Chapter 19: Reversed? Reversed?

  The letter read "A thousand pounds in one shot, hoping brother will send it quickly", eight irresponsible words.

  Ma Qiu understood that he had launched his attack at the time of Chou, on the eleventh day, which was also the next day.

  That night, Ma Gui returned to his tent after inspecting the wounded in the camp as usual. There were already a dozen or so military officers waiting for him there. After instructing those around him to guard the tent tightly, he slowly sat down on the main seat, looking tired and haggard.

  The officers exchanged glances, and one of them who was closest to him stood up and asked cautiously: "General, is it about that matter that you've summoned us here?"

  Ma Qiu's spirit was rekindled, and the confusion of a moment ago was swept away. His gaze swept over the people in the room, nodding his head and saying in a low voice: "Not bad, I have received the prince's secret letter, ordering us to launch at dawn tomorrow."

  The whole house was full of loyal guards from Shen Luo's mansion.

  They have been in hiding for months, risking their lives, and today is the day they've been waiting for. Although they had expected it, they couldn't help but feel some excitement. Many people stood up, looking at their leader.

  Ma Qiu gazed at the young faces around him, filled with excitement, tension and even fanaticism. He let out a soft sigh, shifting his gaze to the top of the tent, staring at the dimly lit oil lamp hanging above, and murmured in a self-deprecating tone: "Is there really no other way? This is the lives of tens of thousands of people!"

  The officers, or the Shenfu guards, were all silent for a moment. Things had changed too quickly. When the prince was making plans, he hadn't expected the rebellion in Qi to be so sudden and violent, gathering tens of thousands of people in a short period of time. Even now, after experiencing several defeats and some leaders dispersing, there were still nearly 40,000 people left.

  According to the original plan, they would lead the peasant army to resist all enemy camps for one day until the lord thoroughly escaped the pursuit of the Baisheng Army and various gods and Buddhas, and then it would be considered a completed task. After that, there would be brothers to pick them up and retreat from the peasant army.

  The fate of the peasant army was thus sealed.

  These unprofessional spies, without proper training, relied solely on their enthusiasm and recklessly infiltrated the peasant army. People who act impulsively often end up ruining things due to their impulsive nature. After several months of participating in the uprising, these clever individuals handpicked by Shen Fu indeed gained the trust and respect of those around them. The rebels always looked at them with adoring eyes, listening to their every word and obeying them as if they were gods.

  "Trust" is something that's only bad in a very few cases, and this seems to be one of them. The passionate guardians didn't learn how to separate their emotions, they were held back by "trust".

  Ma Kui saw that his subordinates had all fallen silent, and continued in a hoarse voice: "It seems that everyone also has this concern. I have an idea to discuss with you."

  He paused, then continued: "Our mission is to escort the lord back home, this is the bottom line. But on that day when we parted ways, the lord said that he would not accept any orders from outsiders, and gave me the right to make decisions on the spot, so I have the right to change plans." His voice became more resolute, his expression also hardened.

  "I have decided that tonight we will launch a surprise attack. You all return to your posts, behead the main general and take control of the situation. There must be no mistakes." Ma Kui said in a low voice.

  An officer stepped forward and asked with a fist: "Has the commander received approval from His Highness or the old master?"

  Ma Ke looked at him coldly and said: "The prince has given me the power of making decisions on the spot. Is that enough?"

  The officer shook his head and said: "I just want to know if our people are aware of this change, not questioning the commander's authority."

  Ma Chao nodded and said to the people in the house: "Since that's the case, everyone should return to their camps and prepare. By midnight, all troops must gather in front of the central military tent."

  The officers all bowed and left, Ma Kui turned to Shi Wei, who had asked the first question: "Shi Wei, you stay behind."

  The officer stopped in his tracks, speechless and silent, until the crowd dispersed. Ma Kui then said to him, "It's inconvenient for you to stay here till dawn, is that okay?"

  Shi Wei bitterly smiled and said: "Commander, this will harm the young master." He didn't resist, allowing the guards to bind him.

  ~~~~~~~~~

  When three hundred cavalrymen rushed to the front gate of the peasant army camp, they were at a loss for what to do.

  The gate was wide open and a plank bridge had also been laid across the broad moat.

  Qin Lei concentrated his mind and looked towards the camp, only to see several fine horses galloping out, with the first one being none other than Shen Fu's deputy commander of the guards, the leader of this covert operation - Ma Kui.

  But he didn't see Shi Wei who was always by Ma Kui's side.

  The troops quickly formed up, the cavalry began to charge, and in a short time they would be able to kill.

  Qin Lei suppressed the doubts in his heart, and with a clenched fist behind his back, the knights tightened their grip on the crossbows at their waists, ready to attack at any moment. These crossbows were purchased by Shen Luohua at a high price after Qin Lei deeply felt that his men lacked long-range combat capabilities after the war. They were the standard crossbows of the Qi State's Imperial Guard, and although they couldn't compare to the few on Qin Lei's body, they were better than nothing. Of course, this was just Qin Lei's opinion.

  In the blink of an eye, Ma Kui had already turned over and knelt down in front of Qin Lei, saying urgently: "The situation has changed, please proceed to the camp first, and I will report later."

  Qin Lei looked at Ma Kui kneeling under the horse and forcibly suppressed the discontent in his heart, thinking quickly before finally nodding and saying: "Thanks for your trouble, Big Brother Ma."

  More than 300 riders, with their hands never leaving the reins and their bows, escorted the former companions into the large camp.

  The rope twisted and the plank bridge slowly rose. Several thousand cavalrymen cursed as they reined in their horses, waiting for the baggage camp to come and set up the bridge.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~

  Qin Lei had just entered the village when a dark figure emerged from one side, and the left wing's guards all raised their crossbows. The captain shouted: "Ice box!"

  "That man almost simultaneously shouted: 'Color TV!'"

  The crossbow of the guardsman dipped slightly.

  The man rushed forward and was none other than Hou Xin, the captain of the vanguard scouts. As soon as he saw Ma Kui, he said to Qin Lei: "Your Highness, please capture this beast first!"

  Qin Lei turned his head to look at Ma Kui, seeing that his expression was as usual. He lightly winked at the two guards behind Ma Kui and then pointed at Hou Xin with his index finger slightly bent: "Don't spout nonsense, apologize to the commander quickly."

  Hou Xin saw Qin Lei's secret signal and stopped shouting. He stood under Qin Lei's horse, spoke in a low voice for a few sentences, then turned back to the team. Qin Lei listened, suppressed his anger, pursed his lips tightly, and said to Ma Kui: "Brother Ma, I need an explanation."

  Ma Gui merely asked to have a word with Qin Lei, but Qin Lei shook his head and said loudly, "All those who follow me are my brothers, there is nothing that cannot be spoken in front of them. It's fine for Big Brother Ma to say it here." The guards standing on the side did not change their expressions.

  Ma Ke also found that his former subordinates had changed a lot, the most obvious being that their discipline was much better than before. He smiled wryly and said: "Hehe, Your Highness has made great progress compared to when we were in the capital, so let me report to you."

  To know more details, tune in next time for analysis.