"House... household guards?"
Zhu Gaochi had still been catching his breath. Hearing those two words, he nearly choked.
His eyes bulged as he stared fixedly at Zhu Zhanjun, his voice trembling. "Second Son! Have you gone mad? This is a war between nations! You... you're taking three thousand household guards to rescue the Emperor? Do you want your grandfather to die even faster, or do you want our family line to end even more completely?"
Fang Bin couldn't help but snicker. He had just been kicked away from the table, but the absurdity of it all made him forget his fear. "His Highness Prince Zheng, I admire your filial devotion. But a battlefield is no child's play! Three thousand household guards? They probably couldn't even beat Arutai's vanguard scouts. Going there would just mean certain death! You'd be wise to take my advice, pack your valuables, and move south!"
"Shut up!"
Zhu Zhanjun whipped around and slapped Fang Bin across the face.
Smack!
Fang Bin was stunned. Clutching his cheek, he stared at Zhu Zhanjun in disbelief.
"If you dare unsettle my troops again, you'll be shown no mercy."
Zhu Zhanjun shot him a cold glance, then turned to Zhu Gaochi, his expression shifting to a broad grin.
"Dad, don't panic. My household guards are... a little unusual."
By then, the Crown Princess had helped Zhu Gaochi sit up. He knew his son too well. Though he might seem unreliable, he never did anything he wasn't sure he could pull off.
But... three thousand men going to rescue an army of three hundred thousand? Wasn't he taking this boast a little too far?
"Unusual? How so? Do they have three heads and six arms?"
Zhu Gaochi scolded him irritably. "Get back to your prince's residence! Stop causing trouble here! Xia Yuanji, how much silver does the Ministry of Revenue have left? Hurry and recruit a suicide squad..."
"Dad, the Ministry of Revenue is out of money."
Zhu Zhanjun cut him off. "Besides, farmers recruited at the last minute would just be served up to the Mongols on a platter once they reached the battlefield. My troops have already assembled outside the city."
"What?"
Zhu Gaochi and the Crown Princess cried out at the same time.
"Assembled outside the city? You... you mobilized troops without permission? Where did you get the military power?"
Zhu Gaochi was so frightened the flesh on his face trembled. "Second Son, tell me the truth. Are you... are you planning a rebellion?"
By the time he reached the last two words, Zhu Gaochi's voice had dwindled to almost nothing, his face full of terror.
Hiding weapons and armor was a crime punishable by exterminating nine generations of one's family!
Zhu Zhanjun helplessly spread his hands. "Dad, what are you thinking? If I wanted to rebel, would I have waited until now? I'd have tied you up while Imperial Grandfather was away. These three thousand men really are my 'private troops,' raised over the past few years by scrimping and saving. They've been scattered among various estates, farming. Now that Imperial Grandfather is in danger, I've gathered them together."
"Farmers?"
Fang Bin couldn't help but butt in again, sneering as he clutched his cheek. "Your Highness, you want a bunch of farmers to take on the Mongol iron cavalry? This is the biggest joke under heaven!"
Zhu Zhanjun couldn't be bothered to answer him. He simply unclasped the token from his waist and thrust it into Zhu Gaochi's hand.
"Dad, there's no point talking. Give me an order authorizing me to lead troops beyond the pass. If you're worried, you can come with me to the Drill Ground outside the city right now. If you see them and still think they're not up to it, I, Zhu Zhanjun, will twist my own head off and let you kick it around like a ball!"
Looking into his son's resolute eyes, Zhu Gaochi felt some of the panic in his heart subside.
He took a deep breath, pushed away the Crown Princess's support, and struggled to his feet.
"Fine! I'll go take a look! If you dare try to fool me with a bunch of farmers, I'll break your legs myself before your grandfather even gets the chance!"
Half an hour later.
In a secluded royal hunting ground north of Beijing City.
Zhu Gaochi sat in the carriage, wrapped in a thick fox-fur cloak, his face still pale.
Fang Bin, Xia Yuanji, and several other ministers rode alongside them, their faces all clouded with helplessness and agitation.
"Your Highness, there's no point looking. Let's go back. With a snowstorm this fierce, where would you find any troops?"
Fang Bin complained, hunching his shoulders against the cold.
Zhu Zhanjun rode at the front on a black horse. At Fang Bin's words, he checked the reins and smiled over his shoulder. "Lord Fang, open your eyes and take a good look. What's that up ahead?"
Everyone followed the direction of his riding crop.
At the far end of the snow-swept plain, a black line was just barely visible.
At first, the line was silent.
But after only a few breaths, the earth began to tremble.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Those weren't scattered hoofbeats, but a steady, perfectly synchronized rumble!
With each step, snow flew up from the ground!
As the distance closed, everyone's pupils instantly shrank to the size of pinpoints.
It was a moving wall cast from steel.
Three thousand cavalrymen, with both horse and rider clad in heavy armor!
The horses stood a head taller than ordinary Mongol horses, with thick, sturdy limbs. Heavy Horse Armor covered their bodies, leaving only a pair of scarlet eyes exposed.
The men wore fearsome demon-faced helmets and chain mail beneath bright armor. Each carried a Mo Dao a full zhang long, with a Shenbi Crossbow nearly half a man's height strapped to his back!
A killing aura, like a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, bore down on them.
Neigh!
The imperial horses pulling Zhu Gaochi's carriage were startled. They whinnied wildly and tried to back away, nearly overturning the carriage.
The mounts beneath Fang Bin and the others went weak in the legs and dropped straight to their knees in the snow, sending the ministers tumbling hard onto the ground.
"This... this..."
Zhu Gaochi gripped the carriage window frame so tightly his knuckles turned white. His mouth hung open wide enough to fit a goose egg.
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