In other words, there had been no way to avoid this defeat unless they left the defensive fortifications unrepaired.
Or perhaps, if they had not sent those two hundred thousand troops to reinforce the four hundred thousand outside the pass, their losses might have been somewhat smaller.
Tao Jingyan did not believe Huang Cheng's mistakes warranted a death sentence...
"Execute him."
At some point, Lin Jian had suddenly appeared beside Tao Jingyan. He picked up the acting ruler's seal and stamped it on the execution order from the Military Affairs Office.
"Senior Brother?"
There was clear surprise in Tao Jingyan's voice.
"What else? What are you hesitating over? Just because he did everything he could?"
Lin Jian's tone was quite casual:
"Master established the military laws of the Far East Army and the Far West Army long ago. Under those laws, Huang Cheng should be executed. Otherwise, what will the other armies think? If you make another exception later, the entire eastern front will probably descend into chaos. Then you'll have to send the Elite Army to suppress it... and by then, even the Elite Army might not accept your judgment."
That was indeed the case.
Tao Jingyan knew very well that Senior Brother was right.
"So there's nothing for you to agonize over. Or are you going to rush to the front yourself to comfort Huang Cheng, clasp his hands, and earnestly ask him, 'Marshal Huang, do your hands hurt?'"
As he spoke, Lin Jian picked up the roster of officers from the 1,056th Army lying nearby and casually flipped through a couple of pages:
"Look at the people in this army. Since enlisting, he's commanded battles resulting in two victories and sixteen defeats. Is he even human? With nothing but this sort of trash under Huang Cheng, his