waste!
A bunch of useless trash!
An army of over 400,000 men was being chased and slaughtered by 100,000 enemy soldiers; it was clear they had been routed and had completely lost their fighting capacity. Sending myself in now might salvage the situation, but what about enemy reinforcements?
If I go there myself, I will lose my entire army of 300,000.
The destruction of the Western Regions is now irreversible, and we will inevitably have to deal with the Great Liang in the future. This matter requires a decision from His Majesty.
After some deliberation, Nishu made a decision and said in a deep voice, "Men, retreat immediately and get away from the Western Regions battlefield. Otherwise, the Great Liang might not even spare us; 300,000 men can't withstand them!"
He knew perfectly well that with his 300,000-strong army in the Western Regions, the Great Liang would definitely not let him go back, and would surely catch up with him.
If the cavalry catches up with us here, we'll probably end up like those in the Western Regions.
"Understood!"
His deputy nodded quickly. He had also witnessed the brutality of the Great Liang army. If they were to target him, his own army would likely be in grave danger. It was best to return to defend the city.
Nishu took one last look at the distant enemy and couldn't help but sigh, "From now on, the Western Regions belong to the Great Liang. Our Frostwest Empire has gained another formidable foe!"
He believed that it wouldn't be long before the Great Liang would push its border defenses to the border of the Frostwest Empire; a storm was brewing.
He had already sent word back home, hoping they could ease tensions between the two countries; otherwise, he feared the future would be fraught with difficulties.
"What? The Western Regions have been destroyed?"
Bill III's wine glass slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. The beauty he had been holding in his arms no longer appealed to him; he was completely stunned by the bad news brought by Nishu.
The palace, which had been filled with revelry and extravagance, suddenly fell into complete silence.
For these nobles, war was not a problem at all; they only needed to enjoy themselves. But now, the Frostwest Empire was in mortal danger, which was quite frightening.
The fall of the Western Regions meant that the neighbors of the Frostwest Empire had changed.
From being their former underlings to becoming a super bully in the East, this made them tremble with fear. Even a fool would know that their good days were over.
Who was the Great Liang Nation? He was the one who destroyed the Jackal Kingdom for the sake of a street vendor woman and even sacrificed its king to the heavens.
Such a ruthless character is about to become a neighbor, and even an ally of the Great West Empire —this is definitely not good news.
"Your Majesty, we must strengthen the eastern defenses. The threat from Great Liang is far too great!" Bill III's advisor, Derby, stepped forward and said solemnly.
There was a buffer before, but now there is none at all. Therefore, we must strengthen the defenses of the Frostwest Empire to prepare for future defenses, otherwise things will get complicated later.
The fighting strength of the Great Liang has been recognized; they are a force capable of destroying a country in a matter of minutes. If we don't want the Frostwest Empire to become the next target, we need to fortify our city walls.
He had once surveyed the territories of several cities under the control of the Great Liang. One city left a deep impression on him, for only such tall city walls could protect its people.
The war minister Aksu, who usually sang dissent, surprisingly did not object this time. He said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, the advisor is right. We cannot place our hopes on so-called negotiations."
That thing is just a piece of paper; you still have to do it!
Forehead!
Bill III's face stiffened; such vulgar words challenged his authority, but he also knew that Aksu had a point.
He nodded and said in a deep voice, "This should be our top priority. We must reinforce the city walls to defend against potential invasions in the future."
The nobles were all filled with worry. For them, a peaceful life was the prerequisite for enjoyment, but now that the shadow of war loomed, they could no longer feel excited.
There had been news that the Great West Empire was going to form an alliance with the Great Liang Empire, which offered some respite for the former Frostwest Empire.
But now there's no room for easing tensions; war is imminent.
"Your Majesty, I believe we should reconsider our previous proposal!" Minister Ashley sighed bitterly.
Bill III's face twitched. He knew Ashley was referring to Princess Anne. Now, a marriage alliance was necessary to ease tensions between the two countries; otherwise, they might be betrayed by the Great Liang.
His expression shifted several times before he finally gritted his teeth and agreed, saying in a deep voice, "Alright, immediately send someone to contact Great Liang. For the sake of peace between our two countries, my Frostwest Empire will betroth Princess Anne to the Emperor of Great Liang."
She was, after all, the emperor's woman of Great Liang, so Anne wasn't treated unfairly.
After saying that, he collapsed to the spot, feeling utterly deflated. He had been driven to this point, forced to use his daughter to salvage the situation.
That damned Lin Yi, once my Frostwest Empire regains its strength, I will make you pay for your crimes in blood.
Upon hearing his words, Ashley's face stiffened, and he said with a wry smile, "Your Majesty, after Princess Anne marries the Emperor of Great Liang, she probably won't be able to become Empress, but only a Noble Consort. Great Liang already has two Empresses."
"What? My daughter is going to be a concubine?"
Bill III's face turned green. This was outrageous! He roared, "My daughter is a beauty that could topple kingdoms, the entire West is captivated by her, and she's going to be Lin Yi's concubine?"
Damn it, this is outrageous!
Moreover, since they are both emperors, why can Lin Yi have so many women while I can only allow one?
That's not fair!
"Then we can only try to win over Great Liang with benefits. I heard that the Great West Empire is sending gifts to Great Liang with all its might. We need to at least outdo them. It's probably an astronomical sum."
"If we let them unite, we'll only be caught in the middle and attacked by both countries." Derby noticed the emperor's displeasure and said with a wry smile.
Forehead!
Bill III's complaints stopped abruptly, and he chuckled dryly, "Fine, she can be a concubine then. Lin Yi already has two empresses, East and West, and who knows, he might have two more in the future, North and South. My daughter Anne is the only one who can fit the bill."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the emperor had agreed to the request, which would most likely ease tensions with Great Liang.
Princess Anne's beauty, in Eastern terms, is so stunning that it could make fish sink and geese fall from the sky, and the moon hide its face and flowers blush. Emperor Lin Yi of the Great Liang would definitely not be able to escape this beauty trap.
Once he marries the princess, he will inevitably establish good relations with the Frostwest Empire.
Inside the palace, Princess Anne also received the news, and a hint of worry, expectation, and confusion appeared on her beautiful and noble face.
She knew she couldn't decide her own marriage, but she never expected this day to come so soon.
Looking towards the distant east, she couldn't help but murmur, "Emperor Lin Yi of Great Liang, what kind of person are you really?"
Will my future husband be with me for life?