The 19th of December, Lingxi City.
The remnants of the Imperial Guards who had traveled day and night finally returned to Lingxi City, ready to meet the Emperor.
Moreover, three days ago, the intelligence of the Imperial Guard Army being ambushed and even the detailed battle report had already been presented to Ouyang Shuo's desk, causing Ouyang Shuo to be extremely furious to the point he smashed the table into pieces on the spot, and his expression was terrifyingly gloomy.
When the Emperor was angry, the heavens and earth changed color.
Lingxi City was immediately shrouded in a dark cloud. Everyone was cautious, afraid of angering the Emperor. Black Snake, who had rushed back, almost committed suicide in front of the Emperor.
Because of the intelligence error, the Imperial Guards were ambushed, and even the entire war in Yunnan experienced a shocking reversal. Black Snake and the other intelligence chiefs were truly to blame.
Black Snake stood outside the Emperor's courtyard for a full day and night, but was not able to see the Emperor.
He only received four words: "Atone for your crimes!"
Black Snake heard this and bowed deeply outside the courtyard, turned around, and disappeared into the night.
Mountain Sea Guards Commander Shen Buhai and the Military Intelligence Chief Cobra were also punished. This time, the three intelligence chiefs were disgraced and in a sorry state.
The intelligence network that the territory had spent a lot of money to build actually failed at a critical moment. It was really ironic.
In order to quell the impact of the war in Dongchuan County, Ouyang Shuo had to urgently summon Du Ruhui, Zhao Kuo, and Chen Gong to Lingxi City. At the same time, he kept in touch with Bai Qi, Jia Xu, and Shi Wansui through letters.
They busied themselves for a full two days, making adjustments to the battle plan that they had previously formulated.
The news that the alliance and the allied army had teleported to Tengchong City was finally received by the Black Snake Guards.
In response to this, Bai Qi proposed, and with Ouyang Shuo's approval, the battle strategy of the center and left armies was adjusted.
The center army formed by the Shi Wansui and Zhang Liao armies would slowly advance, maintaining pressure on Tengchong City. At the same time, the left army led by Bai Qi stepped up their occupation of Mengding County.
More importantly, in response to the alliance's possible teleportation tactic, Bai Qi formulated a "Black Chess" plan based on the previous tactic to counter the teleportation tactic.
Currently, the entire military arrangement revolved around the "Black Chess" plan. It was precisely because of this that Ouyang Shuo wanted Black Snake to atone for his crimes and ensure that the "Black Chess" plan could be successfully implemented.
…
Upon learning that the Imperial Guards had returned, Ouyang Shuo, who had been expressionless for the past few days, walked out of the courtyard and personally rushed to the city gates to welcome them.
"My lord!"
Upon seeing Ouyang Shuo, Huo Qubing immediately dismounted from his horse and knelt down on one knee. He cupped his fists and was speechless for a moment. Then, he said sorrowfully, "I have failed the Lord's trust, please punish me!"
Ouyang Shuo stepped forward to support Huo Qubing and said, "General, this defeat is not your fault."
"My lord, this general is guilty!"
Huo Qubing, on the other hand, could not overcome this hurdle, and his face was full of self-blame. He didn't expect that the first defeat of his life would come so quickly, and he was caught unprepared. This was a huge blow to the proud Huo Qubing.
Ouyang Shuo resolutely helped Huo Qubing up. "Get up first!" As he spoke, Ouyang Shuo raised his head and looked at the soldiers behind Huo Qubing.
After rushing all the way, almost all of the soldiers who broke out of the encirclement were wounded. Hunger, exhaustion, pain, and so on constantly attacked the soldiers' bodies, making them look terrible.
Even so, they were still unable to defeat them.
What really made them anxious was the rebuke from the Lord. The Imperial Guards were the sharpest sword in the Lord's hand, and the territory's everlasting glory.
But at this moment, they had fallen.
If the Lord revealed a disappointed expression, it would be enough to make the soldiers die of shame.
If it wasn't for the fact that they had to rush back to Lingxi City to report, some of the soldiers would have even committed suicide along the way to atone for their sins. Seeing the Lord look over, the soldiers avoided his gaze, and some even lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.
Ouyang Shuo saw this and his expression was sorrowful. He noticed the anxiety and embarrassment in the soldiers' eyes, and his heart ached as he looked at their lifeless eyes.
At this moment, the Lord's unique, magnetic and infectious voice rang in the soldiers' ears.
"My sons, one defeat is not enough to defeat the Imperial Guards. I have always seen your bravery and fearlessness, and you are worthy of the name and glory of the Imperial Guards. "
There was a commotion in the crowd, and some soldiers turned their heads to look at the Lord with the eyes of a child looking at his father.
"My sons, raise your heads, stick out your chests, and look straight ahead. The glory that has been lost can only be found on the battlefield. Hold the spears in your hands tightly, and continue to defend the glory of the Imperial Guards. "
More and more soldiers raised their heads, and looked at the Lord.
At this moment, they were like abandoned children who had suddenly found their way back home, and their expressions were complicated.
"My sons, welcome home!"
Ouyang Shuo smiled slightly, and it was like the sun was shining warmly into the soldiers' broken hearts, baptizing their fatigue, and soothing their anxious and uneasy hearts.
Faint sounds of sobbing came from the troops, low, suppressed, and relieved.
The men secretly used their dirty sleeves to wipe their tears, leaving a stain at the corner of their eyes, but the expressions on their faces were incomparably cheerful and relaxed.
The group of fearful and uneasy soldiers suddenly found a direction to move forward again.
"Lord!"
The Imperial Guards knelt on the ground, all of them excited. "We will forever follow you, Lord!" The Lord's words made the soldiers feel that no matter how much suffering they had to endure, it was all worth it.
The Imperial Guards would never admit defeat!
Bai Hua and the others who accompanied them looked at the scene in front of them, and their expressions were filled with emotion. How could Di Chen and the others know what kind of spirit Shanhai City truly relied on for its rise?
As long as this spirit was not extinguished, Shanhai City would never fall.
… …
That night, Ouyang Shuo did not hold a banquet for the Imperial Guards.
He knew that the Imperial Guards were a group of arrogant men, and they were unwilling to accept any gifts after their defeat. Forcing a banquet would only make things more awkward for them.
Ouyang Shuo only ordered the quartermaster to send them the usual supplies, and he did not give them any extra care. Of course, during the day, Ouyang Shuo specially went back to Shanhai City.
At the Guanlin Temple, Ouyang Shuo used a King Level General Soul to resurrect the deceased General Ma Teng. As soon as he walked out of the Guanlin Temple, Ma Teng's first request was to return to the army.
Ouyang Shuo was slightly surprised when he saw this.
From the looks of it, Huo Qubing, the Commander of the Imperial Guards, had completely convinced this old general.
Even so, Ouyang Shuo did not agree to Ma Teng's request.
Firstly, Ma Teng was old, and he had just experienced death once. It was not appropriate for him to enter the battlefield again. When he heard the news of his father's death, Ma Chao, who had already led his troops to Lingxi City, became anxious.
If Ouyang Shuo had not stepped forward to restrain him, Ma Chao would have led his troops to reinforce Dongchuan Prefecture.
Secondly, he wanted Ma Teng to cooperate with the territory's strategic arrangements.
Ouyang Shuo instructed Ma Teng to frequently appear in Shanhai City, and it would be best if he could act sorrowful to confuse the enemy spies in Shanhai City.
Ma Teng did not understand at first, but when he saw the scroll that Ouyang Shuo handed him, he suddenly understood.
"Don't worry, my lord. I will cooperate well."
To be honest, a veteran like Ma Teng was still a little fearful after dying once. If he rushed to the battlefield again, he might suffer from some kind of mental illness.
Moreover, Ma Teng did not want to distract Ma Chao and the others.
When Ouyang Shuo saw this, he nodded in satisfaction. This old general was still very reasonable.
When he left Shanhai City, Ouyang Shuo brought someone with him. He was Lu Bu, who was still studying in the military's martial arts lecture hall. Lu Bu would temporarily replace Ma Teng and command the First Division of the Imperial Guards.
December 20th, Lingxi City's outer military camp.
At the Imperial Guards' encampment, ten thousand Imperial Guards had already gathered at the drill ground under Huo Qubing's command. Yesterday, the lord had instructed him to give the soldiers a surprise.
At around eight in the morning, Ouyang Shuo arrived at the drill ground punctually with Lu Bu.
"My lord!"
Huo Qubing rushed over. He knew what a surprise was, so he was especially excited.
Ouyang Shuo smiled and did not say anything. He took out a scroll from his storage pouch. It was the [Group Resurrection Scroll] that he had obtained when he looted Sirius Island in Somalia.
[Name]: Group Resurrection Scroll
[Type]: Special Item
[Restriction]: One-time use item. Only usable by players and lords.
[Attribute]: A certain amount of gold coins can be used to resurrect the dead. There is no upper limit to the number of resurrected soldiers. Below ten thousand will cost ten gold coins per person. Every ten thousand increase in the upper limit will cost ten gold coins per person.
[Note]: Senior generals and above, including historical generals, will not be able to be resurrected.
Ouyang Shuo did not expect that he would have to use this scroll so soon. The Imperial Guards were the strongest army in the territory. The Armored Beast Division and the Mountain Barbarian Heavy Infantry Division were existences that could not be replicated.
As such, the scroll could be considered to be used to its fullest potential.
Ouyang Shuo opened the scroll, and a system notification rang in his ears.
System Notification: Player Not Wearing Anything has been detected to use the Special Item [Group Resurrection Scroll]. Please select the resurrection target!
Shanhai City Imperial Guards' First Legion.
System Notification: The resurrection target has been locked. Checking …
System Notification: Shanhai City Imperial Guards' First Legion has been detected to have died outside Yong Ren City five days ago. Please select the number of people to resurrect!
"Resurrect them all." Ouyang Shuo did not hesitate.
System Notification: Resurrecting people will cost 128.64 million gold coins. Would you like to resurrect them immediately?
"Resurrect them immediately!"
Even if it cost more than a million gold coins, Ouyang Shuo would still resurrect them.
System Notification: Resurrection request confirmed. Resurrect immediately!
As soon as he finished speaking, a dazzling white light flashed in the drill ground. When the white light dissipated, all the Imperial Guards who had died in the battle of Yong Ren City appeared, except for the high-ranking generals.
Ouyang Shuo looked at these officers and soldiers and said with gratification, "Welcome home, my sons!" Mobile users, please browse and read for a better reading experience.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
