My Sexy CEO Wife

Chapter 383 - 380 Heavy Casualties

The battle had ended.

The final victors were the government troops.

Nearly a hundred thousand bandits had almost entirely been wiped out.

The loss suffered by the government troops was also terribly heavy.

It was a ghastly battle, a fight to the death, a shocking conflict!

After a fierce battle, over a hundred thousand men were dead or injured, the ground soaked with blood, the air thick with the stench of gore.

Wan Fuchang Miao Kuangfeng, in order to annihilate the enemy, did not hesitate to self-destruct his treasure and also used some secret techniques with severe after-effects. In the end… he successfully repelled the bandit leader and the burly man.

"Plop!"

Miao Kuangfeng fell to the ground, his face as pale as paper, his breath barely perceptible, blood slowly trickling from the corners of his eyes, nostrils, mouth, and ears, with his chest a bloody blur and a deep wound on his back revealing the bones within.

In a nutshell, Miao Kuangfeng's condition was dire! Death was a real possibility at any time.

"My lord." A chiliarch rushed over quickly, supporting the staggering Miao Kuangfeng, shouting anxiously, "My lord, you must hold on."

"It is maddening…" Miao Kuangfeng's lips trembled, his voice hoarse, "that in the end, the bandit leader still managed to escape…"

"He won't get far!" said the chiliarch. "Once my lord recovers from his injuries, we will behead him."

"Recover from injuries…" Miao Kuangfeng said with a bitter smile, "My wounds are severe; it's impossible to heal within a few months... By that time, the bandit leader will have long been gone without a trace."

"Then I will lead troops to pursue him," the chiliarch said.

"You won't make it," Miao Kuangfeng shook his head, "Chasing after them would only lead to your death."

"What should we do, then?" The chiliarch frowned. "How about… we ask for reinforcements from the city lord and request that he send over some experts?"

"Distant water won't quench immediate thirst," sighed Miao Kuangfeng.

"My lord, don't overthink it," the chiliarch advised. "You should focus on healing your wounds first. We'll find another opportunity to kill the bandit leader in the future."

Miao Kuangfeng nodded, "That's all we can do now…"

...

The bodies of the bandits were thrown aside, while the bodies of the soldiers were collected for burial, and the wounded soldiers all received assistance.

The Sun set, and darkness covered the land.

A cold wind blew, dropping the temperature by several degrees.

Tents were erected one after another, leaving a troop of soldiers on guard, while the rest entered the tents to rest.

Inside the largest tent in the middle.

Miao Kuangfeng lay on a grass mat, his face pallid, his breathing rapid, occasionally punctuated by a cough or two.

"My lord." A chiliarch lifted the tent flap and entered, "I've boiled some medicine for you. Drink it while it's hot; it will help with your injuries." As he spoke, the chiliarch approached, propped up Miao Kuangfeng, and fed him a full bowl of the medicinal concoction.

This medicine was refined from thousand-year-old ginseng and had an excellent healing effect.

After drinking the medicine, Miao Kuangfeng's complexion seemed a bit better, his breathing more even. It seemed the medicine was taking effect.

The chiliarch helped Miao Kuangfeng to lie back down, then pulled over a woolen blanket to cover him.

"Has the casualty report been compiled?" Miao Kuangfeng asked.

"Er… it's ready…"

"How many casualties?"

"Well…"

"Stop beating around the bush and tell me,"

"…Over thirteen thousand dead, more than two thousand severely wounded, and another thousand or so lightly injured…"

"So many?" Miao Kuangfeng's eyes widened as his breath, which had just calmed down, grew rapid once more. He had mobilized a total of thirty thousand troops this time, and now more than half were lost... The pain in Miao Kuangfeng's heart was immense.

"Five Chiliarchs have fallen, over thirty Centurions, and Decurions... over a hundred have perished..."

"I have failed them! It's my fault they are dead!"

"My lord, you mustn't say such things. No one could have expected the bandits to deploy such a large force... To come out victorious against a hundred thousand bandits, it's nothing short of a miracle!"

"If given the choice, I would rather not have this victory! The soldiers followed me into battle, they trusted me, yet I led them to their deaths, I have let them down," Miao Kuangfeng's eyes reddened, his voice choked with emotion.

"Lord, please try to see beyond this," the Chiliarch comforted. "What's done is done, and your regret won't change it. Better to calm your mind and heal your wounds, then kill the bandit leaders to avenge our fallen comrades."

After a moment of sorrow, Miao Kuangfeng asked, "Have the soldiers' bodies been buried?"

"They have."

"And the wounded soldiers and officers, have they been settled?"

"They have."

"Send out the orders, the army will rest for a day, then withdraw from the Qiu Ling Great Prairie."

"Withdraw?"

"Yes, withdraw!" Miao Kuangfeng nodded decisively. "With heavy casualties and low morale among the troops, if we encounter a large bandit force again, we will be in trouble. We must pull out from here and return later."

"Understood, I'll give the orders right away," the Chiliarch stood up and left.

Miao Kuangfeng lay in bed, utterly exhausted, but sleep eluded him. Whenever he closed his eyes, images of his dead soldiers flashed through his mind...

...

Compared to most, Cao Buwei and Ding Dalin were lucky for they had kept their lives.

Cao Buwei had suffered some minor injuries, while Ding Dalin was completely unscathed.

"I nearly went to serve the King of the Underworld today," Cao Buwei said, still in shock.

"The bandits were too brutal, just too brutal..." Ding Dalin remarked, his face pale.

"To be honest, the fact that we won... It's really a miracle, facing ten thousand bandits with less than thirty thousand soldiers and still emerging victorious. If that's not a miracle, what is?"

"It was a Pyrrhic victory! I just inquired a bit, and more than sixteen thousand were lost today."

"That many?"

"Yes."

"It truly was a Pyrrhic victory... By the way, have you seen Gao Fei?"

"No." Ding Dalin shook his head. "I haven't seen Gao Fei since the battle ended. He's definitely dead... I saw with my own eyes a bandit with Nascent Soul Stage Cultivation chasing after Gao Fei... Even with exceptional abilities, Gao Fei would not have escaped death."

Cao Buwei nodded, "Good riddance, now I can rest easy."

"I've heard... that the situation with Lord Wan Fuchang is not good," Ding Dalin leaned forward and whispered.

"Not good? How bad is it?" Cao Buwei asked anxiously.

"I've heard he was seriously injured, it's still uncertain if he'll survive."

"That serious?"

"That's the word outside, whether it's true or not, I can't be sure..."

"If Lord Wan Fuchang really meets a misfortune... the camp is going to see a change of leadership."

"Better to be prepared, my lord. If something truly happens to Lord Wan Fuchang, you wouldn't want to be caught off guard."

"Hmm." Cao Buwei nodded. "I'll visit Lord Wan Fuchang tomorrow to see what the situation is like before making any decisions."

After a brief conversation, Ding Dalin stood up and exited the tent.