455: Chapter 455 Military Stick

Lin Xiao looked at the wounded soldiers lying there with a deep gaze; it had been a long time since he had felt the cruelty of war.

This time, the blow dealt to him by the Khitan people was far greater than he had imagined.

When Zhao Caiwei saw Lin Xiao, a trace of wild joy appeared in her beautiful eyes, but it quickly faded into sadness, and her eyes rapidly welled up with tears.

She walked up to Lin Xiao, suppressing the intense urge to go up and hug the man, and said self-reproachfully, "Prince of Zhenbei, it is my incompetence; I underestimated the combat power of the Khitan Army."

"If not for my overconfidence in stretching the battle lines and dispersing our forces, our brothers would not have been injured so severely..."

Lin Xiao looked at the woman's haggard face, his heart naturally filled with pity.

"On the way here, I already encountered Khitan cavalry; they are indeed somewhat strange. The heavy losses in this battle are not entirely your responsibility."

"If you did not stretch the battle lines, how would you have intercepted the dispersed enemy?"

It was truly difficult for the two women; this time the Khitan Army was clearly prepared. Let alone them, even if he had come himself, the losses would not have been small.

But upon hearing this, Zhao Caiwei hurriedly denied it, "No! Facing the enemy in battle is the ultimate test for a commander. I should have used a more reasonable method to split the forces; this is my dereliction of duty!"

In front of so many soldiers, Zhao Caiwei clearly did not want Lin Xiao to treat her differently.

The Zhenbei Army had been almost invincible all the way here; when had they ever been so stifled?

So many people had died, yet they had not managed to repel the Khitan Army?

If word got out, it would be an insult to the Prince of Zhenbei!

With the battle having turned out this way, she had to give everyone an explanation.

Previously, because there were no other higher-ranking officers here, no one dared to punish her, but now that Lin Xiao had arrived, it was only natural to ask for punishment.

Lin Xiao saw through the woman's thoughts and had no choice but to ask, "Then how do you think I, the Prince of Zhenbei, should punish you?"

"One hundred military canings!" Zhao Caiwei said decisively.

As soon as these words were spoken, the soldiers of the Zhenbei Army on the scene could not sit still.

"General Zhao! That must not happen! The battle is not over yet; your body cannot be injured!"

"Prince of Zhenbei, it is really not General Zhao's fault; it is that bunch of Khitan people who are possessed by evil spirits! Every one of them is acting like they've gone mad!"

"That's right, General Zhao's tactics are fine, but that bunch of Khitan people act like nothing happened even after their arms are cut off; it's too eerie!"

"They even eat people! I saw with my own eyes them biting people's necks and pulling out intestines to gnaw on them!!"

"Prince of Zhenbei, we are human, but they are not..."

A group of Zhenbei Army soldiers pleaded for Zhao Caiwei while recounting their terrifying experiences on the battlefield.

Any normal person would be terrified upon seeing those brutal scenes; how could they still fight?

If not for Zhao Caiwei's high martial arts skills and her killing of several enemy generals, their casualties would have been even worse.

Lin Xiao naturally knew that what these soldiers said was true.

But Zhao Caiwei looked resolute, even carrying a hint of pleading, and he could not ignore the woman's wishes.

"In consideration of the soldiers pleading for you, twenty military canings and a one-year salary deduction!"

Lin Xiao compromised, giving a punishment that was neither too light nor too heavy.

Zhao Caiwei was helpless; although she was a bit unwilling, she still accepted the punishment and thanked him.

The group of wounded soldiers watched as Zhao Caiwei went out to receive the military caning, all of them dumbfounded, and their eyes toward Lin Xiao became exceptionally respectful.

In fact, they had never thought about letting Lin Xiao punish Zhao Caiwei; after all, everyone knew about their relationship.

Therefore, even though it was only twenty military canings, it had already made the soldiers feel very surprised.

The Prince of Zhenbei is truly selfless!

[Comprehension Ability + 47]

Lin Xiao looked at the Comprehension Ability points that popped up, but he couldn't feel happy at all.

That was something his beloved woman had exchanged for physical suffering!

An incense stick later.

Lin Xiao arrived at Zhao Caiwei's tent.

Although the woman had taken twenty military canings, she was, after all, at the Master level of cultivation, so it did not affect her movement, just some superficial injuries.

Seeing Lin Xiao enter, Zhao Caiwei's eyes revealed a trace of resentment; beside her undergarments lay a set of blood-stained clothes that had been changed out.

Lin Xiao stepped forward and pulled her into his arms with heartache.

Zhao Caiwei struggled twice but then stopped moving, only her aggrieved tears soaking into the man's clothes.

"Caiwei, why not leave the army?"

Lin Xiao sighed, "Seeing you receive military punishment, I feel terrible too."

"No, I have been in the military camp since I was a child; unless it is to raise children for my husband, I will never leave."

Zhao Caiwei looked up and pouted, "Does my husband think that I am crying because I was beaten?"

"Isn't it?" Lin Xiao countered.

Zhao Caiwei sighed, "Receiving punishment in the army is something I have experienced before; there is nothing scary about it."

"The point that makes me most sad is that I was not mature enough and did not scout the opponent's situation in advance, causing the soldiers to fall into a passive situation with heavy casualties."

"I am not angry at my husband for punishing me; I am angry at myself for failing to complete my husband's entrustment and returning with victory, instead requiring my husband to come and assist."

Lin Xiao looked at the woman's cold and beautiful face, showing a mix of grievances, stubbornness, and sadness, and felt a flood of emotions.

If not for the heavy atmosphere of the army right now, he would really want to have a fierce battle of three hundred rounds with this cold beauty; she was too tempting!

"Victory and defeat are common matters in military affairs. Since I am here, you can rest assured."

Lin Xiao said, pulling out a medicinal pill.

"Eat this, and the wound will heal quickly without leaving a scar," Lin Xiao said.

"Husband, it's fine; I have already stopped the bleeding, and it won't affect the battle," Zhao Caiwei said, feeling it was a waste.

"If I tell you to eat it, then eat it. Is your body even your own?" Lin Xiao said with feigned anger.

Zhao Caiwei's face flushed slightly, and only then did she obediently take the pill. Soon, her backside felt tingly and itchy, clearly healing.

"I will check it later; there cannot be a single trace left," Lin Xiao said with a wicked smile.

"Mm..." Zhao Caiwei lowered her head, almost burying it in her chest.

However, Lin Xiao did not continue to go deeper but immediately cut to the main point.

"The intelligence you provided is not very detailed. Tell me, what is going on with the Khitan?" Lin Xiao asked.

The blush on Zhao Caiwei's face faded, and she began to recount...

This time, she and Mu Wanying had temporarily mobilized six thousand troops from the Zhenbei Army to provide support.

It seemed like not many, but after all, the two of them had Master-level strength, and with their superior equipment, it should have been more than enough to deal with the Khitan Army.

But once the fighting started, they discovered it was completely different from what they had imagined!

The two remaining Silver Wolf Generals of the Khitan Army did not fight them head-on at all; they just used various guerrilla tactics, infiltration, and flanking maneuvers.

To protect the common people in the rear, the Zhenbei Army and the Yan Kings Army could only fight them in dispersed formations, engaging in multi-point confrontations.

In the end, many weapons from the Zhenbei Arsenal could not be used at all.

"Husband, the tactics of the Khitan Army are completely different from the past, and it doesn't seem like the work of Marshal Suhe."

"In fact, Marshal Suhe's Northern Barbarian Army is taking orders from the Khitan people this time, and their combat power is much stronger compared to the past."

Zhao Caiwei was still confused; fighting until now, she could not understand how the enemy had managed to do this.

"Do you feel that the opponent's internal energy cultivation is mediocre, and logically, they shouldn't be that strong?" Lin Xiao asked.

Zhao Caiwei nodded, "That's right. The Khitan generals I killed, their strength and speed were all close to the Master level, but their internal energy cultivation was not high, which is very strange."

Lin Xiao was just about to state his own discovery when he heard a commotion outside?

Listening carefully, it turned out that someone was trying to force their way into the Zhenbei Army camp?