As the sun sets in the west, the brilliant sun falls from the Milky Way, and the golden sunset is replaced by the thin, dark night.
The wind wasn't particularly fierce, but several plumes of black smoke swayed and rose straight into the gloomy sky, the smoke carrying the smell of grease. However, this was not enough to attract carnivorous birds, since the vast, devastated land still had embers and could not yet allow them to land safely.
The once lush, green wilderness has been completely distorted, now charred black. The hunched, huddled human-shaped figures are still slowly burning, seemingly stuck to the earth.
The Flame Soldiers charged out of the battle lines, tens of thousands of them galloping on horseback, their immense force causing the white ash on the ground to swirl and rise.
The swirling ashes could not stop their advance. The fire soldiers picked up their muskets, lightning guns, and other single-person firearms and fired at the enemy soldiers in the distance, while those nearby were executed on the spot by the spearmen.
After charging through the right flank battlefield, which was still smoldering with scattered flames, and through the frontal battlefield, which was ravaged by artillery fire, they sent another force to the left flank battlefield, where a few enemy cavalrymen still remained.
Qin Ze did not order a continued pursuit of the fleeing troops. He knew that after winning this battle, the Jin family, who lived in Nanze, would definitely be jumping up and down in a panic.
Now that it's late, all that's needed is to thoroughly clean up the battlefield. Everything is proceeding smoothly according to plan. Once the battlefield is cleaned up, we'll head straight to Datong to rest for the night.
——
The bright moon gradually climbed into the night sky.
Inside the palace.
Jin Fengluan shuddered as she looked at the minister who had come to report the emergency, her eyes filled with shock.
"What?! A crushing defeat?!" She stood up and shouted.
"Yes, Your Majesty! News has come from the front that the rebels and our army fought a battle in Datong. Our army fought hard against them, but ultimately we were no match and have been defeated."
"Our army has suffered heavy casualties. General Jin Zhou led the remaining troops in a difficult breakout and is now heading towards Nanze. This is the military situation we know so far!"
Below the stage, Minister of War Xiong Yong was drenched in sweat, looking as if he had just been pulled out of the water.
Upon hearing these words, Jin Fengluan turned pale and slumped onto the dragon throne with a thud. After a long while, she roared:
"What are you waiting for? Summon everyone here!"
Upon receiving Jin Fengluan's urgent summons, the ministers gathered again in the palace that night. At this time, Jin Zhou led a small group of fast cavalry into Nanze ahead of them, while the rest of the troops were still behind.
At this moment, the air in the hall seemed to freeze. All the ministers lowered their heads, and unlike last time, the fear on their faces could no longer be concealed.
Jin Fengluan's surprise hadn't subsided, but at this moment she could only try to remain calm. After taking a deep breath, she slowly spoke:
"Kim Jeong-hee is a veteran general who has fought his whole life. Give him 200,000 troops and order the Shenji Battalion to assist him in the battle. With such a strong force, I believe he will be able to defeat the rebels in one fell swoop."
"But even if the rebels are strong enough to fight us, so what? Even if we pay a price, we can still win."
"I never expected this..."
Jin Fengluan shook her head, her hands gripping the dragon head armrest tightly, her sharp nails scratching the dragon head relief with a squeaking sound, and her previously composed expression now turned ferocious.
The next moment, her voice suddenly rose, and she shrieked:
"I truly never expected this!"
"How could they lose like this?! Huh?!"
"How could they lose like this???"
She couldn't shake her irritable and easily angered nature, and screamed at that moment. The sudden loudness made the ministers tremble, and they dared not respond for a moment.
Jin Fengluan, however, joined in with shouts and curses:
"As I've already said, even if we have to back down, we should still win!"
"But that's a huge step back! With so many troops, how could they still lose? How strange!"
"How can we fight like this? Hasn't he been fighting for decades? They say the older you get, the more skilled you become, so how come he's suffering such a crushing defeat now?!"
"If I had known this would happen, I would have preferred to lead the army there myself!" With that, Jin Fengluan slammed her hand on the table in anger, causing the memorials on the table to jump.
The ministers still dared not speak, but Prince Qing slowly walked out. Although his complexion had not fully recovered after resting overnight, the bloodshot in his eyes had faded.
He said in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty, we should wait for Jin Zhou to return to the palace to report."
“We have sent enough troops, including the Shenji Battalion. Even if the rebels win, it will be a Pyrrhic victory.”
"In other words, we haven't suffered a major defeat yet."
"Furthermore, we also have Nanze's troops. The rebels have already fought this fierce battle and are running out of steam."
Prince Qing's words of comfort did not calm Jin Fengluan down; in fact, she could no longer bear to hear news of defeat.
What's a big defeat or a small defeat? They're all defeats. In Jinling, it was one defeat after another. Now that we're back in Nanze, our hometown, we're going to lose again. Who can stand that?
Does this mean that a major defeat can only be considered when the rebel army storms into Nanze and Qin Ze sits on the dragon throne beneath him?
This is simply self-deception.
"It's no use saying all this. We have superior numbers and control better terrain. I don't know how we can possibly lose."
"Kim Jong-hui must be old and senile, and has completely forgotten how to fight. Otherwise, how could he have suffered such a crushing defeat?"
"What do you all think?!" Jin Fengluan raised an eyebrow and angrily questioned the silent ministers.
The ministers looked at each other, unsure how to respond.
"Speak up! Have you all become mute?"
"Yes, Your Majesty is right!" Immediately, a minister echoed.
Jin Fengluan snorted coldly and then said, "Now tell me, what's the next step in the fight?"
After saying this, she leaned back in her chair and coldly swept her gaze across the assembled officials.
Whispers then filled the hall, but no one dared to offer any advice. Jin Fengluan grew increasingly agitated, silently contemplating whether she should personally lead the expedition.
She was confident in leading the army into battle herself, but Jin Fengluan was still somewhat flustered by Kim Jeong-hee's defeat.
If it weren't for this defeat, she believed she would have personally led the army to suppress the rebels. But if something went wrong now, it would be disastrous.
At this moment, Jin Fengluan, lost in thought, recalled the day Qin Ze was appointed Prince of Zhenbei, and her fingertips trembled involuntarily.
If I were to fall into his hands, then I'm afraid...
Although there was no wind or cold inside the palace, she still shivered at that moment.
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