Ma Lu and the veteran guards were deeply impressed by Zhu Mo today. However, these old soldiers were not ones for excessive displays of gratitude; they preferred to show their appreciation through their actions rather than words, so their demeanor remained outwardly calm, though their hearts were stirred.
They walked out the north gate, found a dilapidated carriage, and slowly headed towards Youwei.
One of the old guards said, "Brother Ma, you said earlier that Zhu Mo would make a move, and I didn't believe you… But after seeing it just now, I, Liu Chun, am truly impressed from the bottom of my heart!"
Another, named Zhou Kuan, also sighed, "This person, so young, is truly remarkable, truly remarkable! Even in such dire straits, such a person has appeared…"
Zhuang Yidong, having experienced several reversals and glimpsed the face of death today, and now rescued by a group of loyal old brothers, felt an indescribable surge of relief. He laughed, "This man looks like a scholar, but he's very spirited. When I was about to end it all, he saw through it. Haha, what an extraordinary man, what a rare talent…"
"Yes, I thought he would wait longer… I never expected it, truly never expected it…"
Ma Lu also spoke with emotion.
Liu Chun then asked, "Huh? Brother Ma, why did you say he would wait? Wait for what?"
Heh,
Ma Lu thought to himself: What would you, a soldier, understand of the intricate schemes of those civilian officials? Anyone else might have waited until Brother Zhuang was dead before making a move, which would have then sealed Li Lai's guilt… This Zhu Mo, his peculiarity lies precisely here…
But he had no intention of saying these things aloud, so he pushed aside his thoughts with a smile and said, "Do you know? He asked me if I knew Ma Fang just now, hahaha…"
Hahahaha…
The men burst into laughter.
"That's like asking for directions and ending up at your grandmother's! Haha…"
"Indeed, if we don't know Ma Fang, then likely no one in this world does…"
"This is truly a case of the Dragon King's temple being flooded by the Dragon King's own family…"
"Brother Ma, why did he ask about that?"
Ma Lu, always quick-witted, had already divined the current situation—
Zhu Mo seemed to have the upper hand, but he was actually in grave danger! If he hadn't possessed such great wisdom and courage, he would have long ago been eliminated by Yang Xuan, Li Lai, and the others. Now that he had killed Li Lai, public sentiment was certainly on his side, but hadn't he also drawn a line in the sand with Yang Xuan and the others?
Of Datong's thirteen guards, all twelve, except for Youwei, were controlled by Yan family's followers. If Yang Xuan, Li Lai's father Li Chong, and the Grand General Wu Ying were to truly commit to their course, Zhu Mo would likely suffer a severe blow. Therefore, the reason he asked if I knew Ma Fang was because he hoped Youwei could help him stabilize the situation.
Thinking of this, Ma Lu couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion—
This young man, still so young, had fallen into such a predicament; it was truly hard on him…
As he thought, he replied,
"He said Ma Fang went to the capital to find him and told him about Anda's invasion, which is why he came here…"
Oh?
The men were taken aback—
Anda's invasion had been concealed by the Yan family, who reported it as a snow disaster. They had always believed the court was sending aid, but little did they know there was such a hidden truth?
This meant that Ma Fang had personally reported the true situation in Xuanda to the capital, and the court had dispatched Zhu Mo accordingly. The difficulties Zhu Mo faced from the Yan family were also due to this. Naturally, the Yan family feared he would uncover their collusion with Anda…
No wonder, no wonder,
The men now understood.
Ma Lu continued, "He also said that Ma Fang is currently in the frontier and asked if I could find him…"
Huh?
The men were a bit puzzled.
Zhuang Yidong, being nearly sixty, understood things more clearly now. He said, "A few days ago, I heard from someone who returned from Biansheng that Ma Fang had captured Tiebei's son, Najie, near Xiaobaihai… Anda is now chasing him everywhere."
Ah?
Ma Lu couldn't help but be startled and asked, "Who said that?"
Zhuang Yidong replied, "An acquaintance of my wife from Biansheng also returned a few days ago, saying that Anda had already issued a war decree, summoning twenty-four banners of troops… The Tartar soldiers from Biansheng had all left, which is why that person was able to escape back…"
Oh…
Ma Lu listened intently.
Having fought in Xuanda for nearly twenty years, he had recently sensed something unusual. Various rumors suggested that significant action was imminent from the north. Moreover, the Yan family had been acting very strangely lately, abandoning their usual smuggling and corruption to fully focus on this so-called disaster relief…
Previously, the Imperial Guard Yu Zhen, after a few days of energetic activity, had suddenly gone into hiding and refused to show his face again. Yang Xuan and his associates had rapidly replaced personnel, his own Youwei Deputy General had been dismissed and replaced by Yan family's Ouyang An… Li Lai and his private soldiers patrolled the entire city daily, arresting or beating anyone remotely suspicious…
All of this indicated that the Yan family had colluded with Anda. They were likely on the verge of igniting a major war. He had come to this conclusion over the past month.
And Zhu Mo's actions over the past two days had filled in the final piece of the puzzle—
The Yan family had launched a full-scale counterattack! They intended to carry out an unprecedented event in Xuanda to salvage their declining influence in the imperial court, and at that time, they would eliminate all dissenting forces. Their fate, the fate of these old guards, might be sealed.
At this moment, he muttered to himself,
"Twenty-four banners? How many fronts would that be divided into?"
Zhuang Yidong casually replied, "Probably three fronts, Xuánfǔ, Datong, and the Capital…"
Hmm, hmm,
Ma Lu pondered it again and felt that he could no longer conceal his thoughts. Upon returning to Youwei, preparations must be made, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable.
He suddenly reined in his horse and stopped, looking at the men with a solemn expression. He said,
"I have an idea, and I'd like to hear your opinions…"
Liu Chun smiled and said, "Brother Ma, just say it directly."
Hmm,
"I think that Zhu Mo has been kind to us, and we soldiers cannot simply ignore it; that's the first point. Secondly, he knows Brother Ma Fang, and it was Brother Ma who reported the matter to the capital, otherwise we would have no livelihood… We must understand this clearly. Thirdly, as Brother Zhuang said, my information is similar: Anda is likely to launch a major invasion any day now, and with Yang Xuan and the others acting in concert, our Youwei and the outer five forts will surely be in peril… I fear we might not be able to resist…"
Hmm, hmm,
"Yes, we can't resist! But we still have to try…"
"Yes, we must try! If we don't, Datong will surely fall, with twenty-four banners of troops!"
"Brother Ma, just tell us. How can we understand these things? We'll just fight when the time comes!"
The men immediately declared their support.
Ma Lu nodded and said in a deep voice,
"The only way forward, I believe, is for Zhu Mo to take command of Datong's defenses, and we will support him. If we mobilize everyone, perhaps we can deter Anda. He is an imperial envoy, a favored official of the current court, and as we saw, the people are quite fond of him. I think this might be feasible…
Afterward, we can cooperate with the court, whether in the capital or Xuánfǔ, and fight as we should. Datong is likely the weakest link, and Yang Xuan and the others, we don't know what they're thinking, but perhaps chaos will erupt… We must defend Datong first, otherwise, if the court blames us, it will be another death sentence for us old soldiers…
And another thing, I always feel that Yang Xuan and the others are plotting against Zhu Mo; they might harm him when the time comes! We cannot just stand by and do nothing! What do you think?"
The men pondered for a moment and then nodded in agreement.
"Let's do it!"
"Yes! It's feasible!"
"We'll tell the brothers when we get back…"
"We can't let them harm Zhu Mo!"
The Yan family's followers, how could they truly resist?
Moreover, these men were not fools. Various signs indicated that Datong had changed dramatically recently, with storms brewing and major events about to unfold.
Besides, Zhu Mo had acted so righteously just now; how could Youwei's men shirk their responsibility?