Chapter 744: From Offense to Defense |
Indeed, Shang Chao Zong had used himself as bait. Risking his life, he drew a massive number of cultivators towards himself, allowing the Yinyang and Wuli Guards to strike with overwhelming force.
Zhao Xing Yan realized too late. Chaos erupted within his ranks.
Shang Chao Zong took no chances, allowing them no time to react.
The Yinyang and Wuli Guards, attacking from two sides, crashed into their formation. They brutally shattered the enemy, plunging into the hostile forces like a knife through butter.
Some cultivators didn't manage to escape. On one side, they were being crushed by the Yan Kingdom's cavalry; on the other, they were held back by the Yan Kingdom's cultivators.
Even if some managed to flee, escaping far proved difficult. Powerful chaos erupted within the Zhao Kingdom's troops, and the Yan Kingdom's cultivators relentlessly finished them off.
Having plunged into the enemy forces, the Yinyang and Wuli Guards lost their banners, and their army no longer knew which direction to advance.
However, the cries of "Wuli! Yinyang!" never ceased. By sound alone, everyone knew where to go. Nothing could hold back the Yan Kingdom's army!
The Zhao Kingdom's troops had only just been fighting the Yinyang and Wuli Guards, but now the entire Yan Kingdom army arrived, attacking from all sides. The Zhao Kingdom's forces simply could not withstand them.
Having lost the ability to organize, the Zhao Kingdom's general shouted and yelled, but to no avail. Shouts alone could not restore order to a terrified army.
One Zhao Kingdom unit began to flee, and others followed, triggering a chain reaction!
Cultivators from both sides fought fiercely.
But fighting was pointless if the massive army offered no support. Thus, the Zhao Kingdom's cultivators began to flee, and the Yan Kingdom's cultivators gave chase.
Two legs could not outrun four. The Yinyang and Wuli Guards swiftly caught up to the fleeing soldiers, scattering them and delivering crushing blows. They also prevented any escaped warriors from regrouping.
The cavalry cut down the fleeing soldiers from behind. Screams of terror and pain echoed relentlessly.
One group still managed to form a unit of over 10,000 warriors. Understanding that they couldn't escape the cavalry, they stopped and aimed their spears at the riders, intending to resist them that way.
However, the leading riders of the Yinyang and Wuli Guards waved their hands, instructing their men to split into groups of a thousand and surround the enemy mass. They had no intention of charging headlong into spears.
The cavalry commanders waved their hands, and the riders put away their swords, drawing bows from their backs.
For the riders of the Yinyang and Wuli Guards, fighting with a sword while on horseback and shooting a bow was second nature.
The riders immediately loosed arrows that flew like the wind towards their targets. Thousands upon thousands of arrows rained down upon the infantry formation, and countless men began to fall with roars of pain.
Then, seeing a vulnerability in the enemy formation, the riders put away their bows and immediately charged into it, shattering everyone who stood in their way.
They killed one, then continued their advance without stopping, while the pursuing Yan Kingdom army finished off the rest.
One commander, along with his assistants, was fleeing when he saw the Yinyang and Wuli Guards catching up.
"Kill!" He knew he could no longer escape, so he swung his sword and charged forward to meet them.
The Yinyang and Wuli Guards paid him no special attention. They merely dispatched a small squad of ten riders while the main force galloped onward.
Upon encountering the small squad, the commander roared fiercely, thrusting his spear. A rider from the Yinyang and Wuli Guards gripped his sword, ducking to evade the spear's thrust. As the spear flew over his head, he bent low and slashed the horse's legs.
The commander's horse neighed and fell, bringing its rider down with it. Immediately after, a guard's sword pierced the commander, causing blood to stream from his mouth and nose.
The ten guard riders galloped onward, while the pursuing infantry finished off the rest.
The battles were fierce; it was unknown how many people had perished this time, or how many more would die. But in war, there was no place for generosity or kindness. Either you eliminate the enemy, or the enemy eliminates you.
Thus, the Zhao Kingdom's army of a million was shattered!
Standing on his war chariot, Zhao Xing Yan's face darkened as he looked around.
He watched the Zhao Kingdom's cultivators desperately fending off attacks. Zhao Xing Yan slowly gripped his sword. He was in despair. He harbored only one thought: to seek death!
At the crucial moment, a cultivator grabbed his arm: "General, we have lost. We must retreat!"
The army was broken; there was no point for the remaining cultivators to continue fighting, other than to simply waste their strength against the Yan Kingdom army.
"Aaaah..." Zhao Xing Yan roared, then wailed.
"Let's go!" A cultivator shouted, and two men seized Zhao Xing Yan, taking him away through the air.
A group of cultivators fended off the enemy, covering Zhao Xing Yan's escape. Once they were certain he was no longer in danger, they too followed.
Covered in blood and breathing heavily, Shang Chao Zong surveyed the battle around him. A smile appeared on his face. They had won!
He had taken a great risk today, but in the end, he had emerged victorious. The joy in his heart was immeasurable.
His entire face was streaked with blood, making his smile appear somewhat fierce!
Feng Ru Nan also dismounted, equally covered in blood. With one hand, she held her sword, and with the other, she wiped fresh blood from her face. Seeing Shang Chao Zong, she cried out, "My Prince! Are you wounded?" She noticed that Shang Chao Zong's arm armor was shattered.
Several cultivators immediately rushed over, forming a protective shield around the couple.
Huang Li, who had been battling Zhao Kingdom cultivators in the air, landed. He surveyed his surroundings and realized they had won. Joy filled him.
But upon seeing Shang Chao Zong, he grew serious again. Holding his sword, he quickly rushed to him, then spoke with displeasure: "My Prince, as a commander, is it truly necessary to go to the front lines? This must not happen again!"
Indeed, it had been incredibly dangerous. He had been thoroughly terrified moments ago. If anything had happened to Shang Chao Zong, he wouldn't have known what to do. Then, it wouldn't be the Zhao Kingdom's troops fleeing, but them. How could an army function without its commander? If the Southern Domain's forces were to lose, Dachang Mountain would also lose its influence.
When he followed Shang Chao Zong and saw him fall from his horse, Huang Li's own heart nearly stopped. How could he not be afraid?
The war chariot stopped, and Shang Shu Qing rushed out. Seeing her sister-in-law and brother covered in blood, she could barely breathe, unable to utter a word.
As soon as she saw her brother charging forward, she had pounded on the drums with all her might. Her hands still trembled from the drum's vibrations.
Behind them, several cultivators escorted Lan Ruo Ting, who was galloping towards them on horseback.
He dismounted, his legs weakening, and he nearly collapsed.
Witnessing Shang Chao Zong personally charge forward had utterly astonished Lan Ruo Ting. It had truly been exceedingly dangerous!
"The Prince is wounded, quickly!" Seeing the injury on Shang Chao Zong's arm, Lan Ruo Ting immediately shouted, calling for cultivators to provide treatment.
...
"They won?"
In the northern sector, upon receiving the message of victory, Gong Ling Ze shook his head. He looked at Meng Shan Ming, as if he could barely believe it.
Meng Shan Ming, with a stoic expression, nodded slightly: "The Prince would not lie. So, they won! The Zhao Kingdom's defenses have been breached by the Prince, and Pan Teng will certainly dispatch troops to stop him. Otherwise, there will be no one inside to halt the Prince. And Pan Teng and the Zhao Kingdom cannot withstand that. Pull one thread and the whole garment unravels. The enemy will now loosen their grip on us. It is our time to attack."
Although Shang Chao Zong was the commander-in-chief of the Yan Kingdom's forces, Pan Teng had considered Meng Shan Ming his primary adversary and had concentrated his main strength against him. To some extent, Pan Teng had not regarded Shang Chao Zong as any real threat.
"Excellent! He shattered the army in one go. With 500,000 men, he utterly defeated an army of a million. A complete rout. The Prince has truly showcased his mastery beautifully!" Gong Ling Ze continued to praise. And why shouldn't he rejoice? The Southern Domain would soon fall under his influence, with the Prince overseeing it.
Meng Shan Ming, on the other hand, felt no joy. He knew Shang Chao Zong had risked his life, and though he rejoiced at the victory, he worried for Shang Chao Zong. He was even angry with him, for Shang Chao Zong had acted somewhat impulsively.
However, he couldn't help but admit that Shang Chao Zong, with this battle, had played a decisive role in the war.
This victory had broken through the Zhao Kingdom's defenses. A gaping hole had appeared in the Zhao Kingdom's defensive line. And now, the Zhao Kingdom would transition from offense to defense.
...
"Grand Commander Dadu! I deserve death!"
Inside the Grand Commander's tent, Zhao Xing Yan entered. He removed his helmet and fell to his knees, wailing as he shook his head.
The commanding officers standing on either side were bewildered. Everyone understood the implications of Zhao Xing Yan's defeat, as did Zhao Xing Yan himself.
The army of a million was gone. After the defeat, only a few tens of thousands of warriors could be gathered. These were heavy losses!
"You..." Pan Teng pointed a finger at him and remained silent for a long time. Then he continued, his voice trembling: "I entrusted you with an important post, and you dared to underestimate the enemy, which led to the loss of your army. You have failed the soldiers, you have failed me, you have failed the Zhao Kingdom. If I do not execute you, how can I account to the army? Guards! Drag him out and execute him!"
Immediately, soldiers approached him and seized him, intending to drag him out.
"Wait!" An officer stepped forward and began to plead: "Dadu, two kingdoms are at war. Now is the time to utilize our men. It is not fitting to execute a general before a battle. I hope Dadu will show mercy and allow Zhao Xing Yan to atone for his sins. As for..."
"Execute him!" Pan Teng interrupted him, snatching a command tablet from the table and throwing it outside.
Immediately, his order for execution was carried out. Everyone watched as Zhao Xing Yan was dragged away.
Zhao Xing Yan himself was weeping, yet he said nothing. He couldn't bring himself to beg for mercy.
Not long after, Zhao Xing Yan's blood-soaked head was brought in on a tray.
The cultivators standing nearby sighed inwardly. Under normal circumstances, no one would dare to execute such an important general in this manner. But during wartime, this general was dealt with harshly and without hesitation. The cultivators loyal to Zhao Xing Yan sighed most of all. They had barely managed to extract the general from the battle, only to lead him to his death.
Pan Teng waved his hand, dismissing everyone. He intended to consult with his command staff. There was nothing else to do. Shang Chao Zong had broken through their defenses and was pressing forward. The Zhao Kingdom had to stop him, otherwise, Shang Chao Zong would sow chaos within the kingdom.