The government was sending out wives, and I ended up with a princess from the previous dynasty!

In the past, with the natural defenses of Sifang City and the 200,000-strong Thousand Rock Army, they could have held out even with their eyes closed!

But Huo Zhitian had clearly miscalculated.

Huo Zhitian was particularly puzzled by Murong Nishang's appearance!

Murong Nishang had some of her hair burned off in Sifang City, and on the way back she cut off a lot more herself. Her original long, straight black hair was now short, which was quite unusual.

Huo Yaojin was also wrapped in bandages, his face was completely bloodless, and he looked like he was seriously injured and dying.

"What exactly happened? How did Shen Li take over Sifang City?"

Huo Zhitian's curiosity was piqued.

Murong Nishang sat on the chair next to him, drinking her tea and ignoring Huo Zhitian's words.

As a saintess, her status was already higher than Huo Zhitian's, so it was perfectly reasonable for her to ignore him.

Huo Yaojin was Huo Zhitian's younger brother, so he could only honestly recount what had happened.

"This... I really didn't expect this... I never expected this!"

"Such a fortress, gone just like that! I was originally planning to use Sifang City as a bridgehead for attacking Dajing!"

"And now, this is the result!"

"The only possibility for the explosion is that when the city was built, a lot of incendiary bombs were buried under the city walls. This is a common tactic used by the Drywood Sect! And Shen Li found out about this secret!"

"It's careless!"

Huo Zhitian's analysis was very close to the truth, proving him to be a renowned general.

“I think so too.” Murong Nishang put down the teapot in her hand. “Moreover, a mysterious expert appeared in the army during Shen Li’s attack on the city.”

Huo Yaojin quickly replied, "That's right, this arrow wound was from the enemy! I almost didn't make it back!"

Huo Zhitian frowned upon hearing this: "The only capable generals the Great Jing Dynasty can offer right now are Shen Li, Lan Biyin, their eldest prince, and Ming Heying. But Ming Heying is unlikely to come, so who else is there?"

"I don't know, she has never shown herself." Murong Nishang shook her head.

"By the way, I will be going into seclusion for a while. I will trouble the General to visit the Emperor."

Having suffered a defeat and with her hair ruined, Murong Nishang was in no mood to meet the Emperor and give a work report. Of course, she dumped this arduous task on Huo Zhitian.

After saying that, Murong Nishang stood up, flicked her sleeves, and left.

Huo Yaojin was stunned: "Brother, this..."

Huo Zhitian's expression was uncertain. He waved his hand, signaling Huo Yaojin to leave as well.

"Murong Nishang, you shameless woman, how dare you put on airs in front of this general! If it weren't for your status and the person behind you, this general would have already dealt with you..."

Huo Zhitian stood in the living room for a long time before finally deciding to go to the palace.

Regardless, we still need to give the Emperor an explanation for this matter.

Upon entering the palace and arriving at the Imperial Study, one sees an old eunuch named Hong Siyang, a confidant of Emperor Zhan Yunqian of the Longwu Kingdom.

"General Huo, what brings you to the palace so late at night?"

Hong Siyang had a faint smile on his face.

"Eunuch Hong, has His Majesty retired for the night?" Huo Zhitian asked.

Hong Siyang shook his head: "The Emperor has been spending his nights in the Imperial Study these past few days, working through the night. General Huo knows this. If General Huo wishes to see the Emperor, please allow this old servant to report it first."

"Thank you for your trouble, Father-in-law." Huo Zhitian nodded calmly.

Hong Siyang turned and walked towards the Imperial Study.

Soon, Hong Siyang came out again and waved to Huo Zhitian from a distance.

This was a signal for Huo Zhitian to enter the imperial study.

Zhan Yunqian usually did not meet with his ministers late at night, but Huo Zhitian was an exception.

This also shows Huo Zhitian's status in the Longwu Kingdom.

Upon entering the Imperial Study, Huo Zhitian saw a middle-aged man dressed in a black robe embroidered with gold dragons, drawing something with a brush at a table.

Although Zhan Yunqian was an emperor, he was unkempt. His dragon robe was casually draped over his shoulders, and a few strands of hair fell loosely on either side of his forehead, making him look somewhat slovenly. His phoenix eyes, however, exuded a noble and alluring charm.

Especially the mysterious and profound sense of detachment in his eyes, giving people a feeling of unattainability.

"Wei minister, please see Your Majesty!"

"Alright, sit down."

Huo Zhitian dared not sit down.

If it were before, he might have sat down, but Sifang City had just suffered a major defeat, losing many soldiers and generals, and even the Holy Maiden didn't dare to come over, so how could he dare to be presumptuous at this time?

"Judging from your appearance, you've lost the battle, haven't you?"

Li Yunqian threw down the pen in his hand, put his hands on his hips, and turned to look at Huo Zhitian.

"Pfft!"

Huo Zhitian immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying, "Your subject is guilty. The Four Directions City was destroyed in a massive explosion, and the Thousand Rock Legion suffered heavy casualties."

Zhan Yunqian frowned: "A huge explosion? Where did that huge explosion come from?"

Huo Zhitian recounted the course of the battle.

"Such a thing has happened! What a magnificent city of four directions! What a magnificent Kuang Qianqiu! What a magnificent Kumu Sect!"

Zhan Yunqian was taken aback at first, then burst into wild laughter.

Huo Zhitian kept his head very low.

The emperor before him was deep in thought, and he dared not guess what was on his mind.

"These people from the Drywood Sect love to play these tricks. They even left behind this backup plan, which led to the destruction of my Sifang City and the killing of my Longwu soldiers. It was the right thing for me to destroy this sect!"

"Since Sifang City has been destroyed, Dajing will not be able to establish itself in Jiangbei, and will naturally return to Jiangnan."

"Therefore, this Four Directions City has no inherent ownership!"

"Alright, you may leave. I... understand."

Huo Zhitian found it strange; he could tell that Zhan Yunqian didn't seem unhappy at all.

After a moment's hesitation, he said in a deep voice, "Such an incident in Sifang City must mean that there are still remnants of the Kumu Sect. Should we issue a kill order?"

Zhan Yunqian shook his head: "It's difficult to completely eradicate a sect like the Kumu Sect. It's normal for there to be remnants. As for the kill order... let's forget about it. Keeping these people around might still be useful."

"Yes, then this humble subject will take his leave."

Huo Zhitian bowed again and then left the Imperial Study.

“Your Majesty, Huo Zhitian’s defeat this time is probably more than just a loss of soldiers and generals. Are you sure you won’t punish him?” Hong Siyang stepped forward and said.

"Sifang City was built by the Kumu Sect and Kuang Qianqiu, so it's not surprising that something like this happened. Besides, this time Saintess Murong is also stationed at the front. If Huo Zhitian is to be punished, Saintess Murong will also have to be punished. This will inevitably damage the morale of our army."

"Send someone to Sifang City to see what's going on."

"Here!"

Hong Siyang withdrew from the Imperial Study and began to arrange manpower.

There was another reason why Zhan Yunqian was not punished.

After destroying Daqing, Huo Zhitian's Qianyan Army grew powerful. Huo Zhitian valued his military achievements and even had to be served a chair when he went to court.

Now that the Thousand Rock Army has suffered a crushing defeat, it's a good opportunity to put Huo Zhitian's arrogance to rest.