Chapter 196 The Great General of the Desolate Kingdom Has Fallen into a Trap

The king of the desolate kingdom avoided eye contact. "Um... well, how would I know why he suddenly died? I'm not a doctor, he just died of illness! As for these ministers... um..."

He stammered and cast a pleading look at the minister with the goatee.

The man with the goatee then scolded Mu Cheng, "Before, the court was full of your people, so you showed no respect for the emperor and acted recklessly! If you continue like this, won't the Great Wilderness truly become yours?"

The king of the desolate kingdom immediately said, "Yes, yes, yes! Mu Cheng, you and those old ministers are always saying that I'm no good at this or that. You interfere with everything I want to do. You... you've gone too far!"

Mu Cheng said incredulously, "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Sun and I are all your father's trusted ministers, as you have witnessed! Since you ascended the throne, we have all served you as diligently as we did your father, all for the sake of making the Great Wilderness prosperous and strong, and for the people to live in peace and happiness. You have been spoiled since childhood and know nothing of the hardships of the common people... Your father was most worried about this. Before his death, he ordered us, his old ministers, to strictly supervise you and help you become a wise ruler. You promised your father... Have you forgotten all of this now?"

The king of the desolate kingdom felt extremely guilty and dared not look Mu Cheng in the eye.

The minister with the goatee said righteously, "Mu Cheng! Don't even think about using the late king to back you up! The emperor is now able to govern the country well, and you have no right to interfere!"

After saying that, he bowed to the king of the desolate kingdom and said in a soft voice, "Your Majesty, as you can see, Mu Cheng keeps referring to the late king, his mouth is full of self-praise, and he even tries to use the people as a pretext. He doesn't care about you at all."

The goatee's respectful attitude pleased the king of the desolate kingdom.

Since promoting these people recently, he no longer hears the nagging and critical voices of the old ministers, and he has finally experienced what it's like to be a monarch.

Furthermore, after these ministers analyzed the situation, he increasingly felt that Mu Cheng, who had previously enjoyed the late king's trust, was indeed a great threat.

It seems that Mu Cheng truly only remembers the late king and has no regard for him, the current monarch.

He couldn't help but feel a wave of fear. Fortunately, he had noticed it in advance; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"Ahem!" The king of the Wilderness Kingdom puffed out his chest. "Mu Cheng, I will not punish you too harshly because I remember your merits in assisting the late king and the recent recovery of the Wilderness territory that was taken away by the An Kingdom during the late king's reign. Now that the Wilderness is peaceful and stable, you... you should go to the countryside to retire."

"Retirement?!" Mu Cheng's face twitched as he said urgently, "Your Majesty, I'm not even fifty yet, I'm in my prime! What retirement?! Besides, who told you that the Great Wilderness is peaceful and stable? Didn't I already write to you and tell you that although the Great Wilderness and An Kingdom recovered territory in this war, both sides were severely damaged, and the Xuan Kingdom, which borders the Great Wilderness to the west, has already annexed the Yu Kingdom, and will inevitably deal with our Great Wilderness in the future! I have to go to the western border as soon as possible to deal with it, otherwise the Great Wilderness will be in danger!"

He never expected that after fighting a battle with Anguo, he would immediately lead his army to the eastern border of the Great Wilderness without taking a breath, only to be suddenly summoned back by the monarch on the way. The monarch's purpose was to remove him from his post.

A surge of grief and anger rose within him.

The king of the desolate kingdom scratched his head and looked at the goatee again.

The minister with the goatee sneered, "Ha! Mu Cheng, don't exaggerate! Two months ago, our Great Wilderness exchanged just a few small border towns for over 200,000 sets of iron weapons and equipment from the Xuan Kingdom. We've already established good relations with the Xuan Kingdom, so why would they attack us? And those iron weapons and equipment were traded with great effort by us ministers. Without these valuable items, how could you have defeated the An Kingdom? His Majesty just praised you, which was already giving you face. Yet you don't know what's good for you and think you're so powerful that you even brought up the Xuan Kingdom to intimidate His Majesty!"

"Yes, yes, yes! That's exactly what I meant!" The king of the desolate kingdom nodded repeatedly.

"Your Majesty!" Mu Cheng clenched his fists, suppressing his anger, and advised, "Our Great Wilderness was able to think of forming an alliance with An Kingdom before, intending to take advantage of the situation when Xuan Kingdom and Yu Kingdom were both weakened. Could it be that after defeating Yu Kingdom, Xuan Kingdom will also take advantage of our Great Wilderness's weakened state due to the recovery of lost territory? We must be on guard!"

"Yes...we must be on guard..." The king of the desolate kingdom nodded.

Mu Cheng was about to breathe a sigh of relief, preparing to say that once he led his army to the western border of the Great Wilderness to consolidate the border defenses, and with his personal presence there, they would still be able to hold out.

As for other matters, we can only discuss them later.

The most urgent task is to quickly address the potential threat posed by the Xuan Kingdom.

Unexpectedly, the king immediately added, "Then hand over the command token."

Mu Cheng was shocked. "Your Majesty, are you still going to strip me of my authority? If I am not allowed to take charge, who can keep the Xuan Kingdom in check?"

"Your Majesty, look! This fellow is so arrogant! He acts as if we can't do without him. He's threatening you!" The minister with the goatee quickly stomped on his foot.

The king of the desolate kingdom frowned. "I have many talented people around me now, so you don't need to worry about not having a commander."

Mu Cheng had no interest in arguing with the man with the goatee and asked, "Who does Your Majesty intend to appoint to lead the army?"

"Well..." The king of the Wilderness Kingdom glanced at the minister with the goatee, and according to the decision he had already made in private, pointed to the two ministers beside him, "They are the ones. They are both excellent generals. If they join forces to lead my Great Wilderness Army, they will be no less capable than you."

The two men immediately stood up with smiles on their faces and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty."

Mu Cheng glanced at the two unknown men. Although they had the appearance of martial artists, they had no semblance of generals or commanders.

It goes without saying that it was recommended by the current prime minister.

"Your Majesty, these two people—"

"Alright! You don't need to say anything more. I now order you to hand over the command token!"

The king of the desolate kingdom also hardened his tone at this moment.

Mu Cheng's face was extremely ugly.

The goatee-bearded prime minister rebuked, "Mu Cheng! You keep saying you're loyal to the Great Wilderness and devoted to the sovereign, so why are you disobeying the sovereign's orders now?!"

Mu Chengjian's eyebrows shot up. "If I hand over the military tally, I will be irresponsible to the people of the Great Wilderness! It is precisely because my heart is with the Emperor that I cannot allow the Emperor to make a mistake! Don't even think about me handing over the military tally!"

"Well, you! You... you really do have rebellious intentions!" The king of the desolate kingdom slammed his fist on the armrest of his throne in anger.

Mu Cheng said sternly, "Heaven and earth bear witness! If I had any intention of rebellion, may my whole family die a horrible death! Your Majesty, don't you know what kind of person I am? These treacherous villains are deliberately trying to sow discord between us, sovereign and subject. Can't you see that?"

The king of the desolate kingdom roared, "You still want to teach me a lesson! You're too arrogant! Hand over the military tally now! Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite!"

"Your Majesty!" Mu Cheng said through gritted teeth, his eyes red-rimmed. "Please forgive me for being unable to obey! I must go to the western border. Once the situation stabilizes, I will return to apologize to you, and then you may deal with me as you see fit!"

After saying that, he turned to leave.

Splash—

A dozen or so imperial guards suddenly appeared and surrounded him.

"Seize this traitor who defied the emperor!" shouted the prime minister with the goatee.

The imperial guards attacked with spears.

Mu Cheng had no choice but to accept the challenge.

After several rounds, the guards failed to subdue him, but he was wounded.

The goatee-bearded prime minister was secretly alarmed. He hadn't expected that the general, exhausted from his long journey and exposed to the scorching sun for an hour, would still be so valiant.

"Rebellion! Utter rebellion!" The king of the desolate kingdom jumped up and down in anger. "Mu Cheng, Mu Cheng! I truly did not believe you would dare to plot a rebellion! I only wanted you to return to your hometown to live out your days in peace and die a natural death, but you... you have repeatedly disobeyed my orders!"

Mu Cheng broke the spear he had just snatched in the fight, tossed it aside, and wiped his bleeding cheek. "What use is a peaceful death if I can't protect the safety of the people of the Great Wilderness?"

“You…” The king of the desolate kingdom clutched his chest.

The goatee-bearded prime minister cursed, "What nonsense about the people! What are the people anyway? Without our Great Wilderness Lord, where would the people of the Great Wilderness come from? You actually value the people more than the Lord! You deserve to die!"

"Without the people, where would the Great Wilderness be, and where would its ruler be!" Mu Cheng retorted loudly. "Your words are full of fallacies that are bewitching the ruler! You are the one who deserves to die!"

The prime minister with the goatee turned to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, you see, I wasn't wrong, was I? He really is beyond saving. What are you still hesitating about?"

The king of the desolate kingdom revealed a fierce look in his eyes. "You traitor Mu Cheng, if you dare not hand over the military tally and surrender, I will have your wife, children, and elderly parents dragged from the prison and sent to the execution ground to be beheaded!"

"What?!" Mu Cheng exclaimed in shock. "Your Majesty...you actually...you..."

The goatee-bearded prime minister smiled smugly, "Fortunately, His Majesty is wise. He anticipated that you would not easily give in, and made thorough preparations before you returned. Alas... Mu Cheng, Mu Cheng, why did you have to do this? If you had obediently handed over the military seal and resigned, how could your family have been implicated?"

"Your Majesty..." Mu Cheng still found it hard to believe, "You really... you've taken my family..."

"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll issue the order!" The king of the desolate kingdom said impatiently.

Mu Cheng stood there stunned for a long time, as if all his strength had been drained away. He knelt on both knees, filled with grief and despair, and pleaded, "Your Majesty... if I hand over the military seal... could you spare the lives of my family...?"

“No problem, no problem,” the king of the desolate kingdom readily agreed. “I don’t want to kill innocent people indiscriminately, but there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Mu Cheng bit his back teeth until they bled, and with great difficulty, he took out the General's Military Talisman, which could mobilize all the troops in the Great Wilderness, from his bosom, lowered his head, and raised his hands high.

The prime minister with the goatee's eyes gleamed. He hurriedly went over to take the military tally and ran all the way to the throne. "Your Majesty, do you see any problems?"

The king of the desolate kingdom beckoned, and the eunuch beside him took out the other half of the military tally that had been prepared beforehand, and verified it.

The two halves of the general's military tally fit together perfectly, without any abnormalities.

The king of the Wilderness nodded, raised his hand and tossed half of the military tally to the two men Fang had mentioned as his replacements for Mu Cheng, saying, "From now on, the military power of the Wilderness will be in your hands."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The two were overjoyed, holding the military tally together, their smiles stretching from their ears to their mouths.

The goatee-bearded prime minister then ordered the imperial guards to tie Mu Cheng up tightly.

Mu Cheng, concerned for the lives of his family, did not offer any resistance.

The goatee-bearded prime minister was now completely relieved. He waved his hand and ordered, "Take the traitor and his family to the execution ground immediately and behead them as a warning to the public!"

Mu Cheng was instantly struck dumb. "Your Majesty! Didn't you promise me that you would spare my family's lives?!"

The king of the desolate kingdom sneered, "Did I agree? I only said I didn't want to kill innocent people indiscriminately! But you are a traitor, and your family are all traitors. You are not innocent at all, so of course you must be killed!"

"You..." Mu Cheng vomited blood, nearly fainting. "In my entire life, I have never harbored any rebellious intentions, nor have I ever committed any act of treason, let alone my family... Your Majesty, what evidence do you have..."

The king of the desolate kingdom remained silent.

He didn't actually have any evidence; he had simply followed the advice of several newly appointed ministers, led by the prime minister.

Moreover, judging from Mu Cheng's performance today, not eliminating him would indeed jeopardize my position.

The Prime Minister and his ilk are much better; they know how to respect the monarch.

“Your power and disobedience to the emperor are proof enough. If you are like this, how can your family be any better off?” The goatee-bearded prime minister waved his hand. “Don’t waste time, go and behead them quickly.”

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty!" Amidst Mu Cheng's desperate cries, the imperial guards dragged him out of the main hall.

The goatee-bearded prime minister had a fawning smile on his face. "Your Majesty, you must be exhausted today. Go back to the palace and rest. I have arranged for several stunningly beautiful women to be waiting for you."

Upon hearing this, the king of the desolate kingdom's eyes lit up, and he grabbed the prime minister's hand, weeping with joy. "You are the best to me! Unlike those old fogies before me, who all said it was a waste of resources and manpower when I wanted to take more concubines. I'm off now!"

"Your Majesty, please take care."

The prime minister with the goatee bowed his head respectfully.

The king of the desolate kingdom left the palace in a hurry.

The other ministers all wore triumphant smiles and surrounded the prime minister to offer their congratulations.

The Prime Minister sat directly on the throne, stroking his beard, and said, "Congratulations, everyone! We have finally removed the last obstacle. From now on, the Great Wilderness will be in our hands! Hahahaha!"

Someone lowered their voice and said, "Then...should we take those people who provided us with money and strategies as our retainers?"

The prime minister frowned slightly and fell into deep thought.

The person in question was referring to several outsiders who had suddenly arrived in the capital a little over a month ago.

The other party claimed to be a traveling merchant who wanted to obtain an official position in the desolate country. He was very generous and gave him a thousand taels of gold on the spot. He was also very shrewd and suggested that he take advantage of General Mu's absence while he was fighting a war abroad to quickly seize power in the court.

So he listened to the advice of those outsiders and continued to bribe them with large sums of money, winning over most of the ministers in the court in a very short time.

Since outsiders were willing to continuously provide him with money, he could indulge in corrupt practices to the fullest extent.

Of course, this excludes several key ministers, especially Prime Minister Sun.

They remained completely unmoved.

He then devised another plan, eliminating all of them and becoming the head of all officials, replacing the key ministers with his own confidants.

He was originally just a fourth-rank official, but suddenly became the prime minister of the court.

Finally, the one to be dealt with was General Mu, who was deeply trusted by two generations of kings of the Desolate Kingdom.

Fortunately, the current king is greedy and lustful, a complete brainless coward. All we need to do is cater to his every whim and incite him to suspect General Mu.

Today, as expected, Mu Cheng was kicked out as well!

"Prime Minister?" The person next to him called out again when he did not respond for a long time.

The goatee-bearded prime minister snapped out of his daze, a cold glint appearing in his eyes. "If those outsiders are capable of helping me seize power, then they are also capable of helping others. I don't want them to become a threat to us in the future after they gain power."

"What the Prime Minister means is..."

"Send assassins over there, leave no one alive."

"Yes, I'll arrange it right away."

“Oh, right,” the goatee reminded him, “they should still have a lot of gold and silver treasures; we must make sure to loot them all.”

"Hehe... Don't worry, Prime Minister, I guarantee not a single copper coin will be lost!"