Chapter 485: Leaked Military Intelligence <<<
Su Zhen Ting's expression was equally solemn. He nodded and said, "That's right, so right now we need to consider whether or not to keep this news a secret?"
"Can't hide it."
Li Chen shook his head, glanced in the direction of Taihe Hall, and sneered, "With such a large army, it would be too easy for them to insert a few informants. A defeat in battle is impossible to conceal."
Su Zhenning said angrily, "Pingbei is still too young and has fallen into the enemy's trap."
"Your Highness, since the war can no longer be concealed, it is time to begin making amends."
Su Zhen Ting bowed to Li Chen and said in a solemn voice, "Please command the prince, and select another general to lead the battle. Then send Su Pingbei back to the capital to be questioned!"
Li Chen waved his hand and said, "Changing generals at the last moment is a major taboo in military affairs. How could the general not know that? It's just because Su Pingbei is the general's son, so the general had to avoid suspicion. You don't need to worry too much about this matter, Your Majesty has already made plans."
This palace will issue an edict to Su Pingbei, both rebuking him for his rash actions and comforting him not to be discouraged. Victory and defeat are common occurrences in warfare. Besides, he only lost this one battle, not the entire war.
Rubbing his temples, Li Chen continued, "However, Su Pingbei's burden is even heavier. He must win this battle as quickly and decisively as possible, otherwise, whether it's him, the Eastern Palace, or me, we will all be put on the defensive."
Su Zhenting asked, "Are you worried that the cabinet will object?"
"It goes without saying."
Li Chen said calmly, "Deploying troops to the Xian Dynasty was originally something I pushed for. Now that there are problems with the war, this responsibility naturally falls on me."
"Let's not worry about those things for now."
Li Chen didn't say much. He said, "About how many casualties were there at the front?"
"Nearly 10,000 soldiers died."

Su Zhendong's words made Li Chen's eyebrows furrow deeply.
That was tens of thousands of lives.
Line up, stretching as far as the eye can see.

They're all dead.

"Fateful, Su Ping acted according to the situation."
At this moment, Li Chen displayed a courage that even Su ZhenTing found surprising, along with his trust in Su PingBei.
"The battles at the front line change in an instant. You and I are thousands of miles away, unable to offer Su Pingbei any help, nor can we give orders blindly. Everything depends on him."
"Victory, or it's still Su Pingbei's glory. Defeat..."
Li Chen didn't say more, but Su Zhen Ting knew that if he lost, it wouldn't just be Su Ping Bei who was finished. The Su family and even the Eastern Palace would be implicated.
Getting up and coming to the entrance of Xizheng Hall, Li Chen looked into the distance.
He didn't tell Su Zhen'ting that this battle wasn't just about him showing off the might of the Qin Empire. The nomadic Xiongnu tribes in the north and the vassal kings within the country also didn't know how many eyes were watching this battle, wanting to see through the court's true intentions.
If they think the court is truly weak and easily manipulated, that will be a real problem.
The current imperial court is like a tiger that has accumulated grievances for a long time but is terminally ill. Everyone can see that the tiger is sick, but whether its claws are still sharp and its teeth can still kill people, only by seeing it with one's own eyes can one know, after all, it has been ferocious for three hundred years.
This battle is an opportunity to show our fangs and claws.
Victory will intimidate the enemy and give the imperial court a chance to breathe. Defeat, however, will expose our weaknesses and invite attacks from all sides...
"Your Highness, my confidants in the army have sent a secret message. They suspect that someone has leaked military intelligence..."
After several hesitations, Su Zhenting's single sentence made Li Chen turn around abruptly.

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