World-Ending Demon Emperor
Chapter 695 - 343: Turing Tuo retreat! City Lord Gui Qinshao!_2

Chapter 695: 343: Turing Tuo retreat! City Lord Gui Qinshao!_2

After Grand Eunuch Gao Yin left, Duke Turing Tuo gave the command, and the grand army broke camp and returned to Zhi Du.

Thus, the 160,000-strong grand army broke camp, mightily marching back to the City of Rage Wave.

With this, Shaojun Zhi Li’s campaign to annihilate Suo Lun officially ended in failure.

It had started with the mobilization of 400,000 soldiers from all directions to attack Tianshui City, their momentum shaking heaven and earth.

After a continuous month of fierce battles, Gui Xingfu was defeated and surrendered, Linhai City fell, Zhi Wei’s entire army was annihilated with his head exhibited to the public, and Duke Turing Tuo retreated with a minor setback.

Zhi Li suffered an unprecedented defeat!

This defeat would directly shift the balance of power within the Rage Wave Kingdom, altering the entire strategic landscape.

This grand battle saw the consumption of over nine hundred thousand catties of gunpowder, over thirty million catties of oil, over twenty thousand casualties, the use of over two hundred thousand civilian laborers, and the expenditure of 350,000 Gold Coins in military expenses.

The victory, however, was incredibly massive, with 130,000 of the enemy annihilated and nearly 70,000 captured.

Three of Gui Xingfu’s arms were cut off, with two severed. And the land and power of the Suo Lun side expanded by more than sixfold.

...

After Duke Turing Tuo retreated, without waiting for Jian Ning to betray him, he took the initiative to write a passionately-worded letter to Zhi Li.

The letter stated that His Majesty the King had already decreed that he, Turing Tuo, was to withdraw his troops.

Furthermore, the battles on the day before were trick-ridden by Suo Lun, who burned tens of thousands of his grand army.

Not only that, but Suo Lun had also made threats, saying if Turing Tuo did not withdraw, he would publicize certain secrets of Zhi Li to the whole world.

Thus, Turing Tuo was caught in a bind, unsure of what to do, whether to retreat or not.

Of course, Turing Tuo had already withdrawn his troops, but he made it sound palatable verbally, and even asked Zhi Li with utmost respect if he should retreat or not.

The letter, carried quickly by a griffin beast, arrived in the hands of Zhi Li, who upon receiving it, sat still in silence, not speaking a word for a long time.

An enormous blow, an unprecedented one!

This campaign to annihilate Suo Lun ended in utter failure.

Last time’s campaign ended in an even worse defeat, with hundreds of ships and 160,000 Allied Army soldiers burned to nothing. However, for him, Zhi Li, there was not much damage.

Yet, this major defeat was a deep and visceral blow, enough to make one nearly cough up blood.

Seeing Zhi Li sitting there desolately without moving, his wife Fang Qingzhuo asked softly, "What’s wrong?"

Zhi Li said, "Turing Tuo has retreated. He led a 200,000-strong grand army, traveled for nearly a month, traversing thousands of miles to reach the foot of Tianlang Pass, only to withdraw after a single battle."

Fang Qingzhuo asked, "Why?"

Zhi Li said, "Because he wants to nourish a foe to strengthen himself. After eliminating Suo Lun, he fears I would discard him once he’s served his purpose."

Last time, Duke Zhi Wei’s entire army was annihilated, and news of Gui Xingfu’s betrayal came, Zhi Li directly vomited blood and fainted.

And this time, Turing Tuo’s withdrawal meant a complete failure of Zhi Li’s plans.

However, Zhi Li appeared very calm because he realized he no longer had the right to be angry, no right to vent.

The failure of this campaign was now a foregone conclusion.

Inside, Zhi Li raged, saddened, his blood boiling. Yet, outwardly, he remained icy-cold and silent.

Then, he personally penned a reply to Turing Tuo.

His letter was even more emotionally charged, expressing condolences to Turing Tuo, and from the perspective of the kingdom’s interests, he agreed with Turing Tuo’s retreat.

Not only that, he brought up old matters again, wishing to marry Turing Tuo’s daughter, Turing Mo, as a concubine.

At this moment in his heart, he likely wished nothing more than to flay Turing Tuo, pull out his tendons and smash his body into ten thousand pieces, yet the tone of his letter was even more humble and warm, truly a hardship for him.

...

After the battle had concluded, Grand Eunuch Gao Yin was destined to be the busiest man.

Having conveyed the edict to Duke Turing Tuo and personally witnessed Turing Tuo’s retreat, he rode a griffin beast back to Wangcheng Zidu, then went straight into the Shaojun residence of Zhi Li.

"Your Majesty has a decree!"

With a grim face, Zhi Li stepped forward and merely bowed, refusing to kneel and receive it.

Because everyone knew that the decree was written by either Suo Lun or Zhi Yan.

"By the dragon’s grace and the Flame’s authority, the King thus decrees: Shaojun Zhi Li, in your greed for the beauty of Gui Clan’s Qin Shu, you were wounded by an assassination attempt, yet you shamelessly framed Count Suo Lun for the crime. This act is utterly absurd, the epitome of shamelessness, disregarding the kingdom’s laws, and ignoring the dignity of your sovereign father..."

The royal decree denounced Zhi Li so harshly it was as if he was drenched in dog’s blood.

In the end, Shaojun Zhi Li was ordered to reflect behind closed doors, and to receive three lashes as punishment!

After listening to the decree, Zhi Li’s face twitched repeatedly.

What a humiliation, what a great humiliation!

If the Tuling Tuo Army were still besieging Tianlang Pass, he would have defied the decree without hesitation.

But now, the so-called defiance would win him nothing more than a breath of air. And if he dared to defy it, a new decree would have the audacity to strip him of his title as Shaojun.

Although his status did not derive from the King, the utter defeat in the extermination attempt, coupled with defiance now, would only result in a loss out of proportion to the gain.

Instantly, Zhi Li gritted his teeth and said, "Your son obeys the decree!"

Then, he stood in the middle of the courtyard while a eunuch stepped forward, holding a long whip in his hand.

"Crack!"

"Crack!"

"Crack!"

Under the watchful eyes of all, he was ruthlessly lashed three times on his back, without any mercy.

Zhi Li’s back was immediately streaming with fresh blood.

After the lashing was complete, Grand Eunuch Gao Yin left with the eunuchs and samurai, striding away triumphantly.

Meanwhile, Zhi Li stood motionless in the courtyard, his back bleeding, looking up at the sky.

His gaze gradually turned fierce and icy, his expression increasingly grim.

"This great humiliation shall be repaid a hundredfold, repaid a hundredfold..."

"Zhi Bian, Suo Lun, Zhi Yan, I will grind you to dust and scatter your remains to the winds!"

...

Grand Eunuch Gao Yin was destined to be extremely busy.

With Zhi Li having received and been humiliated by the decree, the next royal decree could now be smoothly issued.

He mounted a griffin beast and once again flew toward Tian Shui City!

This time, the recipient of the decree was Gui Qinshao.

"By the dragon’s legacy and the Flame, the King decrees, bestow upon Gui Clan’s legitimate daughter Qin Shao the noble samurai medal!"

That was the first decree.

"By the dragon’s legacy and the Flame, the King decrees, confer upon Gui Qinshao the title of Earl of Linhai, and grant her the position of City Lord of Linhai City, let it be known!"

With this, Gui Qinshao was officially the City Lord of Linhai City, becoming the second female feudal lord under the heavens!

...

Within an estate in the Capital of the Flame Empire!

Commandery Princess Zhining was nursing her baby. Though not yet a full month old, the little one already weighed over thirteen pounds, chubby and irresistibly adorable.

Currently, his little hand was touching one, his little mouth nursing from the other, trying his hardest to feed.

"Mmm, mmm, mmm..." he grunted with effort as he suckled, clearly struggling.

The baby was strong, always eating a lot and sucking forcefully, making Zhining’s sensitive nipples hurt even.

"You little rascal, eat if you want to eat, but why bite so hard?" Zhining chided, then gently patted the baby’s little face.

Just then, a nanny entered and bowed, saying, "Commandery Princess, a letter from Shaojun His Highness."

Zhining was taken aback. A letter from her brother Zhi Li?

Since his escape to the Capital of the Flame Empire, her brother Zhi Li had almost cut off all relations with her, never writing a single word. Why would he send a letter now?

She opened the letter while still nursing the baby.

After reading it, her delicate body shook, her beautiful eyes widened, completely unable to believe the contents of the letter.

...

Note: The first update is here, seeking your support, thank you everyone!