Mou Di Ru and Duo Ji limped back to Nanzhao, even though returning to Lhasa, the capital of the Tibetan Empire, would have been a shorter journey.
But Mou Di Ru couldn't face his father—the current ruler of the Tibetan Empire, Trisong Detsen.
In a nation built on the foundation of military conquest, a ruler like Trisong Detsen would never tolerate such a disgraceful failure from his son.
Returning to Lhasa would be a death sentence for Mou Di Ru.
Despite the severe blow to his forces during the invasion of Shule Town, Mou Di Ru still had over ten thousand elite Tibetan soldiers stationed in Nanzhao. Additionally, the already-subjugated Nanzhao soldiers numbered in the hundreds of thousands.
As long as Mou Di Ru remained alive, there was still a chance for him to turn the tide.
This was largely thanks to the contingency plans laid by his mysterious strategist, Mr. Zhang.
