837 Second Thoughts (1/2)
Mo Chu's temporary Commander-in-chief tent burst into flame. The two guards who had set fire to it backed off, watching it burn. Not far away from them, Mo Lin looked at them, realizing that he had offended Duodun just now.
”What's that smell?” A guard dilated his nostrils and took two deep sniffs. Suddenly, he bent over and started vomiting.
Panicking, the other guard clamped his nose, turned around, and started running. Flustered, he ran towards the old Khan's wing guard head-on.
With a saber slash, Mo Lin struck down the fleeing guard. He had changed his mind. Now that the Dragon King had accounted for Duodun's plot, he decided to adopt a more proactive method to rescue his family.
As he watched the troops sent by Duodun, Mo Lin raised the scimitar above his head and yelled, ”His Highness is under the coercion of outsiders. Don't be deluded.”
The centurion who was leading the soldiers knew that things were not that simple, but he preferred to shift responsibility onto the old Khan's wing guard. ”Lord wing guard, then what do you think we should do? Should we go back and rescue His Highness?”
”No, you don't have the numbers to do so. Go to the front and join the Middle Corps in battle. General Dugu will tell you what to do.”
The centurion and the soldiers were still dithering about what they should do. Although they revered the old Khan's wing guard, it was still fairly difficult for them to publicly help the outsiders.
”There's been an incident in the front, too,” a soldier yelled. ”Look! It seems that the Second Consort's army has surrounded some people.”
The circumstances were growing more and more disorderly and suspicious. Mo Lin had a scimitar in his hand, but he had no idea what he should do in his mind, and he certainly didn't know how to mediate in a situation like this.
”The Commander-in-chief's alive!” another soldier cried.
The only guard left remaining knelt on the ground, vomiting constantly. The old man standing between the guard and the burning tent was Mo Chu, who was paralyzed in mortal fear. He seemed to have no idea why he was standing there at all. His eyes swept around and then he lowered his head and looked at his own body, uncertain about whether he was still alive or not.
The Dragon King had secretly dispatched an excellent bodyguard here. Mo Lin felt both relieved and ashamed. This was the second time that he hadn't told the Dragon King the truth; the last time had been when he had guided the Dragon King to dig out the fake Khan's head.
Mo Chu finally confirmed that he was still alive. Raising his arms, he seemed to want to say something, but a piercing wave of despair washed over him from behind. He buckled at the knees and nearly fell over.
Most of the people in the tent were under the influence of knockout powder, and fire happened to be the most effective and also the most horrible antidote.
Han Fen's interpretation of the Dragon King's order was that she only had to save Mo Chu. With regards to the others, she was not the one who had set the fire. So, she naturally wouldn't save them.
A dozen burning men rushed out, rolling around desperately on the ground. A couple of them ran right past Mo Chu, but this old Commander-in-chief wasn't able to move a single step.
”Help them,” Mo Lin ordered.
”Help them,” the centurion repeated. Groups of soldiers immediately rushed over and started extinguishing the fire with the water in their water sacks. Meanwhile, the Commander-in-chief's tent's fire had already raged beyond their control.
The people who survived were covered in burns, and painful groans could be heard everywhere.
Mo Chu took advantage of this opportunity to collect himself. All of the guards sent by Duodun were either dead or injured. One of them was kneeling on the ground and vomiting so badly that it seemed as if he was about to vomit up his entrails at any moment. All this indicated that the circumstances had changed. ”I'm the Commander-in-chief of the allied forces designated by His Highness and the young king themselves. These people, these guards are moles who have infiltrated our army. Don't believe them!”
Mo Lin walked over to Mo Chu's side and simply said, ”Norlanders believe Norlanders.” Then, among the injured, he found someone who seemed to be able to speak. ”Who sent you? I want the truth.”
”We were sent… by His Highness.”
”What?” Mo Lin let out a yell and drowned out the name, and then he cut off that man's head. ”They're assassins sent by Luoluo. There are probably more of them in the camp.”
”Yes, this is Luoluo's devious plot for sure.” Mo Chu shot a grateful glance at Mo Lin. ”In the name of Commander-in-chief of the allied army, I absolve all of you from your guilt of negligence. From now on, you will be under my direct command.”
Mo Chu glanced at Mo Lin again as if he were asking him whether he had made the right remarks. Mo Lin nodded slightly.
The centurion was caught in a dilemma now. Seeing that the soldiers around him had lowered their bows, he finally made up his mind. ”Follow Commander-in-chief Mo and rescue the prince.”
”Follow Commander-in-chief Mo and rescue the prince!” all the soldiers yelled together. They had believed the old Khan's wing guard's words earlier than the centurion.
”Join hands with General Dugu,” Mo Lin reminded him in a low voice.
Mo Chu hadn't figured out the context of this whole situation, but he firmly believed one thing — since Mo Lin had dared to save him, then he must have a series of plans to deal with Duodun. So, all he had to do was follow Mo Lin's lead.
Shangguan Ru was still trying to persuade the Second Consort's army to her side, and she even made use of her identity of the Second Consort's friend. However, Azheba's previous remarks proved to have a greater influence on the soldiers. They didn't shoot, but they also had no intentions of backing off.
The two sides were caught in a deadlock. More of the cavalrymen remained in their original positions and were whispering in each other's ears. One of the options they were considering was to stand by, and another, more tempting option was to flee. The enemies were still on the front line, but they were fighting amongst themselves — many people could already see the signs of defeat.
It was at this moment that Mo Chu and Mo Lin arrived, followed by the 1,000-men army sent by Duodun.
”The Commander-in-chief's here,” someone yelled. The Second Consort's cavalrymen made way immediately — they knew even less about Duodun's plans, so they were still in awe of the Commander-in-chief.
Mo Chu's eyes swept around and saw Kuke's body and Azheba sitting on the ground, trembling. He instantly received a general idea of what had happened. Becoming even more convinced that the Dragon King and Mo Lin had formulated an in-depth set of plans, Mo Chu was emboldened. He loudly proclaimed, ”Luoluo's assassins infiltrated into our camp and we've already eliminated most of them. Azheba…”
Defining Azheba's deeds was a problem. Mo Chu paused, waiting for Mo Lin's indication, but Shangguan Ru said, ”General Azheba is also a victim.”