Now that he was a prisoner, Tuoba Xiong did not make any demands, but took out the letter from his pocket and handed it over.
He always carried this letter with him, just in case. Whether he used it to testify against Xuan Yuanzhi or to protect himself, he knew this letter was very important.
Anyway, he wasn't close to Xuan Yuanzhi, and in fact, his 100,000-strong Sky Dome Army wouldn't have been wiped out without Xuan Yuanzhi's letter. So, he naturally wouldn't cover anything up for Xuan Yuanzhi.
Mu Lingchen went over, took the letter, and handed it to Xuan Yuanzhan.
Xuanyuan Zhan opened the letter and started reading.
Mu Lingchen and Ling Lang stood behind Xuan Yuanzhan and were able to read the letter clearly as well.
Both of them were shocked after reading the letter.
In order to deal with the prince, the second prince actually encouraged Tuoba Xiong to attack the north. He not only revealed to Tuoba Xiong that the north was short of water and food, but also promised that if Tuoba Xiong was willing to fight the war, he would give the five cities in the north to Tuoba Xiong when he ascended the throne.
No wonder Tuoba Xiong suddenly decided to attack the North; it was all the Second Prince's doing behind the scenes!
Ling Lang utterly detested Xuan Yuanzhi's behavior!
The Zhenbei Army has been unable to return home for many years in order to guard the frontier. They have made countless efforts and sacrificed countless lives to guard the frontier. Yet these people in power, in order to seize the throne, have colluded with foreign enemies and disregarded their lives. Their crimes are heinous!
Ling Lang clenched his fists tightly and gritted his teeth, saying, "I must report this matter!"
He didn't care who was in charge of the court, but if he didn't report this matter, he would be no different from the Second Prince.
Xuanyuan Zhan glanced at Ling Lang but didn't speak. He only turned to look at Tuoba Xiong and said, "When I return to the capital tomorrow, I will take you with me."
As for the Chanyu and generals of the other tribes of Beirong, he did not plan to bring them back to the capital. He would leave them in Beifeng Prison, which would make it easier to exchange them for something in the future.
As for Tuoba Xiong, he had to be taken to the capital to testify.
He could understand Ling Lang's anger and desire to report the matter, but now that the Eastern Chu court was controlled by Xuan Yuanzhi and Xuan Yuanyu, his report would certainly not reach the emperor, and it might not even be effective. Instead, it would give Xuan Yuanzhi and Xuan Yuanyu an opportunity to deal with him.
Therefore, he wanted to bring Tuoba Xiong back to the capital so that Tuoba Xiong could personally testify against Xuanyuan Zhi in front of all the civil and military officials, so that all the civil and military officials of Eastern Chu would know the truth.
Tuoba Xiong remained silent; at this point, he could only submit to Xuanyuan Zhan's control.
Xuanyuan Zhan did not torture Tuoba Xiong and the others. He had the jailers lock the cell doors again, and then he took Ling Lang and Mu Lingchen out.
Once outside, Ling Lang couldn't help but speak again: "Your Highness, this humble general must report this matter!"
Xuan Yuanzhan didn't even stop walking: "Do you think the memorial you submitted will ever reach the Emperor?"
Before Ling Lang could speak, Mu Lingchen added, "Now that the Emperor is seriously ill, the Second Prince and the Third Prince control the court. Even if you report it, the memorial will only reach the Second Prince and the Third Prince. If it reaches the Third Prince, they might fight amongst themselves. But if the memorial reaches the Second Prince and you submit a memorial impeaching him, do you think the Second Prince will let you off?"
"But the Second Prince is a traitor who has betrayed the country. As the General of the Zhenbei Army, how can I just ignore this?" Ling Lang simply couldn't convince himself to pretend he didn't know anything about it!
Xuan Yuanzhan continued walking without stopping: "You are not just thinking about yourself. Think about your family. Your memorial could very well implicate your family, and they might even be executed along with their entire family!"
Upon hearing this, Ling Lang's face turned deathly pale.
Yes, he has more than just himself; he also has parents, wife, and children.
He already felt guilty and ashamed that he couldn't stay by their side often. If they were to be implicated because of him, or even have their entire family executed, he would have no face to face them even if he died.
But……
While Ling Lang was still in a daze, Xuan Yuanzhan had already walked far away. He quickly ran a few steps to catch up: "Are we just going to ignore the Second Prince's treasonous act?"
Xuanyuan Zhan finally stopped and turned to look at Ling Lang: "It's not that we don't care, it's that you shouldn't care. Leave these matters to me. Since Xuanyuan Zhi dared to do such a thing, I will definitely make him pay the price!"
Hearing Xuan Yuanzhan say that, Ling Lang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He was naturally at ease leaving the matter to the Prince!
The second prince must be punished for treason and betrayal of the country; otherwise, it would be a disservice to the soldiers who lost their lives defending the frontier!
"Is Your Highness returning to the capital tomorrow?"
"Yes, I'll be back tomorrow." Xuan Yuanzhan couldn't wait to get back.
His mother and Ning'er were still waiting for him in the capital, and he had to hurry back.
Ling Lang nodded. He knew the man was in a hurry, so he naturally wouldn't keep him any longer.
Since he was leaving the North tomorrow, Xuan Yuanzhan was still worried about the drought there, so he went to check on the Baichuan River and the Beiliang Riverbed overnight.
Ling Lang and Mu Lingchen were both by his side.
The workers on the river cheered with joy when they saw Xuanyuan Zhan.
"The prince is here!"
"Congratulations, Your Highness, on your victory!"
"We, the people of the North, have won this battle!"
"I knew Your Highness would be able to drive away those Northern Barbarians. Your Highness is our lucky star in the North!"
Xuanyuan Zhan frowned when he saw the people still digging the riverbed at night and asked, "Why are you up so late? Aren't you resting?"
The workers smiled sheepishly: "We can't be of much help in the war, but we can dredge the riverbed!"
"With the prince here, we have nothing to fear, so we can focus on digging the canal!"
"If we dig day and night, the river channel can be completed sooner, and the northern lands will no longer suffer from water shortages. The prince will also be able to focus more on the battle without worrying about the drought!"
Xuanyuan Zhan was deeply moved when he saw that the river channels on both sides were almost completely dredged: "Everyone, take a rest. The battle is over. There's no need for you to rush. With everyone's efforts, the drought in the North will be alleviated sooner or later."
The workers laughed and said, "We're not tired, Your Highness. Don't worry, we work in shifts and we get rest."
Seeing that he couldn't reason with them, Xuanyuan Zhan stopped trying to persuade them.
With such people in the north, how can we not solve the drought?
The North will definitely get better and better!
Xuanyuan Zhan had traversed both Beiliang and the Baichuan River channels, and looked at Mu Lingchen, asking, "How many more days do you estimate it will take to dredge the river channels?"
Mu Lingchen, who had been in charge of dredging the river, looked at the river and estimated, "The river workers are now working in two shifts, digging day and night. I estimate that in two or three days at most, the river channels on both sides will be connected."
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