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

Upon hearing this, the enemy commander was struck by lightning, his body staggered, and he almost fell off his horse.

He took a deep breath, suppressed the grief and anger in his heart, and asked in a trembling voice:

"How did he die? Tell me clearly!"

The messenger didn't dare to look up, and answered with a trembling voice:

"Reporting to the commander, General Zhou Tai... was shot dead by Xia Shanhu from the Yulin Army... with a single arrow!"

"Xia Shan Hu! It's him again!"

The enemy commander roared through gritted teeth, his fists clenched tightly, his nails digging deep into the flesh.

He knew very well how important Zhou Tai was to the Zhou family army. Now that Zhou Tai had died in battle, the blow to morale was undoubtedly a huge one.

He looked up at the city wall and saw that the soldiers of the Yulin Army were in high spirits and fighting bravely.

However, their own soldiers were already showing signs of defeat and their offensive momentum had clearly weakened.

Continuing to attack will only cause greater casualties, which will not be worth the cost.

Thinking of this, he closed his eyes with heartache and took a deep breath.

Then he decisively ordered:

"Ming Jin withdraws his troops!"

The deep sound of a horn rang out on the battlefield.

The Zhou family army soldiers who were still fighting hard were as if they had been pardoned when they heard the sound of the horn.

They threw away their weapons and armor and retreated in a hurry.

The enemy commander looked at his defeated army with unspeakable sorrow in his heart.

He needs to reassess the situation and formulate a new battle plan to reverse the defeat.

The enemy's retreat horns echoed across the battlefield, announcing the failure of their siege.

On the battlefield filled with smoke, corpses were everywhere and blood flowed like a river.

Chen Qingwan looked at the enemy troops retreating like a tide, and her tense nerves finally relaxed.

His legs went limp and he slumped to the ground helplessly.

She felt sore all over, every muscle was protesting, and she couldn't even move a finger.

The noise on the battlefield gradually faded away, replaced by a buzzing sound in my ears.

The world became quiet at this moment.

She took a deep breath, feeling the relief of having survived the catastrophe, and murmured to herself:

"We... held on..."

Her voice trembled with a hint of disbelief.

Qiao'er, who was standing aside, looked at the saber with a curled blade in her hand with a complicated look in her eyes.

She breathed a long sigh of relief and said with lingering fear:

"Yes, we held on! Almost, just almost..."

I can’t imagine what fate they would face if the city was broken.

Perhaps he became a prisoner of the enemy, or perhaps he died in the chaos of war.

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but shudder.

Xia Shanhu walked up to Chen Qingwan, with a relaxed smile on his face, and said with a bow:

"Your Excellency is wise. You have seen through the enemy's tricks and saved Jingzhou from danger!"

Chen Qingwan looked at Shanhu with gratitude.

It was understood that it was he who shot and killed the enemy commander and turned the tide of the battle.

But he took all the credit for himself.

She did not hypocritically refuse, but accepted the praise with pleasure.

After all, this victory is the result of everyone's joint efforts.

It was won with the blood and lives of all the soldiers defending the city.

The surrounding soldiers were also immersed in the joy of victory. They gathered around and cheered loudly:

"Your Excellency is wise!"

The cheers surged like a wave, spreading from the south city wall to the north city wall, and finally resounding throughout the city.

The people in the city also came out of their homes and joined in the cheers.

Celebrate this hard-earned victory.

The thunderous cheers echoed in Chen Qingwan's ears, but she was not intoxicated at all.

My thoughts, like a surging tide, quickly turned to the complicated post-war affairs.

Seeing Chen Qingwan standing in the cold wind, Qiao'er worriedly draped a thick cloak over her shoulders.

"Sir, it's cold at night, please take care of yourself."

Chen Qingwan nodded slightly, but her eyes were looking into the distance.

There is endless thought in those deep eyes.

Although she won the battle, the tragic scene lingered in her mind.

The smell of blood in the air seemed to still stimulate her sense of smell.

Behind this victory are the blood and lives of countless soldiers and the displacement of the people of Jingzhou.

This made her realize more deeply that in this troubled world.

Only by being strong can you protect the peace of your area.

She pondered for a moment, turned to look at Xia Shanhu beside her, and said solemnly:

"You have made an invaluable contribution in this battle. Tell me, what reward do you want?"

Xiashanhu clasped his fists and said firmly:

"I dare not take credit for anything. Everything I have done is for you, my Lord, and for Jingzhou!"

If it weren't for Chen Qingwan's wise decision and calmness in the face of danger, Jingzhou would have fallen long ago.

His life had already been lost on the battlefield.

Chen Qingwan glanced at him with admiration, thinking to herself:

This time Shanhu is not only a martial arts expert, but also has a good sense of the overall situation. He is indeed a rare military talent.

Thinking of this, she said aloud:

"Clearly distinguishing rewards and punishments is the foundation of military discipline. You have performed such a great service, how can I not reward you?"

"How about this? I'll assign you a group of elite soldiers to form the Tiger Head Army. I hope you'll keep up the good work and make great achievements for Jingzhou!"

Upon hearing this, Xia Shanhu's eyes flashed with joy, and he quickly knelt on one knee and kowtowed to express his gratitude:

"I thank you for your promotion, sir. I will do my utmost to serve you until my death!"

Chen Qingwan helped him up personally, and was full of expectations for this newly formed Tiger Army.

She immediately ordered that the bodies of the fallen soldiers be carefully collected.

A Feng Shui treasure land was chosen outside the city for a grand burial, and people were sent to deliver pensions to the homes of the fallen soldiers.

To comfort their souls in heaven.

These soldiers sacrificed their precious lives to defend Jingzhou.

Their families deserve the best care.

He also ordered people to open the treasury and distribute food and money to the people affected by the disaster.

Help them rebuild their homes and resume production.

The wounds of war would take time to heal, and she would do everything she could.

Let the people of Jingzhou live a stable and prosperous life as soon as possible.

After dealing with these things, night had quietly fallen, and the deep night enveloped the entire city.

Chen Qingwan dragged her tired body back to the government office and summoned all the generals to discuss matters.

In the hall, all the generals looked solemn.

"Everyone, the Zhou army came with great force this time. They were clearly well prepared. We almost fell into their trap."

"Although we have repelled the enemy, the strength of the Zhou family army cannot be underestimated. We must make plans early."

Chen Qingwan said in a heavy tone.

A middle-aged man stepped out. He had a full beard, was tall and strong, and looked very powerful.

His name is Xiong Ba. He is born with supernatural powers and is a good leader. He was promoted by Chen Qingwan.

"Sir, Zhou Chen is full of tricks. I beg your permission to lead the army out of the city and fight him to the death!"

Chen Qingwan waved her hand:

"General Xiong, do not be impulsive. The Zhou army's feigned defeat and retreat this time must be secretly brewing a larger conspiracy."

“We must not act rashly.”

A counselor dressed as a scribe stepped forward and said:

"Sir, Zhou Chen has muskets and thunder bombs produced in Shannan Prefecture. They are extremely powerful. We must also purchase more gunpowder and thunder bombs to compete with him."