It was more of a simple banquet, fitting the name "dust-washing." Zhu Mo felt this was the worst meal he’d had since entering officialdom. Here in the governor's yamen's backyard, the broad wooden table held only a few pots of mutton soup. Wine was served, but no one dared to drink. On the surface, everyone wore smiles and maintained an air of cordiality, but in reality, they were a collection of disparate individuals, clearly divided.
The Yan faction had received strict orders, following Luo Longwen's strategy of three permissibles and three impermissibles, to treat Zhu Mo and Liang Menglong with courtesy and restraint, maintaining a distance. If the two made any move, the response would be to neither initiate, nor refuse, nor take responsibility. At the same time, all their party members were warned:
Anyone who disobeyed during this period and fell into Zhu Mo’s grasp would receive no protection!
The Yan father and son had issued harsh pronouncements, and the others naturally feared them.
Furthermore, Zhu Mo’s reputation in official circles was such that even ghosts feared him; everyone seemed intimidated by his presence. Seeing that the governor dared not be extravagant, who else would dare to drink this wine?
Ge Jin seated Zhu Mo in the honored upper seat, with Liang Menglong beside him, and Ge Jin himself sat nearby. Following protocol, the Yan faction’s order was Chi Fengxiang and his advisors, followed by the general.
Lin Wenjin held a high position, but he seemed to be alone, and no one spoke to him during the meal. Apart from the Yan faction and seasoned veterans like Li Wenjin, there were four or five others who maintained a lukewarm demeanor. Among them, a captain named Liu Han and a Censor named Hu Zhen occasionally cast looks of concern at Zhu Mo.
Having weathered many storms, Zhu Mo understood the current situation as clearly as if it were laid out before him:
Ge Jin had likely received instructions from Yan Song and Yan Shifan. His cordiality towards Zhu Mo was merely superficial, a pretense of warmth meant to mask something, its purpose undoubtedly to placate Zhu Mo.
Li Wenjin feigned unfamiliarity with Zhu Mo and did not speak to others. It was clear that this group was the most marginalized; despite being a general, no one paid him much heed.
The remaining few were likely moderates, privy to the unspoken conflict between the two sides but afraid to get involved. Many among them were filled with doubt...
This indicated that Ge Jin and his faction still held the strongest influence in Xuan Da. They had, through invisible pressure, placed all parties under strict deterrence, even drawing in the moderates to the point where they were unwilling to exchange normal pleasantries, lest the Yan family grow suspicious.
From this, it could be inferred that most officials in the realm understood the situation—
This fierce struggle, while appearing to be a series of victories for Zhu Mo on the surface, was actually met by the Yan family's step-by-step countermoves. It was difficult to say which held greater power, the waves on the surface or the currents beneath. As for who would ultimately emerge victorious, that was still far from known...
Zhu Mo knew this clearly—
Under such circumstances, if Ge Jin truly dared to make a move, Zhu Mo would find it extremely difficult to escape the ground of Xuan Da. Apart from seasoned troops like Li Wenjin and Ma Fang, no one would dare to intervene.
Xuan Fu was like this; Datong would be even more disadvantageous.
At least, private armies were not as rampant here, nor was there a troublesome royal like the Prince of Raoyang to contend with.
However, under this bizarre and awkward atmosphere, everyone felt that sitting in the hall was akin to enduring torture. Liang Menglong, who knew them, tried to tell a few jokes, but they only elicited awkward laughter, and he had to give up with a shake of his head. Several moderates, fearing the Yan family’s suspicion, withdrew early.
Everyone could see that this fragile harmony, so easily shattered, might vanish with a mere gust of wind.
After leaving the banquet, Zhu Mo stayed with the arquebusiers.
...
The next morning,
Zhu Mo left without a word, but instructed Liang Menglong to stay in Xuan Fu to monitor Ge Jin as previously arranged.
An hour later,
In a side hall of the governor's yamen, Governor Ge Jin was still sound asleep.
Suddenly,
The gatekeeper shouted, "Governor, this is terrible! General Li Wenjin has left! Lord Chi is waiting in the outer hall!"
"What? Li Wenjin... left? Where to?"
He leaped up, threw on a cloak, and hurried to the main hall.
"Old Chi, what's going on?"
"Alas, Li Wenjin left the city with three thousand troops last night! No one knows where he's gone. I've already sent men to pursue him, but I don't know if they'll catch up!"
"Last night? Then, did Zhu Mo know?"
Ge Jin, still wearing his cloak, felt a chill from his back and instinctively warmed himself by the charcoal stove, his heart filled with panic. He heard his own heart pounding.
Chi Fengxiang leaned closer and whispered, "That Zhu Mo, he left early this morning too, also without a word! Could they have arranged it?"
Ge Jin panicked again and said angrily, "What? They... what do they intend to do?"
At this moment,
Sensing a great misfortune, the experienced man suddenly calmed down. He immediately grasped the crucial point and blurted out:
"Old Chi, Li Wenjin and Liang Menglong secretly went to the capital, and they know Zhu Mo! Could it be...? Did he find something out, tell Zhu Mo, and then they agreed to leave together?"
Upon hearing this, Chi Fengxiang shivered—
If Li Wenjin truly knew Yan Song's plan and told Zhu Mo, wouldn't their painstakingly prepared plans fly away like cooked ducks? If Yan Shifan found out, wouldn't he flay them alive?
But then he thought again and said, "It shouldn't be... Only you and I saw that secret letter, and it was burned immediately. Others certainly wouldn't know. Old Ge, don't scare me..."
The two looked at each other for a long time, both feeling as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.
Ge Jin, being cunning and experienced, quickly thought of a plan and said in a low voice, "We can't hide this matter; we can only find a scapegoat..."
"Who?"
Ge Jin said word by word, "Isn't Liang Menglong still here? We'll say he was the one causing trouble... The Little Cabinet Minister will assume Zhang Juzheng instigated it, and perhaps we can extricate ourselves..."
"Ah,"
"Excellent suggestion, excellent! Let's do it!"
And at this moment,
The scout reported back—
"Reporting to the Governor and the Provincial Governor, Captain Li asked me to inform you both that Li Wenjin has headed north, at least a hundred and thirty li away from Xuan Fu."
Oh?
The two were surprised again, but a large stone seemed to lift from their hearts—
He,
Still doesn't know about that matter...
But isn't this desertion?
Chi Fengxiang breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Who cares? He's the General. As long as he claims it's an urgent military matter, we can't do anything about it... As long as it's not to join Zhu Mo."
Mm-hmm.
...
Meanwhile,
Li Wenjin, leading three thousand elite troops and speeding towards Daqingshan, suddenly turned towards Datong more than a hundred and fifty li north of Xuan Fu.
Last night, seeing that Zhu Mo seemed unaware of the grave danger, he had wanted to inform him, but fearing it would expose them, he had resorted to this stratagem.
Because several days prior, his personal guards overheard a soldier of Chi Fengxiang’s say, "That Zhu Mo opposes all the gentry in the realm; may he die a miserable death." Thinking of how Ma Fang and Wang Chonggu had already captured Bahansunagi and were heading to Desheng Fort north of Datong, he believed it was time to join forces and await Anda’s stormy offensive. Even if they couldn't hold them off, they had to ensure Zhu Mo’s safety.
Furthermore, Li Wenjin, always known for his intelligence and bravery, had guessed his fate if he remained in Xuan Fu—
When Anda's army pressed the border, Ge Jin and Chi Fengxiang would be the first to kill him, and the second would likely be the currently triumphant Liang Menglong.