Over the next few days, Xu Ming successively sought out Xiong Haizi, Guang Yin, and Li Han, hoping they would join the Jinyiwei as Qianhu (Thousand-Man Commanders).
Initially, after careful consideration, Xu Ming was hesitant to recruit them. But in the end, he decided it was the right move.
In any power structure, the ones most prone to downfall are always those at the top—such as the Jinyiwei Commander and the two Deputy Commanders. However, below that level, most officers become the objects of flattery.
Even if Xu Ming were to face a purge one day, it would be difficult for anyone to touch the Qianhu and Baihu (Hundred-Man Commanders) of the Jinyiwei—unless there was irrefutable evidence against them.
After all, Qianhu and Baihu are the ones doing the actual work. They are deeply connected with the grassroots enforcers of the Jinyiwei.
You can go after the interests of those at the top, because you need their power. But you’d be unwise to touch the interests of the middle and lower ranks—because those ranks will eventually become part of your power base.
As long as Li Han and the others knew how to navigate the situation, Xu Ming believed that even if he himself were to fall, they would be fine.
Besides, if Xu Ming were to be purged, the court officials would most likely want to eliminate every trace of his influence. Among all his former comrades, aside from Wu Yanhan, who would meet a good end?
Since that was the case, it was better to ensure they held some power to protect themselves.
As for Xu Pangda…To be honest, Xu Ming knew Pangda was not suited for this line of work.
Xu Pangda was more fit for navigating the traditional bureaucracy, but the Jinyiwei—a violent enforcement agency—was not his arena.
Moreover, Xu Ming had always been careful not to place his own family members into the Jinyiwei. He could recruit colleagues and friends, but he absolutely could not insert anyone related to him by blood.
When Xu Ming extended his invitation, Li Han, Guang Yin, and the others all accepted.
A Qianhu in the Jinyiwei was a sixth-rank official. If they had followed the conventional path, it would have taken them at least a decade—if not longer—to reach that rank. Some might never even get the chance.
Yet now, thanks to their brother’s promotion, they had directly attained a sixth-rank position.
For a moment, they felt dazed by the sudden rise in status.
But they did not allow themselves to be blinded by success.
On the contrary, they understood that such a rapid promotion meant that countless eyes would be watching them closely.
This meant they had to be even more cautious—not only doing their jobs well but excelling at them.
Most importantly, they could not create trouble for their brother.
Shortly after Xu Ming appointed Guang Yin and the others, Yu Ping’an arrived at the Jinyiwei headquarters to meet him.
Yu Ping’an stated that he was willing to join the Jinyiwei.
To reassure Xu Ming, he emphasized that his decision was made purely out of his own consideration.
Since Yu Ping’an had made his stance clear, Xu Ming had no reason to object.
He welcomed Yu Ping’an’s decision.
In fact, he needed Yu Ping’an to join.
Xu Ming even considered that when he eventually left Wu Kingdom, Yu Ping’an would be the ideal candidate to take over the position of Jinyiwei Commander.
Yu Ping’an would serve as Deputy Commander, while Li Han, Guang Yin, and Xiong Haizi would hold the three Qianhu positions.
As for the remaining Deputy Commander position and five more Qianhu posts, Xu Ming chose to submit a formal memorial to the Emperor, leaving the appointments to His Majesty’s discretion.
Along with the memorial, Xu Ming submitted a list of names, allowing Emperor Wu to make the final decision.
Although Xu Ming had the authority to make appointments, it was still necessary—at least symbolically—to seek approval from his direct superior, the Emperor.
And as expected, Emperor Wu readily approved Xu Ming’s nominations.
Since Xu Ming had shown such tact in giving the Emperor due respect, the Emperor naturally reciprocated by granting him this favor.
However, Emperor Wu did not hold back either. He directly appointed a person as Deputy Commander and assigned four individuals as Qianhu (Thousand-Man Commanders).
As for the remaining Qianhu position, Emperor Wu stated that he currently had no suitable candidate on hand. Clearly, he intended for Prince Qin, Wu Yanhan, to take on the role concurrently.
Regarding the selection of Baihu (Hundred-Man Commanders) and other members of the Jinyiwei, the allocation was as follows:
50% were drawn from the Blood Asura.
30% were transferred from the Imperial Guards.
10% came from the Jingzhao Office.
10% were selected from the Ministry of Justice.
What Xu Ming had not anticipated was that Emperor Wu chose a woman to serve as a Jinyiwei Deputy Commander.
This woman was not particularly stunning—at best, she could be considered delicate and refined. She kept a cold expression on her face at all times, as if the world owed her a hundred taels of gold.
From the moment Xu Ming began assembling the Jinyiwei to its completion, the entire process took a total of five days.
The Jinyiwei’s headquarters was located in the Jinyi Fu (Jinyi Bureau).
Thus, ordinary officials often referred to the Jinyiwei as Jinyi Fu. However, in practical terms, Jinyiwei was more commonly used to refer to individuals, whereas Jinyi Fu referred to the organization as a whole.
On the day Jinyi Fu was officially established, every civil and military official came to offer their congratulations—no one dared to be absent.
Emperor Wu even gifted a plaque inscribed with the words: “Loyal to the Nation”.
Xu Ming, ever the tactful subordinate, placed these four characters at the very beginning of the Jinyi Regulations—the official rules of the Jinyi Fu.
The opening principle? Loyalty to the Emperor.
The core message was simple: “My heart belongs solely to His Majesty. I seek nothing but progress.”
As a result, even those officials unfamiliar with the Jinyi Regulations understood the three fundamental principles of Jinyi Fu:
Loyalty to the Emperor—absolute and unwavering.
Devotion to the people—unafraid of the powerful.
Non-involvement in factional struggles—strict adherence to duty.
The uniforms of Jinyi Fu were personally designed by Xu Ming and finalized by Emperor Wu.
Every Jinyiwei officer wore Feiyu Robes (Flying Fish Attire), carried Tang-Heng Sabers, and bore a Jinyi Jade Plaque.
The Jinyi Fu was divided into two departments:
The Arrest Bureau (Jina Si), responsible for law enforcement.
The Intelligence Bureau (Neiqing Si), in charge of internal investigations.
Each department was headed by a Deputy Commander.
Yu Ping’an was appointed Director of the Intelligence Bureau, while Zhao Feiyan was assigned as Director of the Arrest Bureau.
As for logistics and support, everything was handled directly by the imperial palace. Since Jinyi Fu had no need to worry about operational resources, Xu Ming saw no reason to establish a dedicated Logistics Department.
The Jinyi Fu’s first major operation was to sweep out the remnants of the previous dynasty hiding within the capital.
At its inception, Jinyi Fu was essentially starting from scratch, lacking both intelligence and resources. Thus, most of their initial information came from Tingfeng Pavilion—the empire’s intelligence agency.
Furthermore, Emperor Wu formally stated that personnel exchanges between Tingfeng Pavilion and Jinyiwei would occur regularly.
Xu Ming had no particular objections to this arrangement.
This was simply Emperor Wu’s method of maintaining control over both institutions—one intelligence agency, one enforcement agency.
With these two organizations firmly in his grasp, Emperor Wu’s influence over the court would reach an even greater height.
As Jinyi Fu continued refining its operations while carrying out its duties, Xu Ming received a message from the Xu family estate.
The ancestral rites were approaching.
No matter how busy he was, Xu Ming had to take a few days off.
He had already promised the family matriarch that he would return home for the ceremony—no exceptions.
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