There is only one official road in and out of the No Return Mountain. The Beijing Machinery Defense Battalion has led its troops to block the passages at both ends. The Jingnan Army goes out and transports iron ore through a small road they have opened up themselves. This road is unknown to outsiders.
At the Beijing Aircraft Defense Battalion headquarters, Commander Xiao Ce was discussing military affairs with several captains.
"We have sent out scouts for nearly two hours, and no one has come back. I'm afraid there really are people in this No Return Mountain, and our scouts may have been discovered." The captain of a team was very worried.
When he mentioned someone, everyone else thought of one person—Prince Jingnan! While they knew it in their hearts, no one broke the news. Because, if it was really Prince Jingnan who had occupied Bugui Mountain, knowing that there was an iron mine there but not reporting it to the court, what Prince Jingnan was planning would be self-evident.
"What should we do?" All the captains looked at Xiao Ce, waiting for his decision.
Xiao Ce looked at the map of Bugui Mountain and quickly thought about the current situation:
Prince Jingnan returned to the capital to report on his work. He did not bring many people with him, and they were attacked on the way, suffering heavy casualties. If it was really Prince Jingnan who led his troops to encircle and suppress the bandits in Bugui Mountain, then the casualties of the Jingnan army should have been quite large. In other words, there were not many Jingnan soldiers in Bugui Mountain at this time, and at most, there would not be more than a thousand people.
Even though the Jingnan Army is brave and good at fighting, their Jingji Defense Battalion is no pushover either. They can win this battle!
Moreover, if he really defeated King Jingnan, then his meteoric rise to prominence would be just around the corner!
However, Prince Jingnan cannot be judged by common sense. He needs to be careful and cautious to ensure that nothing goes wrong.
"Quickly report the situation here to the Emperor and request His Majesty's judgment!" Xiao Ce made up his mind. "Give orders to organize military affairs. Be ready to enter the mountains at daybreak!"
Not long after, Mu Wenyao brought a few Jingnan soldiers and appeared openly at the Beijing Machinery Defense Camp’s garrison.
Seeing Prince Mu standing before them, the people of the Jingji Defense Battalion were shocked and quickly reported to Xiao Ce. Upon hearing this, Xiao Ce hurried over, bowed, and asked:
"Sir, I wonder what brings you here so late at night?"
"Shouldn't I be the one asking Commander Xiao about this?" Mu Wenyao still smiled warmly as usual in front of outsiders and waved forward.
A Jingnan Army soldier behind him received the order and came over with a man, throwing the man heavily in front of Xiao Ce.
"Commander Xiao ordered people to come to my Jingnan Army to spy on military intelligence. I wonder what his intention is?" Mu Wenyao took the initiative and directly accused the scout of spying on military intelligence.
Xiao Ce took a closer look and saw that the person thrown over was actually the scout he had sent out. He wanted to ask the scout what happened and why he was captured, but the scout's hands and feet were tied and his mouth was gagged. The Jingnan Army's sword was still at the scout's neck, and the scout had no control at all.
"My Jingji Defense Battalion was ordered by the Emperor to search Bugui Mountain. Your Highness has captured my people, but you are openly disobeying the Emperor's order?" Xiao Ce had the imperial edict in hand, so he was naturally not afraid of Mu Wenyao's backlash. He retorted sarcastically:
"Besides, when did this Bugui Mountain become the base of the Jingnan Army? If the Jingnan Army is really in this Bugui Mountain, then you are mobilizing troops without permission! You should be executed according to the law!"
Xiao Ce's attitude was firm, and every word he said was heartbreaking, but Mu Wenyao remained unmoved. He spoke slowly, "So Commander Xiao is so familiar with the law. Then, Commander Xiao, please tell me what the crime is for slandering the prince?"
Seeing Mu Wenyao so calm, Xiao Ce hesitated slightly. But then he thought, the emperor really didn't let the Jingnan Army stationed in Bugui Mountain, and the other side must be bluffing to delay time.
Without further hesitation, he said righteously, "Prince, you say I slandered you. Do you have any evidence? If not, don't blame me for reporting you to the Emperor and saying you're obstructing my execution of the Emperor's orders!"
"Of course I have evidence, Prince. If I produce the evidence, what should Commander Xiao do according to the law?"
Mu Wenyao looked so confident that Xiao Ce was nervous. But no matter what, as long as the other party hadn't produced any evidence, he couldn't lose his composure. He said in a businesslike manner:
"If I have said anything wrong, I will come to you personally and apologize to you. If you have any evidence, please bring it out!"
Mu Wenyao did not come here to make enemies with Xiao Ce. He still smiled and slowly took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Xiao Ce.
"Commander Xiao, your words are too harsh. There's no need to apologize. Commander Xiao, just agree to let your men compete with mine. We can learn from each other and make progress together, and then this matter will be over."
Xiao Ce was surprised and took the letter and read it carefully.
It turned out that this memorial was Mu Wenyao's request to the Emperor to take his men out to the mountains for training and hunting. The reasons listed in the memorial made it impossible to find any reason to disagree. At the end was the Emperor's approval! The bright red imperial seal silently stated a fact: this was the evidence!
"It is true that this memorial is indeed the emperor's instruction. However, I, Xiao, did not know when the prince became the commander of the Jingnan Army? It seems that even the emperor is unaware of this matter?" Xiao Ce meant that Mu Wenyao was deceiving the emperor!
"Prince Jingnan is terminally ill with poison. This prince has been ordered to temporarily take over the position of deputy general of the Jingnan Army. This matter has been made clear within the Jingnan Army."
The Jingnan Army was under the jurisdiction of Prince Jingnan, and all personnel appointments were decided by Prince Jingnan. Unless Prince Jingnan was replaced, all other personnel changes did not need to be approved by the emperor. Therefore, the emperor really did not know about this.
However, Mu Wenyao is the prince's son and the future King Mu, but he actually condescended to serve as a deputy general in the Jingnan Army. No one could have imagined this!
Therefore, when he applied to the emperor for permission to take people to the mountains for training, the emperor just thought that he wanted to take his own soldiers to the mountains for fun and did not take it seriously. After agreeing, he did not take it to heart at all.
Unexpectedly, because of this negligence, the emperor fell into the trap of Sikong Zhan and Mu Wenyao, making the actions of Prince Jingnan in the Mountain of No Return legitimate.
Although the situation had developed beyond his expectations, Xiao Ce had come to Bugui Mountain to investigate its true strength. Now that he was certain that the Jingnan Army was there, then what Wu Yan said was probably true! What he had to do now was to stabilize the Jingnan Army and wait for the emperor's decision.
"Your Highness is so magnanimous that he is willing to lower himself for the sake of the Jingnan Army. I, Xiao, admire you! Just for your magnanimity, my Jingji Defense Battalion accepts this competition!" He took two steps forward with his hands behind his back, and at an angle where Mu Wenyao and the others couldn't see, he gestured a few moves to the people behind him.
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