Misleading the country
War broke out again in the Northwest. Yuan Cheng, who was in Pingdu, received a secret letter from Mu Yun. She said that everything was under control and asked him to stay in Pingdu to monitor the situation in the south.
Yuan Cheng knew that she was always resourceful. Although she was impatient, she had improved over the years and was bold enough to be compared to ordinary people. Moreover, the generals around her were also brave and resourceful. She would not put herself in danger.
The clouds on the horizon were as black as ink, swirling and rolling in the wind, weighing heavily on his mind and making him uneasy.
The weather is about to change.
The palace maids from the laundry department rushed out to tidy up the clothes. A corner of a purple gauze skirt fluttered in the hands of a palace maid. He glanced at it, then looked away and turned to leave.
The Qiang people appeared several times, only to disappear again behind Hulao Mountain, as if they had never existed.
Why were the previous attacks on Hulao Pass then? Mu Yun was completely baffled.
Having lived in the Northwest for so many years, how could she not be familiar with the temperaments of these foreigners? Each of them came with a purpose.
Mu Yun personally inspected Hulao Mountain again, but upon arriving there, he could only see traces of their former encampment on the mountain, and there was no other trace to be found.
Like a drop of water falling into the ocean, it creates only a few ripples before eventually merging back into the sea, leaving no trace.
But something still happened.
A village on the border was attacked, and the entire village was destroyed in the flames. The stone tablet at the entrance of the village had four words written on it: "The Lu family deserves to die."
Mu Yun looked at the stone tablet, written in blood, as if it were a village that had been destroyed by the Rong people in the same way back then.
This is the work of the Western Rong!
But my master wiped out the Rong people long ago. Even if there were any remnants, they would never dare to serve Yinshan again. Why do they dare to come again now? Could it be that the Qiang people are deliberately using the name of the Western Rong to cause trouble?
In the village destroyed by the fire, many men were soldiers serving elsewhere, and all those who died were their wives and children.
The soldiers were grief-stricken and knelt in groups before the tent of Muyun, begging for troops to attack the Rong people.
Guo Shunian sensed something was wrong and wanted to hold back his troops. He advised Mu Yun, "The northwest border is vast, and the Rong people's location is unknown. Where will Your Highness lead your troops to fight them?"
Mu Yun knew all along, but hearing the soldiers' sorrowful cries, he couldn't bear it: "I keep telling them to be patient, but who can tolerate the hatred of killing their own family? If we remain inactive, I'm afraid we'll chill the hearts of the soldiers!"
What she said made sense, but Guo Shunian said, "Your Highness, I will lead the troops there. You must not leave Hulao Pass!"
He led his troops out of the pass, following the direction pointed out by the people, but apart from the leftover sheep bones and the embers of a fire, he gained nothing else.
As if they knew he was coming, they got wind of it well in advance, and ran away before he even arrived.
Could there be a spy in the military?
Guo Shunian's heart sank. After leading his troops back, he fed the horses in the stable, holding dry grass in his hand, but he had no intention of putting it near the horse's mouth, which lured the horse to stretch its neck and eat the dry grass.
He carefully considered everyone in the army and found no one who could possibly betray them. They were all brothers who had risked their lives together. If his suspicions were wrong, wouldn't that shake the morale of the army and cause them to drift apart? Besides, he had no evidence whatsoever; he only had some suspicions.
The sound of horses' hooves startled Guo Shunian. He turned around and saw Qin Ziyou leading his horse over. He sternly looked at the newcomer and angrily rebuked him, "Go back to the Willow Camp. Do not linger near the commander's tent unless there is a reason!"
Unfazed, Qin Ziyou leisurely tied the reins to his horse before clapping his hands and saying, "I didn't want to come here either, but the stable is right here. If I don't come here to tie up my horse, then General, tell me where I'm going?"
Guo Shunian hated these Pingdu people the most. They had already been born into wealthy families but were still not satisfied. They wanted to come to the Northwest like bookworms and continue to devour this hard-won peaceful and prosperous land.
If Fan Shuang were here, he would definitely punch him first. But Guo Shunian has always been steady and cautious. Even though he is young, thinking twice before acting is his life principle. At this moment, he only said "Leave" with a blank face.
Qin Ziyou chuckled and said nothing more.
He continued doing the same things day after day at the Willow Camp: practicing martial arts and sharpening his sword. But these past few days, Qin Ziyou felt something was amiss.
Someone is watching him; his every move is being observed, even when he's eating or sleeping.
He already understood what was going on.
Another village has been ravaged by disaster, this time not by fire, but by slaughter.
Of the hundred or so people in the village, not one survived. Even newborn babies were not spared. A woman who was nine months pregnant had her belly cut open and died from the excruciating pain.
The situation was so horrific that even the soldiers who went to check on the village that day couldn't bear it and vomited on the spot.
Both villages are located near the Fengyin Mountain Grassland. Mu Yun specially dispatched several thousand soldiers to garrison in the villages near the Fengyin Mountain Grassland to prevent the Rong people from attacking again.
Guo Shunian personally deployed the defenses and arranged everything before leading twenty soldiers back to Hulao Pass.
Five days passed, but Guo Shunian and his party still hadn't returned. The Fengyin Mountain Grassland wasn't far from Hulao Pass; a round trip could be made in four days. Now, five days had passed with no news. Mu Yun sensed something was wrong and ordered Fan Shuang to lead troops to search for them. However, Fan Shuang returned after only half a day. He rushed towards Mu Yun's command tent, his eyes blazing with fury, and cried out, "Your Highness, that brat Guo Shunian has been killed by the Rong people! You must go and see!"
Mu Yun rushed out, knocking over half a table. Jun Wen fell to the ground, and no one paid any attention to him.
The heads of twenty Northwest soldiers, including Guo Shunian, were placed one by one on the official road outside Hulao Pass. The people who killed them knew that the Northwest soldiers would find them by taking this road.
The left eye of each soldier was gouged out, a custom of the Rong people, who would gouge out the left eyes of their enemies and throw them into the mountains to feed the wolves.
Fan Shuang has a bad temper and likes to fight at the slightest disagreement. Mu Yun is even worse, and he is very strict with the soldiers. But Guo Shunian is different. He is steady and loves his soldiers. He is tolerant and kind to everyone. Apart from Yuan Cheng, he is the most loved by the soldiers in the Northwest. Many people in the army regard him as an elder brother.
Upon seeing Guo Shunian's head placed right in front of them, the soldiers immediately knelt down and wept bitterly.
I've shed so many tears lately.
Mu Yun stroked his cold face and closed his eyes.
She had killed many people and witnessed many people die in front of her, so she was no longer sad.
But why does my heart still ache so much now?
She remembered the year Yuan Cheng left Lingnan. On New Year's Day, she thought she would be drinking alone, but unexpectedly he came to her residence with a pot of wine: "Your Highness, would you like to keep me company today?"
After seeing Yuan Cheng give her a birthday gift, he started giving her small gifts on every birthday thereafter.
It may be expensive, and it may be popular with women.
She understood his meaning and deliberately avoided him several times. He realized what was happening and simply stayed true to his duty as a subject, never overstepping his bounds again.
Guo Shunian was from Lufeng in Northwest China. His parents died on the battlefield when he was young. He never married or had children and died at the age of twenty-five.
Looking at the words on the stone tablet, Mu Yun instructed Fan Shuang: "Cross over Tiger Lair Mountain, go to the Mo Li tribe, and find Dongfang Wuxia!"
When news of Guo Shunian's murder reached the military camp, the soldiers were in an uproar. One soldier hurriedly left, but was blocked by Qin Ziyou. From then on, Qin Ziyou never appeared in the army again.
Since Guo Shunian's murder, the Rong and Qiang people have disappeared without a trace. The Northwest seemed to be at peace for three months. However, three months later, in the dead of night, smoke signals rose from the twelve passes of the Northwest, and the war was reported to the whole land.
More than 10,000 Qiang people crossed Hulao Mountain and marched straight towards Hulao Pass. However, they were no match for the previous small skirmishes. The iron cavalry of tens of thousands of Qiang enemies broke through Hulao Pass, and the general guarding the pass, Fu Can, was no match for the Qiang people and died on the battlefield.
Mu Yun mustered 50,000 troops and rushed from Pengcheng to the west, where they fought a fierce battle with the enemy. Fan Shuang also rushed west, intending to become Mu Yun's second line of defense.
Before leaving, Mu Yun specially brought along the supervising officer, Yang Qi.
She lifted the trembling old eunuch onto the horse with one hand: "How can I 'supervise the army' without your presence, sir? If I fail in my duty, won't Eunuch Yang blame me!"
With a flick of his whip, he galloped away, leaving a trail of dust in his wake.
She couldn't fathom where the Qiang enemies came from, or how there could be so many of them! Even fifty thousand was an underestimate!
They were all well-trained soldiers, not ordinary shepherds.
Although Mu Yun was not in Pengcheng, he still assigned his generals and soldiers to guard this important northwestern region, so that it would not become a hollow place.
She has done everything she can to make arrangements.
He dedicated his heart and soul to the Northwest and to the Great Wei.
But fate seemed predetermined; she didn't know she was just another Lu Zhi.
If you risk your life to protect this land and its people, only to have your own people turn against you, how can you possibly win?
But she didn't know, or perhaps she did know, but she could only accept her fate.
With the three passes in the northwest breached, the war became increasingly urgent. Pengcheng was constantly being evacuated, and even the common people sensed something was wrong and dared not go out easily.
That day, Qin Ziyou was in the military camp when a soldier told him that someone from his family was outside the camp and that something had happened at home, so he needed to go home.
He knew what it meant and immediately left the military camp.
Changying was already sitting at home waiting for him.
"My father wrote that we can't delay any longer. You must take action in the next few days. Our people will cooperate with you to take Pengcheng."
Qin Ziyou hesitated: "The border war is urgent. If we take action now, we fear that foreign tribes will invade and ruin the Great Wei."
Changying sneered: "Li Muyun is really troublesome. Because of her, my father has been setting up this scheme for so many years, all for this moment!"
When she gets stern, she resembles her father—powerful, calculating, and ultimately loses her former charm.
"Now that things have come to this, you have no choice but to continue playing along, Qin Ziyou. Your hands have long been tainted! Just because of Guo Shunian's death, that princess could take your life!"
"Think of your mother and grandfather. If you win this battle, you will be free!"
Using both enticement and coercion, Qin Ziyou closed his eyes and hardened his heart: "Fine!"
The following night, Pengcheng was silent.
Only the four gates—east, west, south, and north—each emitted a sound.
After the soldiers defending the city were attacked one by one at night, the other soldiers in the city were finally alerted, but it was too late to light the torches.
A commotion arose, the city gates swung open, and the Qiang enemy entered the city!
The wives and children of all the generals in Pengcheng were captured, and if they did not surrender, their entire families would be killed.
Some people painfully threw away their knives and guns to protect their loved ones, while others fought to the death. Pengcheng, which had been peaceful for many years, was turned into a river of blood overnight!
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