Lost in Clouds and Mist

News of the Hukou Defense Line's defenders suffering another crushing defeat reached the River Defense Governor's Office, leaving everyone stunned!

Although they already knew they had fallen for the Yan army's scheme, no one had expected such a catastrophic defeat. Of the more than four hundred thousand troops, almost all had perished. Those sent to defend the nation's gates during a national war were the Song Kingdom's elite! Yet they had been defeated so miserably, so swiftly!

"Xu Laiping died in battle..." Holding the war report, Wu Qunlie let out a long sigh toward the heavens before slumping despondently into the chair behind his desk. "My fault... this is my fault!"

He knew that the withdrawal order sent from here to Liao and Xu had still come too late. Otherwise, the defeat could not possibly have been this disastrous.

The enemy had limited forces. Even if they had fought with all their strength to break out, so many men should not have died.

This could only have happened because they had held fast to the Hukou Defense Line, determined to live and die with it.

He could imagine the tragic scene of Hukou's soldiers fighting to their last breath. Behind them lay their country, their homeland. The soldiers of Hukou had sworn to stop the enemy to the death!

"My fault... it is my fault!" Wu Qunlie kept murmuring, tears glimmering in his eyes.

The enemy had clearly planned this with meticulous care. The moment they seized the provisions, they struck. By the time word reached this side and was relayed back, the Hukou Defense Line's defenders were still carrying out the order to hold the line at any cost.

The enemy had exploited that gap in time. Their treacherous scheme locked ring upon ring, and every step he took