Who is it?
Hearing the commotion outside, Mu Jialan quickly put on his armor, grabbed his weapons, and led a group of men out.
Then, Mu Jialan was dumbfounded.
In broad daylight, a dark mass of cavalry suddenly appeared and disappeared outside their own camp.
These cavalrymen were all fully armored and armed with sharp blades.
The horses he rode were all top-notch warhorses.
The horse's hooves were wrapped in burlap, which is probably why it didn't make much noise.
But that doesn't make sense either!
Here, in the capital region, right under the emperor's nose, the only two military camps are his Western Camp and the Dugu family's Northern Camp.
The troops surrounding his western camp were definitely not from the northern camp.
Because he didn't recognize the leading general at all.
With so many soldiers, and not even regular troops stationed by the imperial court, who exactly are they?
Could it be that someone has rebelled?
That's even more impossible.
The sage, or rather, the former emperor, has been consciously consolidating military power over the past few years.
The Zheng family was exiled to Lingnan because they were accused of disobeying orders on the battlefield and being greedy for merit.
The late emperor's move of making an example of someone to scare others truly intimidated the eight noble families.
Whether it was the Mu family, the Dugu family, or the Lu family under Bu Liugu, they all relinquished most of their military power, leaving only a few empty titles.
Looking at the entire Great Zhou Dynasty, there was almost no military force that was too powerful or too concentrated.
wrong!
have!
The King of Yue in Lingnan!
That is, the current new emperor, Helian Jue!
It is said that he recruited soldiers in Lingnan and claimed to have 100,000 elite troops.
Of course, they were all veteran generals who led armies into battle, and Mu Jialan understood the principles of "the art of war, the interplay of deception and reality."
He estimated that the army of the King of Yue was only around 50,000 to 60,000.
When Helian Jue went to the capital before, he brought three thousand men with him.
At this moment, the number of people surrounding Beidaying could be roughly estimated to be between 20,000 and 30,000!
It's still not right!
With 20,000 to 30,000 men, and well-equipped cavalry, traveling thousands of miles from Yuezhou to the capital, crossing more than a dozen prefectures and counties, did they not encounter any obstacles?
How could they just march in so unimpeded?
They had already gotten right up to the West Camp before General Mu Jialan even noticed!
This, this—
It feels like a dream.
Mu Jialan raised his head again. The enormous sun hung high in the sky, radiating brilliant light.
It's not nighttime!
It can't be a dream!
Although I don't know why, Helian Jue's army has indeed arrived!
"Is the visitor General Mu Jialan?"
While Mu Jialan was still in a daze, one of the black-armored knights rode out of the ranks.
He pulled out an imperial edict from his robes and held it high above his head. "I am Zhou Meng, the commander of the Xuanjia Army appointed by the Emperor. I have come here to defend the Emperor and save him by His Majesty's decree!"
"Furthermore, I hereby order General Mu Jialan of the Western Camp to mobilize troops and proceed to the capital to defend against the enemy!"
Imperial edict?
Mu Jialan stared blankly at Zhou Meng, who claimed to be the commander of the Xuanjia Army, when he suddenly realized: Yes, it must be the Imperial Seal!
The new emperor, Helian Jue, obtained the Imperial Seal of the State.
He somehow managed to contact the army far away.
He wrote the imperial edict to mobilize troops to the capital and stamped it with the Imperial Seal of the State, which allowed the army to proceed without any obstacles.
As Mu Jialan was lost in thought, Zhou Meng suddenly tossed the imperial edict into Mu Jialan's arms.
He quickly picked up the edict, unfolded it, and examined it carefully.
That's right!
It's the Imperial Seal!
"Excellent! Well done, Helian Jue! His strategic planning is flawless!"
"The key point is that he actually trained such a brave and fierce elite army!"
Having led troops in battle for over a decade, Mu Jialan, though not yet thirty, was already considered a veteran.
He is experienced and has a keen eye.
At a glance, one can tell that the Xuanjia Army is an army forged in the crucible of war.
Such a person, while not necessarily capable of taking on ten opponents single-handedly, is undoubtedly among the elite.
Take his own West Camp for example, they are all veterans who have experienced the battlefield, but they may not be a match for the Xuanjia Army!
"He won!"
Mu Jialan let out a breath, whether from frustration or relief, it was hard to tell.
The conspiracies of the powerful families, the schemes of Empress Ashina, and the nobles' strategy of sitting back and watching the tigers fight were all destined to fail.
In the face of absolute force, all of this is nothing!
Helian Jue has the moral high ground (legitimate right to rule), holds military power, and is said to possess a very powerful weapon, which makes him invincible.
Fortunately, this time Helian Jue did not go so far as to kill them all.
He should have known about his and Ashina He's little scheme; otherwise, the "reinforcements" he sent out wouldn't have been ambushed, much less wiped out.
However, he did not hold a grudge and instead issued an imperial edict ordering him to lead troops to rescue the capital!
This is an opportunity for him to "redeem himself through meritorious service"!
Fine!
Helian Jue was originally the crown prince, and the nobles had once regarded him as the heir apparent.
Now, it seems that he is not so suited to agricultural technology to ascend the throne.
The key point is that he no longer has the power to refuse!
Are we really going to raise the flag and rebel?
Even if Mu Jialan dared to take the lead, he didn't have any soldiers.
Not all of the 30,000 soldiers in the Western Camp obeyed his orders.
There are two more lieutenants.
After weighing the pros and cons, Mu Jialan made the decision that was most beneficial to himself and his family.
He nimbly dismounted, held the imperial edict in both hands, knelt on both knees, and respectfully said, "Your subject Mu Jialan receives the imperial edict!"
"General Mu, gather the troops!"
Sitting on his horse, Zhou Meng's aura was not as sharp as before, and he kindly offered a reminder.
"yes!"
Mu Jialan got up, holding the edict in one hand, and walked towards the main tent, shouting as he went, "The Sage has ordered: Assemble and repel the enemy!"
The two lieutenants, unaware of the situation, still tried to stop them.
But their trusted guards rushed over, whispering amongst themselves, and they all deflated – Helian Jue's army had arrived! The tide had turned!
Mu Jialan stood on the reviewing stand, watching the two deputy generals' petty actions, and sneered inwardly: I was waiting for you to disobey orders, but I didn't expect you to be such cowards.
He used to act all loyal, like "I am the late emperor's confidant," but now he's surrendering to the current emperor, hasn't he?
The lieutenants: ...You, surnamed Qiu Muling, are only fifty paces and a hundred paces apart from us. What do you have to be proud of?
We will yield because the current sage is the successor chosen by the late emperor.
Besides, Helian Jue's intentions are very clear now: he will not wipe out all of the late emperor's confidants, but will instead target the less important ones!
As long as there is no clear evidence that they "colluded with the enemy" or "plotted rebellion," Helian Jue will turn a blind eye.
He does have soldiers, and he is powerful enough, but he can't kill them all!
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