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

So, after a while, things went back and forth like this.

He manipulated things behind the scenes, making it easy for the court to agree.

Sending Feng Zhong, a subordinate of the emperor, was not only because the court wanted to divide power among the Western Army, but there must also be other purposes involved.

in short.

Feng Zhong's arrival here is the result of the collusion between the imperial court and Lan Shiwuying.

"General, if Feng Zhongru stays here, he'll see everything we do. What if he makes a big deal out of something trivial? What will we do then?"

Some people expressed their concerns.

"That's right," Yang Daye chimed in. "We can suppress our displeasure, but what about the brothers down below?"

"Why don't we strike first, find a pretext, or lure him into making a mistake, and then we'll have a reason to send him back to the capital?"

One of the officers present offered his suggestion.

These words were spoken.

He received approval from everyone present.

Only Mu Yuan seemed lost in thought, hesitating to make a decision.

"General, please say something!" Yang Daye was straightforward and impatient. Seeing that Mu Yuan didn't speak, he stomped his feet in frustration.

As long as Feng Zhong is in the Western Army, there will always be a potential hidden danger.

"Don't act rashly for now!"

Mu Yuan did not agree with the general's suggestion.

"General, what's wrong with you? Why are you so hesitant?" Yang Daye was very puzzled by Mu Yuan's behavior.

"Yang Daye, when did you learn to talk back?"

Mu Yuan looked at him with displeasure.

Yang Daye realized he had been too impulsive and had forgotten his limits. He smiled awkwardly and said:

"Isn't this just me being overly concerned? Besides, Feng Zhong isn't one of our men. Keeping him here won't do the Western Army any good."

"Would it be beneficial to get rid of him?" Mu Yuan suddenly asked.

Yang Daye didn't think things through as comprehensively as Mu Yuan; he followed his heart and said:

"How could there be no benefit? Getting rid of him means one less person to monitor our Western Army, and the brothers won't have to worry about anything they say or do being leaked!"

Mu Yuan shook his head with a wry smile.

"Sometimes I really envy you, you don't have to think too much."

"General, what do you mean by that?" Yang Daye looked bewildered, feeling that Mu Yuan's words were somewhat profound, and he couldn't understand what they meant at all.

"To say that you're looking at things too superficially, or to put it simply, shallow," Qin Hongxiu explained.

"My lord, this humble general merely..."

Yang Daye wanted to say something, but for a moment he was at a loss for words.

He's good at fighting.

But when it comes to scheming and ingenuity...

He's a complete roughneck.

Yang Daye's embarrassed appearance made everyone burst into laughter.

The atmosphere eased somewhat.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Mu Yuan slowly said:

"Since the court sent Feng Zhong, it has already considered various ways out. Even if we lure him into making a mistake, the court will send someone else. Don't forget, there are more than just Feng Zhong as a military officer in the court."

Upon hearing this, the officers present fell silent. Some, after some thought, nodded silently, clearly agreeing with Mu Yuan's conjecture.

Seeing everyone remain silent, Mu Yuan continued:

"If we drive Feng Zhong away, what if the next person the court sends is even more difficult to deal with?"

This time, everyone seemed to wake up from a dream, revealing expressions of surprise.

"Yes, we were only thinking about driving Feng Zhong away, but we didn't consider what would happen if we drove away a jackal but a tiger came along!"

"We were too inconsiderate."

"Fortunately, the commander reminded us in time, otherwise, we might have made a big mistake in our impulsiveness."

Mu Yuan's words cleared up the doubts of the confused and impulsive crowd.

Reassure everyone.

Mu Yuan then dismissed them.

"Have you thought about how to deal with Feng Zhong?" Qin Hongxiu, who was left behind, looked at Mu Yuan with a worried expression.

While we cannot harm Feng Zhong, we also cannot afford to be passive.

We must find a way to deal with this.

Only then can we avoid getting into a predicament.

"Let's take it one step at a time." Mu Yuan didn't have any good ideas for the time being, since he didn't know Feng Zhong's personality.

Making a hasty decision will only backfire.

Within a day.

The news that Feng Zhong had been appointed as the deputy commander of the Western Army by the imperial court spread throughout the entire Western Army, causing an uproar in the army.

Nearly 70% of the soldiers in the Western Army were from the Southwest.

Regarding Feng Zhong, who was sent by the imperial court.

Many people were hostile.

Fortunately, Mu Yuan had explained the pros and cons to the officers beforehand, and the soldiers were able to put aside their hostility after being reassured by their respective officers.

The next day.

Mu Yuan was awakened by a series of noisy sounds.

They left the barracks.

Before them, beneath the training ground, stood many men dressed in simple clothes.

These people were not soldiers of the Western Army.

"What's going on?" Mu Yuan looked at the guards on either side and asked for the reason.

"Reporting to the commander, the deputy commander Feng Zhong issued a conscription notice early this morning, and these people have come from all around to enlist," the guard replied truthfully.

Upon hearing this, Mu Yuan narrowed his eyes.

They've only just arrived, yet they've already begun cultivating their own strength.

She's definitely cunning!

The entire Western Army was almost entirely under Mu Yuan's command. Feng Zhong's hopes of gaining a foothold in the Western Army, cultivating his own power, and winning over the Western Army were obviously slim. The only feasible way was to rely on external forces.

Mu Yuan turned around and went back to the barracks, put on his clothes, and came out again.

At this moment, Qin Hongxiu also learned of Feng Zhong's conscription and rushed over.

"The Western Army now has a large number of soldiers, and the daily expenses are astronomical. Feng Zhong is still recruiting soldiers in large numbers without even informing them. It's simply outrageous!"

Qin Hongxiu said angrily.

"Let's go take a look first." Unlike the angry Qin Hongxiu, Mu Yuan planned to observe first before making a decision.

Arrive at the place where Feng Zhong is.

At this moment, Feng Zhong was arranging for soldiers to register the new recruits.

"General, you're up so early?"

Despite being conscripted without prior notice, Feng Zhong showed no sign of panic. Instead, he chatted casually with Mu Yuan as if nothing had happened.

"Vice Commander Feng, have you consulted the Commander-in-Chief about this recruitment matter?"

Qin Hongxiu asked the question directly, without any beating around the bush.

Feng Zhong explained:

"The southwest is located on the frontier. A while ago, Governor Ma Chengwu submitted a memorial saying that enemy spies had appeared in the southwest and had been captured alive by the commander-in-chief."

"The imperial court sent me here not only to serve as the deputy commander of the Western Army, but also to expand our troop strength, stabilize the situation in the southwest, and prevent enemy invasion!"

Feng Zhong's explanation left Qin Hongxiu speechless.

Mu Yuan remained calm and composed.

"It's good that Vice Commander Feng has this idea; it seems we misunderstood," Mu Yuan said with a smile.

Qin Hongxiu turned to look at Mu Yuan, her eyes filled with astonishment.

Anyone with eyes to see could see that Feng Zhong's so-called explanation was nothing but an excuse. His real intention was to cultivate power and strengthen his position in the Western Army.