Ah?
With a crash,
the teacup he had just replaced shattered on the floor again.
Yang Xuanmu stood frozen on the spot.
After all, he was a high-ranking official of the Yan faction, and had personally led troops for many years, familiar with battle formations. He understood everything at once—
Zhu Mo had used speed against slowness, accomplishing everything in the latter half of the night!
These參將 (Canjiang) and 副參將 (Fu Canjiang) of the Twelve Guards had just woken up and rushed over, only to fall into a diversionary tactic! At this very moment, they were not in the camp, and he, Li Wenjin, as the Grand General of XuanDa, had inspected the various camps and likely replaced all the參將 (Canjiang) of the Twelve Guards…
That锦衣卫 (Jinyiwei), likely holding irrefutable evidence, dared to suspend the Governor and the Grand General… In this way, he had lost everything overnight.
If the Young Grand Chancellor found out, wouldn't he destroy me? In a moment of despair, he realized he had underestimated that Zhu Mo.
With a plop,
Yang Xuan sank into the grand chair and muttered, "It's over, it's all over…"
Li Chong's face was even more ashen. He cast a despairing glance at Yang Xuan and whimpered, "Lord Yang, you should have listened to me earlier and taken down that Zhu Mo…"
The锦衣卫 (Jinyiwei) personal guards were shouting, "Follow me! Do you really want Lord Yu to send the imperial army to arrest you?"
The guards of the Censorate's yamen were now escorts of the锦衣卫 (Jinyiwei). Who would dare disobey? The great figures could only follow the guards dejectedly to the Censorate's yamen to explain the situation.
They naturally did not know—
Last night,
Zhu Mo had pried information from the Crown Princess, revealing that Zhao Quan, Li Chong, and others had colluded with the Tatars. Afterward, he had searched the Huayan Temple, the Fuman Wine House, and other hideouts, finding several letters. He bundled them all up and personally knocked on Yu Zhen's door, threw them at him, and left without a word.
As a锦衣卫 (Jinyiwei), it was Yu Zhen's duty to arrest people upon seeing evidence.
The reason Zhu Mo said nothing was to make it clear to Yu Zhen: You upright officials can choose to arrest, or not arrest, it's up to you!
Yu Zhen knew very well that in matters like these, there could be no association with the Yan family! No matter how neutral the upright officials were, they could not be ambiguous in such matters; they had to act decisively. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
…
Meanwhile,
Prince Dai and Li Wenjin personally led the team, and Ma Fang, Wang Chonggu, and others led nearly five thousand men of the entire Right Guard army to surround the city's southern Volunteer Camp.
When the volunteers woke up in the morning, they heard that Li Chong had been arrested and that the more than three hundred White Lotus cultists who had acted as informants the previous night had also been apprehended. They were already in a state of panic. If not for the temporary lack of leadership and the indecision among a few commanders, a major incident would have already occurred.
At this moment,
seeing their camp surrounded by enemies, and the Grand General of XuanDa, Li Wenjin, and Prince Dai personally entering the camp, they felt that disaster was imminent and gradually quieted down.
Li Wenjin, with a stern face, strode onto the reviewing stand and announced loudly:
"Imperial Envoy Zhu Mo and Grand General of XuanDa Li Wenjin decree:
During the Gengxu Incident, the Tatars breached the pass. Governor Chou Luan dithered and endangered the nation, causing the populace to suffer. To strategically preserve ourselves, the court permitted Grand Supervisor Yang Bo to recruit volunteers, also indicating that the people's strength could be utilized. However, for more than ten years, the Dadao volunteers have had unclear duties and inconsistent quality, even harming and abusing the populace. The judicial authorities have repeatedly admonished them without success, and the people change color at the mere mention of them.
Now that Anda's great army is pressing the border, it has been discovered that the volunteer commissioner Li Chong colluded with the White Lotus cultists Zhao Quan, plotting to assist the enemy. According to the Great Ming Law, all those implicated in this crime shall be executed. However, considering that the volunteers are not without minor merits, they are permitted to reform and atone for their sins by contributing to victory. Imperial Envoy Zhu Mo and Grand Commander Li Wenjin order the immediate reorganization of the volunteers, assigning them to the jurisdiction of the Guard armies. All volunteers must not disobey, and any violation will be subject to military law. This proclamation is hereby issued."
Hoo!
The volunteers erupted.
"We don't submit!"
"You are from the Right Guard, we don't submit!"
"Retaliation!"
"Call Lord Li Chong to speak!"
"Lord Li Chong is not here, we will not listen to anyone!"
"…"
Li Wenjin and Prince Dai exchanged glances, both feeling that this group of proud and unruly soldiers had already become Li's army. If they were not reorganized soon, a great disaster would eventually occur.
However, the volunteers also had their weaknesses; their composition was complex, and internal contradictions were rampant, making them susceptible to division and disintegration.
Know this,
among the volunteers were Prince's personal guards, White Lotus cultists, refugees, and convicts of all sorts. Hearing about the reorganization, they all had their own thoughts. Some feared being arrested, some had long awaited formal enlistment into the Guard armies, while others were indifferent. A few White Lotus cultists incited loudly, but few responded.
Li Wenjin, having led troops for many years, had anticipated this and whispered, "Your Highness, please try to persuade them."
Prince Dai strode onto the platform, waved his hand, and announced loudly:
"The ancestral instructions of the Great Ming stipulate that vassal kings shall not interfere in military and political affairs… Therefore, I am here today merely to offer you all one piece of advice, what advice? As the saying goes, listen to advice and you will eat well! With the enemy pressing the border and disaster looming, you must not cause any trouble, lest the military law be as firm as a mountain… Zhang Wenxiang, Ma Jiude, what do you say?"
Zhang and Ma were long-time personal guards of the Prince's manor and were now volunteer commanders. Recalling the Prince's usual kindness, and deeply impressed by Zhu Mo's formidable power, with Li Chong's son dead and himself arrested, there was no capacity left for resistance. The disparity in strength was already clear.
The two immediately shouted, "Prince's personal guards, stand over here!"
With a rustle,
over two hundred personal guards stood to one side of the reviewing stand.
The other volunteers immediately cursed.
But other princely manor personal guards followed suit, putting down their weapons and running over. The opposite side was immediately left with a mob composed of refugees and convicts, filled with endless curses.
Li Wenjin snorted coldly and said loudly:
"Do you wish to disobey?"
Boom~
Clatter~
The remaining five to six hundred volunteers panicked. Ma Fang, acting decisively, led his troops to divide them into seven or eight groups, surrounding each one.
With incessant clanging sounds, the refugees and convicts successively dropped their weapons.
The three brigades were broken down into twelve small teams, each incorporated into one of the twelve Guards (excluding the Right Guard), under the jurisdiction of the Guard army commanders. During wartime, they were all to obey the unified command of the Grand General of XuanDa, Li Wenjin.
This private armed force, which had been causing trouble for over a decade, thus vanished.
Li Wenjin let out a long sigh, thinking: If not for that extraordinary nephew, a prodigy and a lucky general, how could this tumor have been removed? And if it hadn't been removed, in time, it would have declared itself a nation, and the XuanDa defense line would surely have collapsed. Before Anda could invade, it would have been finished…
Know this,
this force had oppressed the Guard armies for many years. Many old brothers had been tormented by them to the point where life was worse than death. Today, having been disbanded, Li Wenjin was suddenly overcome with grief, and tears flowed silently down his cheeks.
…
Simultaneously,
the reorganization of the Twelve Guards was also underway.
Ma Fang, Wang Chonggu, Ma Lu, and others respectively took charge of the Twelve Guards.
They were all renowned generals of their time, possessing strong influence within the army. Although the Twelve Guards and the Right Guard were not on good terms, everyone knew in their hearts—
When it came to fighting, if the Right Guard didn't claim second place, no other Guard dared claim first!
The merits earned over more than a decade were witnessed by everyone. Comparing their military appearance and quality was the same; their spirit was evident, and it was impossible not to submit. Moreover, the Emperor had just issued a decree, making the Right Guard a well-deserved leading Guard. And the recent rumors about Zhu Mo were also dispelled by the on-site capture of the adulterous couple. In light of all this, the officers and soldiers of the Twelve Guards had no further reason to object. Furthermore, they were all soldiers earning their pay. With the enemy at the gates, who would care about other matters?
Therefore, the reorganization proceeded smoothly. Those in the Twelve Guards who were trustworthy and meritorious were promoted to acting commanders, to be officially appointed after the battle, and the same applied to the commanders.
In just over an hour that morning, the reorganization was completed. The soldiers of the Right Guard became the backbone of each Guard, achieving a sense of unity as if directing one's own limbs.
…
With everything settled,
it was exactly Si Shi (9 AM to 11 AM).
The northern training ground was filled with soldiers and civilians.
Zhu Mo changed into crimson armor and strode onto the reviewing stand. He waved his hand at everyone, and the entire place fell silent.
"Fellow soldiers and civilians, we have just received military intelligence that Anda is approaching Deshengbao, and is now less than a hundred li away… Eighty thousand cavalry! Eighty thousand…"
Whoosh!
Some of the soldiers and civilians had a general idea, but many more had been deceived by Yang Xuan and others, who claimed Anda was only making a small incursion. Hearing the Imperial Envoy Zhu Mo reveal this now, they were terrified.
Know this,
although Datong had suffered from warfare for years, such a scale of invasion was rare in a century. And what was the situation within Datong city, who didn't know? It had long been ruined by the officials of the Yan family and Prince Raoyang, and the father-son duo Li Chong. How could it possibly resist eighty thousand cavalry?
In an instant, the crowd became quite anxious and uneasy.
Zhu Mo intentionally did not conceal the military situation, naturally anticipating such a reaction. But there was no other way. If he concealed it, when the enemy's dense cavalry formations appeared at the city walls, morale would immediately collapse.
In matters of decisive action on the battlefield, even the dog system could not provide any good advice. Zhu Mo acted based on the web novels and popular posts he had read: A desperate army is bound to win! Having experienced fear first, they would have nothing to fear on the battlefield. Moreover, with so many enemies arriving, attacking and destroying the land, where could they run even if they wanted to? If the soldiers ran, what would happen to their wives and children?
Therefore, everyone could only look at Zhu Mo expectantly, pinning their hopes on this rather miraculous figure. At this moment, seeing him in full crimson armor, radiating vigor and composure, they felt slightly reassured.
Zhu Mo continued:
"The only way now is for everyone to unite as one, and perhaps there is still a path to survival…"
Upon saying this,
the atmosphere in the entire venue had regained a hint of tragedy, but it remained fragile and fearful. Zhu Mo saw clearly that many officers and soldiers were looking around involuntarily, their minds completely in disarray.
Zhu Mo sighed inwardly: In just five or six years, Datong's elite army had been reduced to this state…
He pondered for a moment, knowing that now was the time to play his trump card—
"However, you don't need to worry too much! I, Zhu Mo, am here to tell you a great piece of good news—a month ago, Commander Ma Fang captured Anda's grandson, Bahannaji, at Xiaobaihai! He is currently imprisoned in the dungeon of the Right Guard city. At noon, I will bring him here and confine him within Datong city!
This shows that the Tatar soldiers are nothing to fear. Did Master Ma not capture him with ease? What do you say?"
Boom!
The entire venue erupted in an uproar!
"Is that true?"
"Impossible, right?"
"It's hard to say, that Master Ma is truly capable!"
"Well, they say Ma Fang captured him, I believe it!"
"That person doesn't brag, I trust him!"
"Then that's great, we might not die!"
"Well, if worse comes to worst, we can use his grandson's life to force him to withdraw the troops…"
"This Zhu Mo is indeed lucky!"
"Yes, a lucky general is a lucky general…"
"…"
After a moment of commotion, their confidence suddenly returned.
Zhu Mo, watching from the stage, saw clearly that the once terrified morale had recovered sixty to seventy percent, and the soldiers' hands gripping their weapons had become steadier. However, the civilians gathered temporarily still had doubts.
Zhu Mo continued:
"Civilians, you don't need to be afraid. You don't need to go to the front line to fight the cavalry! Besides, you don't know how to fight, do you? You just need to defend the city! Hold the Great Wall line firmly, and it's enough that the enemy doesn't break through Datong city!"
Before he finished speaking,
smiles finally appeared on the expectant faces of the civilians.