Zhe Keqiu said, "Your Majesty, it is bitterly cold here. Why don't you return to the city first, and I will handle the aftermath?"

"Go back to the city! My soldiers are still here!" The emperor's voice was low and irritable, and Zhe Keqiu dared not say another word.

"Bring that Yuan Huan to me!"

"yes!"

Just as Zhe Keqiu was about to make another trip in person, the emperor stopped him again: "Go and find me someone in the army who is skilled in the art of dismemberment!"

Zhe Keqiu was slightly taken aback, then replied, "Yes, sir!"

The emperor did not return to the city, but rested on the spot.

Meanwhile, Yao Gu and Zhang Hao had already repelled the Jin army attacking the city and were rushing towards this side.

Yao Gu rushed over, quickly bowed, and loudly proclaimed, "This guilty subject Yao Gu has arrived late to save Your Majesty; I deserve to die!"

Zhang Hao also knelt down and bowed, saying, "This guilty subject Zhang Hao pays his respects to the Emperor. I am late in coming to your aid and deserve to die!"

Zhao Huan's mind raced with thoughts of fearing the enemy, which was a major taboo for generals and should be punished.

I had planned to give those two cowardly fellows a good scolding, demote one, or punish the other, but then I remembered that they had captured Wanyan Salihe alive, so I couldn't act so simply and brutally.

Moreover, the claim of fearing the enemy is only Zhong Shidao's side of the story; the Zhong family army and the Yao family army have never gotten along.

Although Zhao Huan wanted to use Zhong Shidao for strategic planning, he couldn't simply accept whatever Zhong Shidao said.

In Zhao Huan's view, it was wiser for Yao Gu and Zhang Hao to retreat to Longde Prefecture than to fight directly. They had already suffered heavy casualties when they fought against Wanyan Salihe. Although their courage was commendable, the consequences of forcing themselves to fight Wanyan Loushi would definitely be even more devastating.

After his outburst, Zhao Huan's gloomy expression quickly vanished upon seeing Yao Gu and Zhang Hao. He personally helped them up, saying, "You two have fought bravely against the Jin invaders for the sake of the emperor and the country. I am very pleased. Please rise quickly."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Yao Gu and Zhang Hao felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They were afraid that the emperor would be furious and blame them for not fighting Wanyan Loushi head-on. Now it seemed that this emperor was not a hot-headed person.

Zhao Huan then asked, "How are the seriously wounded soldiers in Longde Prefecture being cared for?"

Zhang Hao replied, "Your Majesty, rest assured, the wounded soldiers have all been properly taken care of."

"Are supplies sufficient?"

Yao Gu and Zhang Hao exchanged a glance, hesitated for a moment, then approached Zhao Huan and whispered, "Your Majesty, only half of the military rations have arrived!"

Zhao Huan's face showed no change, but he was already furious. He had only asked out of concern, but he hadn't expected that the question would lead to the problem of insufficient military rations.

Zhao Huan asked, "Why is that?"

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty does not know."

How much food is left?

"Your Majesty, we only have half a month's worth of rations left."

Zhao Huan knew that this matter concerned the morale of the army, but it was not suitable to discuss it here, so he said, "Let's discuss this later."

Before long, Zhe Keqiu returned, bringing with him the drunken Yuan Huan, and Chen Jiru came along as well.

Yuan Huan, who was originally drunk, was sobered up by Zhe Keqiu splashing him with a basin of cold water. Just as he was about to start cursing, he was tied up by Zhe Keqiu's soldiers and brought before Zhao Huan.

Upon seeing the Emperor, Yuan Huan instantly became completely sober.

"Your Majesty, this sinful subject kowtows! This sinful subject deserves to die! This sinful subject deserves to die!"

Zhao Huan's face was as gloomy as if it were frozen.

He asked Zhe Keqiu, "Where is he?"

Zhe Keqiu brought forward a soldier, who prostrated himself on the ground and said, "This humble servant pays his respects to the Emperor!"

Zhao Huan pointed at Yuan Huan and said, "How many cuts can you make on him?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Huan was so frightened that he burst into tears, urinated in his pants, and repeatedly kowtowed until his head was broken: "Your Majesty, spare my life! Your Majesty, spare my life!"

"I ask you how many cuts you can inflict on him!"

"Your Majesty, he has just drunk wine, and his blood vessels are prone to bursting. He needs to be cooled with cold water. He can be cut a thousand times!"

"Fine, I want you to slice him a thousand times, a thousand slices before he dies! Whatever you want to do, they will cooperate with you!"

"yes!"

No one made a sound; all the soldiers watched.

Zhao Huan shouted, "All the soldiers at the front are fighting valiantly, and this man, a physician, is drinking and causing trouble at such a time! What do you take my soldiers for?!"

After he finished speaking, he said to Chen Jiru, who was standing to the side, "Minister Chen, you must quickly organize the soldiers and civilians to rescue the surviving soldiers!"

"Yes, sir!"

Yuan Huan let out a bloodcurdling scream: "Your Majesty! I am guilty! Please spare my life!"

He was tied to a wooden stake, his tongue was pulled out with pliers, and a soldier carefully cut it off with a dagger, afraid of hurting other parts of him.

Then someone stripped Yuan Huan naked, applied ice and snow to his body, and poured ice water on him. After his blood vessels constricted, the soldier Zhe Keqiu had found began to take action.

Zhao Huan just sat there, watching Yuan Huan being executed by dismemberment.

The soldier was very skilled and fast; in less than half an hour, he had made a thousand cuts!

Yuan Huan was dismembered into a human skeleton and was on the verge of death. Finally, his heart was pierced and he died. His head was cut off and sent to the front of the army as a warning!

All the generals applauded the emperor's actions. This kind of scoundrel held an important position but neglected his duties. He harmed not just one person, but many. This is how you should deal with such a person!

After the execution, Zhao Huan, along with generals such as Zhe Keqiu, toured the area. During the tour, he encountered a soldier who had lost both legs. The soldier was being bandaged, and the intense pain caused him to cry out in agony, with the veins on his forehead clearly visible.

He also encountered a dying guard who, in his final moments, pulled a letter and some money from his robes and gave them to a woman who was tending to his wounds. With tears in his eyes, he said, "If you ever have the chance to go to Bianjing, please go to the woods near Lijia Village in the south of the city and find a girl named Xiao Cui. I made a promise with her; she waits for me there for an hour every evening. I promised to marry her when I return. Apologize to her to me..."

Before he could finish speaking, the bailiff had already died, and the people around him wept silently.

Zhao Huan's nose also felt a little sore, but as the emperor, he held back in the end. He was the spiritual pillar of the entire army. If even he showed sadness, how could they fight the next battle?

The emperor toured the city for a full hour before returning.

After returning to the city, Zhao Huan went to visit Zhong Shidao. Zhong Shidao's wounds had been bandaged and his condition had stabilized, which put Zhao Huan at ease.

He immediately summoned Yao Gu, Zhang Hao, and Zhe Keqiu, and then ordered Zhe Keqiu to bring in Zhang Que, the military transport commissioner, and Zhang Yiqian, the deputy transport commissioner, and instructed the soldiers outside to guard the area strictly and not allow anyone to enter.

As Sun Tzu's Art of War states: "An army without baggage will perish; an army without food will perish; an army without reserves will perish!"

"I hereby appoint Zhong Qing as the Pacification Commissioner of the Two Rivers, and establish a Pacification Office to command the battles in the Two Rivers. I will not interfere much, but will simply sit here and listen. If Zhong Qing needs assistance, I can step forward!"

"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty!"

Zhao Huan gestured to Yao Gu, who then said to Zhong Shidao, "General Zhong, our supplies and provisions have been reduced by half, leaving our army with less than half a month's worth of rations."