Upon hearing Ma Xiongjin assert that Tang Long might not be loyal to the Emperor and seeing the evidence from the intelligence agency placed before him, Ma Zhenling began flipping through it. Looking at the photographs, he knew Tang Long truly might not be loyal.
Ma Xiongwei was also looking at the evidence. After finishing, he sighed emotionally, “No wonder… no wonder!”
Hearing this, Ma Zhenling turned to look at Ma Xiongwei.
“Previously, Jiang Kai and Hu Hao were coordinating their attacks. They could have recaptured at least five provinces, resolving the crisis on the central front. Even months after the rainy season ended, the Allied forces wouldn’t have had the capability to organize another offensive. By then, Jiang Kai’s troops could have been redeployed to the western and eastern fronts. However, due to a lack of ammunition, that combat plan couldn’t even be half-executed. And the reason was Tang Long!
Tang Long was in charge of munitions distribution. He dispatched supplies from the arsenals near the capital to the front lines, which obviously caused a massive delay! Yet, there was ammunition available in the arsenals in Zhongzhou Province! Tang Long didn’t mobilize supplies from Zhongzhou Province; he mobilized them from the capital!
I couldn’t figure out why Tang Long would do such a thing before. Even if he didn’t get along with Jiang Kai, he didn’t need to go that far. Jiang Kai won’t be returning to the capital anytime soon, so Tang Long’s position as General of the Left was completely secure. Yet, Tang Long did it anyway.
His Majesty and those of us in High Command thought it was merely the result of the conflict between Tang Long and Jiang Kai. Little did we know, the root of the problem lay here! The highest-ranking officer of our Army is an enemy spy! Tell me, can our Empire win this war? It’s both laughable and pathetic!” Ma Xiongwei sat there, shaking his head with a bitter smile.
“There’s actually something like this?” Ma Zhenling asked, looking at his eldest son.
“It was precisely because Jiang Kai was furious about this incident that His Majesty, in order to pacify him, removed Tang Long from High Command and sent him to inspect the western defensive lines. However, His Majesty still trusts Tang Long!” Ma Xiongwei explained.
“Hmm.” Ma Zhenling sat there, deep in thought.
“Father, I want to deliver this intelligence to the Imperial Palace tonight. Let His Majesty know. What do you think?” Ma Xiongjin asked.
“Wait a moment. Let me think,” Ma Zhenling replied. He then stood up and began pacing the study, considering the matter carefully.
“I still haven’t figured out why Tang Long would do this. He is already a Viscount of the Eastern Spirit Empire. Although he was stripped of the Grand Marshal title, he is still General of the Left, and he is the Crown Prince’s father-in-law! When the Crown Prince ascends the throne, the Tang family will not decline. Furthermore, Tang Long’s son still has a chance to take over the Grand Marshal position. Why would he do this?” Ma Xiongwei asked from his seat.
“Why do it? Because the Empire simply cannot hold the line. The fall of the Empire is only a matter of time. Tang Long is doing this simply to protect his clansmen—at the very least, to protect his sons and grandsons!” Ma Zhenling stopped pacing and answered Ma Xiongwei.
“What?! Cannot hold the line?! The Empire… the Empire cannot hold?!” Ma Xiongwei stared at his father in shock.
“Once the rainy season ends, the Empire’s true suffering will begin. If we are lucky, we might hold out until the next rainy season. If we are unlucky, the Empire might fall before the next rainy season even arrives!
The Allied forces consist of over seventy nations! How can our Eastern Spirit Empire face them alone? Even if all the nations of the Central Region united, we still wouldn’t be their match! The Eastern Spirit Empire, and the entire Central Region, will ultimately face national subjugation and genocide.
Tang Long is doing this in the hope of securing shelter for his family’s descendants, hoping they won’t be slaughtered. I suspect the nation Tang Long contacted definitely gave him guarantees—guarantees that his clansmen wouldn’t be slaughtered, perhaps even offering them refuge in their country. That nation definitely promised Tang Long significant benefits!” Ma Zhenling analyzed as he resumed pacing.
“Father, this… this… haven’t we stabilized the lines right now? Furthermore, Hu Hao’s military merit is currently dazzling; he has already recaptured four provinces!” Ma Xiongwei argued, watching his father pace.
“Hu Hao recaptured four provinces? Truly?” Ma Zhenling stopped and stared at his eldest son in disbelief.
“It’s true. His Majesty just announced it this morning. However, because Hu Hao holds grievances against High Command, he no longer reports his combat results to us. I suspect this news likely came from Jiang Kai, but it is fundamentally credible!” Ma Xiongwei confirmed.
“Hu Hao… he truly is formidable!” Ma Zhenling nodded in acknowledgment!
“Father, Tang Long departs for the western front tomorrow. My opinion is that we should deliver this news to His Majesty as soon as possible and let His Majesty decide. If Tang Long truly is colluding with the Allied forces, the Empire will be in grave danger!” Ma Xiongjin urged.
“It’s still early; there’s no rush. Tang Long won’t depart until tomorrow morning!” Ma Zhenling waved his hand dismissively and resumed his contemplations.
A few minutes later, Ma Zhenling turned to Ma Xiongjin. “Call that girl Wanyu over. Tell her to hurry!”
“Ah?” Ma Xiongjin was confused. He glanced at Ma Zhenling, then at his eldest brother.
“I told you to call her, so call her!” Ma Zhenling glared at Ma Xiongjin.
Seeing this, Ma Xiongjin immediately stepped out and used the house phone to contact Liang Wanyu, ordering her to come to her grandfather’s study immediately.
“Father, you…?” Ma Xiongwei looked at Ma Zhenling, wanting to ask his intentions, but Ma Zhenling waved him off, silencing him.
A few minutes later, Ma Xiongjin returned. “I’ve contacted Wanyu. She said she’ll be home in half an hour. She’s currently out having fun with some friends at a hotel!”
“Mhm. Eldest, Second, we must also find a way to protect our clansmen. Once the Empire falls, we and our clansmen will likely face slaughter. Not a single one of us will be spared!” Ma Zhenling sat down and addressed his two sons solemnly.
“Father, you…?!” Ma Xiongjin stared at his father in utter shock!
“Don’t misunderstand; I have no intention of contacting the Allied forces. In truth, contacting the Allied forces is neither safe nor reliable. Tang Long might have received promises from a certain nation, but once he loses his status as the Eastern Spirit Empire’s General of the Left—once the Eastern Spirit Empire falls—he and his clansmen might not be protected.
Such guarantees are useless; they can change at any moment!” Ma Zhenling clarified to his sons.
“You scared me to death!” Ma Xiongjin let out a massive sigh of relief. He had thought his old man was about to collude with the Allied forces too.
“The Allied forces are unreliable. Currently, the person with the greatest hope of holding off the Allied forces is Hu Hao. Of course, the probability is still very low; it’s highly likely he won’t be able to hold either. But if that day truly comes, there’s nothing we can do!
At the very least, when we die, the history books of other nations won’t record Ma Zhenling as another traitor of the Eastern Spirit Empire!” Ma Zhenling stated firmly. His two sons nodded in agreement upon hearing this.
“Father, do you mean… we should throw our lot in with Hu Hao? Although Hu Hao’s military merit is immense right now, he… he is a commoner. Furthermore, once Hu Hao’s power grows too great, the Emperor might not feel comfortable with him. The Emperor might strip him of his authority! Reclaim his troops!” Ma Xiongwei questioned.
“Hmph, strip his authority? Reclaim his troops? Let me tell you: until the day we thoroughly defeat the Allied forces, it will be impossible to reclaim Hu Hao’s troops! Hu Hao’s power will only continue to grow! Can you not even see that?” Ma Zhenling asked his eldest son.
“Why? Does Hu Hao dare to rebel openly?!” Ma Xiongwei demanded immediately.
“Does taking over the world require open rebellion?!” Ma Zhenling retorted with a rhetorical question, leaving Ma Xiongwei utterly speechless.
“Hu Hao is smart, incredibly smart. In truth, if Hu Hao truly wanted to force a link-up with Jiang Kai, it’s entirely possible; he possesses the strength to do so. Why doesn’t he link up? Because he doesn’t want his troops to be monitored by the Empire!
Very smart. I truly never expected a young man in his early twenties to possess such far-reaching foresight!” Ma Zhenling analyzed from his seat.
“Could it just be a coincidence?” Ma Xiongjin offered.
“Coincidence?! To annihilate so many Allied troops, to recapture four provinces’ worth of territory from the Allied forces… and you call it a coincidence?! Do you have any brains at all?!” Ma Zhenling berated Ma Xiongjin.
“How could he be that formidable? It’s impossible. Right now, there are several Allied corps positioned between Hu Hao and Jiang Kai. If Hu Hao could truly force a link-up, I believe he definitely would have done so!” Ma Xiongwei argued.
“Does he need to force a full-scale link-up? Opening a single corridor would suffice! Hu Hao doesn’t want His Majesty to dispatch Chiefs of Staff to his side. Those Chiefs of Staff possess no actual ability, but they can monitor Hu Hao’s every move.
Hu Hao knows that the fall of the Empire is only a matter of time. If the Empire falls, tell me: what is the most useful asset to have?” Ma Zhenling asked them both.
“Troops!” Ma Xiongjin answered.
“Exactly! Troops! Hu Hao simply wants to possess his own army, which is precisely why he refuses to link up!” Ma Zhenling nodded.
“Father, then… do you mean we truly should throw our lot in with Hu Hao?” Ma Xiongjin asked again.
“What’s wrong with throwing our lot in with Hu Hao? As long as we can protect our clansmen, it’s a viable path. Ask yourselves honestly: if you were sent to the front lines to command troops in battle, would you know how?!
Aside from commanding our own family’s troops, can you command the troops of others?! Hu Hao is different. The entire First Army Group is his army! If operating at full capacity, Hu Hao’s forces would number over 600,000!
Once the Empire falls, Hu Hao will immediately expand his army. By then, there might still be a sliver of hope!” Ma Zhenling told them both.
(End of Chapter)