Chapter 53: Dumber Than A Donkey (2)
"They slowly lured our men deeper into the forest before surrounding them from every direction."
The soldier’s fists tightened. "By the time the order to retreat was given, it was already too late."
"Our army managed to withdraw, but around thirty soldiers were captured alive by the Southern Wolf Tribe."
Rong Shuyan gritted his teeth and tightened his fist. He had specifically ordered the army to observe the hidden trail first because he wanted to learn the enemy’s movements before making a decision.
Instead, Rong Yunzhou had thrown away that advantage in a single day.
[Why is the timeline moving so fast?!] Lin Xueyi shouted inwardly. [The army wasn’t supposed to clash with the Southern Wolf Tribe until about two weeks from now.]
[Damn it, Rong Yunzhou! You’ve only made the enemy come here even sooner!]
Rong Shuyan’s eyes grew colder. "Eunuch Shen."
"Yes, Your Highness."
He slowly tightened his grip on the armrest of his wheelchair. "We’re going to the command tent.
===
The command tent was already in chaos by the time Rong Shuyan arrived.
Several generals were arguing with one another, while wounded soldiers continued to come in with fresh reports from the battlefield.
The moment Rong Yunzhou saw Rong Shuyan enter, he merely glanced at him before turning back to the military map, as though nothing important had happened.
Rong Shuyan’s voice cut through the noisy tent. "Rong Yunzhou!"
He slowly turned around, a faint frown appearing on his face. "What is it?"
"Who gave you permission to attack?"
The command tent instantly fell silent. The generals stopped arguing. Even the scouts who had just rushed in with reports froze where they stood.
Rong Yunzhou met Rong Shuyan’s cold gaze without the slightest hint of guilt. "I gave the order myself."
"I ordered them to observe first." Rong Shuyan gritted his teeth, emphasizing every single word.
"I changed the plan," Rong Yunzhou replied as if it were no big deal.
Rong Shuyan gripped the armrest of his wheelchair so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "I specifically ordered everyone not to alert the enemy, yet you launched an attack without discussing it with anyone."
Rong Yunzhou let out a dismissive scoff. "It was the perfect chance to strike first."
"The perfect chance, you say?" Rong Shuyan pushed his wheelchair forward, his voice growing colder with every word. "Look at what your ’perfect chance’ has done! The Southern Wolf Tribe now knows we’ve discovered their hidden trail. They’ll most likely abandon it!"
He pointed at the military map. "If that happens, they’ll be forced to march through Blackstone Pass instead. And because I knew they would use the hidden trail, I only stationed a small number of soldiers there."
Rong Yunzhou glared back without backing down. "That’s your fault for not considering Blackstone Pass."
Rong Shuyan laughed in anger. "Rong Yunzhou, have the maggots eaten your brain? I stationed only a few soldiers there because I knew the tribe would use the hidden trail."
Behind Rong Shuyan, Lin Xueyi frowned. [Something else doesn’t make sense...]
[How did nobody notice several hundred soldiers leaving the camp?]
[Even if Rong Yunzhou gave the order himself, moving that many soldiers would have caused a huge commotion.]
Rong Shuyan, who had heard her thoughts, immediately asked Rong Yunzhou, "How did you move several hundred soldiers out of the camp without anyone reporting it to me?"
The question made several generals look at Rong Yunzhou in confusion because they had been wondering the exact same thing.
A smug smile slowly spread across Rong Yunzhou’s face. "Because they weren’t your soldiers."
Rong Shuyan’s expression froze. "What did you say?"
"I brought my own army." He let out a scoff before adding, "I requested reinforcements from the Ministry of War before leaving the capital. They arrived yesterday."
He looked at Rong Shuyan with open arrogance. "I simply didn’t think it was necessary to report it to you."
Rong Shuyan stared at him in disbelief. He had been away from the Imperial Family for too long. Long enough to forget that some of his own relatives were dumber than a donkey.
"You concealed military reinforcements during an active campaign," Rong Shuyan said coldly. "Do you even understand what that means?"
Rong Yunzhou folded his arms. "It means I don’t need to explain every little thing to someone who isn’t the commanding general."
"You’ve endangered the entire army," Rong Shuyan said with an impressed anger.
"I’ve done the exact opposite." Rong Yunzhou stepped closer, his voice rising. "If anything, you’re the one who’s too afraid to fight."
"You sit in the command tent drawing lines on maps while real generals fight the real battles."
Rong Shuyan’s eyes turned colder than ice. "You call losing thirty soldiers and exposing our strategy a victory?"
"They were simply unlucky."
"They are Imperial soldiers!" Rong Shuyan roared. "Not pieces on a game board that you can throw away whenever you please!"
Rong Yunzhou sneered. "That’s rich coming from a cripple who can’t even stand on the battlefield."
Lin Xueyi clenched her fists. She took a step forward and stood beside Rong Shuyan’s wheelchair. "Second Prince, that’s enough."
Rong Yunzhou glanced at her with clear annoyance. "This is military business. It has nothing to do with a woman."
Lin Xueyi met his gaze without backing away. "Military business? Thirty soldiers were captured because of your reckless decision. Instead of admitting your mistake, you’re insulting the person who tried to prevent it."
"You should be ashamed of yourself!" she shouted.
Rong Yunzhou’s face darkened. "What did you say?"
"I said you should be ashamed." She went on, "You ignored Prince Rui’s orders, hid an entire army from him, and now you’re blaming everyone else for your own failure."
She glared straight at Rong Yunzhou. "Rong Yunzhou, are you even dumber than a chicken, or—"
Slap!
The loud slap sound echoed through the command tent. Lin Xueyi’s head snapped to the side because the force of the blow nearly made her lose her balance before Mei Lu rushed forward to catch her.
"Princess Consort!" Mei Lu cried.
Lin Xueyi covered her burning cheek with one hand. [It hurts! It hurts! Why does it hurt this much?!]
She winced as a sharp pain spread across the entire left side of her face. [Did he use qi energy when he slapped me?!]
[This shameless bastard!]