Chapter 646: The Hearts of Men, the Great Trend of the Realm

Yuan Yougong paced back and forth in the camp with his hands clasped behind his back, deeply uneasy at heart.

As the former Left Escort Officer of the Wu'an Army and Patrol Inspector of the Three Cities of Tanzhou under Ma Chu, Yuan Yougong had been greatly favored and trusted during Ma Xifan's time.

When Ma Xifan lay critically ill, Yuan Yougong, together with Tuoba Heng and Zhang Shaodi, had urgently advised installing Ma Xi'e.

They held that if Ma Xi'e were not installed, the state of Chu would immediately fall into civil strife, but in the end they were blocked by Li Honggao and others.

It was precisely because of this old bond that after Ma Xi'e entered Tanzhou, Yuan Yougong was not only spared from purge, but was promoted by Ma Xi'e to Troop Commander of the Wu'an Army's young lord's troops and concurrently Commander of the Left Cavalry and Infantry, in charge of nearly half of the Wu'an Army.

But the more this was so, the more uneasy Yuan Yougong became.

For he had originally supported installing Ma Xi'e only because he did not wish Ma Chu to fall into civil strife, and also because Ma Xiguang was still in the Central Plains; installing Ma Xi'e could also prevent the court from using Ma Xiguang as a pretext to interfere in Chu's internal affairs.

Only, civil strife broke out anyway, and this landed Yuan Yougong in deep trouble.

Now he had not only become a supporter of Ma Xi'e in people's eyes, but also a representative figure of those who had attached themselves to the rebel. On top of that, after Ma Xi'e entered Tanzhou, he went on a killing spree, which made Yuan Yougong even more hated.

Moreover, Ma Xi'e seemed to give him boundless trust, but in truth it was a great pit, because of the three thousand-odd men under Yuan Yougong's command, half were soldiers of the former Strong Crossbow Unit.

And the last Commander of the Strong Crossbow Unit was none other than Peng Shisong, who had already gone to Jiangling.

Ma Xi'e still thought Peng Shisong had gone to pay homage to the Son of Heaven on his behalf and to win him the succession to the throne of King of Chu, but Yuan Yougong knew that Peng Shisong had most likely gone to Jiangling to act as a guide for the enemy.

Given Ma Xi'e's reckless operations — sacking Tanzhou, ruthlessly suppressing the former imperial guard units, and locking up several thousand soldiers of the Jingjiang Army in Tanzhou as forced laborers — no one believed he could hold the throne for long.

Peng Shisong came from the Peng family of Meishan and was the leader of the various cave barbarians west of Tanzhou; how could he possibly fight to the death for Ma Xi'e?

When the time came, as soon as Peng Shisong appeared leading the court's great army and raised his arm in a call to arms, the former Strong Crossbow Unit soldiers under his command would be the first to rise up and hack him to pieces, then happily surrender to the court.

Just as he was fretting, voices and footsteps came from outside, and the footsteps were extremely orderly; in the empty stillness of the night, they carried an eerie, oppressive force.

Yuan Yougong held his breath and listened for a while, but could not make out which patrol unit had suddenly returned at this hour.

Besides, since the Strong Crossbow Unit soldiers had been demoted, they could not possibly produce such uniformly ordered footsteps, could they?

Frowning, Yuan Yougong, who had not yet gone to bed, threw on a robe and led his soldiers out the door to see for himself.

As a force sent out by Zhu Jinzhong to patrol along the river, Yuan Yougong knew very well what his soldiers were thinking.

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Therefore, not long after leaving the main army, they had chosen to camp in this small village, then sent out patrol units in twos and threes to scout a dozen or so li along the river, and that was that.

At a time like this, he dared not push his soldiers too hard; not only could he not push them, he also had to find ways to ensure every soldier at least had a roof to sleep under, and if there were no cotton quilts, dry straw had to be provided in abundance.

If even these basic living requirements could not be met, he feared the resentful soldiers might rise in mutiny at any moment.

So when something seemed off outside the village, Yuan Yougong did not dare alarm the soldiers; who knew what people were out there, or what they intended?

Nor did he have many men to bring with him; his trusted followers, two or three hundred in all, had been sent out to hold the ranks, and at this moment only a dozen or so remained at his side.

Leading these dozen-odd men, he had just reached the edge of the village when Yuan Yougong froze, because the returning unit had already entered the village.

The sentries at the village entrance had long since vanished, and the soldiers coming in were very skillfully feeling their way toward various points, evidently intending to seize the key positions.

Yuan Yougong's whole body went numb, cold sweat dripping in large drops from his head, and he could not help gripping the hilt of the saber at his waist.

Even without watching their movements, from their appearance and bearing alone, Yuan Yougong could confirm that it must be the Zhou army from across the river that had slipped over.

Zhu Jinzhong believed the court's great army on the opposite bank was all show and no substance, but Yuan Yougong did not believe it.

Because his brother-in-law, He Zhongju, one of the Eighteen Scholars of Ma Chu's Tiance Bureau, had been to the Central Plains.

Not only had he been there, he had passed the Later Tang imperial examination and served as an aide under Li Congrong, Prince of Qin and second son of Emperor Mingzong Li Siyuan; only after Li Congrong's failed uprising did He Zhongju return to Hunan.

He Zhongju had spoken to Yuan Yougong about the Later Tang, holding that even the Chu army in Ma Yin's time fell far short of the court's imperial guard.

And the Tang army in Li Siyuan's time had already begun to struggle when facing Khitan cavalry.

But the Zhou army had managed to kill two successive Khitan emperors — how could they be all show and no substance? And besides, the Hexi army and the Liangzhou iron cavalry could never be called weak at any time.

So now, at a glance, he saw that the soldiers entering the village were all broad-shouldered and stout, full of vigor, with solemn expressions; in every movement and stillness they carried a hint of killing intent. Especially the two somewhat stout officers at the front of the squad — even deliberately stooping, they still could not conceal the bearing of fierce generals who could stand against ten thousand.

No! Yuan Yougong's eyes suddenly went wide!

"One, two, three..." He could not help counting along, and kept counting all the way to ten without stopping; he was already numb.

What did this mean? Was this a wholesale distribution of fierce generals? Or had the Shao Ming Son of Heaven personally come to launch a surprise attack?

Guo Rong looked up and saw, not far away, a fellow draped in an outer robe, hand on the saber hilt at his waist, but with eyes wide open, staring at them like a dumbstruck fool.

Guo Rong would never have dreamed that what gave them away was their being too strong and too disciplined, so much so that they did not resemble a Ma Chu army in the slightest.

Just as Yuan Yougong was about to draw his blade, and the guards beside him had also sensed something wrong and were preparing to flee with him, Zhao Kuangyin, Wang Shenqi, and Murong Yanzhao had already spotted them.

In an instant, three divine-arm crossbows were raised!

In that lightning-flash moment, two thoughts flashed through Yuan Yougong's mind: first, flee at once; second, surrender on the spot — no! It should be called defecting.

Born into an official family and having read a few books, Yuan Yougong suddenly saw clearly; perhaps it truly was as the rumors said — Emperor Taizong Wen, seeing the realm plunged into chaos, had descended to the mortal world to save all living beings; perhaps a true sage sovereign had appeared, and the realm was about to be reunified.

Struck by sudden inspiration, Yuan Yougong abruptly performed a deep bow with hands raised to Guo Rong, then loudly called out: "Could it be Brother Zhou, come from the north? Yuan will come down at once to pay his respects."

"Brother Zhou," "the north" — the hint could not have been plainer. Guo Rong stopped Zhao Kuangyin from firing, then led Zhao Kuangyin and the others a few steps forward.

The attendants behind Yuan Yougong were all clansmen of the Yuan family of Daozhou; seeing Yuan Yougong set down his weapon and walk over, they exchanged glances and could only follow.

With only a few steps between the two sides, Guo Rong glanced at this strange fellow, then suddenly reached out and seized his wrist, yanking him hard in front of himself.

A dagger was pressed against Yuan Yougong's waist, and Zhao Kuangyin, Wang Quanbin, and the others quickly disarmed the guards behind Yuan Yougong.

Having resolved to defect, Yuan Yougong was not flustered in the least; he looked at Guo Rong, and his voice even carried a trace of excitement.

"Where has the general come from? What does he intend?"

Guo Rong was silent for a moment, then lowered his voice and answered: "I am a Commandant of the Left Leopard Guard, sent by order of Zhang of Zhangye."

Guo Rong had not lied, for he quickly realized that the fellow before him very likely already knew who they were and was merely confirming.

And from the look of it, he had no intention of resisting; rather, he seemed somewhat inclined to defect.

Hearing this confirmation, Yuan Yougong was overjoyed; ignoring the blade at his waist, he instead grasped Guo Rong's arm.

"Yuan Yougong, a rustic of the Xianghu region, has longed day and night for the royal army to march south. Seeing the general today, the clouds have parted at last to reveal the bright moon — I cannot contain my joy!"

Guo Rong slowly withdrew the dagger, but his hand still gripped Yuan Yougong's left wrist tightly.

"In this separatist land of Hunan, are there still righteous men who know of the court?"

Yuan Yougong forced out a few tears. "General, why do you so despise this fine realm? Though I dwell in Hunan, I still understand family, state, and the world.

If the Son of Heaven in the Central Plains were like that false Jin, the righteous men of Hunan would naturally scorn to submit.

But hearing that a sage sovereign of the Great Zhou has appeared, even a wild man of the border wastes knows to bow facing north — how much more I, whose ancestors for generations ate the court's salary?"

This statement carried two crucial pieces of information: first, it showed that Yuan Yougong understood the great righteousness of the realm; second, that he came from an official family, his ancestors having eaten the court's salary and received the court's favor.

At these words, Guo Rong immediately withdrew the dagger in his hand and gave Yuan Yougong a formal salute with folded hands.

"It seems I have wronged a righteous man. May I ask where the camp Commander's main tent is? I beg you to lead the way."

Yuan Yougong swung his large head. Guo Rong thought he was refusing, but instead Yuan Yougong pointed at his own nose and said gravely,

"No need to seek the Commander's main tent. I am Yuan Yougong, Commander of the infantry and cavalry here.

General, please follow me. At the east end of the village there are still Ma Xi'e's army supervisor and several dozen attendants. Once we deal with them, I will personally lead you to feel out Zhu Jinzhong's main camp."

Even Guo Rong, who had traveled far and wide, was stunned for a moment. Beside him, Pan Mei and Wang Shenqi could not keep their mouths from falling open.

Before the fighting had even begun, had they already turned a Ma Chu infantry Commander in charge of more than three thousand men?

Zhu Jinzhong's reward ceremony was staged with great pomp. At its root, this stemmed from a lack of confidence.

Because Ma Xi'e now bore the status of a rebel, he did not even dare call himself King of Chu, only the Heaven-Favored General.

Zhu Jinzhong, who came from Ma Xi'e's household retainers, was naturally even less confident.

So this master and servant had always liked to use grand ceremony and gold, silver, and brocade to display their status and prestige.

Ma Xi'e had specially sent a batch of rewards from Tanzhou to Little Ferry Town. To be sure, part of the reason was Zhu Jinzhong's merit in blocking Zhang Zhaojun and buying Ma Xi'e time to bargain with Zhang Zhao.

But more importantly, he wanted to use this display to strengthen Zhu Jinzhong's position in the army and consolidate his control over the great host.

Zhu Jinzhong of course understood Ma Xi'e's intent, so he donned court robes of brocade and took the opportunity to hold a great banquet in the army. Except for the officers and men on watch, the entire Chu army drank to its heart's content.

Zhu Jinzhong had naturally drunk his fill as well. Floating on drink, he summoned the two courtesans brought from Tanzhou into the central command tent and shared one great blanket with them.

At the same time, Guo Rong, leading Zhao Kuangyin and the others, had already crept to within five or six li of Zhu Jinzhong's main camp.

Along the way, they had changed into Ma Chu army uniforms and, under the pretext of a troop rotation, with Yuan Yougong's help, passed every checkpoint without alarm or mishap.

Guo Rong saw clearly why it had gone so smoothly, and it filled him with boundless confidence in the surprise attack he was about to launch. For setting aside the fighting strength of the Chu army, its discipline was simply too poor.

The rotation pretext was not actually flawless. In a proper army — in Zhang-Zhou, for example, whether the Hanshan Capital, the personal army, the imperial guard, or even the garrison troops — a rotation of several hundred or a thousand men required written orders checked strictly at every step.

From the commander-in-chief's personal signature and seal, to the march administrator's stamp, to the rotation-specific military orders with secret marks and formats used by the staff officers of the Commander's office — miss a single one and you would not get through.

But here among the Chu troops, as long as Commander Yuan Yougong showed up and talked a bit of nonsense, with a little small favor thrown in, they could immediately bypass the sentry posts.

Guo Rong even clearly sensed that the previous sentry post had grown suspicious, yet still let them pass.

The reason they were let through was simple: just as the Captain of that post was about to raise the alarm, Yuan Yougong took off the gold-inlaid jade thumb ring from his hand, and then Zhao Kuangyin and the others closed in. Pan Mei, quick-witted, also stepped up and tossed out a small gold ingot.

The Captain immediately fell silent and at once let the thousand-odd men pass.

Moreover, the men left behind to watch discovered that as soon as they passed, the post's Captain immediately took a few trusted followers and headed south, vanishing into the vast, rolling mountains.

That such a thing could happen stemmed first from the fact that Ma Chu, ever since the late years of Ma Yin, when peace was made with Gao Jixing and Li Bian, had not experienced a major war in more than twenty years.

Although Ma Xifan, after succeeding to the throne, kept establishing new imperial guard units, he still could not halt the decline of the Chu army's fighting strength or the corruption of its discipline.

Besides, Ma Xifan was no wise sovereign. Even if he could have whipped the army into shape, it could never compare with the armies of the Central Plains and Hexi that fought year after year.

The second reason was that Ma Xi'e's conduct had utterly lost him the people's hearts.

Before he raised troops, all of Ma Chu had still regarded Ma Xi'e with sympathy.

But after he colluded with barbarian soldiers to rise in revolt and reduced every part of Ma Chu — Tanzhou above all — to ruins, everyone's view of Ma Xi'e changed completely in an instant.

Now the people of Chu bitterly hated the scourge of war Ma Xi'e had brought, wishing only that the court would swiftly exterminate him.

The final reason was the pressure of the court. As said before, Ma Chu had been able to survive for two reasons: first, because Nanping stood as a barrier; second, because Ma Chu was internally stable and gave the court no opening to intervene.

But now Nanping had already offered up its territory in submission, the Ma brothers were locked in civil strife, and even Tanzhou had been destroyed. These two advantages no longer existed at all. That Ma Chu could not remain independent had become the consensus of nearly everyone.

Under such circumstances, whether officers or common soldiers, apart from Ma Xi'e's absolute confidants, few were still willing to risk their lives for him.

Guo Rong had originally planned, after reaching the outskirts of the Ma Chu main camp, to divide his seven hundred picked warriors into seven squads and strike out in all directions, cutting and killing while setting fires to sow chaos.

But after Yuan Yougong came over directly and reported that Zhu Jinzhong had just finished a great feast for his officers, Guo Rong made a bold decision.

He would risk creeping in close, straight to the central command tent, and cut down Zhu Jinzhong, Ma Xi'e's absolute confidant and great general.

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