In the imperial study, deep within the capital.
The Chongzhen Emperor, Zhu Youjian, felt as if his spirit had just been strapped to a jet plane and launched straight into the sky.
Moments earlier, he had finished reading a memorial.
The Mongolian Ordos Tribe had originally been preparing to surrender to the Manchus. But at the critical moment, a violent internal upheaval broke out among the tribes. The Wushen Tribe suddenly rebelled, overthrowing the Ordos leadership and seizing control.
This new Wushen leadership, however, had no intention of submitting to the Manchus.
The reason was simple: they had once clashed head-on with the Ming border forces—specifically with Assistant Commander Shi Jian, stationed at the ancient fortress of Wangjia Fork. After being brutally taught a lesson by Shi Jian at that very fortress, the Wushen Tribe had developed a deep-seated fear of the Ming. They no longer dared to make enemies of them.
Once the Wushen Tribe took power, the Ordos immediately ceased all raids into the Hetao region.
The border went quiet—instantly and completely.
For Zhu Youjian, news like this was nothing short of a beam of light piercing the darkest night. It sent warmth rushing through his entire body.
"Hahahaha!" Zhu Youjian burst out laughing—a sound he himself had not heard in a very long time. This time, the laughter came from genuine joy.
"This Shi Jian truly is something special! Every single battle report that carries his name ends in victory. Excellent! Simply excellent! In the past, only Hong Chengchou ever gave me this kind of peace of mind."
Standing beside him, Grand Eunuch Cao Huachun smiled faintly.
"Only officials who can ease Your Majesty's worries are truly good officials."
"Promote him!" Zhu Youjian declared without hesitation. "Promote him again. Is there a suitable post we can transfer him to? What about sending him to Henan to suppress the bandits?"
Cao Huachun stiffened slightly and replied with careful diplomacy,
"Your Majesty… Shi Jian's presence at the Yansui border garrison is precisely what keeps the Mongols frightened and obedient. If he were transferred to Henan, wouldn't the Mongols simply return to their old habits?"
Zhu Youjian fell silent.
That… was indeed a problem.
"Very well," he finally said. "Then promote him to Regional Commander of Yansui. Let him continue guarding Yansui and keep the Mongols in line for me."
Cao Huachun quietly exhaled in relief and muttered to himself:
Thank heavens His Majesty didn't act on impulse this time. Moving Shi Jian now would definitely provoke trouble along the border again. It's rare for him to be this level-headed. Truly, this emperor is not easy to serve…
In high spirits, Zhu Youjian turned to the next memorial.
It came from Censor Gu Guobao of the Ministry of Revenue, impeaching Chen Qiyu, Governor-General of Five Provinces, for mishandling critical frontier affairs—allowing the roving bandits to break out of encirclement and wreak havoc across Henan.
The next memorial followed immediately.
It was from Fu Yongchun, Censor-in-Chief of Shaanxi, likewise impeaching Chen Qiyu—this time for fabricating enemy casualty numbers. Despite bearing the immense responsibility of overseeing five provinces, Chen Qiyu had indulged bandits, toyed with rebels, neglected his duties, and deceived the throne.
Zhu Youjian's mood plummeted, as if he had been dropped straight down from the peak of a tower.
"Why?!" he roared, fury erupting.
"Other than Shi Jian, is there not a single man who can deliver me a victory report?!"
Cao Huachun did not dare to respond, allowing the emperor to vent alone.
"Exile Chen Qiyu to the frontier!" Zhu Youjian thundered.
Cao Huachun bowed deeply.
"This servant obeys."
"Where are the roving bandits now?" Zhu Youjian demanded.
"They are currently gathered in Xingyang, Henan," Cao Huachun replied.
"Xingyang…" Zhu Youjian murmured.
"For some reason, that place feels uncomfortably familiar. But where have I heard it before…?"
At that moment, a eunuch came sprinting in from outside. He was running so fast that he tripped over the threshold and slammed face-first onto the floor with a heavy thud. His cheek scraped violently against the stone, tearing off a large patch of skin. Blood instantly smeared across the tiles.
Zhu Youjian sucked in a sharp breath, his own face stinging in sympathetic pain.
Ignoring his injuries, the eunuch wailed,
"Your Majesty! Disaster! A terrible disaster!"
Zhu Youjian raised an eyebrow.
"What is it?"
"The roving bandits…" the eunuch stammered.
"They launched a surprise attack on Fengyang! They burned the Imperial Mausoleum's Sacrificial Hall and Longxing Temple—and—and they dug up… Your Majesty's… ancestral tombs…"
"What?!"
Zhu Youjian leapt to his feet.
"Is this report true?!"
"No one would dare fabricate such a thing," the eunuch replied, voice trembling.
Zhu Youjian froze.
He stood there, motionless, like a statue turned to stone.
No one knew how long passed before his body finally slackened. Without a word, he removed his imperial robes, leaving only plain garments behind. Then he hurried into the Imperial Ancestral Temple and dropped to his knees with a heavy thud…
Days later.
A new imperial edict was proclaimed throughout the realm:
"To all under Heaven:
Wash away this national humiliation.
Exert every effort to exterminate the bandits.
Within six months, all roving rebels must be completely eradicated."
Lu Xiangheng was placed in command of military affairs across Southern Zhili, Henan, Shandong, Sichuan, and Huguang, and was appointed Supreme Commander for the suppression of bandits.
Meanwhile, the people of Luoyang Prefecture were having the time of their lives.
The Reconnaissance Hot Air Balloon had originally been requested by Bai Yuan from the Gao Family Village Committee. Naturally, once the design was perfected, the finished product was immediately handed over to him.
Thus, a cargo ship loaded with several mass-produced hot air balloons arrived at Mengjin County. From there, they were transported by land to Luoyang.
The Blue Hat engineers accompanying the shipment swiftly assembled one balloon in the open field behind Luoyang's South Gate.
Bai Yuan had intended this contraption strictly for military use. Unfortunately for him, the graduate students from Gao Family Village had become completely addicted to making money.
After all, whether military or civilian, usage was still usage. History was full of examples of military technology being repurposed for civilian profit. Why should this be any different?
Several balloons had been shipped this time anyway—what harm was there in using one to earn a little silver?
And so…
The hot air balloon rose and fell, ascending and descending nonstop throughout the day.
Thirty taels per ride was exorbitant—but not to the nobles and wealthy officials of Luoyang. To them, thirty taels was pocket change. The chance to soar into the sky and look down upon the world, however, was an experience they had never known in their lives.
It was worth every coin.
Just moments ago, the Princess Consort of Fu had descended from the sky. Now, it was the turn of the wife of Henan Governor Fan Shangzheng to ascend.
Women were curious creatures—normally timid, easily frightened. Yet when faced with thrilling, terrifying entertainment, their enthusiasm knew no bounds.
Even as they screamed in fear, they still insisted on going up.
"Ahhh! It's so high! It's terrifying!"
A woman's shriek echoed through the sky—three parts terror, seven parts exhilaration.
Just as the crowd was reveling in the spectacle, a Ming army unit slowly approached Luoyang's South Gate.
This force was impeccably equipped, armed to the teeth. Each soldier wore solid armor, carried keen blades, and rode powerful horses. Many of the armors bore deep cuts from sabers and punctures from spears, stained with dark, dried blood. The entire formation radiated a fearsome, battle-hardened aura.
At the center of the army, a great banner snapped in the wind, emblazoned with a single massive character:
"Cao."
In the lower right corner, smaller characters read:
"Assistant Commander for Suppression."
At the time, there were two Assistant Commanders for Suppression in Henan—Zuo Liangyu and Cao Wenzhao.
Thus, the moment the city guards saw the "Cao" banner, they knew at once: this was Cao Wenzhao.
And that terrifyingly disciplined army could only be the famed Guanning Iron Cavalry.
The Guanning Iron Cavalry was not a single, uniform force. Some units were all bark and no bite—good only at watching battles from afar. But others were truly ferocious, elite troops willing to fight to the death.
The unit under Cao Wenzhao belonged firmly to the latter.
The sentry immediately shouted toward the open field behind the South Gate, where Governor Fan Shangzheng was standing, watching his wife scream from the balloon above:
"Your Excellency! Cao Wenzhao has arrived!"