"Sir," Fang Zuotang walked the man to Zhong Mingwei and bowed to introduce him. "This is Commander Ma of the Imperial Guards. He just arrived in Ningguta this morning."
The man reached out and took off his hood, revealing a thin, dark face. It was none other than Ma Zhiming.
"I am Ma Zhiming, your humble servant. I pay my respects to you, sir. May you be well and healthy." Ma Zhiming knelt on his knees and kowtowed respectfully to Zhong Mingwei.
For a moment, Zhong Mingwei and Pang Yi frowned. Zhong Mingwei put down the teacup in his hand and said in confusion: "Commander Ma may have forgotten that I am just an ordinary citizen. How can I bear the kowtow of Commander Ma? Pang Yi, help Commander Ma up quickly."
"Yes, Commander Ma, please stand up." Pang Yi responded, and stepped forward to help Ma Zhiming up. He touched Ma Zhiming's waist and arms gently to make sure he didn't have any weapons. He was relieved. As the commander of the Imperial Guard, his kung fu was amazing. If Ma Zhiming had bad intentions, he really had no chance of winning.
"Brother Pang, you are too polite," Ma Zhiming glanced at Pang Yi calmly. He knew what Pang Yi was worried about. He took off his cloak and threw it on the ground, revealing a simple and clean black robe. He turned around and said to Zhong Mingwei, "Master, I came here this time to report something important. The Xu family..."
"Commander Ma, no matter how important the matter is, you don't have to report it to me," Zhong Mingwei interrupted Ma Zhiming and looked at him with a sullen face. "Even though I was the Crown Prince in the past, I had no right to interfere in any affairs of the Imperial Guards. Now, I am just an ordinary citizen, so Commander Ma has even less reason to report to me about the Imperial Guards. What's more, I don't care what happened to the Imperial Guards or what happened in the capital, so please understand, Commander Ma."
"I understand what you mean, so I would not come here to disturb you unless it is absolutely necessary," Ma Zhiming understood what Zhong Mingwei meant, paused, and then continued, "It's just that this matter concerns the safety of you and your wife, so I still hope that you can allow me to report it clearly first."
"Pang Yi, move a stool for Commander Ma." After a moment of silence, Zhong Mingwei said.
"Yes, thank you, sir," Ma Zhiming said hurriedly, cupping his fists. He sat on the stool and continued in a deep voice, "Sir, the Xu family is going to fall."
"Did something happen in Southern Xinjiang?" Zhong Mingwei was shocked and asked hurriedly. He had actually guessed earlier that Xu Chengjin might have made some unusual moves in Southern Xinjiang, which was why Chi Chongyuan and Cheng Xiangyang had lost contact for so long. Now hearing these words from Ma Zhiming's mouth, Zhong Mingwei was still shocked, "What did Xu Chengjin do?"
"My Lord guessed correctly. There is a turmoil in Southern Xinjiang, and it was indeed Xu Chengjin's doing." Ma Zhiming admired Zhong Mingwei's accurate judgment very much. Others may not know, but he, the commander of the Imperial Guard, knew it very well. Since Zhong Mingwei arrived in Ningguta, he has cut off all contact with the outside world. But even so, Zhong Mingwei's judgment is still so accurate and sharp, which is really rare. "A while ago, Your Majesty ordered the Southern Xinjiang camp to encircle and suppress a group of small tribes in Southern Xinjiang that were causing trouble and rebellion. Not long after that, Xu Chengjin presented a victory report, which clearly stated that a total of six tribes were wiped out. However, it was later revealed by the escaped captives that Xu Chengjin embezzled eleven small tribes and intended to rebel. Your Majesty was furious and ordered the Northwest Army to enter Southern Xinjiang to wipe out a group of rebels. Yesterday on the way, my subordinates had received a secret report from Southern Xinjiang that Xu Chengjin and other important criminals had been taken to the capital. I'm afraid that the Xu family will not last until October."
"The Northwest Army?" Zhong Mingwei frowned and said, "The Northwest Army is far away from Southern Xinjiang. Why did His Majesty order the Northwest Army to encircle and suppress the rebels? Why didn't he directly order the Huguang Army to enter Southern Xinjiang to quell the rebellion? Isn't this a far-reaching move instead of a near one?"
"You don't know, it was the Prince of Pingxi who learned from the prisoners who escaped from southern Xinjiang that there might be unusual movements in southern Xinjiang. The matter was of great importance, so the Prince of Pingxi went to Beijing in person to report the matter to His Majesty. To be on the safe side, before leaving, the Prince of Pingxi ordered 100,000 Northwest Army troops to march south to the south of Qinghai, waiting for orders and ready to rush to southern Xinjiang at any time," Ma Zhiming explained. "When His Majesty learned about the chaos in southern Xinjiang, he was furious, so he ordered the Northwest Army to march into southern Xinjiang to encircle and suppress the rebels."
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