These past few days, Zhu Mo had been staying at the Right Guard General's mansion.
He patrolled the city defenses without incident, observing only meticulously crafted defensive strategies, devoid of any trickery. This filled him with renewed admiration for the veteran guards, whom he considered the unshakeable pillars of the Great Ming, irreplaceable and deserving of immense empathy for enduring such humiliation without betrayal.
These men had always been the nation's bulwark, yet they rarely received the treatment they deserved. The root cause, Zhu Mo mused, lay in the overwhelming dominance of the feudal bureaucracy. Whether it was Yan Song or Zhang Juzheng in power, the outcome remained the same. The Great Ming dynasty was merely the most concentrated embodiment of two millennia of this systemic issue.
Reflecting on the recent events with lingering fear, Zhu Mo's feelings deepened.
The feudal bureaucracy was utterly devoid of conscience. In their innermost desires and outward actions, they were the most shameless in the world. Their expertise lay entirely in conspiracy, schemes, deception, intimidation, betrayal, shamelessness, rumor-mongering, and calling white black—all pursued without hesitation, for they were invariably the sole victors. The feudal lords understood this better than anyone.
Taking a moment, Zhu Mo visited Ouyang An, whom Yang Xuan had exchanged for. This man had been under house arrest at the post station since Ma Lu's return to the city. Zhu Mo spoke with him for over half an hour and discovered that individuals of Ouyang An's standing possessed no real power to resist the upper echelons of the Yan family; they were either swept along or intimidated.
After much reflection, Zhu Mo grew increasingly perplexed: this ecosystem, seemingly loose and fragile, why did it act with such unified purpose when the time came? Why was there such unprecedented consensus on killing him, Zhu Mo?
Ma Lu and Zhang Yue were both first-rate generals, possessing a keen understanding of the current situation. Any further hesitation, and with the arrival of Anda's army, the entire Right Guard could very well be annihilated.
In welcoming Zhu Mo back,
They had found a lifeline. Firstly, Zhu Mo was an imperial envoy and a fifth-rank Grand Scholar of the Left Spring Palace. Taking command of the city defenses at such a critical juncture was both reasonable and appropriate. Secondly, Zhu Mo was currently a celebrated figure in the Great Ming, and the reforms he spearheaded had spread throughout the land, met with great public anticipation. Furthermore, Zhu Mo's confrontation with the Yan family had repeatedly curbed their arrogance, and his public execution of Li Lai had thoroughly vented the frustration of the Datong populace.
Only such a figure was qualified to lead them in a desperate defense when Anda's army loomed.
As for Zhu Mo,
He had also come to a realization in these past few days. He lacked manpower. Ma Fang and his companions were still missing, and while Liang Menglong was the Vice Minister of War, he remained entrenched in Xuanfu, silent. If he lingered any longer, he would inevitably be killed by Li Chong.
But the problem lay precisely here:
If he left Datong city, how could he resist Anda? After all, all twelve other guards besides the Right Guard were under Yang Xuan's control. Without officially controlling Datong's defenses, how could he make Anda retreat?
Therefore,
Although he was safe these past few days, his mind had been anything but peaceful. News from within the city indicated that Yang Xuan and his men had intensified patrols. In Datong city, so few pedestrians could be seen on the streets during the day that the atmosphere had become tense to the point of stagnation.
One night, rumors spread like wildfire, causing several scares. It was said that Li Chong had gathered thirteen guards and four thousand brave volunteers to attack the Right Guard and dismember Zhu Mo. Ma Lu and Zhang Yue did indeed spend a tense night, but by dawn, the volunteers had not appeared.
This day,
Zhu Mo was playing a guessing game with Ma Lu, Liu Chun, and Feng En, discussing the firearms he had brought.
Ma Lu had seen their potential that day and remarked, "Brother Zhu, are the bird-guns you brought able to be reloaded quickly? I was astonished by their accuracy and power that day..."
Liu Chun also chimed in, "How ridiculous that Li Lai didn't understand. If these bird-guns were used against them, entire battalions would fall."
"Indeed, they are remarkable! Like miniature cannons. If we had a thousand of them, dealing with Anda would be much easier..."
Hahaha,
The men erupted in laughter.
Zhu Mo thought to himself: it wasn't that simple. These were assembled from existing parts on an ad-hoc basis. Truly producing them would take at least three to five months. Moreover, where could one find so many top-tier craftsmen like Zhao Shizhen and Li Huai?
He then smiled and replied, "Do you remember that box? The items inside are quite complex and cannot be explained easily. But once the matters in Datong are concluded, I will explain them to you properly, and you can try to produce a batch here in Datong..."
Mm-hmm,
Excellent, excellent.
As they were speaking,
Vice General Zhang Yue burst into the General's mansion, overjoyed, exclaiming, "Young Master Zhu, there is an imperial decree!"
He was so delighted that he deliberately withheld the news, making Ma Lu impatient before finally pretending to be an imperial eunuch and reciting with affected solemnity:
"By order of the Emperor, who rules by virtue of Heaven's mandate:
The Nine Border Regions, Xuan and Da, are the foundations of the imperial court and have repeatedly suffered from warfare. Since the Grand Ancestor established the guards and conscripted soldiers for garrison duty, loyal individuals serving in distant frontiers have never been lacking. The imperial envoy's report states that the households of Datong's Right Guard possess the spirit of metal and stone, unwavering even in the face of death. I am deeply moved by this. Therefore, I decree that each household of the Right Guard shall be granted one padded garment and ten taels of silver. Other guards who emulate this conduct shall also receive rewards accordingly. Respect this decree."
Zhu Mo had been awaiting news, and he hadn't expected such a magnificent gift!
After a brief moment of consideration, he understood Jiajing's intention.
By deliberately omitting the case of Li Lai and focusing only on the hardships and loyalty of the guards, he was signaling to the world that Jiajing did not dwell on the rumors and past events of the Gengxu year, and that he always believed the guards to be loyal. His bestowal of padded garments during this cold season spoke volumes, requiring no further words or gestures.
"This single padded garment is indeed more effective than a thousand armies..."
Zhu Mo could not help but admire Jiajing's shrewdness. With this decree, the men of the Right Guard could not only hold their heads high but also legitimately become the foremost of the thirteen guards! This provided him with the foundation to take over Datong's defenses. Combined with popular support, Yang Xuan and Li Chong's faction would at least be completely on the defensive.
With this thought,
He asked Ma Lu, "And the Grand Secretariat? Did they say anything about the case?"
Ma Lu nodded and said, "I heard that there was indeed an imperial dispatch, but I don't know what it said."
Having been dismissed from his post and awaiting investigation, he naturally could not see it. However, through their recent interactions, he had come to deeply respect Zhu Mo and said, "Young Master Zhu, you seem to understand every minute detail of the Great Ming's affairs. Why not make a guess as to what the Grand Secretariat said?"
Zhu Mo smiled, "Brother Ma, Brother Zhang, I don't think we need to guess. Let's just prepare to face Anda! I suspect that the Brocade-Clad Guard will have something to say about it..."
As expected,
Just after noon, Yu Zhen arrived personally with a contingent of a hundred men.
Zhu Mo and the others went to the瓮城 to greet them.
The reunion between the two men now felt like a lifetime ago. How many life-and-death moments had they experienced in between?
Reflecting on it now, if they had not been completely sincere and free of selfish motives at the time, the situation would likely not be as it was today.
In the morning, officials from the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Grand Secretariat had all arrived in Datong.
Yu Zhen received the imperial decree at the Censorate's yamen. Upon hearing that he had replaced Zhang Er as the second of the thirteen Imperial Guards, he immediately understood that Old Huang Zhong had helped him. Otherwise, Zhang Er himself would have arrived in Datong by now to have him dismissed and investigated. At that moment, he had broken out in a cold sweat, feeling as if he had fallen into an ice cave. He thought that if there had been even the slightest misstep, he would now be irredeemably ruined.
With this realization,
His gratitude towards Zhu Mo deepened. He clasped Zhu Mo's arms and said earnestly, "Young Master Zhu, if it weren't for your unwavering commitment to public service, and if I had harbored even the slightest suspicion, I would likely be escorted back to the capital today..."
Zhu Mo was also deeply moved.
Individuals like Yu Zhen represented the extreme edge of the Yan family's rule. They were the most sensitive, most dangerous, and most difficult to manage. If there were any flaws, these people did not have them; they were dedicated to the empire, but their starting points were always different. Or rather, he belonged to the emerging Confucian Brocade-Clad Guard, while Zhu Qi and others, with their plain clothes and straw sandals, represented the orthodox Brocade-Clad Guard.
This trend had begun with Zhang Er and Lu Liu. If it were not halted this time and instead they succeeded through opportunism, then Zhu Qi's faction would decline, and the Brocade-Clad Guard would eventually become a tool of the Yan family. Once the Brocade-Clad Guard became the Yan family's tool, it would be used to control the empire and achieve anything, directly ushering in the final phase of the Ming dynasty, where both sides would engage in a bottomless struggle, leading to the empire's collapse within a few years and widespread chaos.
Therefore,
From the very beginning, Zhu Mo had been exceptionally accommodating, demonstrating the utmost sincerity, and consistently showing that he was genuinely working for the Great Ming and its people, without any pretense. Yu Zhen, after all, was not a villain. Having witnessed and experienced these events firsthand, he had gradually changed his perspective.
Thus, the two seemingly parallel lines finally began to converge.