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

Chen Qingwan made a prompt decision and said that now he could only continue to withdraw his troops.

As long as we hold on to Jingzhou City and wait for Zuo Wei to return for support, there is hope of resolving the crisis.

"Qiao'er, how long can the supplies in the city last?"

Qiao'er's voice trembled: "One month at most!"

Chen Qingwan nodded, climbed up the city wall, and scanned the soldiers who were on high alert below the city with a sharp gaze.

The wind blew her black cloak, making it flutter like a black flag.

Soon, Li Mu and Xiashanhu returned covered in dust.

Li Mu fell to his knees with a thud:

"I am ashamed of your Majesty's cultivation!"

In this battle, he not only failed to capture Zeng County, but also fell into an enemy ambush.

The losses were heavy, it was truly shameful.

Xiashanhu also looked depressed. Since he followed Chen Qingwan to Jingzhou, he had never encountered such a big setback.

He knelt on one knee and said in a deep voice:

"I am guilty, Your Highness, please punish me!"

Chen Qingwan looked at them, her tone frighteningly calm:

"I will indeed punish you."

She spoke in a low voice.

"But before that, I must punish myself! I blindly sent out troops without understanding the enemy's situation, only to discover it right under my nose! What are the scouts of the Yulin Army doing?"

After a suffocating silence, she suddenly drew the sword from her waist, pointing the tip directly at the ground, making a crisp sound.

"But I don't blame them!"

Her voice became even colder, and every word she said pierced into people's hearts like an icicle.

"The problem is mine! The problem is within us! Wasn't the lesson from the Zhou army enough? If we don't lose, who will?" "Have you forgotten who you are after fighting a few successful battles with weapons you bought from Shannan Prefecture? How did you forget how we took back this land, inch by inch, with our blood and lives?"

"Now that we've run out of weapons, won't we fight anymore?"

Everyone was silent, and everyone felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on their heart, heavy and heavy.

They had to admit that Her Majesty the Empress' words were like a wake-up call, awakening the deaf and deaf.

The Yulin Army did occupy two states, but this was the fruit of victory.

But it was like poison wrapped in sugar, slowly eroding their fighting spirit.

Those small forces at the beginning were like chickens and dogs, and were vulnerable.

Their defeat gave the Yulin Army the illusion that the world was within their grasp.

But with the demise of these small forces, the remaining ones are all battle-hardened and powerful rivals.

They were like hard bones that were stuck in the throats of the Yulin Army, making them feel like they had a thorn in their throats.

Their former underestimation of the enemy and arrogance have now turned into sharp blades, stabbing themselves in turn.

They can no longer underestimate the enemy and advance rashly as they did before.

Otherwise, what awaits them will be an abyss of no return.

What's more, the enemy is holding sophisticated weapons from Shannan Prefecture.

Those weapons were more advanced and deadlier than their existing equipment.

On the battlefield, this is undoubtedly an asymmetric contest.

It is like a sword hanging over their heads, which may fall at any time and kill them.

Chen Qingwan took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down:

"Pass the order, the whole city is under martial law. No one is allowed to leave the city without my order. Li Mu, you must reorganize the Yulin Army and strengthen its training, especially in close combat. Don't just rely on firearms all the time."

"Xiashanhu, you are responsible for the city defense. You must ensure that Jingzhou City is impregnable."

"According to the order!"

They both responded in unison.

Chen Qingwan rubbed her eyebrows and felt tired.

The days of running around and fighting had left her physically and mentally exhausted.

She looked up into the distance, her eyes full of worry.

She had no idea whether Jingzhou City could be defended.

As night fell, Jingzhou City was shrouded in a tense atmosphere.

On the city wall, soldiers held weapons and watched outside the city vigilantly.

Inside the city, people stayed indoors and the streets were empty.

Seeing that Li Mu and Xiashanhu were still kneeling, Qiao'er came to Chen Qingwan and whispered:

"Your Majesty, given the current situation, let's get past this conversation first. How about...giving them a chance to redeem themselves for their crimes?"

Chen Qingwan rubbed her aching temples and waved her hand:

"Everyone, get up! We'll settle this later!"

She was furious and gave many warnings before leaving Jingzhou.

It hasn't been long since he was beaten at his doorstep!

She thought of the military strategies that Lu Yan taught her, which were all common principles.

But why can the soldiers of Shannan Prefecture repeatedly defeat the larger force with a smaller one and turn decay into magic?

It’s all because of their reckless determination!

At this moment, dust was flying in the distance, and the remnants of the defeated army fled back in a panic.

The leaders knelt down in front of Chen Qingwan with a plop, each with a mournful look on their face.

"I am incompetent and failed to bring my brothers back. Please punish me, Your Highness!"

Chen Qingwan suppressed her anger and asked in a deep voice:

"How many more people are there?"

One of them replied tremblingly:

"Over 800 cavalrymen were killed, and over 3,000 infantry and other troops..."

Chen Qingwan only felt a darkness before her eyes, and nearly a quarter of the troops were gone!

She swayed, her face was pale, and she bit her lips so hard that they almost drew blood.

Those vivid faces, those brothers and sisters who once fought alongside her.

Now they have all turned into cold corpses... My heart aches.

It was as if someone was holding a blunt knife, cutting into her heart bit by bit.

Li Mu noticed something strange about Chen Qingwan and quickly stepped forward:

"Your Majesty, you..."

Before she could finish her words, Chen Qingwan fell straight back.

At the critical moment, Qiao'er rushed over with quick eyes and hands.

He hugged her and prevented her from falling to the ground.

There was a sudden chaos on the tower, and Xiashanhu shouted at the top of his voice:

"Great doctor! Someone come quickly!"

Fortunately, the accompanying doctor was not far away.

He hurried forward to check the patient's pulse and gave him a few more injections before finally breathing a sigh of relief.

"Your Majesty simply fainted from overwork and anger, and is not seriously injured."

Everyone's hearts finally settled down. The doctor's diagnosis was like a shot of adrenaline for them.

However, before anyone could completely relax, an ominous feeling settled over everyone's heart.

In the distance, thick smoke billowed like a giant black python.

It rolled in the sky, swallowed up the sunlight, and brought a suffocating feeling of oppression.

The thick smoke is rising from the west, which is the direction the enemy is coming from!

Immediately afterwards, the earth began to tremble, and the sound of horse hooves came from far away, becoming clearer and more rapid.

Thousands of troops were galloping towards Jingzhou City, and the dust they raised covered the sky.

The entire earth was shrouded in a dim yellow.