Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 619 Karmic Retribution Never Forgives Anyone

Just when Kong Duanqi was placing his hopes on Zhang Nan.

Zhang Nan was just in utter despair.

His armored troops numbered eight hundred, while his elite vanguard numbered a thousand.

Don't underestimate the difference of two hundred people. This means that if Zhang Nan wants to maintain the width of the formation, he has to sacrifice the thickness of the formation.

However, in heavy infantry battles, sacrificing thickness is suicidal, because heavy infantry can directly use their numerical advantage per unit area to push away the enemy in front of them, which will inevitably lead to a complete rout.

Therefore, Zhang Nan could only sacrifice the density of the formation and widen the gaps between the formations in order to barely maintain the width of the battlefield and prevent the vanguard army from flanking them.

However, when the battle was about to begin, with the sounds of fighting deafening, how could the battle lines be kept so orderly?

Soon, the gaps between the armored soldiers exceeded the distance that would allow them to support each other, with three or four gaps exceeding twenty paces in width.

Although Lei Ben was not a marshal or general, he was a veteran who had worked his way up from the bottom. Upon seeing the opportunity, he directly commanded the reserve troops to insert themselves through the gaps between the armored soldiers.

The eight hundred Dongping Prefecture rebels were immediately divided into several parts.

Compared to the Vanguard Army, which had fought hard battles against several main Jin army forces, the Dongping Prefecture rebels were far too inexperienced.

In just a moment, the two outermost small square formations of the armored army collapsed.

The armored soldiers, clad in three layers of heavy armor, were powerless to escape. They even had difficulty removing their armor. Once scattered, they could only be easily trampled by cavalry, and then pinned down by the more agile light infantry.

The daggers pierced through the gaps in the armor, such as under the armpits and around the neck, and the already exhausted soldiers could only die in humiliation at the hands of the lightly armed Han soldiers.

Zhang Nan was now in the very center of the battle formation. With the collapse of the two flanks, he was completely surrounded, and his previously stable morale began to waver.

Looking back at the central command post, Zhang Nan found it even more chaotic and completely gave up hope.

With her father dead and mother remarried, everyone is looking out for themselves; now they're desperate to survive.

However, whether it is armored cavalry or armored soldiers, it is very difficult to retreat when they launch a frontal attack, because the heavy armor becomes a hindrance when retreating.

That's how the phrase "losing one's armor and discarding one's helmet" came about.

But now it's too late to unarmor and escape, because the Han army won't give them that chance!

What should I do?!

Are we going to surrender?

impossible.

As one of the leaders of the Dongping Prefecture rebels, Liu Huai could forgive everyone else, but he would never forgive him!

"General! Something seems wrong!" a trusted aide whispered. "We should make preparations as soon as possible."

Zhang Nan's previously blank expression brightened again, and she quickly asked, "What preparations are you making?"

The trusted aide whispered, "I've left a few good horses behind the lines. We'll protect our lord and charge out together."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Nan shook his head with a bitter smile: "Escape? Where can I escape to? If I leave all the elite troops here, even if I return to Dongping Prefecture, who will spare me? I might as well die here!"

The confidant, a servant of the Zhang family, spoke without restraint: "General, we can seek refuge with the Jin Kingdom. The world is vast; surely we have nowhere to go? Even if Liu Dalang has ambitions to conquer the world and won't spare us, there's no need for him to search every mountain and sea!"

Faced with his confidant's advice, Zhang Nan pondered for a moment, but having no other choice, he could only nod hesitantly.

His confidant also breathed a sigh of relief; he truly did not want to wait here to die.

The Han army hasn't circled around to their rear yet. If their retreat is also cut off soon, then they'll truly be left with nowhere to go.

"Xiao Hu, you have families in Dongping, so don't come with us. Stay here under this banner for a while. When the Jingnan Army comes, just surrender. Liu Dalang is a reasonable man and won't make things difficult for you."

After giving a few instructions, Zhang Nan turned around, put down his shoulder pole, took off his waist token, and quietly led a few trusted men away.

In such a chaotic battlefield, it was easy to conceal the whereabouts of a few people. In no time, the group of five had arrived at the rear where the warhorses were kept.

Zhang Nan mounted his warhorse, looked around, and was about to figure out an escape route when he heard a loud shout: "Where do you think you're going?!"

Just then, Kai Zhao led three hundred of his own troops through the gaps in the armored army. He spotted the group of suspicious-looking men at first glance and immediately led his troops to charge.

In his panic, Zhang Nan turned and ran, but after running for hundreds of steps, he realized that the direction he had chosen was the vast foothills of Mount Tai.

This was the left wing of the Han army, where Hu Yananxian and Xiao En were pursuing the right wing of the Dongping Prefecture rebels.

It was also the place where the Han army had the strongest military strength.

Upon discovering that Jin armored cavalry had actually circled around to this place, the scouts immediately called upon their comrades and began a pursuit of Zhang Nan.

Now, Zhang Nan was even more panicked and reckless.

Upon reaching the mountains, he galloped along the mountain paths for a long time until his confidants scattered, his warhorse collapsed from exhaustion, and he himself became lost, finally shaking off his pursuers. By this time, Zhang Nan was no longer the noble young master of Dongping Prefecture; he was covered in blood and mud, his helmet discarded, his turban gone, and his hair disheveled, resembling a wild man.

But in the end, they still managed to escape.

Zhang Nan secretly rejoiced, but then realized that the most urgent task now was to find a way out.

Although he was alone, Zhang Nan was still somewhat confident, because he was, after all, a native of Shandong, and he believed that as long as he found the local villagers, he would be able to find his way.

However, after walking only a few hundred steps, Zhang Nan felt that his armor was too heavy, so he took it off and threw it aside. Then he heard footsteps coming from around the corner ahead.

Zhang Nan instantly became alert, grabbing his knife and trying to dodge, but it was too late.

Soon, five or six defeated soldiers turned around the foot of the mountain and came face to face with Zhang Nan.

Both sides were stunned at the same time, and then became on guard at the same time.

Zhang Nan was still thinking of an explanation when the leader of the fleeing soldiers shouted, "Is that Master Zhang? It really is Master Zhang!"

As he spoke, the defeated soldier threw down his knife and knelt down on the ground: "It was actually Lord Zhang in person!"

Zhang Nan remained vigilant: "Who are you?"

The defeated soldier wiped his face vigorously and then shouted, "I'm Zhao Er from the yamen!"

Zhang Nan recognized the man and lowered his guard.

"Get up and speak! Where did you come from?"

Zhao Er stood up, bowed, and said, "Master Zhang, we are under General Yang's command. General Yang was beheaded in public...we..."

As he spoke, Zhao Er seemed to feel an immense fear, and even his words became somewhat incoherent: "We dare not fight anymore... Master Zhang, please take us back to Dongping Prefecture."

Zhang Nan dared not return to Dongping Prefecture, but wanted to appease these defeated soldiers. He could only sigh and say, "We've been defeated to this extent, there's nothing anyone can do. I'll take you back, but does any of you know the way?"

Zhao Er nodded repeatedly and pointed in the direction behind Zhang Nan: "I know there is a small road there that leads directly to Dongping Prefecture. There is also a village in the mountains where we can buy some food."

Zhang Nan turned her head to look, but didn't see any path. Just as she was about to ask again, she felt a pain in her lower back, and then her legs went weak.

"You scoundrel!" Zhang Nan, who had been holding the knife in his hand, reflexively slashed backward, but Zhao Er had already released the hilt of the dagger and scrambled backward to run away.

Zhang Nan weakly swung the knife, but after only a few moves, he collapsed to the ground. Leaning limply against a large tree, he whispered, "Why?"

Zhao Er's expression remained panicked, and the other defeated soldiers were no less so, completely unaware of why he would stab Zhang Nan in the back.

"The army has been defeated, don't you think about your families? This head is our stepping stone to advancement!" Zhao Er didn't answer Zhang Nan, but explained to the others, "These noble people never treated us like human beings before, but now they're helping us out. It's like doing good deeds for this bastard in the afterlife!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Nan felt a surge of immense absurdity.

It's so ironic that I have so much talent yet to be displayed and so many ambitions yet to be realized, and now I'm going to die at the hands of a few nobodys!

As his blood drained, Zhang Nan's consciousness grew increasingly blurred. Looking at the restless Zhao Er and the others, he inexplicably thought of the Song Dynasty envoys he had killed that day.

It was as if from that day on, he could never turn back, as if he had stepped into a whirlpool and was sinking deeper and deeper.

Today, to die the same way as those military envoys is a clear manifestation of divine justice and a fitting retribution.

Thinking this, Zhang Nan grinned a few times before plunging into eternal darkness.

Like Zhang Nan, around the same time, the most elite 800-strong ironclad army of the Dongping Prefecture rebels also met their end.

If it were a straightforward battle, it would be very difficult to deal with so many armored soldiers. Even after being surrounded, the soldiers could still form a stable Six Flower Formation to defend against attacks from all sides.

However, Zhang Nan's initial escape left this elite armored force without central command. Faced with the Han army's encirclement from all sides, they reacted slowly and were caught in a pincer attack before they could even change formation.

When lower-ranking officers like the captains realized that Zhang Nan was missing, morale plummeted, and the still-holding formation gradually crumbled under Lei Ben's fierce attack.

"Drive out the routed troops and charge the enemy's main force! The battle has been going on for three-quarters of an hour! Do we really need another half hour to deal with these traitors from Dongping Prefecture?"

Lei Ben gave a loud order, then ordered the light infantry and cavalry to pursue and kill the enemy at the forefront, while he cleared the way and ordered the Vanguard Army soldiers to rest on the spot.

"Wang Wulang! I need to rest here for half an hour. The rest is up to you!"

As Wang Shilong, the third vanguard, crossed the front line of the battlefield, he heard Lei Ben's call and nodded emphatically: "Let's see how my right wing army displays its prowess!"

The moment Wang Shilong led his troops to form ranks and launch the attack, the Dongping Prefecture rebels could no longer hold out and the entire army collapsed.

Due to the terrain, most of the routed soldiers wanted to escape into the mountains, but were blocked by Wu Cheng's army and had no choice but to run southwest along the route they had come from.

Under the fierce attack of the Han army, Kong Duanqi could not even hold out for half an hour, let alone several hours.

(End of this chapter)