News of the troop withdrawal spread quickly. Many soldiers, who had been resting and healing in their tents, stumbled out, still in a daze.
When they heard several deputy generals loudly announce the news again and again, a flicker of anger began to show on their numb faces, followed by cries of sorrow and despair. Many soldiers wept openly, some rushed to the nearby graves to find their fallen comrades, laughing and crying at the same time. They picked up handfuls of dirt from the graves, hiding it in their clothes to take home.
"Report to the commander!"
"From the Blood Fiend Battalion, out of a hundred thousand soldiers, only nine thousand six hundred and twenty-three have returned to the ranks!"
"Please give instructions!!"
A middle-aged deputy general, who was from the Li family, stepped forward to Li Hongzhuang, his voice strong and commanding.
However, his eyes were already glistening with tears.
Li Hongzhuang’s face, as pale as snow, trembled slightly. She glanced at the deputy general and then at the weary, tear-filled faces of the soldiers behind him.
Finally, her gaze fell on the distant graves.
The remaining ninety thousand soldiers lay forever at rest here.
These were all soldiers she had personally trained!