Chapter 746: Chapter 238: Withdrawal of Troops
“What, we are retreating?” Zhao Xi, still lying on a stretcher, was so shocked by the news he nearly sat up.
He forced himself to hold back, still laying down, but his eyes widened, and his pupils darted around.
“Since the start of the war, our army has held the advantage and the enemy has been thoroughly defeated. This defeat rests on Du Tiechuan, being assassinated twice by Young Master Shengxu, an absolute disgrace!”
Zhao Xi was so angry that he clenched his fists and ground his teeth.
“The Ginseng Whisker Dragon King hasn’t even joined the battle, yet we’ve lost.”
“My military exploits, my military exploits…”
Zhao Xi lamented internally, knowing that due to this defeat, his return to the capital would be hard to justify.
Previously, he had used his supervisor powers to seize authority amid Du Tiechuan’s recovery, which allowed him to succeed initially.
But his performance afterward was far from outstanding.
Especially when the Heaven and Earth Ghosts and others forcibly seized the underground spoils beneath the battlefield. Later, he became a deserter in the second great battle.
Although he acted convincingly, how could he possibly fool those with discerning eyes?
“No, I must do everything to protect myself!”
“Military exploits, I need military exploits to survive!!”
Zhao Xi’s own achievements were clearly insufficient, but he had subordinates under his command.
What’s a leader who doesn’t share credit with subordinates?
Zhao Xi first thought of Ning Zhuo.
“This young man hails from the Southern Bean Country, and he deliberately provoked Xiang Yue before withdrawing from the battlefield. Too outrageous, having a trump card strong enough to repel the Heaven and Earth Ghosts.”
“He might be a person from the Southern Bean Country!”
“Having him come to the royal capital to report his achievements is obviously impossible.”
Zhao Xi then thought of Mu Lan but immediately dismissed that idea.
Mu Lan’s Upper General Mansion was an even larger base, and Mu Lan’s achievements were many, but all used to restore the family’s prestige.
Zhao Xi wanted to share Mu Lan’s merits—too difficult, basically not worth considering.
“The Three Generals Camp!”
At this thought, Zhao Xi’s pupils slightly expanded.
“Quickly go find Liu Guanzhang!”
“Our army is retreating; go find the three generals Liu, Guan, and Zhang, and tell them their bravery and outstanding performance in battle caught my attention! I intend to significantly promote them!”
Shuangjing had a pale face, devoid of any color.
“My White Jade Camp, gone again…” He looked at the devastated battlefield, surrounded by corpses, on the verge of tears.
Twice the battle had been lost at Lord Long’s hands. This time, it was even more brutal than the ambush before. The White Jade Camp fought to the death to protect Shuang Ling’s physical body, with no enhancement from ‘Gao Sheng’s Legacy,’ they could only use themselves, sacrificing to painstakingly buy time from Lord Long.
Beside Shuangjing, Shuang Ling comforted, “Don’t worry, you and I will return to the capital together. I will handle things for you. Although you have no achievements in this battle, you do have hardships.”
Shuangjing was somewhat comforted, but Shuang Ling felt very low.
In this battle, she also did not gain much merit. Throughout the great battle, Shuang Ling, besides initially slaying several Nascent Souls with her array, spent most of the middle to later stages firefighting, successively resisting Xiang Yue, Lord Long, Lu Hongtu, and others, taking harsh hits.
“Damned.”
“If not for most of my assets being intercepted, I could have exerted more power and lasted longer; suppressing Lord Long and Xiang Yue wasn’t impossible!”
Warfare, in the end, is about resources.
The cultivators’ own cultivation levels are also accumulations of talent, time, materials, etc.
What are the Cultivation Hundred Skills? Essentially, they are a hundred methods of transforming excellent resources!
In this aspect, Mechanical Techniques are especially apparent. This craft can achieve Great Success, combining artifact refining, arraying, talisman crafting, alchemy, and even leveraging military art on a single mechanical artifact, maximizing combat effectiveness.
Shuang Ling’s role in this battle was actually very important. If she hadn’t personally fought, repeatedly repelling Xiang Yue, Lord Long, and others’ ferocious attacks, the Liangzhu main camp could’ve collapsed first.
It’s not an exaggeration to praise Shuang Ling as a pillar of the Liangzhu army.
“Du Tiechuan held back for so long; although he acted and caused Lord Long’s death, he ultimately could not evade Young Master Shengxu’s assassination. Truly a Transforming Spirit Level…”
“And then there’s Zhao Xi, that bastard, clearly possessing a staff and national art support but unwilling to fight, fleeing at the critical moment! Yet the first to enjoy the spoils when it’s time! Humph, returning to the royal capital, I must sternly report him!”
Red Flower Camp.
Though Du Tiechuan’s retreat order had reached Mu Lan, the latter was not in a rush, still having the entire army halt in place for full recovery.
Zhang Zhongyi stood among the wounded, constantly applying his medical skills, turning severe injuries into minor ones, and minor into negligible.
He soon exhausted his mana, breathless, and withdrew.
But unlike before, Zhang Zhongyi was no longer alone in the Red Flower Camp’s medical team.
A team of azalea flower demons immediately entered among the wounded, continuing to cast spells, replacing Zhang Zhongyi, playing an important role.
Mu Lan happened to be inspecting and Zhang Zhongyi remarked to the female general, “Young Master Ning Zhuo has done a great deed indeed.”
“The flower demon squad he acquired has greatly helped me, also aiding the Red Flower Camp in saving many veteran soldiers and healing numerous recruits.”
He held Ning Zhuo in high regard and sincerely hoped for Mu Lan’s well-being, thus seizing any chance to match Mu Lan with Ning Zhuo.
Despite Mu Lan and Ning Zhuo being married, Zhang Zhongyi knew that there was little genuine affection between the two.