A chill wind swept through the command tent, and Badong sobbed.
Inside the great tent, Li Jingxuan and the others knelt prostrate, stiff as dead wood. Wang Yang sat beside the Prince of Badong, patting his hand and offering repeated reassurance:
"It's all right, it's all right. Stay calm, Prince, and tell me slowly. How exactly was Jingzhou lost?"
The Prince of Badong raised his tearful eyes, looking somewhat dazed.
"I... I don't know..."
"You don't know?"
The Prince of Badong's voice trembled with panic.
"B-Baling sent word. They'd only just heard themselves. They said the barbarians sent troops to aid Wenyang, broke my encirclement in a single battle, then marched on Jingzhou and took it! I've already sent men back by land and water to investigate..."
Whether from anger or fear, Little Badong's hands had begun to shake.
Wang Yang clasped the Prince of Badong's trembling hand, his voice steady.
"Don't panic, Prince. Since the news is uncertain, Jingzhou may not actually have fallen-"
The Prince of Badong reacted violently. His voice shot up, his words growing increasingly frantic.
"It must have fallen! It must have fallen! The supplies from Jingzhou are already half a month overdue! Kong Changyu's reports have stopped too! Something must have happened in Jingzhou!"
Wang Yang fell silent for a moment, then asked:
"What about Kong Changyu?"
A sob crept into the Prince of Badong's voice. His eyes were blood-red, and his viciousness suddenly flared.
"...We don't know whether he's alive or dead... Those barbarian dogs! I'll slaughter them! Slaughter them all!!!"
Seeing the Prince of Badong seemingly return to his savage ways, Li Jingxuan and the others were too frightened even to breathe. They desperately tried to make themselves inconspicuous, terrified of catching his attention. They wished they could simply play dead and