After careful discernment, Xin Xingzong suddenly reacted.
But even though he reacted, it was already too late.
"Swish—"
"Swish—"
"Swish—"
Accompanied by a dense volley of arrows, Xikou Town was almost instantly engulfed in flames.
"Kill—"
Just as Xin Xingzong was preparing to withdraw, dense shouts of killing suddenly erupted from the surrounding mountains.
"Break out! Break out!"
Seeing the leaders Chou Ri Xing and Lü Biao, Xin Xingzong was truly terrified.
However, he had already fallen into an ambush, and it was not so easy to escape now.
By the time Xin Xingzong led his men to break through the encirclement, his original 20,000 men were reduced to less than 8,000.
Moreover, almost everyone was injured. Looking at the significantly shorter队伍, Xin Xingzong almost burst into tears.
Only after fleeing a considerable distance and no longer hearing the sounds of pursuit from behind did Xin Xingzong finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"Damn Han Mo, I will not rest until I have settled this score with you!"
Xin Xingzong grew more and more indignant and couldn't help but curse aloud.
But as soon as he spoke, the deputy generals around him were all stunned.
What did this have to do with Han Mo?
Was their terrible defeat not due to their own eagerness to claim merit?
In order to gain merit, they had even forgotten the golden rule of not pursuing a cornered enemy.
However, seeing Xin Xingzong's ashen face, these people dared not inquire further.
"Achoo—"
Han Mo, who was fast asleep, couldn't help but sneeze, which in turn startled him awake.
"Someone!"
"What are your orders, son-in-law?"
Upon hearing Han Mo's voice, Jiang Yan quickly pushed open the door and entered.
"Why do I feel so cold? Bring in a few more braziers!"
After rubbing his sleepy eyes, Han Mo casually gave an order.
"Yes!"
There were already four charcoal braziers in this small room, but Han Mo still felt cold.
Han Mo was truly frustrated by the southern winter.
However, upon thinking about his upcoming plans, Han Mo suddenly felt that he should also acquire a decent residence in Mingzhou City.
Setting aside other things, it seemed that heating was really indispensable.
With this thought, Han Mo decided not to sleep anymore. He got dressed and went back to his desk.
Taking out his drawing tools, he began to sketch the prototype of a radiator from memory.
"Son-in-law, why are you up?"
Seeing the dark sky outside, Jiang Yan asked with some surprise.
"You go ahead and attend to your duties. Oh, and tomorrow morning, go into the city and look for a suitable residence. We might be staying in Mingzhou City for some time. Later, I'll write a letter, and you can find someone to deliver it to Bianliang City. After a while, Madam and the others should be coming."
"Yes!"
"By the way, the battle in Mingzhou is over. The rebels shouldn't dare to come again for a while. Your men can also start thinking about their lifelong commitments. Don't take lightly what I said last time. If it drags on too long, I won't honor my word!"
Hearing Han Mo say this, Jiang Yan couldn't help but chuckle.
"Son-in-law, then you'll have to spend money this time!"
"Is money a concern for your son-in-law? As long as you can win over a young lady, I will honor everything I promised. But let's be clear first, if any of you dare to mess around with young ladies from good families, don't blame your son-in-law for being ruthless!"
"Don't worry, son-in-law. If they dare to harm them, I'll be the first to deal with them if they mess with young ladies from good families!"
"Alright, you're not young anymore, and it's time you found a companion. If you can find a suitable one within a month, your son-in-law will give you an additional three shops, enough for you to establish yourselves in Mingzhou City!"
"Don't worry, son-in-law. I'll go find a matchmaker tomorrow!"
"Get out!"
After driving Jiang Yan away, Han Mo refocused his attention on the drawing in front of him.
In this era, creating perfect threads was indeed a rather troublesome matter.
It was only now that Han Mo realized that technology was not something that one or two people could manage.
Especially since he himself had to focus his main energy on officialdom. If this dragged on for too long, Han Mo truly feared that he would forget everything in his mind.
With this thought, Han Mo suddenly felt that it was time for him to cultivate a group of trustworthy talents.
But before that, he really had to seize the time to write down all the things in his mind before he forgot them.
"Son-in-law, Lord Li is here and is waiting outside. What do you think..."
Just as Han Mo made up his mind to systematically write down everything in his mind, Jiang Yan suddenly knocked on the door from outside and said.
"Why is he here at this hour?"
Hearing Jiang Yan's words, Han Mo frowned.
Could it be that this fellow dared to shift the blame onto him?
"I asked just now, but he refused to say anything..."
"Then let him in!"
After pondering for a moment, Han Mo finally spoke.
"Yes!"
"Lord Li, why are you here so late? Is there anything?"
A moment later, the trembling Li Yueyang finally entered Han Mo's study again.
"My lord, I just received news that General Xin led a 20,000-strong army and was ambushed in Xikou Town. It is said that they suffered heavy casualties..."
"Who did you say?"
Hearing Li Yueyang's words, Han Mo was stunned.
"Xin Xingzong, General Xin. It is said that even Chu Jianfeng, whom Chancellor Wang sent to accompany him, was also injured in the chaos..."
"They were defeated, why are you so nervous? What does this have to do with us? It wasn't you who ordered them to attack Xikou Town. We didn't even see a shadow of them from beginning to end. Who can they blame for their own defeat?"
"My lord, while that may be true, they have now been defeated. Chancellor Wang is a favored official of His Highness the Prince, and also the Deputy Envoy of the Six Routes of Southeast Pacification Envoy Department. If they happen to pin the blame on us, then we will truly have no way to explain ourselves..."
Seeing Han Mo's indifferent demeanor, Li Yueyang quickly explained in a low voice.
"Lord Li, Lord Li, you worry too much. Do you really think this official is useless? Just handle your own affairs. As for these trivial matters, they are not for you to consider!"
Han Mo spoke while giving Li Yueyang a deep look.
This fellow was truly a weathervane. His life was in Han Mo's hands, yet he dared to play such petty games here.
This old fellow was ostensibly delivering news, but in fact, he was also testing Han Mo's attitude.