The Prodigal Son

Zhao Po arrived very quickly, almost in the blink of an eye, and was in front of Fang Junji.

When Zhao Po saw Dong Liu appear in the camp, he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

What followed was an uncontrollable killing intent.

Even though many years had passed since that incident, seeing Dong Liu, that damned shameless scoundrel, again still made him unable to control his murderous intent.

Dong Liu naturally sensed Zhao Po's killing intent, but his face remained remarkably calm.

He knew Zhao Po wanted to kill him, but he also knew Zhao Po wouldn't kill him.

If Zhao Po wanted him dead, he would have been dead long ago.

Sensing the strange atmosphere between the two, Fang Junji and the others, unaware of the situation, were filled with questions.

What's going on with these two?

Why does it feel like there's some deep-seated hatred between them?

"Senior Zhao, how's Qin Yu doing?"

Xue Lie quickly stepped forward to distract Zhao Po, while secretly giving Fang Junji and the others a wink, signaling them not to ask any questions.

Others may not know about that mess back then, but how could he, as Xue Chengdao's son, not know?

To be honest, Dong Liu really did a terrible job!

He was also lucky to have met the benevolent late emperor, and with the help of Qin Fumeng and others pleading for him, he was able to save his life.

He could completely understand Zhao Po's murderous intent towards Dong Liu!

"All we know is that after he defeated Yan Mu's troops, he led his troops into Miaozhou, and after capturing thirteen cities in Miaozhou, he led his troops into the south bank of Qujiang. We don't know what happened after that."

Zhao Po forcibly shifted his gaze away from Dong Liu. "Also, Dongyuan was almost breached, but Liang Jingzhe suddenly withdrew his troops! I guess that brat Qin Yu caused a big commotion on the south bank of Qujiang..."

Upon hearing Zhao Po's words, Fang Junji and the others were overjoyed.

The bigger the commotion Qin Yu makes, the more advantageous it will be for them!

As long as Liang Jingzhe retreats, Huang Dengxing will probably retreat soon too!

Thinking of this, Fang Junji, disregarding the grudges between Zhao Po and Dong Liu, loudly proclaimed, "All generals, follow me into the tent for a meeting! Xue Lie, immediately dispatch more scouts to closely monitor the enemy's every move. Report back immediately if the enemy makes any unusual movements!"

……

Yiling.

Upon receiving the message from Liang Jingzhe's messenger, Huang Dengxing flew into a rage, nearly spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"waste!"

"They're all useless!"

The angry yellow light smashed everything in the room to pieces, even their carefully crafted sand table was not spared.

Faced with Huang Dengxing's anger, everyone remained silent, offering words of advice but daring not to speak.

After venting his frustrations, Huang Dengxing slumped back into his chair.

Once his anger was vented, Huang Dengxing was overwhelmed with endless despair.

The Min Kingdom comprised a total of seven states.

This tiny place is surrounded by enemies on three sides!

He could barely see any hope of victory!

However, he was still unwilling to accept defeat.

What a great situation!

Because of his misjudgment, Qin Yu led his troops to break into their rear, causing the situation on the entire battlefield to deteriorate rapidly.

How could he accept this?

Ji Lianhuan was equally unwilling. He let out a long sigh and tentatively advised, "General, we should retreat!"

"withdraw?"

Huang Dengxing raised his eyes, glaring at Ji Lianhuan with eyes blazing with fury. "You want me to flee without a fight?"

As a grandmaster, Huang Dengxing has his own pride.

These past few days, he and Fang Junji's Ning Army have been testing each other with tentative attacks, much like children playing house.

Not even a single decent battle took place!

Their retreat now is essentially tantamount to fleeing without a fight!

This is something he cannot accept!

"I know the general is reluctant to retreat, but we must!"

Ji Lianhuan patiently persuaded, "Judging from the current situation, Yan and Ning are most likely in cahoots! If we don't retreat now, and Yan's army comes from Guanzhou, we'll really have no way out..."

Now, although their retreat has also been cut off, Liang Jingzhe has led his troops to attack Dongyuan for many days in a row, and Yu Jing's forces have suffered extremely heavy losses.

They still have tens of thousands of troops, and Grandmaster Huang Dengxing is with them. Taking Dongyuan would be an easy task.

If they retreat now and join up with Liang Jingzhe's troops, they can preserve their strength to cope with the major battles to come.

If Huang Dengxing insists on his own way and continues to waste time with the Ningguo army in Yiling, they will probably only end up following in the footsteps of Yan Mu's troops.

Huang Dengxing knew Ji Lianhuan had a point, but he was still unwilling to give up. He gritted his teeth and growled, "Qin Yu can break into our rear, so why can't we break into Da Ning's rear?"

As Huang Dengxing finished speaking, Ji Lianhuan and the other generals in the room were instantly stunned.

To break into...Daning's rear?

Are you crazy?

Can their situation be the same as Ningguo's?

They were able to take advantage of Qin Yu because their rear was extremely vulnerable!

But Ningguo needs a large number of troops in Yinzhou and Dingzhou, and in the north alone there are seventy or eighty thousand cavalry!

Even if they defeat Fang Junji's troops and invade Ningguo, Ningguo can quickly mobilize a large number of troops to encircle and annihilate them!

Qin Yu is going to disrupt their rear!

Their march into Ningguo territory to kill is tantamount to suicide!

"General, you mustn't!"

"Yes, General! Do not act rashly!"

"As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood! Right now, our situation is unfavorable, so preserving our strength is our priority!"

"General, let's retreat immediately!"

The crowd tried to persuade them in a panic, but they couldn't help cursing inwardly.

Huang Dengxing was absolutely furious with Qin Yu!

How could someone come up with such a foolish move!

Retreat! They still have hope!

But to actually fight into Ningguo territory would be suicidal!

They all understand it, so why shouldn't Huang Dengxing see it?

He's getting on in years!

At this time, we must not act impulsively!

Looking at the panicked crowd, Huang Dengxing felt a pang of bitterness in his heart.

He understood perfectly well that fighting into Ningguo territory was tantamount to suicide.

But he just couldn't accept it!

As a renowned general of the Min Kingdom and a grandmaster, he was completely outmaneuvered by a greenhorn who had turned their rear into chaos.

If this gets out, the whole world will laugh their heads off.

After taking a few deep breaths, Huang Dengxing finally regained his composure. He waved weakly and said wearily, "Let's prepare to retreat!"

Hearing Huang Dengxing's words, everyone nodded, and a great weight was lifted from their hearts.

It's good that he hasn't lost his mind!

As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn!

As long as they successfully retreat to Qixia Pass and join forces with Liang Jingzhe, they will still have the strength to fight!

Ji Lianhuan let out a long sigh of relief and said, "If we retreat rashly, the enemy will definitely press forward quickly to entangle us! We need to make the enemy mistakenly believe that we are setting a trap for them, so that they dare not..."

"Need not!"

Huang Dengxing stopped Ji Lianhuan. "Let's retreat normally! I will personally lead the rearguard! If the enemy dares to press forward, I will deal with them first!"

Ji Lianhuan's face twitched. "General..."

"No need for further explanation! It's decided!"

Huang Dengxing clenched his fists suddenly, his face resolute.

He's seething with anger and has nowhere to vent it.

If Fang Junji dares to lead his troops to press forward, I can vent my anger!

To retreat without a fight is utterly cowardly!

Seeing that Huang Dengxing was determined, the others could no longer persuade him and could only secretly pray that they could retreat safely...