As an official, what's wrong with raising a few monsters?

Chapter 343 Mingchen, I pulled...
Mingchen has no face or fruit.

His shout seemed to have no effect, and Tian Hong didn't give him any face.

The chaotic battle continues.

Mingchen felt regretful about this, but he didn't care. Reality wasn't a martial arts drama. He didn't think he would necessarily appear with a sound system and have everyone's eyes on him.

He carried a large, jet-black flag and patted the head of the white wolf beneath him: "White Wolf, let's go too."

"Ow~"

The white wolf raised its head and howled, then charged into the battlefield.

"kill!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

For some reason, the people of Beilie had a strange feeling.

When Mingchen appeared, it felt as if tens of thousands of troops were following behind him. White wolves howled and charged, the shouts of battle were deafening and terrifying.

Qian Yuan's reinforcements arrived so quickly?
Tian Hong frowned as he looked at the situation.

He knew that Qian Yuan's reinforcements couldn't arrive so quickly.

Mingchen simply came on his own.

Night fell, and the situation became somewhat eerie.

Xiao Xinyue has the most sensitive ears.

She could hear the voice of heaven and earth, the prayers of all people, and voices that many others could not hear.

Naturally, at this critical moment, she also heard that most familiar, most anticipated, and most trusted voice.

She was jolted, and for a moment, her nose felt sore.

She feels like she hasn't grown into a proper queen yet. She still can't be independent; she still depends on others and still has expectations.

And that person always provides her with support and answers her expectations at the most crucial moments.

A strong wind rushed towards her, and in just a few breaths, the majestic white wolf was already standing in front of her.

Their eyes met, and their exchange of glances conveyed everything without a word.

In the darkness, the other person's eyes seemed exceptionally bright, which was reassuring.

"go!"

Mingchen neither teased or made fun of her, nor did he offer any concern or comfort.

He simply uttered a single word in a deep voice.

"General Ming!"

"It's Lord Ming! Lord Ming is back!"

"The Duke of Anguo has come to our aid! Quick, charge!"

……

The name Mingchen now carries significant weight.

As he said, although he could not bring a large army to support him, his presence alone was a force to be reckoned with.

He is a pillar of the nation, supporting the Qian Yuan dynasty, and he possesses an incredibly strong sense of security. His presence not only reassures Xiao Xin Yue, but also the military and civilians.

Upon hearing Mingchen's news, the soldiers, who were trapped in the city, were able to rouse themselves and march towards Yueyang City.

A terrifying white wolf stormed onto the battlefield, wild and untamed, unstoppable. A flash of blade, and someone was cleaved in two.

Crimson blood stained the snow-white, translucent fur.

Mingchen, a frail scholar, disliked being present at battle, but had no choice. He lowered the flag, seized a long spear, mounted a white wolf, and engaged the enemy in combat.

The white wolf's size and aura were incredibly imposing; its massive silhouette in the darkness was even more awe-inspiring. Even among the valiant Northern Lie people, some couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. On the battlefield, it gave the impression of a single man holding off ten thousand.

"withdraw!"

The anomaly was detected early, and Xiao Xinyue's order to retreat was decisive. She made a brilliant breakout, and she was already close to breaking through.

With Mingchen joining the fight and covering the rear, morale has been greatly boosted.

As the cruel night fell, blood stained the mud and snow. Qian Yuan abandoned more than a thousand corpses and finally broke through the encirclement, escaping back to Yueyang City.

After the army broke through the encirclement, Mingchen, who was covering the rear, patted the white wolf on his head and charged out of the battle circle.

This chaotic battle thus came to an end.

The sky was bright.

The old general, who hadn't rested much for several nights, sat on a rock, quietly watching the soldiers cleaning up the battlefield. His eyes were deep, his face was calm, and he didn't say a word. No one knew what he was thinking.

Although Mingchen miraculously stumbled into the battlefield this time, Xiao Xinyue displayed extraordinary power and turned the tide...

But in reality, all of this is just an attempt to stop the downward trend.

Bei Lie still made a huge profit.

Night raids and ambushes—if you guess right in rock-paper-scissors, you win no matter what.

Although they failed to capture Xiao Xinyue in this battle, they annihilated a large number of enemy troops.

The garrison in Yueyang City was already small, and the loss of over a thousand elite soldiers here will undoubtedly deal a heavy blow to the enemy.

These debts will be repaid when he conquers the city.

However, there was little joy on Tian Hong's face.

The battle was over, and he was calmly planning the next steps and strategic deployments.

Mingchen is back. This defeat will be a slight blow to Qian Yuan's morale, but it shouldn't be too severe. Our own troops are still somewhat exhausted and need rest...

For some reason, he had a feeling that this night was the closest he had ever come to destroying his kingdom. He missed that step, Xiao Xinyue escaped, and it seemed he would have even less of a chance in the future.

"General..."

The lieutenant, who had lost an arm, did not care about his injury and did not rest after the battle. Instead, he was helped to Tian Hong's side.

Seeing the general's silent and wooden appearance, he couldn't help but say with some concern, "General, you should take a rest."

Tian Hong is too tired.

Cheng Xinqing didn't care about losing an arm; he was genuinely afraid that Tian Hong would collapse from exhaustion.

Tian Hong glanced at him, shook his head slightly, and turned to look eastward. Light gradually spread from the horizon, piercing the darkness.

The chaotic night passed, and dawn broke.

"Its daybreak."

……

As the victor, Tian Hong remained calm and composed throughout.

In stark contrast, the officials and clerks of the imperial court in Yueyang City presented a completely different picture.

His Majesty personally led his troops in a night raid, but failed and was instead surrounded, suffering heavy casualties and nearly losing his life. Covered in blood, he led several hundred surviving soldiers back to the city in a sorry state.

The ministers broke out in a cold sweat, as if they were reminded of the fear they felt ten years ago when Qian Yuan was dominated by Tian Hong.

Tian Hong is old, but he is still a force to be reckoned with.

They almost crashed this time.

The ministers offered their advice, discussed the matter, and expressed their concern...

Ultimately, they were all trying to convey to Xiao Xinyue in various ways that Her Majesty should take care of her health and not act rashly.

This night raid was initiated by Xiao Xinyue using her imperial authority. This failure may mean that Xiao Xinyue will not have the opportunity to personally lead an expedition for a long time to come.

Xiao Xinyue returned from the battlefield covered in blood, with no time to rest or compose herself. Instead, she had to appear before the officials to comfort them.

Her last flash of inspiration led her to conquer two passes in the Northern Territory.

This flash of inspiration, however, led to her great defeat and almost caused a disaster.

As the highest decision-maker, she should rightfully bear the responsibility and shoulder all the blame for these mistakes.

That was her fault.

She admitted her mistake and tried her best to fix the loopholes she had made and maintain a defensive posture.

Fortunately, the Northern Army was also exhausted, and Tian Hong did not press his advantage to continue the siege.

Xiao Xinyue still had time to tidy herself up that day.

Night has fallen again.

I didn't sleep a wink last night and returned in a sorry state. Today I'm discussing things with my ministers again, and I'm exhausted both physically and mentally.

Xiao Xinyue stood in a familiar spot in the palace, looking at the crescent moon in the sky with a somewhat listless expression.

She hasn't rested yet; she's waiting for someone.

She knew he would come.

She's been under a lot of pressure lately and wants to recharge.

The night was a bit chilly, and before I knew it, a gentle breeze was blowing from behind me.

She gently embraced the dejected His Majesty's waist.

Arrogant and rude, quite presumptuous.

What is Your Majesty thinking?

A warm breeze blew past my ear, and a familiar voice rang out.

After returning to the city, Mingchen did not participate in the numerous complicated and chaotic affairs that followed. He simply went to a few generals to give them some instructions and then disappeared.

He had always done it this way, and the courtiers had gotten used to it.

As soon as Mingchen spoke, His Majesty, who had been tense all day, could no longer hold back.

She turned around and stared intently at the person: "Why are you back!"

The pent-up emotions finally burst forth at this moment.

His Majesty bit his lower lip, his eyes filled with tears, looking somewhat helpless.

Judging from her expression, Mingchen felt as if she were saying: Mingchen, I pooped...

Tears of grievance.jpg
Only in front of Mingchen would she shed all her identities and pretenses, returning to her true self, Xiao Xinyue.

Even as an empress, she was still just a human being. She experienced joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness; she felt fear, tension, and helplessness…

Relying on her strong self-control, she tries her best to live like a machine in front of others, striving to remain calm and maintain everything properly.

But in Mingchen's presence, she could finally relax and be the simplest person she knew.

She needs Mingchen to relieve her mental stress.

This failure was truly embarrassing!

The enemy, far from being weakened by exhaustion from their rapid march, had even anticipated her night attack and deployed ambushes.

The Qian Yuan forces suffered a major setback. Their military strength was already insufficient, and now they have lost more than a thousand elite troops, which can be described as crippling them.

They even showed a carousel.

This was the first time she had suffered such a defeat since ascending the throne.

Having just suffered a defeat, Yueyang City is now sparsely defended, and the enemy could attack at any moment. The situation is extremely dire and precarious.

However, Mingchen couldn't help but laugh when he saw Xiao Xinyue's appearance. He gently pinched his emperor's nose and said with a smile, "Let me see if our emperor has cried."

It is rare to see His Majesty, who was once so full of vigor, appear so dejected.

Xiao Xinyue glared at him fiercely upon hearing this: "I didn't!"

She didn't know what Mingchen was thinking, but she sensed that his gaze was somewhat impolite, as if he were thinking about something unpleasant.

After a while, she lowered her eyes again and sighed softly, "This time I was wrong."

Mingchen is back, which is perhaps the only good news in her terrible day.

Admitting a mistake on behalf of the king would damage one's own authority. How could the king be wrong? Even if he were wrong, he wouldn't be wrong.

However, it's impossible for a person not to make mistakes. If you make a mistake and refuse to admit it, like an ostrich burying its head in the ground while sticking its backside out, you'll only lose more of your dignity.

Xiao Xinyue has the courage to accept the situation calmly and sincerely admit her mistake, which is quite commendable.

Victory and defeat are common occurrences in warfare; no one can guarantee that they will never make a mistake.

What does Xiao Xinyue's failure matter?
Qian Yuan still has many cards to play!
There's still a lot of territory!
There are still hundreds of thousands of soldiers!

Even if Yueyang City falls, Mingchen can still take Xiao Xinyue away; it's just a matter of starting over.

Liu's 560,000-strong allied army was defeated by Xiang Yu's 30,000 cavalry, resulting in the loss of his son. Did this affect Xiang Yu's eventual victory, domination of the world, and coronation?
Did Cao Cao's burning of his entire fortune at the Battle of Red Cliffs affect Wei Wu's dominance in the north and his status as the top leader?

Everyone has weaknesses and flaws; no one is perfect, and failure is perfectly normal.

Even heroes make mistakes.

Mingchen looked at her with great interest: "Where did Your Majesty go wrong?"

Xiao Xinyue lowered her eyes, like a primary school student answering a teacher's question: "We shouldn't have launched a night attack without authorization, which led to our army's crushing defeat."

Upon hearing this, Mingchen shook his head: "That's not right!"

"Ok?"

Mingchen toned down his flippant attitude, his expression turning serious as he glared at her fiercely: "You shouldn't have led the army in person!"

"Snapped!"

The audacious and arrogant Duke once again defied the emperor, showing no regard for His Majesty's noble status, and slapped her on the ground.

In the case of the night raid, it's really hard to say who was right and who was wrong.

It was simply that the enemy was more cautious, and the other side won at rock-paper-scissors. Was there anything wrong with launching a surprise attack while the enemy was still establishing a foothold?
In terms of outcomes, Xiao Xinyue was wrong.

But who can talk about the future? Who can know everything and be omnipotent?

But what if Tian Hong hadn't made any preparations?

Who in their right mind would expect that with such a small force, you would dare to launch a night attack on a force ten times larger than mine?

Qian Yuan might even be able to create a miracle of winning with fewer troops, greatly boosting morale and relieving immense pressure on the subsequent defense of the city.

To strike unexpectedly, to catch the enemy off guard, to take advantage of their weakness... these are all in accordance with military strategy.

But the enemy is very powerful; the enemy has anticipated everything. So what can we do?

Xiao Xinyue's shortcomings lay in intelligence gathering and investigation. Mingchen didn't think there was anything wrong with launching the night raid.

Where there are gains, there are risks.

It's nothing more than a debate between conservatism and radicalism.

There are valid reasons for both praising when you win and criticizing when you lose.

Xiao Xinyue's night raid is somewhat like something the Alliance Leader, who enjoys dancing on the edge of a knife, would do.

In Mingchen's opinion, Xiao Xinyue's biggest mistake was personally leading the team into danger when she had no certainty of victory.

He has generals under his command, and it's not like they've run out of options yet, so why should he personally take to the field?
Xiao Xinyue is the center of everything; even the smallest thing she does is magnified infinitely by those below.

The higher one's position in power, the less often one should intervene personally. Xiao Xinyue is the trump card, the pillar that everyone relies on.

Once a move is made, it must be successful, and decisive, unstoppable. Otherwise, it will deal a huge blow to one's own power structure.

It's true that Wang Huai liked to personally lead his troops into battle, but he always won!

Xiao Xinyue's strengths lie in governing the world, in ruling people with benevolent rule, in logistics and supplies, and in inspiring and boosting morale.

His military talent might be decent, but it's not top-tier; at best, he's comparable to Mingchen.

Why are you trying to be a heavy warrior when you're destined to be a support?
Ling Yu's preference for leading from the front is acceptable.

However, Mingchen now feels that Xiao Xinyue's fondness for personally leading troops into battle must be changed.

"Forehead……"

"With such limited abilities, His Majesty still dares to dream of personally leading an expedition?"

Xiao Xinyue: ...

Very well, her understanding of this villain was truly not in vain; the scenarios she had imagined in her mind had actually come true.

Xiao Xinyue lowered her eyes and said softly, "I am the emperor, and I want to set an example for everyone."

Most emperors were afraid of death, hiding behind their armies, fleeing to relocate their capitals, and seeking only temporary peace. Even in dire straits, they lacked the courage to personally lead an army and fight to the death.

Xiao Xinyue, on the other hand, had too much courage, and she used it too early.

Mingchen gently tapped her head: "You've done very well. You've long been a role model for everyone."

Look, even though His Majesty failed last night.

However, their morale was not greatly affected and did not collapse. On the contrary, they were united and willing to live and die with His Majesty.

Such a situation is very rare.

This is what inspires these people—Xiao Xinyue's spirit; she has already achieved it.

"Well……"

In the end, Mingchen still comforted her.

Xiao Xinyue pursed her lips, feeling a little cold, and gently leaned against Mingchen's chest.

"Mingchen, in your opinion, what should we do from now on?"

That matter is over.

Xiao Xinyue will remember this failure and repeatedly refuse to think about it.

Shame spurred her to action, which became the nourishment for her future progress.

The most important thing now is to solve the current difficulties.

Mingchen shook his head: "I don't know."

Concrete situation, specific analysis.

Anyway, so far, he hasn't seen any opportunities.

"Hold the city and wait for reinforcements. As long as we can hold them off, we can win."

Xiao Xinyue nodded upon hearing this.

The situation is terrible, but this is the only way for now.

"What did you do at the military camp during the day?"

There were so many things to do today.

Xiao Xinyue had no time to pay attention to Mingchen's side.

Mingchen smiled at her: "I'll have General Liu lead eight hundred men for another night raid."

Xiao Xinyue was shocked upon hearing this, and her eyes widened in surprise: "What?!"

Mingchen's actions are somewhat overstepping the bounds for a subject. You hold the highest position in the court and are even commanding the imperial guards. This is far too dangerous for an emperor.

However, Xiao Xinyue obviously didn't suspect anything about him.

She had just suffered a heavy loss in a night raid, and now Mingchen was sending out troops again, which made her somewhat nervous.

but……

After a brief moment of shock, upon reflection, she understood Mingchen's thoughts.

After all, the night raid had just failed.

The enemy must have assumed that our army was in chaos and morale was low, and they would never have imagined that our army would send troops out to attack again.

The enemy had fought all night and needed rest today.

By going against the grain and making it unpredictable for the enemy, success may be attainable.

However... Yueyang City has too few troops.

She just had a huge bowel movement. They lost over a thousand elite soldiers, leaving only about two thousand remaining.

The rest were mostly newly recruited militia members who had not yet undergone systematic training.

If another eight hundred are lost, this city will truly be indefensible.

"Don't worry, we're not going there to kill the enemy this time."

"We'll only harass, not launch a full-scale attack."

"If the situation is not right, retreat immediately; if the enemy chases us, run away."

If Tian Hong can anticipate this and defend against it, Ming Chen will accept his defeat.

(End of this chapter)