Sweep Yuan

Chapter 299 Fu Youde Achieves Merit in His First Battle

Above Gaoyou city walls, leaden clouds hung low, like a huge, water-soaked gray cloth, heavily pressing down on the city and suffocating the senses. The biting north wind, like a steel knife scraping bones, swept across the battlements and through the bare treetops of the city, emitting a series of shrill and mournful howls.

This sound, which would have been nothing out of the ordinary in winter, sounded to every soldier defending the city like the wailing of a ghost demanding their life, or the death horn sounded by the Yuan army before their attack, sending chills down their spines and making them tremble with fear.

In the winter of the thirteenth year of the Zhizheng era, the climate was not much different from that of previous years. The reason why the defending troops lost their courage at the mere mention of the news was because more than 100,000 Mongol troops had gathered at the city gates, bringing with them an extreme sense of oppression that could crush all hope.

Standing atop Gaoyou city and looking out over the city, one could see nearly a hundred Yuan army camps of various sizes, like strange patches of fungus that had sprung up after a plague, densely covering every inch of the plains surrounding Gaoyou city, with banners waving and stretching all the way to the gray horizon at the edge of the field of vision.

The cold wind not only brought biting chill, but also carried the muffled thunderous sound of war drums and the long, mournful sound of horns from the distant camp.

Clearly, in addition to the current massive enemy army, the Yuan army is constantly sending new troops into this killing field, like the last few hoops on an iron barrel, aiming to completely strangle the last isolated city of the Zhang Zhou regime.

"Benefiting" from the fact that at the very beginning of his uprising, due to internal strife with Li Huafu, Zhang Shicheng used ruthless methods to purge the surrender faction within his forces twice, building the foundation for his throne with countless heads.

At this critical moment when the nation was on the verge of destruction, there were only a few dissenting voices in the city, and at least on the surface, no one dared to openly stand up and propose surrendering to the Yuan army.

Inside the Zhou royal palace, no matter how fiercely the charcoal fire burned, it couldn't dispel the deep chill between Zhang Shicheng's brows. He knew very well that from the moment he declared himself king and established his kingdom, he had completely severed all escape routes. It was either ruling the world or dying and having his clan exterminated; there was absolutely no middle ground.

But Tuotuo's attack was fierce, and in just half a month, he swept all the way from Xuzhou to the city of Gaoyou!
The morale of the defending troops in the city was low. The generals had no will to defend, and the soldiers had no determination to fight to the death. Zhang Shicheng himself was not entirely confident that he could withstand the thunderous attack from Tuotuo until Shishan in Jiangning sent troops to reinforce him.

"We can't just sit here and wait to die..."

Zhang Shicheng sat there for a long time, a glint of gambler's ruthlessness and wishful thinking flashing in his eyes. After much deliberation, he summoned his military advisor, Miao Sigong.

"Military Advisor Miao, please take this letter from my own handwriting and go out of the city to meet with Tuotuo. Tell him that I am willing to relinquish my title of king and accept the imperial court's offer of amnesty." He spoke the last few words with extraordinary difficulty, as if he had used up all his strength.

Miao Sigong was originally a minor official in Taizhou. After Zhang Shicheng occupied Taizhou, he had no choice but to join the rebel army in order to survive. However, deep down he was not optimistic about the future of the Zhang-Zhou regime. He was just worried about being purged by Zhang Shicheng and never dared to show it.

Therefore, although it was dangerous for him to leave the city to surrender, he agreed without hesitation.

The central command tent of the Yuan army.

"Recruitment?"

Upon learning the purpose of Zhang Shicheng's envoy, Tuotuo didn't even put down the documents he was reviewing. He merely let out a short, contemptuous snort and said to Wulianghatai, the Right Vice Minister of the Central Secretariat who had come to report the matter:
"Hmph! Did I personally lead over 100,000 royal troops, traveling thousands of miles to the walls of Gaoyou, just to 'invite' this bandit chieftain Zhang Shicheng to 'come out of seclusion'?"

The messenger has disappeared. Go and send him away. Surrender is acceptable, but at the latest by noon tomorrow, have the garrison bind Zhang Shicheng and his core followers and surrender the city.

"Anything else is off-limits. Furthermore, order all units to continue the siege! Give the rebels inside no hope of survival!"

"Grand Tutor..."

Wulianghatai did not immediately accept the order and leave. Having served Tuotuo for a long time, he knew that although the Grand Tutor could occasionally act arbitrarily, he was not one to ignore advice. After hesitating for a moment, he still mustered his courage and spoke:
"Zhang the traitor has usurped the title of king, and his crime is unforgivable. This villain and his key followers must be executed; this is the law of heaven and the law of the land. However, his subordinates are a mixed bag, each with their own ulterior motives. There will always be some who take chances and are afraid of death."

Why doesn't the Grand Tutor turn the tables on them, feigning agreement and promising high office and generous rewards... to sow discord between the false Zhou ruler and his ministers, and casually plant a spy? Perhaps at a crucial moment, he can achieve a miraculous feat and capture the city without bloodshed?

Seeing that Toqto'a's expression did not change, he continued:
"Even if this plan fails, it can still disrupt the rebels' morale and weaken their will to resist. After our army breaks through the city, we can punish these traitors one by one to serve as a warning to others. It will not be too late."

Toqto'a's refusal to accept Zhang Shicheng's surrender, nor his unwillingness to feign compliance with the puppet Zhou dynasty, was not due to his previous victories that had made him complacent, but rather because he had unavoidable difficulties.

He gently placed the brush on the brush rest, his expression now calm, and said in a deep voice:

“Wu Lianghatai, you know that the Han people are all scheming and plotting against each other. But Zhang Shicheng is as cunning as a fox. At the beginning of the year, he used a feigned surrender to lure and kill many officials in Huainan Province, causing the court to lose face! How can I be fooled by him again and become a laughing stock in the world?”

He stood up, paced a few steps in the tent, and emphasized his concerns:

"Moreover, the imperial army of over 100,000 has gathered here, and the daily consumption of food and provisions for the people and horses is enormous! In order to obtain this batch of military provisions, the provinces of Fuli and Henan have already exhausted all resources!"

Every day the army lingers, the burden on the court increases, and the risk of internal strife grows stronger! How can we allow the enemy's insincere surrender to delay our advance and squander our already crumbling national strength?!

As one of the few strategists under the Grand Tutor, Wu Lianghatai, although not directly in charge of procuring provisions, was aware of the army's predicament of constantly strained logistics.

Seeing that the Grand Tutor had already spoken so frankly, even revealing his concerns about the court and the rear, he dared not offer any further advice. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He bowed deeply and said:
“This humble official is short-sighted, only concerned with the gains and losses of a single city or region, and failed to consider the difficult situation facing the court. The Grand Tutor’s teachings are correct. This humble official will go and reply to the rebel envoy immediately.”

As Wulianghatai withdrew from the main tent, the heavy curtains fell, cutting off the cold wind from outside and seemingly isolating the hustle and bustle of the world.

Tuotuo stood alone in front of the huge map in the tent, looking at the Yuan Dynasty's territory engulfed in war. The deliberate dignity and composure he had maintained on his face gradually faded, and a deep worry spread across his eyes like ink in a painting.

During his time leading his troops deep into Huaidong, through contact with local officials who had surrendered and by studying the captured documents, he gradually realized that his previous plan to "quickly destroy the false Zhou, return to the capital with the prestige of a great victory, deter the villains, and rectify the government" was probably just wishful thinking.

He will most likely be bogged down on the front lines of quelling the rebellion for an extended period of time, for a cruel and simple reason:
Huaidong had already been ravaged by rebels like Shi Shan and Zhang Shicheng, with agricultural production severely damaged. This time, the army marched south, numbering over 100,000, like a locust swarm, and completely looted the remaining grain from the granaries and homes of the various prefectures and counties of Huaidong!

"After war comes a year of famine," an ancient proverb that cuts to the heart like a knife.

Even if Zhang Shicheng was truly sincere in surrendering, and Tuotuo was willing to accept his surrender and quickly resolve the Gaoyou battle, it would not have prevented the more violent peasant uprisings that would erupt in Huaidong due to food shortages after the battle, thus breeding more "Zhang Shichengs"!
In order to mobilize this army to quell the rebellion, the imperial court also turned the official granaries in various parts of the interior upside down, which was a great loss to the court's strength.

After the war, if the grain tribute could not be transported north in time to fill the gaps in the granaries of the capital, the court would likely be plunged into a desperate situation where there was no grain to transfer and no power to quell the peasant uprisings that were just around the corner!
Thus, Toqto'a's strategic goal of leading his army south had quietly undergone a fundamental change in the face of harsh reality.

The initial goal of "eliminating the pseudo-Zhou regime to establish authority and stabilize the court" automatically transformed into the more urgent and practical goal of eliminating Shi Han at all costs, at least to open up the Grand Canal, and then quickly transfer some of the grain to the north to stabilize the precarious situation in the interior!
As for Huaidong, which is bound to be thrown into turmoil by famine, it can be temporarily ignored. Perhaps the successive upheavals have drastically reduced the population of this land, greatly weakening the local people's ability to rebel, which would actually make it easier for the court to suppress them later.

But the thought of the battle to quell the puppet Han regime gave Toqto'a a headache.

If the conquest of the pseudo-Zhou was the "opening gong" of this southern expedition, then the subsequent conquest of the even stronger pseudo-Han will be the "main act" that will determine the fate of the Yuan Dynasty! The battle will be more arduous, and the campaign will last much longer.

The Yuan army's biggest predicament can be summed up in two words: lack of food! Lack of food! Severe lack of food!
From the moment the army set out, it began to plunder the land. Wherever it marched, it looted. This model was simply unsustainable for a prolonged, high-intensity war.

At least, before they could conquer Jiangnan and establish a stable relationship with Buyan Temur and other tribes to obtain supplies from Jiangnan, the massive army under Toqto'a, which had swelled to nearly 200,000 men, was at risk of scattering at any moment due to insufficient supplies!
Previously, he decisively abandoned the plan to purge most of the rebels in order to quickly persuade the cities in Huaidong to surrender, precisely because of his fear of the defeated army suffering from food shortages.

Accepting the surrender of those local powerful families who had sided with the rebels, and then forcing them to come forward and, under the guise of "rewarding the imperial army," plunder the people to collect provisions, would at least sound better than the Yuan army directly engaging in blatant burning, killing, and looting. This would also delay any potential resistance.

More importantly, the efficiency of procuring supplies was also higher.

Tuotuo was well-versed in history and even personally oversaw the compilation of the histories of the Song, Liao, and Jin dynasties, possessing intimate knowledge of the rise and fall of each era. He was acutely aware of the terrible harm and consequences that the government troops' unbridled exploitation of the land would cause—it was undermining the very foundation of the dynasty's rule!
But in order to prolong the life of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, which was riddled with problems, he had to grit his teeth and do it anyway, even though he knew it was impossible!
"Drinking poison to quench thirst... alas, thirst is worse than poison!"

Toqto'a was not yet forty years old, but the years he had been in charge of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty had already exhausted him. In particular, the recent three years of widespread peasant uprisings, which only made things worse, often left him with a sense of powerlessness.

He shook his head sharply, banishing these inappropriate thoughts and focusing on Zhang Shicheng's request for amnesty.

With nearly 200,000 troops stationed here, even though there was widespread resentment among the people in Huaidong, it could be temporarily suppressed with swords and spears.

However, once the main force of the army marches south and continues to urge the rear to gather supplies, Huaidong will not even need to wait until after the war; the flames of war will immediately reignite, completely tearing apart its already fragile logistics line.

Therefore, Zhang Shicheng must die, regardless of whether he is sincere in surrendering! And it won't just be him; after the fall of Gaoyou, all soldiers and civilians, young and old, must be slaughtered!
Besides using this bloody massacre to deter potential rebellions, the crueler reality is that with so many mouths to feed in Gaoyou City gone, the army's precious grain reserves might last a little longer, until the canal is opened and the rice of Jiangnan is seen!
Tuotuo had even planned to have the newly surrendered Zhang Zhou army leaders participate in the massacre, so that their hands would be stained with the blood of their former comrades and fellow villagers, completely cutting off their retreat from any possibility of turning against the court again, leaving them with no choice but to follow the court wholeheartedly!
For Zhang Shicheng in Gaoyou City, although he was somewhat disappointed that his feigned surrender was exposed by Tuotuo, it was not entirely without gain.

At least, it's not a bad thing that those less resolute civil and military officials under his command realize that the path of surrender is completely blocked, and they can only follow him, the "Prince Cheng," down this dark road.

With no way out, all that remains is to fight to the death!

Spurred by the loss of their lifeline, the morale of the Gaoyou defenders, which had been on the verge of collapse, was suddenly rekindled, and they repelled several fierce attacks by the Yuan army.

However, with a constant supply of fresh troops and siege weapons like artillery, and with the willingness to drive laborers to fill in the trenches (also to eliminate the potential for post-war devastation in Huaidong), Toqto'a did not care whether the morale of the defenders was high or low.

In his eyes, Gaoyou City was bound to fall, and it wouldn't hold out for long.

Tuotuo would never allow his hundreds of thousands of troops to gather under the walls of Gaoyou City, wasting precious provisions.

After pacifying Baoying and Xinghua counties and eliminating the threat to his flank and rear, Tuotuo immediately ordered Wugusun Liangzhen, the Left Vice Minister of the Central Secretariat, and Wulianghatai, the Right Vice Minister of the Central Secretariat, to lead 50,000 troops in two separate routes southward to capture Yangzhou and Taizhou.

This was done in order to open a passage for the army to advance into Jiangnan and to try to obtain new food supplies.

The Yuan army's main force north of the Yangtze River claimed to number 400,000, but this was merely a bluff. Their truly capable core fighting force consisted of the personal guards who accompanied Toghto from Dadu, as well as troops from Liaoyang and Goryeo, totaling less than 60,000 men (King Wang Jeon of Goryeo had dispatched troops south three times).

The total number of troops under Wugusun Liangzhen who attacked Yangzhou was about 30,000, including 4,000 Korean soldiers, 3,000 Liaoyang soldiers, 6,000 Fuli soldiers, 4,000 Henan local militia, and the rest were Zhang Zhou's troops who surrendered due to the situation.

Tuotuo's arrangement clearly indicated his intention to use this battle to weaken and eliminate these unreliable surrendered troops from Huaidong. However, his willingness to do so naturally stemmed from considerable confidence in the battle.

After all, he had personally experienced the fighting strength of the Han army in Xuzhou. They were stronger than the troops of the pseudo-Zhou, but that was all.

Intelligence indicated that the Han army in Yangzhou numbered only around 10,000, and was stationed in several locations including Yangzi, Jiangdu, Taixing, and Tongzhou. Wugusun Liangzhen, with 30,000 troops, could attack Jiangdu. Even if he couldn't achieve a complete victory, his numerical superiority would at least allow him to remain invincible and tie down the Yangzhou defenders. However, despite his meticulous planning, he overlooked one crucial factor:
Although both belonged to the Han army, the troops of Xuzhou and Yangzhou were completely different. Fu Youde, who was stationed in Yangzhou, was ambitious and enterprising, unlike Yin Congdao, who was shrewd but inexperienced in battle.

The seat of Yangzhou Prefecture was Jiangdu City.

"Report! General, the Yuan army has reached Shiwei Village, thirty miles north of the city! Their banners bear the name Wugusun, and their forces stretch for several miles, roughly estimated to be no less than thirty thousand men!" The scout's voice was urgent.

Fu Youde, the commander of Zhenshuo Guard, sat upright in the main seat, his expression stern and calm, showing no sign of panic.

Long before Tuotuo's army entered Xuzhou, he had received a warning from the Han Prince's Mansion in Jiangning.

After that, he systematically adjusted the defenses of various cities in Yangzhou Prefecture, cleared the city walls, reinforced fortifications, and stockpiled supplies for the defense of the city.

Upon learning that the Yuan army had entered Gaoyou Prefecture, Fu Youde ordered the entire army to enter the highest level of combat readiness, with men remaining in armor and horses still saddled, and scouts being sent out over a hundred miles away to be on high alert for the southward-moving Yuan army.

At this moment, upon hearing that the enemy army had indeed arrived in force, a sharp glint of "finally they've come" flashed in Fu Youde's eyes. He abruptly stood up, his voice as steady as iron:

"Beat the drums! Gather the generals!"

The Zhenshuo Guard was well-trained and maintained an excellent state of combat readiness. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the commanders of all the guard's battalions and detachments, fully armored, had gathered in the main hall. Time was of the essence, and Fu Youde, without any preamble, issued his orders directly:

"The troops sent by the Prince of Han to reinforce Yangzhou will not arrive until the day after tomorrow at the earliest. Today, however, 30,000 Yuan troops have invaded. We must prevent the Yuan dogs from besieging the city and attacking the reinforcements, and from harming the people outside the city."

His gaze swept over his generals, and he said decisively:
"My mind is made up. Taking advantage of the enemy's fatigue from their long march and their disordered formation, I will take the initiative to leave the city and meet them head-on, thus blunting their momentum!"

Since its establishment, Zhenshuowei has been able to stand alone for a long time, defending and expanding the territory of Shishan, and winning many battles.

With the increasing number of personnel during several expansions and reorganizations, Fu Youde's prestige in the army grew day by day, reaching its zenith, thanks to his outstanding command skills and bravery in leading from the front.

At this moment, although the Yuan army outnumbered them three to one, since their commander-in-chief Fu Youde had decided to take the initiative, these equally arrogant generals were not afraid at all; on the contrary, they were all eager to fight and their fighting spirit was high.

"General, give the order! We will follow you to the death and slaughter the Yuan dogs until not a single one is left!"

"it is good!"

Fu Youde wanted this kind of momentum. He quickly mustered his seven thousand most elite soldiers and set off immediately. He ordered Guo Zixing, the garrison commander of the Second Garrison, to lead the remaining troops to defend Jiangdu City.

Although he took the initiative to meet the enemy, Fu Youde was cautious in his military tactics and did not directly lead his army to the front of the Yuan army.

The army marched to Wantou Town, about thirty miles north of the city. The terrain there was crisscrossed by rivers and slightly complicated, which was conducive to concealing the troops. Fu Youde then ordered the entire army to enter the town to rest and have a hearty meal, while sending out more scouts to closely monitor the movements of the Yuan army.

He planned to wait in comfort and prepare a "generous gift" for the arrogant Yuan army.

Despite being a descendant of the Jurchen people, Wugusun Liangzhen had long lost the martial prowess of his ancestors and was a typical civil official known for his cautious conduct.

He divided his troops into three marching sequences: front, middle, and rear, with a distance of eight li between them. He also strictly ordered the scouts of the front to be deployed at least five li away and to report immediately if they encountered any enemy activity.

In his view, this arrangement would allow the vanguard to hold out for a while even if they were ambushed by the enemy during the march, giving the central army valuable time to form ranks and meet the enemy, and the rear army to provide support, thus preventing a situation where they would collapse at the first touch.

However, this was merely his wishful thinking and idealistic plan as a civil official.

The reality is that since following Toqto'a's southern expedition, the Yuan army has been unstoppable, winning every battle. Wherever they went, whether Han or Zhou troops, they either surrendered or fled.

The continuous victories had already fostered arrogance throughout the army. With Yangzhou only one stop away, who would still believe that the Han army, holed up in the city, would dare to leave and engage the mighty royal army in open battle?

As a result, the scouts' reconnaissance became perfunctory and careless, and the soldiers on the march also relaxed their vigilance.

The heavy armor was all placed on the supply wagons, and the horses were not saddled. The whole column was loose and disorganized, and it looked more like an armed parade than a march.

Therefore, when thousands of elite Han soldiers, clad in bright armor and in well-organized formation, suddenly emerged from Wantou Town and greeted them with a dense barrage of arrows, the Yuan vanguard, who were marching lazily, were as if they had encountered a deadly ghost in broad daylight, and their souls were instantly scattered!
"The Han army! It's the Han army!"

"Run!"

Terrified screams replaced the orders, and the six thousand vanguard soldiers collapsed almost instantly upon contact. The soldiers abandoned their armor and weapons and turned to flee for their lives toward the central army, wishing they had two more legs.

Seeing this, Fu Youde gave the order without hesitation:
"Maintain basic pursuit formation and press forward! Drive away the fleeing troops and charge their main force!"

The rout of the Yuan army's vanguard was not frightening in itself. What was frightening was the potential for these thousands of fleeing soldiers to crash into the main force of the Yuan army, which was adjusting its formation, like a flock of startled sheep—the resulting chaos would be catastrophic!

When Wugusun Liangzhen learned that the vanguard had encountered the enemy and quickly collapsed, he was not too panicked at first.

He had read military books and knew how to deal with the situation. He immediately ordered all units of the central army to stop advancing and quickly deploy their defenses on the high ground on both sides of the official road, with spearmen in front and archers behind, in an attempt to stabilize the situation.

Once the formation is complete, the superior numbers of our troops will be enough to repel the attacking Han army.

Fu Youde, a seasoned veteran, possessed an exceptionally keen eye. He saw through Wugusun Liangzhen's tactical intentions at a glance.

"Want to form a battle formation in the face of the enemy? Don't you even know if you have the ability!"

In the eyes of a seasoned general like Fu Youde, Wugusun Liangzhen's self-proclaimed "rapid formation" was full of flaws!

The Yuan army was a mixed force, poorly commanded, with haphazard formations and inconsistent orders. Fewer than five thousand men were actually able to adjust their formation in time to form an effective defensive front.

Moreover, a large number of infantrymen were still frantically searching for their positions and hastily donning heavy armor; the three thousand cavalry, who were the key counter-attack force, were scattered on both flanks of the formation, and their saddles were not even fully prepared, so they could not immediately join the battle!
The opportunity was fleeting! Fu Youde gave the enemy no time to adjust, and did not even order his soldiers to straighten out their slightly loose formation from pursuing the Yuan army's vanguard.

At this moment, speed is everything, chaos is the weapon, and chaos should be used to break chaos!
"Maintain the pressure, follow my command—all troops, charge! Scatter them!"

Fu Youde raised his spear, pointing it directly at the chaotic central army of the Yuan army, and let out a thunderous roar!

"kill--!!!"

Seven thousand Han soldiers shouted in unison, their voices shaking the surrounding fields. Like a flood bursting its banks or a tiger pouncing on its prey, they crashed into the Yuan army's still-forming lines with unstoppable momentum!

The effects of the Yuan army's previous series of victories began to show. Faced with the Han army's desperate all-out attack, although the various units were in a state of extreme panic, they did not immediately turn around and flee under the desperate shouts of the junior officers.

Instead, they managed to organize sporadic resistance by virtue of their large numbers.

But no one expected that the first to collapse would not be the soldiers who were fighting on the front lines, but their commander-in-chief, Wugusun Liangzhen!

Fu Youde knew that to win with fewer troops, he had to first defeat their command center.

While the entire army pressed forward, he personally led five hundred of his most elite guard cavalry, like a deadly arrow released from a bow, taking advantage of the gaps created by the Yuan army's chaotic formation, ignoring the sporadic arrow attacks from both sides, and went straight for the "Wugusun" general's banner!

Iron hooves shattered the frozen earth, kicking up clouds of dust. Led by Fu Youde, five hundred Han cavalrymen charged like hot knives cutting through grease. Wherever they went, Yuan infantrymen who tried to stop them were knocked down and cut down like straw, unable to slow their advance at all!

Wugusun Liangzhen was standing under the central army flag, protected by a group of personal guards. As a civil official, how could he have personally experienced such a bloody and tragic battlefield, or witnessed such a fearless and reckless charge straight towards the central army?

As the Han general, covered in blood and resembling a demon god, brandished his spear and charged straight at them with a chilling aura of certain death, none of the Yuan soldiers along the way could withstand a single blow from him!
Wugusun Liangzhen felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, as if his liver and gallbladder were about to burst!

In fact, his previous tactics were not wrong. As long as he held on, with his strong forces, he had a good chance of holding off the Han army. Even if he could not turn the tide, he would not suffer a crushing defeat.

But Wugusun Liangzhen's mind was blank at this moment. He had no time to judge how many people the enemy had, and he forgot to mobilize his own cavalry, who were still in chaos, for a counterattack. All that was left in his mind was the most primal fear.

When Fu Youde was still more than a hundred paces away, but the fierce killing intent was already overwhelming, his mental defenses completely collapsed.

"Quickly! Protect me! Retreat! Retreat now!!"

His voice was shrill and completely changed. He no longer cared about formations or the size of the army. He grabbed the reins and, surrounded by his equally panicked guards, turned his horse around, abandoning the main force that was fighting hard, and fled for his life in the direction he had come from!

The fact that the commander-in-chief's banner moved backward was a fatal blow to an army that had not yet settled into its formation!
"The commander-in-chief has run away!"

"Run for your life!"

Desperate cries spread like a plague throughout the Yuan army ranks. The defensive line, which had been struggling to hold on under the fierce attack of the Han army, collapsed in an instant.

The soldiers completely lost their will to fight, dropped their weapons, and scattered across the mountains and plains following the direction their commander fled...

(End of this chapter)