His entire family perished in battle; he rose from the ashes to conquer the world.

Ma Chengwu's fainting today may seem embarrassing, but it boosted the morale of the Western Army. However, the potential risks are not small.

Will the soldiers in the army who are loyal to the imperial court harbor any objections because of this matter?

If that's the case.

In case dissenting voices emerge within the military.

This will inevitably cause rifts within the Western Army.

In a more serious scenario, if the faction splits into two, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Thinking of this, Qin Hongxiu felt a wave of fear. Suddenly realizing what had happened, a look of shame appeared on her face. As a descendant of a military family, she had not realized such a serious problem.

"I never expected you to have such a long-term vision."

Su Wanqing and Lin Xueshang, who were standing nearby, realized the seriousness of the situation after hearing their conversation, and their expressions became solemn.

"Sister-in-law, I'll need you to keep a close eye on the military's movements from now on. If you notice anything unusual, please let me know immediately."

Mu Yuan has too many things to do right now and can't be in two places at once. He can only leave the task of keeping an eye on military developments to Qin Hongxiu.

Qin Hongxia nodded in agreement: "Okay."

"Sixth Sister-in-law, of those people selected, how many do you think will stay?" Mu Yuan turned to ask Lin Xueshang.

Lin Xueshang crossed her arms and said in a cold tone, "Although the selected people are indeed brave, to carry out a secret assassination, one still needs talent. I estimate that only one or two out of ten will be able to stay."

"So little?"

Mu Yuan had expected that at least 30-40% of the people would be retained, but he did not expect that so many people would fail to meet the requirements.

This was only the training that Lin Xueshang was providing on her behalf.

Following this, with his tactical guidance, he will certainly weed out some players whose reactions are not up to par.

And so it goes.

There were only a few people left.

"It seems that building an elite force among elites is no easy task!"

At first, Mu Yuan thought he could use his knowledge and Lin Xueshang's martial arts skills to build a secret team that would strike fear into the hearts of his enemies. Now it seems that this is not something that can be accomplished overnight.

With all these things piling up, Mu Yuan couldn't help but feel exhausted.

Seeing that he looked tired, Qin Hongxiu and the other two tactfully left so that Mu Yuan could get enough rest.

Two days have passed in a row.

Mu Yuan followed his routine every day, soaking in the "Heart-Changing and Bone-Corroding Soup" at night to endure the torment of its domineering effects in order to strengthen his physique, and training with the soldiers during the day.

He was exhausted after almost the entire day, and nearly fainted several times in the bright light of the hall.

Fortunately, Su Wanqing was by his side, and with the help of medicine, Mu Yuan was able to cheer up.

However, the Western Army remained calm.

The more Mu Yuan felt uneasy, the more uneasy he became.

Late at night on the third day.

Mu Yuan had just finished soaking in the "Heart-Changing and Bone-Corroding Soup" and was so weak from the torment of the medicine when he heard footsteps coming from outside the barracks.

next moment.

Qin Hongxiu rushed in.

Seeing her nervous expression, Mu Yuan immediately had a bad feeling, but he still took the initiative to ask:

"Sister-in-law, what's wrong? Why are you so flustered?"

Qin Hongxiu pursed her lips, hesitated for a long time, and finally spoke:

What you feared has happened.

Explain in detail.

Although he was mentally prepared, Mu Yuan still couldn't help but feel annoyed when Qin Hong confirmed it.

He had suspected before that Ma Chengwu's fainting was not that simple.

Now the suspicions have come true.

It is evident that Ma Chengwu is a man of deep cunning.

Through Qin Hongxiu's narration, Mu Yuan learned what had happened.

It turned out that when the soldiers were having dinner in the mess hall that night, someone mentioned that Ma Chengwu had fainted a few days ago.

As the discussion progressed, two opposing voices emerged among the soldiers.

One type is naturally those who are loyal to the Mu family.

They believed that Ma Chengwu was sent by the imperial court with ill intentions, deliberately suppressing the Mu family, which would be detrimental to the Western Army.

Another type is those who are loyal to the imperial court.

They felt that the Mu family had controlled the Western Army for generations. Although all the expenses of the Western Army were provided by the Mu family, the Mu family had received imperial favor for generations and should obey the court. Ma Chengwu's act of fainting in order to bring the Western Army back to the court was a sign of loyalty and righteousness.

With the Western Army returning to the imperial court, their lives might be even better.

As these two voices intensified.

Hundreds of people from both sides clashed in the kitchen.

"Fights in the military happen from time to time, but a brawl involving hundreds of people is extremely serious!" Qin Hongxiu clenched her fists. "We shouldn't have let Ma Chengwu in in the first place, creating such a huge hidden danger for our army."

"I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing," Mu Yuan said, unusually disagreeing with Qin Hongxiu.

What do you mean by that?

Qin Hongxiu frowned, her eyes full of suspicion.

Mu Yuan explained, "Sister-in-law, rather than a hidden danger, it's more like a long-standing conflict within our army. It's just that because of Ma Chengwu, this matter has erupted ahead of schedule."

"So how do you plan to handle this?" Qin Hongxiu asked.

A brawl involving hundreds of people could easily destabilize the army if not handled properly, and could even trigger a mutiny, which would be a catastrophe.

Mu Yuan slowly stood up and said:

"Let's go take a look first."

the other side.

Hundreds of people stood on the drill ground, each with a bruised and swollen face.

Yang Daye's gaze swept over the soldiers in front of him, and he sternly reprimanded them:

"You are all soldiers, upright men, yet instead of thinking of killing the enemy and making meritorious contributions, you fight each other over differing opinions, utterly disgracing the Western Army!"

Seeing that each of them was injured, Yang Daye was even more furious and wanted to swing his long whip countless times.

Teach these soldiers who are fighting a lesson.

However, Qin Hongxiu had repeatedly warned him not to physically punish any soldiers before she brought Mu Yuan here.

Otherwise, they will be dealt with according to military law.

At this moment, someone pointed to a spot not far away and shouted:

"The commander-in-chief is here!"

Everyone looked in the direction the man pointed.

Mu Yuan, accompanied by Qin Hongxiu, walked briskly toward the training ground.

"General."

Yang Daye and his group of commanders hurriedly went to greet them.

Just as Yang Daye was about to speak and explain the reason.

Mu Yuan interrupted him:

"I've heard about what happened."

Mu Yuan remained extremely calm and composed, showing no sign of anger on his face.

On the training ground, most of the hundreds of Xifu soldiers who had participated in the fight lowered their heads in shame upon seeing Mu Yuan arrive.

But for some people, the situation is quite different.

Their faces were gloomy, their eyes filled with anger and resentment, and their expressions towards Mu Yuan clearly showed their displeasure.

Mu Yuan saw this, raised his hand and pointed to one of the soldiers whose right eye was swollen, beckoning him to step forward.

"I'm giving you a chance to express your dissatisfaction."

The soldier with a swollen right eye looked back at his comrades and saw them encouraging him with their eyes, which instantly gave him confidence.

He turned to face Mu Yuan, mustered his courage, and spoke:

"General, my brothers and I would like to ask: Is the Western Army the imperial army, or is it the Western Army of your Mu family?"