301 Common People's Innocence

ses had been significantly increased. Without permission, no one could even get close to the outer perimeter of the mansion. After being rebuffed twice and given a stern warning by Commander Mo sent b...301. The Innocent People

301. The Innocent People

"Ding Wang, it's a pleasure to meet you," Long Yang muttered after sizing up the man in front of him for some time.

This was the first time Long Yang had seen Ding Wang, who was renowned throughout the land. In a certain sense, Mo Xiuyao’s reputation even surpassed that of his father Mo Liufang, who had been distinguished for both literary and military achievements and rendered outstanding services to the Great Chu Empire. This was because Mo Xiuyao did something no previous generations of Ding Wangs had ever done: he severed ties with the Great Chu Empire completely and forever, turning the Black Family Army into a force that would compete for supremacy in the world. From then on, the Black Family Army truly broke free from the constraints of the Great Chu Empire; its future successes or failures no longer had any bearing on the empire.

The man before him was dressed entirely in snow-white clothes and his long, snowy white hair hung casually down. This scene, so different from the bloody battlefield, gave Long Yang a sense of danger. He trusted his intuition even though he hadn’t been to war for more than twenty years. The man in front of him was far from as gentle and amiable as he appeared; under that clean, snow-white appearance lay an aura of bloodshed that would instill fear.

Mo Xiuyao calmly looked at Long Yang while idly playing with a blue-and-white porcelain cup in his hand. He said coolly, "Originally, this Wang intended to have a chat with General Long and General Zhu. But General Long… I can’t help but say that this Wang is feeling very unpleasant now. Do you know what this Wang dislikes the most"

Long Yang looked at Mo Xiuyao and said in a deep voice, "May the Ding Wang enlighten me."

Mo Xiuyao slowly put down his tea cup. The clear sound of it hitting the table echoed through the tranquil room. "It’s being threatened. This Wang hates most being threatened by others. And also… I’m rather curious how General Long thinks this Wang would give up attacking the city for those people from Great Chu" As though he had just said something amusing, Mo Xiuyao chuckled softly. After a moment of silence, Long Yang said, "It’s an old man like me who is mistaken. Perhaps… when one gets older, one becomes more compassionate When I was younger, perhaps I would have made the same decision as Ding Wang."

Mo Xiuyao smiled and nodded. "Indeed, it seems that only General Long understands this Wang. In that case… has General Long prepared for the consequences of your decision"

Hearing this, Long Yang’s face changed; he said in a deep voice, "Ding Wang, you have already captured Bian City, why must there be more bloodshed This old man took all responsibility alone. If Ding Wang is angry, take my life."

Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly and didn’t comment further. "I forgot to mention that although General Long let most of the people in the city go last night, the Black Family Army also captured quite a number of soldiers from Xiling. So… they should be able to make up for those who escaped"

"Ding Wang…" Long Yang closed his eyes painfully. "I alone will take responsibility. Ding Wang can tear me apart with a thousand knives and I won’t utter a single word in protest. Please, spare the innocent people and soldiers."

Mo Xiuyao seemed not to hear him; he waved at someone by the door and smiled. "Take General Long away to…"

Outside the room, Zhu Jing gestured and two guards took Long Yang away. In the room, Mo Xiuyao slowly closed his eyes, and after a while, a low voice emerged from beneath his snowy white hair. “These people… are so annoying! Father Wang, my elder brother… when I’ve killed them all you’ll be at peace… nobody will ever harm Ah Li again…”

When Ye Li finished handling the affairs on the battlefield and returned to Bian City with Feng Zhirao and others, Black Family Army soldiers were sweeping up the battlefield both inside and outside the city. The air was still filled with a thick smell of blood. As they walked through the streets, soldiers clearing the streets would bow respectfully.

Feng Zhirao frowned in puzzlement. "What’s going on Why are there no civilians in the city" Even if everyone was afraid to leave their homes because of the battle, it didn’t mean that nobody was left at all. Not a single person could be seen even in the windows on both sides of the streets. The entire city was silent except for those soldiers clearing the streets; it seemed like a dead city.

The soldier hesitated and looked back at Ye Li and Feng Zhirao before reporting, "My Lady Wang, General Feng, just now His Highness ordered all civilians and prisoners to be taken outside the western gate."

Ye Li frowned. "Outside the western gate To do what"

"Outside the western gate… is Bian City’s execution ground," the soldier replied.

"Execution grounds" Feng Zhirao thought for a moment and said, "Did you capture any important Xiling generals Long Yang or Lei Tengfeng No, it can’t be. Even if you captured them, there’s no need to execute them right away" If Long Yang was killed, it would demoralize the Xiling army, but if Lei Tengfeng were still alive, his value would far exceed that of a corpse. Feng Zhirao temporarily forgot that Lei Tengfeng had slipped out from under his nose last night.

The soldier looked at Ye Li without saying anything. Ye Li frowned and said, "Be honest."

The soldier spoke in a solemn voice, "The Prince ordered to kill all the captives and the citizens of Bian City!"

"What!" Ye Li and Feng Zhirao were both shocked. They exchanged glances before Feng Zhirao steadied himself and asked, "What exactly happened"

The soldier quickly explained the situation from the previous day and night's battle, including Long Yang using the citizens of Chu to threaten their withdrawal. Without waiting for more details, they hurriedly headed towards the execution ground on the western side of the city.

A vast open area outside the west gate had always been Bian City's execution ground since its establishment. However, it was clear today would see a bloodier scene than ever before in the city’s history. Long Yang was being held by two soldiers as he faced his captives helplessly. Many of them were injured and were forced to kneel on the cold stone ground awaiting their fate.

The flat, cold stones were already stained with dark red blood, indicating that these kneeling prisoners weren’t the first victims. Long Yang was restrained from behind, his eyes bulging with rage. "Enough! Prince Ding! Enough… it’s all my fault; just kill me now!" Long Yang's eyes were red and veins stood out on his forehead. He had indeed made a grave mistake by unintentionally provoking a sleeping lion thirsty for blood while trying to defend the city.

"Prince Ding, please kill me," Long Yang roared.

Moxiu Yao’s lips curled into a slight smile as he pointed at the victims below and said, "I won’t kill you, General Long Yang. Just watch how these soldiers and civilians are dying. It's your fault… I never harm innocent people in war; this time is different because of your provocation. After today, there will be no more incidents like yesterday on the battlefield. Don't you agree"

"Such wanton killing of innocents, do you not fear retribution" Long Yang said solemnly.

Moxiu Yao raised an eyebrow and laughed lightly, "What would I fear The Ding family has been loyal to the nation for generations yet received no reward."

"Then doesn’t your wife and son fear it" Long Yang asked. Moxiu Yao’s expression instantly turned cold upon hearing this.

Moxiu Yao raised his eyes sharply at Long Yang, whose gaze seemed to be quenched with blood, causing even him to shiver inwardly. "Kill!" Moxiu Yao commanded harshly. Turning back towards Long Yang, he said coolly, "You better pray for peace for my family, otherwise… I’ll have the entire world mourn for her."

Hearing Moxiu Yao’s order, the executioners raised their knives once more...

"Stop!" A clear female voice interrupted. Everyone paused as a figure in white landed like a cloud in the middle of the execution ground. Ye Li turned around and frowned at the dark red stains on the ground, then sighed with relief seeing the citizens sobbing nearby. Thankfully, she arrived just in time.

"Why are you here, A-Li" Moxiu Yao asked, his cold expression softening as he stood up to look at her gently.

Ye Li looked up and gazed at the snow-white figure on the high platform above with a gentle warmth in her eyes, far from the ruthless voice she had heard earlier.

Beside Feng Zhirao, who understood his lord’s sharp gaze first, Moxiu Yao’s wife arrived just as he wished. With no involvement this time, Feng Zhirao rubbed his nose and stood to one side.

"Why are you here You’ve been working hard for days; why don’t you rest" Moxiu Yao asked unhappily when he noticed the fatigue in her eyes.

Ye Li rolled her eyes helplessly. Who else could prevent her from resting

"What’s going on Why did this happen suddenly..." Ye Li whispered, though she would rather not discuss this at an execution ground. However, there wasn't time for her to choose a location; every second was crucial. From both past and present, she remained a soldier by heart. She feared neither war nor death but could not stomach the slaughter of captives or innocent civilians. Moreover, it wouldn’t be good for Moxiu Yao and his army’s reputation if they were seen as ruthless killers.

Moxiu Yao frowned slightly and said sternly, "A-Li, you don't need to worry about these matters. Why not go rest first I'll deal with this and come back to you later. We can stay in Bian City for two days."

"Xiu Yao." Faced with Moxiu Yao’s obvious attempt to change the subject, Ye Li looked at him with concern, "Xiu Yao, I’m tired. Can we discuss these matters another day Let's go rest first, okay" she said softly, her voice now tinged with weakness and fatigue.

Moxiu Yao softened inwardly, looking at the dark circles under Ye Li’s eyes as he bent down to scoop her up and walked out. She leaned against Moxiu Yao’s chest, raising her head for a signal towards Feng Zhirao. Feng Zhirao nodded slightly before leaning back against Moxiu Yao, closing his eyes in relief; she was truly exhausted after days of work.

Moxuyao carried Ye Li and passed by the execution ground, his gaze sweeping indifferently over the kneeling Xiling soldiers. His cold eyes revealed a hint of disdain and mockery. Among these Xiling soldiers were many who remained unbowed and defiant; captured after defeat, they had already lost their will to live. How could they endure Moxuyao's derisive look One of them spat fiercely and sneered, "Mr. Mo, if you want to kill us, do so now! In twenty years, this lord will be a hero again! I vow to exterminate your entire Ding王府!

Moxuyao’s gaze turned cold as he said indifferently, "If that's the case, then let me fulfill your wish. Kill them all!" Finished speaking, Moxuyao carried Ye Li away from the execution ground without further ado. The people left behind exchanged glances; the princess consort clearly did not want them to kill anyone, but the prince said to kill everyone. Whether to kill or not became an issue. Logically, they should follow the prince’s orders, but in recent years, he had never gone against the princess consort’s wishes. Moreover, the soldiers of the Mo family were elite warriors, each proud of their warrior status. Killing on a battlefield was one thing, but massacring defenseless civilians was quite another; it made them hesitate.

"General Feng, what should we do" The execution commander approached to ask for advice.

Feng Zhirao touched his chin and pondered briefly before pointing at the group of people kneeling at the execution ground with his chin. "Kill those who insulted Prince Ding; their crimes warrant death. As for the rest, let them wait."

The execution commander went happily to carry out the order. Feng Zhirao glanced sideways at Longyang, whose face was ashen, and shook his head silently. Longyang had committed a major taboo of Moxuyao’s: using ordinary citizens as human shields. If Moxuyao had retreated once, other Xiling generals would follow suit. More importantly, there were nearly a thousand Qilin troops who had entered the city earlier. If Moxuyao ordered retreat, Longyang could easily take care of those early entrants in Bian City. Nevertheless… Was it really necessary to be so angry

When Ye Li woke up from her nap, it was already dark outside. Sitting up and rubbing her temples, she felt something was amiss. She might have been tired but not to the point of falling asleep immediately upon Moxuyao’s embrace. Remembering what had happened at the execution ground, she saw through the gauzy screen that Moxuyao was writing by lamplight. Hearing her stir, he put down his brush and walked in, smiling, “Are you awake”

Ye Li nodded and looked closely at him. His handsome face was softly lit by the pearl-like glow of a moonstone, warm and inviting.

She leaned into his chest, gazing up at his somewhat tired features and said gently, "Why don't you rest for a while Isn’t there a two-day repair period in Bian City We can deal with everything tomorrow." Moxuyao rested his chin on her head and stroked her soft hair, smiling faintly. "I couldn't sleep… I finished all the urgent tasks so that we could spend tomorrow together. Li, you've been working hard these days."

For some reason, Ye Li thought of Zhu Ling’s expression before his death. His blood-stained white robe lay on a dark red ground, his eyes dim and lifeless… Her smile faded slightly as she closed her eyes, feeling a headache coming.

"What's wrong, Li" Moxuyao asked softly.

“Nothing,” Ye Li said quietly. "I'm just tired."

Moxuyao’s gaze softened as he patted her slender back gently. “If you’re tired, go to sleep for a bit longer. We can talk about anything tomorrow, okay” Ye Li nodded. Lying in Moxuyao’s arms did indeed make her sleepy; pushing away the drowsiness, she said softly, "Xuyao, war doesn’t concern civilians. Don't kill innocents… the people's hearts…"

Moxuyao lowered his head to watch her beautiful face drift into sleep again. He kissed her gently and said quietly, “Li’s heart is too soft; it’s not good for you. You’re easy to hurt. Who in this world is innocent”

In the temporary study of the governor's mansion, Moxuyao sat calmly watching Feng Zhirao and Qin Feng before him. Feeling extremely helpless yet dared not provoke Moxuyao when he was clearly very upset, Feng Zhirao’s originally lazy smile gradually turned into a stiff fake one, which couldn’t be maintained anymore.

Glancing at the unresponsive Qin Feng, Feng Zhirao coughed lightly and said, "Prince…"

Moxuyao raised his eyes indifferently to ask, “Have you finished dealing with everyone on the execution ground”

"Finished," Feng Zhirao hurriedly answered.

“Finished” Moxuyao lifted an eyebrow and sneered. "Then, what are those prisoners outside the city for" Feng Zhirao smiled apologetically, “That guy who insulted Prince Mo, along with everyone kneeling on the execution ground were indeed killed. Your Highness knows this. As for the rest… didn't you say to leave them be”

"Oh" Moxuyao tilted his head and looked at him with a half-smile, asking, "Then let me order now: go kill them all."

“Prince…” Feng Zhirao said worriedly in a low voice. “Please think twice.”

Mosiyao watched him coldly as Feng Zhirao continued, "Your Highness, our Mosi Army has strict military discipline and never kills innocent civilians. If Your Highness were to kill these people out of anger, the reputation of the Mosi Army and the Ding王府 would be destroyed instantly. Moreover, the residents of Xi Ling are naturally fierce and brave; if they knew that the Mosi Army had massacred their city, they would surely help the Xi Ling defenders defend the city with all their might. This would greatly disadvantage us in our subsequent battles." Seeing that Mosiyao was unmoved, Feng Zhirao sighed inwardly and could only continue, "Furthermore, Princess Consort is kind-hearted and certainly will not approve of Your Highness's actions. Why should she be made unhappy over people who are irrelevant to her"

Upon reaching this point, Feng Zhirao raised his eyes and glanced at Mosiyao secretly. Seeing that the swordsman had slightly furrowed brows as if he was pondering the matter, Feng Zhirao could finally breathe a sigh of relief. If the王爺 insisted on disregarding others' advice and killed those people anyway, then perhaps no one would be able to dissuade him.

After quite some time had passed, they finally heard Mosiyao say coldly, "Kill all the captives, and expel ordinary civilians from the city. Feng San, if you fail to accomplish this task properly, do as you see fit."

Feng Zhirao breathed a sigh of relief; there was no concept in this era that prohibited killing prisoners of war. Captured soldiers were usually killed or enslaved after being taken prisoner on the battlefield. Although Feng Zhirao did not approve of killing defenseless Xi Ling soldiers, he also knew that these people could never be set free again. It would only cause trouble for them if they kept the captives around, and if Mosiyao insisted on executing them, Feng Zhirao would not mind.

"This subordinate obeys," Feng Zhirao said respectfully, then looked at Mosiyao and asked, "Your Highness, what shall we do about Long Yang"

Upon mentioning Long Yang, Mosiyao's expression darkened. He replied in a gloomy tone, "Bring Long Yang to the execution ground and let him witness how those Xi Ling people die."

Feng Zhirao finally understood why Long Yang had appeared on the scaffold that day. Shaking his head inwardly, he realized that Long Yang had offended the王爺 too severely for anyone's words to change his mind. "This subordinate obeys. I will go and do it right away."

"Don't let Princess Consort know," Mosiyao added slowly.

Feng Zhirao and Qin Feng exchanged a glance; would they be able to keep this secret

"Yes, this subordinate obeys."

After discussing the matter, Mosiyao did not give them any indication that he wanted them to leave. Both were slightly puzzled for a moment. After staring at them for quite some time, Mosiyao finally asked, "What happened to Ah Li" The two men were taken aback and could not understand what he meant.

Mosiyao frowned and said irritably, "Ah Li has been in a bad mood lately; did something happen when you went out this time"

The Princess Consort was unhappy

Both men pondered for a while but could not think of anything that would have upset the Princess Consort. The war had always been going smoothly, and although there were some losses in the Mosi Army, they were expected and inevitable losses; nothing else unusual had happened. Seeing that Mosiyao's expression was growing increasingly grim, Qin Feng spoke up, "General Zhu Yan's grandson Zhu Ling died protecting the Princess Consort from a hidden weapon, and General Zhu Yan jumped off the city wall in front of Her Highness to commit suicide." After thinking for some time, Qin Feng believed these were the only two incidents that could be considered extraordinary.

"Zhu Ling Who is he" Mosiyao asked.

Qin Feng recounted the entire incident from beginning to end. Initially, Ye Li and Qin Feng had merely gone to assist Zhang Qilan in dealing with Zhu Yan and the unknown Jingu Army forces that might emerge. Afterward, Ye Li's decision for herself and Lin Han to infiltrate the Jingu Army stronghold alone was made suddenly and not reported to Mosiyao, so he naturally did not know about it.

The more Feng Zhirao listened, the darker Mosiyao's expression became. Standing beside him, Feng Zhirao unconsciously took a step back without making any noise. After Qin Feng finished speaking, the study fell silent. With his face contorted in distress, Feng Zhirao waited for the impending anger from Mosiyao to erupt. It was only after a long while that he heard Mosiyao's calm voice, "I understand. You may leave."

Huh

Feng Zhirao was stunned; Qin Feng gave him a cold look and quickly turned around to leave. Shaking involuntarily, Feng Zhirao hurriedly followed him out of the study. Inside, Mosiyao remained alone with his solitary lamp on the table, muttering to himself, "Zhu Ling... He died yet still caused trouble for Ah Li; indeed, he died too easily!"

—— Interlude ——

Sigh… Actually, Xiu Yao's psychology has always had a slight issue. Perhaps it is due to excessive repression or severe post-traumatic stress disorder! The more peaceful and repressed the surface appearance, the more terrifying when unleashed; this was why Qing Yun was concerned about Xiu Yao and wanted Ah Li to accompany him on the campaign. Because Qing Yun saw through the turbulent currents beneath Xiu Yao's calm exterior. Well… This is how I see it;考證黨論證黨數據黨不要較真哦~ said softly. When Ye Li was not paying attention, he secretly raised the corners of his mouth. Being cruel to Mu Yang He did not feel the slightest bit about it. All he remembered was that when Ah Li...