I, the villainous eldest prince, will suppress everything!

Sunset.

Wu Da was taken back to prison and placed under strict guard.

After Wu Da was taken away, Murong Bo made up an excuse to send the generals away from the tent.

After all the generals left, only the father and his two sons remained in the central command tent.

"Brother, why didn't you just kill Wu Da directly? Why did you send people to escort him away?"

Murong Jin asked, his tone tinged with annoyance and confusion.

If he hadn't been born late and was born as a younger brother, he wouldn't have listened to Murong Bo.

Murong Qingcang didn't offer any opinion or speak; he simply watched the two brothers in front of him quietly.

Before speaking, Murong Bo first cupped his hands to Murong Qingcang to show his respect.

This deep-seated respect alone is something Murong Jin cannot match.

This is also one of the reasons why Murong Qingcang did not make Murong Jin the crown prince, but instead made Murong Bo the crown prince.

"Why kill?"

Murong Bo did not answer Murong Jin's question, but instead asked a question in return.

Upon hearing this, Murong Jin paused, then laughed angrily: "Brother, what do you mean by that? Why did you want to kill me?"

"Why else would we kill him? Wu Da has been imprisoned in the capital of Da Zhou for three years. Who knows if he has changed his mind? Maybe he has already been turned by Da Zhou and is an undercover agent sent by Da Zhou. Keeping him alive would only be a disaster. It would be better to just kill him."

This is the reason why Murong Jin wanted to kill Wu Da.

Better to kill a hundred innocent people than let one guilty person go free.

After saying this, Murong Jin asked Murong Qingcang, "Am I right, Father?"

He knew that he alone could not persuade his elder brother Murong Bo.

He wanted to seek his father Murong Qingcang's approval and put pressure on Murong Bo.

Murong Qingcang remained silent, nor did he want to speak.

Knowing that this was a dispute between the two brothers, he, as their father, couldn't show favoritism to either of them, so remaining silent was the wisest course of action.

He had learned a lesson from the Great Zhou Emperor.

Everyone knows that Emperor Xuan of the Great Zhou Dynasty was extremely biased, which led to Crown Prince Qin Li killing his brothers. He didn't want his two sons to kill each other.

Murong Bo cupped his hands in a respectful greeting to Murong Qingcang once more before turning to Murong Jin and asking, "What evidence do you have to prove that Wu Da was turned by the Great Zhou and is a spy sent by them?"

"I...of course I have no evidence, but as I said, it's better to kill a hundred innocent people than let one guilty person go free!"

Murong Bo's explanation was: "If it were an ordinary person, I would just kill him without any regrets. But Wu Da is a Grandmaster. Although a Grandmaster can only play a small role on the battlefield, he is still a Grandmaster. If used properly, he can have a surprising effect."

"In this attack on Xuanque Pass, our Northern Barbarians dare not easily claim victory. Why kill Wu Da if we can increase our chances of winning?"

"But can Big Brother guarantee that Wu Da will help us?" Murong Jin sneered. "In my opinion, not only will he not help us, but he will also stab us in the back at a crucial moment."

Murong Jin knew, of course, that Wu Da was a Grandmaster. If it were before, he would never have said anything like killing a Grandmaster. His father, Murong Qingcang, would not have agreed and would have given him a severe lesson.

But now, no one can be sure which side Wu Da's heart is on.

Therefore, he must be killed to eliminate this hidden threat.

Even if I later realize I killed the wrong person, I won't regret it.

Neither brother could convince the other. Finally, Murong Bo cupped his hands to Murong Qingcang and said, "Father, I am willing to guarantee with my position as Crown Prince that you must spare Wu Da's life so that our Northern Mang can break through Xuanque Pass."

Murong Jin initially wanted to object, but then he thought about it and couldn't be happier.

Murong Bo didn't want to be the crown prince; he really wanted to be.

Moreover, he was certain that Wu Da was definitely an undercover agent sent by the Great Zhou.

Therefore, he said, "Father, this is what my elder brother said himself. It is not that I want to take his position as crown prince. Please grant my request."

Since both brothers had said so, Murong Qingcang couldn't refuse and said:

"In that case, let's spare Wu Da's life for now, but until we find out the truth, we must keep a close watch on him."

To be honest, Murong Qingcang couldn't tell which side Wu Da was on.

He wanted to kill, but couldn't bear to.

Wu Dake is a true master.

Although his strength is currently restricted, he is still a grandmaster.

Grandmasters are extremely rare. If he kills Wu Da, who knows what the other grandmasters in Northern Mang will think of him?

After leaving the central command tent, Murong Bo led his men directly to the place where Wu Da was temporarily imprisoned.

Upon seeing Murong Bo's arrival, Wu Da quickly stood up and bowed.

"No need for such formalities."

Murong Bo stepped forward and helped him up by the arm, saying, "In the end, we are the ones who have wronged Master Wu. Back then, it was we who sent Master Wu to assassinate Qin Li, which resulted in Master Wu being imprisoned in the Great Zhou for so many years. He must have suffered a lot."

To be honest, Murong Bo looked down on Murong Jin's practice of discarding someone after they've served their purpose.

It should be noted that the Wu brothers were instructed by them to assassinate Qin Li in the capital. Otherwise, how could the Wu brothers have gone to the capital of the Great Zhou to assassinate Qin Li?

Wu Er was defeated and killed, while Wu Da was captured and imprisoned in the capital for many years.

When Wu Da returns, Murong Jin still wants to kill him. Isn't that just discarding a used tool after it's been used?

"Master Wu, I have come here to help you remove the collar from your neck."

Murong Bo got straight to the point.

After he finished speaking, he waved his hand, and the two people he had brought with him stepped forward.

These two were also masters of the Northern Wilderness and old acquaintances of Wu Da, but they hadn't seen each other for so many years and were somewhat estranged.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two masters stepped forward to remove the collar from Wu Da's neck.

However, after they carefully examined the collar around Wu Da's neck, their brows furrowed tightly.

The two exchanged a glance, then bowed to Murong Bo and said, "Please forgive us, Your Highness, but we cannot untie this knot."

"Oh?"

Murong Bo said, "It's just a collar, and even you two grandmasters can't untie it?"

"Your Highness, please forgive me. It's not that I can't untie it, but that I can't remove the poisonous snakes from the collar."

"As Your Highness the Crown Prince knows, there are not many masters in the world, and even fewer who use poison, but the Great Zhou has one of the best."

"We've only ever seen this snake in ancient books; this is the first time we've encountered it alive. If we're not careful while removing the collar, we could easily anger it. In that case, not only will Wu Da be bitten to death, but we and His Highness the Crown Prince might also be in serious trouble."

"Therefore, we must not act rashly until we find a foolproof plan!"

"Your Highness, please give us some time so we can go back and think it over carefully."

What the two said made sense, and Murong Bo nodded. This was the only thing to do now.

Send the two grandmasters away and tell them to go back and think of a solution quickly.

Murong Bo said to Wu Da, "I'm really sorry, Master Wu will have to wait a little longer."

"It's alright, it's alright." Wu Da waved his hand and said, "We've endured so many years, what's a day or two? Your Highness's kindness moves me deeply. From now on, I will follow Your Highness's lead without hesitation, even at the cost of my life."

Murong Bo quickly waved his hand and said, "No, no, no! We should follow His Majesty's lead without hesitation, even at the cost of our lives."

Wu Da paused for a moment, not expecting Murong Bo to be loyal to the emperor, then nodded and agreed.

Murong Bo nodded in satisfaction.

After thinking for a moment, Murong Bo looked at Wu Da very seriously and asked, "Master Wu, are you an undercover agent sent by the Great Zhou?"

"Your Highness, what makes you say that?"

Wu Da countered with a question.

Murong Bo spoke frankly: "My second brother doesn't trust you, and although His Majesty hasn't said it directly, he doesn't trust you either. Only I trust you, do you understand?"

Moved to tears, Wu Da was about to kneel down on one knee and said, "Thank you for your trust, Your Highness. I dare to swear a solemn oath that I am absolutely not a spy sent by the Great Zhou. My younger brother was tragically killed by the people of the Great Zhou. I swear I will not rest until I avenge this. How could I possibly be a spy sent by the Great Zhou?"

Murong Bo laughed and reached out to help Wu Da up again: "That's good, that's good."

……

A few more days passed.

The Northern Mang army approached Xuanque Pass and set up camp ten miles outside the pass.

"Father, when shall we attack the city? Your son is willing to be the vanguard! Let us break through Xuanque Pass!"

Upon seeing Xuanque Pass for the first time, Murong Jin volunteered to take on the task.

"No rush, let's set up camp first and take it one step at a time."

Murong Qingcang looked at the massive black city not far away, his heart heavy.

After many years, Xuanque Pass has changed so much that it looks like this now.

If I had known this would happen, I should have taken Xuanque Pass regardless of everything back then.

Now, the difficulty of breaching the city has increased many times over, and countless grassland warriors will die.

This battle will be tough.

Looking at the Northern Mang army busily setting up camp outside the city, the walls of Xuanque Pass were filled with generals of the Great Zhou.

"General, while the enemy's base is still unstable, why don't we take the initiative and catch them off guard?"

One of the generals clasped his fists and offered his suggestion.

This suggestion immediately garnered the approval of many generals.

In the past, Wang Hu would probably have agreed.

He might even personally lead his troops out of the city.

But over the years, he has matured a lot and is no longer as reckless as before.

He glared and shouted, "A preemptive attack? This general thinks it's tantamount to suicide! Who among you can guarantee this isn't a trap set by the enemy?"

"Our Xuanque Pass has strong walls and high walls. Even heavenly soldiers and generals descending to earth might not be able to break through the walls, let alone the Northern Mang army, which is not good at attacking cities. Therefore, our army only needs to keep the city gates closed and fight a defensive battle."

"From this day forward, anyone who dares to propose launching a preemptive strike will be dealt with according to military law and executed without mercy!"

Since Wang Hu had said so, the generals dared not have any other opinions and all clasped their hands in obedience.

Wei Hongying and the Empress were also on the city wall, the two women standing side by side, looking at the Northern Mang army encamped in the distance.

"I wonder how Wu Da is doing now? Has he gained Murong Qingcang's trust?" Wei Hongying asked.

The empress remained silent; to be honest, she herself was unsure.

She was afraid; she let the tiger return to the mountain!

But she had to take a gamble.

Will I be able to avenge myself?

Everything depends on this battle.

"By the way, what's the situation in southern Xinjiang?"

The Empress suddenly asked.

"What else can we do? We don't know what Qin Li is dawdling about, he hasn't attacked the Buddhist Kingdom yet."