Xiao Gan walked out of the chaos with a hint of displeasure on his face. He looked at the commander of the provincial garrison and his cavalry, feeling that his prestige had been robbed.
He had planned to use this opportunity to demonstrate his abilities, but he didn't expect that an outsider would get there first.
"Lord Xiao, it seems that these refugees are just making trouble. The real big fish are still to come." The garrison commander looked at the subdued masked man and said meaningfully.
Xiao Gan frowned upon hearing this. "What do you mean? Could it be that there's a bigger force behind these refugees?"
"That's not hard to see," Xue Zhongfu said. "Although these refugees are numerous, they are just a mob. And those masked men just now were agile and well-trained. They are definitely not ordinary bandits."
After hearing this, Xiao Gan's expression darkened. "Deputy Commander Xue, what do you mean by that? Are you saying that my judgment was wrong?"
"Lord Xiao has misunderstood," Xue Zhongfu explained hastily. "I'm only discussing the matter at hand. I have no other intentions. The most urgent task is to interrogate the captured masked men and find out their true identities and motives."
Xue Zhongfu first ordered the captured refugees to be brought up. As soon as they were brought before Xue Zhongfu and Xiao Gan, they immediately knelt down and begged for mercy.
"Sir, please spare us! We were forced to do this!"
"Yes, yes, someone came to us and said that we just need to make some noise here. We don't need to rob, just stir up some trouble. We just want to make a living, we really don't want to go against the government!"
“We didn’t know who those people who covered their faces were afterward!”
The refugees were making excuses one after another, fearing that they would be made scapegoats.
Xue Zhongfu looked at them coldly. He knew that although these refugees were pitiful, he couldn't completely rule out their suspicion. He waved his hand, signaling them to be quiet.
"Who is the person you are talking about?" Xue Zhongfu asked in a deep voice.
The refugees looked at each other and shook their heads.
"We don't know who he is. When he came to us, his face was covered and we couldn't see his appearance clearly. He just gave us some silver and food and asked us to come here to cause trouble." An elderly refugee answered cautiously.
Xue Zhongfu frowned. This situation was obviously more complicated than he had expected. He glanced at Xiao Gan and found that he was also in deep thought.
"Lord Xiao, what do you think?" Xue Zhongfu asked.
Xiao Gan came to his senses, with an undercurrent in his heart. These refugees were the pawns he had carefully planned. He had intended to take this opportunity to stir up some trouble so that he could report Xue Zhongfu and accuse him of mismanagement, thus bringing him to justice.
However, the situation before him was beyond his expectations. Xue Zhongfu managed to stabilize his position so quickly and even found out the masked man hiding behind him. This made him feel a little annoyed, but more of a wariness and fear towards Xue Zhongfu.
"Although these refugees are pitiful, they are guilty of a capital crime since they dared to rob government silver. Come on! Execute them on the spot." Xiao Gan said with a ferocious look on his face. He planned to completely eradicate them and leave no future troubles.
Upon hearing this, Xue Zhongfu hurriedly intervened, "Master Xiao, wait a minute! Although these refugees have committed crimes, their crimes do not warrant the death penalty. We should hand them over to the provincial government for trial and punishment according to the law."
After saying this, he turned to the garrison commander and said, "Sir, please take these refugees back to the provincial capital so that the prefect can deal with them according to the law."
The garrison commander immediately understood Xue Zhongfu's intention and nodded in response, "Okay, I will take these people back and lock them up separately. They must be strictly guarded and there must be no mistakes!"
At his command, the cavalrymen took action and escorted the refugees back to the provincial capital.
Seeing this, Xiao Gan felt unwilling but could not say anything more.
Xue Zhongfu stared at the masked man who was tied up with his hands sharp as a torch. He suddenly reached out and pulled off the cloth covering the man's face.
The moment the cloth fell, a face of an alien race was revealed, and the dark blue eyes flashed with a mixture of cunning and savagery, as if telling an unknown secret.
The eyes of the surrounding Royal Guards were all focused on this face, and the atmosphere suddenly became solemn.
"Who are you? How dare you come here to attack our army?" Xue Zhongfu's voice was majestic and full of unquestionable questioning.
However, in the face of Xue Zhongfu's harsh questioning, the Western Rong man only responded with a cold look, closed his lips tightly, and did not utter a word.
At this time, Xiao Gan's reaction was particularly intense. He stepped forward quickly, roughly grabbed the collar of the Xirong man, his eyes flashing with anger and panic.
He finally realized that the situation was far beyond his control.
"How did you end up among the refugees?" Xiao Gan roared, his voice revealing a hint of undisguised panic.
The Xirong man glanced at Xiao Gan and a cunning smile appeared on his face, as if he was mocking the other party's gaffe.
"Lord Wu Ning, it was you who asked me to steal the government silver and then put the blame on others." He spoke slowly, his tone full of provocation and complacency. Then he slowly raised his head and turned his gaze to Xue Zhongfu. The meaning of his words was self-evident.
As soon as these words came out, everyone was in an uproar. All eyes turned to Xiao Gan, waiting for his explanation.
Xiao Gan was startled, but he pretended to be calm. He glared at the Xirong man, turned his head away angrily, and said to Xue Zhongfu, "Deputy Commander Xue, this man is obviously trying to sow discord. Don't fall for his tricks."
Xue Zhongfu did not respond immediately. His eyes were still fixed on the Xirong man, as if he was thinking about something.
The atmosphere around them became increasingly tense, and the Royal Guards held their weapons tightly, ready to deal with any unexpected events at any time.
"Master Xiao, please be patient." Xue Zhongfu finally spoke, his voice calm and firm.
He turned to the Xirong man and stared at him sternly. "Since you dare to come here, you must have made preparations. Now, I want you to explain in detail your origins and purpose, as well as your relationship with Lord Xiao."
The Xirong man did not show any panic in the face of Xue Zhongfu's questioning. He sneered and began to explain the reason why he came here.
It turned out that he was a spy from the Western Rong, who was sent to the Central Plains to gather intelligence. In order to create chaos, Xiao Gan colluded with him, instructing him to infiltrate the refugees to rob government silver and put the blame on Xue Zhongfu.
"Xiao Gan really used all means to frame Deputy Commander Xue." The garrison commander sighed.
Xiao Gan's face had turned pale. He widened his eyes and stared fiercely at the Xirong man, as if he wanted to kill him with his eyes. But it was all in vain.
"Xiao Gan!" Xue Zhongfu shouted sternly, "What else do you have to say?"
Xiao Gan bit his lips tightly and did not answer. He knew that he had been completely exposed.
At this moment, he was like a plucked chicken, standing in front of everyone awkwardly and helplessly.
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