"My brother, please help me walk." Yuan Tao staggered. Every time he took a step, the people and soldiers who were closer would knock their heads to the ground.
At this moment, Xu Mu understood what it meant to be an unparalleled national scholar.
"My brother, go for a walk to the city wall. I used to like it very much. Standing on a high place and looking at the thousands of miles of rivers and mountains of my era."
"Master Hou, I will carry you on my back."
"If it were my brother...ahem, that would be the best."
Xu Mu's eyes were red, and he carried Yuan Tao on his back. He felt that this young marquis, who had been loyal all his life, was very thin and as weak as an old man.
Gu Ying followed closely behind, sobbing like a child.
"After settling the situation, I went down to see the late emperor. Although he wanted to scold me, I, Yuan Tao, was guilty but not guilty. I was not saving the royal family, I was saving the country."
"Ahem...someone has to do these things after all. Living in troubled times is not what you and I want, but if the country collapses and we don't save it, it's our fault."
"Gu Ying, a scholar from the Liu family in Qingshi Lane, Changyang, is quite talented. Have you sent some money to help me?"
"Master, send it off, send it off." Gu Ying cried out.
"More than a dozen households in Fengyang Town have suffered from frostbite. Have you gone to Guanfang to collect money?"
"Master, I'm urging you too!"
Xu Mu knew that the little Marquis on his back was already talking nonsense.
"Gu Ying, you will follow my little boss from now on and listen to my little boss... Ahem, my brother, Gu Ying has a reckless temper, but he is also a loyal person."
"Master Marquis, I know... we have reached the city wall."
Xu Mu sniffed and held Yuan Tao firmly, and the two stood side by side against the city wall.
Below, countless people and soldiers from the National Salvation Battalion came howling all the way, and hurriedly knelt down facing Yuan Tao's direction.
Yuan An almost crawled over on his knees, pressing his head against the dirt.
"My brother, I heard crying."
"The people are... sending off the Marquis respectfully."
Yuan Tao laughed, his laughter hoarse to the extreme.
"In the future, with a new emperor and no traitor, your life will definitely be better than before. It's a pity that I can't wait until the day I ascend the throne."
Xu Mu was silent. He raised his head and found that Yuan Tao's hair had completely turned white and his face was horribly blue.
"I wish I could expel Beidi and raise my power in the Central Plains. I also wish I could not lead my troops out of the border and restore our great country. More than thirty years of mediocrity, every step is like walking on thin ice, but I can't save the people of the world from the fire."
"My brother, I haven't finished these things yet...I'll leave them to you. Remember that although the right path involves vicissitudes of life, it will ultimately lead to a clear conscience."
"I told Gu Ying earlier that if I have free time, I would like to go to the border to have another look and enjoy the sandy breeze."
"But I seem tired-"
Yuan Tao stretched out his hand and faced the sky, as if to grab something, but in the end, it hung down feebly.
On the city wall at dusk, the man in white clothes stood out like a sculpture. He raised his head and tried to straighten his body, never moving an inch again.
Xu Mu's eyes were red, and he knelt down beside Yuan Tao, sobbing for a moment.
"Farewell to the Marquis."
"Farewell to the Marquis——"
Under the city wall, countless figures knelt down and cried sadly.
In the distance, the flower girls in the Qingguan, the diners in the restaurants, and the beggars in the alleys all knelt down to worship each other. In the palace, the soldiers who were still on guard heard the news of Yuan Tao's death, put away their weapons, and knelt in the snow in sorrow.
Gu Ying smashed his head completely, cracking the bluestone in front of him.
"Brother Gu... my condolences."
"My dear boss, I have to trouble you about the funeral of my master."
"Brother Gu?"
Gu Ying raised his head, black blood oozing from his mouth, "I... took poison earlier. I'm afraid that the master will be lacking a guard if he goes down there."
"Don't worry, little master... The people of Hutang, I have issued a death order not to die for the master. I'm sorry, little master, just bury me next to the master in a small grave. I want to guard the master -"
Before he finished speaking, Gu Ying closed his eyes and bowed, still facing Yuan Tao's direction.
Xu Mu felt sour and raised his head bitterly, but suddenly found that the snow velvet in the sky seemed to be gradually stopping.
…
In a small forest, the miracle doctor Li Wang'er sat down on the carriage, ignoring the shouts of several disciples, and black blood oozed from his mouth and nose.
"Why did the master take poison?"
"For a show of loyalty."
…
"As soon as the young marquis dies, the situation in Changyang will become unstable." Li Rucheng sighed, his face becoming a little older after a big battle.
"If you stay in Changyang, you should be more careful in the future."
"It's a pity that the 20,000 Dingbei Battalion who were transferred to the inner city were unified into the National Salvation Army and used to guard Changyang. Otherwise, they could still support you."
"Remember, the four thousand dead soldiers of the Tiger Hall left by the young marquis must be firmly in your hands. Together with the eight thousand tiger charms given to you, there should be an army of more than 10,000 people. No matter what happens in the future, It’s a good thing after all that you have an army of your own.”
Xu Mu nodded, hesitated, and decided to speak out.
"Yue Zu, the Marquis left his will and asked me to assassinate Chen Changqing."
"Chen Changqing? This man really deserves to be killed. I heard that he took advantage of the turmoil in the past two days to kill many traitors, then ransacked their homes and collected a lot of money. Yuan An cannot suppress such a person. Damn it, no one in the entire Daji except the young Marquis can suppress him."
"Master Hou's body is still cold, he really has nothing to worry about."
Li Rucheng paused and looked up at Xu Mu, "You will definitely have your own way in the future, but I hope you understand that the inner city is already a place of collapse. What the young marquis is fighting for, I would say a little harsher, It’s nothing more than…forcibly extending his life.”
"Of course, if the young Marquis does not fight, then after his death, the entire Daji will collapse immediately."
Xu Mu also understands this.
"What are you going to do next?"
"Kill Chen Changqing."
Li Rucheng smiled slightly and said, "You are indeed a scumbag little boss. Be careful and don't scare his 30,000 troops. If you escape back to Muyun Prefecture, things will be very difficult."
"Understood."
…
Walking out of the palace, Xu Mu only blew a whistle, and immediately two dead soldiers from Hutang knelt down in front of him.
"Greetings to the master."
"You two go to the mountain hunting village outside the inner city and deliver a letter for me to a man named Jia Zhou."
"Here."
After receiving the letter, the two dead men disappeared immediately.
Walking down the stone steps, Xu Mu raised his head and looked at the scenery in front of him in silence.
Order has been restored in Changyang City. There were officers and soldiers from the national salvation battalion patrolling, vendors began to walk around the streets, newly set up noodle stalls, and steam began to come out of the clay pots.
As the New Year approaches, except for the warmer atmosphere, nothing seems to have changed.
Only the remaining bloody plum blossoms on the ground and the mottled knife marks on the city walls proved that the huge Changyang City had just experienced a bloody battle.
It also vaguely proves that there was a young prince who once came to the world and used strategy and loyalty to lift up the crumbling country of the entire Epoch.
When the country is in turmoil, dangerous roads are not enough, and it is better to die to be loyal and admonish than to make a living.
Standing in the wind, Xu Mu faced the sky and steadily raised his hands to say goodbye.
"Farewell to the Marquis."
