Chapter 618: Autumn Wind Sweeps the Fallen Leaves

Although the military garrison system was established when the Ming Dynasty was founded, it began to weaken starting from the Yongle era due to the creation of the three major camps in the capital. These camps drew the most capable troops from the capital garrisons and local garrisons, while the local armies gradually recruited eligible young soldiers from various garrisons as reserves. As a result, the troops in these garrisons were no longer as well-organized as before. During the three northern expeditions, the soldiers conscripted from various garrisons were not assigned based on region but were scattered among various noble commanders. Thus, even the capital garrisons lagged far behind the imperial troops in terms of training, equipment, and other aspects.

The Tongzhou Garrison, ranked lowest among the top ten capital garrisons, was even worse off. Although Mo Yong was a deputy commander with ten years of military experience, he was merely a hereditary official. He was too young to join the first two northern expeditions, and last year, the Tongzhou Garrison was not included in the conscription, leaving him with no chance to fight in battle.

Upon meeting his colleagues who had gone hunting in the forest, he mentioned his plan to challenge Zhang Chao, which naturally stirred up a sense of shared anger among them. They thought they had all the advantages—favorable weather, strategic location, and unity—so they were sure they could give Zhang Chao a thorough beating. Although the eldest son of the Marquis of Yangwu was formidable, many of them had relatives from noble families, so they weren’t afraid of facing him in a duel. Somehow, either encouraged by someone or acting recklessly, two men climbed a tree, claiming to shoot arrows to scare people, while the rest hid in ambush.

Yet not only did those two men on the tree miss their shots, but what followed was an even greater nightmare. It was summer, so the trees in the forest were lush, and even during the day, sunlight only filtered through the leaves in patches. By night, the forest was completely dark. Though they were all energetic young men, after those two on the tree signaled that their arrows had missed, some of them grew uneasy in the silence broken only by the chirping of birds and insects. In the northeast part of the forest, a young officer took out flint he carried, struck it twice, and lit a piece of paper. Before he could fully assess his surroundings, he felt a severe pain at the back of his head. The unlit paper dropped to the ground, and he collapsed after letting out a cry of shock.

This is just the beginning. With most of the enemy forces scattered and lying in ambush in the forest, all that could be heard now were muffled groans, cries of pain, and howls that sent chills down the spines of the survivors. At first, Mo Yong had two of his most trusted subordinates by his side, but in such a dark and dangerous environment, he didn’t dare stay put. After stumbling along for a while, he lost his direction and got separated from them.

“Ah!”

Hearing this extremely familiar voice, Mo Yong became even more terrified and instinctively quickened his pace. Yet, the dark forest was full of tripping hazards. He stumbled and fell, then tumbled forward several times before coming to a stop, dizzy. Before he could recover, something cold was pressed against his neck.

Zhang Chao was different from Zhang Yue—he hadn’t spent much time with their master back then. The man who was sent to teach him and Zhang Qi martial arts was also a trusted general under Duke of Yingguo, Zhang Fu. But since the two brothers already had a solid foundation, Zhang Fu soon sent them away with two other generals to suppress rebellions in Jiaozhi. By now, they had both become thousand-household officers. So, although he knew Peng Shisan was highly skilled and bold, he still couldn’t help but marvel when he saw this guy dragging people out of the forest one after another.

“There are many forests in Annam, and those natives often appear out of nowhere. Back then, I led a group of carefully selected warriors, and our task was to protect Duke of Yingguo at all times—we had to navigate forests far more terrifying than this!”

Peng Shisan ordered Niu Gan and Zhang Bu to drag all the captives together, then clapped his hands and said, “When fighting in the forest, the most important thing is direction. Fortunately, I have a keen sense of smell, and through practice, I’ve become even faster than the locals at navigating forests. The second most important thing is dealing with poisonous insects and fierce beasts. Thankfully, I have medicines to ward off miasma. I was born bold, so I ended up taking the lead in battles. So, few people in the forest can match me, let alone these insignificant guys.”

Hearing Peng Shisan’s words, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but laugh—it seemed like autumn winds sweeping away fallen leaves. Niu Gan and Zhang Bu, standing by, looked at him with admiration. They had spent months fleeing across the grasslands and another month or so on the border, giving them extensive experience in the wild. Yet compared to what Peng Shisan had accomplished, they still fell far short. Now, following Zhang Chao’s instructions, they dragged Mo Yong over, fearing he might play tricks, so they held him at the center.

“Zhang Chao, we agreed on a fair fight—how dare you use tricks!”

Although it had been a long time since he last tried this kind of tactics in the forest, and he had achieved a great victory tonight, Peng Shisan, drenched in sweat, was naturally in a terrible mood. He cursed right away, “What honesty? How many men are lurking in this forest of yours? It’s obvious you can’t beat them, so you try to win by outnumbering them. How dare you put on a good face? Real men don’t even have any shame left!”
Zhang Yue didn’t care whether these people were despicable or shameless. Seeing Mo Yong’s face turn red, he stopped Peng Shisan, who was about to curse again, and asked, “I don’t care if you’re fighting openly or lying in ambush to outnumber your opponents. I just want to know—who shot the arrow just now?”
“Why should I tell you…”
“If what happened just now gets out, not only will you all lose your military positions, but your future as well!” Zhang Yue crouched down. Seeing that the men who had been disarmed and tied with straw ropes were slowly coming to their senses, he said slowly, “According to imperial laws, those who kill out of personal grudges in the army will have their heads cut off as punishment, while their accomplices will be beaten and exiled for three thousand miles. If someone is seriously injured due to personal grudges, the penalties vary. Don’t you know what the consequences of shooting arrows recklessly are?”
Having spent so many years in the bureaucracy, he had mastered the art of speaking in an official tone. He knew the Ming laws by heart.
Mo Yong was stunned for a moment before quickly realizing the situation. Though this was a lesson, as long as things didn’t get out of control, Zhang Chao wouldn’t reveal anything. But if anyone got hurt or killed… he wasn’t like those officers with powerful relatives backing them; he definitely couldn’t withstand investigation or revenge! Shaken, he glanced at his companions before hearing the man in front of him speak again.
“Also, I can tell you one more thing—I’m Zhang Yue!”
The group of men on the ground, though bruised and swollen, had now all come to their senses. Hearing this, they were in an uproar. Mo Yong, facing Zhang Yue, saw that he was calmly studying him and felt uneasy. He forced himself to say, “So you’re here to avenge Zhang Chao! Even though you’re now very powerful, there are rules in the army. If what happened today gets out, in the future, Zhang Chao…”

“What will happen to Zhang Chao from now on?” Zhang Yue grabbed Mo Yong by the collar in one swift motion and said slowly, word by word, “Today, there were over a dozen of you, and how many are there of us? We were ambushed by those who set the trap. If this gets out, aside from the charges that will be laid, will it still be my elder brother who loses face? If I really intended to avenge Zhang Chao, based on what happened tonight, do you still think you can stay in the military camp? Everyone says I’m blocking your way and getting in your way, and they also say I’m going to Wala to avoid trouble… Very good! So if I really go to Wala and send you with me to earn merits, I guarantee you won’t be left out of any of them. Who wants to go?”
Zhang Yue suddenly raised his voice. Seeing Mo Yong’s face freeze, he released his grip and stood up. “You all act as if it’s true, without even using your brains! Although military officers are different from civil officials, they are still pillars of the country. Even our Zhang family started because of military achievements. If it weren’t for our ancestors who fought bravely on the battlefield for generations, how could we have such a peaceful era now? What’s wrong with hereditary positions? Even official positions are earned through hard work and bloodshed! But look at yourselves right now… Poor martial skills may be due to lack of talent, but they can be improved through hard practice. But if you’re as useless in fighting as you are now, how can you expect to earn merits on the battlefield?”
The crowd was stunned by Zhang Yue’s scolding. Although there was no legitimate heir here who could inherit a title, the elders in their families usually imposed strict discipline, and they weren’t all fools. Some were angry, while others realized the truth. Even if they didn’t agree verbally, let alone in their hearts, they were too scared after being attacked suddenly and fell silent. Zhang Yue knew he couldn’t dispel their hostility with just a few words. Seeing that it was likely too late to return to the city with the gates already closed, he gave Zhang Chao a signal.
“Elder brother, it’s getting late. I’ll find an inn in Tongzhou to spend the night. You and the others go back to the camp. Military rules are clear—if we’re caught, it’ll be troublesome. We’re brothers, and I won’t even say thank you, but don’t forget there’s still my sister-in-law and my two nieces and nephews at home!”
After saying that, Zhang Yue didn’t even look at the group on the ground. He nodded at Zhang Chao and mounted his horse. Seeing Peng Shisan and the others follow, he raised his whip to set off, but then heard a voice behind him.
“Don’t you want to know who shot the arrow? As long as you promise not to send us with you to Wala, I’ll tell you!”

Unexpectingly, he heard such a stupid remark just before leaving, so Zhang Yue immediately turned his head in surprise. Seeing Mo Yong already standing up and staring at him intently, as well as the people on the ground nearby struggling to get up, he said irritably, “Unless you’re ten times stronger than you are now, you won’t be able to pass even the bandit problem once you reach the grasslands. That’s not the Central Plains—there are no laws. Even if I really went to that hellhole, I wouldn’t take a bunch of people there to die! As for who shot the arrow, I’m not interested anymore!”
What a joke—wouldn’t the arrows these people use for hunting have marks on them? It would be easy to find those two fools!