The system's voice echoed in Mu Zi'an's ears.
One thousand sets of armor and weapons and one thousand catties of fodder for the warhorses.
It's obvious which is more important.
Mu Zian suddenly smiled and walked towards the person who had just begged for mercy.
Upon seeing this, the bandit immediately knelt down, crawled forward, and kowtowed.
"Please, sir, spare our lives! We are all citizens of the Great Li, and we were simply bewitched!"
"If you are willing to spare us, we are willing to follow the general and swear allegiance to him to the death!"
Mu Zian reached for his waist, a slight smile on his face.
"Go to the battlefield to kill enemies and atone for your sins?"
The bandit nodded repeatedly.
"I've also practiced martial arts for a few years! People in the martial arts world call me the River Dragon!"
"If I go to the battlefield, I will surely be able to kill several Xiongnu."
Mu Zian's smile grew wider and wider.
"So you're saying you're very strong?"
Upon seeing this, the bandits immediately boasted.
"With my skills, even seven or eight ordinary men couldn't get close to me!"
"If it weren't for..."
Before the words were finished, a cold glint appeared.
The bandit's voice abruptly stopped as the Qinggang Sword pierced straight out of his mouth!
Blood splattered everywhere, dripping from the tip of the sword to the ground.
This sudden turn of events left the surrounding rebel bandits and soldiers, who were still frantically begging for mercy, stunned in place.
Mu Zian gripped the hilt of his sword and looked down at the people kneeling on the ground, speaking in a cold voice.
"You want to atone for your sins."
"However, the military rations of my Great Li are not for feeding miscellaneous animals or livestock!"
Mu Zian drew the Qinggang Sword, and the bandit's corpse fell heavily to the ground.
The burned ruins still stand all around, and the suffering people are still watching!
National and personal grievances! They cannot be measured by material things! There is no need for hesitation in making a choice!
Throughout history, traitors have been more hateful than invaders!
"Ding-dong! Congratulations on making your decision, host! The reward will be delayed, please check your account!"
Fresh blood dripped onto Mu Zi'an's feet!
It made a "pat! pat" sound!
Mu Zian looked at these beasts who were acting as accomplices to the tyrant with disdain and coldly pronounced their death sentences.
"Leave no one alive! Execute them all!"
Upon hearing this, the bound people broke down and began to curse loudly.
"We have sincerely repented, why can't you spare our lives! You corrupt official! You corrupt official!"
"I am a garrison soldier of Fuling City. If it weren't for that Pei's betrayal, how could we have become the lackeys of the Xiongnu!"
"I can still kill the enemy! I can still kill the enemy!"
"My lord! We were wrong! We were so wrong!"
Mu Zian sheathed the Qinggang sword and coldly swept his gaze over the bandits and rebels.
"If apologies were enough, what would be the point of laws!"
"You don't know you're wrong, you just know you're going to die."
With Mu Zian's order, all the Xiongnu and rebel bandits were slaughtered!
Blood stained the earth red!
Upon seeing this, the surrounding people all knelt down and wailed.
Mu Zian stared indifferently at the corpse on the ground and said coldly.
"Cut off all the heads of the Xiongnu and cast them into a mound of skulls!"
In a short while, five hundred Hun heads were neatly stacked together like a small mountain.
Half a day later, Jia Xu arrived in the county town with the remaining one hundred Night Watchmen.
Mu Zian did not rush to leave but chose to rest and recuperate in the county town.
Jia Xu naturally took on the important task of pacifying the people.
Zhao Yun and Luo Cheng were responsible for sweeping around the county town to check if there were any remaining Xiongnu scouts and to gather intelligence.
The news that finally arrived infuriated Mu Zi'an.
After the fall of Fuling, the vanguard of the Xiongnu army entered Liangzhou.
However, due to the existence of Wuwei City, the Xiongnu vanguard was unable to breach the city for the time being.
The Xiongnu people, however, followed a strategy of using war to sustain themselves, which resulted in them not having much to eat or drink.
The Xiongnu vanguard commander, Tie Ge, ordered a portion of his troops to be scattered and dispersed into Liangzhou to gather provisions.
Faced with the Xiongnu cavalry, the governors of several major cities in Liangzhou not only failed to organize troops to annihilate them.
Instead, they recalled all the garrison troops from the surrounding villages and county towns.
This action directly exposed these villages and counties to the slaughter of the Xiongnu.
While patrolling the surrounding area, Zhao Yun discovered that many villages had been completely slaughtered.
The scene was so horrific that it was almost unbearable to look at.
The corpses of ordinary people were carelessly discarded by the roadside and left to be eaten by wild dogs.
The people of Dali were seen as nothing more than pigs and dogs by these Xiongnu.
Mu Zian was unable to criticize the actions of those prefects.
There is always a trade-off; in their eyes, the massacre of a few villages and a county town was nothing compared to the loss of others.
Protecting the great city of Liangzhou is of paramount importance.
Mu Zian was not a saint, but seeing the tragic scene before him, an inexplicable anger grew stronger.
All of this could have been avoided; Fuling City was sufficient to keep the Xiongnu vanguard out of Liangzhou.
However, it was Pei Shaochu's betrayal that caused the entire Liangzhou region to suffer such hardship.
Families were destroyed, wives and children were separated.
At this moment, Mu Zi'an had made up his mind that he must make the entire traitor pay the price!
Despite having just experienced a nightmare, life must go on for these survivors.
After the fire was extinguished and a brief period of grief ensued, the people began to fight for their livelihoods once again.
As evening fell, Mu Zi'an was discussing the next steps with Jia Xu.
Zhao Yun and Luo Cheng hurriedly entered.
"A crowd has gathered outside your gate, young master, wishing to see you."
Mu Zian was slightly taken aback. Although he didn't know what was going on, he still walked out of the room.
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