Fortunately, Wei had both. Furthermore, Wei wasn't invading Gan just to rake in the cash and leave. Instead, it was intent on completely incorporating Gan into its territory for long-term governance and development. Therefore, killing these captives would inevitably sow seeds of hatred in the hearts of Gan's people. Once these seeds of hatred took root, future governance would become even more difficult.

In contrast, the idea of ​​using these prisoners to build railways can not only solve the above problems, but also contribute to the future development of Wei. After all, there are quite a few prisoners. If they are allowed to join the railway construction, it will not only speed up the laying of railways, but also solve the problem of insufficient labor in Wei. You must know that Wei is currently in a period of vigorous development and construction, and there is a serious shortage of labor.

Since these captives from the Gan Kingdom had already become prisoners of the Wei Kingdom, it was only natural to let them make some contributions to the Wei Kingdom. Moreover, doing so would reduce the investment of the Wei Kingdom in the custody of the captives and use these resources elsewhere.

Chu Zhenglin said, "Your Majesty is truly wise. I will immediately arrange for General Li Yuan to have someone count the number of prisoners. I will also have the Ministry of Works survey the terrain and plan a suitable railway route so that these people can be put into construction as soon as possible."

After hearing this, Chu Fan asked Chu Zhenglin to make the arrangements. This time, all six ministries in the imperial court had sent their assistant ministers to accompany Chu Fan, so Chu Zhenglin didn't need to send anyone back to Kaifeng to dispatch personnel from the Ministry of Works. He could directly dispatch the accompanying assistant ministers of the Ministry of Works to carry out the planning and survey. Of course, such a project still required the cooperation of the Ministry of Works in Kaifeng City to be successfully completed.

After Chu Zhenglin left, Eunuch Li summoned Mu Yunfeng, Qiu Li, the old village chief, and the others to Chu Fan's tent. Mu Yunfeng then entered the tent, knelt on his knees, and spoke with a hint of guilt and determination: "Your Majesty, I am guilty. I failed to act with caution, leading to an ambush. This caused your Majesty's concern and put so many soldiers in danger. I beg your Majesty to punish me."

Seeing Mu Yunfeng kneel so swiftly, Qiu Li and the others followed suit. The highest official Zhao Yong and the old village chief had ever met was only a county magistrate. Now, an emperor sat before them, filling them with awe and fear.

Chu Fan said to Mu Yunfeng seriously, "Mu Yunfeng, do you still know that you underestimated the enemy and were careless? As a general of Wei State, how could you make such a mistake? If you and the members of your team died in the battle of Gan State this time, do you know how much damage it would bring to Wei State?

If you, as the general of Wei, were to die in battle in Gan State, who would lead the Wei army? Once the new general and the generals have fully integrated, Wei's chance to conquer the Shengwu Continent will be completely lost.

Furthermore, my father-in-law, as Mu Xi's father, if you were to die on the battlefield, how would I explain this to Mu Xi?"

In front of all the soldiers, Chu Fan did not severely punish Mu Yunfeng in order to save some face for him and to stabilize the morale of the army. However, since there were only a few of them in the military tent, Chu Fan no longer concealed his anger.

Mu Yunfeng lowered his head, his forehead pressed against the cold ground. He knew that what Chu Fan said was true, and that he had indeed made an unforgivable mistake. Mu Yunfeng had no intention of defending himself, but simply waited quietly for Chu Fan's verdict.

Chu Fan said, "Mu Yunfeng, considering your outstanding military achievements in the past, I will not punish you too harshly this time. I will strip you of your position as Grand General right now."

Hearing that Chu Fan had stripped him of his Grand General title, Mu Yunfeng's heart trembled. Although he felt extremely reluctant, he knew that this was the punishment he deserved. Besides, their Mu family was already too powerful in the Wei Kingdom. Now that His Majesty had stripped him of his Grand General title, perhaps it would be a form of protection for the family.

But when he finally stopped being the Grand General, he couldn't help but feel a sense of loss. After all, he had fought his way to this position, step by step, through mountains of blood and mountains of corpses, a position embodying countless sweat and glory. Now, to be stripped of it by His Majesty's order, the bitterness in his heart was indescribable.

Mu Yunfeng kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace."

Chu Fan continued, "You are too early to thank me. Although I have stripped you of your position as Grand General, the State of Wei is currently at a critical juncture in its external wars and needs experienced generals like you to command the front lines. Therefore, I have decided to appoint Mu Yunfeng as the acting Grand General. If you fail to destroy the State of Gan within two months, you will be reinstated. If you fail to complete the task of destroying the State of Gan within two months, you will be removed from office and will no longer be allowed to hold military power."

Of course, during these two months, the deprivation of your Grand General title will be kept secret and will not be announced to the public. You can continue to command the army as Grand General. After two months, regardless of whether you have completed your mission or not, this punishment will be officially announced to the court ministers and the people of Wei.

Mu Yunfeng was extremely shocked when he heard this decision. He thought he had completely lost this position, but he didn't expect that His Majesty would give him a chance to make amends.

Mu Yunfeng also knew how much of a stir it would cause when His Majesty announced the punishment two months later. As a general with illustrious military achievements and His Majesty's father-in-law, he would still be mercilessly punished by His Majesty if he made the wrong decision.

This also sent a signal to the officials and people of Wei that His Majesty would not tolerate anyone making mistakes, and would punish even close relatives according to the law. This also encouraged the members of the office that supervised officials and ordinary people to dare to expose the mistakes of officials, no longer fearing the powerful nobles.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!