Dragon Head Palace.
The Dragon Head Palace, protected by tens of thousands of imperial guards, was eerily silent.
Dai Quan cautiously stood by the side of the retired emperor.
The old emperor, with his white hair and frail appearance, spoke in a weak voice, "How is the war going?"
"Your Majesty, under the command of Minister of War Niu, the Mongols have been unable to breach the city walls.
Reinforcements from various provinces have also arrived outside the capital. The general of the Shandong garrison, who was stationed against Japanese pirates, has sent a messenger here. He is waiting for your summons."
The retired emperor leaned against the headboard, "Is there any news from the Jiangnan Camp?"
Dai Quan said, "The Eighth Prince arrived in Jinling half a month ago. Led by him, the Jiangnan Army has been marching north.
They should reach Tongzhou in five days at most."
The retired emperor nodded approvingly, "That boy still knows the difference between priorities.
How is the Fourth one doing?"
The Fourth, the newly-crowned Emperor.
"The Fourth Prince has been busy allocating supplies and assisting Minister Niu in repelling the Mongols." Dai Quan paused and continued, "The Fourth Prince's personal eunuch, Liu Zhong, has received eight hundred sets of heavy armor and matching weapons from the Imperial Treasury."
"Eight hundred sets of heavy armor?"
The retired emperor became serious upon hearing this, "What are they for?"
Dai Quan immediately replied, "These weapons and armor were given to a thousand-man commander named Jia Yu.
I sent people to investigate and found out that Jia Yu is actually the illegitimate son of the General Shenwei, Jia She."
"Jia She's illegitimate son!" The retired emperor sounded like a hungry tiger, "Is Jia She planning to defect to the Fourth?"
Jia She, his father was the Duke of Rong, Jia Daishan, and his grandfather was also the Duke of Rong.
He himself was the Emperor's companion during his time as Crown Prince.
It's only been a few decades since Jia Daishan passed away. Most of the commanders in the Imperial Army were trained by him.
Thinking about this, the retired emperor's expression grew even gloomier.
Dai Quan knew the retired emperor was thinking the wrong way, and quickly explained, "Your Majesty, this matter might not be related to the Jia family."
"Oh?" The retired emperor closed his eyes and listened intently.
Dai Quan explained, "Although Jia Yu is the illegitimate son of the Marquis Jia En, they have only met once since his birth. It was when the Fourth Prince recruited descendants of noble military families to defend the capital."
"The Jia family treated Jia Yu as a sacrificial pawn, but they didn't expect his extraordinary martial prowess.
When the Guangning Gate was blown open by explosives, he led his soldiers to block the gate, killing so many Mongols that they dared not approach.
Later that night, he led forty-two soldiers to launch a surprise attack on a Mongolian camp of four to five thousand men."
"He beheaded the Mongolian Wanhu, captured their banner, seized over three thousand horses, and the number of Mongolian heads brought back was nearly seven hundred."
"Therefore, he was promoted to a thousand-man commander by the Fourth Prince. Three days ago, a section of the city wall between the Xizhi Gate and the Xibian Gate was blown up by a group of Jurchen merchants.
Jia Yu was on his way to reinforce Xizhi Gate when he heard the commotion. He rushed to the scene, killing all the guards of the Jurchen merchants and even pushed back the Mongols who had entered the city by over two hundred meters."
"According to scouts, there were about a hundred Mongols who died at the hands of Jia Yu during that battle. Wherever his horse lance went, the Mongols dared not fight him."
"For the past three days, the Mongols have tried to enter the city through the breach, but they have been repelled by Jia Yu.
Because of his bravery, many warriors in the capital want to join his ranks.
Liu Zhong also used this opportunity to help him replenish his troops and equipment to a thousand men."
Dai Quan explained the whole situation in one breath.
The retired emperor frowned, "What are the Jia family's plans for such a person?"
Dai Quan smiled, "On the Jia family's side, Marquis Jia En is immersed in women every day, while Jia Zheng spends most of his time discussing scriptures with a bunch of old scholars.
However, the descendants of the two Dukes' personal soldiers all want to join Jia Yu's ranks. Currently, out of the thousand men under his command, six hundred are descendants of the two Dukes' personal soldiers.
The remaining four hundred are recruited by Liu Zhong."
"A eunuch helping Jia Yu recruit soldiers?" The retired emperor asked curiously.
Dai Quan's expression was somewhat strange, "According to the information we have gathered, Jia Yu is somewhat unusual. He charges into battle at the forefront and stays at the rear when retreating, always able to pinpoint the enemy's weaknesses.
But in everyday life, he is easy to offend. He speaks his mind and doesn't know how to sugarcoat things.
When he was discussing a plan with the commander of the Three Thousand Camp to launch a surprise attack on the Mongols, he directly ordered the commander to hand over command to him.
The Minister of War's assistant, Gu Yuan, said that he was just a young man with brute strength and no knowledge of warfare."
"Jia Yu retorted directly, saying that Minister of War's assistant Gu Yuan was just a scholar who could only talk, and couldn't even lift his lance.
Gu Yuan was enraged and they got into a fight. Gu Yuan was captured by Jia Yu with one hand."
"Gu Yuan, I remember he practiced martial arts too." The retired emperor was a bit amused, "Is Jia Yu that strong? Gu Yuan couldn't even handle his weapon?"
The plan to attack the Mongols was initiated by the Fourth Prince, the current Emperor.
When the Mongols retreated, they would use cavalry to launch a surprise attack, cutting off the Mongol army, while the surrounding troops would encircle them.
Seeing that the retired emperor was in a better mood, Dai Quan smiled, "Liu Zhong took a horse lance from the Imperial Treasury. It was crafted by the Great Ancestor for the Duke of Rong.
Unfortunately, the lance was just finished when the Duke of Rong passed away.
It has been kept in the Imperial Treasury ever since."
Dai Quan glanced at the retired emperor's expression, "He also took the silver-white armor that was made at great expense back then."
The Duke of Ning and the Duke of Rong, both were trusted aides of the founding emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
The Duke of Ning's achievements were slightly less than the Duke of Rong.
The Duke of Rong was considered the most powerful warrior in the land at the time. His martial prowess was feared by all.
While the Duke of Ning's martial prowess was not as strong as the Duke of Rong, he was a brilliant commander.
They were brothers and together, they kept their enemies at bay.
"No wonder the Fourth is willing to invest so much in him." The retired emperor muttered, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.
After a moment of silence, the retired emperor said, "Tell the Eighth to hurry up and come to the capital, time is of the essence.
Approve the Fourth's plan. Let the commander of the Three Thousand Camp cooperate with Jia Yu.
The Imperial Army should also participate in the operation."
"Tell the Eighth Prince to bring the Jiangnan Camp directly to the palace... cough cough..."
...