Soldiers flooded into the city and began looting the spoils of war.
Gold, silver, jewelry, silk, satin, grain, and weapons were piled up like mountains.
The warhorses in the horse market became the focus of soldiers' competition.
These warhorses were plump and strong, all of them top-quality steeds, and were of vital importance for marching and fighting.
They are the soldiers' most loyal companions and an indispensable force in war.
Standing on the city wall, Chen Qingwan looked at the towering flames inside the city, but felt little joy.
The firelight illuminated the sky and also reddened Chen Qingwan's face.
But there was no excitement in her eyes, only worry.
This victory came too easily, entirely because Zhang Xinwang had diverted troops from Huai'an City, giving her the opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
The city of Huai'an has now been destroyed by fire, and the Zhang family has suffered heavy losses.
Once Zhang Xinwang receives the news, he will surely send troops back to reinforce them, at which point they will be attacked from both sides.
"Pass down the order: speed things up! We must evacuate Huai'an City within one hour!"
Chen Qingwan gave the order again, her tone even more urgent.
She had to evacuate Huai'an City before Zhang Xinwang's reinforcements arrived, or the consequences would be unimaginable.
An hour later, Chen Qingwan led her army to withdraw from Huai'an City.
The burning city of Huai'an gradually disappeared from their sight.
...
In Zhang Xinwang's camp in Jingzhou, the atmosphere was heavy.
Zhang Xinwang paced back and forth, his brow furrowed.
He received news that Chen Qingwan had actually led her troops to Qingzhou.
"Damn it! This woman is like an eel, slippery as a leech!"
Zhang Xinwang cursed angrily and slammed his fist on the table, making the teacups clink.
Qingzhou is backed by Shannan Prefecture, so Lu Yan is not someone to be trifled with.
Our small force isn't even enough to fill their teeth.
Zhang Xinwang knew perfectly well that Chen Qingwan was using Lu Yan as a pawn to intimidate others.
He's not stupid; he's learned his lesson from being fooled once, and he'll never rashly send troops again this time.
"Hmph, let her run wild for a few days! I'll settle accounts with her after I've pacified the entire Jingzhou region!"
Zhang Xinwang thought viciously, a fierce glint appearing in his eyes.
Even if Chen Qingwan escaped, he still managed to capture Liangzhou and Jingzhou, so he didn't lose out no matter how you look at it.
The most important thing now is to get the imperial seal back from that butcher general.
Just as they were plotting how to reclaim the Imperial Seal, a soldier rushed in in a panic and knelt down with a thud:
"Report...Reporting to the General! Something has happened in Huai'an...Huai'an!"
Zhang Xinwang's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition welled up inside him:
"Huai'an? What happened? Tell me slowly!"
The soldier answered, trembling:
"Huai'an... Huai'an has been attacked! The enemy... the enemy is burning, killing, and looting in the city. A huge fire... burned Xiangbei to the ground!"
"We...our entire Zhang family...we were all burned to the ground!"
"What?!"
Zhang Xinwang felt as if he had been struck by lightning; his vision went black, and he almost fainted.
Huai'an is the Zhang family's ancestral home, so why was it suddenly attacked?
Who did it? Could it be Chen Qingwan? No.
Perhaps she should be in Qingzhou.
"Where's my dad? How is he?!"
Zhang Xinwang grabbed the soldier by the collar and asked anxiously.
The soldier quickly replied:
"Lord Zhang Ye... he's alright, he escaped with his clansmen... through the escape route..."
Hearing that his father was safe and sound, Zhang Xinwang finally breathed a sigh of relief and slumped into a chair.
The destruction of Huai'an and the loss of the Zhang family's century-old legacy were a devastating blow to him.
"Who? Who did this?!"
Zhang Xinwang asked through gritted teeth, his eyes burning with hatred.
He is determined to find the murderer and tear him to pieces!
The soldier answered tremblingly:
"Reporting to the General, according to the clansmen who escaped and returned... the army that attacked Huai'an was... the Imperial Guards..."
"What? The Empress!"
Zhang Xinwang suddenly stood up, his anger blazing.
He never expected that the one who attacked Huai'an would be the Empress!
That's impossible! Shouldn't he be in Qingzhou?
How did they suddenly appear in Huai'an?
"Empress! It must be that vile woman!"
Zhang Xinwang's eyes were bloodshot and filled with blood vessels; he was running wildly in the camp.
Huai'an, the foundation of the Zhang family, a century-old business, was destroyed in an instant!
The news struck him like a bolt from the blue, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.
He finally realized that he had been tricked by Chen Qingwan and completely deceived by her hypocritical face!
She feigned a retreat from Qingzhou, but in reality, she secretly moved troops and set fire to his stronghold!
"General! Calm down!"
Outside the tent, a series of hurried footsteps broke Zhang Xinwang's almost frantic silence.
Chen Gong, his strategist, almost staggered into the tent.
Seeing Zhang Xinwang's bloodshot eyes and the overturned tables and chairs in the tent.
His heart sank, knowing how devastating the news of the fall of Huai'an would be for Zhang Xinwang.
"General..."
Chen Gong had barely opened his mouth when he was interrupted by Zhang Xinwang's furious voice:
"Huai'an! My Huai'an! My home! It's all gone!"
Zhang Xinwang grabbed Chen Gong by the collar and roared like a trapped beast.
Chen Gong struggled to steady himself, forcing himself to calm down, and said, word by word:
"General, Huai'an City... has fallen. However, Lord Zhang Ye and his clansmen have already evacuated safely, which is a stroke of good fortune amidst misfortune."
"A stroke of luck?! My century-old empire has been destroyed in an instant, and this is what you call a stroke of luck?!"
Zhang Xinwang roared and shoved Chen Gong aside, staggering back a few steps.
He slumped into the overturned chair, covered his face with his hands, and groaned in pain.
He could almost see the raging fire engulfing his home, his memories, and everything he owned.
Chen Gong took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice calm:
"General, although Huai'an City has fallen, the people are still alive. As long as they are alive, there is hope!"
"Hope? All my hopes have been destroyed by that damned empress!"
Zhang Xinwang suddenly raised his head, his eyes burning with hatred.
"I want revenge! I want to raze Qingzhou to the ground, capture Chen Qingwan alive, and tear her to pieces!"
He gritted his teeth, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth, filled with deep-seated hatred.
Chen Gong sighed inwardly, knowing that persuasion was useless at this moment, and could only try to calm Zhang Xinwang down first:
"General, please calm down! Qingzhou is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and with Lu Yan of Shannan Prefecture in charge, a rash attack might not be worth the losses!"
"Lu Yan! It's Lu Yan again!"
Zhang Xinwang suddenly stood up and kicked over the table next to him.
A series of cracking sounds suddenly rang out from inside the tent.
"That persistent bastard! How many times has he ruined my plans! I wish I could tear him to pieces!"
"General, the best course of action now is to preserve our strength."
Chen Gong earnestly tried to persuade him.
"With Huai'an destroyed, several powerful families in the north are stirring up trouble. We must stabilize the situation as soon as possible and prepare for the future!"
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