[1] The emperor was impressed by Jiang Bin's strength, imposing presence, and his wealth of exciting battle stories.
His proposal was to bring experienced units from the borderlands to Beijing and send soldiers from the capital to the borders to gain experience.
Despite opposition from Grand Secretary Li Dongyang, the emperor implemented the reform[2] and placed Jiang Bin in charge of the troops.
Jiang Bin served as his first adjutant, and for his role in a successful battle with the Mongols in October 1517, he was appointed as a count.
Jiang Bin saw this as an opportunity to seize the imperial city and place Zhu Junzhang, a prince from Datong and a distant relative of the emperor, on the throne.
Instead, two eunuchs recorded the emperor's supposed last words,[6] stating that his mother, Empress Dowager Zhang, and the Grand Secretaries would rule the empire.