Sheen Zhou's face was completely drained of color, making him look like a dead man.
He had already learned an hour ago that the Xiushui County Army had suffered a massive defeat at the foot of Black Bear Mountain, losing up to seven thousand troops.
This news darkened his vision and caused his chest to throb painfully, making even breathing difficult.
Sheen Zhou no longer knew how to face the current situation.
If the Xiushui County Army had only lost a thousand or two, he could have covered it up with his authority; even if there were three to five thousand casualties, he could have handled it. It would merely mean losing some financial resources to replenish the army's equipment and recruit more soldiers.
However, this time the casualties were as high as seven thousand!
Once the higher-ups became aware of this, Sheen Zhou knew that no matter how connected or influential he was, it would be very difficult to maintain his position as Commander.
