In the famine, others ate Guanyin soil, but he had space to build a farm.

Mark's eyes were like a blazing flame, staring at the map. He tapped his finger heavily on the map, then turned to Ma Weidong and said in a firm and forceful tone:

"Governor Ma, I think we should temporarily avoid the enemy's vigor. Let us first find a safe place to recuperate and accumulate strength. When our troops are strong and food is abundant, we can fight those barbarians. In this way, we won't have to let our brothers die innocently."

After hearing this, Ma Weidong couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, with a hint of helplessness in his eyes: "Your plan is indeed brilliant and a good one, but unfortunately, I can no longer implement such a plan."

Mark was confused and asked anxiously, "This is obviously the only way out at the moment, why can't we adopt it? Are we really going to let these tens of thousands of troops fall into despair?"

Ma Weidong took a deep breath, as if a heavy weight was weighing on his chest, and said slowly: "Don't you see the current situation clearly? The treacherous ministers are at work, and His Majesty has been deceived. All he knows is that we have been avoiding fighting. The key reason why they have not taken action against me is that they can't find a replacement for me. If we withdraw our troops at this time, won't we fall into the trap of those treacherous ministers? The court will definitely use this as an excuse to punish us for fear of the enemy. In a few days, the imperial guards will come. It is better to die gloriously on the battlefield than to end our lives in humiliation on the execution ground."

"But even if you are willing to sacrifice your life on the battlefield, what good can you bring to the country?"

"I just hope to feel at ease and live up to your majesty's expectations. That's enough."

Ma Weidong was in an extremely heavy mood, with grief, anger and despair intertwined. He tried hard to suppress his emotions and not let the tears flow out. He turned his back to the candlelight and began to pace back and forth in the room, his steps heavy and powerful.

Mark looked at the map on the table and said angrily, slapping his palm heavily on the map:

"Are we just going to watch Da Kun being pushed to destruction by these treacherous officials? I will never accept such a fate..."

"Mark! There is no point in saying more now! Our army has been short of food and grass. If this goes on, I'm afraid it will really collapse! We are only a day's journey from Zhengding City! I want to ask you for a favor! Lord Tang Zhu, the defender of Zhengding City, is a man who understands the big picture! Take my letter and explain the situation of our army! Ask him to find a way to get a batch of food and grass over! Even if it can only relieve the situation for a few days, it will be good!" Ma Weidong sighed at this time.

"I will definitely deliver this letter in time! But will it really work? Does Tang Zhu dare to disobey the orders of Zhou Qiquan and others?" Mark didn't have much confidence in this line of work.

"We can only do our best and leave it to fate! We bet that Dakun still has a few loyal ministers!" Ma Weidong. In this period of time, he has seen many people who are full of benevolence, morality, loyalty to the emperor and patriotism! But they ignored their requests. Although Tang Zhu has a good reputation, it is not certain that he dares to disobey Zhou Qiqian's orders.

"I must find a way to get Tang Zhu to get food for us! We can't fight hard in the front while they don't care about anything! I finally understand why these barbarians can get in and out of their territory time and time again! It's all because of these selfish people!" Mark had long lost confidence in these officials.

At midnight, Mark set off with Ma Weidong's handwritten letter and four loyal soldiers. Ma Weidong personally escorted him outside the tent, and the two held hands tightly under the starlight, telling each other to take care of themselves. Mark jumped on his horse, and just after taking a few steps, his worries surged in his heart again. He had to stop his horse and turned back to Ma Weidong and said:

"Governor, your safety is related to the future of the country. You must not act rashly. We should act cautiously and save the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers. Their future is vital to us."

Ma Weidong waved his arms, urging Mark to hurry up. His voice was firm and powerful: "General Ma, you'd better go get some food and grass for us! Since ancient times, generals have inevitably died on the battlefield! Now we can only sacrifice our lives for the country! If we can't defeat this barbarian army! What does it matter if we give up this life! We can still get a name in history."

Although Ma Weidong did not retreat to rest, he obviously did not drive these hungry soldiers to fight against the barbarians. He borrowed some food from the local wealthy gentry wherever he went, which temporarily stabilized his army's morale.

However, Zhou Qiqian sent him an order urging him to attack! He also impeached Ma Weidong, saying that he was avoiding fighting and was afraid of the enemy like a tiger.

Just when Emperor Chongming was about to extend his butcher knife to himself, the only general he could use, Lin Kunlun had already started his plan.

Zhou Kai had already started to get anxious because he had received a letter from Emperor Chongming urging them to deal with the rebels as soon as possible.

This forced Zhou Kai, who was stationed in Daxiguan, to increase his reconnaissance efforts in preparation for defeating the rebels in one fell swoop and capturing Lin Kunlun and his men.

Lin Kunlun had already obtained Zhou Kai's defense map, so they could clearly see through any troop movements Zhou Kai made. He knew very well that if he did not take action at this time, once Zhou Kai's army approached, his troops would face unprecedented difficulties. So, on a dark and windy night, he summoned several of his trusted generals to secretly discuss countermeasures.

"We can't just sit there and wait for death. We must take the initiative to attack." Lin Kunlun's voice was low and firm. "Although Zhou Kai has more people and more power, he can't figure out our strength. We must use the terrain advantage to set up an ambush and catch him off guard."

The generals nodded in agreement, knowing that this was their only chance. In the next few days, Lin Kunlun led his troops to move quietly, moving through the mountains and forests, looking for the best ambush location. At the same time, he also sent out a small group of troops to harass Zhou Kai, misleading him into thinking that they were still defending the place.

Finally, the day arrived for Zhou Kai to send out his troops. Lin Kunlun stood on the top of the mountain, overlooking the movement in the valley. He saw Zhou Kai's army marching in a mighty force, their flags fluttering in the wind, looking menacing. Because of the experience of being ambushed last time, Zhou Kai was more cautious this time. He gathered all the codes together. He thought that with thousands of troops together, even if they were ambushed, they would not be so passive.

Lin Kunlun took a deep breath and gave the order to attack.

Suddenly, arrows rained down on the enemy formation, and rocks, wooden stakes and other objects rolled down the mountain. Zhou Kai's troops were caught off guard, and they fled in panic, completely losing their former prestige. Seeing this, Lin Kunlun immediately led the main force down the mountain and started a fierce hand-to-hand fight with the enemy.

The battle lasted for several hours. In the end, Lin Kunlun's troops won the victory with their tenacious perseverance and excellent tactics. Zhou Kai was captured alive and his troops suffered heavy losses. This battle not only broke Zhou Qiqian's plan to encircle and suppress the rebels, but also won Lin Kunlun and his troops a precious breathing space.

When the news reached the capital, Emperor Chongming was shocked. He had never expected that his most trusted general would be defeated by a rebel general. In anger, he became more determined to eradicate the rebels. However, he also understood that to truly quell the rebellion, force alone was not enough. He began to think about how to fundamentally solve the problem and win back the hearts of the people.