The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 711 Triumph
The defeat was like a landslide, irreversible. At this point, even the gods were powerless to reverse it. Although Amahei was extremely unwilling, he could only prioritize saving his own life. Under the protection of his personal guards, he hurriedly fled westward.

Lu Xiangjin and Chu Sheng each led two hundred cavalrymen, chasing after the chaotic fleeing soldiers of Turpan and hacking them down as if they were cutting melons and vegetables. The already chaotic fleeing soldiers scattered even more desperately and could not organize any effective resistance.

Lu Xiangjin and Chu Sheng were also very cunning. They only focused on chasing down large groups of defeated soldiers. Once they scattered the fleeing soldiers, they stopped and continued to chase down the next group. They chased for hundreds of miles in one go until all the groups of defeated soldiers were scattered before they stopped to rest.

Meanwhile, under the protection of his personal guards, Amahei fled for his life, as hurried as a fish that had escaped the net and as frantic as a stray dog. He fled into the depths of the desert and gradually shook off his pursuers.

By this time, Amah and his personal guards had fled in disarray, exhausted and weary. Only when they saw that there were no pursuers behind them did they dare to stop and rest.

"Your Highness, have some water!" A guard handed over a water pouch.

Amah took the water bag and drank it all in one gulp. By then, the sun had already set, and the cold wind was howling as the desert stretched out before him. Looking at the few dozen or so personal guards scattered around him, Amah couldn't help but feel a surge of sorrow and let out a mournful howl to the heavens!

He recalled how confident and triumphant he had been, leading an army of ten thousand men on his march. But in just a few days, he had suffered a crushing defeat, his entire army nearly wiped out. At this moment, Ahmahei was utterly disheartened and dejected, almost contemplating suicide to end it all.

"Your Highness, victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. As long as we survive, we can always rebuild," a guard advised.

Amah suddenly woke up and nodded, saying, "That's right. As long as we're alive, we can always rebuild. After I return to my country, I will reorganize the army and fight Jia Huan to the death."

Amahei adjusted his mindset, identified the direction, and led dozens of his personal guards toward Liucheng. Along the way, they encountered some scattered and defeated soldiers, and gradually gathered several hundred men. At this point, Amahei regained some confidence.

However, Ahmahei soon received devastating news that shattered his newly regained confidence. Liucheng had been attacked, and all the supplies stored there had been burned. Not only Liucheng, but even Huozhou, located behind Liucheng, had been attacked, suffering similar losses of supplies!
"Jia—Huan!" Amahei spat out a mouthful of blood, his vision went black, and he tumbled off his horse. The guards scrambled to revive him.

When Amahei awoke, his face was still ashen, and he huddled shivering under his leather coat, as if he had aged decades in an instant. Clearly, the attacks on Liucheng and Huozhou had dealt him a heavy blow.

This is understandable. Amahei was originally full of confidence and ready to take Hami, but his army was wiped out in Hami. Then, Juhua was attacked and lost two extremely important material reserves in Liucheng and Huozhou. This time, it was not just a matter of being severely weakened, but whether they could survive the winter was also in question.

It's important to know that a significant portion of the food rations for the hundreds of thousands of people in Turpan were stored in Huozhou and Liucheng. Now that they've all been burned, this winter will be incredibly difficult, and who knows how many people will starve to death!

After a long while, Amahei finally got up and, with the help of his personal guards, shakily mounted his horse again, heading towards Liucheng in a daze...

At this moment, Hami City was filled with the joy of victory. Jia Huan and Duan Yong were inspecting the battlefield outside the city. Wherever they went, cheers of "Ten Thousand Victories" resounded through the sky. Duan Yong was so happy that he was beaming with joy. Even his cold seemed to have been cured instantly, and he walked with a brisk pace.

"Hehe, another resounding victory! I wonder how the Emperor will reward us once this news reaches the court?" Duan Yong thought to himself with glee. Before he knew it, he almost fell into the ditch in front of him. Luckily, Jia Huan was quick-witted and reached out to help him up. Otherwise, Duan Yong would have made a huge fool of himself in front of the soldiers.

"It's dark and the road is slippery, Eunuch Duan, please be careful!" Jia Huan reminded him. Duan Yong coughed awkwardly and tried to save face, saying, "I'm still recovering from a cold, and my hands and feet are a little weak, but it's nothing serious."

Dong Dao, standing behind Jia Huan, chuckled inwardly: "Your limbs are weak? I see you walking with quite a bit of energy. If you had a tail, it would probably be wagging right up."

At this moment, Chu Sheng and Lu Xiangjin rode up and dismounted to pay their respects. Duan Yong asked impatiently, "Have you captured Amahei?"

Chu Sheng shook his head and said regretfully, "It's a pity he got away. My subordinate and Lu Youji chased him for over a hundred miles, but we couldn't find a trace of him!"

Duan Yong was greatly disappointed. The fact that he had not captured or killed Amahei made this great victory a bit of a disappointment.

By midnight, the battlefield was finally cleared and the results were tallied. The battle resulted in the killing of over 3,000 enemy soldiers, the capture of over 800, and the seizure of over 10,000 warhorses, cattle, sheep, and camels, including over 1,000 warhorses. There were also countless catapults, swords, arrows, and other weapons. It was truly a bountiful harvest.

The next morning, good news came one after another: Man Gui and Tie Niu led their 500 brothers, who had made a long march, back successfully. When the news came, the whole army was in an uproar.

Jia Huan and Duan Yong personally led all the soldiers out of the city to welcome them. Amidst the earth-shaking cheers of their comrades and countless admiring gazes, the five hundred cavalrymen proudly held their heads high and returned into the city in triumph like heroes.

Xue Pan mingled in the group, sometimes looking left and right, sometimes puffing out his chest and raising his head as if his chin was about to touch the top of the city gate. His comical appearance was both infuriating and hilarious.

In the Hami Royal Palace, Ying'er skipped lightly into the room of Chai Dai, and said happily, "Miss, Master is back!"

Xue Baochai's delicate body trembled, and she stood up in surprise: "Really?"

Ying'er laughed and said, "Third Master Huan specially sent that servant Mu Ye back to deliver the message, how could it be false? Hehe, our master has done a great job this time. I heard that he not only burned the enemy's stockpiled supplies in Liucheng, but also burned all the supplies in Huozhou. This time, the people of Turpan can't cause any trouble."

"Amitabha!" Xue Baochai clasped her hands together and smiled broadly. Ever since she learned that her elder brother Xue Pan had volunteered to be her guide, she had been worried day and night. Now she could finally relax.

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "Congratulations, Sister Bao. See what I told you? If Huan-di wasn't confident, he would never have agreed to let Master Pan be our guide. Now you can rest assured. Huan-di went to great lengths to help you and your aunt get rid of your status as entertainers."

Xue Baochai's pretty face flushed slightly, her heart filled with sweetness, and her almond-shaped eyes revealed a trace of tenderness. How could she not know Jia Huan's good intentions?

(End of this chapter)