Serena stared at the end of the road and suddenly wanted to laugh. The disdain at the meeting, the difficulties after departure, the smugness and mockery after the division of forces—she recalled them all. At this moment, every time she thought of her foolishness in each scene, she couldn't help but want to slap herself.
The two barons withdrew their troops, the siege of Donic was lifted, and they didn't even fight a single battle or lose a single man. Everything turned out perfectly, but why do I feel so sad?
Perhaps they just don't want to admit they were wrong.
She turned to look at Baron Andrew, the only baron who still steadfastly supported her. She smiled sadly and bowed to the baron.
"I'm sorry for what happened earlier. I lost my composure."
The baron hurriedly returned the greeting, "You were right to reprimand me just now; I was indeed somewhat passive during this march."
Serena shook her head. "What do we do now?"
Yes, they failed to snipe the reinforcements, and the enemy withdrew. They are now stuck here, feeling extremely awkward and foolish.
"Should we pursue those troops?" Serena asked cautiously.
“Miss, I understand how you feel right now, anxious to do something to prove yourself. But I really don’t recommend exposing ourselves at this moment. It will only make the other side realize more quickly that Yun Zhe’s group is bluffing. What we can do now is retreat to the border and meet up with Yun Zhe and the others.”
Serena did want to do something, but she knew her advice might not be right. She suppressed her thoughts and nodded.
"Then let's go back to the border and wait for Yun Zhe to retreat."
"Aren't we going to Donic?" Newrent asked, surprised to hear their conversation. "If we go back to Donic now, we can take control of the situation."
“Indeed, now that the road is clear, isn’t this the best opportunity to return to Donic?” Luke chimed in.
Andrew looked at Serena. He was curious about the Earl's choice. Regardless of whether Yun Zhe's side could hold out, they could take the opportunity to station troops in Donic. Donic and Pas would support each other, so even if they attacked them or regrouped to attack Donic, they would have already lost the initiative. Moreover, attacking Pas would put them in a predicament of being attacked from both sides.
“What’s the worst that could happen if we don’t go to rescue Yun Zhe?” Serena asked Andrew.
Andrew looked at the other two. He didn't want to answer the question; the answer was too obvious and seemed like a bait-and-switch tactic.
The other two weren't fools either; they looked at each other without saying a word.
"We will lose the morale of our troops. Everyone will say that I deliberately put an Aruruman to death because I didn't want to admit my mistakes. If one of you were over there right now, what would you hope for, and what would you think of my decision? If I really choose not to go to the rescue, would you still be willing to follow a lord like me?"
The three exchanged glances. Newrent and Luke did indeed have their own selfish motives and were reluctant to return to help Yun Zhe, while Andrew felt he had missed an excellent opportunity. Moreover, having made this round trip without actually accomplishing anything, he would feel incredibly embarrassed when discussing it later.
But the Earl is also right; any one of them would want to be saved. If they actually went to Donic, thinking about it carefully, they would indeed start to worry about their future.
“Go back. I’m not a petty person. I’ve lost one opportunity, and I won’t lose it a second time.” Serena smoothed her hair, her eyes unusually firm, and turned to look at Xixi. “Xixi, contact Yun Zhe and tell him we’ll be waiting for him at the border.”
Yun Zhe returned to the camp very late. Gao was already in a panic. He had good reason to believe that Yun Zhe had abandoned them, because if he were in Yun Zhe's position, he would have made the same choice naturally.
What's worse is that the soldiers, who don't know who started the rumor, also began to believe that Yun Zhe had abandoned them.
But Yun Zhe didn't. He returned to the camp covered in mud, and as soon as he came back, he saw that almost everyone was looking at him.
Yun Zhe was taken aback and began to check his clothes. Apart from being a little dirty, there seemed to be nothing wrong with them.
"Everyone's waiting for you to come back so we can eat together..." Gao scratched his head and said. Actually, he didn't finish his sentence. The reason everyone was waiting without eating wasn't because their feelings for Yun Zhe had reached a certain level, but because they were all waiting to see if Yun Zhe would return. It wasn't that they didn't want to eat, but rather that they had no appetite without seeing Yun Zhe.
They were already discussing how they would escape if Yun Zhe ran away.
But when Yun Zhe returned, everyone immediately felt relieved. Unconsciously, they had already reached a consensus: Yun Zhe could lead them away safely. They just hadn't realized it yet.
Yun Zhe was naturally aware of their ulterior motives. He had never considered running away on his own. However, their ideas gave him a new direction at this moment.
Yun Zhe chuckled softly, it was unclear whether he was laughing at them or at himself. He waved his hand, "Everyone, start eating! I'm hungry too. Sorry to keep you all waiting. Hurry up and eat, or people will get suspicious." With that, he joined the crowd, tore off a lamb rib, and began to eat heartily. Yun Zhe's actions completely put everyone at ease, and their spirits instantly lifted. Everyone relaxed, drinking and eating heartily, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
"Everyone, eat quickly. After you finish eating, I have something to tell you."
"Let's eat and talk!" someone shouted.
"That's right, adults, just say what you're thinking, and we'll definitely do it," another voice rang out. Many others echoed in agreement.
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