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

Soldiers poured into the city like a tide and began to plunder the spoils.

Gold, silver, jewelry, silks, satins, food and weapons were piled up like mountains.

The war horses in the horse market became the focus of competition among the soldiers.

These war horses are fat and strong, and are all top-quality horses, which are crucial for marching and fighting.

They are the soldiers' most loyal companions and an indispensable force in war.

Chen Qingwan stood on the city wall, looking at the flames rising into the sky in the city, but she did not feel much joy in her heart.

The firelight illuminated the sky and Chen Qingwan's face red.

But there was no excitement in her eyes, instead they were full of worry.

This victory came too easily, entirely because Zhang Xinwang withdrew troops from Huai'an City, giving her the opportunity to take advantage.

Now Huai'an City has been burned down by fire, and the Zhang family has suffered heavy losses.

After Zhang Xinwang gets the news, he will definitely send troops to support them, and then they will be attacked from both sides.

"Pass the order down, speed up! We must evacuate Huai'an City within one hour!"

Chen Qingwan gave the order again, her tone more urgent.

She must evacuate Huai'an City before Zhang Xinwang's reinforcements arrive, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous.

An hour later, Chen Qingwan led the army to evacuate Huai'an City.

The burning city of Huai'an gradually disappeared from their sight.

……

In Jingzhou, the atmosphere in Zhang Xinwang’s camp was solemn.

Zhang Xinwang paced back and forth with a frown on his face.

He received news that Chen Qingwan had actually sneaked into Qingzhou with her troops.

"Damn it! This woman is a slippery creature, she's so slippery she won't hold back!"

Zhang Xinwang cursed fiercely and slammed his fist on the table, making the teacups clink.

Qingzhou is backed by Shannan Prefecture, and Lu Yan is not someone to be trifled with.

The number of people I have is not even enough to fill their teeth.

Zhang Xinwang knew clearly that Chen Qingwan was taking advantage of her situation to pressure others and using Lu Yan as a pawn.

He is not a fool. He has been fooled once and it is enough. He will never rashly send troops again this time.

"Hmph, let her run wild for a few days! Once I've cleared out all of Jingzhou, I'll settle the score with her!"

Zhang Xinwang thought viciously, with a fierce look in his eyes.

Even if Chen Qingwan escaped, he at least took Liangzhou and Jingzhou, so it was not a loss no matter how you looked at it.

The most important thing now is to get the national seal back from that butcher general.

Just as he was thinking about how to take back the national seal, a soldier ran in in a panic and fell to his knees with a thud:

"Report... Report to the General! Huai'an... Something happened in Huai'an!"

Zhang Xinwang's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition came over him:

"Huaian? What happened? Tell me slowly!"

The soldier replied tremblingly:

"Huaian...Huaian has been attacked! The enemy...the enemy is burning, killing, and looting in the city. A huge fire...has burned Xiangbei to ashes!"

"Our...our entire Zhang family...was all...burned down in the fire!"

"what?!"

Zhang Xinwang felt like he was struck by lightning, his eyes went dark, and he almost fainted.

Huai'an is the base of the Zhang family, how could it be suddenly attacked?

Who did it? Could it be Chen Qingwan? No

Maybe, she should be in Qingzhou.

"Where's my dad? How is he?!"

Zhang Xinwang grabbed the soldier's collar and asked anxiously.

The soldier quickly replied:

"Master Zhang Ye... is fine. He and his clansmen... escaped through the escape route..."

Hearing that his father was safe, Zhang Xinwang finally breathed a sigh of relief and slumped down in a chair.

Huai'an was destroyed and the Zhang family's century-old foundation was burned down. This was undoubtedly a bolt from the blue for him.

"Who is it? Who did it?!"

Zhang Xinwang asked with gritted teeth, his eyes filled with flames of hatred.

He must find the murderer and tear him into pieces!

The soldier replied tremblingly:

"Reply... Reply, General, according to the tribesmen who escaped back... the troops that attacked Huai'an... were the Yulin Army..."

"What? The Empress!"

Zhang Xinwang stood up suddenly, furious.

He never imagined that the one who attacked Huai'an was the empress!

Impossible! Shouldn't he be in Qingzhou?

How come he suddenly appeared in Huai'an?

"Empress! It must be that bitch!"

Zhang Xinwang's eyes were bloodshot and bloodshot, and he was running around in the tent.

Huai'an, the foundation of the Zhang family and their century-old business, was destroyed in an instant!

The news was like a bolt from the blue, making him dizzy.

He finally realized that he had been fooled by Chen Qingwan and was deceived by her hypocritical face!

She pretended to withdraw her troops from Qingzhou, but actually secretly went to Chencang, deployed troops, and burned down his lair!

"General! Calm down!"

Outside the tent, a burst of hurried footsteps broke Zhang Xinwang's almost crazy silence.

Chen Gong, his military advisor, almost stumbled into the tent.

Seeing Zhang Xinwang’s bloodshot eyes and the overturned tables and chairs in the tent.

His heart sank, knowing how much of a blow the news of Huai'an's fall had been to Zhang Xinwang.

"General..."

Chen Gong had just opened his mouth when he was interrupted by Zhang Xinwang's furious voice:

"Huaian! My Huai'an! My home! It's all gone!"

Zhang Xinwang grabbed Chen Gong by the collar and roared like a trapped beast.

Chen Gong struggled to steady himself, forcing himself to calm down, and said word by word:

"General, Huai'an City... has fallen. However, Lord Zhang Ye and his clansmen have safely evacuated. This is a blessing in disguise."

"Lucky?! My century-old foundation was destroyed in an instant, and you call that lucky?!"

Zhang Xinwang roared, pushed Chen Gong away, and staggered back a few steps.

He sat dejectedly on the overturned chair, covering his face with his hands and groaning in pain.

He seemed to be able to see the raging fire devouring his home, his memories, and everything he had.

Chen Gong took a deep breath and tried to keep his voice calm:

"General, although Huai'an City is lost, the people are still there. As long as the people are still there, there is hope!"

"Hope? My hope was destroyed by that damned empress!"

Zhang Xinwang suddenly raised his head, flames of hatred burning in his eyes.

"I want revenge! I want to destroy Qingzhou, capture Chen Qingwan alive, and cut her into pieces!"

He gritted his teeth, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, full of deep hatred.

Chen Gong sighed inwardly, knowing that persuasion was useless at this moment, he could only calm Zhang Xinwang down first:

"General, calm down! Qingzhou is easy to defend but difficult to attack, and with Lu Yan from Shannan Prefecture stationed here, a rash attack would be more trouble than it's worth!"

"Lu Yan! Lu Yan again!"

Zhang Xinwang stood up suddenly and kicked over the table next to him.

Suddenly, there was a crackling sound in the tent.

"This lingering guy! How many times has he ruined my plans? I wish I could tear him into pieces!"

"General, the best strategy now is to preserve our strength."

Chen Gong tried hard to persuade him.

"Huai'an has been destroyed, and several major families in the north are ready to make a move. We must stabilize the situation as soon as possible and wait for the future!"