In the morning light, the grassland was covered with blue smoke, the air was filled with burnt smell, the earth was black, the embers were still burning, and there were lodging corpses, war horses, and broken flags were swaying weakly in the wind.

At the temporary garrison of Dano Lake, Shi Fangzhen couldn't sleep all night. Officials led by Confucius accompanied him, waiting anxiously for news ahead. At the time of Mao, the central army led by Wang Keming arrived. Due to the timely response, the central army suffered little losses. The desert people were blocked back several raids. Chenchu, Miao Tieshan, Qi Xinwen, Zhu Jinfeng and others sent people to deliver letters one after another. The army suffered heavy losses. They are now gathering the remaining defeated soldiers and joining the Dano Lake.

Shi Fangzhen had a blue face and sat on the imperial seat without saying a word. Liu Weiguo called him to have a meal many times, but Shi Fangzhen seemed to have never heard of it. Seeing Shi Fangzhen's temples beating, Liu Weiguo was anxious. The emperor was ill and fainted. Although he had recovered after rest, he had fallen into the root of the disease and was short of medical treatment on the grassland. What if there was any better? Liu Weiguo didn't dare to think about it.

King Luo Huai Shi Chongren cried and persuaded: "Father, victory or defeat is common in military affairs. Although our army has failed, we can regroup and fight with the people of the Desert again. If you have any good fortune, then it will be out of control."

Confucius also advised: "Long live, at this critical moment, we need to calmly command and respond. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers are looking at you. The emperor is the example of his subjects, and your every move should be the most important thing."

Master Guangfang recited the Buddha's name and said, "Amitabha Buddha. The Buddha said, 'Everything is impermanent, and there is life and death. There is no need to be attached to birth and death.'. The man of the Mo committed the boundless murderous sins this time, and the heaven will be retribution. Long live the body of the world. Do not hurt the dragon's body and only increase the variables."

Shi Fangzhen breathed a sigh of relief and said sadly: "I insisted on the northern expedition, causing hundreds of thousands of creatures to be buried in the grassland. The Buddha will definitely not forgive me."

"Long live is to think about the people of the Central Plains for thousands of years, and use swords and weapons because of kindness. It is like the roar of a Buddhist lion and the Vajra subdue demons. After returning to Mingpu Temple, I will lead monks to return to the grassland to recite scriptures for the soldiers who died in battle to save the souls of the dead, so that they can ascend to the Pure Land and be reincarnated." Master Guangfang put his palms together and closed his eyes to recite the "Merit Sutra".

Seeing that his father was moved, Shi Chongren hurriedly said, "Father, it's past noon. You should eat something. Only after eating are you energetic. Kong Xiang and everyone are with you, but you haven't gotten into the water."

"Forget it, we'll eat something, let Wang Keming see me in half an hour." Shi Fangzhen sighed, picked up the chopsticks and started eating. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and the tense atmosphere in the tent relaxed a little.

Half an hour later, Wang Keming, with a haggard face, came to meet him. Jiang Anyi stood in the tent and saw that Duke Shen seemed to have grown much older overnight, with a black and gray face and a gray beard, and he was a little staggering when walking.

Wang Keming knelt down and apologized with difficulty. Shi Fangzhen scolded coldly: "The army failed, and the commander naturally cannot escape the blame. Now is not the time to hold people accountable. Wang Keming, how many casualties have I suffered from soldiers and what is the situation in the army right now?"

From last night to now, Wang Keming has been exhausted. When he heard the emperor scolding, Wang Keming trembled and almost fell to the ground. He held back his trembling trembling and said, "I deserve to die. Miao Tieshan and others are

After gathering the team to approach the Dano Lake camp, last night, the desert fire attacked, and our army suffered heavy casualties. It was initially counted that more than half of the 600,000 troops in the front army were lost, and most of the war horses were lost, only more than 70,000 cavalry were left, and most of the food and grass, and military supplies were burned down. Only more than 3,000 sets of heavy cavalry equipment were left, only more than 2,000 knives were left, and the tents were burned down."

Shi Fang's face turned red and white. Liu Weiguo kept staring at him nervously. Seeing the emperor's body shaking, he quickly shouted: "Imperial Doctor, hurry up and pass on the Imperial Doctor."

…………

In the Shen period, the remaining soldiers of the front army came to the garrison one after another. The flying flags were burned with holes, the manes on the war horses were burned into chaos, and the soldiers' faces were covered with dust. The wounded soldiers moved their steps hard under the help of the robes. The long team threw away their helmets and armor. The station was noisy and chaotic, and uneasy emotions were floating above the camp.

Wang Keming strongly supported the defeated army to station along Dano Lake. There was not enough tents, there was no wood to establish a village, and only enough food to eat for five days. The generals suffered serious casualties and needed to re-form... They were busy until Xu Zheng. Wang Keming reluctantly drank two sips of porridge and summoned the generals to discuss matters.

Jiang Anyi came to the general's tent and found that Kong Zuoxiang and Ding Dawei, the Minister of War, were both there. King Luo Huai was talking to General Wang with a serious expression. The others were all silent. Huang Xi, the envoy of the Military Information Department, stood beside the general's case, lowered his head and stuttered.

Jiang Jian has not come back yet, and Huang Xi is a little worried. It is said that Jiang Jian's skills are not difficult to escape. Could it be that he died in the fire? Water and fire are ruthless, and most of the soldiers who died in the fire are choked to death by smoke. Although Jiang Jian's skills are good, he may really die if he is trapped in the sea of ​​fire. What a pity, he can't find many such masters in the Military Information Department, let alone with him.

In the Egan River, the long grass on the bank drifted with the wind. Jiang Jian fell on the shore and stuck his head into the river water and drank it. The cool river water entered his throat, causing him to cough repeatedly, and the blood spurted out of his mouth spread in the river water. Listening to the river water "scrolling" by, Jiang Jian lay beside the river with a wry smile, and he was about to die, dying in this grassland far away from his hometown. He didn't know whether he knew the way back home as a ghost.

The wounds on the back, under the ribs, and under the legs were so painful that the true energy in the body ran around. Jiang Jian didn't know how long he could last. Shortly after igniting the fire on the grassland last night, a master caught up with him. Two people with colorful decorations on their faces led five people to surround him, fighting and fleeing Jiang Jian was forced back to the Egan River.

Killing the pursuers at the cost of serious injuries, Jiang Jian was already injured and was waiting to die. The sun was about to set, and Jiang Jian heard the noise of the people and horses in a daze. He didn't know whether the pursuers were coming or the tribal herders came here to drink horses. Jiang Jian tilted his head and fainted.

"Everyone", Wang Keming's dry voice sounded, saying: "I am incompetent to the three armies. I will apologize after the war. Now it is a critical moment of life and death. I hope you will work together to overcome the difficulties. Last night, the desert people used fire attack to cause our army to suffer heavy losses..."

A series of numbers were reported from the commander's mouth, and everyone was frightened. Jiang Anyi felt bitter. Last night, nearly 200,000 soldiers died in the fire, and tens of thousands of soldiers were captured or scattered. The million-strong army has only more than 500,000, and more than 400,000 people can never return to their hometown. The faces of the people in the tent were covered with clouds, and they thought they could capture the royal court and wipe out the troubles of thousands of years.

Everyone is rewarded by making merits. It is not surprising that a fire will reverse the offensive and defensive momentum. Not to mention rewards, it is all about whether they can save their lives.

After Wang Keming introduced the situation, King Luohuai Shi Chongren said, "The father was not in good health, so he ordered Xiao Wang, Wang Shuai and Kong Xiang to jointly take charge of the overall situation. In an extraordinary time, I hope you will work together to overcome this disaster. Next, Kong Xiang will announce his father's will."

The emperor fell ill, internal and external troubles, and everyone was worried about each other, knowing that if they were not careful, they would be a catastrophe. Jiang Anyi's originally heavy heart seemed to be pressing on another huge rock, so heavy that he was almost unable to breathe.

Kong Sheng coughed and said with a clear cough, "Long live, I was caught in the cold wind and cold. You will recover after two days of rest. Don't worry, you all. Half an hour ago, I summoned King Luo Huai, Wang Shuai, Miao Hou, Qi Hou, Zhu Shuai, and Ding Shangshu, and Huang Jun Envoy discussed it. Given that our army was defeated, the baggage was too exhausted and the weather was about to turn cold, Long live decided to temporarily retreat to Zhenbeicheng."

There were sighs in the tent. Although everyone knew that this was the only way to do it at the moment, the feeling of failure was really frustrating. Jiang Anyi thought that this northern expedition was exhausted from the national treasury, the Ministry of Industry and Granary for more than ten years, and the emperor would be unable to fight north again in his lifetime. Nearly 400,000 young and strong people were handed over to the grassland. How could he explain to the people after returning to China? So many casualties, the Ministry of Revenue could not afford the silver for pension? The immediate failure will lead to a series of consequences. The country will probably be difficult for it from now on. As for the emperor's promise to his Marquis of Pingshan, he may have been transformed into nothingness with this huge cremation.

Nearly 600,000 troops were withdrawn to ensure the safety of the emperor and his important officials. The remaining heavy cavalry, sword-killing soldiers and 40,000 light cavalry will be arranged to protect the emperor first, while the remaining 500,000 people will block the sneak attack of the Moqi. Most of these people are infantry, tents, and food is insufficient. The weather is about to get cold. It is enough to walk more than 1,500 miles under the pursuit of the Mo people within half a month. How many people will be left when these 500,000 men arrive in Zhenbeicheng?

"Military command is commanded by Wang Shuai and Miao Hou. You all obey the arrangements of the general. Kong, entrusted by the emperor, decided to go to the royal court to seek peace and get time for the army to withdraw." Kong Sheng said bitterly, thinking that when Sub Naying came to seek peace, he received it. He looked down and teased at Zuo Dajuqu, who served the Mo people. Now the Mo people have the upper hand, so you can imagine what treatment he would receive when he went to the Wang court.

Kong Sheng's eyes passed by everyone in the tent and said slowly: "I am the official envoy to seek peace, and I need to choose two deputy envoys. Lord Chen, Shaoqing of Guanglu Temple, you have been to Moting many times and are familiar with dealing with Mo people. This peace talks depend on your talents."

Chen Yinguang's face was pale. It was difficult to get a defeated army and negotiate. It was nothing more than a grievance and a thankless reputation. It was thankless. At this time, we could not hesitate. Chen Yinguang quickly replied "Yes".

Kong Provincial People's eyes fell on Jiang Anyi and said, "Mr. Jiang, you have also been on a mission to Beimo. I heard that you have an old relationship with the Saint of the Demon. This peace talks hope that Lord Jiang can move the Saint with reason and understand the relationship with him and complete the negotiations as soon as possible."

Tizhu's bright smile flashed through Jiang Anyi's mind. After more than ten years of separation, goodbye has become an enemy of the two countries. How could the little friendship that year affect the struggle between the two countries? He went to discuss peace and was afraid that he would fall into a dilemma.
Chapter completed!