The crowd grew larger, and the whispers became more blatant—
"Is that really what Zhu Mo said?"
"No way! That's too vulgar!"
"He's acting like a lecherous old pervert..."
"I can't believe Zhu Mo is into that kind of thing?"
"Isn't this coercion? The Consort clearly wasn't willing..."
"Haha, how do you know she wasn't willing?"
"True, they do look quite a match, haha..."
"..."
Zheng Qin was deeply embarrassed and at a loss for what to do. But then, he quickly shouted, "Nonsense! Someone heard shouts of help and attack earlier, what about that?"
The maidservant was also very sharp-tongued and retorted,
"What else can we say? The Consort is pure and chaste, so naturally, she was unwilling! But that young master forced himself upon her! Just then, the four guards heard the Consort shatter a teacup and rushed in to attack the man. He fled from the plum tree in the corner of the back wall!"
Hiss!
At this statement, the crowd erupted into even greater uproar and laughter. Many commoners, remembering Zhu Mo's good deeds, dared not speak ill of him. However, the volunteer fighters, already holding a grudge, now mocked him freely—
"Failed to coerce and then got beaten off? I, I'm speechless..."
"Alas, how pathetic..."
"I never expected Zhu Mo to be a wolf in sheep's clothing..."
"Are those guys over there with the flintlocks just standing guard for him? Damn it!"
"Why else would they be carrying flintlocks? Hahaha..."
"What do they call people like that? Isn't it something like a turtle's grandson..."
"Hahaha..."
The volunteer fighters seized this opportunity to vent, their words becoming increasingly venomous.
Zheng Qin sighed inwardly, thinking: Esteemed Grand Scholar Zhu, I told you not to open the Huayan Temple, and you wouldn't listen. Now something has happened...
...
Li Chong was far more cunning than his son, Li Lai. Observing the situation, he felt the time was right and immediately stepped forward, shouting:
"Guards! Quickly report to His Excellency the Governor, telling him that the Consort of Prince Dai was violated at Huayan Temple, and someone has identified Zhu Mo as the culprit... With the border in a state of unrest and the Tatars poised to invade at any moment, everything depends on Zhu Mo! Please, Your Excellency the Governor, consider this carefully..."
This?
Many onlookers heard this and felt uneasy.
Wasn't this directly implicating Zhu Mo?
And asking the Governor to consider it?
Consider what?
Since they asked for consideration, it clearly meant it was true!
The crowd began to murmur, and many sympathetic individuals couldn't help but sigh deeply for Zhu Mo.
Zheng Qin heard this and felt even worse—
Li Chong's words were utterly damning! If this couldn't be cleared up, how would the people view it? Especially the garrison troops of the Thirteen Guards, how would they face others? Even the centurion units would be unable to hold their heads up in Datong city...
Li Chong was not like his abusive son. Having achieved his goal, his heart was filled with immense joy, though his face remained etched with worry. He then ordered the volunteer team to escort the Consort of Prince Dai and the maidservant out of the temple, publicly lamenting the injustice done to the Consort of Prince Dai along the way, stating that no matter how influential Zhu Mo was, they would fight to the death to seek justice for the Consort...
...
Dusk,
Five hundred li north of Desheng Fort,
At the king's tent in Little Stone Mountain.
Anda paced restlessly, not due to his eldest son's defeat, but because of a peculiar habit: whenever a major battle was imminent, his back would inexplicably ache.
This pain was strange; it would prickle him, making him unable to eat or sleep, only when he felt danger was near. Once he felt safe, or when the outcome of the battle was decided, it would vanish without a trace.
At this moment,
A sharp, piercing pain shot through his back. He couldn't sit still for a moment, pacing back and forth in the royal tent, his expression shifting between anger and concern. Kneeling before him was his eldest son, Xin'ai.
A few days prior, his five to six thousand vanguard troops had been ambushed on the flank by the Ming army a hundred li north of Desheng Fort. Although they had still won, their momentum had been somewhat blunted.
Anda had always detested such setbacks. At this moment, he felt an urge to lash out at his son, but then he hesitated—
This was the largest mobilization of his life, with troops gathered from almost all the tribes. Once they encountered a moderate defeat, those chieftains and minor khans would rebel... Since they had already been ambushed, it meant the enemy was likely prepared. In this situation, Xin'ai's decision not to advance but to retreat was not wrong; in fact, it could be considered quite astute...
His original plan was to advance on three fronts, halting suddenly at the Desheng Fort line. The vanguard would swiftly capture Desheng Fort, and the military intelligence would be reported to the Ming court. This would fulfill Yan Song's objective, marking the end of the first phase of their alliance.
According to Yan Song's secret letter, he would initiate a full mobilization in the Ming Dynasty, deploying heavy troops along the Datong, Xuanfu, and Jiliao fronts. However, he also promised that there would be no genuine fighting; instead, he hoped Anda would continuously harass them, creating significant pressure for at least three months or more.
In exchange, Yan Song agreed to allow Anda to plunder border civilians during the war, but not exceeding three hundred thousand people. Simultaneously, the war would conclude through peace talks, with the Ming Dynasty promising to establish ten additional border markets that would never be interrupted, and to help Anda mine three border iron ore deposits, providing a group of miners and blacksmiths.
It was precisely these terms that had finally led Anda to make his decision.
If successful, the Tumet people would greatly increase their strength, their economic methods would become richer, encompassing both agriculture and pastoralism, and they could revive the iron smelting and forging industries, which had been in decline for decades, to continuously supply arrowheads. This would gradually change the balance of power, and in ten years, the Tumet people would threaten the Yangtze River.
However,
Was Yan Song trustworthy?
Even if he were trustworthy, could he achieve it?
Therefore,
Anda had his own agenda and plans—
Utilizing Yan Song's calculations, he would seek opportunities during the war to launch a full-scale invasion, forcing the Ming Dynasty to sign a treaty under duress. Moreover, his route would be different from usual. This time, he intended to enter from Datong and push all the way to Taiyuan. Once the Ming army divided its forces and crossed the Taihang Mountains, he would launch a surprise attack on the capital.
The key to achieving this plan was deterrence, creating an unprecedented momentum, but also advancing cautiously. Only then could Yan Song be convinced that things were truly in motion. For this purpose, a setback for the vanguard was intolerable; he had to re-establish his momentum.
It must be known,
Anda was a paramount warlord. Once he made up his mind, he was unyielding.
At this moment,
He calculated that, based on the timeline, the encounter outside Desheng Fort should elicit a response from the Ming court within three days. At this juncture, to restore the deterrent effect, a very bold attempt might be feasible:
The entire army of eighty thousand cavalry would advance further, pressing towards a point a hundred li outside Desheng Fort, the location where Xin'ai's vanguard had engaged in battle.
This position was highly advantageous, allowing the entire army to intimidate Datong and also to advance east towards Xuanfu and the capital at any time, leaving the Ming forces unable to respond effectively and uncertain of their true target. More importantly, based on the Ming people's character and long-standing habits, they would likely assume the royal tent was at Desheng Fort and that this was a diversionary tactic, with the true offensive direction being to the east.
With the calculations complete,
Anda issued a strict order: "The royal tent shall move south towards Desheng Fort. Advance towards Xuanfu and the capital by two hundred li each."