With a million soldiers, the empress begged me not to rebel

Zhang Qi pushed his confidant away, picked up the sword on the table, and roared:

"Run away! I'm the King of Jingzhou! How can I escape from the battlefield?

Pass the order down, have all the soldiers hold on for me! I'm going to fight them!"

After saying that, Zhang Qi stumbled out.

He wanted to go on the field himself to boost morale, but as soon as he rushed to the gate, he was stunned by the scene before him.

The Jingzhou army, which he was proud of, was now like a stray dog.

They fled in all directions crying for their parents, and even the cavalry didn't care about the formation and just ran for their lives.

The once mighty army is now in disarray and has lost all its fighting spirit.

"What's going on? What's going on?!"

Zhang Qi grabbed a deserter and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"What are you doing? Why aren't you resisting?!"

The deserter trembled with fear and shouted incoherently:

"Your Majesty... The Yulin Army... They have some magic! They can explode!"

"The city gates have been blown open! All the brothers... were killed!"

Just then, several deafening explosions sounded nearby.

Flames shot up into the sky and thick smoke billowed.

Zhang Qi was so frightened that he lost his soul and no longer had the "heroic spirit" he had just had.

He slammed the door shut, bolted it, and ran into the hall.

"Hurry! Hurry! Go!"

Zhang Qi shouted at his confidants and several servants who were still standing there in a daze.

"Hurry up and pack your things and escape through the secret passage!"

Only then did the confidants and others react and hurriedly began to pack up the gold and silver jewelry.

With trembling hands, Zhang Qi took out a jade pendant from his arms. This was the only relic his wife left him.

He clutched the jade pendant tightly, his eyes full of despair and regret.

If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have done it in the first place!

The sky was dim, and the smell of blood and gunpowder filled the air for a long time.

Chen Qingwan stood on the Jingzhou city wall, looking down at the devastated scene inside the city.

Corpses littered the fields and rivers of blood flowed.

The cruelty of war is vividly displayed in this once prosperous city.

After a night of fighting, Chen Qingwan's steel knife had become blunt.

There was also a new wound on her arm, and the blood had already coagulated.

It leaves a shocking mark on the fair skin.

Qiao'er bandaged her wound carefully, and Chen Qingwan didn't even frown.

"Your Majesty, I am well now."

Qiao'er said softly.

Chen Qingwan glanced at the wound nonchalantly, "Has the prefect of Jingzhou been caught?"

"No, that bastard Zhang Qi probably took advantage of the chaos to escape."

There was a hint of annoyance in Qiao'er's tone.

"Hehe, he runs fast." Chen Qingwan sneered.

"What about the casualties? Have they been counted?"

"Your Majesty, our army suffered heavy casualties in this battle, with 372 men killed.

One hundred and eight people were seriously injured and six hundred and fourteen people were slightly injured.

More than 3,200 enemy soldiers were killed and more than 7,0300 were captured.

Two thousand one hundred and three fine horses and countless weapons and supplies were seized.

And they seized 10,500 dan of military rations."

Qiao'er's voice became lower and lower, and finally almost became the hum of a mosquito.

"Only over 10,000 stones?"

Chen Qingwan's tone also became heavy.

Ten thousand dan of grain would only be enough for her army of ten thousand people to eat for a month at most.

"Your Majesty, although Jingzhou City is rich, it has long been plundered by Zhang Qi."

"These ten thousand dan are all the grain we can find."

Chen Qingwan rubbed her eyebrows irritably. Although the battle was won, the casualties were shockingly high.

She sent out 10,000 troops, but suffered nearly 1,000 casualties, a ratio so high that it frightened her.

Think about that guy Lu Yan, who attacked Southeast Pass and Yunyang City.

With more than 50,000 troops, they captured countless spoils with very few casualties.

"After all, I'm still no match for that bastard!"

Chen Qingwan hammered the battlement hard, feeling both unwilling and angry.

"Your Majesty, don't worry too much. Now that we have occupied Jingzhou, we can use it as a base for expansion."

"As long as we wipe out those bandits in Zhongzhou, the rear will be safe."

Qiao'er hurriedly comforted her.

Chen Qingwan took a deep breath and calmed herself down.

"You're right, this is just the beginning."

If Lu Yan can do it, I can definitely do it too!

At this time, Li Mu stepped on the rubble and came to Chen Qingwan, bowed and said:

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, for taking Jingzhou!"

He deliberately lowered his voice, fearing that he would disturb Chen Qingwan's thoughts.

Chen Qingwan snorted coldly and glanced at the corpses scattered all over the ground. There was no joy in her eyes, only deep fatigue.

"Congratulations? Haha, this battle is simply a loss of both the wife and the army!"

"Is this ten thousand dan of grain enough to fill our teeth?"

Li Mu coughed dryly.

"Your Majesty, Jingzhou has been conquered. Our army has finally gained a foothold in the state, and the foundation for the recovery of Datong has been established."

"With this as our foundation, we can achieve great things in the future!"

He hesitated for a moment and continued:

"I believe we should take advantage of this victory and march east or west to strengthen our Yulin Army!"

Chen Qingwan rubbed her temples and said softly:

"I understand. From now on, the affairs of Jingzhou City will depend on you and Qiao'er!"

"I shall devote myself to this mission to the utmost!"

Li Mu and Qiao'er responded in unison.

"Next, I will clean up Qingzhou. You must be prepared."

After saying that, she turned and left, her back looking desolate, as if she was carrying a heavy burden.

……

Jingzhou City was broken, and Chen Qingwan stood among the ruins.

The joy of victory was diluted by heavy casualties.

It also made her more clearly aware of the gap between herself and Lu Yan.

Chen Qingwan expanded the army again by 10,000, bringing the total strength of the Yulin Army to 25,000.

After recruiting new soldiers, Chen Qingwan ordered all the soldiers to gather on the parade ground outside Jingzhou City.

The 25,000-strong army filled the training grounds like a black mass, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The recruits were ragged, had simple weapons and low morale.

Many people couldn't even stand in line, whispering and talking to each other.

They are just like a mob in the market, with no discipline at all.

Chen Qingwan rode on a warhorse, accompanied by Li Mu and Qiao'er, and slowly reviewed this ragtag army.

As my eyes swept across the unfamiliar faces, a heavy sense of disappointment welled up in my heart.

Most of these recruits were ragged, pale and thin, with confusion and fear in their eyes.

Some of them were refugees who suffered from war, and some were bandits who gathered in the mountains.

Some were bandits who were forced to come along.

They had never received formal military training, and their ranks were crooked and like loose sand.

Not to mention loyalty to Datong and military discipline.

There was only the desire for survival and confusion about the future in his eyes, which made her feel deeply worried.

Staring at the ragtag army in front of her, Chen Qingwan's thoughts involuntarily drifted to Lu Yan.

And the famous Shannan Army under his command.

In her mind, she could already see the Shannan Army soldiers wearing strong armor.

Holding sharp blades and marching in unison, they were as unstoppable as a torrent of steel.

The iron-blooded military discipline and sophisticated equipment.