Many children, many blessings; a stunningly beautiful wife is given to you right from the start.

"..."

Chu Mengyao's mind completely went blank.

What he said... seems to make some sense.

No! That's utter nonsense!

It's this shameless, sophistry-based, and rogue logic!

Her lips moved, as if she wanted to curse, but she couldn't squeeze out a single word.

His face was flushed red with shame and indignation, almost as if it had ripened completely.

Even the snow-white skin on her chest was tinged with an alluring blush.

"Look, they're all gone now."

Lin Mo's warm breath brushed against her earlobe, causing her to tremble uncontrollably.

"No one will bother us anymore."

His voice was soft and wicked, like the devil's temptation.

"Now, we can quietly finish discussing the 'military affairs' we weren't able to finish earlier."

He deliberately emphasized the word "explore".

"No...no more..."

Chu Mengyao's voice was trembling with sobs as she shook her head desperately.

She really can't go on.

Her bones were practically falling apart from this guy's antics; if they kept "discussing" this, she might really be bedridden tomorrow.

But Lin Mo found this appearance quite charming.

Her eyes, brimming with moisture, glared at him with a mixture of shame and anger.

Like a little kitten cornered against a wall, its fur standing on end but utterly harmless, it makes you... want to bully it mercilessly.

A new round of "discussion" has begun.

This time, Lin Mo's offensive was no longer as rapid and intense as before.

He slowed down, like a very patient hunter, and began to savor his spoils inch by inch.

The bed creaked under the weight, its sound mingling with the rising warmth and intimacy in the room.

Chu Mengyao's last shred of rationality crumbled completely under this gentle yet domineering invasion.

She gave up all resistance, clutching the brocade quilt beneath her with both hands, completely lost in the ever-rising waves.

……

While the wind and rain raged in the bedroom, a hundred miles away at Eagle's Beak Cliff, the real bloodshed was just beginning.

The night sky was stained with the colors of blood and fire.

The violent roar had subsided, but Yuwen Biao's ears still rang with a persistent buzzing.

The world seemed to have been deprived of its sound, leaving only the hellish scene unfolding silently before our eyes.

Flames, towering flames, illuminated the narrow valley as if it were daytime.

Countless soldiers writhed, struggled, and wailed in the flames before turning into charred corpses.

The warhorses neighed in terror, running around like headless flies, trampling everything in their path into a bloody pulp.

A nauseating smell permeated the air.

It was the pungent smell of gunpowder smoke mixed with the strong stench of blood.

"General! General, are you alright?"

Lieutenant Zhang Meng scrambled to the overturned carriage.

Half of his face was covered in blood, and his armor had a large tear in it.

Yuwen Biao was dragged out of the twisted carriage.

His obese body collapsed to the ground, and the excruciating pain in his chest made his vision blur.

He ignored his injuries and just stared blankly ahead.

His once proud vanguard cavalry formation has now turned into a series of bottomless pits.

Scattered around the edge of the pit were countless twisted metal pieces, shattered flags, and indistinguishable limbs.

"Casualties...what are the casualties...?"

Yuwen Biao's throat was so dry it felt like it had been sanded, making each word incredibly difficult.

Zhang Meng knelt on the ground, his voice trembling with tears.

"General... the vanguard battalion... ten thousand brothers of the vanguard battalion... are gone..."

"Three thousand iron cavalry...men and horses...are all gone!"

Gone.

It's all gone.

Yuwen Biao's mind went blank.

He did not fly into a rage, nor did he roar.

In those narrowed eyes, all emotion had faded, leaving only a cold, lifeless stillness.

Thunder...

No, this is not lightning.

He remembered.

The scouts brought back news about that young man and that group of black-armored soldiers.

And their method of blasting open the underground water channel...

Everything is connected.

It turned out to be the case.

It's that little bastard named Lin Mo!

It must be him!

He has mastered this sorcery that can create "heavenly lightning"!

No wonder Iron Wall Pass changed hands overnight!

No wonder 20,000 troops couldn't defend Zhenbei City!

I see... I see!

"Haha...hahahaha..."

Yuwen Biao suddenly chuckled softly.

The laughter grew louder and louder, eventually turning into a beast-like roar.

The pain from the tug on his wound contorted his entire fat face.

"Fine! Fine, Lin Mo! Fine, Chu Mengyao!"

He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, drawing blood.

"General!"

Zhang Meng was frightened by him.

"We...we need to get out of here! This thing is too creepy!"

"There are definitely more ahead; we can't send any more brothers to their deaths!"

"withdraw?"

Yuwen Biao suddenly turned his head, his blood-red eyes fixed on Zhang Meng.

"Where to retreat to?"

"Tell me the hell where the hell we can go!"

"Iron Wall Pass belongs to them! Zhenbei City belongs to them too! We're just a pack of homeless dogs now!"

Yuwen Biao struggled to stand up, but fell back down heavily.

"The entire army's supplies are in Zhenbei City!"

"If we don't take it back, our remaining 80,000-plus people will starve to death in this godforsaken place within ten days!"

He pointed to the massive, dark army behind him, his voice hoarse.

"We have no way out!"

"Either charge in and retake Zhenbei City, or stay here and wait to die!"

Zhang Meng fell silent.

He knew that Yuwen Biao was telling the truth.

They've been driven to a dead end...

As Yuwen Biao gazed at the still-burning flames ahead, the madness in his eyes gradually gave way to a cold, calculating glint in his eyes.

He can't lose!

He, Yuwen Biao, absolutely cannot lose to a mere brat and a stinky woman!

"Pass on my orders!" he roared.

"What?" Zhang Meng didn't react.

"Order the entire army! Change formation immediately!"

Yuwen Biao spoke extremely fast, but his thoughts were exceptionally clear.

"Disperse the entire army! Form teams of one hundred men each, with a distance of fifty paces between teams!"

"General, this will completely disrupt the formation. What if..."

"There's no 'what if'!" Yuwen Biao interrupted him.

"No matter how powerful their thing is, its range is still limited!"

"If we spread out, even if someone steps on it, only one squad will die! The entire army won't be wiped out!"

He paused for a moment, a wild glint flashing in his eyes.

"Also, go! Bring those deserters from Zhenbei City over here!"

"Let them go first! Ten men in a row, lined up horizontally!"

"Step by step, with their lives, we'll clear away all the 'heavenly lightning' ahead!"

"General!" Zhang Meng exclaimed in shock.

"This...this is no different from sending them to their deaths! This is too cruel!"

"cruel?"

Yuwen Biao sneered and grabbed Zhang Meng by the collar.

"Tell me, are we sending these damn deserters to their cruel deaths, or are we sending our loyal brothers to their cruel deaths?!"

"Womanly compassion!"

He shoved Zhang Meng away.

"Execute the command!"

Yuwen Biao's voice echoed in the night wind, cold and devoid of any human warmth.

"Anyone who dares to utter another word will be killed right now!"