With Xun carried to the infirmary, the imperial troops began to fall back from the basin. Some looked toward the coalition line as if they expected to be punished for having served the Registry. Others watched the canvas shade, unsure whether their commander had been abandoned.
Wei called the captains together at the south road marker. “We’ll leave a corridor through the basin. No one chases past the red stones.”
Several fighters objected. One wanted to catch the officers who had issued the pension order. Another asked if the Registry soldiers would regroup and attack the supply carts.
“The officers who remain will be listed and questioned,” Wei said. “We don’t turn a retreat into a second battle.”
Yan supported the plan. He knew some of his fighters wanted to capture the officers who had offered Xun a pension and then sent him to spend a century of his life. He felt the urge himself. But the ridge road led away from the coalition’s supplies, and the soldiers had begun to lower their weapons.
Xun woke briefly in the infirmary. Qinghe checked his breathing, then let the adjutant speak to him.
“General, the line is pulling back. Do you want them to retreat?”
