Chapter 1117: A Huge Humiliation

"Marshal!"

"They must have fled overnight!"

"Hahahaha, they didn't even dare to stay for another day!"

"A bunch of cowards!"

These generals looked on and laughed heartily.

Rumyantsev did not make a sound; he just quietly observed the situation in the camp. It looked truly wretched, and there were even many bloodstains at the scene; it was very likely that some armed clashes had occurred here before this.

Many people then felt...

That there must have been some disagreement within the northern part of this so-called Northwest Allied Forces. After all, no one could accept defeat after defeat...

In this situation, a pursuit was definitely the best choice!

Therefore, their suggestion was not wrong.

But Rumyantsev...

Still felt something was off.

Something was off!

It was somewhat absurd!

How could the Longyan people give up so easily? And that too on their home turf? What about their combat readiness? What about their consecutive failures? Their reinforcements, logistics, and various supplies should have been the most convenient... To retreat in such a situation, there must be something fishy when things go against the norm!

"Wait!"

Rumyantsev looked at the excited group, who were all itching to reorganize their troops and begin a pursuit, yet he became increasingly calm.

The group looked over in confusion.

In a situation like this, and still not pursue?

Rumyantsev slowly shook his head: "Bring the map!"

Soon.

The Tsarist Russia Army began to move into the Wusun region. After all, the purpose of them launching this war was to strike at Liangzhou! Since the Longyan people had already abandoned the Wusun region, how could they not take it?

In the military command tent.

Rumyantsev quietly looked at the huge map hanging before him. When he saw the situation in the Wusun region, he immediately took a deep breath, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes: "They want to trap us in the Wusun region!"

Once these words were spoken, the others looked at each other in dismay.

And then they laughed loudly.

"Just them?"

"Hahahaha!"

"Marshal! Give me fifty thousand Cavalry, and I will surely trample the entire Western Regions!"

"Exactly, such cowardly Longyan people just like to play these tricks! Let's fight them with real blades and spears!"

The group laughed heartily, completely disregarding the strategy of these Longyan people.

Rumyantsev, however, frowned deeply: "This matter must absolutely not be taken lightly!"

"We need to discuss this properly! And plan it out slowly!"

The others were very confused.

Why was the Marshal, who had always been bold and aggressive in his style, so cautious this time? One must know that ever since Rumyantsev debuted, how many battles had he fought where he snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and turned the tide? This absolutely required a big heart! He was famous for his boldness and daring to fight, but today...

"Station!"

Station!

Rumyantsev's order began to spread throughout the entire army.

Afterwards, sitting in his own tent, Rumyantsev continued to study the military map.

He took a deep breath.

This Longyan is truly full of hidden talents... Who came up with this strategy? And it was executed so decisively. Take himself for example: if the territory of Tsarist Russia suffered such an invasion, he would absolutely not have made such a calm decision in a short period of time.

This shows that this Longyan person is not simple at all...

If he had issued the order today and sent troops to pursue, he feared he would have met his first defeat in this offensive against Longyan.

He thought for a moment, picked up paper and pen, and intended to send a letter to his Majesty.

"As expected!"

Rumyantsev's guess was correct; the wretched scene in the camp was entirely

fabricated by Zou Sheng on purpose.

In fact, after the main force retreated, he had also laid an ambush for the Longyan army halfway, just wanting to see if the other side would come to pursue. The other generals naturally also wished they could leave sooner.

Tsarist Russia did not come.

Zou Sheng gave a bitter smile.

This Rumyantsev is truly not a simple person. The high regard the Young Master has for him is not false in the slightest.

"General... why didn't they come?"

"This was clearly a very good opportunity!"

The several generals who followed Zou Sheng into the ambush were all very regretful.

Zou Sheng chuckled and said: "The people of Tsarist Russia aren't stupid... This Rumyantsev is a proper Army Marshal of Tsarist Russia; if he couldn't even see through this little trick, he wouldn't have lived until now."

"Marshal?"

"So formidable?"

"Let's go, let's head back!"

Zou Sheng sighed.

The war situation in the Western Regions, it seems, is destined to enter a truly protracted conflict.

Go back and get scolded, then...

Zou Sheng sighed deeply.

He could already guess how the common people would curse and revile them once their army returned to Yanqi.

Riding his horse, he galloped for half a day, finally reuniting with the Northwest Allied Forces.

Seeing this bunch of cowards, Zou Sheng gave a cold smile.

Naturally, they were still unwilling to be the first to arrive in Yanqi... Heaven knows how many people were waiting there to curse them! This scapegoat role would still have to be borne by Zou Sheng!

Sure enough.

Two days later.

Yanqi City.

Tens of thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands, of commoners had long since gathered here. When they saw the Northwest Allied Forces returning, low in morale and in such a sorry state, they all became furious, filled with righteous indignation.

"Traitors!"

"Beat them to death!"

"Trash!"

"Is this how you guard the gates of the country?"

"The imperial court feeds you, and you just sit there eating for free!"

"Trash!"

"Disgraceful!"

"Do you still have the face to come back?"

For a time, from both sides of the road, all sorts of loud curses, all sorts of agitated physical gestures, and all sorts of exaggerated anger came rushing toward them.

All sorts of rotten vegetable leaves and stinking eggs.

All sorts of men dressed in women's clothing, there to humiliate the soldiers who had slunk away, abandoning the Wusun region and "crawling back" to Yanqi.

The Northwest Allied Forces also kept their heads lowered, one by one.

They wanted to retort...

But how could they retort?

They had indeed lost the battle.

They had indeed barely fought before being scared off by the enemy. They had indeed not put in much effort before being driven back by the enemy, and they had indeed retreated from the Wusun region without suffering many casualties...

The national territory had been lost so easily.

They truly had no face to meet these fellow countrymen and elders.

"Get lost!"

"Yanqi does not welcome you!"

"Longyan does not welcome you!"

The army of over three hundred thousand stretched on endlessly, yet at this moment, under the roar of tens of thousands of people, they didn't dare to make a peep.

The Yanqi Prefect was still sweating profusely at this time, trying to maintain order at the scene.

No matter what...

He could not let these commoners actually harm these soldiers, could he...

"General Zou."

Seeing Zou Sheng become the target for everyone's pent-up rage, the Prefect gave a bitter smile and hurried over to meet him.

Zou Sheng slowly shook his head, not saying a word.

Because he truly did not know what to say.

A tactical retreat?

A strategic retreat?

If you told these commoners that now, they wouldn't understand a damn thing.

"Lord Liu, let the soldiers rest for a while. Tomorrow, we will head thirty miles outside the city and build defensive fortifications around Paomapo!"

Zou Sheng instructed indifferently.

This Yanqi Prefect was now a member of the main Liu Family branch, someone Liu Zheng would have to call "Uncle," and upon hearing this, he nodded hurriedly.

Seeing the soldiers about to enter the city, the commoners went even more insane, cursing and throwing things.

Zou Sheng took a deep breath.

He endured the sky-filling curses, and he did not brush off the rotten vegetable leaves that had been thrown onto his shoulders...

He clenched his fists tightly.

Fellow countrymen and elders...

Do not be impatient...

The humiliation we suffer today, sooner or later, I, Zou Sheng, will make you pay it back several times over!

I will take it back!

If I do not wipe out the Russian Army, I, Zou Sheng, swear I am no man! Pop-ups are frequent recently; you may click to download to avoid pop-ups.