The soldiers were arguing fiercely, so Duanmu Shenghua raised her voice and said, "We have to withdraw our troops just because the war is not over. Do you all know how much manpower, material resources, and financial resources our Western Liang loses in a single battle? His Majesty acted impulsively and started such a major war with Eastern Chu. Not only have many soldiers died and a lot of financial and material resources been lost, but now even he himself is dying here. Do you think it is necessary to continue such a war that brings no benefit whatsoever?"
Upon hearing this, the soldiers all lowered their heads.
In fact, what King Hui said was right. Even though they were warriors of Xiliang, they didn't like fighting unless absolutely necessary!
If the troops can really be withdrawn, that would be a good thing, but the key question now is whether His Majesty is really dead?
Even if His Majesty is really dead, shouldn't they at least retrieve his body? Are they just going to let him lie there alone at the bottom of the cliff, slowly turning into bones and being devoured by birds and beasts?
It's too tragic that an emperor like him didn't even have a coffin in the end, and his body was left to rot in the wilderness!
One soldier couldn't help but ask, "Are we really leaving now? Aren't we going to look for His Majesty again?"
As soon as the soldier said this, the soldiers behind him shouted, "Yes, we need to see her alive or dead! Even if Her Majesty has really passed away, we should at least find her body!"
"Even if we have to retreat, we must find His Majesty first!"
"Whether he's dead or alive, we have to find him! We can't just leave His Majesty's body to rot in the wilderness!"
"If we don't find His Majesty, we won't be able to explain ourselves to our ministers and the people when we return!"
Seeing the soldiers below arguing so fiercely, Duanmu Shenghua's face instantly turned cold.
Before she could react, Shao Yichen stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, these people are right. Even if we want to retreat, we should find His Majesty's body first. Otherwise, we really won't be able to explain ourselves to the officials and the people."
Seeing her bring up these matters again, Duanmu Shenghua's gaze instantly turned venomous: "Didn't I already say that I sent people down to search for His Majesty? I sent many people down the cliff to look for His Majesty, but none of the people I sent down came back alive. So many people went down and none of them came back alive, His Majesty must be dead!"
Duanmu Shenghua deliberately raised her voice when answering Shao Yichen's question. She was not only answering Shao Yichen's question, but also wanting to say it to the soldiers.
The soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment. It turned out that His Highness Prince Hui had sent many people down the cliff to search for His Majesty, but none of those soldiers had returned. It seemed that His Majesty was truly in grave danger.
However, no one who went down that high cliff ever came back alive. Even if they could reach the bottom, they might not be able to carry His Majesty's body back. There was a high probability that they themselves would die at the bottom of the cliff.
It has to be said that Duanmu Shenghua's words were very intimidating. The soldiers who were just shouting that they wanted to see him alive or dead no longer said such things, because they knew that if they went down the cliff, they would die. Let alone go down to find His Majesty, they probably wouldn't survive either!
Upon hearing Duanmu Shenghua's words, Shao Yichen immediately knelt down before her: "Your Highness, this humble general wishes to personally lead men down the cliff to find His Majesty."
Seeing Shao Yichen causing trouble again, Duanmu Shenghua's face instantly darkened: "Haven't I made myself clear enough? I've already sent many people down the cliff, but none of them have come back up. They all died at the bottom of the cliff, just like my elder sister. With so many people as examples, aren't you just courting death if you go down?"
Shao Yichen stood ramrod straight: "Protecting His Majesty is my duty. Now that His Majesty has fallen off a cliff and his fate is unknown, I cannot lead the army back to the capital of Xiliang without knowing the situation. I must go down the cliff to find His Majesty. As I said before, I must find him alive or dead. If His Majesty is still alive, I will carry him back up. If His Majesty is dead, I will carry his body back up. I will never let His Majesty's body be left to rot in the wilderness!"
Shao Yichen's resounding words only fueled Duanmu Shenghua's hatred: "I've said it so many times, why don't you understand? None of the people who went down the cliff have come back up. They've all died at the bottom. If you go down the cliff, you'll die too. You have no chance of saving my sister."
Shao Yichen was indeed not afraid at all, and said in a humble but not arrogant manner: "If I die, I die. If I really cannot get up this cliff, then I will apologize to Your Majesty for failing to protect you, and I will also be buried with Your Majesty!"
Duanmu Shenghua stared sharply at Shao Yichen, wishing she could reach out and strangle this stubborn mule who wouldn't listen to reason!
This Shao Yichen is so stubborn! She already said that Duanmu Junyu is dead, shouldn't she be trying to please her? After all, Duanmu Junyu didn't leave any offspring, and Shao Yichen is the only one she is closest to by blood.
With Duanmu Junyu dead, she will surely succeed to the throne of the Western Liang Empress!
But Shao Yichen still had Duanmu Junyu on her mind. Even though she didn't send anyone down to look for Duanmu Junyu on such a high cliff, she knew that Duanmu Junyu was definitely dead.
Shao Yichen isn't trying to please her anymore; instead, he's constantly going against her. She thinks he doesn't want to be the Great General of Xiliang anymore!
The soldiers below were frightened when they heard that Shao Yichen was going to lead them down the cliff to find His Majesty. After all, the cliff was so high, and Prince Hui had said that many soldiers had gone down but none had come back up, which meant that anyone who went down the cliff was courting death. How could this not be frightening?
Of course, there were also many soldiers who genuinely cared about Duanmu Junyu. Upon hearing that Shao Yichen was still willing to go down the cliff to find Duanmu Junyu, they all knelt down and said, "We are willing to follow the General down the cliff to find Your Majesty!"
Once someone started, many soldiers followed suit and knelt down: "This humble general is also willing to follow the general down the cliff!"
Originally, it seemed that the soldiers had been persuaded by her and were about to agree to withdraw, but Shao Yichen's commotion caused another problem, and Duanmu Shenghua was so angry that she was about to explode.
She stared intently at Shao Yichen, then suddenly seemed to remember something, her eyes reddening as she helped him up: "General Shao, please rise. I am deeply moved by your concern for my elder sister, but you are a pillar of our Western Liang, a general of great talent. I know that falling off the cliff will mean certain death, so how can I just stand by and watch you go to your death!"
"This humble general..." Shao Yichen opened her mouth to speak, but Duanmu Shenghua didn't give her a chance. She looked at the kneeling soldiers and said, "I know everyone is heartbroken by His Majesty's passing, and many are finding it hard to accept. I am no exception. But I cannot just stand by and watch you all fall off the cliff to your deaths. You are all fine women of Xiliang, and the protection of Xiliang depends on you. His Majesty has passed away, and no one is allowed to..."
"Who said I've already passed away!" Duanmu Shenghua's impassioned words were interrupted by a hoarse voice halfway through.
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