Chapter 142

"A hundred and fifty thousand men, driven back in defeat by a single person!"

"What?"

"A hundred and fifty thousand men, driven back in defeat by one man?"

The moment those words left his mouth, Zhao Gao was stunned!

One had to understand, that was a hundred and fifty thousand men!

To put it in Seeing Ying Zheng's words, even if it were a pig leading a hundred and fifty thousand men to attack Outside Xianyanggong, it would have taken it!

Yet Wang Jian actually failed to take it?

He was so shocked his scalp went numb!

Wang Jian kept his head lowered; at this moment, his face was utterly deathly pale!

Instead, Zhang Han was somewhat indignant: "I feel we can still fight. ～!"

Meng Yi flew into a rage on the spot: "Fight what!"

"That man's body is like steel and bone, blades and spears cannot pierce him; even hundreds or thousands of men cannot get close to him!"

"This battle cost us forty thousand casualties, and he alone killed or wounded nearly forty thousand — how can we fight?"

"How can we fight this!"

Meng Yi was furious beyond measure!

Zhang Han roared: "A hundred and fifty thousand men, throw them all in — I refuse to believe we can't take him down!"

Meng Yi grew even angrier: "A hundred and fifty thousand men, just to go fight one person — don't you think that's a waste?"

The two argued without end. In the end, it was still Wang Jian who stepped forward, beckoning the two of them with a wave, and finally bowing toward Zhao Gao: "my lord, regarding this matter, I shall go to the Emperor and Your Majesty to beg punishment!"

"You two, each lead the army back. This matter has nothing to do with you two — it is entirely my own incompetence in command!"

Having said this, he paid no heed to the others and headed straight for Seeing Ying Zheng's residence.

And Meng Yi and Zhang Han were stunned. In an instant they dropped to their knees with a thud, then, one on each side, threw their arms around Wang Jian's thighs:

"Old General, you must not! You must not!"

Zhang Han wept: "Old General, this defeat in battle is the will of heaven — it has nothing whatsoever to do with you!"

Meng Yi cried out even more: "Old General, this truly has nothing to do with you — it's that person, he was just too ferocious!"

"Blades and spears couldn't pierce him, his strength was boundless — one man standing at Chengmenkou, and tens of thousands of us surging forward still couldn't do anything to him!"

"It truly was, one man holding the pass, ten thousand men unable to get past!"

"This battle truly has nothing whatsoever to do with your command!"

At that moment, both of them cried out in unison!

At that moment, all the generals dropped to their knees before Wang Jian, shouting in unison: "Old General, this defeat in battle is the responsibility of us generals — it has nothing to do with you!"

"Even if the Emperor must punish someone, he should punish us!"

"Old General!"

"Old General is blameless!"

At that moment, all the generals cried out!

Even the hundred-plus thousand troops behind them all knelt down, shouting loudly toward Wang Jian!

And this scene, seen in Zhao Gao's eyes, utterly stunned him!

One had to understand, this was over a hundred thousand men kneeling on the ground and shouting — what a rare sight was this?

Moreover, from the meaning of their words… they, over a hundred thousand men, had been held back by a single person?

One man standing at Chengmenkou, and a hundred and fifty thousand men couldn't break through?

He was stunned, his scalp going numb!

But in an instant, one person came to mind!

Li Yuanba!

"This… Old General, is… Li Yuanba back?"

Zhao Gao asked in shock.

Wang Jian was just about to open his mouth to speak when Zhao Gao waved him to a halt: "Old General, don't tell me — matters the Emperor doesn't yet know, how would this servant have the right to learn of them first?"

"But rest assured, although the Emperor is quick to anger, he is also very reasonable. If there truly is a cause, tell the Emperor the true circumstances and he will pardon you!"

Zhao Gao spoke on.

Wang Jian sighed, then said to Meng Yi and Zhang Han and the gathered generals:

"Did you all hear that?"

"my lord said, if there truly is a cause, the Emperor will pardon me!"

"You need not worry for me!"

"Moreover, victory and defeat are the common lot of soldiers. Even I, Wang Jian, who have fought a hundred battles and won a hundred victories all my life — in this final battle, I cannot escape a single defeat!"

"A loss is a loss; there's nothing to be ashamed of. And even though we lost, in this battle our Great Qin soldiers did not lose — over a hundred thousand men charging forward fearless of death, that is no defeat; generals leading from the front, that too is no defeat!"

"In this battle, the morale of our Great Qin soldiers has not scattered, the fighting spirit of Great Qin's generals has not waned — how then can this be counted as a defeat?"

"In this battle, Great Qin has not lost!"

"Everyone, disperse!"

As he spoke, he bowed deeply to all present.

And at that moment, everyone wept, all of them shouting loudly toward Wang Jian:

"General!"

"General!"

"General!"

At that moment, over ten thousand people shouted in unison!

The sound tore through the sky, piercing the rainbow.

Even the city-garrison soldiers on the walls of Xianyang City joined in the shout!

Inside Outside Xianyanggong, the five thousand garrison troops hearing this sound were also moved!

Inside Outside Xianyanggong, Facing Ying Su hearing this sound was equally shocked!

Remember, this was an army that had just suffered a defeat!

An army that had just suffered a defeat is, most of the time, with low morale!

But... listen to this sound, where is even a trace of low morale?

This is a veteran general!

With merely a few words, he could make an army with low morale instantly regain vitality and reignite their fighting spirit!

"Wang Jian!"

"I am determined to succeed!"

Facing Ying Su clenched his fist tightly!

He looked into the distance, light bursting in his eyes!

He loved talent, and Wang Jian was absolutely a treasure-level talent!

Then... he turned around, immediately returned to the palace, and went to sleep with Princess Princess Jieyou!

Wait... sleep?

Sleep what the hell?

It's already dawn, the sky is bright, what the hell are you sleeping for!

Hmm... maybe just one dawn cannon!

Then get up!

Wait for Li Yuanba to return, then take Li Yuanba and Li Cunxiao together to go chat with Seeing Ying Zheng!

Damn it, didn't I say I was abdicating?

What the hell is he trying to do by pulling this stunt with Wang Jian!

What, do you want to rebel?

Outside Xianyang City!

Amidst everyone's farewells, Wang Jian watched helplessly as everyone returned to camp!

But no matter what they did, Meng Yi and Zhang Han followed Wang Jian tightly!

They said, if Your Majesty wants to kill, then kill them all together!

As the three main generals personally appointed by the Emperor, the defeat in this battle can only be borne by the three of them together.