“The imperial edict has arrived!”

In the thirty-third year of the Jingtai reign, on the twelfth day of the sixth month at midnight, high ministers gathered deep in the night at the palace gates within the Forbidden City to hear the imperial audience—the situation was far from ordinary.

At the hour of the rat, the imperial decree was sent out from the Qianqing Gate, to be proclaimed to the world at dawn the following day. The document involved a hundred officials and would surely shake the realm.

“By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The virtuous Marquis Liu Angtian suffers from grave illness. I, moved by compassion for his loyal uprightness, hereby specially promote Yang Suguan, currently a fifth-rank Section Chief of the Ministry of War’s Bureau of Operations, to temporarily assume the authority and command of the Northern Pacification Grand Commander, overseeing all civil and military advisory matters. Additional anti-bandit personnel positions are established as follows, with officials from all provinces to act according to these appointments at their discretion:

Anti-Bandit Army Central Camp General Commander, one position—acting Northern Pacification Grand Commander Yang Suguan

Anti-Bandit Army Central Camp Commanders, two positions—Liaodong Vanguard Camp Commander Zuo Congyi, Liaodong Regional Military Commissioner Shi Ping

Anti-Bandit Army Central Camp Vanguard, one position—Zhili Northern Pacification Inspector and Instructor Wu Dingyuan

Anti-Bandit Army Central Camp Advisors, two positions—Yumen Pass Camp Advisor Zhong Siwen, Changzhou Prefect Lu Yun

Anti-Bandit Army Central Camp Military Supervisor, one position—[name withheld]; Left Flank Anti-Bandit Army Commander, one position—[name withheld]; Commander, one position—[name withheld]; Right Flank Anti-Bandit Army Commander, one position—[name withheld]; Commander, one position—[name withheld]… By imperial decree.”

The court made exceptional promotions without distinction between the Jiang faction and Liu faction, all employing renowned generals of the realm. Six armies totaling one hundred thousand troops were raised and marched southward.

Military disaster would soon engulf the realm, and the three battles of Shaolin were not far away…