Upon hearing this, both the adjutant and Mitri were stunned.
However, the two men's expressions were noticeably different.
The adjutant looked on in disbelief, while Mitri, after a brief moment of stunned silence, had a slight glint in his eyes, but he remained silent.
The speaker was a lieutenant general, who spoke with great emotion:
"Marshal! If you're going to leave, then you should leave! How can you not leave!"
"You are from our Tuyuan Kingdom..."
But before he could finish speaking, Mokodin interrupted him, shaking his head and sighing:
"I'm almost fifty. Although I've won more battles than I've lost over the years, I'm not exactly a famous general. The Emperor sent me here to make a big difference because he sees how much hard work I've done over the years and wants me to achieve another merit and gain a good reputation."
"But now... well, in the end, I failed to seize the opportunity."
"How can I face my country now? So many people have died, how can I explain this to them?"
“The Prince of Zhenbei will most likely attack tomorrow, so I will stay here to organize the remaining people to resist and buy you some time.”
At this point, he looked at Mitri again and continued:
"Mitri, when you get back, please tell the Emperor that Da Gan is not the same as it used to be. They are very strong now."
"In my opinion, it's best not to come again. Let them have Xijing."
At this point, Mokodin touched his face, his eyes dimming.
“I will convey this to the Emperor, Marshal,” Mitt replied in a deep voice, his expression unchanged.
The adjutant was still trying to persuade him, but Mokodin shook his head and said, "Don't say anything more, Tovan, I've already made up my mind."
"Mitri, go and gather the troops, lead them to assemble, and take the provisions with you, it's quite a long journey."
Mitri had been waiting for these words, and he nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, Marshal, I will go and gather the troops first."
As soon as he finished speaking, Mitri left the tent without the slightest hesitation.
"Marshal! I won't leave! I'll stay here with you," the adjutant said resolutely.
Seeing that Mitri had left the tent, Mokhatin looked at the adjutant and said in a deep voice:
“Thova, you’ve been following me for over a decade, I trust you.”
"The defeat is inevitable and there is no way to turn it around. I must die here."
"If I were to return home, Prince Arthur would surely criticize me for my poor command of the army, which led to the deaths of so many men."
“Mitri is Prince Arthur’s man. I used to respect him a lot, but after this battle, I know that he is just like Prince Arthur.”
“Once we return home, Mitri will most likely pin the blame for this failure on me, so he won’t be punished. Therefore, you must go back!”
After he finished speaking, the adjutant stared wide-eyed, looking utterly astonished.
"How could that be? You fought for our Tu Yuan Kingdom, how could you be subjected to..."
Mokodin interrupted, "No, you can never imagine what they'll do with this."
"Although many people died this time, I think Prince Arthur might even take this opportunity to petition the Emperor to gather more troops and gain more military power!"
"Any war is nothing more than a means of making profits."
The adjutant's face stiffened, but he quickly said, "In that case, Marshal, you should go back even more!"
"Otherwise, wouldn't we be letting them blame the loss of this battle on you?"
Mokhadin gave a wry smile: "My sacrifice to stop the Prince of Zhenbei is far more convincing than my return home with a bunch of defeated soldiers."
"When you return home, just say that I died trying to stop the Prince of Zhenbei. That way, no matter what Mitri says or how Prince Arthur criticizes me, at least my family can live peacefully."
"This is all we can do. This is the best ending for us."
After saying this, the adjutant fell silent, a deep sense of sorrow welling up within him. He moved his throat, but could no longer utter a word.
Mokhadin slowly stood up, patted the adjutant on the shoulder, and said earnestly:
"Thova, you must have realized by today's battle that today's all-out effort is not the same as the all-out effort of the past."
"This Prince Qin Ze of Zhenbei is a very formidable opponent. He always manages to strike unexpectedly. Whether it's the 300,000-strong army or the weapons we have today, no one knows what else is behind him."
He paused briefly before continuing, "Making him an enemy is... an unwise choice."
"After returning to China, I absolutely cannot come back here to do big things again."
"Of course, I can only say this to you privately. The Emperor will definitely send troops over again... No, even if the Emperor is unwilling to send troops to fight a big war, Prince Arthur will create conflict and, taking advantage of this war, encourage the Emperor to send troops over."
"In short, this is a war that must be waged."
"And you, Thauvin, I can only advise you not to come here again. Trust my final judgment; this time, I think I was right."
The adjutant's face was filled with grief, and his gaze was blank and helpless.
Mokodin sighed. "Go, Tovan. Please look after my family for me."
"When you go back this time, put aside your military affairs if you can, and enjoy the rest of your life."
The adjutant's eyes reddened. He bent down, placed his hands on his chest, and bowed solemnly to him.
——
It's late at night.
It was already past midnight, the coldest time of day.
The chilling atmosphere made people shiver involuntarily, and the ground was already covered with a layer of frost.
Under the pale moonlight, a large army was marching into the distance in the cold night.
Mitri led the remaining people through the night. Because it was night and they were all exhausted after a whole day, they were moving very slowly.
Naturally, everyone looked dejected; their initial ambition had completely vanished, and they were now filled with despondency.
Meanwhile, in the military camp, the remaining men could only helplessly huddle in their tents.
That night, there was no campfire to be lit, no hot food to be eaten; all that remained was the despair of being abandoned there.
Groans echoed intermittently in the tents, disturbing everyone's peace.
No one could sleep peacefully, except for some who were too badly injured to continue and had already died; only they could enjoy the tranquility of the winter night.
Inside the tent, Mokhadin sat on a blanket, his eyes wide open but unfocused.
A moment later, he drew the dagger from his waist and placed it against his neck.
At that moment, faint, suppressed groans could be heard again from outside the tent.
That was the sound of someone enduring pain.
With a "bang".
The dagger slipped from Mokodin's loosened hand and fell to the ground.
He knelt on the ground, his head pressed against the earth, silently sobbing, his body trembling slightly...
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