Taiping rift 392. Reap the benefits

Watching the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict walk away in a panic, Mu Yang's face became even uglier. His father's unjust death, Yao Ji's disappearance, and Mo Jingli's suspicions were like mountains weighing down on Mu Yang's head. Looking at the corpses of the former guards scattered on the ground in front of him, Mu Yang's face turned ashen.

Zhao Lian, the general of the Western Route, also had some friendship with the old Marquis Muyang. When he heard the news and rushed over, the situation was already out of control. However, although he had a friendship with the old Marquis Muyang, it was not deep enough for him to gamble his life for this friendship. He had no choice but to order Mu Yang to be placed under house arrest in the army, and personally wrote a letter to be delivered to Mo Jingli by express horse.

Unfortunately, he didn't know that his memorial had turned into a pile of ashes just twenty miles after leaving the military camp.

Zhao Lian and Lei Tengfeng were both sitting in Mu Yang's tent. They couldn't help but sigh as they watched Mu Yang hugging Mu Lie who had already fallen asleep. To be honest, neither Zhao Lian nor Lei Tengfeng believed that the Marquis of Mu Yang's Mansion would surrender to the Prince Ding's Mansion. It's not that they didn't want to, but that they simply couldn't. Lei Tengfeng always felt that there was something wrong with this, but the old Marquis of Mu Yang was dead, and he was afraid that Mu Yang...

Thinking of this, Lei Tengfeng winked at Zhao Lian without leaving a trace. Zhao Lian sighed helplessly in his heart. He was also a veteran of the Great Chu. Although he had never fought any earth-shattering big battles in his life, he could be said to be knowledgeable. Originally, many people were secretly grumbling about Mo Jingli's decision to march north. Now that the war had just begun, the emperor had beheaded his important ministers, which made many people feel uneasy. The soldiers who were originally close to the Muyang Marquis' Mansion were even more dissatisfied. If Mu Yang had any thoughts, I'm afraid the army would be in chaos. Originally, if it was for the stability of the army, Zhao Lian should have arrested Mu Yang without hesitation. But it just so happened that nearly half of the generals in his camp were former subordinates of Marquis Muyang, or had old ties with Marquis Muyang's mansion. Not to mention the emperor, even Zhao Lian himself was sometimes secretly worried in his heart, could it be that Marquis Muyang's mansion really had some intentions?

"Marquis Muyang..." After thinking about it, Zhao Lian decided to persuade him first. With the pressure from Lu Jinxian's army, the army really couldn't afford to let the chaos go. Mu Yang smiled bitterly, "General Zhao, you are too polite. Am I still Marquis Muyang now?"

Zhao Lian sighed and said, "There must be some misunderstanding here. I have already written a letter to explain to the emperor. General, please be patient."

"Even if there was a misunderstanding, Mo Jingli shouldn't have killed my father!" Mu Yang said in a stern voice, with a trace of shocking hatred in his eyes. Zhao Lian was secretly shocked. This time, I'm afraid that no matter what... the Marquis of Muyang Mansion will be separated from the emperor.

"Mother..." In Mu Yang's arms, Mu Lie let out a small sob in his sleep. Mu Yang felt even more pain in his heart. He picked up Mu Lie and was about to walk out.

"Mu Yang, where are you going?" Zhao Lian asked hurriedly. Mu Yang turned around and said in a deep voice, "I'm going to save Yao Ji."

Under the current circumstances, Zhao Lian dared not let him lead the troops away, and hurriedly said: "How do you know where Madam Mu is now? We should send someone to investigate first. Besides... you should know that if you leave..." If Mu Yang really left like this, I'm afraid he would be a traitor even if he didn't commit treason. Mu Yang sneered and said: "Now that it's like this, do I still care about this?"

Zhao Lian gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice: "Okay, I won't stop you if you want to leave. You can't take the soldiers with you." If Mu Yang was allowed to take the soldiers away, he would probably be dead.

Mu Yang smiled coldly. If he left alone, he wouldn't be able to do anything. As long as Mo Jingli sent people to chase him, he would be killed, not to mention saving others.

Beside him, Lei Tengfeng frowned and said, "Marquis Muyang, please be patient. Don't you think this is a little weird?" Mu Yang and Zhao Lian looked at Lei Tengfeng at the same time. Lei Tengfeng said in a deep voice, "The King of Chu is not a fool. If he really wanted to kill Marquis Muyang, why did he announce the death of Marquis Muyang so quickly and only sent a dozen guards to convey his order? Isn't he afraid that Marquis Muyang will disobey his order or even rebel on the spot?"

Mu Yang looked at Lei Tengfeng and said coldly, "Does Prince Zhennan mean that my father is fine? Or does he mean that the person who delivered the decree was not Mo Jingli's man, but someone else in disguise?"

Lei Tengfeng was speechless. They knew the people around Mo Jingli. If they were disguised, it would be impossible for them to have no flaws in front of so many people. They had seen the dead guards in Mo Jingli's army before. How could they be fake?

After a long while, Lei Tengfeng sighed and said, "If Brother Mu believes me, wait for another day. Let's find out the news from the main camp first. If it really happens then... I will escort Brother Mu out of the camp myself. If the King of Chu blames me, I will take the responsibility, and save General Zhao from the embarrassment." Zhao Lian agreed when he heard it. No matter what, it was most important to stabilize Mu Yang first, otherwise the army would soon change. He nodded repeatedly and said, "Prince Lei is right, my nephew, if it really happens then... I won't stop you!"

Mu Yang was silent for a moment, and finally nodded and said, "Okay, wait another day!"

In the Chu army camp, Mo Jingli stared at the eunuch who was kneeling and trembling below with a gloomy expression, and said in a deep voice: "What did you say?" The eunuch who delivered the imperial edict turned pale and said tremblingly: "Your Majesty, please spare my life! Your Majesty, please spare my life... I am incompetent... Marquis Muyang refused to accept the imperial edict, and said... Marquis Muyang's mansion is loyal to the Great Chu, and the emperor is incompetent and has wronged the loyal and good... He killed all the guards sent by the emperor. Fortunately, fortunately, the generals of the western route arrived in time and saved my life..." As he spoke, the eunuch was already crying and looked timid as if he was frightened.

Mo Jingli stared at him for a long while, and saw that the eunuch's clean clothes were stained with blood and dust. His expression was full of fatigue, fear, and hidden pain. It was obvious that he had also suffered some injuries. "What a great Marquis Mu Yang, what a great Mu Yang! Bring Mu Jingming up to me!"

Mu Jingming is the real name of the old Marquis Muyang, but he was granted the title of Marquis Muyang when he was young, so very few people call him by his real name. Not long after, the old Marquis Muyang was escorted into the big tent by the guards. However, in just two days, the old Marquis Muyang, who was originally energetic, has become much older. His originally gray hair looks a little messy, and his sharp eyes have become a little dull. Life in prison is naturally not so good, and the whole person looks old and weak.

"Mu Jingming, what else do you have to say?!" Mo Jingli asked sharply.

Old Marquis Muyang was startled, not understanding what had happened to make Mo Jingli so angry. He glanced at the eunuch kneeling beside him, dressed in a wolfish robe, and was shocked, as if he had realized something.

"I am innocent, Your Majesty, please look into my mind." Although he had guessed what had happened, the old Marquis of Muyang could not admit it and could only play dumb. Mo Jingli sneered, "Look into my mind? You said Muyang had no intention of rebellion? But he dared to kill the guards I sent to deliver my decree, and dared to scold me for being incompetent. Is this what you call the Marquis of Muyang's loyalty to the Great Chu?"

"Your Majesty... This must be a misunderstanding! My son would never be so rude!" Old Marquis Muyang said anxiously. He knew Mu Yang's character and he would never act so impulsively. Moreover, he was still in the Chu army camp. Even if Mu Yang was afraid of the consequences, he would never rashly kill the person sent by the emperor to convey the emperor's order.

The eunuch kneeling beside him was moved and said in a sharp voice: "Old Marquis Mu, do you mean that we deceived the emperor? Framed Marquis Muyang?! Your Majesty, I am innocent. I beg Your Majesty to send someone you trust to investigate again, so that I will not suffer this unjust accusation. Marquis Muyang killed the guards sent by the emperor. Thousands of soldiers in the army saw it with their own eyes. I don’t believe that Marquis Muyang can shut up so many people. Moreover, although the generals from the west route arrived after the incident, the prince of Zhennan was present from beginning to end. Please investigate!"

Seeing the eunuch's sad and angry look, Mo Jingli believed it even more. Moreover, he already suspected the Marquis of Muyang Mansion, and the people below were just slightly adding fuel to the fire.

With a sneer, Mo Jingli said, "Of course I will check! Gao Ming! You take my imperial edict and tell the general of the west, Zhao Lian, to capture Mu Yang and bring him to me. If he disobeys, he will be executed on the spot!" The general below stepped out and said, "I obey your order. I will definitely bring Mu Yang back to plead guilty to the emperor!" Mo Jingli snorted. He was not interested in whether Mu Yang would plead guilty or not. He was only worried about whether Mu Yang would take his hundreds of thousands of soldiers to eat breakfast. After all, the Mu family still has some influence in the Great Chu Army. After thinking about it, Mo Jingli said, "I will give you another 50,000 elite soldiers to assist the general of the west in defending Lu Jinxian's troops!"

"Yes, thank you, Your Majesty." Gao Ming thanked him loudly. He certainly understood what Mo Jingli meant. These 50,000 elite soldiers were not really given to him to defend against Lu Jinxian, but in case Mu Yang made any unusual moves, he could work together with the generals of the western route to suppress them.

The old Marquis Muyang looked at Gao Ming, who was tall and straight and looked righteous, and felt a little hopeless. No one can have only friends and no enemies. It just so happened that Gao Ming and the Mu family had always been at odds. The Mu family was a family of generals. Gao Ming and Mu Yang were of similar age, but Mu Yang's family background was far from comparable to that of Gao Ming, who was born in a grassroots family. Therefore, even though Gao Ming had followed Mo Jingli since Mo Jingli was still a prince without real power, his status was still far inferior to that of Mu Yang after Mo Jingli ascended the throne. The discord between the two was known to the entire Chu army. Mo Jingli sent him there, although he might have been worried that others would have a good relationship with Mu Yang and would show mercy. But sending Gao Ming was almost equivalent to ending the survival of the Muyang Marquisate.

Old Marquis Muyang fell to the ground, but Mo Jingli didn't even bother to look at him and walked away in anger.

The eunuch who had been kneeling beside him quickly got up and had someone take the old Marquis Muyang back to the prison for strict guard. The old Marquis Muyang glared at the eunuch fiercely, his eyes were bloodshot, he was keenly aware that there must be something wrong, but he was imprisoned by Mo Jingli at this time, even if he wanted to do anything to investigate the truth, he was powerless. The eunuch looked around and saw that there was no one around, suddenly approached the old Marquis Muyang, smiled softly, and said in a low voice: "Old Marquis, don't blame our family. Who made you offend someone you shouldn't offend?"

"It's you!" Old Marquis Muyang cursed fiercely.

"What are you still standing there for? Why don't you take him away and keep him safe? If Prince Ding's mansion rescues him, none of us will survive." The eunuch waved his hand and said sharply. The old Marquis Muyang was dragged out without any resistance.

A day later, the news that came made everyone helpless.

"General, the Emperor has ordered General Gao Ming to lead 50,000 elite soldiers to assist you." The atmosphere in the tent suddenly became heavy, and the generals of Marquis Muyang's mansion looked extremely ugly.

Mu Yang sneered and said, "50,000 elite soldiers to help General Zhao?" The sarcasm was evident in his words. Everyone present understood that what kind of help could a mere 50,000 troops do? There were more than 100,000 soldiers from the original Western Route Army in the camp, 100,000 soldiers under Mu Yang, and more than 100,000 soldiers under Lei Tengfeng. The total force was more than 400,000, which was twice that of Lu Jinxian. I'm afraid that these 50,000 soldiers were not used to deal with Lu Jinxian, but to guard against Mu Yang.

Zhao Lian sighed and asked, "Where is General Gao?"

The soldier reported, "General Gao's army is already thirty miles away. In addition... General Gao sent someone to tell us... Marquis Muyang is planning a rebellion. Please arrest him immediately, and when General Gao arrives, he will be escorted back to the camp to be dealt with by the Emperor." As soon as these words came out, the generals of Marquis Muyang's mansion who were present stood up one after another and stared at everyone with unfriendly expressions.

Just when Zhao Lian was in a dilemma, the sound of war drums came from outside the camp. Zhao Lian was shocked and quickly made a decision. He said in a deep voice: "The Mohist army is calling for battle. All the generals, follow me out of the camp to fight!"

After saying that, he left without caring about Mu Yang and the others and walked out. Lei Tengfeng stood up, looked at Mu Yang standing on the side, sighed, shook his head, and followed him out. In the big tent, the generals of the Marquis of Mu Yang who stayed behind whispered, "Marquis, let's..."

Mu Yang closed his eyes and said resolutely: "Those who are willing to stay can follow General Zhao out of the camp to fight, and those who are willing to go with me, let's go now!" Several people present withdrew silently and followed Zhao Lian out. The rest were willing to follow Mu Yang. Although the choices were different, no one had the heart to despise anyone at this time. Following Mu Yang is not an easy path to take. The Marquis of Muyang Mansion does not have as much power as the Prince of Ding Mansion. It does not mean that you can become the king of the land just by taking an army away. Those who are willing to follow Mu Yang can be said to be the confidants of the Marquis of Muyang Mansion, or they are the people who have saved their lives.

Mu Yang glanced at everyone and said in a deep voice: "Mu Yang thanks everyone. Go back and gather your troops. We will leave immediately."

So, outside the camp, two armies went out of the camp one after the other but headed for different places. Mu Yang brought 100,000 soldiers with him, but only 30,000 or 40,000 people followed him. Looking at the direction where Mu Yang led his troops away, Zhao Lian sighed slightly, with a look of regret in his sad eyes. I'm afraid Mu Yang won't be able to go far in the future. If he had been given time, Mu Yang would have become a general who was no less capable than his father. But now, with only 30,000 or 40,000 people, no food or support, Mu Yang's future is doomed.

Lei Tengfeng stood beside Zhao Lian and asked calmly: "General Zhao, don't you regret letting him go like this?" Zhao Lian sighed and said: "I have tried my best. It's better than the army's failure." Lei Tengfeng nodded in agreement. Letting Mu Yang take away 30,000 or 40,000 troops would not cause much trouble to the army, but if Mu Yang was really captured or killed, the generals who were originally on good terms with Mu Yang's Mansion would inevitably feel grief-stricken. If they were instigated by someone with ulterior motives, it would not be just these 30,000 or 40,000 troops that would be lost.

"But how will the general explain this to the Emperor of Chu?" Mo Jingli is not a broad-minded person who considers the overall situation. I'm afraid he can't see Zhao Lian's retreat for the stability of the army, but only sees that Zhao Lian disobeyed the order and let Mu Yang go.

Zhao Lian smiled helplessly and said calmly: "I'm doing my best. Besides... I might die on the battlefield anytime. Why think so much? To be honest, I'm not sure about Lu Jinxian." Seeing the solution of the Marquis of Muyang Mansion, Zhao Lian was not really without a little chill in his heart. But as a subject, if the king wants the subject to die, the subject must die.

"General's righteousness." Lei Tengfeng praised sincerely.

However, it was said that Mu Yang met Gao Ming's army only two hours after he left the camp. The two armies were not supposed to meet so soon, but when Gao Ming was about to approach the camp, he received the news that Mu Yang had fled with his army, and immediately turned his troops to chase him. At the same time, a memorial was quickly sent to Mo Jingli's camp, stating that Mu Yang had rebelled with his army. He even did not forget to sue Zhao Lian. Gao Ming always felt that he had worked like a slave for Mo Jingli all these years, but he was always suppressed by these generals from big families. How could he let go of the opportunity now?

When the two armies met, Gao Ming ordered a charge without saying a word. In the chaos, countless people were killed and wounded in a short time. Just when Gao Ming was feeling proud, he saw a black army rushing out from the side and surrounding the two armies that were fighting.

Gao Ming was so frightened when he saw the black flag flying in the wind that he almost fell off his horse. He shouted in horror: "Mohist Army... Black Cloud Cavalry..." Mu Yang's face also darkened, vaguely feeling that something was wrong. The combat power of the Black Cloud Cavalry was naturally not comparable to these ordinary Chu army soldiers. They rushed forward and immediately broke the Chu army's formation into pieces. The black-clothed man leading the army said in a deep voice: "If you are willing to return to Shunding Palace, stop immediately!" The black-clothed man's voice spread in all directions with deep internal strength.

These soldiers were already confused by the sudden killing, and were frightened by the Black Cloud Cavalry. Originally, these soldiers had no ill feelings towards the Mohist Army, and even had some vague fear and dissatisfaction with the war with Prince Ding's Mansion. At this time, under the leadership of someone, many people quickly put down their weapons and left the battlefield. Seeing that the Mohist Army was just as the black-clothed general said, as long as they put down their weapons, they would not fight, and even gave them protection, blocking the swords of the chaotic army for them, and soon more people put down their weapons.

In less than two quarters of an hour, the entire battlefield had already quieted down. The number of soldiers who chose to drop their weapons and surrender to Prince Ding's Palace was as high as tens of thousands, including both Mu Yang's and Gao Ming's troops. Mu Yang was still protected by a few loyal guards and continued to fight against the Mohist Army, but Gao Ming had already fallen into the hands of the Mohist Army.

The black-clad general stepped forward carrying Gao Ming and said in a deep voice: "Back off!" The Black Cloud Cavalry soldiers who were originally surrounding Mu Yang immediately stopped and respectfully pushed them aside.

Mu Yang stared at the black-clothed man in front of him for a long while, and finally frowned and said, "Are you... Qin Feng?" Mu Yang and Qin Feng had only met a few times, but Mu Yang still remembered the silent man who followed Princess Ding and was said to command the most mysterious Qilin in the Ding Palace.

Qin Feng nodded indifferently and threw Gao Ming at Mu Yang's feet.

Gao Ming stood up with a depressed look, looking at Qin Feng with some fear. He just felt that he was very unlucky, and had been suppressed by Mu Yang and couldn't raise his head. Now Mu Yang was finally unlucky, and he was sent by the emperor to capture Mu Yang, but he was still unlucky to be captured by the Mohist Army along with Mu Yang. At this moment, Gao Ming really felt that Mu Yang was simply his nemesis.

"You...a traitor from Prince Ding's Mansion! You are so brave. I am a general of the Great Chu!" Gao Ming looked at Qin Feng who didn't care at all that he was seeing, and shouted fiercely.

The general beside Qin Feng twitched his mouth, and couldn't help but bowed his head and coughed lightly, "Commander Qin, is this guy okay?" Is the identity of a general of the Great Chu worth being proud of? Especially now that the two armies are facing each other and have become prisoners?

Qin Feng raised his eyebrows and smiled, "So what about the generals of Great Chu? Now that the two armies are facing each other, wouldn't it be better for a man of the same age to kill more generals of Great Chu and gain more military merits?" Hearing this, Gao Ming's face turned pale and he stammered, not daring to say anything.

Mu Yang stared at Qin Feng, frowned and said, "Does Princess Ding have good tactics? It seems that Princess Ding has already calculated that I and General Gao will meet here? Please ask Princess Ding to come out and meet me." Qin Feng said calmly, "The princess is not here now, I am afraid that Marquis Mu Yang will not be able to fulfill his wish."

Mu Yang frowned, "I wonder if Zhuo Jing was taken away by Commander Qin's men? She is just an innocent woman. Commander Qin, as a general, would not embarrass a weak woman who knows nothing."

"You know nothing?" Qin Feng looked a little strange.

Mu Yang nodded and said, "Yes, I was defeated by Commander Qin, and I have no regrets in death. But Zhuo Jing and Xiao Er have nothing to do with this matter, Commander Qin, please be kind and let them go."

Qin Feng looked at Mu Yang and shook his head, saying lightly: "What a pity." In fact, Mu Yang himself is not a person who makes people hate him. If it weren't for the fact that the Marquis of Mu Yang's Mansion offended Prince Ding, he wouldn't have been so unlucky. At this point, he still didn't forget to plead for Yao Ji, which can be regarded as a kind of affection and righteousness. It's a pity... Each of them has his own master, and everyone has a different stand. Mu Yang must die.

"Commander Qin..." Mu Yang's expression changed slightly.

Qin Feng said in a leisurely voice: "Of course I won't hurt Yao Ji and Mu Lie. Because..."

Mu Yang was staring at Qin Feng, not knowing what he wanted to say. Suddenly, he felt a cold pain in his abdomen. He looked down in surprise and saw Mu Lie's big smiling eyes flashing with an innocent smile. Mu Lie said with a smile, "Because I am from Prince Ding's Mansion!"