Having spoken his piece, Ma Zhenling stopped and looked intently at his granddaughter. Liang Wanyu stared back, trying to process his words.
"Wanyu, do you not understand what Grandpa is saying?" Ma Zhenling asked gently.
"Grandpa... are you saying you want me to get close to Hu Hao so that he will protect the younger generation of our family?" Liang Wanyu asked, seeking clarity.
"Precisely. If the day comes when the Empire truly falls, I want Hu Hao to know that the Ma clan's youth are fighting on the front lines, and I hope he will extend his protection to them," Ma Zhenling nodded, his tone grave.
"And... there's no other motive?" Liang Wanyu pressed.
"What other motive could I possibly have? Do you think I harbor delusions of bringing him into the Ma clan as a subordinate? Ha!" Ma Zhenling chuckled dryly, resuming their walk.
"I wanted to bring him into our fold. But... I missed the perfect opportunity. Back when Jiang Kai and the Grand Marshal were at each other's throats, if I had publicly thrown the Ma clan's support behind Jiang Kai, Hu Hao might have become indebted to us.
"But back then, Hu Hao was a nobody. No one paid him any attention. And I certainly never imagined His Majesty would bypass the entire military hierarchy to hand a mere Colonel command of a Group Army! Seven full corps!
"And make no mistake, Hu Hao will have the absolute final say on who commands those seven corps! It's a pity. We missed a golden opportunity. And it's not just me; many senior generals at High Command are currently lamenting the exact same oversight. The only one laughing right now is Jiang Kai, the Commander of the Southwest Combat Zone.
"Jiang Kai is incredibly lucky to have secured such a subordinate. If Hu Hao continues winning battles, who would dare move against Jiang Kai? Not even the Grand Marshal! Even if His Majesty eventually wants to replace him, he'll have to carefully consider Hu Hao's reaction!
"Right now, it's the Crown Prince maintaining contact with Hu Hao, but do you think Jiang Kai isn't in touch with him as well? Jiang Kai is the one who single-handedly promoted Hu Hao from obscurity! Tell me, do you think Hu Hao feels closer to the Crown Prince or to Jiang Kai?
"Yes, Hu Hao is technically the Crown Prince's student, but the Crown Prince has countless students. Before this crisis, he barely spared Hu Hao a glance. Now that Hu Hao wields immense power, the Crown Prince is suddenly eager to play the mentor. Will Hu Hao simply accept that? It's highly doubtful! So, I say again, Jiang Kai hit the jackpot!" Ma Zhenling analyzed the complex political web surrounding Hu Hao.
"Then... will Jiang Kai be transferred to the Imperial Capital to serve as the new Grand Marshal?" Liang Wanyu asked, following her grandfather's logic.
"Not in the coming months. The central front desperately needs Jiang Kai. If someone else could hold the line there, he would undoubtedly be brought to the capital. But I suspect Jiang Kai himself will refuse the transfer.
"Honestly, the current Grand Marshal lacks strategic vision. When His Majesty first promoted Jiang Kai, Tang Long panicked, assuming Jiang Kai was being groomed to replace him. What he failed to realize is that while the position of Grand Marshal holds more formal authority, the fate of the Empire rests on the front lines! His Majesty would never carelessly pull his best frontline commander back to play politics in the capital!
"It took me a while to see the full picture myself. Sigh. A pity," Ma Zhenling concluded, shaking his head.
"So, Grandpa... you truly don't oppose me pursuing a relationship with Hu Hao?" Liang Wanyu asked carefully. After all, Hu Hao was a newly risen general with no political backing and absolutely no aristocratic pedigree.
"Ha! My dear girl, you've had your eye on him for a while now, haven't you?" Ma Zhenling teased with a knowing smile.
"I have not! And besides, who knows if he'd even look twice at me now!" Liang Wanyu protested, blushing deeply.
"Oh? Didn't he chase you relentlessly for years at the academy?" Ma Zhenling chuckled.
"He did. But... Hu Hao has changed. He's changed drastically. Sigh. He told me himself: the battlefield changes a man. So, I honestly don't know if he still feels the same way about me.
"Grandpa, I won't lie to you. When we were at the academy, I truly didn't think much of him. I thought he was foolish. With so many aristocratic scions vying for my attention, he had to know how powerful my family background was. Yet, he still foolishly pursued me, even taking beatings from Zhang Liangqiang over it!
"But when I went to Nanlin City... I realized he is the truest man I've ever met. Leading his troops from the front, fighting in the trenches... the absolute reverence those soldiers have for him is incredible! Even veteran regimental and division commanders hang on his every word!
"He even dared to curse out Jiang Kai to his face over the comms! He called Jiang Kai a coward and a piece of trash for hesitating! He literally bullied his Combat Zone Commander into authorizing the counter-offensive! That's the real reason behind the 'Great Victory at Nanlin.' Hu Hao orchestrated the entire thing. He stood right in front of me, screaming into the phone that missing such a perfect opportunity was criminal incompetence!" Liang Wanyu recounted, her eyes shining as she remembered the sheer force of Hu Hao's personality.
"Oh? He actually did that?" Ma Zhenling stopped walking, genuinely shocked.
"He did. I saw it and heard it with my own eyes and ears. I even tried to stop him, telling him he couldn't speak to his commanding officer like that. Do you know what he said? He said: 'When you've crawled out of a pile of corpses, what is there left to fear? We're on the front lines; we could die at any moment. There's no room for polite politics!'" Liang Wanyu nodded emphatically.
"No wonder Jiang Kai listed Hu Hao as the primary architect of the Nanlin victory. And based on your account, Hu Hao's grasp of the grand strategic picture is truly terrifying. He is a generational talent. Hearing this only makes my regrets deeper!" Ma Zhenling sighed, shaking his head.
"He's incredible. Even Jiang Kai consults him on every major decision now. Jiang Kai values him above all others. I truly believe that even if you tried to promote Hu Hao now, he would still remain loyal to Jiang Kai," Liang Wanyu added. Ma Zhenling nodded in silent agreement.
"Well then. Your task is to cultivate your relationship with him. Stay in close contact!" Ma Zhenling smiled encouragingly.
"How am I supposed to do that?! He's commanding troops on the front lines! Standard communications are down or insecure. I need a secure military satellite phone, and as a mere Major in the logistics department, I have absolutely no clearance for one!" Liang Wanyu pointed out the logistical hurdle.
"Ha! Grandpa will arrange one for you tomorrow!" Ma Zhenling promised immediately.
"Really?! Thank you, Grandpa!" Liang Wanyu beamed, thrilled by the unexpected support.
"No need to thank me. I genuinely hope you two end up together. If the opportunity arises, I will personally arrange for you to be transferred to his headquarters! Sigh," Ma Zhenling said, his smile fading into a melancholic sigh.
"Grandpa?" Liang Wanyu looked at him, concerned by the sudden shift in mood.
"War is infinitely crueler to women. Husbands and sons die on the battlefield, but if the women fall into enemy hands... their fate is a living hell. I harbor deep fears that the Imperial Capital will eventually fall. Therefore, sending you to Hu Hao's side might be the only way to ensure your safety," Ma Zhenling revealed his darkest fear.
"Ah?!" Liang Wanyu gasped, staring at him in horror.
"If Hu Hao manages to stabilize his sector and secure a foothold, it won't just be you. Your unmarried sisters, your younger brothers... I will send them all to him!
"Lately, I've spent countless sleepless nights pondering: if the Empire's lines break, who is the one General capable of fighting to the bitter end? I mentally reviewed every single commander capable of independent operations. My conclusion is only Hu Hao!
"Only him possesses the brilliance and the ruthlessness to survive the coming storm!" Ma Zhenling stated with absolute conviction as they resumed their walk. Liang Wanyu remained silent, the weight of his words settling heavily upon her.
"Keep in close contact with him. Furthermore, ask him if he needs any logistical or political support. Anything you can facilitate for him, do it! If it's beyond your clearance, come to me. I need to demonstrate value to Hu Hao. I need to invest in him now, so that when the time comes, he will be willing to shelter our family's youth.
"And Wanyu, listen to me carefully. When you interact with him, I explicitly forbid you from entangling him in any political or financial schemes. You are to interact with him purely, honestly, and solely for the purpose of securing that singular promise of protection for our youth. Nothing else! I will never ask you to leverage your relationship to force him into serving the Ma clan's broader interests!
"If you tried, he would instantly see through it and despise you for it. He is far too intelligent. One wrong word, and he'll deduce the entire plot!
"Therefore, I promise you: I will never ask you to demand anything of Hu Hao, save for the sanctuary of your brothers and sisters." Ma Zhenling set the ground rules firmly.
"Ah... thank you, Grandpa!" Liang Wanyu breathed a sigh of relief, deeply touched. That had been her greatest fear—being used as a political pawn to manipulate the man she loved.
"One final thing. You must not tell anyone that you have a direct, secure line to Hu Hao! Not a soul! If you do... and if Hu Hao truly manages to carve out a secure territory... you will be besieged by every aristocratic family in the capital! When they can't reach him directly, they will swarm you, begging for favors and sanctuary!" Ma Zhenling warned her sternly.
"Why would they do that?" Liang Wanyu asked, still somewhat naive to the desperation of the capital's elites.
"Ha! If Hu Hao secures a territory, what does that signify? It signifies he possesses the power of a Grand Marshal! It means he holds the only safe haven in a dying Empire! Tell me, which aristocratic patriarch wouldn't sacrifice everything to secure a place there for their descendants?
"I've even heard whispers that His Majesty intends to send the younger Imperial Princes and Princesses to Hu Hao's headquarters. The official excuse will be 'military observation and training,' but the reality is sanctuary. If the capital is threatened, His Majesty will order the Crown Prince to flee to Hu Hao's protection with the royal children!" Ma Zhenling revealed the shocking rumors circulating at the highest levels.
"Ah?! Is the Empire truly in that much danger?!" Liang Wanyu asked, her voice trembling.
"If not for the arrival of the rainy season... the Empire would have fallen within two months. The rains haven't saved us; they've merely delayed our execution. Now, tell me, is it serious?" Ma Zhenling stopped and looked her dead in the eye.
"What?!" Liang Wanyu was entirely paralyzed by the sheer magnitude of the impending catastrophe.
"Therefore, you breathe a word of this to no one. When the time comes, you may bring your maternal uncle's children with you to Hu Hao's sanctuary, but you cannot speak of it beforehand. At most, you may inform your Eldest Uncle. No one else! Do you understand?!" Ma Zhenling reiterated the absolute necessity for secrecy.
"Yes! I understand!" Liang Wanyu nodded frantically.
"Good. Let's head back inside. Your brothers are likely starving by now!" Ma Zhenling smiled, patting her hand.
…
Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometers away in the Jinhe City sector, the brutal reality of the war Ma Zhenling feared was playing out in real-time. Hu Hao's massive artillery corps continued its relentless, earth-shattering bombardment of both the urban sectors occupied by the 7th Corps and their remaining staging areas outside the city.
Hu Hao stood like a statue in his command center, his eyes locked on the tactical feeds from Jinhe City.
"Hao-ge, the general offensive commences in exactly two minutes!" a staff officer reported, breaking the tense silence.
(End of Chapter)