Chapter 37: A Heart-Wrenching Blow! A Deadlock of Public Opinion!

"What?!"

Lei Yan’s expression shifted instantly. He whipped around to face the soldier standing at the entrance.

"What on earth is going on?" Lei Yan asked, his face darkening.

The soldier swallowed hard, stealing a cautious glance at Lei Yan. "Reporting to the General, according to the patrol guards, Squad Leader Jiang left the city late last night! Because the rumors within the city have been so rampant, my subordinate took the liberty of following him. As a result... in the middle of a torrential downpour, we witnessed Squad Leader Jiang being killed by a single strike."

Lei Yan’s face turned pale. He gripped the edge of the table and took a deep breath. "Do you know who did it?"

The soldier shook his head solemnly. "Because of the heavy rain, I couldn't see clearly. Besides, the assailant’s strength was far too great, so I didn't dare..."

Lei Yan let out a long sigh, his emotions tangled and complex. Jiang Changhong was a dissolute wastrel, that was true; there were countless people in Qinghe Town who wanted him dead. But... Jiang Changhong carried the surname Jiang! That was not a family they could afford to offend. Lei Yan rubbed his forehead and sighed again.

What a troublesome autumn this was! With the barbarians poised to strike, now this incident had occurred.

"Summon Fatty Li and Sun Mu to me! I have very important matters to ask them," Lei Yan said, his voice grave after a moment of silence.

"Understood!"

Before long, Fatty Li came running in, his clothes in disarray. Su Mu, who followed behind him, appeared far more composed. Seeing this, Lei Yan frowned, his eyes locked onto Su Mu.

"Does the death of Jiang Changhong have anything to do with you?"

Su Mu looked around and gave a slight bow. "General, you have misunderstood. Ever since I returned, I have been at the Tianxiang Pavilion and have not taken a single step outside. The many guests present there can testify for me."

Lei Yan shot Su Mu a look and ordered all the other soldiers to withdraw. Once only the three of them remained in the tent, Lei Yan spoke with severity. "Can you tell me the truth now?"

Su Mu raised an eyebrow, meeting Lei Yan’s gaze without a hint of subservience. "General, you know as well as I do that with the barbarians about to attack, my energy is focused entirely on them. As for this Jiang Changhong, truthfully, he isn't worth the effort."

Lei Yan laughed in anger and pointed at Fatty Li. "Li Ping'an! This is the kind of soldier you've raised! Don't think I don't know that you two are undoubtedly involved in the assassination of Jiang Changhong! Let me tell you this: before the barbarians breach Qinghe Town, I will protect you, but if the town falls... none of us will have a good end, do you understand?"

Fatty Li fell silent for a moment before letting out a breath. "Don't worry, we understand the gravity of the situation! Old Lei, I understand your concerns. But this time, that beast Jiang Changhong deserved to die!"

A complex glint flickered in Fatty Li’s eyes as he clenched his fists. "If it weren't for him, those soldiers wouldn't have sacrificed their lives! Those innocent people wouldn't have become tools for the barbarians' depravity!" Over the years, Fatty Li had seen too many corpses near Qinghe Town. Those women were only in their teens! They hadn't even been married yet, and they died with their eyes wide open! This debt! He had to settle it for those women!

"Enough! Just remember one thing, both of you! If the Inspector asks, you must insist that you had nothing to do with it! As for the Jiang family... their reach has indeed grown too long over the years," Lei Yan huffed.

Su Mu, watching their indignant expressions, cleared his throat. "General, I have one more thing to report." Su Mu took a letter from his tunic and placed it on the table. When Lei Yan saw the familiar handwriting, his pupils contracted. At this moment, he understood the root of everything.

"Was this found on the barbarian leader?"

Su Mu nodded, his eyes cold. "I have already had the contents of this letter copied thousands of times and distributed throughout the various cities. In less than three days, the deeds of Jiang Changhong will spread across the entire Great Liang! The Jiang family won't be able to cover this up!"

Lei Yan and Fatty Li exchanged glances, their lips twitching. Su Mu’s actions were truly ruthless—he hadn't just killed Jiang Changhong; he had pinned a permanent stain on the entire Jiang family! Jiang Changhong was dead and could not testify, but this letter was different! It even bore Jiang Changhong’s personal seal.

Lei Yan couldn't help but shake his head. For a moment, he felt a flicker of worry for the Jiang family. How could this deadlocked situation be resolved?

"By the way, how was the harvest from your raid on the barbarian camp? It couldn't just be this letter, could it?" Lei Yan asked, looking at Su Mu with curiosity.

Hearing this, Fatty Li proudly puffed out his chest. "You thought wrong! This time, my little brother led a hundred men and directly attacked a camp of a thousand barbarians! And we won a complete victory..."

As he listened to Fatty Li bragging to Lei Yan with great enthusiasm, Su Mu couldn't help but shake his head and walked out of the tent.

Just then, Deputy Commander Chen walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder. "Yo! Little brother, I finally get to see you again!"

Su Mu turned to look and saw a blood-stained gash on the deputy commander’s shoulder. Judging by the wound, it looked like a barbarian had slashed him with a blade. Su Mu frowned. "What happened?"

Deputy Commander Chen moved his shoulder nonchalantly. "Yesterday, while patrolling outside the city, I ran into a small squad of barbarians. My hand was itching, so I just fought them! That barbarian leader was quite skilled, so I took a minor wound."

Looking at the shoulder, Su Mu shook his head. In this era, such wounds were easily fatal. The reason was simple: infection! After being injured, there was a complete lack of awareness regarding hygiene. The probability of the wound festering was extremely high. Furthermore, herbal supplies were limited, making it impossible to bandage every soldier properly. Like Deputy Commander Chen, the herbs he used were clearly just common ones for stopping bleeding.

"If you have time tomorrow, come find me. I can treat this wound for you. I won't say it will be cured instantly, but I can at least ensure the probability of it recurring is lowered. If you recover quickly, you might be able to heal before the barbarians arrive, and then you can fight on the front lines without worry!"

As soon as Su Mu finished speaking, he looked at Deputy Commander Chen with a solemn expression. "Once the war begins, will the water, food, and medicinal supplies in Qinghe Town be enough to sustain the consumption?"