The pace of the North Border Army’s march remained steady, and the whole column seed to thrive in a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere, especially the rear where laughter, and even occasional singing, could be heard, provoking bouts of hearty laughter among the n.
The Marquis of Zhenbei had not tried to stop them; on the contrary, the relaxation of the troops in the rear caused the n leading the way to overlook the tension ahead and remain extrely courteous as they sporadically responded to the Marquis of Zhenbei’s remarks.
"I’ve heard that in recent years, since Yulin County opened its canals, many traders from the Southern Frontier have co to Yulin County, selling furs to the Southern Frontier and bringing back tea from there, is that true?" The Marquis of Zhenbei asked with a smile, while the laughter from his trusted aides was sparse, their thoughts clearly elsewhere.
However, up till now, they had not discovered any soldiers lying in ambush.
"What the Marquis says is true, there are indeed many traders from the Southern Frontier," the "soldier" nad Ku Zhen respectfully replied, his expression unchanged as before, looking toward the pavilion ahead where the setting sun cast its last light on the evening sky, turning the faint red increasingly dim.
Glancing at his trusted aide, the Marquis of Zhenbei saw the discrepancy; trade between Yulin County and the Southern Frontier was through the Eastern Border, not the Southern Frontier. This was common knowledge to anyone who had stayed in Yulin County, and as the Marquis defending the region, how could he not know? The Marquis of Zhenbei was now certain that there was sothing amiss with the man in front of him.
He had seen the real Ku Zhen once, half a year ago when the commander of Yulin County had co out of the county to welco him on his journey to the Northern Border, but it had been only a brief glance and the Marquis of Zhenbei could not be sure if this was indeed the real Ku Zhen.
However, according to the ssage from the Southeastern Army, they had encountered trouble at Heavenly Gorge. Therefore, there was a high chance that sothing was wrong with this pavilion, but the question was where. The pavilion was empty, except for three or four figures standing aloof at its entrance—a long corridor where travelers said their farewells just outside Yulin County, visible from end to end. It was impossible to hide soldiers there, and those spells also needed people to activate them.
So, if spells were to be cast, it would have to be by these few people present. Therefore, the authenticity of this Ku Zhen beca crucial. If this Ku Zhen was the real one, it ant Yulin County might be in danger at this very mont.
Without making a sound, the trusted aide nodded to the Marquis of Zhenbei, indicating that everything was prepared as instructed.
"My lord, we have arrived. Please have the n sit in the pavilion for a mont and drink so tea," Ku Zhen said, dismounting with respect as they reached the pavilion.
"Haha, very well—" the Marquis of Zhenbei laughed heartily, and with a wave of his hand, the entire column ca to a stop. Several officers by his side imdiately dashed out, giving the order to rest on the spot.
"My lord, won’t you let the soldiers take a rest inside the pavilion?" Ku Zhen asked, glancing behind at the pavilion, where several guards from Yulin County stood ready to serve tea.
"No need, my n are used to the wilderness; they’re all rough fellows, don’t bother with them," the Marquis of Zhenbei waved dismissively, laughing even more heartily.
Seeing this, Ku Zhen could only let it be, but with so many people around, it was impossible to accommodate all of them inside the pavilion. Therefore, dealing with the Marquis of Zhenbei and his officers was now of utmost importance.
"Then, please, my lord—" Ku Zhen gestured for the Marquis of Zhenbei to proceed, but the Marquis acted as if he was just seen off, first surveying his own troops before expressing his feelings with so emotion.
"At last, we’ve reached Yulin County. Lord Ku, please make preparations; I’ll take a short tour and then return," the Marquis of Zhenbei waved and, despite his words, he did not give Ku Zhen another chance to speak, but mounted his horse and rode off.
As soon as the Marquis of Zhenbei left Ku Zhen’s side, his trusted aide imdiately followed.
"Don’t worry, my lord, I have made all the arrangents. I will send soone to scout around shortly and see if they can detect any problems," the Marquis of Zhenbei nodded in response, continuing to circle the troops.
Ku Zhen remained at the front of the column, and as soon as the Marquis of Zhenbei left, the front grew "livelier", with soldiers gradually shifting from loud conversations to the bolder ones stepping out of the ranks, chasing and frolicking—a not so unusual sight during a military march. Ku Zhen might not have known, but observing their relaxed deanor, he did not think much of it.
The n had already reached the pavilion, causing the trusted aide to notice that it was accessible. So, where exactly was the problem?
With the experience of the Southeastern Army, the trusted aide of the Marquis of Zhenbei was not in a hurry. He gave a aningful look to a soldier by his side, and that soldier had already stood up.
"Why have you started to drink? The Marquis and the commanders have not even had a drink yet," he said as he walked towards the porch, and indeed, the people on the porch picked up their tea.
"I didn’t take the Marquis’s. Aren’t these prepared for us?" the soldier in the porch seed unconvinced. "Tang Su, what are you blabbering about? Even if the Marquis is here, if I want to drink, I will drink," the soldier said with disdain.
"Wei Pang, this is not the Northern Border, and we are not in battle. Show so restraint," complained Tang Su, who obviously was the small leader of this group, both pained and helpless as he stepped forward, seeming to want to pull his man back.
"Get lost, I haven’t finished drinking—" Wei Pang seed annoyed, throwing off Tang Su’s hand and then others went to break up the fight.
"Wei Pang, you haven’t had any alcohol, what’s with the tantrum?"
"Wei Pang, all the commanders are here, don’t make a scene—"
"I don’t care who is here, don’t make angry—"
The trusted aide imdiately stood up.
"What are you waiting for? Tie him up first—" the trusted aide barked coldly, and his status was obviously higher than that of the others. Instantly, several commanders stepped out from the ranks and surged onto the porch, throwing the scene into chaos. Wei Pang, who was clearly a man of imnse strength, pushed the people trying to tie him down to the ground, rolling into a tangle.
The guards of Yulin County, standing in front of the porch, looked to Lord Ku, wondering if they should step in. Lord Ku slightly shook his head; it was not ti yet, no rush.
The scuffle in the porch grew even more chaotic with several more commanders involved, and the trusted aide was clearly "panicking."
"Rebellion, rebellion! Wei Pang, just because you once saved the Marquis, do you think it’s okay to be so recklessly brazen?" the trusted aide shouted, as if this was not the first or second ti this had happened. Lord Ku saw that everyone seed accustod to such behavior, and indeed, Wei Pang had passed by him with a sll of alcohol, obviously in a drunken fury.
"Move, move! I want to see the Marquis; you all pick on ," Wei Pang shouted, while the people on the ground rolled and crawled, trying to get closer, but there were too many people.
"Hurry up, do you want the Marquis to see this?" The trusted aide was noticeably more "panicked" now, and more soldiers poured into the porch, with the tall soldiers from the Northern Border blocking the view of Yulin County’s soldiers. Cries and curses from the porch imdiately rged together.
The trusted aide looked at Lord Ku, sowhat embarrassed and helpless.
"I am afraid I’ve let Lord Ku see a farce. I always wanted to leave this fellow behind in the Northern Border, but the Marquis insisted on bringing him, and I knew trouble would arise," said the trusted aide.
Lord Ku didn’t fully understand and didn’t know how to respond, but seeing that everyone seed to treat the situation as normal and could not spot any flaws, he could only offer a slight smile.
"It’s nothing, Lord Wei. Your frank nature is that of a true hero," Lord Ku said, though he did not know Wei Pang personally. Seeing how everyone tolerated him to this day, and seed not to dare to handle him too harshly, it was clear that he must be quite capable and favored by the Marquis.
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