Yun Zhe and his group fled in a sorry state, finally finding a grove of trees to hide in after sunset. Once they calmed down, Yun Zhe quickly took stock of the group and found that only a little over three hundred, less than four hundred, remained with him.
In other words, nearly two-thirds of the troops were lost in this battle.
Yun Zhe was angry, but looking at Cyrus's ashen face, Blazer's dejected expression, and Morrison's apologetic look, Yun Zhe couldn't bring himself to lose his temper.
"Can anyone tell me what exactly happened?" After calming down, Yun Zhe suddenly realized that he didn't know the whole story. Surprised, he sat down among the three of them and began to ask questions.
Cyrus, burdened by the heavy losses of his soldiers, hesitated to speak. Blazer, still shaken by the experience, also found it difficult to speak. Morrison looked around, sighed, and recounted the entire battle once more.
After hearing Morrison's words, Yun Zhe's anger, which had just been suppressed by the miserable state of the three people, couldn't help but erupt again.
"Fight! Fight! Fight! Who suggested fighting? Did you even consider your grounds for fighting? Burn down the camp? What will you do after that? It's all plains around us, where will you run to? What did I tell you when I left? Huh, what do you mean by 'good reconnaissance, avoid contact'? You've completely forgotten all that in one night?!"
Morrison swallowed hard, stealing a glance at Blazer. Cyrus's gaze, however, was much more direct and frank, filled with resentment and anger as he looked at Blazer.
Blaze realized what was happening and, before Yun Zhe could say anything more, suddenly knelt down on the ground.
"My lord, it was I who suggested using the camp for an ambush. I underestimated the enemy. Please punish me."
Yun Zhe was still angry. He snorted coldly and pointed at Morrison and Cyrus, "You two agreed to this terrible idea, didn't you?" His tone was already tinged with murderous intent.
The two men were stunned for a moment, then hurriedly lay down on the ground, unsure of what to say. Morrison was filled with anxiety. If he admitted it, he feared they would both be punished, but how could he not admit it? Especially Cyrus; without his approval, could Blaze command his soldiers?
Thinking of this, Morrison suddenly felt relieved. Clearly, this time the three of them were truly in the same boat, waiting to be thrown into the oil pan together.
Yun Zhe rubbed his face to calm himself down, then shouted "Elke!" but no one responded.
Yun Zhe was taken aback and looked around. He saw Valentine standing timidly in the distance. "Valentin, where's Elke?"
"My lord... Elke... he was shot by an arrow and fell from his horse..."
Yun Zhe took a deep breath, and boundless killing intent began to spread, startling the soldiers in the woods into silence, who looked at Yun Zhe uneasily.
Even Akdina stood still, not daring to take a step forward.
After a long while, Yun Zhe's murderous aura dissipated. He shook his head with a wry smile, "Valentine, go and set up sentry posts immediately, double the manpower, double the distance."
Then he turned to look at the three generals who were still prostrate on the ground.
“Brazer, Morrison, because of your mistakes, you’ve both been demoted to platoon leader. Your positions will be taken over by your adjutants.” Yun Zhe paused here, then smiled bitterly. “It’s also my fault for giving you a big misconception. It just so happens that I don’t have any personal guards yet. You two each pick ten men to form my personal guard team.”
Then Yun Zhe helped Cyrus up. “Such a huge loss is also partly my fault. You are still the mercenary’s supreme commander. As for the soldiers, I will try to find a way to make up for it, but those people may not be Aruru anymore. General, please don’t mind.” After saying this, Yun Zhe suddenly leaned close to Cyrus and whispered in his ear, “But the work of appeasing the remaining mercenaries will require your help and effort, General.”
Cyrus was overwhelmed with mixed emotions. If it weren't for Yun Zhe's words, "You two agreed to this terrible idea, didn't you?", he might have stabbed Blaze to death right then and there. But those words made Cyrus realize that he was actually the one most responsible for this operation, because over 80% of the troops were his men. If he hadn't agreed, this tragedy would never have happened. He also suddenly understood Yun Zhe's punishment. Blaze and Morrison were demoted in name but promoted in reality, and the main reason he hadn't been punished by Yun Zhe was because he was the mercenary captain, and Yun Zhe couldn't control him. As for the last sentence, it was essentially telling him to apologize to the remaining mercenaries and take responsibility for the failed command. It seemed like there was no punishment, but in reality, it was the greatest punishment.
In other words, in Yun Zhe's mind, the person who should bear the main responsibility for this failure is not Blazer or Morrison, but him, the mercenary's supreme commander.
Thinking of this, Cyrus felt resentful, yet had no choice but to submit.
However, the two people who were nominally demoted but actually promoted were not necessarily in a good mood. It was clear that Yun Zhe had stripped them of their command authority, at least temporarily.
Yun Zhe felt both frustrated and guilty. Initially, he had indeed placed all the blame for the defeat on the three men before him. However, Yun Zhe realized that if he had been more cautious yesterday and returned to camp unscathed, perhaps this crushing defeat wouldn't have happened. Therefore, after demoting the two men, Yun Zhe reassigned them to his side, hoping that working under his guidance would help them improve.
After arranging everything, a wave of exhaustion washed over him. Yun Zhe waved his hand, signaling everyone to go about their own business. He then found a tree and leaned against it to rest.
Akdina quietly approached Yun Zhe. When Yun Zhe opened his eyes, he saw Akdina squatting beside him, looking at him with concern in her eyes.
"I'm fine, but you need to be careful. There will be many things for you to do in the future."
Akdina didn't speak, but suddenly grasped Yun Zhe's hand, leaned close to his ear, and whispered...
"You need blood, or you'll collapse very soon."
Akdina's actions may seem ambiguous and intimate to outsiders, but the truth could very well break down their defenses.
Yun Zhe shook his head. "Not yet. They..." Yun Zhe pointed to the soldiers, some sitting and some lying down, "They are not safe yet."
Akdina's eyes became strange, half anxious and half puzzled.
Yun Zhe sighed and nudged Akdina, "Go and rest. I know what I'm doing; it's not like this is the first time we've encountered this situation."
Just as Yun Zhe and Akdina were talking, Valentine rushed over.
"My lord, my lord, something terrible has happened! I heard the sound of cavalry approaching, and the worst part is, there are many of them, even more than during the day!"
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