Just then,
A rider galloped from afar. It was Zhao Shizhen, shouting,
"Young Master! Young Master Zhu! Something's happened..."
With a hiss!
He rushed to Zhu Mo's side, reining in his horse, and gasped, "Young Master, Captain Zheng Qin is fighting with some of the Prince's private soldiers!"
Oh?
Zhu Mo couldn't help but be startled:
So soon?
Are they making a move already?
Yu Zhen was also utterly shocked—
Did they really dare to move against Zhu Mo?
It couldn't be, could it?
With their own thoughts, the two followed Zhao Shizhen back to Huayan Temple. At the entrance of the temple, the intersection of Daxi Street and Niujiao Lane was already surrounded by people, perhaps one to two thousand.
From a distance, a group of soldiers in strangely shaped armor had surrounded Zhu Mo's hundred-man squad. In the standoff between the two sides sat a ragged, one-armed old man on the ground, perhaps selling noodle soup. His cart had been overturned, still steaming faintly.
Captain Zheng Qin stood tall in front, protecting the old man, showing no fear towards the Prince's private soldiers. Behind him, the hundred-man squad was neatly arrayed, unmoving.
Zhao Shizhen dismounted, wanting to shout, but Zhu Mo stopped him.
At this moment,
The leader of the private soldiers laughed heartily, "Dog Guards! Such a foul smell! Are you even soldiers of the Great Ming? Bah! You are the scum of the Great Ming!"
Hahaha,
"Dog Guards! Even selling Tatar greasy noodles? Have you no shame?"
"What shame do these old guards have? They sold their backside long ago! Hahaha..."
The private soldiers erupted in laughter, followed by more mockery—
"These old guards even claim to be Han? Holy hell! What kind of Han are they?"
"Damn! Such a stinking smell!"
"Come back as Han in the next life, you Tatar dogs!"
"Guard Dog, if you dare to come to Datong City selling Tatar soup again, I'll beat you to death!"
"Of course, they sell it; they sell out the country!"
"They even say the guards of five generations, five generations of Tatar mongrels, hahaha..."
"Guard Tatar, get lost quickly!"
"..."
The private soldiers, seemingly accustomed to such acts, hurled their venomous insults.
Zhu Mo heard the surrounding commoners whispering their opinions—
"Alas, what a sin! That old soldier is indeed from Xinping Fort, generations of them..."
"He's old now, and crippled, so he started selling barbarian soup. What else can he do? Starve to death? Alas..."
"What's so strange about that? Didn't they beat one to death in the west city alley the other day?"
"But are they really Han?"
"Alas, if they say they are, they are. If they say they aren't, they aren't..."
"He says his family has guarded Datong for five generations, aren't they Han then? Alas... it's truly sinful. Why don't the governors and commanders do anything about it?"
"Heh? What era is this? Who cares anymore?"
"I heard the Embroidered Uniform Guard has arrived in the city. Why aren't they doing anything?"
"Who knows if that's true..."
"They guarded Datong City their whole lives, and in their old age, they don't have an inch of land to stand on in Datong... Alas, I think it would be better if Altan just wiped Datong out..."
"Hush! Don't speak carelessly! You'll lose your life!"
"..."
Zhu Mo was deeply shocked. He now carefully observed the Prince's private soldiers. Their strangely shaped armor was mostly ordinary quilted armor, but with extremely luxurious decorations, resembling embroidered spring uniforms. A character "Ming" was embroidered on their backs, and the Three Stars banner on their chests, giving them an indescribable aura. Most peculiar was the character "Ming," written in an ancient script never officially adopted by the Great Ming.
Their equipment was also distinctive. A long saber was sheathed at their waists, and they held very long halberds.
Based on Zhu Mo's limited knowledge, the long saber should be a Tang dao, but according to the system's hints, the Ming army had never equipped such a saber. Coupled with the armor, it was also something the Ming army had never used.
Thus, these people were indeed the legendary private soldiers.
But what were they doing?
Zhu Mo carefully surveyed the surrounding crowd but found nothing unusual.
Looking at Yu Zhen, he saw his mouth twitching, his face flushed with shame. He was clearly enraged and deeply embarrassed, likely having overheard a few people discussing the Embroidered Uniform Guard. However, considering the circumstances, fearing entanglement, he could only endure in silence.
...
At this moment,
The old man struggled to get up, then fell again with a snap, letting out a muffled groan.
Zheng Qin, unable to bear it, stepped forward to help the old man. Unexpectedly, the private soldier leader who had been challenging him suddenly rushed forward and kicked Zheng Qin in the back.
With a thud!
Zheng Qin and the old man both tumbled down.
Hahaha...
While the private soldiers roared with laughter, the hundred-man squad also became agitated—
"They've made a move?"
"Brothers, fight!"
"Let's fight them!"
The hundred-man squad was the elite selected by Zhu Mo through Liang Menglong from the seventy-two guards of the Beijing Garrison. Their quality far surpassed that of the opponents. However, Zheng Qin strictly followed Zhu Mo's orders, enduring the provocation.
At this moment,
Seeing that the situation was about to spiral out of control, Zheng Qin struggled to get up, spread his arms to block his men, and shouted, "No! Brothers, do not be rash!"
"Put that thing down, it's not allowed!"
"Brothers, listen to me, do not act rashly!"
"Everything will wait until Young Master Zhu returns!"
He yelled at the top of his lungs. The men of the hundred-man squad had to suppress their anger and step back, remaining in orderly formation, glaring at the private soldiers.
Zhu Mo couldn't help but sigh and mutter, "Good, very good, Zheng Qin is a true man..."
Yu Zhen also cast an approving glance at Zhu Mo and said, "Young Master Zhu truly walks the righteous path. This personal guard alone can be considered a model for the Great Ming's official army... I am truly impressed!"
Zhu Mo replied calmly, "It is a pity that the Great Ming's official army is helpless. Consider, what kind of soldiers are those people?"
Yu Zhen knew this all too well. Being silenced by the remark, a wave of shame washed over him, leaving him speechless.
Zhao Shizhen whispered, "Young Master, we were doing morning drills outside the temple, and a few brothers drank that old man's noodle soup. Somehow it angered someone, and they surrounded us... Alas, they kicked over the old man's cart, and a few brothers spoke up for him, so they started challenging. Zheng Qin forbade us from acting, and that's how it became a standoff... Alas, Young Master, what is going on?"
Zhu Mo had a general idea—
These private soldiers were most likely the private soldiers of the Prince of Raoyang mentioned by Ma Fang and Li Wenjin. They were initially recruited as volunteers by Yang Bo, but unexpectedly, they had turned into this...
Li Wenjin had previously spoken of how they harassed the border guards, which Zhu Mo hadn't believed. Now, seeing it firsthand, it was a hundred times more brutal than they had described. Especially the old soldier, whose left arm was severed and had no means of livelihood. Naturally, he resorted to selling familiar barbarian soup...
And these private soldiers,
They reminded him of something called 'Nazhui' (a type of forced conscription/levy).
He glanced at Yu Zhen, saying nothing, but Yu Zhen lowered his head.
...
At the same time,
At Niujiao Lane, six or seven porters were enraged. With a clang, they drew their cleavers.
One man, with tears in his fierce eyes, choked out, "Brother Ma, just let us die! What's the point of living like this?"
"Yes, Brother Ma, our lives are worthless, and we're headed for that path sooner or later. We'd rather die than live like this... Brother Ma!"
"..."
Among them, a middle-aged strong man was also shedding tears like falling lead, choked with sobs, "I know what you brothers feel, but you have to see clearly... that hundred-man squad, it's the one brought by Young Master Zhu... Isn't Old Brother Zhuang from Xinping Fort being protected by his men...?"
As he spoke,
Tears streamed down his face, his voice completely hoarse, his body trembling uncontrollably. The men around him couldn't help but turn to wipe away their tears.
The leading porter, named Ma Lu, was the former Deputy Commandant of Datong Right Guard, dismissed and awaiting investigation by Yang Xuan a few days ago. The porters around him were also old border guards from the outer regions, dismissed or demoted by Yang Xuan in recent years. Some had truly fallen into being porters, living in misery.
The old man selling noodle soup was an old soldier from Xinping Fort, named Zhuang Yidong. During the Gengxu Incident, he fought against more than ten men and had his left arm severed. He was promoted to Chief of Staff, but four years ago, he was dismissed and became a vagrant.
Such incidents were common in recent years. Many old border guards had become vagrants. Even those still on the roster often hadn't received their pay for years. The imperial court paid no heed to their plight or their military achievements, claiming that with Xuan and Da so ruined, what merit could there be? And so on.
Yang Xuan and his group, on the other hand, acted directly, treating them with utmost contempt and humiliation. If not for generations of military households and the inheritance of spiritual ancestral teachings, these men would have long since given up, and Datong Guard would have been completely lost.