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

"meeting."

Mu Yuan answered with great certainty.

He did not arrest the more than one hundred people in the army who had been bribed, and for the past three days, the Xifu Army was not allowed to enter or leave, keeping the news completely secret.

Ma Chengwu, or perhaps the Gao family father and son, wanted to know what had happened inside the Western Army.

There is simply no way of knowing.

Even if they had doubts, they dared not make a hasty judgment as to whether the spread of rumors had been exposed.

Most importantly.

Mu Yuan had already specified on the invitation that they had apprehended a foreign mouthpiece.

It is important to understand that seizing control of foreign mouthpieces means being able to know the movements of foreign enemies in advance.

As the governor of the southwest, Ma Chengwu could not possibly be indifferent to this matter.

Since the Gao family broke away from the Western Army, they have been suppressed by the Mu family. In addition, with the stable situation in the southwest in recent years, the Gao family has had no opportunity to make achievements.

For an ambitious family that has been suppressed by others for many years, it is natural not to miss the opportunity to rise up.

Foreign mouthpieces present an excellent opportunity.

When Gao Song learned of this, he couldn't possibly remain unmoved, and naturally he accepted the invitation to come.

Not long after Mu Yuan answered Qin Hongxiu's question.

Not far ahead, a group of dozens of people appeared, with three carriages in the middle of the group, which were well protected by the entire group.

Not long after.

The troops slowly came to a stop at the entrance of the military camp.

Ma Chengwu, along with the Gao family father and son, stepped down from the carriage one by one.

"I heard that the Commander-in-Chief has captured a foreign mouthpiece. Is this true?" Ma Chengwu asked seriously, his face plastered with a friendly smile, revealing no trace of pretense.

Mu Yuan waved his hand and said, "It was just luck."

"That's too modest. If the commander can capture a foreign mouthpiece and find out the enemy's movements, that would be a great achievement," Gao Song flattered him.

Mu Yuan knew exactly what Gao Song was thinking. He was being flattering on the surface, but in reality, he wanted a share of the profits.

"It's because we're considering a great achievement. So, under the guise of hosting this banquet, we want to interrogate that foreign mouthpiece together and afterwards find out the enemy's movements. We'll share the credit equally."

Mu Yuan smiled faintly, his smile appearing extremely sincere and harmless.

Upon hearing this, Gao Song was secretly excited.

But amidst his excitement, he still had some doubts. He had been dealing with Mu Yuan in private, yet Mu Yuan was so generous as to share the credit with him.

Before he could figure out the underlying principle...

Mu Yuan said, "Lord Ma, Clan Chief Gao, let's not stand at the door any longer."

As he spoke, Mu Yuan gestured for him to proceed.

Invite them into the military camp.

Upon arriving at the military camp, Mu Yuan did not lead them to the barracks, but instead took Ma Chengwu and his group to the drill ground.

On the spacious training ground, a large number of soldiers dressed in armor and holding weapons were gathered. They stood straight, exuding a chilling aura that inspired fear.

In front of the training ground, several tables and chairs were set up, and the tables were filled with fine wine and food.

"General, why hold a banquet at the drill ground instead of the barracks?" Ma Chengwu asked, puzzled.

Before Mu Yuan could respond, Gao Yan, who already harbored resentment towards Mu Yuan, coldly snorted:

"Perhaps the foreign mouthpiece is just a figment of our imagination."

"Shut up!" Gao Song snapped, his tone firm, telling Gao Yan to shut up. "Do you even have the right to speak here? Do you think the Commander-in-Chief is as stupid as you? If you don't shut your stinking mouth, get out!"

Feeling humiliated by his father's harsh reprimand, Gao Yan clenched his fists involuntarily.

Forced by his father's authority, he could only reluctantly choose to obey, while his hatred for Mu Yuan intensified in his heart.

Hearing the conversation between the Gao father and son, Mu Yuan couldn't help but feel a little amused.

Sometimes, fools can see the truth unexpectedly, while clever people who are usually cautious are often blinded at a crucial point, and their cleverness backfires.

The Gao family father and son are a perfect example of this.

Mu Yuan invited the group to sit down.

"General, since you've invited us to interrogate the foreign mouthpiece, let's begin quickly." Ma Chengwu, worried that something was amiss, urged Mu Yuan to bring the foreign mouthpiece up for interrogation as soon as he sat down.

Noticing that Ma Chengwu had become wary, Mu Yuan nodded and said loudly:

"Bring them up!"

Not long after he finished speaking...

Two soldiers were seen escorting a prisoner towards them.

The prisoner was covered in blood, his face was so badly beaten that he was unrecognizable.

"Is he a mouthpiece for foreign entities?"

Ma Chengwu frowned, his face full of suspicion.

When Gao Song and his son Gao Yan saw the inhuman prisoner, they were equally suspicious.

"Whether it is or not, you can find out by asking around."

Mu Yuan's lips curled into a meaningful smile.

Ma Chengwu was skeptical, so he turned to the prisoner and asked:

"What's your name?"

Still clinging to life, Zhou Quan weakly replied, "Zhou...Zhou Quan."

Zhou Quan's revelation of his name did not arouse suspicion from Ma Chengwu or the Gao family father and son. After all, they had secretly gathered so many people to spread rumors, it was impossible for them to know everyone's name.

"Are you a spy sent by foreign enemies, intending to harm our Great Qian?" Ma Chengwu asked again.

Zhou Quan, his body trembling, said with a sob in his voice:

"I am neither a foreign spy nor a foreign national; I am a citizen of the Great Qian Dynasty."

These words were spoken.

Gao Yan was the first to lose his composure, feeling like he had been played for a fool, and he glared angrily at Mu Yuan:

"What do you mean? Are you making fun of us?"

Mu Yuan laughed and said, "Young Master Gao, this man is very cunning. You can tell he's tough as nails just by looking at him covered in blood!"

After a pause, Mu Yuan continued:

"He's a spy sent by the enemy. It's safer for him to use a false name. Not everyone is like Young Master Gao, flaunting the Gao family name while committing evil deeds!"

Gao Yan's face turned a deep purplish-red. Mu Yuan's words were like sharp knives, relentlessly stabbing into his heart.

In addition, Gao Yan also sensed that Mu Yuan's words were implying that he was stupid and ignorant.

Gao Yan was completely consumed by rage.

Just as he was about to have a serious talk with Mu Yuan.

Gao Song kicked him to the ground.

"Stop making a fool of yourself here!" Gao Song said with a sullen face. "This is the Western Army's garrison, not a place for you to run wild!"

Gao Yan scrambled to his feet, wanting to argue with Gao Song, but upon hearing that this was the Xifu Army's garrison, he snapped to attention and immediately realized what was happening.

If I act impulsively, I might really have a conflict with Mu Yuan.

If I anger the soldiers around me and cause a riot, won't I be hacked to pieces by them?

The more Gao Yan thought about it, the more frightened he became. He subconsciously swallowed hard, and finally, like a quail, he slunk back down, burying his head low. At this moment, he didn't even have the courage to raise his head or speak again, let alone raise it.