Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

This night was destined to be the most unforgettable night for these upper-class military groups of the empire.

The elite troops of the Wu Camp, known as invincible in the world, and the unrivaled cavalry of the foreign vassal states, were now being driven like stray dogs by a troop of infantry, fleeing in disarray across the wilderness.

Fu Heng led his remaining troops in a breakout attempt, determined to escape this hellish place.

However, amidst the vast sea of ​​fire, they repeatedly lost their way and were constantly surrounded and intercepted by Chu army squads.

When Fu Heng finally left the Zijin Mountain stronghold, he discovered that only a thousand of his elite troops remained.

"General, what should we do now?"

Lou Shide gazed at the raging inferno, his heart heavy with sorrow.

Fu Heng remained silent, his cold pupils reflecting the raging fire.

More than 60,000 elite troops were completely wiped out in a single battle.

This was an unprecedented and devastating defeat he had suffered since joining the army.

"Why!"

His expression was blank, and his deep voice echoed in the air.

"How could a force of 60,000 skilled archers and cavalrymen, with profound cultivation, have been wiped out so quickly?"

"Why is this happening? Can anyone tell me why this is happening?!"

In his panic, he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Fu Long quickly pulled him back: "Brother, this is not your fault. No one expected the Chu army to be so cunning!"

Fu Heng: "If it's not my fault, then whose fault is it? As the commander-in-chief of the army, I have caused great damage to the foundation of Wu Zhao. If it's not my responsibility, then whose is it?"

Generals Lou Shide, Fu Long, and Hulü Guang all lowered their heads.

They had imagined all sorts of outcomes, but they never expected to lose so badly and so quickly.

"In this battle, several generals, including Mingrui, Quan Xiancheng, Yang Yingyuan, Baijiang, Aorui, and Qishan, were killed in action. 100,000 warhorses were lost, and more than 60,000 people are still missing in Zijin Mountain. It seems that their chances of survival are slim."

"Since the founding of the Wuzhao Kingdom, when has it ever suffered such a miserable defeat? Tell me, how am I supposed to go back and explain this to His Majesty?!"

"No, I have no face to see His Majesty. I should die for my country!"

After saying that, he suddenly drew his sword and was about to slit his own throat.

"General!"

Huli Guang reacted quickly and grabbed the sword.

Fu Long and the others realized what was happening and continued to persuade him.

"General, as long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood. Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. You must not seek death."

Fu Heng, tears streaming down his face, cried out, "Let me die! With the war in such a state, how can I face His Majesty?"

Fu Long patted his shoulder and advised gently, "Brother, let's lead the men away from this troublesome place first. We can make plans once we get to Qingcheng."

As he spoke, he snatched the sword from Fu Heng's hand.

"Fine, I'll speak to His Majesty personally. I'll accept whatever punishment he demands, even if it means the extermination of my entire family."

Fu Long finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Brother, you're right to think that way. Let's go back to Qingcheng to rest first. Zijin Mountain is such a large area..."

I believe more young men will escape and join us; let us leave now and wait for their arrival.

"That's all it can do."

Fu Heng sighed, turned around, mounted his horse, and led the remaining troops toward Qingcheng.

boom--

Suddenly a gunshot rang out.

puff--

The next moment, a sniper bullet grazed Fu Heng's cheek and accurately pierced Fu Long's temple.

Fu Long didn't even utter a cold snort before falling straight off his horse.

"Commander Fu!"

"Brother!"

"Protect the General!"

The sudden turn of events threw all the soldiers on the field into a panic.

Fortunately, Lou Shide reacted quickly and decisively ordered his men to surround Fu Heng.

"Go, hurry up and get the general away!"

The crowd quickly helped Fu Heng and his generals leave.

At this moment, 600 meters away, Wei Kang put away his sniper rifle, shook his head, and muttered to himself, "What a pity, just a hair's breadth away."

After venting his frustrations, he quietly disappeared into the night.

The fire on Zijin Mountain burned for a full day and night, and was not extinguished until noon the next day.

The Chu army began to systematically clean up the battlefield and compiled the spoils of war into a register, which was then submitted to Shen Lang for review.

"Commander, in this battle we captured 27,000 intact warhorses, 15,000 wounded horses, and the rest were either too badly wounded to be cured or too disabled to be transported."

In addition, 29,800 sets of armor and 17,000 horse bows were captured. The current count of enemy casualties is 55,683.

The data still needs further review before the final results can be confirmed.

After listening to Lü Meng's report, Shen Lang nodded in satisfaction: "No prisoners?"

Lu Meng shook his head: "Follow the commander's orders and do not take prisoners."

Shen Lang: "Well done. I wonder how Li Hong will react after this battle. His most elite troops were almost completely wiped out by me."

Upon hearing this news, their facial expressions must have been priceless.

Lu Meng: "With the loss of nearly 60,000 elite troops, given the current mobilization capacity of Wu Zhao Kingdom, it is likely that the foundation of the country has been shaken. I just don't know if Li Hong will continue to fight to the bitter end."

Shen Lang shook his head: "We have the initiative in the war now. Whether he fights to the death or not is not important. Have you found out where the remnants went?"

"Qingcheng".

Lu Meng analyzed.

"If I am not mistaken, the only place the Wu Zhao Army can go in the Southern Zhili region is Qingcheng. Commander, I implore you to launch an attack on Qingcheng and completely annihilate this army."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang got up and paced back and forth in front of the sand table.

After pondering for a long time, he shook his head and said, "Ignore Qingcheng. Send two regiments to Suizhou Sanguan Road to set up a defensive line."

Cut off their supply train; remember, just disperse them, no need to wipe them out.

Lu Meng saluted and said, "This subordinate understands. I will go and make preparations immediately."

After Lü Meng left, Pei Ju came to report: "Commander, His Majesty sent a document saying that the elite troops of the Haizhou Martial Camp have been completely driven out, and they are currently preparing to negotiate with the envoy sent by Wu Zhao."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang took the document and glanced at it, then frowned: "That's strange. Why would Wu Zhao Kingdom bypass Southern Zhili and go directly to Haizhou for peace talks? That's quite interesting."

Pei Ju cautiously probed, "Commander, what are your thoughts?"

Shen Lang shook his head: "Trust Her Majesty. The Haizhou affair won't be a problem for her. What we need to do now is continue to put pressure on Shengjing and see how many more tricks Li Hong has up his sleeve."

Pei Ju: "After such a crushing defeat, I think Li Hong should have come to his senses and be willing to negotiate with us, right?"

Shen Lang stretched out his arms: "If they still intend to continue fighting, then I don't mind heading straight north to Shengjing."

"I personally led my troops into the Qianqing Palace to negotiate with him. Given Wu Zhaoguo's virtually nonexistent mobilization capacity, my Chu army would have been able to enter an empty field."