Ming Dynasty: pacifying the rebellion and defending the border, dominating the world

Chapter 343 The Fox Borrows the Tiger's Power, A Trickling Twist and Unpredictable Events

On the way back.

Tan Luzi walked at the forefront of the West Depot's carriage and said with admiration, "Chief Supervisor, you are truly a genius! You anticipated the enemy's moves and guessed that the Azure Dragon Society would choose to pledge allegiance to His Majesty."

"Although neither the Cangyun Army nor the Tiance Army set foot in the Northern Garrison."

"But look at the scene just now, they were so frightened they turned pale!"

"I have never mobilized Cangyun or Tiance to come here!"

Yu Huatian's voice came from inside the carriage.

"What? No transfers? Then why, Chief Supervisor?"

"Are you asking about the sound of the organized troops leaving outside the Northern Garrison?" Yu Huatian's gentle voice was full of mockery: "Those were not the Cangyun Army or the Tiance Mansion. Not to mention me now, even if I were to become the future commander of the Western Depot, without His Majesty's imperial edict and permission, I still wouldn't be able to mobilize them."

"Then the Grand Eunuch?"

"The Cangyun and Tiance are stationed in the capital. The Cangyun army is monitoring them not far from the Northern Garrison Command. Both the Qinglong and the Jinyiwei of the Northern Garrison Command are well aware of this."

"Therefore, as soon as there is the slightest disturbance, they will subconsciously assume that it is caused by the Cangyun Army or the Tiance Army."

"In reality, it was just our Western Depot's centurions in disguise."

Upon hearing this, Tan Luzi, Ma Jinliang, and the rest of the Western Depot staff felt their hearts race. They never expected that what they thought was an act to intimidate the Embroidered Uniform Guard was actually Yu Huatian's charade, or rather, a case of a fox borrowing the tiger's power.

If the Azure Dragon or the Embroidered Uniform Guards were to discover this, then they...

Yu Huatian seemed to have guessed what Tan Luzi and the others were thinking, and shook his head with a smile, saying, "Even if Qinglong knows, even if the Embroidered Uniform Guard finds out, it's useless. I've come with great power, and Qinglong and the Embroidered Uniform Guard only have two choices."

"Either pledge allegiance to His Majesty, or we all die."

"Although Qinglong is loyal, he is not stupid!"

"Even the late emperor has already accepted the abdication to the current emperor. Are he and the Embroidered Uniform Guard going to resist to the bitter end?"

As Yu Huatian said this, a hint of contempt flashed in his effeminate eyes: "Even if the Azure Dragon and the Embroidered Uniform Guard put up a stubborn resistance, they will only face certain death. The Embroidered Uniform Guard, which others fear, will be trampled into mincemeat under a single charge from the Tian Ce or Cang Yun armies."

This is also the source of Yu Huatian's confidence and composure.

Zhu Jinzhen, and even Cangyun and Tiance are too strong.

So powerful that even if it's just a mere show of force, it can intimidate all directions, shock everyone, and make all forces and individuals hesitant to act rashly.

Tan Luzi, Ma Jinliang, and the others exchanged glances.
"I see."

"The Grand Eunuch is truly insightful and shrewd in his planning."

Inside the carriage, Yu Huatian listened to his subordinates' flattery with a smile as warm as a spring breeze.

"Master, there's a problem within the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Is it really alright to leave it to Qinglong to handle?" Ma Jinliang asked in a deep voice, his tone filled with curiosity, confusion, and... doubt.

"Qinglong was able to take over as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard because he was appreciated by the late emperor. The reason he was appreciated was because he was upright, loyal, and had a passion and sincerity for the Ming Dynasty."

“A man like him only needs a few pointers. Once he finds out what’s going on inside the Embroidered Uniform Guard, even his closest brothers, Zhuque, Xuanwu, and Baihu, will be killed.”

"It's unlikely that he'll make an exception for you."

"Not to mention, Qinglong is also very clear that with the change of dynasties and the new world, what he and the entire Embroidered Uniform Guard need most now is not so-called merit, but the trust from His Majesty."

"Based on this alone, Qinglong would never dare to keep the truth to himself."

Upon hearing this, Ma Jinliang nodded silently.

Other agents of the Western Depot, such as Tan Luzi, secretly admired him, thinking to themselves, "No wonder our chief supervisor is valued by the current emperor. His ability to see the big picture and understand people's hearts is something that we roughnecks can't match."

……

This night is destined to be very long.

That night in Beijing, countless people were destined to toss and turn, unable to sleep.

The capital city isn't actually that big.

News of Yu Huatian's escape from prison, his entry into the palace, and his nighttime infiltration of the Northern Garrison quickly spread throughout the capital. Even more unexpectedly…

After Yu Huatian and the others left, the Embroidered Uniform Guard went into full martial law, and no more news came out. Many people guessed that Yu Huatian and Qinglong, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, must have reached some kind of deal or cooperation.

But no matter how they tried to find out, they ultimately received no information.

In fact, because of their excessive probing, they ended up being targeted directly by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"The Six Ministries, the Hanlin Academy, and the Court of Judicial Review."

"The Five Military Commands Office".

"Are you so curious about what exactly happened to my Northern Garrison Command?"

"still……"

As Qinglong listened to the reports from Zhuque and Baihu, he looked up at the bright moon and a thought came to mind: "Actually, you are afraid?"

"After Yu Huatian left the Northern Garrison, he went to the headquarters of the Six Doors?"

"Yes."

"Who did they meet? Why were they so eager, even revealing so many clues?"

"The Six Doors' God of Arrest, the Six Doors' Chief Advisor, and the Right Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review." A strange expression appeared on Zhuque's face, clearly surprised and puzzled by Yu Huatian's itinerary.

As the saying goes, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse.

The intelligence channels of the Embroidered Uniform Guard were absolutely unmatched by any other intelligence agency in the Ming Dynasty.

Even though the Embroidered Uniform Guard gradually declined and faded into obscurity, its intelligence channels and sources were still no weaker than those of the Eastern Depot and the Dragon Guard Manor, and even by a few degrees than the secret guards under Zhu Jinzhen.

The events that happened in the capital, including which high-ranking officials were acting suspiciously tonight and who they were meeting in secret, were basically compiled into a list and appeared in the Northern Garrison Command.

Even within the Six Doors (a government agency), there were spies from the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

This demonstrates the terrifying intelligence capabilities of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

“If it were just the Six Doors, it wouldn’t have caused them to lose their composure so much.” Qinglong shook his head and looked at Zhuque beside him, his eyes filled with inquiry.

Whether it's the detective of the Six Doors or the two Guo brothers.

Even in Qinglong's eyes, it wasn't enough.

At least, not enough in this respect.

“According to our intelligence, Yu Huatian stayed at the Six Doors for more than half an hour, and then…” Zhuque said, her brows furrowed, seemingly very puzzled, “He took the people from the West Depot to the Dragon Guard Manor.”

Qinglong whirled around, “Dragon Guard Manor???”

"Yes!"

Zhuque nodded.

This is a point of confusion shared by Suzaku and many others in the capital.

Baihu, standing to the side, frowned and said, "Zhu Wushi was imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison on charges of regicide and treason. Even the imperial edict and the imperial sword bestowed by the late emperor could not save his life. Yu Huatian is going to the Dragon Guard Manor now. Could it be that... he wants to become the second Cao Zhengchun?"

"will not!"

Qinglong shook his head. Even if Yu Huatian wanted to emulate Cao Zhengchun, His Majesty would have to be the same as the late Emperor first!

Even if you gave Yu Huatian hundreds of heads and sacks of food, she would never dare to overstep her bounds like this.

"Under the control of the Iron-Blooded Marquis, the Dragon Guard Manor has been diligently collecting intelligence from various departments and agencies. It is said that the Dragon Guard Manor has records of everything from the Six Ministries of the Cabinet to officials of the fifth rank and above in the capital."

"I think that's why those officials are so afraid, isn't it?"

A mocking smile appeared on Qinglong's face. He finally understood why the officials and various forces in the capital were so restless tonight, and why they were willing to risk sending people to deliver messages and gather information even under the full martial law of the Northern Garrison.

(End of this chapter)