Late night.

"Old Ye, the Qin Army has finally retreated." Shangguan Jian dragged his weary body to the top of the valley entrance, having gone through an intense afternoon battle. The Qin Army suffered heavy casualties, yet Han Hao seemed to go mad, ordering his soldiers to relentlessly attack. As the soldiers at the front fell, those behind would move the bodies away and continue the assault. The archers at the top of the valley kept firing arrows. When arrows ran out, they resorted to hurling stones, until ultimately, the valley entrance was piled high with corpses...

"How many do we have left?" Ye Shikai had regained his Inner Strength, and his physical condition improved significantly. After a day’s fierce fighting, he didn’t feel too fatigued, but his wounds would still need time to heal.

"About... more than seven thousand." Upon hearing this result, both felt an overwhelming heaviness in their hearts. Losing so many brothers naturally left them in a poor mood.

"Aside from the three thousand archers responsible for the rear guard, the cavalry led by Wan Qi Yuan and the Iron Armor Army of Man Cang both lost nearly half. Also..." Shangguan Jian glanced at Ye Shikai, hesitating to speak. His eyes were already red from the day’s fierce battle. Ye Shikai led five thousand soldiers in a frontal assault on Han Hao’s formation to rescue civilians, but all five thousand brothers perished. If it weren’t for the accidental energy of the meteor helping Ye Shikai repair his Dantian, saving his life, they would have been utterly defeated.

"How are the civilians?"

"About... one hundred thousand civilians escaped in a hurry. We didn’t have time to count them."

"Hmm, how are they doing now?" Ye Shikai inquired. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"According to plan, we had stored some grain in the mountains beforehand, but with a hundred thousand civilians, the food can only last two days at most." Shangguan Jian was somewhat troubled. Although they had gathered all available food in the previous days, storing it in the mountains, it was not nearly enough for so many civilians. Even though Ye Shikai could use the Storage Ring, the food inside wouldn’t be sufficient for so many.

"Is two days enough for them to exit the mountains?"

"It should be enough. As long as the civilians follow the mountain path, they will reach nearby counties and be safe." Shangguan Jian nodded.

"That’s good. We must also travel quickly. Han Hao didn’t pursue us, but will surely send messages to various counties by fast horse, instructing them to intercept us. Our forces are weak now, and the Chu Territory is a thousand miles away, so we must proceed with caution." One problem after another appeared before Ye Shikai, causing him quite a headache. As the army’s commander, the first priority was naturally how to "maintain" this army.

"Indeed, speed is crucial. The sooner we reach the Chu Territory, the safer we will be." Shangguan Jian took a map from his pocket, found a flat stone, laid the map out, and, under the flickering firelight, drew a route on it.

"I have thoroughly studied the terrain here. If we take the shortest route, we can arrive five days earlier, but it’s all flat land and close to county towns, where we might be intercepted at any time."

"What’s your opinion then?"

"We should travel along the mountains. Although the journey is more rugged and takes more time, it is far safer. Besides, there are usually insurgents operating in these areas, which we can use as cover."

"Hmm, very well." Ye Shikai nodded in agreement.

...............

Ye Shikai and Shangguan Jian arrived at the civilians’ resting place, where soldiers were distributing porridge to them. The civilians fled in a panic, penniless and without grain. Had Shangguan Jian not prepared in advance, these civilians would have been suffering from hunger and cold in the deep mountains.

"Quick, villagers, let’s kneel quickly before our benefactors." Seeing the two arrive, many civilians knelt immediately.

"Villagers, what are you doing? Please stand up." Ye Shikai hurriedly stepped forward to greet them.

"But for General Ye’s benevolence, we would likely have fallen under the blade by now."

"Yes, kneel in gratitude for General Ye’s great kindness."

Ye Shikai chuckled bitterly. Saving people always requires sacrifice. To rescue these civilians, Ye Shikai lost more than half of his brothers. He felt unworthy to accept their gratitude. If thanked, it should be to those fallen brothers.

"Villagers, continue along the mountain path to safety. We are now fugitives from the empire and must leave quickly. We probably can’t protect you any longer." Ye Shikai explained to everyone.

"Rest assured, General Ye. The villagers understand. Today, you and the heroic warriors saved us. If anyone asks about your whereabouts in the future, we will remain silent."

"Good, thank you." Ye Shikai bowed, then gestured for the soldiers to bring out all the gold and silver stored in the mountains. These were rewards received earlier, all converted into cash before the uprising.

"Villagers, you will need expenses to live in a new place. Share these funds among yourselves and live well in the future."

"This... General Ye saved our lives, yet we haven’t repaid. How could we take this money?"

"Follow my instructions and share it. These are ill-gotten gains."

"I... As an old man, I kneel in gratitude to General Ye on behalf of all village folks."

"Thank General Ye for his kindness."

Seeing so many villagers kneeling in gratitude, Ye Shikai wasn’t the only one moved; all the soldiers present were deeply affected. To win the people’s hearts is to win the world, which sounds simple but is extremely challenging to truly achieve. For this so-called "greater good," so many perished today.

"Shangguan, distribute some to the brothers as well. They’ve worked hard today." Ye Shikai turned and said.

"Alright."

From today on, Ye Shikai was no longer a general of the court but a "rebel leader" from the court’s fugitive list. No military honors, rewards, or stipends, and he didn’t even know how to support so many brothers.

Could it be... to go up the mountains and become a bandit?

Of course not. If that were the case, he would be no different from bandits. Ye Shikai could only hope that upon reaching the Chu Territory, Hua Liandie would accept these brothers and provide for them.

"I wonder how Ling’er is doing now." Ye Shikai had regained his Inner Strength and possessed such "treasures" on hand. Even facing hordes of enemy troops, he remained unfazed, but he had many people to care for, leaving him worried.

"If you’re worried, you should go. After all, you now have Inner Strength and can cover hundreds of miles a day." At this moment, the voice of the blade spirit echoed in his mind.

"How could I do that when there are so many brothers here?"