New and dark light years

Chapter 315 The Only Army to Return

As dawn broke, the group, standing on high ground, could see that the 'darkness' that had been chasing them was actually a terrifying sea of ​​insects.

A black sea of ​​insects.

They gathered together, and from a distance, they appeared as black mist.

As far as the eye could see, it stretched almost endlessly to the horizon.

Driven by the sea of ​​fire, the swarm of insects kept retreating.

Even from a great distance, one could hear the screams of agony from the insect swarm as it was burned by the fire.

It was a sharp, mournful cry, an indescribable sound, but just listening to it made one feel physically and mentally uncomfortable.

This area is surrounded by pine forests, which are flammable.

The wind was blowing from west to east, and the fire grew larger and wider.

The black mist formed by the insects was pushed backward by the fire and gradually disappeared into the distance.

All that remained beneath their feet was a vast sea of ​​fire, spreading eastward.

Although the wind was tailwind, the heatwave still swept over the mountaintop, and the pine forest at the foot of the mountain was still burning, making people sweat profusely.

Mu Yi wiped the sweat from his forehead and breathed a sigh of relief: "The strange thing is finally gone."

He then asked, "Has anyone seen... Supervisor Qu and his subordinates?"

The crowd shook their heads.

A soldier squeezed through the crowd and said, "I saw Supervisor Qu escape from the rear."

"They escaped?" Mu Yi's eyes widened.

“Yes!” the soldier said. “About two hours ago, when we were fleeing for our lives, I was almost the last one to fall behind. Then I saw Commander Qu leading his personal guards and running in another direction. Many people followed him.”

Mu Yi said in disbelief, "He actually ran away secretly?"

However, everyone else thought it was quite normal.

Those who cover the rear... it is almost impossible for them to complete the task unless they are personal guards or suicide soldiers.

Mu Yi clicked his tongue, then laughed and said, "Li Dujian, look, the scapegoat... has appeared."

Li Lin smiled.

Now that the thing chasing them was gone, and judging from the speed at which the fire was spreading, it was estimated that it would burn to a very far place, everyone relaxed.

Mu Yi said, "Let's take a headcount and see how many people we have left."

The instructions were quickly relayed.

Although the fire was raging below and it was quite hot above, no one paid any attention.

Many people even lay down on the ground to sleep.

The lower-level military officers didn't care, because they were also exhausted. They had been running all night and were now suddenly relaxed, feeling both hungry and tired.

"Take turns resting, and the cooks will start preparing some simple meals immediately," Xiao Chunzhu shouted.

He now knows very well how to manage an army.

Soon, the grassroots military officers arranged their shifts.

Li Lin sat cross-legged with his eyes closed to rest. Not long after, he heard someone calling him.

It turned out that the cooks had already prepared the food and were calling him.

Li Lin looked at Mu Yi beside him, who was already eating a flatbread.

Li Lin also picked up a simply made flatbread and started eating.

While eating the pancake, Mu Yi looked around and said with some surprise, "The food in your army is pretty good."

Li Lin smiled and said, "They risk their lives for me. If they can't even get enough to eat, that would be too tragic."

"That's not necessarily true." Mu Yi gave Li Lin a deep look.

At this moment, a soldier came to report: "Commander-in-Chief Mu, the western and northern troops at the front have turned back and have not been attacked."

Mu Yi took a bite of the biscuit and laughed, "They're pretty fast."

Li Lin felt quite helpless.

This battle was truly...speechless.

The front lines inexplicably lost contact, and there was no news of the main force of the central army; no fighting had even begun.

Moreover, within Jin County, the fighting was almost entirely fragmented, with many soldiers fleeing. The main army on the eastern route, which was supposed to cover the rear, inexplicably ran away.

The troops on the western and northern fronts were running wildly ahead, completely ignoring what was happening behind them.

Soon, the two supervisors from the west and north reached the top of the mountain.

They looked at the vast sea of ​​fire to the east... and their scalps tingled with fear.

But then both of them bowed to Mu Yi.

"Commander-in-Chief, we've arrived."

Mu Yi looked at them with a half-smile: "You two march quite fast."

"Your humble servant is wholeheartedly dedicated to clearing the way for Director Mu and eliminating any dangers ahead, and dares not relax," Zhang Qi, the military commander of the western route, said earnestly.

Guo Yuan, the Northern Route Commander standing beside him, also smiled and said, "This humble official is also working hard to open up the road ahead for Commander Mu."

Mu Yi looked at the two of them, then shook his head helplessly: "Alright... I'll turn a blind eye since you're back. But the commander of the Eastern Route Army is nowhere to be found. You understand how to write the battle reports afterward, right?"

"As ordered!"

"understand!"

The two bowed and clasped their hands in greeting.

Those who could reach the position of Military Commander were not fools to any extent; they understood Mu Yi's meaning.

The three armies regrouped, rested for another hour, and then set off again.

This time, however, they walked slowly, after all... the fire behind them was still burning.

That sea of ​​insects is simply impossible to catch up to.

Four days later, the army finally returned to Jin County.

Li Lin stood on his horse at the gate of Jincheng, watching the flow of people coming and going, and sighed.

This battle was fought inexplicably.

At this point, the army returned to its previous camp and set up camp.

Mu Yi also stood beside him, riding a fine horse.

The crowd ahead, seeing the two military officers preparing to enter the city, wisely made way for them.

As soon as Li Lin and Mu Yi entered the city, they saw a familiar face ahead.

He was a constable.

He cupped his hands and asked, "Is it Chief Commander Mu and Commander Li?"

The two nodded.

The other party said respectfully, "The prefect orders you to go see him immediately."

After exchanging a glance, the two spurred their horses toward the government office.

The two soon arrived at the courtroom.

Huang Yan sat solemnly in the courtroom, but his expression softened considerably upon seeing the two men.

"Greetings, Prefect!"

The two men bowed to each other simultaneously.

Huang Yan waved his hand: "No need for formalities. What exactly is the situation ahead? Why is there no news from the central army? The imperial edict from the Secretariat has even been thrown in my face."

Li Lin and Mu Yi exchanged a glance at the same time.

Finally, Mu Yi stepped forward and said, "Prefect, we don't know either. We went to meet up with General Yu, the Pacification Commissioner of the South, according to military orders. Then we encountered a surprise attack from the enemy. 100,000 Southern Barbarian troops appeared directly about five miles outside our camp, but we did not receive any news. The main force of the central army did not even light the beacon fire to inform us of the situation."

"You haven't had any contact with the army that is conquering the south in the central route either?"

Mu Yi shook his head.

Huang Yan couldn't help but gasp: "This is a huge problem, things are about to change."

Mu Yi couldn't help but ask, "Lord Prefect, what is the meaning of this?"

"Not only the main force in the central route, but also the left wing army has disappeared without a trace." Huang Yan subconsciously rubbed his forehead: "More than 300,000 troops, vanished without a sound. The court is in an uproar now, and you are the only army that can withdraw from the front line."

Li Lin and Mu Yi looked at each other in bewilderment.

(End of this chapter)