Upon seeing the person who had arrived, Jin Jiande lowered his head and whispered, "Father."

Prince Qing looked at his son's pale and weak appearance and shook his head with a sigh.

"Eat when you're hungry, sleep when you're tired, your health is the most important thing."

"What's past is past; it's important to focus on the present."

Hearing this, Jin Jiande's face grew even paler. He abruptly threw off the blanket, looked at his broken leg, and roared:

"How can we possibly get through this?!"

"My legs are broken! I'm a cripple now!"

"What am I going to do now? I'm a cripple, I... cough cough cough."

When he got excited, Jin Jiande coughed badly. Seeing this, Prince Qing went to the bedside, covered him with the blanket, and comforted him:

"Focus on healing your injuries first. Once they've healed, let the Divine Machine Battalion see if they can create a substitute..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jin Jiande roared like a madman, "That's not my leg after all!"

"I'm like this now, what am I going to do in the future! I..."

Seeing his son's emotional outburst, Prince Qing raised an eyebrow and said in a deep voice:

"So what if it's just one leg? Can't you even survive with that?!"

"It's not your leg that's broken! You make it sound so easy!" Jin Jiande retorted without thinking.

These words caused Prince Qing's brows to furrow, and he immediately roared in anger:

"Hmph! You and Jin Mang led so many troops to suppress Qin Ze, and that barbarian army, and they all died inexplicably at Yanluo Mountain!"

"This matter hasn't been sorted out yet, and you're already crying and screaming like you're going to die. Are you still my son?!"

This angry shout made Jin Jiande even more agitated, and he yelled at the top of his lungs:

"What do you mean by inexplicable? I made it very clear after I came back. This traitor has ambushed countless soldiers in Yanluo Mountain!"

"There are people everywhere, all over the mountains and plains, and a bunch of weapons hidden in the mountains. How can we possibly win? What can we use to fight them!"

Prince Qing narrowed his eyes, staring directly into his son's gaze without blinking, and said in a deep voice:

"With so many troops combined with the barbarians, it won't be easy for Qin Ze to keep you all at Yanluo Mountain."

"How many troops would he need to defeat you like this? Is it true that apart from you and Xiao Yiming, not a single person left Yanluo Mountain?"

Jin Jiande felt a surge of anger erupt as he looked at his father's scrutinizing gaze.

"Father! Don't you believe what I'm saying?"

"What I said before was all true! There are so many troops in Yanluo Mountain, and there are ambushes everywhere. Otherwise, would I have ended up breaking my leg by falling off a cliff?"

Prince Qing frowned, reached out and placed his hand on Jin Jiande's shoulder, saying, "Son, tell me, was this battle at Yanluo Mountain because of you...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Jin Jiande had already understood his father's meaning.

He pushed Prince Qing's hand away, tears welling up in his eyes, his heart filled with grievance.

"What? Do you think I'm lying, that we were defeated because we fell for Qin Ze's trick?"

"I didn't say a single lie! Everything I said is the truth!"

"Qin Ze's troops are inhuman. They are everywhere, chasing us relentlessly. We simply can't defeat them."

"Which member of my Thousand Machine Battalion isn't a skilled fighter? The men chasing us are dressed in winter clothes, wield curved swords, and their bows and arrows are almost always accurate. They're all like monsters!"

"Tell me, how do we fight this?! How do we fight this?!"

"Father, if you go to Yanluo Mountain, you will never doubt my words!"

Prince Qing touched his nose and suddenly asked, "Where did he get so many soldiers, and all of them with such strong fighting power?"

These words left Jin Jiande speechless. He coughed and gritted his teeth, saying:

"How should I know? I'm not a mind reader for this traitor!"

Upon hearing this, Prince Qing snorted coldly, then stood up and looked at him, saying:

"Alright, Jiande, you should get some rest."

"I have already reported what you said to Her Majesty, and Her Majesty..."

He paused, then continued, "After you are able to get out of bed, then you can go to see His Majesty."

Upon hearing the words "Your Majesty," Kim Geon-deok felt as if all his strength had been drained away in an instant; his anger vanished, leaving only shame and humiliation.

He weakly cupped his face, choking back tears, and said:

"Father, what I said is true."

"I am not exaggerating the strength of the traitors in order to escape responsibility for this defeat."

"This traitor, his army is really too big and too powerful."

"You really can't blame me."

Prince Qing frowned, glanced at him sideways, and then said indifferently:

"Yeah, it's not your fault."

"Take good care of your injury."

Without saying another word, he turned and left with his hands behind his back.

After Prince Qing left, Jin Jiande could no longer control himself and began to sob on the quilt.

He understood in his heart that this defeat was a complete loss of face for the imperial court. The previous fall of Anyang County could still be attributed to the imperial court's failure to send reinforcements.

This time, the imperial court specially dispatched troops, along with the barbarian army, but they still suffered a crushing defeat, with not a single one left alive.

This is no longer just a matter of the court losing face; the rebels' southward advance has become so fierce that the court can no longer stop them.

This is clearly a very dangerous sign.

If this trend continues, the world may indeed change hands.

Jin Jiande didn't even dare to imagine how angry His Majesty would be after hearing about the defeat at Yanluo Mountain, especially since he had made such a solemn promise to her before.

But now, with this cold, bloody truth laid bare before him, how can he possibly explain this to her?

If the rebels really manage to reach the capital, what will happen then? What will Your Majesty do?

"Your Majesty, I...I'm so sorry..." Jin Jiande cried out in extreme grief.

Amidst the heart-wrenching cries, a deep voice sounded from the doorway.

"Jiande, why are you crying?"

Kim Geon-in walked in with his hands behind his back and a blank expression.

"Get out, I don't want to talk!" Jin Jiande shouted without even lifting his head, his head buried in the blanket.

The next instant, a cold shout rang out:

"Cry? You dare to cry!"

This cold shout startled Jin Jiande. He then raised his tear-streaked face, his pale complexion gradually turning red as anger began to burn.

"What do you mean!" Jin Jiande wiped away his tears and shouted angrily.

Kim Geon-in, with a cold face and narrowed eyes, said:

"So many soldiers died at Yanluo Mountain. If you say you weren't foolish enough to fall into an ambush, I'd never believe it!"

"Your excuse is just to fool yourself and His Majesty!"

These words enraged Jin Jiande. He had led the troops into battle, and now his leg was broken, yet his elder brother was still criticizing him, as if he had made a mistake that led to the defeat.

He immediately shouted angrily, "Bullshit!"

"Anyone who goes into Yanluo Mountain will die!"

"It's easy for you to talk when you're not the one suffering! If you're so capable, go and fight that traitor yourself!!"