Please call me Your Majesty!

Chapter 295 The Reasons for Retreating
Upon witnessing this scene, Bawutu flew into a rage and cursed, "Damn southern barbarians, don't they know what it means to be upright and honorable..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Batu suddenly froze. His eyes widened abruptly, and his lips trembled slightly, as if he had suddenly thought of something terrible.

The golden cauldron on the distant city wall was still steaming, a scene that perfectly overlapped with a certain image from my memory.

In my mind, a word formed by light seemed to appear: golden juice.

The mysterious note, the messy handwriting, and the tragic scene on the city wall—all the clues suddenly connected into a clear line.

He finally understood what the person hiding in Xueyuan Pass meant by sending him this message.

Bautu's back was instantly soaked with cold sweat, and the sticky sensation sent chills down his spine.

Clearly, those guys at Xueyuan Pass planned to do the same thing again, setting them on fire with the golden liquid.

He instinctively wanted to order a retreat. His right hand was already raised halfway in the air, his lips trembling as he prepared to shout the order to retreat.

But the words were on the tip of his tongue, and he swallowed them back down.

Does he really want to withdraw his troops now?

Retreating was not difficult; the difficulty lay in explaining the situation to Tuoba Lie afterward.

Bautu's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, as if he could already taste the bloody flavor of the iron whip lashing his back during court-martial.

He could even imagine how furious the newly appointed commander-in-chief would be.

Moreover, the current offensive momentum is good, and if the offensive continues, it is not impossible to achieve some success.

Bawutu's gaze swept across the city wall, where the Northern Di warriors had already occupied several crenellations, and the defending troops were retreating steadily under their attacks.

Soldiers were still climbing the ladder in droves, their shouts of battle deafening.

Maybe we can take Xueyuan Pass before these southern barbarians splash their golden juice?

This thought made Bautu's heart race, and his hand gripping the reins tightened unconsciously.

However, this thought only flashed through Bautu's mind.

He immediately abandoned the idea. He noticed that although the defenders on the city wall seemed flustered, their retreat route was surprisingly orderly.

If Xueyuan Pass were really that easy to conquer, Murong Dayu wouldn't have lost his position because of it.

A jumble of thoughts flashed through Bautu's mind, and he quickly made a decision.

He took a deep breath, his chest filled with the smell of gunpowder and blood, which made him more acutely aware of the crisis before him.

"Sound the retreat!" Despite some hesitation, he decided not to take the risk.

His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping, yet it carried an undeniable resolve. The messenger beside him visibly hesitated for a moment, but upon meeting Bautu's sharp gaze, he immediately spurred his horse to relay the military order.

A sharp, rapid metallic sound rang out, quickly reaching the ears of all the attacking Northern Di cavalry.

The soldiers who were climbing the ladder paused, some looking up reluctantly at the crenellations of the city wall so close at hand, but military orders were absolute and no one dared to disobey.

They began their retreat in an orderly fashion, with archers unleashing a hail of arrows at the city walls to cover the main force's withdrawal.

The Northern Di cavalry on the city wall, who were expanding their gains, also decisively abandoned their newly established advantage and began to shrink their lines, sliding down the siege ladders.

At this moment, Zhao Wenguang's unwilling roar rang out: "These guys are trying to escape! Soldiers, kill them! Don't let them get away!"

His voice became shrill with excitement, and his sword slammed into the crenellations of the city wall, sending sparks flying.

The defenders on the city wall and the Ice Wolf Riders launched a fierce attack at the same time, slaughtering the Northern Di Iron Cavalry, whose numbers were dwindling due to the retreat.

Huo Qinghuang's silver spear transformed into a bolt of lightning, instantly piercing the throats of three retreating Northern Di warriors. The Ice Wolf Riders, like wolves smelling blood, ferociously pounced on the straggling enemies.

"Damn it!" In the Northern Di camp, Tuoba Lie roared like a wounded lion upon seeing Ba Wutu withdraw his troops.

He slammed the bronze wine vessel in his hand to the ground, splashing the wine onto the armor of the surrounding generals and giving off a strong smell of mare's milk.

"Who told him to retreat? Without my command, he dared to cower in fear of the enemy! I will cut off his head!" Tuoba Lie, a golden sword inlaid with jewels at his waist...

He swayed with each heavy breathing. The veins on his forehead bulged, like writhing earthworms crawling under his skin.

The surrounding commanders exchanged glances, all seeing shock in each other's eyes. Several senior officers unconsciously took a half-step back, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire of their commander's wrath. The air in the tent seemed to freeze for a moment.

How come I never noticed before that this Bautu is a ruthless person?

The commander, whose face bore scars, secretly swallowed.

You dared to retreat without being told to?

Even they wouldn't dare do such a thing, would they? Several generals exchanged glances, some already considering whether to sever ties with Bautu. The restless neighing of warhorses came from outside the tent, seemingly sensing the oppressive atmosphere.

Just as they were puzzled, something suddenly happened on the walls of Xueyuan Pass. The soldiers on the watchtower suddenly cried out in surprise, and everyone turned to look at the majestic pass.

Pot after pot of molten gold was poured down from the city wall, the viscous liquid stretching into golden threads in the air, shimmering eerily in the twilight. A pungent stench carried far and wide in an instant.

After the molten gold was poured, torches were thrown out one by one. The burning torches traced arcs before landing on the molten gold.

In an instant, flames roared into the sky once more.

Orange-red flames shot into the air, instantly engulfing the open space beneath the city walls. Several Northern Di soldiers who couldn't retreat in time were turned into human torches, screaming as they ran through the sea of ​​fire.

A wave of heat swept over them, and even the generals in the central command tent felt the scorching temperature.

Upon witnessing this scene, all the generals paled, gasping in shock. Some unconsciously touched their throats, as if the scalding molten gold had been poured over them.

Several young commanders were pale-faced and their legs trembled slightly.

“This… if General Bawutu had retreated even a little slower, several thousand more Northern Barbarian warriors would have sacrificed themselves in vain, wouldn’t they?” “General Bawutu is amazing; he actually anticipated the Southern Barbarians’ plan.” Another commander couldn’t help but admire him; the wolf head decoration on his armor looked particularly ferocious in the firelight.

"General, General Bautu's retreat was excellent. It not only preserved our strength but also greatly dampened the enemy's morale."

Even Tuoba Lie was so shocked that he was speechless. His lips trembled slightly, and the jewels on his golden sword reflected the flickering firelight, casting ever-changing shadows on his face. The anger in his hawk-like eyes was gradually replaced by confusion, and finally transformed into a complex emotion.

Bautu's timing in retreating was absolutely brilliant. It was as if he had foreseen every move of the defending army, saving the entire force at the last minute.

He had barely stepped back when the molten gold poured over Xueyuan Pass was ignited. The fire spread with such speed and timing, it was as if the retreat route of the Northern Di army had been precisely calculated.

The two sides cooperated so well that it was as if they had planned it in advance.

If Tuoba Lie hadn't known Bawutu's background, he might have even suspected that they were colluding with the garrison.

Soon, Bautu, having retreated, returned to the central command tent. His armor was covered in soot, there was a noticeable crack in the armor on his right arm, and his boots made a dull thud as they stepped on the felt rug.

As soon as he entered, he knelt on one knee and honestly admitted his mistake: "This humble general has retreated without authorization. I beg the commander-in-chief to punish me."

His voice was hoarse yet firm, and beads of sweat slid down his forehead, forming a line at his chin. His lowered eyelids concealed the sharp glint in his eyes, with only his tightly pursed lips revealing a hint of tension.

Strictly speaking, Bautu did not make any mistakes.

Although Tuoba Lie's order was for Ba Wutu to attack, as the commander-in-chief of the three armies, he did not interfere with the specific battle plan.

The situation faced by generals at the front is different from that at the rear. If everything is stipulated in detail, they will be constrained in battle, and how can they possibly win the war?
Most importantly, although they didn't win this battle, they at least demonstrated the spirit of their Northern Di cavalry.

This can be seen from the guards outside the tent.

Unlike his previous dejected state, there was now a hint of fighting spirit in his eyes.

"Get up," Tuoba Lie said calmly. His voice was like a dull knife scraping against bone, carrying suppressed emotions. The sheepskin map on the table was wrinkled from his fingers pressing down, and the ink was somewhat blurred.

Although Bautu's unauthorized withdrawal displeased him, he had at least managed to turn the tide and regain some face.

Ba Wutu, who had been secretly observing Tuoba Lie's expression, breathed a sigh of relief.

When he first withdrew his troops, he felt that he was in deep trouble and that Tuoba Lie might do something to punish him.

Bautu had even prepared his last words, intending to entrust them to his most trusted personal guards.

The soldiers on the city wall had barely retreated when the garrison at Xueyuan Pass began pouring molten gold and setting it ablaze. The flames that shot into the sky illuminated his path to survival.

The enemy's actions were almost as if they were proving how correct his decision to withdraw his troops was.

However, all of this was just his guess. Ba Wutu was not sure what Tuoba Lie would do.

Now he could finally relax completely. Bautu quietly moved his stiff knees and felt the blood starting to flow again.

Just as he stood up, he heard Tuoba Lie say, "However, I have a question, and I would like to ask General Bawutu to answer it for me."

How could Bautu dare to say no? He quickly and respectfully replied, "General, if you ask, this humble general will certainly not hide anything."

"How did you know that the southern barbarians at Xueyuan Pass were going to use fire again?" Tuoba Lie's question was like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath. His gaze was fixed on Bawutu's face, not missing a single change in expression.

All of this happened so coincidentally that Tuoba Lie would never be able to put his mind at ease until he found out the truth.

On his way back, Bautu had actually considered this question.

After all, not only Tuoba Lie, but even he himself felt that this matter was strange from the inside out. He subconsciously touched the inside of his breastplate, where the mysterious note had once been hidden, but now it was just cold.

The rough paper, the messy handwriting, and the bizarre way of passing the arrows—shooting an arrow at a general—it was like dancing on a knife's edge.

Logically, this information should have been provided to him by a spy from the Dark Night Cult stationed at Snow Abyss Pass.

This explanation, while seemingly reasonable, doesn't stand up to scrutiny. The Dark Cult always operates in secrecy; why would they resort to such a risky method?
After all, this was merely the outcome of a siege battle, not worth the risk of exposure for the spies within Xueyuan Pass to deliver a message to him.
If it wasn't a message passed on by a spy...

The thought of this possibility sent a chill down Bautu's spine. The autumn wind whistled through the gaps in his armor, making him shiver.

This thought was too terrifying, even more chilling than facing Tuoba Lie's wrath directly.

Therefore, after much deliberation, he decided to keep the note a secret.

Anyway, as long as he doesn't say anything, even if there are spies from the Dark Night Cult passing on information, he can pretend he doesn't know.

Conversely, if he revealed the information and it turned out to be unrelated to the Dark Night Cult, he would be in big trouble.

"Reporting to the commander, during the siege, to prevent the molten gold from falling into the hands of our Northern Di warriors, they did not hesitate to pour out the prepared molten gold in advance," Bawutu explained with a solemn expression.

His voice was deliberately lowered, carrying the hoarseness characteristic of a veteran general. His gaze remained fixed on Tuoba Lie's chest as he spoke, conveying both respect and a lack of timidity.

"It was this pot of golden broth that led me to discover the conspiracy of those despicable southern barbarians." His fist clenched unconsciously, his knuckles cracking slightly.

“The defenders of Xueyuan Pass are definitely not weak. Although they are not as strong as the warriors of my Northern Di, they are not so easily able to let us occupy the city walls.” Ba Wutu’s eyes sharpened, and his nostrils twitched slightly, as if he could smell the kerosene mixed in with the molten gold again.

"The places on the city wall that we captured were also quite strange. The soldiers stationed there were clearly more elite warriors than the ordinary garrison of Xueyuan Pass."

His fingertips gestured in the air, as if trying to recreate the situation on the battlefield with gestures.

Unfortunately, it seems that no one but himself can understand his gestures.

"All these signs point to one thing: this is all a conspiracy by the southern barbarians. Therefore, I, your humble servant, must make the decisive decision to retreat immediately."

He spoke those last words with absolute certainty, then knelt on one knee, placing his right hand on his chest in salute. The clanging of armor against armor rang out clearly in the quiet military tent.

"However, this is just my guess. But in order to prevent the warriors of the Northern Barbarians from sacrificing themselves in vain, I think it is worth taking a risk."

(End of this chapter)