Mu Yan stood on the city wall, his gaze coldly fixed on the rows of Southern Army soldiers below, who were tightly bound by ropes.
"Last year, the Kingdom of Dongyue suffered a severe plague, which led to a food shortage. Our Mu family army held firm at Yanmen Pass, but we couldn't get any food from the imperial court."
"We have submitted numerous reports to the imperial court, but they have ignored our plight and shown no intention of offering any assistance. Left with no other choice, Father has appealed to the Southern Imperial Guards for help, hoping to borrow some grain to alleviate our immediate crisis."
Then, Mu Yan continued, "Liangcheng is an important grain-producing area in Dongyue, accounting for one-fifth of the country's grain output. In other words, the Southern Imperial Guards effectively control one-fifth of Dongyue's grain resources. According to the court's regulations, in the event of war, the Southern Imperial Guards must unconditionally support the army's food supply."
After listening, Mu Jin frowned slightly and asked, "Does this mean the Southern Imperial Guards refuse to provide any food support to our Mu family army?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Mu Jin seemed to suddenly realize something. "It's definitely not true. If they had provided food aid to the Mu family army back then, I probably wouldn't have had to find a way to purchase food for Father later, and Su Yuntian wouldn't have been able to use this as leverage to falsely accuse Father of secretly colluding with Bei Qi."
"They dare not refuse on the surface!" Mu Yan gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with intense hatred, and continued in a low voice, "After receiving our plea for help, the Southern Imperial Guard actually replied that because the entire Dongyue urgently needed support and was facing a serious food shortage, they could only provide Yanmen Pass with a maximum of 10,000 shi of grain as aid."
“Even 10,000 units of grain is better than nothing. We can figure out a solution later. However, a month has passed, and the life-saving grain that was supposed to be delivered has not arrived as expected.”
"Later, news finally came, but it said that the batch of grain was robbed by bandits from Black Wind Valley in Yizhou during the transport. Now Liangcheng has no more grain in stock to support Yanmen Pass again."
"At that time, our food reserves were extremely scarce. Even if we only ate one meal a day, it would be difficult to last more than three days. Meanwhile, Kitasaki was eyeing us covetously, ready to launch an attack at any moment."
"In such dire straits, after discussing it with my father, we decided to personally go to the Black Wind Valley bandit's lair, which is only two days away from Yanmen Pass, to retrieve the stolen grain."
"But when we arrived at Black Wind Valley, we found the entire bandit stronghold littered with the corpses of bandits, lying haphazardly all over the ground. And the carts that were originally loaded with grain, as well as the entire stronghold, had no trace of grain left."
"Just when we were full of doubts, we found a surviving bandit in the woods! We asked him and learned that he had gotten up to relieve himself that night and had just escaped the brutal robbery."
Mu Jin stared intently at Mu Yan, noticing the growing ferocity in his eyes. She couldn't help but ask, "So, the tragic deaths of those bandits are related to the Nanya Imperial Guards?"
Mu Yan nodded slightly and continued, "According to that bandit, they received news that 10,000 shi of grain would pass by their mountain."
"These days the world is in a bad state, and life isn't easy for mountain bandits either. They were just thinking about how to steal a few carts of grain so they could at least fill their stomachs. But they never expected that when they were thinking about how to fight to the death with the soldiers who were delivering the grain and steal a few carts of grain, the soldiers who were in charge of escorting the grain would not resist at all when they saw them, but would scatter and flee."
"The bandits were utterly astonished, completely unprepared for the government troops to be so easily defeated. So, they happily towed the carts back to their stronghold, thinking they could return with a full load this time."
"However, when they opened the sacks full of grain, the sight before them left them speechless. There was no grain in the sacks at all; there was only straw mixed with stones!"
"Using straw and stones to pass off as grain?"
“That’s right!” Mu Yan said, “The Southern Imperial Guards never intended to send us any real grain, but they didn’t dare to openly disobey orders, so they resorted to a treacherous tactic. They deliberately lured the bandits to rob the grain, then pinned the blame on the bandits, and after it was done, they cruelly silenced the bandits in an attempt to cover up their crimes.”
"Utterly despicable!" Mu Jin cursed through gritted teeth. "How can we let such despicable people live until tomorrow?"
After Mu Jin finished speaking, she gripped her sword tightly and strode downstairs to confront the leader of the Southern Palace Imperial Guards. But Mu Yan grabbed her arm.
"Ah Jin, don't be hasty! Do you think I'll let them off so easily?" A ruthless glint flashed in Mu Yan's eyes. "When we broke through the city just now, seeing that the Southern Imperial Guards were about to be defeated, that scoundrel actually tried to escape, and I just happened to catch him in the act. How could I let them get away with it? With one stroke of my sword, I sent them to meet the King of Hell."
Upon hearing this, Mu Jin couldn't help but feel a little regretful: "Why didn't you tell me, brother? If I had known that you were going to seek revenge on that person today, I should have rushed over and stabbed that scoundrel a few times to vent my anger." Mu Jin complained indignantly.
Mu Yan gently stroked Mu Jin's hair, a smile appearing on his face, and comforted her, "Don't feel sorry for them. They were just minor characters acting under orders. The real mastermind is still living a life of luxury in the capital!"
Upon hearing this, Mu Jin's eyes widened in surprise, and she hurriedly asked, "The mastermind? Could it be Su Yuntian?"
Mu Yan frowned, pondered for a moment, and then replied, "Whether Su Yuntian was involved, I don't know. But that person mentioned the name Li Fuge before he died, asking me to spare his life."
“Li Fuge?” Mu Jin suddenly remembered what Mu Yan had mentioned to him before—the Southern Imperial Guards were supposed to be the emperor’s trusted troops, and had always been under the command of Prime Minister Li Fuge.
"So, although the Southern Imperial Guards have been out of Li Fuge's control on the surface all these years, he is still the one pulling the strings behind the scenes?" Mu Jin asked Mu Yan, analyzing the situation.
"That must be the case. Liangcheng is such a wealthy place, it must have earned Li Fuge a lot of money."
Mu Jin sneered and said, "So, I'm already quite eager to return to the capital and personally kill that old scoundrel Li."
Su Yi chuckled softly from the side, "Don't be angry. Let's go downstairs for dinner now. If there's too much commotion today, some people might have already escaped the city. If it gets any later, Su Yuntian will probably already know that Liangcheng has fallen. Knowing him as I do, he will definitely take action."
Mu Yan turned to Mu Jin and said, "Your Majesty is right. Jin, go and have your meal with His Majesty first. I still have some matters to discuss with the soldiers. I will come to you later to discuss the next battle plan."
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