The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 208 Jinzhou Li Xiao? You deserve to die!

"Privy Councilor, be careful."

After a nearby guard had his neck torn apart by shrapnel from the explosion, Tayangu was immediately pinned down by the guards beside him.

"Privy Councilor, look, it's an iron nail?"

The guard picked up a nail from the ground and said in a shocked voice.

Tayanggu's eyes narrowed. He hadn't expected that the cause of such heavy losses to his army was these inconspicuous nails.

"Where did these nails come from?" Tayanggu roared angrily, lying on the ground.

It's truly baffling how ordinary nails and pieces of iron could possess such power.

If you can’t figure it out, just stop thinking about it.

After the initial panic subsided, Tayangu calmed himself down and pushed aside the guard beside him.

He stood up, drew his curved sword from his waist, and roared, "Everyone, don't panic!"

"Scatter immediately, the enemy is about to attack, hold your formation."

"Swordsmen and shieldmen, assemble, line up at the front..."

Although Tayangu suffered repeated defeats, he had accumulated a lot of experience over his many years of military campaigns.

They do have some skill, but not much, especially since they've encountered the most elite Jinzhou army this time.

Unless Tayangu possessed Han Xin's abilities, it would be difficult for him to accomplish the feat of fighting with his back to the river.

As dusk stained the sky like blood, twenty Tiger Lord cannons stood in a row atop the hill, their dark barrels spewing crimson flames, and the rising smoke coiling around the cannons like giant pythons.

The scorching hot projectiles tore through the air, leaving dark red trails in the sky as they rained down on the Wangting army's positions on the banks of the Sihun River.

Amidst the deafening roar, the flashes of light from the cannons illuminated the faces of the gunners in shifting shadows.

Their dark faces were covered in sweat, but they stared intently at the muzzle of the cannon, methodically loading gunpowder and pushing out iron bullets.

Behind the hills, an endless horde of iron cavalry surged like a tide.

At the forefront, the soldiers of Jinzhou Town, dressed in yellow, red, and white cotton armor, stood like an iron wall, their uniform spears making a crisp, light sound in the wind.

Among these elite garrison troops, many soldiers from the newly incorporated armies of Dongdu, Beihai, and Kuli were listening to the admonitions of their respective squad leaders.

Although they were also brave and skilled warriors, they were not adapted to the tactics of the Jinzhou army. In their first battle, their coordination would certainly be unfamiliar, so they would need the demonstration of the head of the household.

On their flanks, the Kuril cavalry presented a completely different picture—some wore tattered leather armor patched upon patched.

Even more extreme were those who were shirtless, their bronze chests crisscrossed with old and new scars, and who held scimitars seized from the royal army, the blades still stained with dark red blood.

Two cavalry forces surged across the grassland at the foot of the hills, raising dust that blotted out the sky.

The tricolor banners fluttered in the wind, like a raging sea.

On the hilltop, Li Xiao, dressed in full dark gold and black-edged cotton armor, held a telescope and gazed at the royal army by the river.

A day earlier, Li Xiao led his army to the north of Sihun River. After contacting Jiu Meng Anhe, he learned that a royal army was building a pontoon bridge downstream in preparation for crossing the river.

Li Xiao then decided to eliminate this army first.

When the strength of both sides is evenly matched, or even weaker than the other, it is necessary to adopt the tactic of attacking while the enemy is crossing the river.

However, if one's own forces are stronger, then one can wait until the other side has completely crossed the river before closing the door and beating them.

The royal army led by Tayanggu unknowingly stepped into the encirclement prepared by Li Xiao.

"The banner on the opposite side reads 'Northern Privy Councilor Shamur'?"

"Who is this person?"

Amidst the artillery barrage, Li Xiao gazed at a commander's flag on the riverbank and asked in a deep voice.

A general from the Eastern Capital Army beside him explained softly, "Shamur Tayanggu is a trusted minister of the false emperor, and his sister is even a royal concubine..."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiao suddenly understood.

So that's Tayanggu.

His crushing defeats at the hands of the Ghurid and Khwarazmian empires made him a laughingstock throughout the Western Liao Dynasty, further damaging Yelü Zhilugu's prestige and indirectly prompting Xiao Simo's rebellion.

However, Tayangu was not a complete fool. He learned a lot from his two defeats and grew considerably.

Historically, around the following year, the Kingdom of Ghurid and Khwarazm were at war again.

Yelü Zhilugu, forgetting past mistakes, was easily fooled by Khwarazm and sent Tayanggu to lead troops to attack the Gur Kingdom.

Tayangu learned from his previous experience and proceeded cautiously, ultimately achieving a great victory against the 50,000-strong army of the Kingdom of Gur with fewer troops.

Even Sultan Shihabudin of the Kingdom of Ghur was almost captured by Tayangu.

Finally, through the mediation of Osman, the Khan of the Western Karakhanid Khanate, Shihabudin promised to hand over elephants, horses, and other supplies, as well as a large ransom, and the Western Liao agreed to let him leave with one hundred personal guards.

In this battle, the Western Liao Dynasty achieved a great victory, but in Li Xiao's view, it was not a good thing, because the Western Liao army also suffered heavy losses in this battle.

Ultimately, this led to the rise of Khwarazm.

Now, Li Xiao plans to first severely damage the royal army, so that Yelü Zhilugu will be unable to attend to the war in the west.

Let the Ghur Kingdom and Khwarazm fight it out.

Without the intervention of the Western Liao, it will be difficult for these two countries to determine a winner in a short period of time. When they are both exhausted, it will be time for Li Xiao to reap the benefits.

After all, Muhammad and his son Jalal ad-Din were both exceptionally capable individuals, veritable heroes of their time. Let the Kingdom of Ghur bleed them dry first.

"Order the Shenji Battalion to cease fire."

"The First Division and the Kuli Army formed the central army, the Second Division formed the left wing, and the Third Division formed the right wing."

"Surround them from three sides and annihilate Wang Ting's army on the north bank of the Sihun River," Li Xiao commanded in a deep voice, setting down his telescope.

"As ordered."

The guards nodded emphatically, and then the horn sounded.

Based on the different frequencies and tones of the bugles, the Shenji Battalion quickly ceased firing its artillery shells.

Meanwhile, the main force behind them began to accelerate.

"Brothers, charge with me and wipe out those royal bastards!"

"If I kill one more person, I'll be a Jinzhou soldier."

"Kill them, don't let the garrison soldiers steal the heads."

"Kill people, exchange them for women."

After the war horns sounded, it was actually the Kuril army that was most excited and howling.

After the last war, three thousand Kuli soldiers became soldiers of Jinzhou Town, and their generous treatment made the remaining Kuli soldiers very envious.

Unfortunately, they weren't allowed to fight when the Eastern Capital was captured, thus losing the opportunity to steal kills.

This time, the fighting spirit of these Kuril soldiers has been completely ignited.

They wanted to use Wang Tingjun's heads to pave their own path to advancement.

"Boom boom boom~"

Before Wang Tingjun could even feel relieved after the artillery fire stopped, he suddenly heard a low rumbling sound coming from afar.

Tayanggu's expression changed drastically: "Damn it, they're here."

"Swordsmen and shieldmen, stand at the forefront."

"Everyone, prepare to fight."

Tayanggu roared loudly, trying his best to maintain order and arrange his troops.

However, the royal soldiers, who had just experienced a bombing, were still in a state of shock.

Soldiers were without generals, and generals were without soldiers; chaos reigned.

By the time Tayanggu had managed to organize a defensive formation, the Jinzhou army had already charged up to him.

"Boom boom boom~"

Leading the charge were more than a thousand soldiers in black armor.

The original number of Jinzhou Black Armor Army was around 1,500. During the Battle of Dongdu, Li Xiao incorporated part of Xiao Simo's Tiger Pounce Camp.

They also rescued a portion of the Hupu Camp soldiers from Wang Tingjun's hands.

Seventy percent of the Hupu Camp soldiers were recruited by Li Xiao.

The current number of Black Armor Army soldiers in Jinzhou has reached more than 2,200.

Li Xiao left 1,000 Black Armored Soldiers to guard the Eastern Capital for Li Dashan, so only 1,200 Black Armored Soldiers have been deployed so far.

Amidst a deafening roar, over a thousand soldiers in black armor pressed down like a moving steel wall.

Their heavy black iron armor gleamed with a cold, eerie light, and even their warhorses were covered in fish-scale-like iron armor. Only their eyes, gleaming with a chilling light, flashed with bloodthirsty killing intent through the gaps in the iron surface.

"Form ranks! Form ranks—"

Tayanggu's roar was drowned out by the deafening sound of horses' hooves.

The shield formation that Wang Tingjun had just cobbled together was no match for the Black Armor Army. The heavy cavalry at the front rank swung their maces and swept across, knocking down the entire row of wooden shields, men and horses alike.

Before the spray of blood could even land, the second rank of black-armored soldiers had already leaped up on their horses, their sharp sabers slashing down like lightning. The shield bearers' necks and wooden shields snapped at the same time, their heads rolling far away.

The Black Armor Army's charge was unstoppable, leaving behind only severed limbs and broken bodies in their wake.

A centurion of the royal army attempted to thrust his spear into the horse's belly, but was parried and thrown off by the black-armored soldiers using their long spears.

Immediately afterwards, another soldier in black armor charged out from the side, his warhorse moving at full speed, directly slamming him into the air, where he crashed heavily under the iron hooves and was instantly trampled into a bloody pulp.

Whether it was the original Black Armor Army or the Tiger Pounce Camp soldiers, they were all brave and skilled warriors, the absolute elite selected from tens of thousands of soldiers.

The act of killing the enemy was ingrained in their bones like an instinct. There were no fancy moves, only the repeated actions of swinging the knife, thrusting, and charging, yet they had already routed the vanguard of Wang Ting's army.

Meanwhile, the Kuli Army and the First Town Cavalry followed closely behind, reaping the lives of the Royal Army soldiers.

The second and third garrisons appeared on the flanks of the royal army, directly creating a three-way encirclement of the royal army on the riverbank.

Amidst the piercing sound of clashing swords, the three armies formed a wedge formation, like three sharp steel knives, plunging fiercely into the heart of the royal army.

They gradually pushed Wang Tingjun towards the riverbank.

"Stop them! Don't back down! Block them!"

Tayanggu, holding a curved sword, roared loudly.

Watching his army crumble in the steel torrent, fear overwhelmed his mind like a tidal wave.

This is no army of flesh and blood; it is clearly armored demons crawling out of hell.

However, the defeat of the royal court is now inevitable, and no matter how hard he tries, he cannot stop the army's rout.

"Your Majesty, King Otoshiki and his men are trying to escape!"

Suddenly hearing the shouts of his personal guards, Tayanggu quickly turned around and saw that King Yishisi and his three companions were running back with their guards, almost at the pontoon bridge.

"Those four damned bastards!" Tayangu cursed angrily.

During the previous war with the Kingdom of Ghur and the Kingdom of Khwarazm, some people were hindering their efforts.

It's like this again now.

These fools ruined Tatayanggu's illustrious reputation.

"Your Majesty, let's go too."

"The Northern Frontier Army has already attacked; if we don't leave now, it will be too late!" the guard shouted.

Tayangu surveyed the battlefield and discovered that the armored cavalry directly in front of him had already reached him, their target being his central banner.

Seeing the long, blood-red corridor behind the armored cavalry, Tayangu couldn't help but shudder.

"Let's go, get out of here quickly."

After saying that, Tayanggu turned his horse around and led a small number of his personal guards to flee to the south bank.

Fortunately, the pontoon bridge was too far from the artillery positions of the Jinzhou Army and was not destroyed.

However, too many soldiers fled, and the pontoon bridges were simply not enough.

Many people crowded in front of the pontoon bridge, completely blocking the road.

"Go away~"

"Get out of the way, all of you."

"The Privy Councilor is here, get out of the way immediately."

The guards roared, trying to clear a path for Tayangu, but by this point, who even knew who Tayangu was?

With no other option, Tayanggu's personal guards drew their scimitars, gripped their spears, and cleared a bloody path.

"Ahhhhh~"

"They killed people."

"The Northern Frontier Army wants to kill us, and you want to kill us too? This is outrageous!"

"We were just following the emperor's orders to fight for him, what did we do wrong? Why are we being treated like this?"

The soldiers screamed in agony, and many were pushed into the river.

The waters of the lower reaches of the Sihun River had already reached above our heads.

Of these nomadic soldiers, only a very small number could swim; most of the soldiers who fell into the river thrashed about for a few moments before sinking.

This scene terrified the soldiers on the shore even more.

There were too many people on the pontoon bridge; it was impossible to squeeze across, and jumping into the river would mean certain death.

Despair began to creep into the hearts of these soldiers. But fortunately, at that moment, the shouts of the Jinzhou army came from afar: "Lay down your weapons, those who raise their hands will not be killed."

"Those who lay down their weapons and raise their hands will not be killed."

Li Xiao arranged for his soldiers to shout this phrase repeatedly in Khitan, Turkic, and Uyghur languages.

The purpose was to break the soldiers' last resolve to resist.

After all, these soldiers were the elite of the six Khitan tribes and the Pishi Army; they only suffered from being ambushed.

If it were a direct battle on the battlefield, even the Kuril army would probably only be able to fight them to a draw.

Li Xiao was also worried that these soldiers, driven by despair, might actually launch a desperate last stand.

Even if they cannot turn the tide of battle, they can still inflict more casualties on the Jinzhou army.

Therefore, Li Xiao ultimately decided to focus on recruiting these soldiers to surrender.

They were all elite Khitan soldiers, valuable individuals.

Sure enough, upon hearing the Jinzhou army's call, many soldiers instantly relaxed and their resolve gradually wavered.

With a muffled thud, the first soldier threw down his spear, and more and more men began to lay down their weapons.

In this battle, the Jinzhou army won a great victory.

The setting sun, like blood, dyed the Sihun River into a boiling soup of blood. Broken armor and swollen corpses floated on the river, and weapons drifted with the current, gleaming eerily in the twilight.

On the riverbank, tens of thousands of prisoners of the royal army moved dejectedly. Their weapons had been confiscated, their tattered armor was covered in mud and blood, and many of them had simple bandages wrapped around their bodies, the bloodstains of which had seeped out and congealed into dark purple scabs in the twilight.

Suppressed sobs and sighs could be heard from time to time from the ranks of prisoners, and fear spread among the crowd like a plague.

Recalling the horrific scene of his comrades being slaughtered on the battlefield, his heart was filled with worry about his future fate.

Li Xiao stood by the river, riding a tall horse, the setting sun casting a dark red glow on his armor.

The long black tassel on its head swayed gently in the wind.

He gazed at the ruins of the Wangting army's camp on the opposite bank. He could still vaguely see traces of the Wangting army's encampment there, but now it was filled with desolation and ruin.

"Grand Commander, the count of prisoners of war has been completed, totaling 12,300," Zhang Xinghua said, riding forward breathlessly.

He continued to work as a logistics officer, and his most important tasks were to count prisoners of war and captured prisoners, and to tally battle achievements and losses.

In this battle, only a small number of soldiers crossed the pontoon bridge and escaped back to the south bank of the Sihun River. Most of the soldiers could not swim and had no choice but to lay down their weapons and surrender.

The Jinzhou army achieved considerable success.

"The warhorses and weapons of all 12,000 people were confiscated and they were temporarily imprisoned on the north bank of the Sihun River."

"After defeating the main force of the royal army, we will incorporate them into the Kuli army along with the other prisoners of war," Li Xiao said in a low voice, gazing at the waves of the Sihun River.

Over the years, the Jinzhou Army has captured too many prisoners of war and has long established a relatively complete management system.

First, imprison them, then incorporate them into the Kuli army, and lead them north to fight the Kangli coalition.

Li Xiao wouldn't feel sorry if someone died in battle. He would be even happier if a group of brave and skilled warriors could emerge and then bring them into the three towns of Jinzhou.

Town soldiers, Kuril soldiers, and slaves who were only fit to work.

These are the three social classes in Jinzhou today.

Within these three classes, there are also hierarchical divisions.

The veterans of Jinzhou held a higher status than the soldiers of the Eastern Capital Army and the Northern Navy. The Naiman soldiers who were captured first were of higher status than the Kereit soldiers, as were the captured royal soldiers before them.

So-called equality of status is nothing short of poison in this era.

People are not born equal, and Li Xiao cannot give everyone fairness.

Everything he did, though it may have sacrificed the interests and even lives of some people, was merely a necessary means to maintain Jinzhou's rule and make the Jinzhou regime stronger.

Night quietly descended upon the horizon, and the last rays of the crimson sunset vanished from the sky.

The river, carrying pieces of wood and broken arrows, lapped against the pebbles on the bank, making a mournful sound.

Li Xiao turned around, preparing to return to camp, and said in a deep voice, "Rest for one night, and tomorrow morning, the army will cross the river and annihilate the royal army upstream."

Li Xiao's voice was deep and firm, echoing in the deepening twilight.

The waves of the Sihun River continue to relentlessly wash away the bloodshed and cries of agony on the banks, while the pontoon bridge built by Wang Tingjun remains steadfast in the night.

For some unknown reason, Tayanggu forgot to have the pontoon bridge burned down when he was fleeing.

Perhaps he was worried that by cutting off the hope of the soldiers behind him, he would be shot to death by the desperate soldiers.

……

The upper reaches of the Sihun River, the Wang Tingjun camp.

Twelve imperial banners fluttered gently in the evening breeze. Inside the tent, Yelü Zhilugu's face was grave, filled with anger.

Looking angrily at the generals and officers of the royal army in the tent, he asked, "Are you sure it's reinforcements from the Eastern Capital?"

A general from the Pishi Army slowly stood up. A white bandage was wrapped around his chest, and blood was still seeping out.

"Your Majesty, it is confirmed that they are reinforcements from the Eastern Capital."

"Because we found some soldiers in the enemy army wearing white armor, which are exactly the same as the army in Jinzhou during the last rebellion in the northern frontier."

The general of Pishi Army said with an affirmative look, his face contorted with rage, not from anger but from the pain of his wounds.

Today, it is his troops who are leading the charge against the Seven Rivers Army on the north bank.

Ideally, the Seven Rivers Army could be defeated in one fell swoop. Even if it fails, it would still relieve pressure on the Tayanggu Army downstream, preventing the Seven Rivers Army on the opposite bank from diverting troops to intercept Tayanggu.

But what he never expected was that just as his troops had set foot on the north bank and were relentlessly pursuing the Seven Rivers Army,

A fully armed army suddenly attacked, but ultimately failed, and he himself was also shot in the chest by an arrow.

Fortunately, he was protected by his armor; otherwise, he would have had to lie down to meet Yelü Zhilugu.

But those arrows were indeed extremely sharp; armor that ordinary arrows could hardly penetrate was like paper to them, easily pierced with a single thrust.

This greatly shocked these royal generals.

"The army of Jinzhou? Li Xiao?"

"Damn it, how did the Jinzhou army get here?"

"How many people came?"

Yelü Zhilugu will never forget that it was that scoundrel Li Xiao who breached Husiwoerdu.

"This? This subordinate is still investigating."

However, after arriving at Qihe, Li Xiao only dispatched a small portion of the Jinzhou army and three thousand desert troops to support Jiu Meng Anhe.

He himself led the main force of the Jinzhou army to encircle and annihilate Tayanggu's army.

Therefore, although the army on the north bank of the Sihun River has been strengthened, its numbers are still far fewer than those of the royal army.

"Where is Zhixin? What about his 20,000 troops?" Yelü Zhilugu thought of the army far away in the Eastern Capital.

With internal strife in the Eastern Capital and Yelü Zhixin's 20,000-strong army keeping them occupied, there was no way the Eastern Capital's army could reinforce Qihe.

But now, the Golden State Army has actually appeared.

Yelü Zhilugu immediately had a bad feeling.

"How long has it been since we heard from Zhixin?"

"Go, immediately send someone to make contact. I must know the situation of the Mind Control Army."

Yelü Zhilugu spoke sternly, pacing back and forth in the tent, his mind in turmoil.

Although he had many sons, Yelü Zhixin was indeed the most outstanding one.

The original plan was to let him accumulate military merits, enhance his prestige, and prepare for his future succession.

But I didn't expect this~
Despite his reluctance to believe it, Yelü Zhilugu understood that Yelü Zhixin's 20,000-strong army had likely met with misfortune.

Thinking of all this, Yelü Zhilugu felt a twitch in his forehead and his heart burned with anger. He shouted in a deep voice, "Send the order: tomorrow morning, continue to attack the north bank and keep the reinforcements from the Eastern Capital tied up here."

"Yes, sir!" the generals replied in a deep voice.

Yelü Zhilugu still placed his hopes on Tayanggu.

He wanted to hold back the Qihe Army and the Dongdu reinforcements, creating a favorable opportunity for Tayanggu to break through from the downstream.

As night fell, Yelü Zhilugulian lost all interest in having his concubines attend to him in bed and lay alone.

Unable to sleep for a long time because of his worry for Yelü Zhixin, he kept repeating the same sentence: "Damn traitors, if you dare to harm my son, I will execute your whole family when I conquer the Eastern Capital."

Just as Yelü Zhilugu finally fell asleep, not long after, the voices of his personal guards suddenly rang out outside.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty~"

Yelü Zhilugu groggily opened his eyes, his anger rising within him. He asked in a furious tone, "What is it?"

But he also understood that since the guards dared to wake him up in the middle of the night, something important must have happened.

Sure enough, the voice of a guard rang out from outside the tent: "General Tayanggu has returned."

Upon hearing this, Yelü Zhilugu instantly sobered up and abruptly sat up in bed: "What?"

"Quick, let him in."

At this time, Tayanggu should be in the lower reaches of the Sihun River. If it were moving faster, it could have reached the north bank of the Sihun River.

But now, Tayanggu has abandoned his army and come to the camp in the dead of night; something big must have happened.

Sure enough, a moment later, Tayanggu arrived at the tent looking disheveled and covered in blood.

He collapsed to the ground, weeping bitterly, and said, "Your Majesty, I am so sorry."

Seeing his appearance, Yelü Zhilugu, wrapped in a sheepskin blanket, hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "What happened?"

"Your Majesty, after our army crossed the Sihun River, we were ambushed by the Jinzhou army."

"The Jinzhou army used a terrifying weapon that shattered our formation without us even seeing a single soldier!"

"In the end, our army was almost completely wiped out!" Tayanggu said, weeping bitterly.

Upon hearing this, Yelü Zhilugu's eyes widened instantly, his expression one of astonishment and disbelief.

"what?"

"completely annihilated?"

"The Jinzhou Army again? Are you sure?"

Yelü Zhilugu immediately thought of the report from the Pishi army general.

The reason today's attack failed was because of the reinforcements from the Jinzhou army.

Now that he had heard the name of the Jinzhou Army again, Yelü Zhilugu was immediately furious.

"Your Majesty, it must be the Jinzhou army."

"That special armor and the flags with sun and moon totems are worn by no other army in the world except the Jinzhou Army."

Tayanggu said with certainty.

Hearing this, Yelü Zhilugu's eyes turned bloodshot, and he kicked Tayanggu in the head.

"You think your entire army could be wiped out by the mere Jinzhou Army?"

"Tayanggu, how did you fight this battle?"

"I have placed such importance on you and entrusted you with such a crucial task. Is this how you repay me?"

"Useless, utterly useless."

Yelü Zhilugu kept kicking Tayanggu, panting heavily, but he couldn't vent his anger at all; instead, he became even angrier.

He knew things were serious.

The ability to annihilate Tayanggu's army in one battle means that the number of reinforcements from Dongdu is at least 20,000.

The addition of this force instantly changed the balance of power on the Sihun River battlefield.

This also means that the Eastern Capital Army has already dealt with Yelü Zhixin's 20,000 troops; otherwise, it would have been impossible to send so many reinforcements to Qihe.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please kill me."

"Your humble servant has no face to live on."

Tayanggu clutched his head and cried out in pain, enduring Yelü Zhilugu's vicious kicks.

But that was just talk; he knew Yelü Zhilugu too well.

If they really wanted to kill him, they wouldn't have said a word; they would have just had him dragged away.

The fact that he can still fight means that Tayanggu has survived.

Sure enough, after kicking and hitting for a long time, Yelü Zhilugu finally got tired and sat down on the ground, panting heavily.

Thinking of how the once promising situation had been ruined, and recalling the mention of the Jinzhou Army by the Pishi Army generals and Tayang Gudu.

Yelü Zhilugu gritted his teeth and said resentfully, "Jinzhou Army? Li Xiao?"

"You deserve to die!"

"You are the one who breached Husi Ordos, and you are also the one who caused my great northern expedition to fail."

"One day, I will definitely tear you to pieces!"

After venting his anger for a while and smashing the inside of the tent to pieces, Yelü Zhilugu said with a dejected look, "Send the order that the army break camp first thing tomorrow morning."

"Get out!"

(End of this chapter)