Just as the soldiers were busy cleaning up the debris on the battlefield and burying their comrades who had unfortunately died.

A confidant hurriedly walked up to Lin Zhongyun, his face filled with anger and deep self-blame that was difficult to conceal.

His fists were clenched and there was a slight tremor in his voice, as if he was trying hard to suppress the strong emotions deep in his heart.

“Your Highness, the Northern Barbarians have been spreading all kinds of rumors for some time. They claim that General Li Zhongwu has been captured, and you…you have also suffered misfortune!”

The confidant gritted his teeth and said indignantly, his tone full of anger, “These rumors have destabilized the morale of the army. At first we were able to control the situation, but as time went on, the influence of the rumors grew, and some soldiers began to waver and even believed these nonsense.”

At this point, his voice began to choke, and his eyes were filled with tears of self-blame: “They lost hope, their hearts were dead, and they finally chose to leave the team and return to Yangzhou alone.”

“Your Highness, I am deeply sorry! It is my fault that I failed to lead you properly, and you have to witness such a heartbreaking scene upon your return!”

After saying this, the confidant lowered his head, his fists clenched tightly, and they were shaking slightly because of excessive force. His face was full of guilt and sadness, as if he could not forgive his dereliction of duty.

After listening to his confidant’s words, Lin Zhongyun’s eyes moved slightly, and a complex emotion surged in his heart.

He stared at the confidant in front of him, and saw the guilt and self-blame in his eyes, which moved and distressed him.

“These soldiers… these brothers, they have tried their best.” Lin Zhongyun silently said in his heart, with a hint of tenderness in his eyes, “It is not easy for them to hold on until now.”

He gently patted his confidant’s shoulder, and said comfortingly: “You have done a good job, don’t blame yourself. This is not your fault.”

Lin Zhongyun took a deep breath, his eyes revealing calmness and decisiveness.

He had anticipated that such a situation might occur and was mentally prepared.

It is natural for soldiers to waver under prolonged despair and pressure and they cannot be blamed.

“If you want to blame someone, you can only blame me.” Lin Zhongyun silently blamed himself in his heart, with complicated emotions in his eyes, “My prestige is too high in their hearts. The more they look up to me, the heavier the disappointment will be. This is my responsibility.”

In fact, he is already very pleased that there are still some people who follow him firmly!

He slowly raised his head and glanced at his confidants and soldiers. His voice was deep and powerful, with a convincing force:

“I know that everyone has suffered a lot and endured a lot of humiliation during this period. The rumors spread wantonly by the northern barbarians have shaken our military morale and caused many people to lose faith and hope.”

He paused here, his eyes showing determination: “But please believe me, this period of time will pass soon. Those who have left, let them go. I will not blame them, because they were once our brothers, and they shed blood and fought for the rebels.”

He looked around, his eyes fell on the faces of every soldier, and his tone was filled with heavy emotion: “And you who stay now will be my Lin Zhongyun’s right-hand men! My most trustworthy brothers!”

When the soldiers heard this, they all raised their heads, their eyes showing a touch of emotion and determination. Their faces were still tired, but the light in their eyes gradually brightened.

“Your Highness…” a soldier whispered, his voice trembling, “We will never leave you!”

“Yes! Your Highness, we will follow you until death!” another soldier shouted loudly, his tone full of determination and passion.

Lin Zhongyun’s eyes revealed a touch of relief. He knew that these people were his most precious wealth. They chose to stay and fight alongside him in the most difficult times. This loyalty was more precious than anything else.

“I, Lin Zhongyun, will never forget your loyalty.” Lin Zhongyun whispered with a hint of affection in his tone, “From today on, I swear that no matter what the future holds, I will never treat you unfairly!”

When the soldiers heard this, they knelt down and shouted in unison: “We swear to follow His Highness till death and never betray him!”

Lin Zhongyun’s eyes swept over them, and a warm current surged in his heart. His hand slowly tightened the long sword at his waist, and his eyes revealed a hint of coldness and determination.

“Beiman, Hailanhak…what you have done has touched my bottom line.”

Lin Zhongyun muttered in his heart, with a cold light flashing in his eyes, “In this battle, I will make you pay with blood!”

“Pass the order, everyone start to reorganize the team immediately! Clean up the battlefield, bury the brothers, and treat the wounded. We need time to recover, but I promise you, this day will not be too long!”

“Yes, Your Highness!” the soldiers responded in unison, their voices revealing determination and fighting spirit.

Lin Zhongyun stared coldly into the distance, as if he had seen the dawn of victory. His hand slowly tightened the long sword at his waist, and his eyes revealed a hint of coldness and confidence.

“This battle is not only for the dignity of me, Lin Zhongyun, but also for every brother who sacrificed!”

Lin Zhongyun whispered, with a hint of determination in his tone, “Beiman, Hailanhak… your doom is not far away!”

After calming down the people around him, Lin Zhongyun turned around and walked into the spacious tent.

Although his steps were still steady and his back was still upright, when he stepped into the tent and the heavy curtain slowly fell, he seemed to have taken off a layer of invisible armor, and he looked much more relaxed.

The light in the tent was dim, and there was a dull atmosphere in the air, as if even the air had become heavy.

Lin Zhongyun slowly sat down in the main seat, lowered his head, and gently rubbed his eyebrows with his fingers. His face no longer had the determination and indifference he had shown in front of everyone before. Instead, it was replaced by a face full of fatigue and deep sorrow.

“The current situation is worse than I imagined…” Lin Zhongyun muttered to himself, with a deep worry in his eyes, as if he was thinking about what to do in the future.

He knew that he had to appear calm and decisive in front of the soldiers because he was their backbone and their hope.

If even he showed signs of uneasiness, the entire team would probably completely collapse and morale would plummet.

But at this moment, in this big tent where no one would disturb him, he could finally face his true emotions and no longer have to hide his fatigue and worry.

He took a deep breath, his eyes filled with heaviness and complexity, as if he was thinking about how to reverse the current unfavorable situation.

“How many people do we have now?” Lin Zhongyun asked with lowered eyebrows, his voice low and calm, as if he was suppressing his inner emotions and not letting them show out.

A trusted confidant at the side hurried forward and replied respectfully: “Your Highness, the number of soldiers and horses remaining here is less than 100,000.”

“Less than 100,000?” Lin Zhongyun frowned slightly, and a bitter smile suddenly appeared on the corner of his mouth. He raised his head, with a hint of complicated emotions in his eyes, “If I remember correctly, you should have 200,000 soldiers and horses originally? Now there are only less than 100,000 left?”

The confidant’s expression suddenly became helpless, he lowered his head, and said with a hint of deepness in his tone: “Your Highness is right.

Originally, we did have 200,000 soldiers, but…during this period, the rumors spread by the northern barbarians spread too fast, like a plague. One person spread to ten, ten spread to a hundred, and everyone was terrified. Many brothers lost confidence and left the team. “He said here, with a trace of sadness and guilt in his voice: “I am incompetent and failed to stabilize the morale of the army. Your Highness, when you return, you will see this situation…”

Lin Zhongyun listened quietly, his eyes fixed on the table. His fingers tapped the tabletop lightly, making a low sound, as if he was thinking about something.

“I’m not asking this to blame you.” Lin Zhongyun said slowly, his tone without a trace of blame, but with a touch of comfort, “I just want to understand our current situation.”

He raised his head, his eyes showing calmness and determination: “If that’s the case, our military advantage over the Northern Barbarians will no longer exist.

The original 200,000 soldiers and horses are now less than 100,000, and the Northern Barbarians are still strong. This battle… is going to be difficult.”

After hearing Lin Zhongyun’s analysis, the confidant lowered his head and did not answer.

His silence clearly acknowledged Lin Zhongyun’s statement, but at the same time he was unable to conceal his inner sense of powerlessness.

Lin Zhongyun’s gaze fell on the table again. He slowly clenched his hands, and his knuckles turned slightly white due to the force.

His heart was filled with pressure and unwillingness, but more of it was calm thinking.

“The rumors from the Northern Barbarians…are really aimed at our morale.”

Lin Zhongyun thought to himself, a cold light flashing in his eyes, “They know that it is not easy to defeat us directly, so they choose to shake our morale with rumors. This move is really vicious.”

He took a deep breath and said slowly: “Despite this, we still can’t give up easily. Although a hundred thousand soldiers are not enough, as long as we work together, we can still fight.”

Upon hearing this, the confidant raised his head with a complex look in his eyes: “Your Highness, can we still hold on?”

Lin Zhongyun glanced at him coldly, with a firm tone in his voice: “As long as we don’t give up, we will be able to hold on.

Although the Northern Barbarians are strong, they also have internal conflicts. The outcome of this battle is still undecided.”

He stood up and looked coldly in the direction outside the tent.

His figure appeared particularly tall and straight in the dim light, like an unshakable mountain.

“Pass the order down and start reorganizing the team immediately.”

Lin Zhongyun said in a low voice, with an unquestionable majesty in his tone, “Reorganize all those who can fight, properly arrange for the wounded, and strengthen the defense to avoid surprise attacks from the northern barbarians.”

“Yes, Your Highness!” The confidant hurriedly took the order and left, the worry on his face slightly alleviated.

Lin Zhongyun’s gaze fell on the table again. His hand slowly tightened the long knife at his waist, and his eyes revealed a hint of coldness and determination.

“Beiman, Hailanhak… do you think you can defeat me, Lin Zhongyun, like this?”

Lin Zhongyun said in a low voice, with a hint of cold murderous intent in his tone, “In this battle, I will never let you get what you want!”

The sunlight shone through the curtain onto Lin Zhongyun, illuminating his stern face.

His eyes were as sharp as knives, as if he had seen the dawn of victory.

“One hundred thousand soldiers and horses may accomplish great things.” Lin Zhongyun thought to himself, his eyes showing a firmness, “As long as we can find the weakness of the Northern Barbarians, we will be able to reverse the situation.”

He sat down slowly, picked up the map on the table, and calmly scanned the Northern Barbarians’ position deployment.

His fingers gently slid across several key points on the map, and a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes.

“Next, we must win by wits.” Lin Zhongyun whispered with a decisive tone, “The strength of the Northern Barbarians is only superficial. Their internal conflicts are our chance to fight back.”

……

The early morning sun shines on the Northern Barbarians’ camp. The camp is busy, the soldiers are ready to go, the sound of war drums can be heard faintly, and the atmosphere in the camp is particularly tense.

At this moment, a Northern Barbarian messenger ran into the tent quickly, knelt on one knee, and said anxiously, “Your Excellency, there is news from the front line that the rebels have successfully broken through, and Lin Zhongyun has joined up with the remaining rebels!”

Hearing this, everyone in the tent changed color. Several generals looked at each other with surprise and uneasiness on their faces.

However, Hailanhak, who was sitting in the main seat, looked calm, as if he had already expected all this.

He stood up slowly, put his hands behind his back, and swept his eyes coldly over everyone, with a hint of disdain in his tone: “It seems that Hu Yanhuan’s plan has worked.”

Hailanhak slowly walked down the platform and paced back and forth in the big tent. His footsteps were particularly clear in the silent tent, and every step seemed to carry a sense of oppression, causing everyone in the tent to hold their breath unconsciously.

“It’s not surprising that Lin Zhongyun was able to break through successfully.”

Hailanhak whispered, with a hint of calm analysis in his tone, “After all, he is a tough opponent.

It would be ridiculous if we were trapped and killed so easily.”

He paused, a cold light flashing in his eyes: “But what if he succeeded in breaking through? He is just lingering on with a group of defeated soldiers.”

The corners of Hailanhak’s mouth slightly raised, revealing a sneer. His eyes were like knives, as if he had seen through Lin Zhongyun’s situation.

“Since they have broken through the defense line, it means that the time is ripe.” Hailanhak stopped and glanced coldly at the people in the tent, with a hint of murderous intent in his tone.

“Pass the order down and continue to draw troops from the front line.” He said slowly, his voice low and powerful, as if carrying an unquestionable majesty, “This time, I will make sure that Lin Zhongyun will never return.”

Upon hearing this, everyone in the tent bowed their heads and accepted the order; no one dared to raise any objections.

They all knew that Hailanhak would never change his decision easily, and each of his decisions often contained far-reaching calculations.

“Yes, sir!” Several generals responded in unison, and then quickly retreated to convey the order. (End of this chapter)