Taiping split 390. Mu Yang's army was defeated, and the suspicion of the secret work

On the Hangu Pass, Mo Jingli looked down at the murderous Mohist Army camp not far away. The black flags of the Mohist Army were flying in the wind. From a distance, the entire Mohist Army camp was full of vigor and momentum, as if a black wave would sweep over at any time.

"Your Majesty, something is not right." Old Marquis Muyang and Lei Tengfeng stood on the left and right of Mo Jingli, and Old Marquis Muyang frowned slightly. Mo Jingli raised his eyebrows, "Something is not right? How do you mean?" Old Marquis Muyang said in a deep voice: "The Mohist Army looks powerful, but in the past two days, it has been bluffing and has not done anything substantial. This is not in line with the Mohist Army's usual style."

The reason why the Mohist Army is famous is because of their fierce fighting power and the fearless spirit of their soldiers. So they will definitely not stop just because of the thousand-year-old pass in front of them. The only explanation is that there is another conspiracy.

Mo Jingli raised his eyebrows and said calmly, "Ye Li has less than 100,000 soldiers and horses. Even if she attacks Hangu Pass by force, can she take it down? I'm afraid she wants to wait for Lu Jinxian? As long as Mu Yang can stop Lu Jinxian, these people in front of me... will sooner or later be my prisoners." Lei Tengfeng stared into the distance, thinking about something, and after a while he said calmly, "It seems that no one has seen Princess Ding in the past few days."

Hearing this, the old Marquis Muyang's face turned pale, and he said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty... Princess Ding has always been cunning, I'm afraid..." Princess Ding is not only cunning, but also elusive because of the help of Qilin. Every time Princess Ding appears, someone will be in trouble. Mo Jingli frowned, and he naturally understood what the old Marquis Muyang was worried about, but this time he thought that his arrangement was flawless, and no matter how smart Ye Li was, she couldn't find a loophole. It's a pity that the lists that Dongfangyou gave him at the beginning, although they solved his urgent problem of not being able to place people in the Ding Palace, but these people couldn't contact Ye Li without arousing suspicion, otherwise it wouldn't be so difficult to grasp Ye Li's movements like it is now.

After thinking about it, for the sake of safety, Mo Jingli ordered: "Send someone to investigate, and make sure whether Ye Li is in the military camp outside the pass." Old Marquis Muyang nodded quickly, turned around and was about to go down and tell someone to do the job.

"Your Majesty, urgent military information!" Before Marquis Muyang went down, a soldier had already rushed up. Marquis Muyang's eyelids jumped, and a bad premonition came to his mind. He only heard the soldier who reported the news said: "Urgent report from the front, the 100,000-strong army led by Marquis Muyang was ambushed by Lu Jinxian's army, and almost all of them were annihilated. Lu Jinxian has already passed the ambush set by our army and is heading towards Hangu Pass."

"What's going on?!" Old Marquis Muyang couldn't help but cry out, his body swayed and he almost fell to the ground. He hurriedly asked, "How is Marquis Muyang?" The soldier looked at Mo Jingli behind him and then at Marquis Muyang, and then said, "Marquis Muyang has come to Hangu Pass with less than 10,000 remaining soldiers."

Hearing that Mu Yang was fine, the old Marquis Mu Yang heaved a sigh of relief. But when he turned around and saw Mo Jingli's expression, he secretly complained in his heart. He had been worrying about this and that, but in the end, it was his son who had problems. With Mo Jingli's character, how could he not be furious?

As expected, Mo Jingli glanced at the old Marquis Muyang with a gloomy face, and asked calmly: "Old Marquis Mu, what do you have to say?" The old Marquis Muyang said with a bitter face: "My son did not perform well in the battle, please punish me, Your Majesty."

Beside him, Lei Tengfeng narrowed his eyes, took a step forward and whispered: "Emperor Chu, Marquis Muyang is still young after all. How can he defeat a veteran like Lu Jinxian who has fought for half his life? Besides, now is the time to use people." Mo Jingli snorted and said to the old Marquis Muyang: "For the sake of the Prince of Zhennan, I will give him a chance to redeem himself."

The old Marquis Muyang was delighted and thanked him immediately, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness." He looked at Lei Tengfeng with a bit more kindness and gratitude, "Thank you, Prince Zhennan." Lei Tengfeng smiled and said, "Old Marquis, there is no need to be polite. This prince is also for the sake of our alliance." The implication was that the Marquis Muyang Mansion did not owe him a favor. Hearing this, the old Marquis Muyang's face became even kinder. After all, the favor of the Prince Zhennan of Xiling was not so easy to owe.

Lei Tengfeng looked at Mo Jingli and said, "Emperor Chu, now that things have come to this, you should quickly recall Marquis Muyang and ask him about what happened. I always feel that... this matter is indeed a bit strange." Lei Tengfeng also knew something about the arrangements made by Mo Jingli and the old Marquis Muyang, which could be said to be flawless. At least Lei Tengfeng himself could not think of any flaws. Although Lei Tengfeng did not have much achievements in the military, he was taught by Lei Zhenting after all, and his knowledge and ability were first-class. Even he could not see any flaws, which proved that the arrangements made by the old Marquis Muyang and Mo Jingli were indeed not a big problem. Even if Mu Yang could not win a great victory, he would not lose too badly. But in just a few days, Mu Yang's entire army was nearly wiped out. To say that there was no problem was even more unbelievable than Mo Xiuyao's annihilation of the Beirong army.

After hearing his words, Mo Jingli and the old Marquis Muyang also looked a little solemn. Although the old Marquis Muyang had not had much dealings with Lu Jinxian, he was a famous general after all, and he had some understanding of several generals of the Mohist Army. Therefore, he couldn't believe that Lu Jinxian could break the trap he had set so easily.

Mu Yang came back very quickly, but he was full of wounds when he returned, and there were less than 6,000 of the original 100,000 elite soldiers left.

"I, the guilty minister Mu Yang, beg Your Majesty to forgive me." Mu Yang knew very well that his obeisance was the first battle between the Chu army and the Mo family army, which ended in a disastrous defeat for the Chu army. I'm afraid Mo Jingli wanted to cut him into pieces. More importantly, his defeat almost destroyed most of the terrain advantage that the Chu army originally occupied.

There was silence in the big tent, and the generals of the Chu army did not dare to speak up for Mu Yang. Mo Jingli looked at Mu Yang coldly. There was a bloodstain on his handsome face, and his shoulder was bandaged. His left arm looked a little stiff, obviously he was seriously injured. His handsome and calm eyebrows were full of fatigue, and even his eyes were red. It seemed that Mu Yang had not been doing well these days.

"Get up." After a long while, Mo Jingli said in a deep voice. It's not that Mo Jingli didn't want to punish Mu Yang, but he also knew that there were not many generals in the Chu army who could be used. If Mu Yang was punished, it was hard to guarantee that the old Marquis Mu Yang would not have any dissent, so he followed Lei Tengfeng's advice and exempted Mu Yang from punishment. "Lu Jinxian is a famous general of the Mo family army. This matter is over. In the future, he must make up for his crime and make meritorious contributions. If he is negligent again, don't blame me for turning my face and being ruthless." Mu Yang was stunned. He obviously didn't expect Mo Jingli to be so generous. The old Marquis Mu Yang beside him hurriedly reminded him: "Don't thank the emperor for his grace."

Mu Yang then thanked Mo Jingli for his grace and stood up.

"What happened this time? Tell me in detail?" Mo Jingli asked in a deep voice. Mu Yang quickly told the story of the defeat. In fact, not to mention others, even Mu Yang himself felt that the defeat was inexplicable. Mu Yang led an army of 100,000 to reinforce. Although Lu Jinxian still had the advantage in terms of numbers between the two armies, the Chu army had the advantage of terrain and was almost certain to win. But no one could have imagined that on the second night after Mu Yang arrived, Lu Jinxian suddenly appeared behind the Chu army with 5,000 soldiers. In the dead of night, the Chu army had no idea how many troops were there in the sneak attack, and they were led by Lu Jinxian in a hurry to meet the enemy. Finally, Lu Jinxian ignited the tung oil that was originally used to greet the Mohist army, and the 100,000-man army was burned to half by the ambush he set. When Mu Yang led the remaining soldiers and horses to rush out of the sea of ​​fire, they met Lu Jinxian's army head-on, and only a few thousand soldiers escaped.

After listening to Mu Yang's story, Mo Jingli was furious. "So... my army of 100,000 was killed by Lu Jinxian's mere 5,000 soldiers without leaving a single piece of armor? Great! That's great!"

The others were silent. With 5,000 troops against 100,000, this battle was undoubtedly the pinnacle of Lu Jinxian's life. However, it would be hard to believe that this battle was entirely due to Lu Jinxian's ability. There was only one thing, how did Lu Jinxian know the Chu army's garrison and the ambush set by the Chu army? You know, if you are not careful, it is possible to ignite several nearby mountains. By then, even if Lu Jinxian wins the fire and seals the mountain, he will not be able to get through there.

The old Marquis Muyang said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, there are spies from Prince Ding's Mansion in our army. And... they are extremely important people who can access our army's secrets." It can be said that Qilin found the location of the Chu army's garrison, but the ambush they set up would be difficult for Qilin to find in less than ten days or half a month. In addition to the fact that there are spies from Prince Ding's Mansion in the Chu army, the old Marquis Muyang could not think of any other explanation.

Mo Jingli rolled his eyes at the old Marquis Muyang in annoyance. The secret guards of Prince Ding's Mansion were almost everywhere. Even Mo Jingli couldn't guarantee that there were no people from the Mo Family Army in his mansion. What he said was tantamount to nonsense.

Beside him, Lei Tengfeng said in a deep voice: "Old Marquis Muyang is right. I'm afraid... the other party is still very close to you. The King of Chu must be careful. In addition, Lu Jinxian's army is approaching, please make preparations early." The losses of Lu Jinxian and Mu Yang in a battle can be said to be almost negligible. When the two Mohist armies approach Hangu Pass one after another, the so-called geographical advantage of the Chu army will not only be completely lost, but it is also likely to fall into a dilemma.

Mo Jingli said in a deep voice: "Convey my order and order the 200,000-man army of the Western Route to intercept Lu Jinxian's army with all their strength. Mu Yang, I will give you one last chance. If you let Lu Jinxian reach Hangu Pass, you will commit suicide." He glanced at Mu Yang coldly, and Mu Yang immediately felt the murderous intent revealed in Mo Jingli's cold eyes.

Mu Yang shuddered and quickly responded, "I obey your command! I'll take my leave!"

Mo Jingli snorted and said, "The old marquis is in charge of investigating the Mo family's military spies. Everyone else please leave. I have something to discuss with the Prince of Zhennan."

"Yes, we will take our leave now." All the generals said in unison.

Lei Tengfeng was not surprised. Mo Jingli thought highly of himself. If he hadn't suffered some loss, he would not have taken a small prince of Zhennan seriously. Fortunately, Lei Tengfeng's temperament had changed a lot, otherwise the two of them would have quarreled over the past few days.

Only Mo Jingli and Lei Tengfeng were left in the big tent. Mo Jingli looked at Lei Tengfeng and sighed, "We've made a fool of ourselves, Prince Zhennan." Lei Tengfeng said respectfully, "Your Majesty, you are too polite. Victory and defeat are common in the military. I don't know how your Majesty feels. Now even my father is not doing well. The Mo family army has been a great force in the world for two hundred years, and it is not in vain."

This was not Lei Tengfeng's words to comfort Mo Jingli. Mo Jingli naturally had his own sources of information. How could he not know that the fight between Mo Xiuyao and Lei Zhenting was more intense than theirs. Compared with the battle at Feihong Pass, theirs was nothing compared to the battle between Lei Zhenting and Mo Xiuyao. This was the first time Lei Zhenting and Mo Xiuyao really fought each other, which naturally attracted the attention of the whole world. However, the battle there was not smooth sailing because the Xiling army had taken the lead. The two armies were stuck in a stalemate, and every battle was bloody and thrilling. So far, Lei Zhenting has not been able to gain any advantage.

Mo Jingli frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "I can lend a helping hand to King Zhennan."

Lei Tengfeng slightly frowned, still looking at Mo Jingli with a respectful but not humble attitude. Lei Tengfeng still remembered that Mo Jingli married Dongfangyou. Although Cangmang Mountain had been completely destroyed, no one could say what benefits Mo Jingli had gained from Dongfangyou. Since Mo Jingli dared to say that he would lend a helping hand to Lei Zhenting, it was naturally not a joke.

"Please give me some advice, Emperor Chu." Lei Tengfeng said.

Mo Jingli smiled faintly and said, "I don't deserve your advice, but I still have a few people in Dingwang Mansion who can be used." Hearing this, Lei Tengfeng's heart jumped. The most difficult thing about Dingwang Mansion is not the strength of the Mo family army, nor the wisdom of Mo Xiuyao and Xu Qingchen, but its almost airtight defense. The information that everyone in the world knows is what Dingwang Mansion is willing to release to others, and they can't find out the information that Mo Xiuyao is unwilling to let others know. Over the years, although various forces have been persistently placing people in Dingwang Mansion, there are almost no people who can really be used, and instead a lot of their own elites have been lost.

Seeing that Lei Tengfeng seemed unwilling to believe it, Mo Jingli was not in a hurry and smiled faintly: "The prince of Dingwang Mansion, Mo Yuchen, is now in Feihong Pass."

Lei Tengfeng's eyes flickered. The whereabouts of the Prince of Ding's Mansion was naturally a very secret news in the Mo family army. However, Mo Jingli seemed to have known about it for a long time. It seemed that he was indeed famous. Mo Jingli smiled faintly and said, "In addition, the twins of Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li are now being raised in the Xu family."

Lei Tengfeng's mind raced, but soon he calmed down and said with a faint smile: "It seems that the people of Emperor Chu are not in the Mohist army, but in Licheng. In this case, it seems that it will not have much effect on my father."

Mo Jingli smiled and said, "Whether it exists or not depends on how the King of Zhennan uses it."

"What does the Emperor of Chu want?" Lei Tengfeng asked.

Knowing that Lei Tengfeng had compromised, Mo Jingli smiled with satisfaction and said, "How many people did the Prince of Zhennan bring?" Lei Tengfeng sighed helplessly, "Cangmang Mountain is indeed a disaster, fortunately it was destroyed long ago! I only have 150,000 soldiers and horses in my hands, but I am just in case, and I have no ill intentions towards the King of Chu."

"I naturally believe in the Prince of Zhennan." Mo Jingli said with a smile. Now that the two armies have formed an alliance to fight against the Mo family army, Lei Tengfeng naturally has no idea. But after the result is determined, it is not certain.

Lei Tengfeng said: "I am willing to help Marquis Muyang to intercept Lu Jinxian."

Mo Jingli nodded in satisfaction, picked up a pen and wrote a few words on the paper, handed it over and said: "This is a gift for the King of Zhennan." Lei Tengfeng glanced at it, threw the note into the charcoal fire beside him, and said with a faint smile: "Thank you, King Chu, I will take my leave."

Watching Lei Tengfeng leave, Mo Jingli sneered and said, "Who said I don't have anyone in the Mo family army? Mo Xiuyao... I want to see who will have the last laugh!"

In Mu Yang's tent, Yao Ji was bandaging Mu Yang's wounds. Looking at the wounded man in front of her, Yao Ji's beautiful eyes slightly closed, and she said nothing. Beside her, Mu Lie also looked at Mu Yang eagerly, his big eyes full of worry, "Father, are you... okay?"

Mu Yang shook his head, raised his uninjured hand and touched Mu Lie's head, saying, "Father is fine, don't be afraid." Mu Lie nodded, and sat beside Mu Yang obediently, watching Yao Ji treat his wound. Outside the tent, a soldier reported, "My Lord, the old Lord wants you to come over after you have treated your wound."

Mu Yang nodded and said, "I understand. Go ahead."

Yao Ji frowned and said, "You're so badly injured, why don't you rest?" Mu Yang smiled helplessly and said, "I'm leaving soon. My father probably asked me to go and tell him something. Don't worry, it's not a serious injury."

"But...your injury..."

Mu Yang sighed and said, "Although the defeat this time was due to the intelligence that the Mohist army had received in advance, I was still defeated in the end. The emperor showed leniency and asked me to lead the troops to resist Lu Jinxian's army, so as to atone for my sins. How could I refuse so easily?"

Yao Ji also knew the seriousness of the situation, so she nodded and said, "Then you must be careful." Mu Yang smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry, I will be fine."

After packing up a bit, Mu Yang went to the tent of the old Marquis Mu Yang. As soon as he left, Yao Ji and Mu Lie's faces darkened, and Mu Lie said in a deep voice: "Marquis Mu Yang will soon suspect us." There are not many people in the army who can access confidential information. After excluding all possibilities, the answer is the most unlikely one.

Yao Ji smiled and said, "You are wrong. They will soon suspect me."

Mu Lie's face darkened, and he said in a deep voice: "You are crazy, don't think about taking the blame yourself. Don't forget, if you have solid evidence, do you think Mo Jingli will let me go? Moreover, with Mu Yanghou's intelligence, he may doubt my identity." Mu Lie and Mu Yang don't look alike, except that his eyes are a bit like Yao Ji's. By then, Mu Yanghou is very likely to doubt his identity.

Yao Ji sighed and said, "Unless it is absolutely necessary, would I go and die? But you should be careful recently. If there is no extremely important news, don't pay attention to it for now, so as not to fall into the trap of Marquis Muyang."

Mu Lie nodded with a serious face and said, "I understand. I feel...that things will be over soon." Yao Ji lowered her eyes and whispered, "It's good that it's over. You've worked hard these years." Mu Lie was only eight or nine years old when he followed her to Chujing. In these years, not only did he have to secretly help her collect and transmit information, but he also had to remind her from time to time not to make mistakes. If it weren't for Mu Lie's company these years, she really didn't know if she could have survived.

Mu Lie looked at her and said, "If you can't do what the prince asked, I will do it."

Yao Ji smiled faintly and said, "Don't worry too much. We may not be needed at that time..." Mu Lie shook his head and said, "Since the prince has ordered it, it will definitely happen. Otherwise, do you think Marquis Muyang can live to this day? Just because he almost killed the princess and the prince, the prince would have crushed him to death. You just wait and see. I'm afraid that the prince will send news soon."

Yao Ji was startled, then nodded and said, "Everything is fate, and besides... I know what to do. I don't owe them anything, so why can't I do it?" Besides the fact that Mu Yang is her son's father, Yao Ji has gradually become indifferent to him over the years. The relationship that she thought was eternal is now just like this.

Mu Lie looked at her with some concern and nodded. But he secretly made up his mind that if the time really came, he would take the initiative to avoid Yao Ji's knot in the future.

On the other side, Ye Li sat on horseback and smiled faintly at the corpses strewn all over the field not far below the mountain. Her white clothes and black hair fluttered in the slightly cold breeze.

"Princess." Qin Feng presented a letter and said in a deep voice: "General Lu has already defeated Mu Yang's 100,000-man army, and the army is heading to Hangu Pass. Should we go back?"

Ye Li frowned and said as she opened the letter: "General Lu's battle was amazing. But... Qin Feng, let Yao Ji and Mu Lie withdraw immediately!" Qin Feng was shocked, but soon calmed down. He said silently: "The prince has ordered that Yao Ji and Mu Lie... have other uses." It was just that Mo Xiuyao had not intended to tell Ye Li about this matter. But now that the princess asked Yao Ji and Mu Lie to withdraw, it was contrary to Mo Xiuyao's order, so Qin Feng had to tell the truth.

Ye Li was startled, but soon understood Mo Xiuyao's intention. She sighed softly and said to Qin Feng, "Go ahead and try your best to ensure the safety of Yao Ji and Mu Lie." When Mo Xiuyao initially chose Yao Ji as a spy in Chujing, Ye Li understood it. She didn't stop him then, and she won't stop him now. The solution to Muyang Marquis's Mansion was already determined. If it could make Mo Xiuyao feel more comfortable, Ye Li didn't mind being more ruthless.

Qin Feng nodded and said, "Thank you, Princess." The lives of spies are worthless, and many people in power don't care about the lives of spies. Because most of the spies have great leverage in the hands of their masters, and the superiors don't have to worry about their betrayal. If they are discovered, most of them can only die. Although the Ding Palace treats their subordinates a lot better, it can't take care of everyone after all. But Princess Ding is different. As long as it is possible, she will try her best to protect the safety of her subordinates. Perhaps it is precisely because of this that these people are willing to submit to a woman. Princess Ding not only has the heart and strategy of a man, but also has kindness and generosity that most superiors do not have.

Ye Li smiled faintly and said, "I'll do my best. I can't save everyone."