Chapter 225: Liang Wanyu’s Thoughts

“Why can’t we talk about it? Yes, Hu Hao has a bad temper, but he is incredibly upright. He has achieved so much merit; our Empire should be promoting him! 

“No matter what reasons the Grand Marshal has, he can’t just blot out the sky with one hand. Grandpa, you are the Commander of the Army. You control the Army, yet he suppresses your subordinates. Are you just going to sit by and do nothing? This isn’t right!” Liang Wanyu said, looking at her grandfather from her seat. 

“What do you know, little girl? Why should I get involved in the conflict between the Grand Marshal and Jiang Kai?” General Ma replied, looking at Liang Wanyu. 

“Oh, it’s about the Grand Marshal’s position?” Liang Wanyu immediately caught on and asked. 

“What do you think? By the way, hasn’t the Fifth Prince been asking you out recently? I hear you keep rejecting him every time. That’s not good! After all, the Fifth Prince is around your age. It’s good for young people to go out and have fun together!” Ma Zhenling quickly changed the subject, clearly not wanting to discuss Hu Hao. 

“Grandpa, don’t try to change the subject. I’m asking you about Hu Hao. Why isn’t he being promoted? Can’t you go talk to the Grand Marshal?” Liang Wanyu pressed. 

“Why are you so invested in this? Do you know Hu Hao?” Ma Zhenling asked, immediately suspicious. 

“Hu Hao was my university classmate for five years. When I was filming in Nanlin, he was the one who protected me. If it weren’t for him, I would be dead. How can I not care? 

“Also, don’t bring up the Fifth Prince with me. Eldest Sister married the Second Prince, which tied our family to his faction. Now you want me to get together with the Fifth Prince? Isn’t that just to bolster my eldest brother-in-law’s power? 

“The Second Prince and the Fifth Prince share the same mother. Honestly, don’t think I don’t know what’s going on. Even if I had to marry a commoner, I wouldn’t marry into the Imperial family. I know exactly what kind of life Eldest Sister leads. Hmph!” Liang Wanyu retorted, glaring at her grandfather. 

“No one said you have to marry him. Just get a little closer to him. Who knows, maybe you’ll develop feelings for him, right?” Ma Zhenling didn’t dare lose his temper with his granddaughter and instead tried to persuade her gently. 

“No. Don’t think I’m blind. He’s only seeking me out because he covets the power of our Ma family and my uncle’s Liang family. Hmph, I absolutely won’t do it. I’d rather stay single forever than marry into the Imperial family!” Liang Wanyu stated firmly from her seat. 

“Alright, alright, fine, you won’t go. Seriously, you are so stubborn. You know your eldest uncle dotes on you, right? And Grandpa dotes on you too!” Ma Zhenling sighed, looking at his granddaughter. 

“Mm, tell me about Hu Hao,” Liang Wanyu smiled, nodding and taking Ma Zhenling’s hand to ask again. 

“What is there to say about Hu Hao? He is indeed formidable in battle. However, he is currently Jiang Kai’s subordinate, which means he is bound to become cannon fodder in the struggle between the Grand Marshal and Jiang Kai. 

“So, you shouldn’t get involved. Your grandpa doesn’t want to tear up all pretense of cordiality with the Grand Marshal just yet. His power is still immense. Even His Majesty has to tread carefully around him, let alone me!” Ma Zhenling warned. 

“I know. But isn’t the Grand Marshal being too overbearing? Suppressing a young man—how can he stoop so low?” Liang Wanyu nodded, well aware of the power struggles at the top. 

“Hu Hao isn’t just some ordinary young man. He can lead troops to victory, and he was the one who spearheaded the previous counter-offensive. Think about it: if he is allowed to grow, he will become a sharp weapon in Jiang Kai’s hands. There’s no telling how much merit he’ll accumulate. By then, Jiang Kai will have enough power to truly challenge the Grand Marshal. Tell me, could the Grand Marshal possibly let Hu Hao off the hook? 

“Besides, you know about Tang Junjie’s incident, right? The one where someone scared him so badly he wet his pants!” Ma Zhenling chuckled, looking at his granddaughter. 

“I know. I heard it happened at Jiang Kai’s headquarters!” Liang Wanyu nodded. 

“It was Hu Hao who did it!” Ma Zhenling revealed. 

“No way! Hu Hao dared to open fire on Tang Junjie?” Liang Wanyu stood up in shock, staring at her grandfather. 

“What do you think? You just asked how Hu Hao offended the Grand Marshal. This is how!” Ma Zhenling chuckled. 

“How did ‘Haozi’ become so bold? He was always gutsy, but never this gutsy!” Liang Wanyu sat back down, bewildered. She found herself unable to grasp the changes in Hu Hao. 

“Listen to me: do not promote Hu Hao. Do you hear me? Don’t do anything that would displease the Grand Marshal. Right now, he and Jiang Kai are locked in a fierce struggle. Until a victor emerges, do not try to help Hu Hao. 

“If you truly want to help him, wait until Jiang Kai is completely defeated. Then you can step in. He will be grateful to you, and you can recruit him into our Ma family. Any military clan would love to have a general like him. So, do not help him now. Besides, there’s nothing you can do to help him at present anyway!” Ma Zhenling advised his granddaughter. 

“Why not?” Liang Wanyu had actually considered leaking news of Hu Hao’s exploits to local media outlets for them to report. It would be a way to help him; building his reputation now would make it easier for him to be promoted to general later! 

“He’s surrounded. The Mara Empire’s 1st Corps, the Limaguo 11th Corps, and the Mara Empire’s 43rd Corps from the western front have completely encircled him. Hu Hao couldn’t escape now even if he grew wings. 

“So, do not try to help him at this juncture. If you report on him now, the Allied forces will find out exactly who is trapped in that encirclement. If Hu Hao ends up being killed in action, the Allied forces will use it for propaganda, which will only cause panic among our citizens. 

“Right now, the public doesn’t know who Hu Hao is. Even if he sacrifices himself, the Allied forces won’t be able to capitalize on his death. Do you understand?” Ma Zhenling explained. 

However, upon hearing that Hu Hao was surrounded, Liang Wanyu’s mind went blank. She didn’t hear a single word Ma Zhenling said after that. 

“Girl? Girl, what are you thinking about?” Ma Zhenling called out, noticing her dazed expression. 

“Grandpa, you just said Hu Hao is surrounded. Can he escape?” Liang Wanyu nervously slid closer to Ma Zhenling, grabbing his hand and asking anxiously. 

“I just told you, he couldn’t escape even if he grew wings. He had a chance to retreat earlier. Jiang Kai even ordered him to flee by helicopter, but he refused. He insisted on staying with his troops. 

“Sigh. Setting everything else aside, on this point alone, Hu Hao is a true man. Being willing to share life and death with his troops… many of our generals couldn’t do that. It’s a pity he isn’t one of ours!” Ma Zhenling lamented. 

Liang Wanyu grew extremely worried upon hearing that he couldn’t escape. 

“What’s wrong? Girl?” Ma Zhenling asked, observing his granddaughter. 

“Nothing, nothing! Grandpa, is there really no other way?” Liang Wanyu pleaded, looking at him. 

“No. If he survives this ordeal, Jiang Kai will continue to rely heavily on him. Jiang Kai values him immensely now. So, girl, this isn’t something we need to worry about. Jiang Kai will figure something out!” Ma Zhenling assured her. 

“Oh, how did it come to this? He’s so skilled at fighting, how did he end up surrounded?” Liang Wanyu muttered softly from her seat. 

“Girl, are you very close with him? Are you two…?” Ma Zhenling probed gently, noticing her distress. 

“It’s nothing, we’re just classmates. It’s rare for a hero to emerge from among our classmates, and I wanted to promote him properly. I never expected things to turn out like this!” Liang Wanyu quickly deflected. 

“Oh, I see. That makes sense!” Ma Zhenling nodded thoughtfully. 

It was true; given that his granddaughter didn’t even look twice at the Fifth Prince, how could she possibly be interested in a young man from a common background? 

Liang Wanyu stayed in Ma Zhenling’s office for a few more minutes before leaving. Instead of returning to her own office, she headed straight back to her residence. She locked herself inside and drew the curtains. 

She sat on the sofa in her bedroom, watching the large TV screen play the unreleased video clips she had filmed of Hu Hao during her interviews. She had recorded quite a bit of footage of him, none of which had been shown to the public. She had edited out all the clips featuring Hu Hao and brought them back with her. 

The TV echoed with the sounds of battle—explosions and the song of gunfire. The screen showed Hu Hao firing from a trench, throwing grenades, and then, during a lull in the fighting, blocking the camera lens with his hand as she tried to interview him. 

“How could this happen? Aren’t you supposed to be amazing at fighting? I even told you that once you were promoted to general, I’d let you pursue me. You have so much merit now, you could definitely be promoted to general. Why did you get surrounded?!” Liang Wanyu sat on the sofa, hugging her knees with her chin resting on them. She murmured to herself as she watched the screen, tears rolling down her face. 

When she returned from Nanlin, she realized she had developed feelings for Hu Hao. He had pursued her for years, but she had never been moved, even calling him an idiot. Now, she was the idiot. Yet, Hu Hao wasn’t by her side, and she didn’t even know if he would make it back alive. 

Liang Wanyu wiped her tears and turned to look beside her. There lay the slip of paper Hu Hao had given her, bearing his family’s phone numbers. 

She had called once, and Hu Hao’s grandfather had answered. She had relayed Hu Hao’s message to them. Now, that piece of paper was the only thing she had left of him. 

Liang Wanyu stared at it for a while before turning off the TV. She carefully removed the disc, put it away, and picked up the phone to call Jiang Kai. However, she quickly realized that Jiang Kai wouldn’t be using a landline now; he was likely using a satellite phone. As a mere Major, she didn’t have the clearance to know his satellite number. 

(She had been promoted to Major upon returning from Nanlin City.) 

“That won’t work. I’ll go ask my dad!” The thought struck her, and she immediately grabbed her bag and headed out the door. 

(End of Chapter)