Jiedushi Mansion, rear hall.
Han Shizhong sat in a chair with his eyes closed, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest.
More than a dozen generals stood below, their faces deathly pale.
Ma Tiezhu lowered his head. His right arm was wrapped in bandages, his complexion ashen, his voice hoarse. "My lord, this subordinate was incompetent..."
Han Shizhong opened his eyes and glanced at him.
The military physician had already examined him. The blade wound was not deep, but the poison had seeped into the marrow. His entire arm was necrosing.
If it was not amputated, even his life could not be saved.
"How many?"
"One thousand against three thousand. We did not last even the time it takes to burn an incense stick."
The hall fell silent for a moment before a low murmur erupted.
Han Shizhong raised a hand, and the discussion stopped abruptly.
"Do you understand the gap now?" His voice was not loud, yet it was like a blade stabbing into every man's heart.
Several generals lowered their heads, not daring to speak.
Han Shizhong rose to his feet. "Pass down the order. The matter of the spoils of war ends here. Whoever dares bring it up again will be dealt with under military law."
"Yes!" The generals answered in unison, though their voices were uneven.
Han Shizhong gazed out at the night beyond the window, a trace of weariness flashing through his eyes.
This assignment was becoming more and more troublesome.
Sixty li southwest of Panyu City, Vast Wilderness Mountain Range.
The night was black as ink, the moon hidden behind clouds, leaving heaven and earth shrouded in darkness.
Amid the towering mountains to the southwest, a force of routed soldiers was struggling through the depths of a dense forest.
The force, fewer than a thousand