Vol 9 Chapter 114 (2/2)

“Then what about the troops?”

“The generals are fine.” Chen Gong said as she looked at the report with a grim expression, “But the troops suffered grave casualties. Due to multiple waves of arrows and a sudden charge to their flanks, it is estimated that they have lost more than half of their troops.”

“More than half…”

It was a very simple phrase but it’s truly terrifying. In the last battle, there were 6-7,000 bodies outside Xinye city which required a full 2 days and nights for over 1,000 troops to clear up. And now, losing more than half means that our total losses are the same as that of the enemy in the first battle.

Wu… In an instant, I could feel an unbelievably painful pressure in my chest that almost made me fall to my knees. I know, that there are some responsibilities that are just too much for me to bear. But at the same time, as a feudal lord, I have to bear them.

“But after this battle, we can be sure of 1 thing.” Just then, Chen Gong began to speak up yet again, “The enemy’s forces are more than just the 10,000 or so that Lord Lu Bu just fought outside the city.”

Chen Gong did not specifically lay blame on anyone nor did she try to imply anything. But I very clearly saw Yuan Zhi shudder when she heard what Chen Gong said.

Yuan Zhi… It was clear that this loss was a result of her misjudgement. This is definitely a significant blow to the perfectionistic Yuan Zhi.

“Not just 10,000 huh…” I repeated softly as I nodded. I do not know yet how many enemies Yun Chang ran into but she definitely made the right decision to turn back as there is no way her forces are at an advantage. What we need to do now is to think of what to do next.

“Yuan Zhi, what do we do next?” I asked as I took a few steps closer to Yuan Zhi, hoping to get some ideas. If it’s Yuan Zhi, she should have some ideas of what to do by now. Strategists always think of things several steps ahead after all.

“The situation is not optimistic in the least.” Chen Gong replied before Yuan Zhi could speak, “We lost more than half of our raiding force and our other half who were battling outside suffered casualties as well. This means that we no longer have enough troops to perform a 2-p.r.o.nged attack. The enemy should know this and will start camping outside of the city, further limiting the actions we are able to take.”

“Hu…” Chen Gong sighed when she finished.

Just then, I realised that Chen Gong was not wearing her thick-soled shoes and was walking around inside bare-footed. When she’s like this, she really seems small. But leaving that aside, it does not seem like Chen Gong has any ideas. Not now, at least.

There are many problems to deal with and all of them are very difficult. But it is times like these that I need to rely on Yuan Zhi. So since Chen Gong does not have anything more to say, I decided to s.h.i.+ft my attention and gaze back to Yuan Zhi.

“Yuan Zhi, do you have any strategies for what to do next?” I asked again as I slowly looked up at Yuan Zhi’s face. But what I saw made me feel even more troubled. Yuan Zhi’s face was very pale and her eyes seemed listless and empty to the point where I was not sure if she had even heard what I had said.

“… Yuan Zhi?” I called out once more as I touched her shoulders.

“Ah?” Yuan Zhi shuddered and her eyes snapped to where I was. Before I could speak any further, her eyes s.h.i.+fted elsewhere and she went into a daze yet again.

“Yuan Zhi, calm down.” I began to panic when I saw how Yuan Zhi was, “Do you have any ideas for what we should do next?”

“No…” Yuan Zhi looked at me again but she immediately looked away and seemed completely lost as she shook her head over and over, “I-I-I-I don’t know about anything that happens after this.”

“Eh?”

By anything that happens after this, you mean the strategies for the battles after this?

“Then is there any methods we can use to strengthen our army?”

If we cannot rely on numbers then maybe we can improve the quality of our troops.

“… No… I…”

“Eh? What?” I asked as Yuan Zhi spoke very softly. But all of a sudden, she stared at me and I got a shock. Her face was covered in perspiration as though she were a hostage who was about to be killed.

“No, this is impossible.” Yuan Zhi said as she shook her head, “It can’t be wrong… Where did I go wrong? I did every step as I should have after coming to Xinye right?!”

“Yuan Zhi, Yuan Zhi.” I began to panic when I saw how Yuan Zhi was like and grabbed her arm, “Yuan Zhi, calm down. This is just a strategic mistake, you don’t have to blame yourself like this!”

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