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

"Clan Chief Gao, perhaps... we should listen to the Commander-in-Chief. With the Gao family's current status, disbanding the clan's troops will ensure your descendants' continued wealth and prosperity!"

Gao Song could hardly believe his ears.

Ma Chengwu, who had previously stood on his side, has now switched sides to Mu Yuan's side.

Disband your relatives' troops, and you'll live a life of wealth and honor.

This statement seems reasonable at first glance, but since ancient times, who hasn't had power and influence to maintain wealth and status?

Wealth without power will be coveted by many forces.

"Your Excellency, we are on the same side, why are you...?"

Gao Song had intended to use their relationship to persuade Ma Chengwu to show mercy, but Ma Chengwu raised his hand and said, "Clan Chief Gao, there's no need for further words. Do you think your mere Gao family is going to oppose me and the Commander-in-Chief?"

Ma Chengwu's words left no room for negotiation; in fact, they were filled with threats.

Looking at Mu Yuan and Ma Chengwu, Gao Song was filled with rage, but he was helpless.

A commander who controlled nearly 200,000 soldiers of the Western Army.

Another was someone who was highly regarded by the emperor and appointed as the governor of the southwest, a true regional official.

Even if Gao Song had great abilities, he could not contend with the two people in front of him. Even with the determination to fight to the death, the Gao family's soldiers could not defeat the nearly 200,000-strong Western Army.

The final result was the annihilation of the Gao family.

Moreover, if they actually did that, the Gao family would be branded as traitors and ridiculed by the world.

At this moment, Gao Song was completely caught in a dilemma.

"Well, Chief Gao, have you made up your mind?" Mu Yuan urged in a cold voice.

"General, is there really no room for negotiation?" Gao Song asked, his posture humble and his tone almost pleading.

Mu Yuan remained silent, his expression indifferent.

He had given Gao Song opportunities before. The first time he came to him, he had given him a warning. But Gao Song not only failed to cherish the opportunity, but also secretly joined forces with Ma Chengwu to launch a campaign against him at Ma Chengwu's residence.

Now, facing imminent death, he realizes his mistake and repents, but it's all too late.

Moreover, all of this was Gao Song's own fault.

Mu Yuan felt no psychological burden whatsoever.

Seeing that Mu Yuan did not respond to his pleas, Gao Song placed his last hope on Ma Chengwu, and pleaded:

"Your Excellency, please give me another chance!"

His words were both a plea and a search for a last chance.

However, Ma Chengwu was not tempted.

For him, the matter had already been exposed, Mu Yuan still held an absolute advantage, and most importantly, Mu Yuan's demands were clearly aimed at Gao Song.

In other words, once Gao Song is dealt with, he will be safe.

In Ma Chengwu's eyes, Gao Song was now a person who had no further use, so he naturally wouldn't give him a second glance.

Upon discovering that Ma Chengwu showed no interest, Gao Song, knowing that humility was useless, immediately changed his attitude:

"Your Excellency, are you truly going to discard me after I've served my purpose?"

Ma Chengwu sneered and said contemptuously, "What? Chief Gao couldn't get a favor, so now you want to threaten me?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Song laughed wildly and said:

"I wouldn't dare."

He paused, then continued, "However, the governor uses people only when he needs them and discards them when he doesn't. If others were to find out about this behavior, I'm afraid no one would dare to serve him in the future!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Chengwu's brows furrowed instantly, and his expression became serious.

Meanwhile, Mu Yuan was leisurely sipping his tea.

He acted as if it were none of his business the whole time.

The two have now completely broken off relations, and Gao Song faces the prospect of disbanding his clan's troops and losing all power.

Ma Chengwu now has to discard Gao Song to protect himself.

Of course, the consequence of this "discarding the millstone after it has served its purpose" was that once the news spread, the local forces in the southwest region would no longer dare to serve Ma Chengwu easily.

This can be considered killing two birds with one stone.

After mocking Ma Chengwu, Gao Song turned his gaze to Mu Yuan again.

Now, Ma Chengwu has discarded him like trash, and can only hope to find a glimmer of hope from Mu Yuan.

Gao Song made another concession:

"General, I can agree to anything except the removal of relatives from the army."

"Oh? Is that so?" Mu Yuan's lips curled into a mocking smile.

Gao Song mistakenly thought that Mu Yuan's tone had softened, and quickly nodded in agreement: "Indeed, as long as the clan soldiers are not disbanded, I will agree to anything!"

"Including personally killing your son Gao Yan?"

Mu Yuan's voice wasn't loud, but it stunned Gao Song.

Even Ma Chengwu was taken aback.

Gao Song had three sons and five daughters. Although he had many children, Gao Yan was the only legitimate son, while the others were born to concubines and were considered illegitimate.

This is also the reason why Gao Yan is arrogant and domineering.

As the legitimate son, he was spoiled from a young age and acted without restraint, repeatedly offending Mu Yuan.

"What? You don't want to?" Mu Yuan straightened his robes and said casually, "If you don't want to, then so be it. This general won't force you."

Gao Song gritted his teeth, clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh, but he didn't even notice.

He was caught in a dilemma.

On the one hand, disbanding the clan's army meant giving up power and leading the Gao family to decline.

On the other hand, killing his own son also meant that the Gao family had lost its heir.

You must know that Gao Yan is the legitimate son, and he will inherit everything in the Gao family in the future. Even if Gao Yan is arrogant and domineering, he has his own family soldiers guarding him, so outsiders can't do anything to him!

After some hesitation, Gao Song slowly opened his eyes and said decisively:

"Alright! I promise you, Commander!"

To save the Gao family, he now has only one option: to kill his son, Gao Yan.

Although this decision caused him immense pain.

But it's also the best choice.

Moreover, he has other children, so he can simply raise another heir, at least that way he can preserve the Gao family's power.

"very good!"

Mu Yuan walked to the sword rack, took down a long sword, and casually tossed it in front of Gao Song: "Go! Let this general see your sincerity!"

Gao Song picked up the long knife from the ground with trembling hands; his heart was bleeding.

Tiger poison does not eat children.

Now, however, he is going to kill his own son.

If this gets out, he will be utterly disgraced, and people will point fingers and gossip behind his back, making it a stain he can never erase for the rest of his life.

Suppressing his heartache, Gao Song took his knife and walked outside.

"Lord Ma, such a scene is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we cannot miss it!" Mu Yuan invited Ma Chengwu to go outside and witness it together.

Ma Chengwu forced a smile that looked more like a grimace and replied, "That's right, that's right."

While verbally agreeing, Ma Chengwu felt inexplicably distressed, experiencing a sense of shared sorrow.

At the same time, he also truly experienced Mu Yuan's ruthless and vicious methods.