The imperial court is ceding territory from our northern border? Then we'll rebel!

The main camp of the punitive expeditionary force.

Tian Kui and Zang Baiyuan stood like two statues waiting for their husbands at the entrance of the commander's tent all night.

They are waiting.

Waiting for news from the direction of Blackwind Valley.

Waiting for the good news that will allow them to turn the tide.

From midnight until dawn, and then from dawn until daybreak.

Messengers were sent out in waves.

But none of them brought back the message they wanted.

Only a few fleeing soldiers who escaped from the edge of the battlefield brought back scattered, chilling fragments.

"Fire...fire everywhere..."

"The drumbeats...like a death knell..."

"It's the main force of the Zhenbei Army! Cang Jia, Zhao Wu... they've even raised their banners!"

"It's over...it's all over...General Zang Chong...he was killed by someone wielding twin swords..."

These fragmented pieces of information, pieced together, constituted a terrifying truth that Tian Kui and Zang Baiyuan found unacceptable yet had no choice but to believe.

Their last trump card, the 100,000 elite imperial guards, is gone.

Someone opened their pocket and swallowed it whole.

Not even a splash.

"puff--"

Zang Baiyuan suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood and fell straight backward.

His cloudy old eyes stared intently at the sky, as if questioning the heavens about why they were so unjust.

His breath was rapidly fading away.

"Old General!"

"Quick! Medic! Medic!"

His guards hurriedly carried him into the tent, but it was too late.

This cunning and arrogant old general from Yunzhou, after a lifetime of scheming and self-confidence, died of a fit of rage and despair amidst successive blows.

Tian Kui watched as Zang Baiyuan's body was carried away, his face expressionless.

He felt no sadness, no anger, only a deathly numbness.

Lost.

A crushing defeat.

They lost everything, not even their underwear.

He now finally understands that from the moment he stepped into the northern border region, he had already lost.

He was not facing a brute, but a cunning and ruthless genius who could manipulate everyone with ease.

Of the seven million troops, how many are left today?

Fire Cloud City suffered a loss of one million.

The five reinforcements suffered losses of one million.

The Black Wind Valley surprise attack suffered a loss of 100,000.

In addition, the rear camp was burned, morale collapsed, and fleeing soldiers scattered...

He roughly calculated that in just three days, his troops had been reduced by nearly half.

The other party's losses are almost negligible.

This battle is no longer a question of whether or not it can be won.

The real question is whether these people can leave northern Xinjiang alive.

Tian Kui slowly walked back to the command tent and looked at the huge map.

On the map, the black flags representing the Zhenbei Army have been planted all along the border between the northern frontier and Yunzhou.

Fire Cloud City, Fallen Phoenix Slope, Eagle's Sorrow Stream...

These place names, which he originally thought were an advantage for his side, now felt like slaps to his face.

He knew that Xiao Jingchen's next target was him.

He was the one who held the title of "General of the Expeditionary Army," but he was a commander without any troops.

"General..."

A lieutenant walked in cautiously, his voice trembling.

"What...what should we do now?"

"To fight... or to retreat?"

Tian Kui did not answer.

war?

What will we use to fight?

Are we going to use this bunch of terrified remnants to fight the high-spirited Zhenbei Army to the death?

That's not a battle, that's suicide.

withdraw?

Where to retreat?

Will Xiao Jingchen let them retreat safely back to Yunzhou?

impossible.

He will definitely chase after them like a rabbit, attacking them relentlessly until their remaining forces are wiped out, bit by bit.

This is a dead end.

An unsolvable dead end that Xiao Jingchen had meticulously prepared for him.

Tian Kui's gaze fell on the sword at his waist.

Perhaps, death is the only relief.

If I die, I won't have to face this humiliating defeat anymore.

Once dead, one would no longer have to face the wrath of Emperor Yan and the verbal attacks of political enemies in the court.

He slowly drew his sword.

The sword that had been with him for many years gleamed like a mirror, reflecting his pale and desperate face.

"General! You mustn't!"

The lieutenant was terrified and rushed forward to try and take his sword.

Tian Kui pushed him away.

"roll!"

He didn't want to commit suicide.

He was just wondering if there was a third way out for him.

Besides fighting or retreating, besides life or death, are there any other options?

He thought of Xiao Jingchen's manifesto.

"If Emperor Yan can repent and punish the treacherous officials, and rescind his decree, then the soldiers of the Northern Frontier will still be subjects of the Great Yan..."

treacherous officials...

Tian Kui gave a bitter smile.

In the eyes of the world, he is probably the greatest villain now.

What Xiao Jingchen wanted was to "purge the court of corrupt officials".

Could I then become his pledge of loyalty in "purging the court of corrupt officials"?

He used his own life to save the lives of the remaining millions of soldiers.

The moment this thought appeared, it began to grow wildly in Tian Kui's mind.

He knew that this was the only thing he could do, and the only thing that had any value.

Throughout his life, he was competitive and would stop at nothing to gain power and position.

In the end, they ended up like this.

Perhaps, doing something good for everyone in the last moments of life can be considered a form of atonement.

He took a deep breath, as if he had made a momentous decision.

His eyes regained a sliver of clarity.

"Someone come here." His voice calmed down.

"What are your orders, General?"

"Prepare a generous gift," Tian Kui said slowly. "Also, write me a letter."

The lieutenant was taken aback: "A letter? To whom?"

Tian Kui's gaze turned toward Ancheng.

"Written for... Marquis Zhenbei, Xiao Jingchen."

He paused, then added.

"Tell him, Mr. Tian, ​​that you would like to speak with him."

"Let's talk about the survival of these millions of soldiers."

"Let's also talk about... my own path to death."

The lieutenant was completely bewildered and had no idea what the general meant.

But he dared not ask any more questions and could only bow and accept the order.

"yes!"

Just as the deputy general was about to step down...

Suddenly, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from outside the tent.

A scout scrambled in, his face a mixture of fear and confusion.

"Report! General!"

"From the north...the northern frontier, a lone rider is heading towards our camp!"

Tian Kui frowned: "One person and one horse? Is it Xiao Jingchen's messenger?"

The scout shook his head, his voice trembling.

"No...it's not a messenger!"

"That person...that person was dragging a coffin!"