Though the temporary camp had been engulfed in flames, the troops had been prepared and suffered no losses. The ambushing force had failed to catch them off guard; instead, they had been outmaneuvered and lost several hundred men. The air reeked of charred meat and echoed with shrill screams.
Shao Chong, who had claimed he was unwell and needed to rest, was so furious his fists clenched tight. He might not have been very clever, and his comprehension might not have matched that of his twelve older brothers, but he knew he was here with reinforcements—and now they were being attacked on the territory of the very people they had come to save!
He had never suffered such indignity in his life!
An official struggled to hold back the red-eyed Shao Chong, who was itching for a massacre. "Please, don't act rashly. We don't know where the enemy's ambushers are. You can't charge out recklessly! Let's see what the other three groups do first."
Shao Chong was so angry even his cheeks had flushed a pale pink from the smoke.
He asked, "Have Lord Shen and the others returned?"
The official replied, "We haven't received any word yet."
But they should be fine.
Those who had gone to the banquet were the cream of the crop. With several of them working together, breaking out shouldn't be too difficult.
The troops at the temporary camp swiftly assembled into formation. Literary Qi walls rose throughout the camp, intercepting the enemy's arrows.
If the Literary Qi walls were breached, soldiers would rally around their respective formations and concentrate their morale against the enemy. Martial Qi clashed and exploded in every direction, unleashing countless powerful, roiling waves of air. Even the eaves of the nearest buildings were flung into the sky.
Kang Shi and