"Protect His Majesty!" the Qiuz soldiers shouted sternly.
But Bai's appearance was too sudden and abrupt; Amon's personal guards hadn't had time to get close.
"Oh no!" Amon thought to himself.
In his panic, he grabbed the double-edged scimitar that symbolized his imperial status.
"Dang!" Bai Qi's power was immense; with his first strike, he knocked the curved blade from the other's hand. Then, he raised his Heaven-Piercing Halberd and struck again.
Amon, holding the long object in his hand, could only hastily dodge.
With a "whoosh," Bai Qi's Heaven-Piercing Halberd sliced through Amon's armor, leather, and skin, leaving a deep gash on his right arm.
"Your Majesty!" Qiu Zi's soldiers roared, then charged at Bai Qi recklessly.
"What a pity..." Bai Qi sighed. "We were so close to succeeding!"
Although his martial arts skills were strong, they were still far from reaching Xu Chu's level.
Faced with the ever-approaching Qiuzi soldiers, Bai Qi knew that if he didn't leave soon, his life would be in danger.
So he spurred his horse and galloped away.
After running a few steps, Bai Qi suddenly turned his head and burst into laughter, "Hahaha! Qiu Zi, you dog emperor, you've got good luck this time!"
After saying that, Bai Qi rode away!
Amon gripped his injured arm, enduring the pain, his heart filled with anger.
"Your Majesty, please allocate me 50,000 elite troops so that I can wipe out these rampant Xia scum!" a Qiu Zi general said angrily.
"No!" Amon reached out and grabbed him. "Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war! We have lost this battle!"
After saying that, Amon took a deep breath and said, "Pass on my order: the entire army shall retreat thirty miles to avoid their advance!"
"Your Majesty..." The generals were extremely unwilling!
Xichuan City was right in front of us.
They had clearly been in the lead throughout the previous battle.
They could have captured Xichuan City very soon.
Qiu Zi's army had already conquered the entire Shu region of the Great Xia, and only Xichuan City remained to be conquered.
But then Bai Qi suddenly appears!
The easily attainable city of Xichuan slipped through their fingers...
“My mind is made up!” Amon shouted.
As the emperor of Qiuzi, he was responsible for the entire Qiuzi kingdom.
The highest principle of military strategy is self-preservation. If this battle results in the loss of Qiuzi's elite troops, not only will his position as emperor of Qiuzi be in jeopardy, but it could also implicate the entire nation!
"Withdraw the troops!"
Once the order was given, Qiu Zi's generals could only sigh and then lead their troops to retreat.
At this moment, shouts erupted from within Xichuan City: "Long live the Great Xia!"
"Long live the Regent!"
"Great Xia is mighty!"
These shouts pierced the hearts of every Quz soldier and touched the nerves of every Arab soldier!
~~~
Ran Min dreamed again of that war-torn era: the Sixteen Kingdoms period of the Five Barbarian Invasions.
He dreamed of the long-collapsed, abandoned city towers and of the generals under his command.
In his dream, he walked side by side with his former comrades-in-arms.
Their faces were once as familiar to Ran Min as his own, but time, like a leech, gradually sucked away people's memories, even those he had once vowed never to forget.
In the dream, they were nothing but phantoms, like gray ghosts, riding horses formed from thick fog.
In April of the same year (352), Murong Jun had already conquered You and Ji provinces, and his occupied territory had reached Ji province.
Ran Min led his cavalry to resist him and encountered Murong Ke, a general of the Former Yan, in Weichang City.
He was outnumbered and ultimately defeated and captured!
"I am the emperor!"
"Emperors during the Five Barbarian Invasions!"
"But why do I have a lord? And why am I in Xichuan City in Shu?"
"The Qiuzi people? Are they also barbarians who wreaked havoc on China?"
"Wait, what exactly is going on?"
Ran Min groaned as he opened his eyes.
Moonlight streamed in through the high window.
"General Ran Min?" A shadow stood by the bed.
Another dream? That eerie dream!
"How...how long has it been?" The sheets were a mess, his body was wrapped in gauze, and his right leg was in a splint, throbbing slightly.
"Three days and four nights." It was a familiar voice; it belonged to the attendant responsible for Ran Min's food and lodging.
He picked up the cup and brought it to Ran Min's lips. "Lord Ran, drink."
"This is……?"
"It's just boiled water. The doctor said you'll be thirsty when you wake up."
So Ran Min drank it.
His lips were chapped, and boiled water tasted as sweet as sugar water.
“Lord Sun Mian has come to see you several times,” the attendant told him after the cup was emptied. “General Ran said that as soon as you woke up, he asked me to inform him that Lord Sun wants to talk to you.”
"Let's talk about it tomorrow," Ran Min said. "Let's talk about it when I'm feeling better."
He didn't want to say much right now. The dream he'd just had had drained his remaining strength, leaving him extremely weak.
“General Ran,” the attendant said, “Lord Sun wants us to take you to see him as soon as you open your eyes.” The attendant lit a candle by the bedside. “Lord Sun and General Bai Qi both want to know about Zhao Zhen as soon as possible!”
"Zhao Zhen!" The name made Ran Min frown, and he cursed softly. "That traitor!"
“Tell him I’m too weak to go. If he insists on talking to me, I’d be happy to entertain him in bed,” Ran Min said, disgruntled. “Also, get me something to drink, I want wine!”
The servant had no choice but to leave.
Not long after, Sun Mian arrived, with Bai Qi following behind him.
Upon seeing Bai Qi, Ran Min was filled with rage.
"General Ran, how are you feeling?" Sun Mian asked first.
"Thank you for your concern, Lord Sun. I won't die for now!" Ran Min said with a smile.
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