In his study, Ma Zhenling explained the current situation to his two sons, revealing his intention to throw their lot in with Hu Hao.
His two sons were somewhat dissatisfied with this proposition. Deep down, they still looked down on Hu Hao. Although Hu Hao commanded an army and had amassed immense military merit, in their minds, he was still just a grassroots hero, far beneath their Ma family! The Ma family had a legacy in the Empire spanning centuries, firmly established as a true aristocratic family. For Ma Zhenling to demand they submit to a grassroots upstart was indeed difficult for them to accept. However, since Ma Zhenling was the one speaking, they didn’t dare openly defy him.
“Do you two have differing opinions on this? If you do, speak your minds. It’s fine, we are in our own home!” Seeing their lack of enthusiasm—or rather, their complete lack of interest—in submitting to Hu Hao, Ma Zhenling prompted them. Ma Zhenling was a shrewd old fox; a single glance at their expressions was enough for him to glean their thoughts.
“Father, our family submitting to Hu Hao? This… this is unreasonable, isn’t it? It would make sense if you said Hu Hao was submitting to our family! What is Hu Hao? A commoner brat who simply happened to gain control of some troops! Our Ma family also has troops! Although we don’t know how to command in battle, we have recently promoted generals who do! When the time comes, they can help us manage the Ma family’s troops. Why must we submit to Hu Hao? If the other aristocratic families found out, wouldn’t they make our Ma family a laughingstock?!” Ma Xiongjin immediately voiced his objections.
“Exactly! For better or worse, our Ma family has a centuries-old legacy in the Empire. Bowing our heads to a grassroots upstart now… it’s a bit… a bit unreasonable, isn’t it?” Ma Xiongwei chimed in.
“You fools! What do you know?! Still clinging to the dignity of an aristocratic family?! In the face of genocide, you still care about dignity?! Being able to protect our clansmen will be a blessing in itself! Tang Long has already thrown away all his shame, and you still can’t see the severity of the situation?! Do you think that by submitting to Hu Hao, we are guaranteed victory? It’s simply that Hu Hao’s chances of survival are currently slightly higher than anyone else’s!
As for our Ma family establishing ourselves as an independent power… that is impossible! Our Ma family has yet to produce a talent capable of such a feat! What a pity, what a profound pity! If I had known earlier that Hu Hao possessed such ability, I would have made arrangements long ago, rather than joining Tang Long in suppressing him! That was the most disastrous decision I have ever made!” Ma Zhenling scolded them both.
“But we still have the Second Prince! If the Empire falls, we can utilize the Eldest Prince as well!” Ma Xiongwei argued. The Second Prince was his son-in-law, so he had always considered the Second Prince his backing. He truly couldn’t accept submitting to Hu Hao.
“The Second Prince?! Does the Second Prince know how to fight a war?! All of his military merits were fabricated by me! You call him heroic and martial?! Is he heroic and martial?! You know your own son-in-law better than anyone!
Don’t even compare the Second Prince to the Crown Prince; he falls far short of even the Fourth Prince! The Fourth Prince lacks the backing of a powerful family faction. If he had one, even the Crown Prince might not be his match!
Why do you think His Majesty never allows the Fourth Prince to take up posts in any department wielding real power? If the Fourth Prince served in High Command, the Crown Prince’s position would be in jeopardy right now! Where does that leave your Second Prince?!” Ma Zhenling retorted sharply. He had never thought highly of the Second Prince. Conversely, he valued the Fourth Prince, but they didn’t dare align with him. In truth, the Emperor was also guarding against the Fourth Prince growing too powerful and threatening the Crown Prince’s safety.
“But… I still cannot accept it. Having us submit to Hu Hao? We… we…!” Ma Xiongwei stammered from his seat.
“If we don’t submit to Hu Hao, our entire Ma family will be buried alongside the Empire!” Ma Zhenling glared fiercely at Ma Xiongwei.
Ma Xiongwei stared at his father in disbelief.
“Do you think I’m just saying this to scare you? Do you think I want to abandon the Second Prince and submit to Hu Hao?! This is an era of chaos! Without your life, any status you hold is empty air! Right now, our only objective is to ensure the survival of our clansmen!
As for power and authority, we will have other opportunities. We have descendants; they can strive for those things! The most critical priority right now is ensuring our clansmen have a protector! Do you understand?!
Do you think Tang Long is crazy?! He is an Army General in High Command, and the Crown Prince’s father-in-law! If the Empire wasn’t doomed to fall, would he abandon the Crown Prince and His Majesty?! His Majesty trusts him deeply! Use your brains!” Ma Zhenling reprimanded Ma Xiongwei. Hearing this, Ma Xiongwei hung his head, struggling to process the harsh reality.
“What we discussed here tonight must not be spoken of to anyone! Not even your wives or the Second Prince! Do you hear me?!” Ma Zhenling ordered his two sons. Ma Xiongjin nodded, and Ma Xiongwei, though reluctant, nodded as well.
“Father, we… we can’t even contact Hu Hao right now. Hu Hao refuses to answer calls from High Command. Even if we wanted to submit to him, isn’t it just wishful thinking on our part?” Ma Xiongwei asked, his head still bowed.
“Someone can contact him. You don’t need to worry about that. I made arrangements for this a long time ago!” Ma Zhenling stated confidently.
Ma Xiongwei raised his head and looked at his father.
“Xiongwei… the days until the Empire falls can now be counted down. A single misstep will result in our entire clan being buried alongside it. Sigh… after stepping down from High Command, I tried running wargames to simulate the overall strategic situation.
Although I am not adept at controlling a battlefield—having never independently commanded troops in actual combat, only having observed military exercises—no matter how I ran the simulations, we couldn’t win. Currently, our Empire has zero chance of victory!
As for Hu Hao… because Hu Hao knows how to fight… tonight, you even mentioned that Hu Hao had recaptured four provinces! I don’t know how he manages to win, but I have a feeling Hu Hao might be the Empire’s final remaining force capable of counterattacking the Allied forces.
Therefore, we go to Hu Hao not seeking power, but solely seeking asylum! Do you understand?” Ma Zhenling looked at Ma Xiongwei, who nodded in understanding.
“This matter is our family’s absolute highest secret! Until we have completely relocated to Hu Hao’s territory, no one is allowed to breathe a single word of this! Otherwise, the entire family will be buried with the Empire because of your loose lips!” Ma Zhenling warned his sons sternly!
“Yes, Father!” Both men now grasped the gravity of the situation. Hearing Ma Zhenling’s severe warning, they could only nod in agreement.
A short while later, someone outside reported that Liang Wanyu had returned. Ma Zhenling immediately had her brought in. Upon entering, Liang Wanyu was slightly surprised to see her father and eldest uncle present, but she respectfully greeted Ma Zhenling and her elders first.
“Come, girl, sit here!” Seeing Liang Wanyu, Ma Zhenling smiled, patting the seat beside him.
“Grandpa, what’s the matter? Why the rush?” Liang Wanyu walked over, sat down, and asked.
“Have you been in contact with Hu Hao recently?” Ma Zhenling asked, looking at her.
“I have. We were just in touch a few days ago! What’s wrong?” Liang Wanyu glanced at her grandfather, then at her eldest uncle and father, finally nodding and looking back at Ma Zhenling.
“Could you call Hu Hao right now? Tell him I wish to speak with him, and I hope he will hear me out!” Ma Zhenling requested. Only then did Ma Xiongwei and Ma Xiongjin realize that the person capable of contacting Hu Hao was Liang Wanyu.
“Why?” Liang Wanyu looked at her grandfather warily.
“You wretched girl, do you think your grandfather would harm you?” Ma Zhenling laughed, seeing her guarded expression.
“No, it’s just… what do you guys want to say? If you want to contact Hu Hao, wouldn’t it be better to use Eldest Uncle’s lines? Why use my phone? What if Hu Hao gets the wrong idea? Besides, I don’t want Hu Hao thinking I’m only contacting him because of Ma family business!” Liang Wanyu complained from her seat.
“I can’t reach him from my end! Hu Hao won’t answer my calls!” Ma Xiongjin immediately interjected.
“Won’t answer your calls? How is that possible? Did you offend Hu Hao?” Liang Wanyu asked immediately. Ma Xiongjin was a Vanguard General in High Command! It was impossible for a frontline Commander to ignore a call from a Vanguard General!
“I don’t even know him, how could I have offended him?! It’s because of other matters! I cannot discuss this with you; it is an Empire secret!” Ma Xiongjin deflected quickly. High Command affairs could not be discussed with these youngsters. If word got out, the entire country would know instantly. These youths couldn’t keep their mouths shut.
“Oh!” Liang Wanyu nodded, then looked back at her grandfather!
“Girl, rest assured, I truly have important matters to discuss with Hu Hao. There are no other channels available right now; we can only go through you!” Ma Zhenling assured her.
“Alright. Next time, use your own phones, don’t use mine! I’ll go get my phone!” Liang Wanyu relented. Because Ma Zhenling had a strict rule forbidding phones in the study, she had left her bag outside.
She quickly returned with her phone. She glanced at Ma Zhenling, who nodded encouragingly.
Only then did Liang Wanyu dial Hu Hao’s number.
Meanwhile, Hu Hao was en route to another county town near Dingze City. He intended to continue harassing the Allied forces there, hoping to draw out the troops garrisoned inside Dingze City. He wanted to eliminate as many of Dingze City’s defending forces as possible before the Allied forces launched their main offensive.
“Hello? I’m looking for Hu Hao! My name is Liang Wanyu. Just tell Hu Hao, he’ll know!” The moment the call connected, Liang Wanyu immediately stated her identity!
“Well, well, well, Class President! Not bad! You even have our Hao-ge’s direct line! Calling to whisper sweet nothings, are we? Haha!” The person who answered was Dong Qipeng. He naturally knew who Liang Wanyu was.
“Dong Qipeng?” Recognizing the voice, Liang Wanyu asked hesitantly.
“Exactly! Haha, good memory, Class President!” Dong Qipeng laughed.
“Stop messing around! I have important matters to discuss with Hu Hao! Hurry up and put him on the phone!” Liang Wanyu demanded.
(End of Chapter)