Under the enveloping thunder and lightning summoned, a black figure strode forward, accompanied by a prominent figure who had lost his freedom.

Many people from the Kingdom failed to recognize him, but the soldiers of Inran wouldn't make a mistake, and certainly wouldn't misjudge; he was their leader, the distinguished Southern Marshal of the Empire, currently being held captive by a long-haired woman.

The rumbling thunder made it hard for Inran to ignore the two approaching figures from behind; the electric lights swirling around the individuals made it impossible for potential hidden threats like arrows to pose any danger.

With the methods employed by this large army, they couldn't lay a finger on the woman, nor could they rescue their important leader in this situation.

They were discontented, but they could only swallow their emotions. In a large-scale war, the humiliation of having their esteemed commander captured by just one enemy undoubtedly became a stain on the Empire's military.

Le Song had done his best. Even though he was not skilled in combat, which hindered a proper retaliation, he had managed to delay Wang Xiaole for a while using the maze.

If one were to say they hadn't tried hard enough, then it should be directed at the leaders and soldiers. Despite their overwhelming numerical advantage and superior forces, they couldn't swiftly capture the capital, turning the battle into a mutual disaster; from any perspective, they were all accountable for this defeat.

In this battle, around 65,000 Inran Empire soldiers perished; among them, the elite aerial forces were completely wiped out; countless others were wounded. The most critical outcome was that of the Empire's four Marshals, with two being captured after the war.

This battle marked Inran Empire's first defeat since the beginning of the conflict and the worst defeat ever since the current Empress YeXiyun ascended to the throne.

As the primary hero who led the weaker side to victory, Wang Xiaole's current thoughts were focused on one thing: hopefully, no one would see it.

During the battle, his clothes and undergarments were pierced, so he had to use the coat of the uncle nearby to cover himself. Considering he would be passing numerous enemy soldiers on his way back through their ranks, he fervently hoped that the covering in front wouldn't suddenly fall off at any moment.

"Victory! I always knew we would win, I've always believed in it!"

Following the genuine victory achieved by the Kingdom, the King of Lanu excitedly cheered, acting more like a jumping child rather than an elderly man. His excitement alone would have been tolerable, but the words he shouted in joy made Qiuyan frown.

The person who doubted their own side the most during the battle now, at the already decided outcome, displayed an "I predicted it all along" face, emphasizing their own "foresight" through self-deception.

"I always said, as long as the consort of the Kingdom aids us, we will certainly triumph."

When did he ever say such a thing? Qiuyan and those, other than Charley, had limited interactions, and they were not prepared for such shameless behaviors as this contemptuous person presented.

"Hey, you defeated soldiers down there, what are you still holding weapons for? Surrender now and kneel, and maybe I will consider sparing your lives."

Boom!

Though Qiuyan also disliked the Imperial soldiers, she just couldn't endure this despicable old man any longer. She silently approached the King of Lanu from behind and delivered a ruthless punch, knocking him to the ground instantly.

Well done!

Among the surviving Lanu soldiers, anyone within Qiuyan's proximity couldn't help but give her a thumbs-up after witnessing her punch knock down the King.

While the soldiers felt restricted from openly expressing their dissatisfaction as subordinates, they couldn't show their resentment or harm the nation's current ruler in such a manner.

Qiuyan, however, stood above the rest in a different light. Though she was considered an enemy, the soldiers couldn't help but admire her boldness.

The Imperial soldiers gathered below the palace, witnessing a servant woman delivering a punishing blow, couldn't help but nod in approval of her actions.

To have her actions praised both by her own people and the enemy after being hit suggested that she had managed quite a feat.

The physical pain was a secondary consideration compared to the realization that provoked pity from the King himself.

Revealing one's actions and intentions when seated on the throne was crucial during this uncertain time. As long as the King remained on the throne, it was indispensable not to let him die during this period, which required tools for governing effectively.

One of the key factors that kept the King alive at the moment was his connection to the throne. However, with Le Song subdued, these two conditions were no longer met.

Following the capture of the commander, the Imperial forces lost their fighting spirit temporarily, reducing the immediate threat to a minimum, making it difficult to cause trouble for Dibiles anytime soon.

In this current situation, the King had lost his value as a mere pawn!

Another aspect Wang Xiaole didn't overlook was the fact that the King was occupying the throne, something he intended to change according to his own preferences.

As the companion of the Empress, he still retained the authority to handle the subordinate rulers as he saw fit.

Right from the time he began exhausting the remaining value of the King, Wang Xiaole was already planning the change that crossed his mind.

He thought about the numerous members of the royal family who might guarantee loyalty to the Kingdom and prove reliable in critical times. If any one of the royal family members satisfied these criteria, irrespective of their identity, Wang Xiaole was willing to elevate them to the throne…

Different people harboring different thoughts, the large-scale battle surrounding the capital had come to an end under the present circumstances.

As an exchange for sparing the two Marshals, the remaining 70,000 Imperial soldiers withdrew from the capital they mostly occupied and stationed themselves about 30 miles away from the city.

To prevent any treachery, the Imperial forces couldn't surrender en masse, hence they chose to preserve their remaining strength in this way.

While 70,000 might seem like a large number, it was essential to note that the main Dibiles forces were positioned not far from the Kingdom.

If a full-blown attack from the 100,000-strong main force coupled with the Kingdom's troops surrounded them, the morale-depleted Imperial soldiers would likely be obliterated.

Wang Xiaole's decision not to contact the Dibiles main forces in this advantageous position was primarily to conserve their strength.

Given his independent moves, Dibiles had formally opposed the Kingdom; if the main forces attacked the scattered remnants of the Imperial army, the intervention of the Empire could jeopardize defense, causing more headaches.

Thus, maintaining the standoff was the best course of action.

As long as they secured the two senior prisoners, the 70,000 Imperial soldiers quite simply were pawns. In this interim period before any major conflict, Wang Xiaole planned to return to his original goal – rescuing Flora, who was now in enemy hands.

For this purpose, he needed some basic intelligence, and the best way to gather it was to have a talk with Le Song.

In fact, that's precisely what he did.

After bringing Le Song to a cramped detention room, Wang Xiaole didn't leave straight away; he sat down in this prison-like room.

To be in the presence of someone they cared for offered Le Song a bit of solace.

"Cut to the chase, I have something to ask you."

He picked up the food left for the captive, took a few bites, and leaned forward on the table.

Always remembering the basic principles of a gentleman, when the body leaned forward, Le Song leaned backward to maintain a certain distance from the young lady he had affections for and spoke:

"I suppose the lady wants to ask something related to hot springs?"

Le Song's quick mind was already piecing the puzzle together. Ever since hearing about the information from Dibiles, he had an inkling about the other party's identity.

If they could manipulate tens of thousands of troops and pose a threat to him, this individual playing games with the long victorious Marshal couldn't be an ordinary person.

If they were from Dibiles, then the identity of this lady in Le Song's eyes could only be one of two possibilities:

Firstly, this lady was indeed the Empress of Dibiles, Isabella, who adeptly managed her country's affairs. However, upon closer examination, Le Song realized that this identity was quite improbable.

Rumors suggested Isabella was extremely serious in nature, unlike the somewhat frivolous lady before him who exuded a different aura.

Moreover, even through clothing, Le Song noted the lady's impressive assets, contradicting the reputation of the "flat-chested Empress."