shooting against the light was dazzling and prone to errors.
Minister of War Wu Lin, a clever man from Huanggang, Hubei, held a brand new Hongwu Tongbao coin and said: “Positions will be determined by coin toss. If it’s heads, Marquis Xiping takes the east; if tails, Marquis Xiping takes the west.”
The Hongwu Tongbao showed characters on the front and marked the copper coin’s weight on the back.
Which father or son would gain the geographical advantage depended on heaven’s will—it had nothing to do with him as referee.
Mu Ying magnanimously waved his hand: “No need. I’m his father—I’ll go east.”
Mu Chun could act even better than his father: “They say there are no fathers and sons on the battlefield. I can’t take advantage of you. If it’s unfair, this competition would be meaningless. Please have Minister Wu toss the coin.”
Though he said this aloud, inwardly he thought: It must be heads!
Wu Lin tossed the coin skyward. The copper coin spun and bounced, finally landing in his palm: “Heads. Please have Marquis Xiping go east.”
Heaven, earth, and people all favored him! Mu Chun was overjoyed and rode his horse to the west.
A drum sounded, and the father and son spurred their horses into a gallop, racing toward the target positions in the center of the training ground. The father-son confrontation officially began.
The dazzling autumn sunset indeed affected Mu Ying’s normal performance. He squinted his eyes while Mu Chun spurred his horse to arrive first, drew his bow, and shot.
First shot—hit!
The Eagle Guard men began cheering: though they hated their superior Mu Chun to the bone in the military camp and wanted to beat him to death, when outside, if Mu Chun lost, it would make the entire Eagle Guard lose face. So for the sake of face, they still hoped the shameless Mu Chun would win.
Encouraged by his subordinates, Mu Chun swiftly drew a second arrow from the quiver behind him, keeping his upper body in the same rhythm as his galloping horse’s undulations, and aimed at the second target.
Second shot—hit!
Eagle Guard cheered again.
Mu Chun was beaming with joy, quite proud of himself.
Hearing the cheers, Mu Ying didn’t even furrow his brow. He directly drew three arrows from his quiver, nocked them together, and shot three arrows simultaneously!
One, two, three—shooting toward three targets respectively, all hits!
“Excellent!” The soldiers cheered and applauded for Mu Ying.
Only Duke Yingguo Feng Cheng remained unmoved, thinking: Brat Mu Chun, you better think of something and beat Mu Ying.
At this moment, Mu Chun gritted his teeth, drew three arrows from his quiver, also nocked them together on the bowstring, and shot three arrows simultaneously.
The third and fourth targets were hit, but he missed the bullseye on the fifth, counting as a miss.
Mu Chun was only seventeen after all, having just completed his first campaign at Jiangxi’s Guaishi Ridge. His archery wasn’t as good as his battle-tested father’s, who also had exceptional natural talent.
Mu Ying smiled contemptuously and shot three arrows simultaneously again—all six target bullseyes bore his arrows.
Mu Ying had turned defeat into victory, coming from behind to lead by three arrows.
The Eagle Guard men looked at each other: We’re finished—Master Mu is going to lose.
At this moment, the father and son’s warhorses crossed paths at the center of the target field. As they brushed past each other, Mu Chun saw his father’s contemptuous, mocking gaze, and anger blazed in his heart. What to do?
In this situation, how could he turn defeat into victory?
Behind him, the sound of arrows cutting through air rose again as Mu Ying shot three more arrows simultaneously. With just three draws of the bow, he had perfectly completed the competition with nine hits out of nine.
Meanwhile, Mu Chun had already missed once. Even if his remaining four arrows all hit, he would still face defeat.
What to do? What to do? Got it!
Mu Chun had a sudden inspiration and thought of a way to win.
What followed was the moment to witness a miracle that all civil and military officials present would remember for life:
Mu Chun drew an arrow from his quiver and nocked it, but his target wasn’t the archery targets—it was his father’s arrows embedded in the target bullseyes!
The arrow flew out with two consecutive thud sounds, as this arrow knocked down two of his father’s arrows from the targets…
He drew his bow and shot again, with two more thud sounds as this arrow also “perished together” with two more of his father’s arrows.
Thus, Mu Ying only had five arrows left, while Mu Chun had hit four targets. Crucially, Mu Chun still had two arrows left in his quiver that he hadn’t shot yet!
Now it was Mu Ying’s turn to experience the tragedy of knowing the competition wasn’t over but the outcome was already decided.
If Mu Chun continued using this method, when the competition ended, Mu Ying would have only one arrow standing alone on a target, while Mu Chun would have four—a complete victory over his father.
On the grand review field, all civil and military officials were shocked by Mu Chun’s cunning schemes (shamelessness). Only uncle Feng Cheng beamed with joy, for the first time finding his nephew so pleasing to the eye.
The Eagle Guard men, however, were accustomed to this: Is this strange? We’ve seen even more ruthless and shameless sides of Master Mu.
However, Mu Chun ultimately left his father some dignity. With his remaining two arrows, he hit the bullseyes without knocking down his father’s arrows.
Referee Minister of War Wu Lin counted the arrows on the targets and made his ruling: “Marquis Xiping has five arrows hitting targets, Assistant Commander Mu has six arrows hitting targets. Therefore, Assistant Commander Mu wins narrowly by one arrow.”
The atmosphere on the field was somewhat awkward.
“Excellent!” Duke Yingguo Feng Cheng was the first to stand and applaud: “Truly, heroes emerge from youth since ancient times. If my father knew this from the underworld, he would be extremely pleased.”
With Feng Cheng mentioning his father, everyone gave face and applauded.
Mu Chun dismounted and said to Mu Ying: “Father, your son’s small tricks made you laugh.”
Mu Ying was so angry he gritted his teeth, but had to maintain a loving father’s smile on his face: “You have indeed improved. As your father, I’m very gratified.”
The Hongwu Emperor laughed: “Like father, like son. You father and son are both pillars of the Great Ming. Generous rewards!”
The thirteenth year of Hongwu’s Frost Descent grand military review concluded with the spectacle of the Mu family father and son competing for glory, providing the capital’s wealthy families with much more material for conversation. The grudges between the Mu and Feng families were far more entertaining than opera.
When dispersing, Duke Weiguo Xu Da called Mu Chun aside and said: “Your maternal grandfather saved my life, and I’ve always sought to repay this debt. Previously, I thought you were young and impetuous, assuming you were just an ignorant child. However, you performed well suppressing bandits and quelling unrest at Guaishi Ridge. Today at the grand review, seeing you train the scattered Eagle Guard into coordinated units, and from your competition with your father, I can see you’re a person with both courage and strategy, not the troublemaking demon the world claims you to be. Let me ask you: would you like to go to the northwest frontier for border duty and experience a real battlefield?”
Mu Chun was wildly delighted and shouted: “Yes!”
Everyone knew the Great Ming’s fourth northern campaign would begin sooner or later—this was an excellent opportunity to make a name and establish merit.
Xu Da patted his shoulder: “Good child. Tomorrow, you’ll be responsible for escorting a batch of military winter clothing to the western frontier, and conveniently garrison there for a winter to adapt to the local climate and battle conditions. When the time for northern campaign arrives, I’ll take you on the campaign trail to crush the Northern Yuan.”
The next day, Mu Chun led troops out, heading to the frontier to deliver supplies. On horseback, he opened a Sichuan gold fan bearing the crab poem Hu Shanwei had given him, “Eating Crabs and Drinking Chrysanthemum Wine with Jingchun at a Hangzhou Wine Tower on the Twentieth Day of the Seventh Month”:
“The gutless gentleman should be most charming, donning armor and dancing with halberds like jade gate flutes. Eight thousand li of frontier campaigns, seeing cooking fires while removing armor to visit chrysanthemums.”
Sister Shanwei is truly divine—she prophesied that I would go northwest beyond the passes for campaigns.
“Hey, everyone move faster! It’s about to snow heavily in the northwest! The soldiers will freeze!” Mu Chun urged the procession forward, thinking: If I’m fast enough, I might even reunite with Sister Shanwei in Xi’an!