Hearing Liu Da's voice, Mu Zi'an's expression remained unchanged.
"The garrison of Haoliang City numbered over ten thousand, yet Guo Zifu breached the city in a single night, and the defending general was killed in battle. How were you, the prefect, able to escape?"
Upon hearing Mu Zian's words, Liu Da lowered his face even further.
Perhaps because of the increasingly hot weather or because of inner tension, sweat kept dripping from his forehead to the ground.
"Reporting to the Duke of Zhenguo! It's all the fault of that incompetent Yao Fa! He colluded with someone from within to open the gates of Haoliang City, which is why Haoliang City fell in a single day!"
Upon hearing this, the plump woman in the crowd clenched her fists in anger.
Since almost everyone in Haoliang City was dead, Liu Da was completely unfazed by the false accusations.
"If it weren't for my timely action in opening the north gate and allowing the people in the city to escape, even more people would have perished under the enemy's sword!"
"I was willing to fight to the death, but I was forcibly taken away by the guards of the mansion, just so that I could continue to serve the court."
Upon hearing this, Mu Zian remained calm.
"If what you say is true, then the loss of Haoliang City has nothing to do with you."
Upon hearing this, Liu Da stuck his buttocks out high and said in a terrified voice.
"I am naturally responsible for the loss of Haoliang City, but there were reasons for it. If the court wants to punish me, I am willing to accept it."
Although Liu Da's words seemed to put him in a very humble position,
But in reality, he was telling Mu Zi'an that he was an official appointed by the imperial court, and that any trial must be ordered by the imperial court.
Mu Zian looked coldly at Liu Da, who was kneeling on the ground, and spoke.
“As the governor of a city, he abandoned the city and fled, and ordered his soldiers to ambush and kill civilians on the banks of the Yong River.”
"He is truly a high-ranking official appointed by the imperial court."
Liu Da also sensed the murderous intent in Mu Zi'an's words.
He looked up at Shen Xu beside him.
However, Shen Xu simply closed his eyes to rest and dared not make any eye contact with Liu Da.
Upon seeing this, Liu Da's heart sank to the bottom.
"Although I am only the prefect of a city, I am a graduate of the orthodox civil service examination. If the city is breached, the responsibility should be borne by the general who defended it, not by me."
"Yao Fa was an incompetent man who colluded with the enemy from within, which is why Haoliang City fell."
"Even to His Majesty today, I have done my duty faithfully."
At that moment, Liu Da's voice suddenly became louder.
Just as Liu Da finished speaking, an angry voice suddenly came from the crowd outside the yamen.
"You're talking nonsense! My husband is not a traitor."
The next moment, the plump woman walked through the crowd and came to the center of the hall.
The moment Liu Da saw the plump woman, his expression changed instantly.
"You...you're not dead?"
This plump woman was Yao Fa's wife.
At this moment, she heard Liu Da inside the government office twisting the truth and throwing all the blame onto her husband who died in battle.
She finally couldn't take it anymore.
Yao Fa's wife bowed to Mu Zi'an, who was seated in the main seat.
“Reporting to the Duke of Zhenguo! My husband is not a traitor who betrays the country.”
"As the defending general, he bears an unshirkable responsibility for the fall of Haoliang City. However, he also shares the fate of Haoliang City."
"But Liu Da, as the lord of a city, fled without a fight when the enemy army breached the city!"
"Such despicable behavior is despised by all people."
"He actually has the audacity to spout such nonsense here today."
Upon hearing the plump woman's words, Liu Da's expression immediately changed drastically.
"You! Don't make false accusations."
"It's obvious that Yao Fari is a traitor who betrayed the country!"
The plump woman stared intently at Liu Dadao.
"If you don't want people to know, then don't do it in the first place. Countless people saw your disheveled escape that night."
"Now that things have come to this, do you think you can still keep it a secret?"
As the wealthy man's voice faded, the crowd outside the hall immediately began to stir.
“That’s right, I also escaped from Haoliang City. That night I watched with my own eyes as Lord Liu fled with his family and valuables.”
"It was General Yao who risked his life to open the north gate and let us leave."
"Such a wicked person is still spouting nonsense here."
The crowd outside the lobby was immediately outraged.
Liu Da panicked for a moment and hurriedly shouted outside.
"What nonsense are you unruly people spouting?"
Liu Da turned to look down at Mu Zi'an and spoke.
"He...he's slandering me! Duke Zhenguo, you must investigate this thoroughly!"
Everyone present was aware of the current situation.
It is highly likely that Liu Da abandoned the city and fled.
Outside the main hall, more and more people who had fled Xiangcheng began to speak out.
Seeing that the matter could no longer be glossed over, Liu Da immediately shouted in a fit of rage.
"You unruly people! I'm going to kill you all, kill you all!"
At this moment, Liu Da seemed to have gone mad.
Seeing this, Mu Zian snorted coldly.
"Zilong, hold him down openly."
As Mu Zian finished speaking, Zhao Yun and Luo Cheng darted out from the left and right sides respectively.
Before Liu Da could react,
Zhao Yun and Luo Cheng had each held down one of his arms.
Liu Da was a civil official; how could he possibly be a match for Luo Cheng and Zhao Yun?
He was pinned to the ground and unable to move at all.
At this moment, Liu Da finally became certain that Mu Zi'an in front of him intended to kill him.
So he immediately roared.
"I am an official appointed by the imperial court; you have no right to kill me."
Seeing this, Shen Xu, who was standing to the side, also spoke up.
"Liu Da, as the prefect of a city, should be executed for abandoning the city and fleeing."
"It would be better if the Duke of Zhenguo first imprisoned him and reported to His Majesty, and then sent him to the capital for trial in accordance with the laws of Dali."
Upon hearing this, Mu Zian remained silent, slowly rose from his seat, and walked to Liu Da.
The intense sense of oppression made Liu Da's breathing almost freeze.
Mu Zian looked around and said.
“It would be an injustice from heaven to let such a scoundrel live even one more day.”
“Abandoning the city and fleeing, indiscriminately killing innocent people, such people are not only a threat to the army’s prestige, but also a threat to public anger.”
Mu Zian's voice was extremely cold and resonated throughout the surroundings.
At this moment, the civil and military officials of Xiangcheng felt a chill run down their spines.
Before these people could react, a flash of sword light appeared in the hall.
Liu Da's head rolled to the ground like a watermelon.
Blood gushed out, staining Mu Zian's clothes red.
Everyone gasped in shock at the sight.
The dignified prefect of a city was now killed by Mu Zian with a single sword stroke.
Such a shocking scene made them all swallow hard.
The man in front of me is practically a god of death!
Mu Zian wiped the blood off his sword, then looked around at the civil and military scholars.
"Those who retreat in the face of battle! Those who indiscriminately kill the innocent! Those who abandon their cities and flee! This is their fate."
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