As a messenger, he was already weak from constant travel. This slap sent him reeling, stars flashing before his eyes, and he collapsed to the ground.

But this was not the only one who reported back.

Jin Huan seized hold of another messenger's neck with one hand and roared:

"With so many troops, yet unable to defeat the rebel army, what kind of war is this!"

The messenger, spat upon and drenched in spittle, trembled with fear. His entire body shook like a sieve as he stammered:

General Xiong's battle plan was sound, as usual, with a heavy cavalry charge to break their lines. When they were in disarray, light cavalry would then flank them from the sides and mop up the remnants.

"Only, the rebels somehow procured bed crossbows and used heavy crossbows to break through our front line.

The general had no choice but to change tactics, scattering his forces to fight the rebel army. He had assumed that the main force of the rebels was infantry, and that our cavalry would not be a serious challenge.

But there were also differences among the infantry.

"The rebel infantry, they are the strongest infantry I've ever seen in my life! The blades in their hands are razor sharp!"

As soon as these words were uttered, Jin Huan flew into a rage:

"Damn you, are you even helping me out here?!"

Even if that band of rebels were truly that strong, are our troops weak?

How was the fighting before you came back?

The messenger, sweating profusely, continued, "The front-line heavy cavalry were slaughtered and routed. They suffered a crushing defeat. The rebel forces are numerous, beyond estimation. Realizing the dire situation, the general dispatched us to report the battle situation first."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Jin Huan's face flushed red and she gritted her teeth.

"Such a sure-fire battle, turned out like this? To think General Zhen Guo gave Xiong Qian such troops and horses, this man is truly incompetent!"

The messenger, who was Xiong Qian's personal soldier, couldn't help but say:

"General, it's not that we are weak, but the rebel army is simply too strong!"

Jin Huan shoved the messenger aside with one hand and barked,

"Fart! Why didn't Xiong Qian send out a scouting force first?"

“After probing the enemy, we can then deploy our battle strategy. How could we be routed and defeated without even knowing their strength?”

The messenger followed up, saying, “The rebel army’s initial strength was estimated, but after just one night and the start of the battle, their numbers swelled considerably. How can we possibly know?”

"Besides, didn't we start by following General Zhen Guo's orders to directly crush them with a heavy force? This is what General Zhen Guo said himself, he..."

Before he could finish, Jin Huan cut him off directly:

"Damn it, you got beat up like this and still trying to make excuses?!"

"I see you have chosen the path of death!"

The messenger's heart skipped a beat, only then did he realize he had spoken too much.

A battle is always judged by its outcome. No matter how you fight, if you win, everyone will praise and reward you.

You lost, and ten thousand excuses won't help.

The Golden General is playing it cool now, saying things nonchalantly.

If he were to personally command the troops on the battlefield, with such a large force at his disposal and aided by the favorable terrain, he would probably make the same decision as General Xiong.

But now, it's too late to say anything.

Thinking about this, the messenger hurriedly said:

"This subordinate dares not make excuses, General."

"General, the situation is urgent now. The rebel army is strong and powerful, coming with great ferocity. They are likely to reach Zhongnanguan very soon."

Not until this sentence was spoken did Jin Huan calm down from the initial shock and anger.

If Xiong Qian was defeated and killed by the rebel army, in a few days after the rebels had rested, they would likely march straight to the Zhongnan Pass.

Once this pass is breached, the imperial city will be in imminent danger.

This is really coming right up to our doorstep!

By then, I'm afraid I will also be hard-pressed to escape death.

Thinking of this, Jin Huan's forehead rolled down with sweat, his sharp eyes looking at the messenger and saying:

"With hundreds of thousands of bears, they probably haven't finished fighting. No, we can't let the rebels just keep killing us!"

"I will send reinforcements!"

The moment those words were uttered, a hush fell over the room.

Not only were several messengers inside the account surprised, but even the adjutant beside him was stunned.

To be sure, Zhongnanguan is the Imperial City's front line and absolutely cannot be lost. Therefore, waiting for the rebel army to attack here would be a hard-fought battle.

If it is lost, one's head will surely be on the chopping block.

Anyway, the rebels can't be ignored. It's better to take advantage of their fighting and send reinforcements while they are busy, and keep fighting.

This is Jin Huan's idea, it can't be said to be saving Xiong Qian, just for self-preservation. After all, there are no perfect eggs under a destroyed nest.

But the adjutant Zhao Zheng had a different view. He said in a deep voice:

"Impossible, General!"

"On this plain, even heavily armored cavalry are no match for the rebels. How can our troops from Zhongnan Pass possibly stand a chance?"

Here, we only have a few tens of thousands of troops!

"Here we have walls for protection, and all manner of weaponry laid out. It's impregnable, truly. Rather than venturing deep into the Hundred Mile Plain to fight the rebels, we should make this our stronghold and keep them at bay."

The messenger dared not speak.

Xiong Qian was his commander. If they continued to send reinforcements, what if the tide of battle turned in their favor and they won? Then the outcome would be much better.

But when fleeing, one could see that their own army had indeed suffered a major defeat.

If the rebels continue to pursue us these past two days, the worst-case scenario is that our entire army might be wiped out...

Reinforcements? Was he filling a bottomless pit or trying to turn the tide? He didn't dare to think about it.

And Jin Huan was awakened by the deputy general's words.

Is it about defending the Zhongnan Pass against enemies or reinforcing troops to suppress the rebellion? This seems to be an extremely difficult decision.

What needs to be guarded, the rebels need to be suppressed.

Zhao Zhengji fell into deep thought, and then said:

"General, at this time, shouldn't we request that the General who guards the nation send reinforcements?"

Now the Zhongnan Pass only has tens of thousands of troops. Although the rebel army has already experienced some fighting, General Xiong, though not invincible, also has hundreds of thousands of soldiers in his hands.

Even if they're rebels, a lot of them must die, right?

“Please ask the General to send more troops, so we can jointly defend Zhongnan Pass. If the rebels attack once, we will repel them once. We can wear them down eventually!”

Jin Huan looked up at him and said:

"Well... that makes sense.

Zhao breathed a sigh of relief.

As for this General Jin, he knew that although he was also a general under the command of General Zhen Guo, he was far inferior to that General Jin Mang.

"Send an urgent dispatch to General Zhen Guo! Request him to reinforce the troops!"

"We must hold the Zhongnan Pass before the rebels arrive!" Jin Huan waved his hand and commanded.

——

Meanwhile, Jinling.

Inside the mansion of Prince Jing.

"Father, I beg you, please go and tell His Majesty,"

Jin Jiande leaned on his cane, looking at King Qing who was sipping tea in a chair with a face full of worry.

Upon hearing this, King Qing set down his teacup and said calmly:

“Jian De ah, as your father, I know that after the battle at Yanluo Mountain...some..."

Before he could finish, Kim Jiande interrupted, "Father! Can't you trust your son just once?"

You can't put all your eggs in one basket. You need a backup plan, hoping everything rests on the outcome of the Battle of Bailiyuan is not a viable strategy.

"I had a dream last night... even dreamed that bandits stormed the city of Jinling."

King Qing raised an eyebrow, his eyes full of wrinkles looking at his son. After a long time, he said slowly:

Bai Liyuan hasn't sent any news yet, don't overthink it.

Drink more calming tea.

As soon as these words were spoken, Jin Jiande could no longer hold back. His face flushed red all of a sudden, and he shouted:

Calming tea calming tea! Nothing works!

"I think we're going to lose the Battle of Bai Li Yuan by 80%!"

"Just wait, Dad, you'll see!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Kim Jianren walked into the hall with a gloomy expression.

"Presumptuous! To be so utterly lacking in decorum!"

"If you said this in the army, you'd be charged with mutiny!"

"Waiting for what? What's coming is sure to be good news!"

Seeing him enter, Kim Jeondae's face turned cold. He didn't say another word and walked away.

Kim Jianren crossed his arms and watched the departing figure with a cold snort: "Such a spineless fellow."

If time could go back, I would have bought a train ticket three days ago. Now all the tickets are sold out, woohoo.

Good night everyone, hope you can buy it (′`)

(Editor in charge：light novel)