I, the villainous eldest prince, will suppress everything!

Early the next morning.

A thick fog enveloped the entire Northern Mang army camp, reducing visibility to only a few feet.

Inside the central command tent, half of the generals who had come to attend the victory celebration the previous night were gone.

Murong Qingcang was restless, pacing back and forth inside the tent with his hands behind his back.

Tatata!

A series of hurried footsteps came from outside.

Murong Qingcang quickly stopped and looked towards the entrance of the tent.

The messenger stumbled in and fell hard.

Murong Qingcang asked anxiously, "How is the situation?"

Last night, if he hadn't been cautious and hadn't led his troops into the city, his fate would probably be uncertain now.

Upon returning to the camp, he did not immediately lead his troops to the rescue.

Because he knew that the Great Zhou had made thorough preparations.

No matter how many soldiers he leads, he can't fill that bottomless pit; he might even lose the entire army.

All he could do was wait, wait for good news to come.

Even if Dohachi suffered heavy losses, he could still accept the outcome as long as his two sons could be rescued.

Take them back, let them lick their wounds, and rebuild for a few years. They might just be able to fight against the Great Zhou.

But until now, Dohachi has not returned, and it is clear that he is in grave danger.

The messenger couldn't help but cry out, "Your Majesty, the gates of Xuanque Pass are tightly shut, the fighting has ceased, General Dohachi is likely dead, and tens of thousands of elite troops have been wiped out!"

The city gates remained closed, and the fighting inside ceased; this was the only possible outcome.

Upon hearing this, Murong Qingcang's aged body visibly swayed, and he almost fell over.

The generals inside the tent also looked unusually grim.

In that case, they would be defeated.

Barely managing to steady himself, Murong Qingcang stretched out his hand and said, "Go, investigate again. Make sure you find out everything!"

After the messenger left, a general stepped forward and advised, "Your Majesty, you must make a decision soon!"

After the Great Zhou had absorbed tens of thousands of elite troops from Dohachi, their next step was to take over the Northern Mang army camp outside the city.

They must make a decision soon: whether to stay or leave?

Otherwise, you won't be able to leave even if you want to.

How could Murong Qingcang not know this principle? But he hesitated and could not make a decision, because his two sons were still inside Xuanque Pass.

If he goes back now, he will have no one to carry him on. There will be no one to carry him on.

If they don't go back, they will eventually be gradually devoured by the Great Zhou.

By then, the Northern Mang Kingdom will cease to exist, its court will cease to exist, and it will ultimately face annihilation.

"Your Majesty, how did things develop to this point?"

"What else could it be? It must be that bastard Ba Ye who deliberately lured us into the encirclement of the Great Zhou."

"Your Majesty, let's retreat! It will be too late if we don't!"

"Taking advantage of the heavy fog this morning, which makes it difficult for the Great Zhou to pursue us, is a good opportunity for us to withdraw."

"Yes, Your Majesty, let's retreat quickly. As long as we're alive, we can always rebuild."

The generals spoke one after another.

Murong Qingcang finally made up his mind and said, "Issue my military order: the entire army shall retreat."

The generals clasped their hands in greeting, immediately left their tents, and went out to issue orders.

After the generals left, Murong Qingcang slumped into a chair, looking more than ten years older in an instant.

"Bastard, bastard! I've treated you well, why do you treat me like this...?"

Murong Qingcang muttered to himself, unable to understand it at all.

……

At this very moment, on the city wall of Xuanque Pass.

Looking at Temuhun, who had come back to life beside him, Baye stared wide-eyed, shocked and incredulous.

But after a while, he seemed to understand something, and he both cried and laughed.

His hands were tied behind his back, and he was forced to kneel on the city wall.

Inside the barbican lay the corpses of Dohachi and his tens of thousands of elite soldiers.

The corpses were piled up layer upon layer, lying haphazardly, and blood was flowing everywhere.

This is a mass grave!

Just moving the corpses and clearing the barbican will probably take half a month.

After glancing at the Great Zhou Emperor and his generals in the distance, Temuhun quickly bowed and said to Baye:

"If you want to live, do as I say in a moment, understand?"

Ba Ye raised his pale face and sneered, "Do as you say? How? Become a traitor like you?"

Temuhun was taken aback, but after realizing what he meant, he said, "Traitor? A wise man submits to circumstances. Given the prevailing trend, I, Temuhun, simply made what I believed to be the right choice."

Pointing to the Northern Mang army camp shrouded in fog outside the city, Temuhun said, "If I continue to serve that person, I won't even know how I died."

Withdrawing his hand and bowing high, Temuhun said, "But I am loyal to the Emperor of Great Zhou, and I am a marquis, with hereditary titles. What do you think I should choose?"

"But you are a Northern Barbarian!" Ba Ye couldn't help but roar at the top of his lungs.

Temuhun betrayed the grasslands, and he despised such people from the bottom of his heart.

Temuhun, however, remained frighteningly calm, saying indifferently, "That's no longer the case. I am a citizen of the Great Zhou!"

He straightened up, hands behind his back: "So it seems you want to die."

"But I really can't understand, what has Murong Qingcang done for you that makes you so devoted to him?"

"He may say he values ​​you, but the other generals look down on you and call you a bastard behind your back, and he doesn't care."

"In his heart, you're just a bastard!"

"How ridiculous of you, always siding with him!"

Temuhun didn't want to say anything more.

He originally wanted to save Ba Ye's life.

Let him stay in the Great Zhou Dynasty like himself and serve the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Unfortunately, Ba Ye was stubborn and would rather die than betray his cause.

It's useless for him to say anything more.

I just hope that Ba Ye will be reborn into a better family in his next life.

With a flick of his sleeve, Temuhun walked toward the Emperor of Great Zhou.

Upon approaching, Temuhun bowed and clasped his hands, then said loudly:

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations on this great victory!"

Upon hearing the sound, Qin Li and the generals of Da Zhou turned their heads to look, their faces beaming with victorious smiles.

After this battle, the main force of the Northern Barbarians was completely annihilated, and what remained were just miscellaneous soldiers.

As long as the Great Zhou army advances steadily, the Northern Barbarians will not amount to anything.

Within two or three years, the grassland will become the horse breeding ground of the Great Zhou.

Upon seeing Temuhun, Qin Li beckoned him closer and said with a smile, "This great victory is all thanks to Lord Temuhun. A gentleman's word is as good as his bond, and Lord Temuhun deserves the greatest credit."

Temuhun smiled and said, "Your subject dares not accept such praise."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Qin Li pointed to Ba Ye, who was still kneeling in the distance: "What's his attitude? Is he going to fight or surrender?"

Temuhun uttered only two words: "I will not surrender!"

Without a second thought, Qin Li waved his hand and said, "Not surrendering? Then kill them."

Temuhun did not express any opinion; he had done everything he could, and Baye's death could not be blamed on him.

No sooner had he finished speaking than someone carrying a knife walked towards Ba Ye.

His fate will be the same as that of the tens of thousands of elite soldiers inside the barbican.

But no one goes to see it, and no one bothers to go.

In war, it's normal for someone to die.

Report—

Just then, the messenger ran over quickly, knelt on one knee, and said:

"Your Majesty, scouts report that the Northern Mang army camp outside the city shows signs of breaking camp and retreating north."

Before Qin Li could speak, the generals knelt down one after another to volunteer for the mission:

"Your Majesty, this humble general is willing to lead troops in pursuit."

"I would also be willing!"

Qin Li casually pointed to two generals who were cautious in their military tactics and ordered them to lead their troops in pursuit.

It will not be easy to annihilate Murong Qingcang's army.

If we rashly leave the city to pursue them, we might fall into Murong Qingcang's ambush.

But if we don't pursue them, we'll be wasting this great opportunity.

Therefore, sending a few generals who are cautious in their military tactics to pursue them is the most appropriate course of action.

They are like wolves stalking their wounded prey, constantly bothering the prey.