Chapter 126: The Barbarian Cavalry Strikes, Zhang Yuzhu Is Captured!

Most men keep their most cherished possessions in their studies, and it was clear that the study of Liu Yun, master of the Liu residence, was located right here in the middle courtyard.

Even more alarming was the fact that Zhang Kewang’s men had breached the rear courtyard defenses, but rather than plundering the charming young ladies of Liu Yun’s inner chambers, they had seized Liu Yun himself. Was there any need to ask what they were after? They were undoubtedly gunning for the erotic paintings!

Even for someone like Li Yuanjing, and despite the fact that it was the dead of winter, cold sweat began to bead on his forehead. Pulling chestnuts from the fire was never that simple. Could he really expect Liu Yun not to betray him? The only thing Li Yuanjing could hope for now was that neither Liu Yun nor the members of the Incense Sect led by Zhang Kewang knew what the "sacred object" truly was. Of course, the more pressing concern was how to deal with Zhang Yuzhu and quickly bring the situation under control.

"Subordinate Wang Hongliang reports to you, sir, and to General Zhang! My apologies for arriving late; please punish me!"

Just then, an officer leading over a hundred fresh reinforcements hurried over, bowing respectfully to Li Yuanjing and Zhang Yuzhu. This was Wang Hongliang, the deputy chiliarch whom Zhang Zhiji was preparing to employ but had not yet granted a formal post. Seeing Wang arrive, Zhang Yuzhu was delighted and barked, "Deputy Chiliarch Wang, enough talk! The rebels are fierce; have your men prepare for an assault immediately. We must take the middle courtyard as soon as possible!"

"Yes!" Wang Hongliang, not daring to defy the orders of a guerrilla general like Zhang Yuzhu, immediately began organizing his new recruits for a forceful assault.

"Wait!" Li Yuanjing suddenly shouted, drawing the attention of Zhang Yuzhu, Wang Hongliang, and the others.

Though the time had been too short for Li Yuanjing to discern for certain whether Zhang Yuzhu and Wang Hongliang were in league with the enemy, he knew Wang Hongliang’s background all too well. This fellow was absolutely colluding with the Incense Sect! Regardless of the nature of that collusion, with Zhang Zhiji arriving soon, how could Li Yuanjing allow the men of Zhang Yuzhu and Wang Hongliang to remain gathered here? If things spiraled out of control, it would be a catastrophe.

Li Yuanjing quickly stepped to Zhang Yuzhu’s side and whispered, "General Zhang, Deputy Chiliarch Wang’s men are merely city defense troops; what combat capability do they have? Sending them in now is just sending them to their deaths. Enough people have died today; we must leave ourselves some room to maneuver. Why not order them to guard the road junctions instead? We can wait for the young duke to arrive before making any final decisions."

"This..." Zhang Yuzhu’s eyes darted around, hesitant. His intention in having Wang Hongliang lead the attack had been malicious from the start; he intended to use those city defense soldiers as cannon fodder to stabilize the situation and buy time for Zhang Kewang and his cohorts inside. However, Li Yuanjing’s reasoning was sound. After all, though he had agreed to help the Incense Sect, he was a hereditary servant of the Duke of England’s Zhang family and still possessed a sense of pride. How could he willingly let the Incense Sect dictate his actions if he had a choice?

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Yuzhu leaned toward Li Yuanjing’s suggestion and said quietly, "Then we shall do as you say, sir." He promptly signaled for Wang Hongliang to guard the perimeter instead.

This caught Wang Hongliang off guard. Even though he knew Li Yuanjing held great weight with Zhang Zhiji, he never expected someone as formidable as Zhang Yuzhu to be so deferential to him. He bowed deeply to Li Yuanjing and hurriedly led his men to withdraw. Watching Wang Hongliang come and go in such a rush, Li Yuanjing kept his expression calm while exhaling a long, silent sigh of relief. He could no longer worry about what was happening inside the middle courtyard; he had to prioritize stabilizing the big picture. With his current influence, he could still find a way to clear his name later, but if the situation collapsed and Zhang Zhiji fell, there would be nothing left to salvage.

...

"Make way! Make way!"

Soon, another commotion erupted outside. Led by Zhang Wuwei, several stocky, elite men charged in, followed by a large contingent of fully armed government troops. Zhang Zhiji was not visible at the front, but Li Yuanjing quickly spotted a young man dressed as a personal guard standing near Zhang Wuwei, winking at him. It was Zhang Zhiji himself.

Li Yuanjing felt a weight lift from his chest. As long as Zhang Zhiji was here, the situation was salvageable and much easier to manage. He signaled Zhang Wuwei to keep an eye on Zhang Yuzhu, then hurried to Zhang Zhiji’s side to ensure his safety.

Zhang Zhiji grinned, "Sir, why should I fear anything in this disguise? See? I’m wearing three layers of armor today!"

Zhang Yuzhu, who had been watching Li Yuanjing and the new arrival with caution, felt relieved upon seeing Zhang Zhiji and hurriedly began to report to him. Seeing that Zhang Yuzhu’s attention was diverted, Li Yuanjing whispered a few coded words to Zhang Zhiji.

Even Zhang Zhiji was stunned, his body trembling slightly, but having undergone significant training, he quickly reacted. He shot a look at Li Yuanjing and bellowed, "These dog-cursed remnants of the Incense Sect are truly intolerable! Zhang Yuzhu, you useless wretch, how the hell have you been handling things?!"

As Zhang Zhiji spoke, Li Yuanjing signaled the Yi Ding cavalry to spread out and secure the perimeter. Zhang Yuzhu was startled, not daring to slack, and rushed over to bow, "Young Duke, please calm your anger. It is entirely my incompetence. However, I have already surrounded these remnants of the Incense Sect; it won't be long before they are captured."

While Zhang Yuzhu was speaking, Li Yuanjing exchanged several glances with Zhang Wuwei. Though Zhang Wuwei found the turn of events strange, he saw the signal from Zhang Zhiji as Zhang Yuzhu lowered his head. Zhang Wuwei quickly composed himself.

Zhang Zhiji paced about, furious, "Zhang Yuzhu, why haven't you knelt yet?! I will give you one more hour. If you cannot take down these remnants of the Incense Sect by then, I will hold you personally accountable!"

"Yes!" Zhang Yuzhu, unable to process the rapid changes, immediately knelt on one knee in respect.

"Do it!" Li Yuanjing roared the moment his knee hit the ground.

Zhang Wuwei pounced like a tiger, tackling the armored and kneeling Zhang Yuzhu to the ground and pinning him firmly. Despite Zhang Yuzhu’s heavy armor, which left only his neck exposed, the weight of the steel became his undoing under Zhang Wuwei’s crushing force. He shrieked in shock and terror, "Zhang Wuwei, you madman, what are you doing? Are you trying to rebel? Young Duke, I have served the Duke of England’s household for twenty years! How can you treat me like this? You will chill the hearts of all our brothers..."

"Plug his dog mouth!" Li Yuanjing ordered.

A nearby cavalryman rushed forward, stripped off a sock, and stuffed it into Zhang Yuzhu’s mouth. Zhang Yuzhu’s eyes widened in horror, his muffled protests turning into incoherent wails. Li Yuanjing signaled Zhang Zhiji, who understood immediately and barked, "Zhang Yuzhu has conspired with the Incense Sect in an attempt to rebel! You are all servants of the Zhang family; if you repent now, I, Zhang Zhiji, will let bygones be bygones! But if anyone dares to harbor two hearts, do not blame me for being ruthless—I will wipe out your entire clan!"

"This subordinate is willing to follow the Young Duke's lead!"
"We are all willing to follow the Young Duke's lead..."

Seeing Zhang Yuzhu subdued, who dared to resist? They all knelt, swearing their loyalty to Zhang Zhiji. The cavalry nearby also quickly secured Zhang Yuzhu’s dozen or so trusted personal guards.

With the situation settled, Zhang Zhiji felt a sense of relief and whispered to Li Yuanjing, "Sir, the situation is now under our control. What should we do next?"

Li Yuanjing had already devised a plan, but he paused for a moment before replying, "Young Duke, I have a strategy that can quickly eradicate the Incense Sect’s influence, but it will involve significant bloodshed. I have yet to fully resolve myself to it..."