As he spoke, he also attacked Qi Nuan, and Ji Jin, seeing that the two of them were attacking Qi Nuan, went to Qi Nuan's side.
Seeing the opportunity, Lou Wan gave his subordinates a wink.
The subordinates understood, and the two took the opportunity to escape from the attackers' range.
Looking at Qi Nuan and Ji Jin, Lou Wan said, "I'll remember you two little kids. See you another day."
He then withdrew from the battlefield with his subordinates, shouting, "Sound the retreat!"
Within a quarter of an hour, the enemy troops had retreated.
The two armies were clearly divided between Chu and Han.
Both sides suffered heavy losses, and the scene was silent except for the panting of warhorses and soldiers.
Qi Nuan said to Lou Wan, "We are determined to take Hedong. I think the general is not an incompetent person and knows the situation of the world. Since the governor of Hedong is not a good ruler, why don't you choose a better tree to settle down with as soon as possible?"
"When two armies clash, each fights for its own master. If you think you can make me lay down my red spear with just words, then you are underestimating me. Not just anyone can make me pledge allegiance to someone else."
Blood kept flowing from Lou Wan's arm, but he seemed oblivious to the pain.
Seeing Qi Nuan's eyes flicker slightly, he asked, "What is a good master? Does it mean making a young girl like you the vanguard?"
Qi Nuan did not answer, but instead said, "In the affairs of the world, those who are capable should take charge. Why should the general care about other things?"
The two locked eyes, neither willing to yield.
"If the capable should hold the position, who would willingly submit to someone else?"
Qi Nuan understood the unspoken meaning in his words; he was unwilling to be subordinate to Bai Jiao.
"Then let's rely on our own abilities and see who is superior and who is inferior."
Lou Wan laughed, "That makes perfect sense."
He looked at Qi Nuan and said, "You're very good. Let's fight again another day."
After saying that, he shouted to his soldiers, "Return to the city!"
Qi Nuan watched them enter the city and closed the city gates before ordering the soldiers to carry the fallen soldiers back.
After burying the soldiers' bodies, Qi Nuan glanced around at the soldiers present, each with a somewhat somber expression on their face.
If they win today, someone will collect the bodies of their fallen soldiers; if they lose, their bodies will be left to rot in the wilderness.
In chaotic times, all one desires is for someone to collect one's body after death.
For this reason alone, they were willing to risk their lives for Qi Nuan. Moreover, everyone knew that Qi Nuan's army provided the highest compensation to the families of fallen soldiers among all armies.
After burying all the dead soldiers, they returned to their tents.
Inside the tent, Qi Nuan was bandaging Ji Jin's wounds. Qi Nuan was unharmed, but Ji Jin had been stabbed in the shoulder by Lou Wan.
Yan Gong walked in and reported the losses in the army.
The Ministry of War suffered a loss of 2,342 men.
The cavalry suffered 165 casualties.
Forty-seven archers were killed.
One hundred and twenty warhorses.
After Qi Nuan finished bandaging Ji Jin's wounds and washed her hands, she said, "The number of losses was within expectations. The enemy's casualties should be more than twice that of us."
Yan Gong nodded with a smile, "The enemy probably lost more than 6,000 people, and the crossbowmen deserve a lot of credit for that."
If it weren't for the ballistae, they would have lost far more than just a few people.
The enemy archers alone would cause them to lose a lot of men.
The enemy only had Lou Wan as a capable general, and now Lou Wan is injured and will not be able to fight for a while. This battle can be considered a great victory for them.
The two then discussed some other matters.
They stepped out of the tent. Inside the camp, the soldiers' morale was low. The medics were bandaging the wounds of the injured soldiers. Although they had won, the cruelty of war would not disappear with victory.
After all, the person who was sleeping next to you yesterday has disappeared today; everyone needs time to catch their breath.
Qi Nuan surveyed the camp before addressing the soldiers loudly: "We'll have extra meat tonight. You can all eat to your heart's content. After you've eaten and drunk your fill, get some rest. Remember the enemy leaders we killed today, and we'll reward you accordingly when we get back."
"Thank you, General."
The other soldiers all stood up and shouted in unison to Qi Nuan.
Qi Nuan raised her hand, gesturing for the soldier to sit down.
"This is all you deserve, it's what you earned through your battles. Only by living can we gain more: food, wealth, and land. So we must survive every war, and live to see our families with honor."
She glanced at all the soldiers and shouted, "Tell me, can you stay alive forever?"
"Yes, we can do it."
"Alive..."
"Alive..."
...
Looking at the calm girl in front of him, Yan Gong's smile deepened. She could handle any situation with ease and became more and more composed.
Ji Jin and Wang Conglin, standing to the side, had somewhat complicated expressions in their eyes.
However, the complexity of the two is different.
Wang Conglin was amazed by Qi Nuan's performance. No matter when he saw Qi Nuan, she was always so calm and handled things with ease. She was not like a child at all and was much better than the children of the Wang family.
I really don't know who taught them.
If such talent can be found in such a small county as Wutu, then how many brilliant minds are there in the world?
Is there still a place for the royal family in the world?
Ji Jin watched from the sidelines, knowing that Qi Nuan was gradually transforming. She was becoming more and more calm and adept at using people's hearts.
I'm not as hesitant as before.
Qi Nuan was completely unaware of their thoughts. Only after rewarding the soldiers did she feel a bit tired.
The continuous marching, fighting the enemy, and handling military affairs had taken a heavy toll on her energy.
Seeing the weariness on her face.
Ji Jin said, "You won't need to fight on the battlefield anymore; I'll help you."
Qi Nuan naturally appreciated his kindness, but...
If a general can only hide in the rear, how can he be called a general? Only those who lead from the front are qualified to be generals.
"There are no generals who are afraid of death, only generals who lead the way."
"But your body..."
Qi Nuan said, "It's nothing, I'm all better now."
Yan Gong listened from the side without interrupting their conversation. Qi Nuan was a sensible person, and she didn't need him to say anything more.
As for Ji Jin, needless to say, he may appear dull-witted, but he is more insightful than anyone else.
He is a child who understands life very well.
Of course, I know that some things can never be forced.
As expected, seeing that he couldn't change Qi Nuan's mind, Ji Jin stopped talking.
The group walked to the entrance of Qi Nuan's tent.
Qi Nuan then realized something and said to Yan Gong, who was about to leave, "Yan Gong, after observing today's events, Lou Wanke is a shrewd strategist."
Yan Gong turned around, looked at her as if she already knew everything, and said with a smile, "But, now is not a good time."
Seeing that Yan Gong looked confident and composed, Qi Nuan knew that he had long been prepared to turn Lou Wan against him, so she said no more.
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