FVN 115. Rectification
115. Rectification
At dawn, Lin Mo arrived at the camp of Li Jing, the border army commander, carrying the evidence he had obtained from the Prince of Zhenbei's residence. The camp was heavily guarded, with several personal guards holding long halberds and vigilantly watching the surroundings.
"Who goes there?" A guard stepped forward to stop him.
Lin Mo took out a token from his robes: "My name is Lin Mo. I have important business to discuss with General Li."
After verifying the token, the guard's expression softened slightly: "The general is currently in a meeting; please wait a moment."
A short while later, a man who looked like a civil official emerged from the tent. He glanced at Lin Mo with a gloomy expression and quickly left. Lin Mo recognized the man as the chief clerk of the Prince of Zhenbei's residence, and his heart tightened.
"Young Master Lin, the general requests your presence." The guard lifted the tent flap.
Inside the tent, Li Jing sat upright in the main seat, his face solemn. He was about forty years old, with a robust build, and his brows exuded the majesty of someone who had been through many battles.
"Lin Mo greets the General." Lin Mo bowed respectfully.
Li Jing nodded slightly: "I heard you have something important to tell me?"
Lin Mo took out the token and secret letter he had found on the black snake: "This is evidence I obtained from the Zhenbei Prince's mansion last night, proving that the Zhenbei Prince colluded with the Inner Guard, intending to lure the grassland allied forces into the pass."
Li Jing took the evidence and examined it carefully. As he read on, his expression grew increasingly grim, until finally he slammed his hand on the table: "That Prince of Zhenbei! How dare he collude with the enemy and betray the country!"
"General, the grassland allied forces plan to launch a general offensive the day after tomorrow. We must prepare in advance," Lin Mo said in a deep voice.
Li Jing stood up and paced around the tent: "This matter is of great importance. This evidence alone is probably insufficient to bring down the Prince of Zhenbei. He has cultivated influence in the border army for many years and has numerous followers..."
"I understand," Lin Mo said. "Therefore, the most urgent task is to purge the traitors from within the border troops and ensure that military power remains firmly in the hands of the general."
Li Jing stopped and looked sharply at Lin Mo: "Do you know which members of the border army are henchmen of the Prince of Zhenbei?"
Lin Mo took out a list from his sleeve: "This is what I've secretly investigated over the past few days. All the people on this list have close ties with the Prince of Zhenbei."
Li Jing took the list, examined it carefully, and his face grew increasingly grim: "Even Deputy General Zhang Wei is his man... No wonder there have been so many strange things happening in the military lately."
Just then, a commotion arose outside the tent. A personal guard rushed in to report: "General, Deputy General Zhang has arrived with men, saying he wants to search for spies!"
Li Jing and Lin Mo exchanged a glance, knowing that this was a counterattack by the Prince of Zhenbei.
"Let them in," Li Jing said in a deep voice.
The tent flap was lifted, and Lieutenant General Zhang Wei stormed in with more than ten personal guards. Zhang Wei was tall and burly, with a fierce expression. Upon entering the tent, he pointed directly at Lin Mo: "General, this man is a spy from the grasslands! I request permission to capture him immediately!"
Li Jing coldly replied, "What makes you say such a thing, Deputy General Zhang?"
Zhang Wei took out a letter: "This is a secret letter I intercepted, proving that this person is colluding with the grassland allied forces!"
Lin Mo sneered inwardly; this was clearly a case of the thief crying "stop thief!"
"Deputy General Zhang," Lin Mo began slowly, "you keep calling me a spy, but dare you tell me, in front of the general, where you went last night?"
Zhang Wei's expression changed slightly: "What do you mean?"
"Last night at midnight, you quietly left the military camp and went to a residence in the west of the city. Do I need to explain who you met and what you said?" Lin Mo's tone was calm, but every word was piercing.
Zhang Wei's expression changed drastically: "You...you were following me?"
"It's not just tracking," Lin Mo said, taking a jade pendant from his pocket. "This is the jade pendant you lost at that mansion, isn't it? It even has your name engraved on it."
Zhang Wei instinctively reached for his waist and, sure enough, found the jade pendant was gone. His face turned deathly pale, and he abruptly drew his sword: "Stop spouting nonsense!"
"Stop!" Li Jing shouted sternly. "Zhang Wei, if you have nothing to hide, why are you so agitated?"
Knowing he'd been exposed, Zhang Wei's eyes flashed with ruthlessness: "Since you've seen through me, don't blame me for being impolite!"
At his command, his personal guards drew their swords and surrounded Li Jing and Lin Mo. Clearly, these were the Prince of Zhenbei's elite henchmen.
"Zhang Wei, how dare you cause trouble in the army!" Li Jing glared angrily.
"You're the ones causing chaos!" Zhang Wei sneered. "Once the grassland allied forces enter the pass, this world will belong to the Prince of Zhenbei and the Third Prince! Those who know what's good for them will surrender obediently, and perhaps they can at least leave with a whole corpse!"
Lin Mo sneered: "You think you can succeed with just these few people?"
Before he could finish speaking, screams suddenly erupted outside the tent. Zhang Wei's expression changed, and he hurriedly lifted the tent flap, only to see that all of his personal guards had fallen to the ground, and the area around the tent was now filled with Li Jing's confidants.
"This...how is this possible?" Zhang Wei exclaimed in disbelief.
Li Jing slowly rose to his feet: "From the moment you entered the military camp, your every move has been under my surveillance. Zhang Wei, you have disappointed me greatly."
Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Zhang Wei suddenly sprang into action, thrusting his longsword straight at Li Jing. Lin Mo was prepared; he flashed forward and stood in front of Li Jing.
With a clang, the two swords clashed. Zhang Wei's martial arts were not weak, and his swordsmanship was ruthless, each move deadly. But Lin Mo's swordsmanship was more exquisite, and after several moves, he had already gained the upper hand.
"Zhang Wei, put down your weapon, and I might spare your life." Lin Mo pointed the tip of his sword at Zhang Wei's throat.
Zhang Wei laughed wildly: "The victor is king, the loser is villain; why bother with further words!"
He suddenly took out a pill from his pocket and swallowed it. Instantly, his aura surged, and his eyes turned bloodshot. This was some kind of secret medicine that stimulated potential, instantly increasing his martial arts skills several times over.
"Watch out!" Li Jing exclaimed.
Zhang Wei pounced like a mad tiger, his swordsmanship becoming incredibly unpredictable. Lin Mo retreated repeatedly, narrowly escaping being stabbed.
"Since you're so stubborn, don't blame me." Lin Mo's eyes turned cold, and his swordsmanship suddenly changed.
He unleashed his self-created "Illusion-Breaking Sword Technique" once more, the sword light flashing like lightning, directly targeting the flaws in Zhang Wei's moves. Although Zhang Wei had taken the secret medicine and his martial arts had greatly increased, the flaws in his moves had become even more obvious.
With a "whoosh," Lin Mo's sword tip pierced Zhang Wei's shoulder blade. Zhang Wei screamed in pain as the sword slipped from his hand.
"Tell me, who else in the border army is a henchman of the Prince of Zhenbei?" Lin Mo pressed the tip of his sword against Zhang Wei's throat.
Zhang Wei grinned maliciously: "You'll never know..."
He suddenly bit open the poison sac in his mouth, and died bleeding from all seven orifices.
Li Jing sighed, "He's a real man, but unfortunately he's taken the wrong path."
Lin Mo sheathed his sword: "General, although Zhang Wei is dead, the traitors within the border troops have not yet been completely eliminated. We must act as soon as possible."
Li Jing nodded: "Pass down the order: immediately assemble the troops and arrest the Prince of Zhenbei's henchmen according to the list!"
...
Over the next half day, a silent purge was carried out within the border army. Following the list provided by Lin Mo, Li Jing dispatched his trusted men to arrest the Prince of Zhenbei's henchmen one by one. Most were unable to deny the evidence, and the few who resisted were quickly subdued.
By evening, the traitors within the border army had been largely eliminated. Li Jing ordered heightened vigilance and deployed a large force outside Yanmen Pass to prepare for an attack on the allied forces from the grasslands.
Inside the tent, Li Jing personally poured Lin Mo a cup of wine: "Young Master Lin, we owe you a great debt this time; otherwise, the border would have been in grave danger."
Lin Mo raised his cup: "General, you flatter me. Defending our homeland is the responsibility of every citizen of the Song Dynasty."
Li Jing sighed, "I never imagined that the Prince of Zhenbei, a member of the imperial family, would commit such a treasonous act of collusion with the enemy. What's even more terrifying is that the Imperial Guards were also implicated..."
"The situation in the court is complex, which is why I'm conducting this investigation in secret," Lin Mo said. "However, the most urgent task is to deal with the attack from the steppe allied forces."
Li Jing nodded: "I have made all the arrangements. However... I have a favor to ask."
"Please speak, General."
"I hope you can stay in the army for the time being and assist me in dealing with the upcoming battles," Li Jing said sincerely. "With a master like you by my side, our army's chances of victory will be much greater."
Lin Mo pondered for a moment, then said, "It is my duty. However, after this matter is over, I request that the General support the Crown Prince's orphan in regaining control of the court."
Li Jing's expression turned solemn: "The Crown Prince is benevolent; if he were to ascend the throne, it would truly be a blessing for the Song Dynasty. I, Li Jing, hereby swear that I will do everything in my power to assist the Crown Prince's orphaned son!"
The two men raised their glasses and clinked them together, forging an important alliance. Outside the window, the sun was setting, and the evening breeze from the border region fluttered the military flags; a great battle was about to begin.