Chapter 372 (1/2)

Chapter 372: For the Imperial Seal

Nan Xun was surprised to hear that Nan Jihan had deployed their troops, but he didn't suspect anything. Southern Mu was Northern Qi's ally. He a.s.sumed Nan Jihan was here to help and didn't think to be wary of him.

Right when Nan Xun and his men were going to defeat Eastern Wu's army, they were ambushed.

Nan Xun couldn't believe his ears when he heard that it was Southern Mu. He almost got hit by a stray arrow.

“What do we do, general?” The officer in charge turned to Nan Xun for a solution.

Nan Xun soon recovered his composure. He had the soldiers circled them with s.h.i.+elds and dismounted. His face was tight and frigid.

He balled his hands into fists. He'd clearly overestimated Nan Jihan's integrity. He scoffed. “What's our status?”

“Eastern Wu's army of three thousand is at our front. After losing their left wing, their center and right wing amount to fifteen hundred. I'm not sure how many infantrymen they have following their riders. Southern Mu has deployed at least five thousand soldiers. They're behind us, chasing after our left wing.”

“How many have we lost?” Nan Xun cut in, his eyes icy.

The officer touched his nose. “We haven't lost that many in our battle with Eastern Wu, but we're going to lose our left wing, which amount to a few hundreds. Given the circ.u.mstances, however, we'll have to sacrifice many men to retreat safely, which will leave us with only a thousand elites.”

Nan Xun gritted his teeth, veins popping out from his forehead. He forced himself to calm down. He'd very much want to decimate Southern Mu, but the officer stopped him.

“We have to retreat and live to fight another day, general.”

“Are you telling me to sacrifice the soldiers for my own safety?” Nan Xun glared at the officer. The officer nodded despite his nervousness.

Nan Xun was about to tear him a new one, but then Eastern Wu attacked them with arrows again. They didn't have any time to waste. Nan Xun knew what the smart thing to do was.

Finally, under the officers' urging looks, he nodded and mounted his horse. He was escorted back to the camp by the officers.

Nan Xun ascended the city wall. He'd pulled a thousand elites back, but lost three thousand soldiers. He looked down at the battlefield. Nan Jihan's men cared nothing about their alliance and slaughtered Northern Qi's left wing. Then they joined Eastern Wu's army.

Jun Huang soon heard the news. She couldn't find Nan Xun even after Northern Qi's army had retreated. She asked around and found out that Nan Xun was still on the city wall.

She looked up at him from a distance. He stood on the wall like a tall, lone statue. His white battle robe was tainted with blood. His armor reflected cold, blinding light. Jun Huang had never seen him looking so devastated.

Nan Xun was still staring at the battlefield when Jun Huang ascended the stairs. She followed his gaze and saw a sea of bodies. Some had lost a couple limbs. Some had been decapitated. Some hung on a spear. Some were covered in arrows.

The land beneath them was a crimson red. The snow had melted from the heat of their blood. Red mixed with melted snow and trickled through the land.

Quite a few banners had fallen. The soldiers cleaning up the mess picked them up and wiped away the blood before putting them away. Then they carried the bodies back to the city, awaiting Nan Xun's order.

Jun Huang's throat tightened. She'd thought Nan Xun had gotten used to deaths, but now she saw the raw pain in his eyes.

She took Nan Xun's trembling hand in hers. He turned to her, started. He wanted to put on a smile, but his lips wouldn't oblige.

“I've heard,” Jun Huang said gently.

Nan Xun smiled bitterly and said in a hoa.r.s.e voice, “I am to blame. If I'd kept my guard up when I heard about Southern Mu's arrival, we wouldn't have suffered such terrible loss.”

“I should've known. I hadn't sent him any letter. He couldn't have been here to help us. Ha, how naive I am to a.s.sume he'd be our ally. My mistake resulted in the loss of three thousand…” He choked up.

Heart throbbing, Jun Huang threw herself into Nan Xun's arms and held him tightly. “It's not your fault. Nan Jihan is to blame… You didn't cause the deaths. Don't think too much. We'll defeat them next time and avenge the soldiers we've lost.”