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

"This matter is entrusted to you to investigate. Within three days, you must find the person who is spreading rumors in the army and interrogate him personally."

Mu Yuan's tone left no room for negotiation.

Clearly, the series of criticisms within the military had provoked his genuine anger this time.

"General Qin."

Mu Yuan turned to look at Qin Hongxiu.

Qin Hongxiu quickly stood up, her face serious as she awaited instructions.

"You will be responsible for assisting Yang Daye."

"This subordinate obeys!"

The reason Mu Yuan had Yang Daye investigate and Qin Hongxiu assist him was because of this.

This was entirely because Yang Daye had a fiery temper and was known as the Tiger and Leopard General in the army, which instilled fear in many soldiers.

In addition, given his straightforward personality, he would not conceal anything regarding the investigation.

The reason for asking Qin Hongxiu for assistance was that Qin Hongxiu was more observant and insightful than Yang Daye in terms of details.

After the two men received their orders...

They immediately began an investigation.

Mu Yuan then began to observe the officers present who were bowing their heads and remaining silent.

Among these people.

Perhaps some people are afraid to speak out and thus lower their heads in shame.

perhaps....

Some people are guilty and afraid of being discovered.

Mu Yuan was certain of one thing: the traitor might be hiding among these officers.

otherwise.

How could rumors spread throughout the entire Xifu Army in just a few days?

Ordinary soldiers simply do not have this ability.

There must be a high-ranking figure in the military behind this, pulling the strings.

Through this matter...

Mu Yuan had to re-examine the problems existing in the Western Army.

At first, he thought that by training with the soldiers and handling military affairs during this period, he could unite the troops.

In retrospect, the steps were completely wrong.

Many people in the military still waver when faced with rumors, lacking the ability to distinguish truth from falsehood, and may even be swayed by rumors and led by the nose by some unscrupulous individuals.

Only by eliminating all the spies within the army can we rebuild the morale of the troops.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

In the past two days, Mu Yuan learned a lot of useful clues from Qin Hongxiu and Yang Daye.

At the same time, they also apprehended many suspicious individuals.

However, after some questioning, it was discovered that none of them were spreading rumors.

Trying to pinpoint the source of a rumor in a military camp of nearly 200,000 people is like finding a needle in a haystack.

"If I find out who is really spreading these rumors, I'll skin them alive!" Yang Daye gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with rage.

After two days of investigation, all they caught were small fish and shrimp, which infuriated him.

In addition, there is only one day left until the deadline.

Yang Daye was extremely angry, but he was also a little anxious, fearing that he would mess up the task Mu Yuan had entrusted to him.

"Report!!!"

Just then, a loud shout came from outside the barracks.

The next moment, a soldier rushed in.

"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief and the two generals, we have apprehended a suspicious suspect who attempted to climb over the wall to leave the military camp."

Upon hearing this news, Mu Yuan and the other two exchanged glances.

It should be noted that from the day Mu Yuan ordered the investigation of those who spread the rumors, he had already ordered that no one was allowed to leave the military camp without authorization for three days.

We've caught someone trying to escape by climbing over the wall.

He clearly has something to hide.

"Bring it in!"

"Mu Yuan commanded."

A short while later, two soldiers escorted in a young man who was bound hand and foot and dressed in coarse linen clothes.

"Kneel down!"

Two soldiers simultaneously raised their legs and kicked the man in the coarse linen clothes in the shin.

The man, dressed in coarse linen clothes, lost his balance and stumbled to his knees.

"You may all step back."

Mu Yuan waved his hand, dismissing the two soldiers.

Then, his gaze fell on the young man in coarse linen clothes, and he looked him over expressionlessly.

Yang Daye was already seething with anger, and now that he learned that the man in coarse linen clothes was trying to escape the military camp by climbing over the wall, his anger was even more intense. Just as he was about to teach the man a lesson and vent his frustration from the past two days,

Mu Yuan gave him a cold glance.

Yang Daye looked like a wilted eggplant, lowered his head, and lost all intention of making a move.

After observing you for a while, Mu Yuan asked, "What's your name? Which military camp do you belong to? Under which commander are you?"

Faced with Mu Yuan's detailed inquiries, the man dressed in coarse linen clothes looked around, stiffened his neck, and cautiously replied, "My name is Zhou Quan. I belong to the Four Symbols Army and am a miscellaneous soldier under Commander Wei Xu."

Mu Yuan asked again, "Didn't you know that you can't leave the military camp for these three days? Why did you disguise yourself and climb over the wall to leave?"

Judging from Zhou Quan's expression and his unintentional actions, Mu Yuan sensed that something was amiss.

"Reporting to the Commander, a few days ago I received a letter from home. It said that my elderly mother is critically ill, and I had no choice but to resort to this measure." Zhou Quan said with a bitter face, "I have the letter in my possession as proof."

Mu Yuan walked up to Zhou Quan and actually pulled a crumpled letter out of his arms.

Open the letter.

I glanced at the contents above.

"I didn't expect you to be such a filial son." After reading the letter, Mu Yuan helped Zhou Quan up, but did not rush to untie the ropes binding him.

Seeing that Mu Yuan believed him, Zhou Quan was no longer as flustered as before. Instead, he smiled and pleaded:

"My elderly mother at home is critically ill. I beg you, General, to allow me to return home to see her one last time."

"As a filial son, how could I, the commander, refuse?"

Mu Yuan readily agreed, then changed the subject: "However, since you left without permission, you need to write a statement explaining your reason, which I will give to your commander. In this way, you will not be punished in any way, and everything will be in accordance with reason."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Quan was extremely excited: "Thank you, Commander."

Mu Yuan thoughtfully brought him paper and pen.

Zhou Quan took the paper and pen and immediately began writing, quickly completing a written explanation.

"My lord, may I leave now?"

After handing the written explanation to Mu Yuan, Zhou Quan was eager to leave.

However, Mu Yuan calmly examined the document in his hand and then compared it with the letter he had received from Zhou Quan.

Seeing Mu Yuan's actions, Zhou Quan panicked and kept glancing towards the door.

Mu Yuan noticed Zhou Quan's subtle actions, but pretended not to see them. He not only didn't respond to him, but also examined the documents and letters even more carefully, comparing the handwriting.

The more Mu Yuan acted this way, the more uneasy Zhou Quan became. He felt extremely anxious, as if ants were crawling all over his body, and he felt indescribably uncomfortable.

Ultimately, under such endless torment, Zhou Quan's psychological defenses completely collapsed.

They immediately set off, intending to make their way to safety.

However, Mu Yuan was already prepared. Just as Zhou Quan turned around and took a step, Mu Yuan slowly extended his right leg.

He easily tripped Zhou Quan and knocked him to the ground.

Yang Daye realized what was happening, rushed forward, grabbed Zhou Quan by the collar, and lifted him up like a chick.

"Kid, where do you think you're going to run to?"

Zhou Quan, who had been captured, looked panicked and his eyes were full of fear. He explained, "General, General Yang, I didn't want to escape. I just need to relieve myself outside."