Recruiting Personal Guards

"This..." Ma Cai's face showed a faint smile, unwilling to say more.

If Chen Mo helped him this time, then he would naturally tell him about it. If he didn't help him, then he wouldn't just blurt it out for no reason.

"You two go get the silver. I'll go talk to Master He about this." Chen Mo thought it over briefly before relenting.

He was quite interested in that good thing. Ma Cai had some connections at home, so the good thing he mentioned probably wasn't a lie.

"Already prepared. All the silver we've made lately is right here." Ma Cai quickly pulled a heavy, gray-black cloth bundle from his chest. One look told it was stuffed with copper coins.

Chen Mo took the bundle, then picked up the Lotus Leaf Chicken before heading toward the barracks where Master He lived.

Ma Cai and Ding Bao followed closely behind him, step for step.

Master He's barracks were relatively more spacious, with more complete furnishings and decorations inside.

He was currently sitting in a reclining chair, smoking his dry pipe in a desultory manner.

Seeing Chen Mo arrive carrying the Lotus Leaf Chicken, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"What, are you treating me to chicken today, boy?"

"No, this chicken was bought by Ding Bao and Ma Cai to honor you, Elder." Chen Mo grabbed a rag to wipe the table, then unwrapped the chicken and set it out.

Master He's expression shifted as he looked toward the door. "A sudden gift spells trouble—nothing good comes for free!"

Chen Mo raised his brows, already guessing seven or eight parts of it.

"Elder, you know they've been sneaking horse manure to sell behind your back?"

Master He snorted coldly, tore off a chicken leg, and stared at the door. "They can hide it from me for a day or two, but can they hide it for a month or two?"

He'd crawled and scrambled through this army for decades—what tricks didn't he know?

He'd caught wind of this a few days ago. The reason he'd sent Chen Mo to shovel manure was to see if he knew about it, and if he did, whether he'd join them in hiding it.

If all three had ganged up to deceive him, then even if swapping out all three at once was troublesome, he'd still have to do it.

Outside the door, Ma Cai and Ding Bao's faces went pale, trembling like sieves, a wave of relief washing over them.

Thank goodness they'd listened to Chen Mo's advice and voluntarily confessed everything to Master He.

Otherwise, what awaited them was only military punishment.

"Don't be too angry, Elder. They've already realized their mistake. All the money they made this time is here." Chen Mo took the pouch and handed it to Master He.

He weighed it in his hand, and the anger on his face lessened by three or four parts.

He wasn't angry that they'd sneaked off to sell manure—he was angry that they'd kept it from him and hadn't split the money.

In their eyes, he might as well not be the horse officer at all!

"They didn't mean it either, Elder. Don't be too angry—you'll ruin your health." Chen Mo quickly tried to soothe him.

"Both of you, get in here!" Master He barked angrily toward the door.

Ma Cai and Ding Bao shuffled in fearfully, heads bowed, edging into the room.

"Today, for Chen Mo's sake in pleading for you two, I'll let this mistake go!" Master He's face was stern.

He didn't really want to blow this up either. If word got out that his stables had such trouble, he'd lose face too.

Earlier, he'd thought that if all three hid it from him, he'd have to replace everyone.

If only two hid it, then a good beating and watching their behavior afterward would do—no need to make a big scene.

And now that the two had voluntarily handed over all the embezzled money, he could afford to let them off.

"Thank you, Master He!" Both men were drenched in sweat, finally breathing easier inside.

Master He said nothing more, but his gaze at Ding Bao was still full of disgust and disappointment.

Ma Cai hiding it from him was one thing, but Ding Bao had followed him for over two years and still joined an outsider to deceive him—that was what angered him most!

"You two better behave from now on. Don't get any more improper ideas!" he growled in a low voice.

The two nodded repeatedly, not daring to utter a word.

"From now on, if anything like this happens again, I take half the money, and you three split the rest." Master He had no intention of stopping this.

Even if he had some standing in the camp, military pay came and went irregularly. Having some extra income was for the best.

Ding Bao's face lit up. He'd thought that since Master He already knew, there'd be no way to make money anymore.

Now there was still hope. Even if they'd take less, it was better than nothing.

Not to mention, with Master He involved, it would be much safer.

"Alright, all of you, get lost." Master He waved his hand.

Ma Cai and Ding Bao felt as if pardoned, their steps small but their speed quick.

Chen Mo got up to leave as well, but Master He reached out and stopped him.

"Keep an eye on this manure-selling business on the side, especially Ma Cai. Don't let him stir up any more trouble.

He has some connections at home—he'll be transferred out sooner or later. You lot will still be here feeding horses with me." Master He's tone softened slightly as he gave his instructions.

"Understood." Chen Mo knew full well that even a little connection was still a connection. Ma Cai wouldn't be stuck suffering here like the rest of them grunts for much longer.

He now only wanted to quietly accumulate blood and energy, unwilling to stir up any other trouble.

"Take this chicken back to eat, and keep this money privately as well." He Ma Guan carefully counted out a hundred or so copper coins from his cloth bundle and handed them to Chen Mo.

"Alright!" Chen Mo didn't refuse, tucking the money into his chest and carrying the chicken back to his own camp.

Ma Cai was lying on the bed reeking of stench, resting. Chen Mo had long grown accustomed to the smell in the air, tore off a thick chicken leg, and began devouring it heartily.

"Mo-ge is back." Seeing him return, Ma Cai quickly sat up from the bed.

"Master He let you bring this chicken back too!" As he said this, he couldn't help but swallow his saliva.

The grooms' treatment was much better than that of ordinary soldiers, but they still rarely had meat to eat, at most sneaking a couple of eggs on a normal day.

"Eat with me, and tell me what good news you've got." Chen Mo warmly invited him, tearing off a chicken wing and handing it over.

"Do you know General Sun Shouren?" Ma Cai leaned in, lowering his voice.

Chen Mo shook his head slightly. He had been here too short a time; he hadn't even fully figured out the situation inside the military camp yet.

"In a month or two, General Sun is coming here to recruit personal guards." His face was solemn, clearly believing what he said was true.

"Is this for real? I've never heard of any general recruiting personal guards from the camp."

Chen Mo's tone carried a hint of disbelief, trying to pry more out of Ma Cai.

So-called personal guards, also known as retainers, were the most important unit for a general. Often, whether a battle could be won depended on the number and strength of the personal guards under his command. And the most crucial thing about personal guards was their closeness to the general. Generally, they were either from the same clan or the same hometown, all with some connection to the general himself. As for directly recruiting personal guards from the camp, few generals did that.

"You wouldn't know this, but from what I've heard, General Sun won a big victory a while back, but lost too many of his personal guards. So he specially requested His Majesty to be transferred back to guard and train troops in our Xingyuan Prefecture. And since General Sun is also from Xingyuan Prefecture, that's why he's picking personal guards from here." Ma Cai leaned very close to Chen Mo, his voice dropping even lower.

The number of able-bodied men from the same clan or hometown was limited; if too many were lost at once, it was hard to replenish them. To recruit more personal guards, they'd have to expand the scope and spend more time training them.

"This is so important—how did you find out?" Chen Mo expressed some doubt.

Troop movements and general appointments were state secrets; how could Ma Cai easily learn such hidden information?

"I have a distant cousin who married one of General Sun's personal guards. The court sent her compensation a while ago. After my family made many inquiries, we found out about this. Don't tell anyone else."

Ma Cai had only told Chen Mo this and no one else because he had his own selfish motives. Being literate, even if only a little, was rare among a bunch of common soldiers. Chen Mo, with his ability to read, might just get into the personal guard camp. Then the two could stick together, which was better than going in alone. Even if Chen Mo didn't make it as a personal guard, with his literacy, he probably wouldn't stay stuck at the bottom for long. Befriending him might help Ma Cai later, and all he had to give up was a piece of news that someone would find out sooner or later anyway—definitely a no-lose deal.

Chen Mo silently noted this in his mind. If he could really become a personal guard, not only would his treatment improve and he could better accumulate blood and energy, but most importantly, his status and position would rise. Then he could figure out how to redeem Zhao Yu—something he had always remembered. If she hadn't given him the money from selling herself, he might not even be alive or dead right now. Since he had promised to redeem her back then, this was something he had to do.