When Li Man'er finished breakfast, Li Shu was still asleep. She went to find Li Nian and his son first.
Li Qingyan was a child, and although he felt a sense of urgency, he wasn't as preoccupied as the adults. Li Nian, on the other hand, was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth in the room.
As soon as Li Nian saw Li Man'er, he immediately complained, "Man'er, what's going on? Why have the Xiao family and the city guards all left?"
"The Marquis hasn't woken up yet, so I don't know what's going on either."
Just then, Old Sun suddenly entered and reported, "Third Master, Eldest Miss, someone is asking to see you outside."
"Who is it?"
Old Sun said, "Judging by their attire, it should be a junior officer, but they look quite old..." Old Sun couldn't bring himself to say the words "old, weak, sick, and disabled."
Li Man'er gave Liu Ya a look, and Liu Ya, understanding, took Li Qingyan to play in the back.
"Bring the person in!"
Old Sun responded and hurried out, soon returning with a junior officer.
This man's hair and beard were completely white, and he walked with a limp, his body leaning heavily to one side, as if he had suffered a severe injury and hadn't recovered.
"Your subordinate, Lu Dakuan, greets the General."
Li Man'er sneered. Not only was this man old, but he also looked unhealthy. It wasn't that she was prejudiced against disabled people, but if he was injured, he should have retired from the army and returned to farming or lived out his years peacefully. He shouldn't be limping onto the battlefield.
Li Nian's expression wasn't much better than Li Man'er's. He frowned and asked, "Which battalion are you from? Where is your general, and why did you withdraw overnight?"
Lu Dakuan took out a letter from his怀 and respectfully handed it to Li Nian, saying, "This is a letter from our general to the Marquis. I hope General Li can deliver it on my behalf."
A letter?
Li Nian took the letter but didn't read it.
His purpose in coming to Mobei was to escort Li Man'er, not to overstep his authority. He could read the letter in private, but not in front of Lu Dakuan.
When Lu Dakuan saw that Li Nian wasn't reading the letter, a flicker of disappointment seemed to cross his eyes.
"How old are you, and were the injuries on your body sustained on the battlefield?"
Seeing that Li Man'er didn't look down on him and even asked about his injuries with concern, Lu Dakuan felt a warmth spread through him. "Yes, that was more than ten years ago. I'm forty-six this year. I can't fight on the battlefield anymore, but I can still brush horses and polish weapons, do odd jobs. It's better than being useless."
"Do you know where the two General Xiaos took their men?"
Lu Dakuan had rehearsed his reply. He said, "Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and affairs in both the old and new cities are extremely busy. Every year at this time, the new city prepares a great deal of things, food, clothing, various necessities, and packages sent by relatives from afar, along with family letters. These items are often delivered by the new city to ensure that the soldiers in the old city have a prosperous New Year."
He looked up at Li Man'er and saw no displeasure in her eyes. She seemed to be listening with interest, so he emboldened himself further and said, "Without the Marquis's support every year, the general would not dare to be careless at all, nor would he let everyone withdraw. I believe it's because the Marquis has arrived this year that the general..."
Before Lu Dakuan could finish speaking, Li Nian let out a roar, "Nonsense! That kind of story can only fool a three-year-old child. Do you think I don't know their intentions?"
Lu Dakuan seemed to be startled by him, his body trembling slightly. He only said he didn't dare.
Li Man'er said, "My third uncle has a bad temper. Third Uncle, why are you getting angry? Put away that ferocity you had when you suppressed bandits in Taizhou. Don't think that the incident where you ambushed and killed two thousand fierce bandits will scare anyone. I'm not afraid."
Li Man'er snorted and flicked her sleeve, sitting down to the side.
When had he ambushed and killed two thousand fierce bandits? He didn't even know about it himself. However, since Man'er wanted to set the stage and put on a show, he could only cooperate.
Good heavens!
Seeing that Li Nian did not refute, Lu Dakuan felt no doubt in his heart. He had been in Mobei for nearly thirty years and had seen battles big and small. He had long been numb and didn't care about human lives. He thought that fierce bandits in the inland regions were like barbarians, harvested in large batches.
Moreover, Lu Dakuan had been chatting with the veteran soldiers these past few days and heard a lot about Li Shu from them. Some said that this Marquis was merely benefiting from being the legitimate eldest son and actually had little ability. Others said that Li Shu was not as skilled as Li Nian in appointing generals and deploying troops; it seemed his younger brother was more capable.
In fact, these were all rumors spread by the Xiao family, with the sole purpose of undermining Li Shu's prestige. However, such rumors were very powerful. Once a seed was planted in people's hearts, it could sprout many shoots that were impossible to pull out.
"General, it's not that I'm unwilling to speak, but as you can see, with my condition, how could I be a confidant? I'm just a lowly life, and it's up to fate when I die. General Xiao would not tell me his deployment plans."
Li Man'er also said, "Exactly, Third Uncle, you scared him. Lu Dakuan, you don't need to be afraid. Let me ask you, how many Xiao family guards are still in this city?"
Lu Dakuan smiled awkwardly, "About three hundred-odd."
"Three hundred people?" Li Nian jumped up again. "The Xiao family claims to have two hundred thousand troops, and now there are only three hundred left. What do they want?"
"General, please calm down." Lu Dakuan's heart was pounding. "They claim to have two hundred thousand troops, but in reality, there aren't even half that number when all is said and done. Think about it, if there were so many people, how much military pay would the imperial court allocate each year? They probably couldn't afford it! I've lived in Mobei for almost thirty years and have never seen so many people. Even if you gathered all of us and the barbarians together, it wouldn't be two hundred thousand."
This statement could be considered heartfelt.
"Where are these three hundred people?"
Lu Dakuan said, "There are some on the city walls; they have to maintain normal guard duty. Some are in the training grounds, probably training!"
Li Nian was furious. He ordered Old Sun to take the man away and then said to Li Man'er, "We need to wake up your father. If he keeps lying there, something bad will happen."
One had to admit that Li Nian, as a military man, had a keen intuition. Although he had known from early on that the Xiao family might try something and set traps for Li Shu, he hadn't expected the Xiao family to be so bold as to play such a game.
Even more infuriating was that at this critical juncture, Li Shu was still sleeping. Ever since he came to Mobei, he had been poisoned and had a stroke. Hadn't he slept enough yet?
"Third Uncle, don't worry, I'll go with you."
Li Nian nodded, and uncle and nephew went to Li Shu's room together.
Besides Qin Si, two of Li Shu's personal guards were standing watch at the door.
"Has the Marquis not gotten up yet?"
Qin Si shook his head, "The hangover from yesterday's wine was too strong."
Li Nian's face darkened, "Man'er, you wait here, I'll go in first."
Li Man'er obediently nodded and stood silently at the door, waiting.