Li Lai was always fierce, and with his father being a trusted subordinate of Yang Xuan, Yang Xuan being a recent favorite of the Yan family, and further bolstered by the Prince of Raoyang and Anda Khan of the frontier, he thought to himself: What do I have to fear? I might as well continue to force Zhuang Yidong to his death. Then, I can provoke the troublemakers from the Old Guard Army and say that Zhu Mo and the others colluded with Anda...
Ultimately, he was the number one figure of the Yan family in Datong, and he had a general understanding of the current situation. It was going to be a confrontation with the Old Guard Army sooner or later anyway. Why not deal with both matters at once? Anda's army would be at the city gates any day now...
He then gave a look to his trusted followers and said loudly:
“Zhuang Yidong! You still claim you aren't a traitor?! I ask you, who made this noodle soup? Was it your Tartar wife?”
“You still claim you aren't selling out the country? When the Tatars raided before, didn't they come through your Xinping Fortress? Tell me?”
“And you claim you don't collude with foreign enemies? Those old soldiers in your Xinping Fortress are all traitors!”
“I tell you, your leader, Ma Lu, has been dismissed and is under investigation! The court already knows about your actions in leading Anda to attack Xinping Fortress!”
“Lord Yu of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is in Datong city right now, here to investigate traitors like you!”
Shouts!
This accusation, with its seemingly detailed points, made the common folk listen with a mix of belief and doubt. Especially when the Embroidered Uniform Guard's Lord Yu was mentioned, and that he was here to investigate collusion with foreign enemies, the crowd began to waver. Many people muttered—
“Doesn’t seem right?”
“Could he really be a traitor?”
“I do recall hearing that Anda and his men did enter through Xinping Fortress…”
“But how could they get through with over a thousand men?”
“Alas, I don't know…”
“…”
Seeing that the crowd's sentiment was swayed, Li Lai seized the moment and whispered to his trusted followers, "Make your move. If the hundred-man squad tries to stop you, attack them too!"
With a clang!
The private soldiers at the front suddenly surged forward, only seven or eight feet away from the hundred-man squad. The clanging of metal was incessant as the private soldiers drew their long sabers. At the same time, they shouted—
“Fake imperial envoy! Hand over Zhuang Yidong!”
“Hand over the traitor!”
“You are also traitors!”
“A fake envoy defending a traitor, are you trying to invite Anda to raid us?”
“…”
The private soldiers all clamored, numbering over a thousand, instantly igniting the atmosphere and creating a formidable and imposing presence.
Meanwhile, a few of Li Lai's confidantes suddenly rushed out, intending to forcibly take Zhuang Yidong away.
At this critical juncture,
The crowd suddenly stirred in alarm. Five or six porters, armed with woodcutting knives, charged out from Niujiao Alley. The foremost one rushed up to Li Lai, holding his cleaver horizontally across his chest, and shouted,
“Li Lai, you dog!”
“Ma Lu is here!”
The other porters rushed to protect Zhuang Yidong, confronting seven or eight private soldiers.
With a rush!
Thousands of onlookers immediately retreated a few steps, then craned their necks to watch.
Most of these Datong citizens had heard of Ma Lu. They knew he was a fierce general who had risen through the ranks of the Guard Army in recent years. In the thirty-fifth year, when Anda besieged the Datong Right Guard, Ma Lu launched a surprise attack on Anda's command tent, causing Anda to retreat in panic. His fame spread throughout the Nine Garrisons at the time.
Now, under the gaze of thousands, they saw his robust build, his firm and resolute expression, exuding an aura of being able to hold off any foe. They also observed the porters, all of whom were agile. This region of Datong was a border territory, and the people there most admired heroes. In contrast, Li Lai and his private soldiers suddenly seemed to be all show and no substance, mere posturing. Many people immediately shouted—
“Brave man!”
“A hero!”
“Ma Lu, I know him, he defeated Anda!”
“Who says the Old Guard Army isn't capable!”
“…”
Zhu Mo noticed: Although some people in the crowd were cheering, it was only a few scattered voices. The vast majority were intimidated by Li Lai and his men and dared not speak.
At this moment,
He also remembered Ma Lu.
“There really is a Ma family general, and his son is Ma Gui, both quite formidable…” Kuaishu Ge
Ma Lu's reputation was great, and most importantly, he had defeated Anda, which was no small matter. In the face of his genuine and proven prowess, Li Lai and his men seemed utterly ridiculous.
The momentum,
Undoubtedly, had shifted another large step in his favor.
Now,
The only concern was: If he were to arrest Li Lai at this moment, would these thousand-plus private soldiers engage in a firefight? And with his side having only a hundred men, wouldn't they be outnumbered? If firearms were used, they could certainly win, but that would result in a bloody massacre, with at least three to four hundred deaths…
If that were the case, there would still be significant trouble. The system was right; this matter carried immense and unpredictable risks—
【Pending Process: Civil War Level Military Conflict;】
【Enemy Composition: 1. Legitimate guards of the Prince of Dai, 200 men; Guards of the seven Prince of Commandery, a total of 100 men; 2. Datong Thirteen Guards Volunteers, 700 men; Description: Volunteers are equivalent to later-day militia, reservists, and military district guard battalions;】
【Nature of Conflict: Civil War Level Conflict between Special Operations Detachment of the National Defense Forces and War Zone Militia;】
【Consequence Prediction: Enemy casualties 150-200 dead, 200-350 wounded; Our side casualties 0 dead, 10-20 wounded;】
【Risk Assessment: 85%; Description: 1. Potential domino effect, similar incidents occurring in multiple locations along the Nine Garrisons, probability 73%; 2. Potential for political strife surrounding the clearance of the Volunteer system and the gunpowder bureau, former Governor-General of Xuanda Yang Shun, Yang Bo, former Minister of War, Vice Minister Zhang Juzheng, Hu Zongxian, and 11 others arrested, probability 72%;】
【Recommendation: Eliminate.】
Zhu Mo pondered,
If this matter truly escalated, it would undoubtedly create unnecessary complications for his reforms. Yang Bo, although he had a good relationship with Yan Song, was not a member of the Yan family, and this needed to be kept in mind. Moreover, his reputation was immense, and there was a high chance of trouble. Also, Zhang Juzheng had been in charge of the Ministry of War in recent years, and with the firearms bureau and volunteers involved, he would surely not escape responsibility…
If these individuals were implicated, then the reforms would have to be postponed, which would inevitably lead to retaliation from the Yan family. Furthermore, how would Anda let such an opportunity pass? It was highly possible they would turn the staged play into reality and genuinely charge in. After all, this was a blood feud; the Yan family and the Prince of Raoyang would likely open the gates and welcome the enemy.
After much thought, it was best to avoid a confrontation.
But if he didn't act, how could he arrest Li Lai now? What would the people think if this person wasn't apprehended? What would the Old Guard Army think? And when Anda's army was at the gates, how could order be maintained?
He scanned the entire scene again. Ma Lu's face was filled with righteous indignation, and the people were very sympathetic to these old guards. Due to Ma Lu's imposing presence, the crowd had fallen silent. It was so quiet that one could almost hear a pin drop among the thousands.
“Still better to do it…”
“Doing it is better than not doing it…”
Zhu Mo made up his mind.