On the evening of December 28th, outside Qufu, Shandong Province, Ma Gui received a special letter. The person who delivered the letter was a clerk who claimed to be a close minister of Xiao Ruxun. He gave the letter to Ma Gui and told him to read it alone. Then he left.
Ma Gui was surprised that Xiao Ruxun would send him a letter at this time. He thought that Xiao Ruxun had something important to ask him to do, so he opened the letter and read it. He was so shocked that he almost fell off his chair.
Xiao Ruxun had become the emperor …
He asked if Ma Gui was willing to support him. If Ma Gui was willing, he would arrest Mei Guozhen and shoot three whistling arrows in the camp. After that, Xiao Ruxun would restore Ma Gui's reputation and allow him to reunite with his family. He would also be rewarded with an official position and a title of nobility. He would become a general of the new dynasty and a righteous commander of the army.
Ma Gui swallowed his saliva and it took him a while to react.
This letter was no different from a threatening letter. It listed the reward if he was willing to do it, but it didn't say what would happen if he was unwilling. But it was clear that he would be miserable if he was unwilling to do it.
Shoot three whistling arrows in the camp.
In other words, he had been targeted?
The news came so suddenly that Ma Gui's heart was pounding. He couldn't believe that his little brother, who was passionate about serving the country, had become the emperor.
Daming was gone?
After occupying Qufu, he was left behind to lead the troops. Xiao Ruxun said that he was the most reliable person, so he was used to keep an eye on the Kong Clan members. Furthermore, the army would be gathering in the capital soon. At that time, there would be too many eyes and eyes. If he was recognized by someone, the situation wouldn't be good. After all, there were still quite a number of Ma Clan members in the army. Although it was safe to follow Zhao Hu's vanguard army, it wasn't that safe.
He stayed with Mei Guozhen to help Xiao Ruxun keep an eye on the descendants of the Sages in Qufu City in case of emergencies.
Ma Gui and Mei Guozhen accepted the task happily and stayed in Qufu to wait for the good news of peace and the day when they could restore their reputation. But who knew that this would happen?
Heavens, just what had happened in the capital?
Ma Gui had no idea.
But he knew one thing.
He had to make a decision, and it had to be quick. He couldn't afford to wait.
He understood Mei Guozhen, and it seemed that Xiao Ruxun also understood him quite well. That was why Xiao Ruxun wrote to him instead of Mei Guozhen.
He wrote this letter with a hint of threat.
Ma Gui knew that Xiao Ruxun wasn't joking. He definitely wasn't, so he didn't have much choice or time to think.
His own future, the situation of his clansmen, and Mei Guozhen's safety. He had to make a choice.
After calming down for a quarter of an hour, Ma Gui made his choice.
He sent for Mei Guozhen.
Mei Guozhen had just finished dealing with some matters and was about to go to bed to rest when he was invited to Ma Gui's tent by the people he sent.
"General Ma, what's wrong? Why are you looking for me … You … "
As soon as Mei Guozhen entered the tent and saw Ma Gui, a shiny saber was placed across his neck. Three soldiers pounced on Mei Guozhen and tied him up.
Mei Guozhen turned pale with fright and was stunned for a while before glaring at Ma Gui.
"Ma Gui, what are you doing?"
Ma Gui sighed slightly, then frowned and said, "Ke Sheng, don't blame me. I didn't think this would happen either."
"What?"
"Ji Xin has declared himself Emperor."
Ma Gui told Mei Guozhen about this with some difficulty.
Mei Guozhen gaped for a while.
"Emperor … Emperor?"
Mei Guozhen didn't quite believe what he heard. "Do you know what you're saying?"
"I know, that's why I called you here."
Ma Gui said, "Ji Xin knows you won't agree with him, so he asked me to act in advance and capture you. Ke Sheng, don't blame me. I had no choice."
"Capture me? I … He's Emperor? He's Emperor? How can he be Emperor? How can Hsiao Jixin be Emperor? "
Mei Guozhen's voice grew louder. "How can he be Emperor? How can he be Emperor? How can he be Emperor? He's Daming's official! He's Daming's general! Why does he want to be Emperor!? Why? Why!!! "
Mei Guozhen roared angrily. With a wave of Ma Gui's hand, a soldier stuffed Mei Guozhen's mouth with a piece of cloth and covered his eyes with another piece of cloth. Then, they lifted him up.
"Fire the whistling arrows."
Ma Gui didn't want to talk to Mei Guozhen anymore. He immediately ordered for his mouth to be gagged and controlled. Then, he sent someone to the barracks to fire the whistling arrows.
The three whistling arrows were a bit abrupt in the quiet night. At the very least, it attracted the attention of some people who were paying attention to the barracks.
Thus, not far away, several cavalrymen turned and ran. Soon, they ran to the side of a general who was standing by the side of a horse.
This was Luo Rong, the commander of the Battle Wolf Battalion. He was here on Xiao Ruxun's orders to deal with the situation in Qufu. Ma Gui's matter was only the first step. He had more important matters to attend to.
"General, there are three whistling arrows in the barracks ahead. Should we …?"
Luo Rong was munching on a pancake when he heard the report. He put the unfinished pancake back into his food bag and mounted his horse.
"All troops, get ready. Advance slowly. Prepare for battle. If there are any changes, immediately attack. Leave no one alive!"
Although he said this, Luo Rong was very clear that the soldiers under Ma Gui were all old Burmese soldiers chosen by Xiao Ruxun. The reason they listened to Ma Gui was because of Xiao Ruxun's orders. If Ma Gui wanted to resist, he would be the first to die.
Fortunately, Ma Gui was very obedient and knew how to adapt to the situation. He had tied up Mei Guozhen in the barracks and waited for his fate to arrive. Thus, Luo Rong had arrived.
"General Ma! You have suffered for so long! His Majesty specifically told me that from now on, General Ma is one of us. He doesn't need to conceal his identity and not even dare to mention his name. No one will ever hurt General Ma again! "
Luo Rong chuckled as he patted Ma Gui's shoulder. He had a look of 'this old man is very experienced and thinks highly of you', but he did not care that Ma Gui was once Xiao Ruxun's superior, and his qualifications were even deeper than Xiao Ruxun's.
But there was no other way. Ma Gui had been on the battlefield for dozens of years. He had been taught many times by his superiors how to behave. He had lost his position, lost his face, and almost went to jail. Ma Gui had been trained.
Thanks to Daming's rule of using the civil to rule the military, Ma Gui had learned a lot of knowledge. From a hot-blooded young man to a wily old fox, he had already figured out some rules and elements.
So Ma Gui was not unhappy at all. Instead, he looked very happy.
"I have been looking forward to His Majesty's ascension for a long time. Until today, my wish has come true. The new dynasty has been established. This … this … I really don't know how to express my joy!"
Then, Ma Gui pointed at Mei Guozhen, who was being carried by two soldiers and kept twisting.
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