Ji Han Grand Commander

Chapter 196 190. Message
The sudden arrival of reinforcements undoubtedly gave the Han army, which was like a frost-bitten eggplant, a burst of energy, and the frustration brought by the previous failure was almost swept away.

With the help of Pang Lin's navy, Bao Feng returned safely to the Han army camp on the west side of the Xiang River. The two entered the main tent of the camp one after the other and came to meet Ma Su, the main general of the expedition to Changsha.

"General Bao, I'm glad you're fine. Isn't this... General Pang?"

Ma Su couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he saw that although Bao Feng had suffered some minor injuries, he was still in good spirits. If Bao Feng had been killed in the first battle, he would have been too ashamed to go back and see Feng Xi.

However, Ma Su took a quick look and saw Pang Lin who came in with Bao Feng. He was a little surprised. They were both from Jingzhou, and Ma Liang had also had some contact with Pang Tong, so Ma Su had seen Pang Lin several times. However, he did not expect Pang Lin to appear here.

"Master Ma, how are you? I am here on the orders of Commander Zhang to rescue our soldiers."

Pang Lin bowed, but did not say much. He stood aside, as if waiting for something.

"Commander-in-chief, when I came back just now, I happened to meet the brothers who were counting the casualties."

After everyone exchanged greetings, Bao Feng slowly spoke up and got back to business. Ma Su was not too surprised by this, as he was the one who had asked people to count the casualties of his own army.

"What are the casualties of our troops?"

Ma Su looked somewhat dejected, but asked Bao Feng with some reluctance.

"There were more than 8,100 soldiers in our army before the attack, and now there are more than 5,200 soldiers back. Nearly 1,000 of them must have died in the water battle just now, and the rest were swept away by the rapids and their whereabouts are unknown."

Bao Feng also looked reluctant when he said this. Although the morale and energy of the soldiers of the Jingzhou Army were somewhat low due to the period of Sun Quan's rule, their skills were still solid. With a little training and recovery, they could become an elite army again.

Now that three thousand of these good seedlings have been lost, Bao Feng feels that the loss is quite huge.

"…This defeat is my fault alone. I was too eager for merit and too reckless to see through the enemy's scheme. When I return to Jiangling, I will apologize to the Grand Commander."

Ma Su's expression changed, but he finally showed a resolute look. Although Ma Su was a little arrogant, he was not the kind of person who dared to do things but not to take responsibility. Since he had said so confidently before the expedition, how could he beg for mercy after returning?
Military orders are as heavy as mountains, and Ma Su knew this.

"Master Ma, I came here to report something."

Seeing that the two had finished their conversation, Pang Lin on the side slowly spoke up and explained the reason why he stood there and did not leave.

"Appreciate further details."

Ma Su knew that the people behind Pang Lin were the Admiral Zhang Nan and the Grand Admiral Feng Xi, so what he said was in some sense Feng Xi's opinion. Ma Su wanted to see what Pang Lin could say.

"Now that Lord Ma has been defeated, according to the Grand Commander, there are two options for Lord Ma to choose from."

Pang Lin bowed, implying that Feng Xi had already made plans.

"Plan 1: Lord Ma will lead his troops back to Jiangling to recuperate. The specific punishment needs to be discussed by all the lords. After that, Commander Zhang will be responsible for conquering Changsha County."

Pang Lin slowly said the first plan, but Ma Su's expression did not change at all. To withdraw the troops back to Jiangling now would be tantamount to actively admitting failure, which was unacceptable to Ma Su. Seeing that Ma Su was indifferent, Pang Lin smiled slightly, as if Ma Su's reaction had been expected.

"Plan 2: My Jingzhou navy will remain on hold. Unless Lord Ma suffers another major defeat, my navy will not provide any help. But Lord Ma can continue to capture Changsha as you wish."

"Option II."

Without any hesitation, Ma Su patted the document in front of him and resolutely chose the second path. Ma Su suffered a great defeat in his first battle, so he was naturally furious. If he was asked to withdraw his troops directly, he would probably be depressed to death.

Another way to describe this situation is "unclear thoughts", and the only solution is to "relieve the hatred in your heart and draw your sword to kill your enemy."

"In that case, the Grand Commander has this sperm sac to present to you. I hope that Lord Ma can appreciate the meaning of it."

Seeing that Ma Su had made his choice, Pang Lin took out a small bag from the lining. This was given to Zhang Nan by Feng Xi. If Ma Su was really defeated and wanted to avenge his previous defeat, then this should be given to him.

Ma Su thought that it was some kind of sarcastic remark or method to defeat the enemy written in advance by Feng Xi. He opened the seminal vesicle with some embarrassment and anger, and a piece of white cloth folded into several pieces fell out.

When the brocade was unfolded, five large characters were written inside.

"Sense of shame and then courage"

Ma Su was stunned for a moment, and suddenly his tear glands burst into tears like a flood.

This feeling is very complicated, and it is difficult to describe it in detail even in the future two thousand years from now. Sometimes, what can break the defense of an adult who has experienced a lot of bad things and has to deal with another lot of bad things may not be the accusations and abuses, but the words of "How are you doing recently" from the gray-haired mother or "Thank you, you've worked hard" from a stranger.

Similarly, Ma Su originally thought that since Feng Xi had anticipated that he might fail, he would definitely not be kind to him, and he was prepared for the blame, instructions, and even ridicule contained in this cloth.

Ma Su did not seem to be indifferent to the defeat, but in fact, he was completely supported by a resentful spirit. He was unwilling to be tricked and retreated in disgrace.

Losing his own face and even his brother's face was nothing, but Ma Su really couldn't swallow this humiliation.

However, Feng Xi had no intention of adding insult to injury. He just encouraged him with five simple words. This made Ma Su, who had been feeling embarrassed for having boasted but been slapped in the face, feeling extremely guilty after the defeat, and being eager to prove himself, suddenly unable to hold back.

"Commander, are you okay?"

Seeing Ma Su taking the silk brought by Feng Xi and bursting into tears after taking a look at it, Bao Feng was worried that the Grand Commander might have written something that irritated Ma Su, so he spoke up and expressed his concern for Ma Su.

"Nothing. We should regroup our troops and not let down the Grand Commander's trust."

Ma Su quickly calmed down, wiped away the tears from his eyes with his cloth robe, and returned to his previous state. But Bao Feng always felt that Ma Su seemed to have changed a little, but Bao Feng couldn't tell where he had changed.

However, Bao Feng was very happy to see Ma Su regain his spirits. He did not want to return to Jiangling after being beaten up by Han Teng. Instead, he hoped that he could lead the way, climb up to the city wall and chop off Han Teng's head with his own hands to avenge the arrow.

(End of this chapter)