The soldiers accompanying Mu Jingrui had surrounded this group of people and rushed forward, subduing them in no time.
"I'm very curious, what benefits did the Barbarians give you that made so many of you turn against them at the same time?"
Mu Jingrui has always suspected that there is more than one traitor.
It is impossible for Chang Ping, a lieutenant general alone, to control so many things.
Those people knelt on the ground, looking at each other, and no one spoke first.
"You won't tell me?" Mu Jingrui raised his lips and smiled evilly, "Okay, I'll report to the emperor and all of you will be executed."
"General Mu, please have mercy on me. I and others...we are responsible for our own actions and do not want to implicate our families."
Chang Ping's family was in Mu Jingrui's hands, and now that he saw that the others had been arrested, he no longer had any concerns. He sighed and said, "Let's just tell the truth."
It turned out that just half a year ago, they had started to feel unwell and had seen many doctors but to no avail.
Later, a traveling doctor gave them acupuncture and moxibustion, and they gradually got better. They thought they had met a miracle doctor, and they always relied on him.
Who knew that I would walk into the other party's trap step by step.
It was not until the barbarians began to invade that they discovered when they went into battle to kill the enemy that their illnesses would flare up from time to time, and each flare-up required acupuncture.
The traveling doctor suggested that they pretend to be defeated.
Of course they refused.
However, if they refused, the doctor would refuse to treat them.
The excruciating pain would make a person want to die. Two generals refused to cooperate and died of festering all over their bodies. Their deaths were horrible.
They really had no choice but to cooperate with them in order to save their lives.
"That's probably why you didn't report to the court until the barbarians occupied so many cities."
Chang Ping and others nodded helplessly.
"General Mu, we are really forced to do this. Please have mercy and let us live."
Mu Jingrui sneered: "Not only did you cause heavy losses to the court, but you also killed so many civilians and soldiers. Do you still want to live?"
Chang Ping and others trembled all over and looked at Mu Jingrui in panic.
"You will definitely not survive. Even if you were controlled and framed by someone, you are still clear-minded. I will report the truth to the emperor and execute you according to the law. However..."
Mu Jingrui's eyes darkened and he said, "I will keep your family safe."
Chang Ping and others looked at each other. They knew that this was the biggest concession Mu Jingrui could make, and it was considered humane.
"Thank you, General Mu."
"Take them down."
Mu Jingrui felt a little heavy-hearted. It was easy to give up those occupied cities, but it would take some effort to recapture them.
"General Mu, there is a letter from home for you."
Zheng Zhixing walked in and placed a letter in front of him.
Mu Jingrui hurriedly opened it, and found only a greeting letter from Mu Jingyan.
He couldn't help but frown and look at Zheng Zhixing. "No more?"
"No more." Zheng Zhixing spread his hands and said helplessly.
He looked at Mu Jingrui's disappointed expression, plucked up the courage to move closer and said, "It seems like your cousin hasn't written to you for a while. How about I write a letter home for you to ask? Don't expect that you've already married."
Mu Jingrui looked up and glared at him. He touched his nose awkwardly and walked out.
In the following days, Mu Jingrui devoted himself to recovering the lost territory.
After executing the group of people in Chang Ping, he promoted another group of people in the army.
Since they were all brought up by him, they were very loyal to him. Without the hindrance of the traitor, the barbarian tribe was defeated.
Mu Jingrui felt that if things continued along this path, all the cities would be recaptured in half a year at most.
By then, he will be able to return to the capital.
With such achievements as confidence, he could probably ask the emperor to grant him a marriage with Shangguan Wanning.
Mu Jingrui recaptured another city. After entering the city that night, he allowed the soldiers to have a good rest.
There was singing and dancing, and people were reciting poems and composing couplets.
Looking at the scene in front of him, Mu Jingrui missed Shangguan Wanning even more.
He was alone, away from the hustle and bustle, looking up at the moon in the garden.
"who?"
Mu Jingrui noticed the sound of subtle footsteps. He turned around and saw a girl of about seventeen or eighteen timidly walking out from behind the flowers. She raised her head and glanced at him secretly, then looked at the ground shivering.
"I'm... I'm sorry, General Mu..." The girl's voice was very soft and she stammered, "I... I didn't mean to offend you, I just wanted to say thank you to General Mu."
"Who are you?" Mu Jingrui asked vigilantly.
"I... my name is Chang Qingqing, my father's name is Chang Ping. A few days ago..." The girl's eyes were red as she spoke, "I know my father made a big mistake. Our whole family was able to survive under the protection of General Mu. We are very grateful..."
As Chang Qingqing spoke, she knelt down and sobbed softly.
"Get up. Live a good life from now on." Mu Jingrui looked away in a desolate manner, "Get out."
Chang Qingqing stood up and was about to leave, but she slipped to the ground as she turned around.
Mu Jingrui was a little impatient, but out of manliness, he still walked over to check.
"Are you okay?"
"No...it's okay..." Chang Qingqing climbed up, but her feet were unstable and her body fell forward and fell into Mu Jingrui's arms.
She grabbed Mu Jingrui's arms with both hands.
Mu Jingrui felt a slight pain in his arm and he made a soft "tsk" sound. When he looked at Chang Qingqing again, his eyes were a little more confused and his vision gradually became blurred.
He seemed to...see Shangguan Wanning.
"Ning'er?"
"Yes, I'm Ning'er, did you miss me?"
Mu Jingrui felt gentle fingertips brushing across his cheek, and he immediately became distracted and grasped her hand.
"I miss you so much..."
"Me too. We..."
Her soft lips kissed the corner of Mu Jingrui's lips. At that moment, Mu Jingrui felt like a volcano erupting in his body.
He picked her up and carried her horizontally towards the room.
There was the sound of birds singing outside the window in the early morning.
Mu Jingrui woke up in a daze, feeling a splitting headache and as tired as if he had a hangover.
He slowly stood up, and suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw...
A woman with disheveled hair and her arms around herself sat on the inside of the bed.
In an instant, Mu Jingrui lost all sleepiness and stared at the woman in front of him.
"you……"
"General Mu," Chang Qingqing lowered her head shyly and avoided Mu Jingrui's gaze, "I originally wanted to get up and leave early, but... you tore my clothes..."
Mu Jingrui couldn't help but look at the ground, sure enough!
But, how can this...
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