CHAPTER 321: CHAPTER 318: MAJOR DEFEAT

"It’s Song Xian. Song Xian isn’t wearing the main general’s armor; he’s in the deputy general’s armor. Be careful, everyone."

Gao Yu watched as his royal army charged forward one after another, only to be cut down and fall from their horses. Cries echoed from the front.

There could be no such deputy general in the Song Family Army.

So, it was Song Xian risking his life to come with over a hundred cavalry.

"Kill him," Gao Yu looked at the commander beside him, "Capture Song Xian."

Capturing Song Xian would throw the Song Family Army into chaos, allowing them to win this battle smoothly.

However, it was easier said than done. The soldiers rushed forward, nearly overwhelming Song Xian and his men, yet Song Xian broke through again, continuing his assault in this direction.

After Song Xian’s long blade struck through a commander’s body, it could no longer be withdrawn, as the blade was already damaged by blood, flesh, and bone.

Even Zhang Weihe, witnessing this scene, couldn’t help but exclaim, "Too fierce."

Anyone facing the current Song Xian would be terrified.

Song Xian was almost like a god of slaughter, drawing the long spear from his back, and before the enemy commander could react, he had already taken their life with a single thrust.

No wonder Song Xian had confidently said to him that he would quell the Taiyuan Prefecture battle within three days.

In a situation of unequal forces, one had to suppress the momentum of the Pseudo King strongly, or else it would be the Song Family Army being slaughtered on the battlefield now.

Gao Yu’s elite troops faced setbacks; even with reinforcements patched together, finding a way to rescue, they began to lose their bearings in such a situation.

An hour later, Song Xian’s forces still did not show any signs of weakness; they even unleashed a volley of feathered arrows towards Gao Yu’s location.

"Your Majesty, you should return to Taiyuan Prefecture first!"

The royal army, having only just left the city today, returned with such defeat, what kind of situation would they face?

Gritting his teeth, Gao Yu said, "We can’t return to Taiyuan Prefecture yet. While Du Zhuo’s forces are not here, we must capture Song Xian." Without achieving a victory now, how could he regroup his forces to fight again once Du Zhuo arrived?

Such a large army consumed too much grain and fodder in a day; it was impossible to hold Taiyuan Prefecture at all costs.

Gao Yu had never been someone who resigned to fate. He must achieve victory and could not leave easily.

This battle continued into the night.

Gao Yu looked at the wounded soldiers everywhere as the military general reported, "There are still 3,000 light cavalry left."

Gao Yu widened his eyes, "What did you say?"

The military general lowered his head. The soldiers protecting His Majesty suffered the heaviest losses, as Song Xian targeted these forces relentlessly, killing three deputy generals even in the final engagement.

More seriously, many soldiers had fled. Their men were currently scouring for deserters, and the military general didn’t know how to report this to Gao Yu.

Gao Yu frowned, his aura suddenly imposing, "What else is hidden from me?"

At worst, it’s the situation before us. They’ve suffered grievous losses in this battle, but Song Xian hasn’t fared much better. As long as they regroup tomorrow, the outcome remains uncertain.

The military general reported, "Chaos erupted in Taiyuan Prefecture, the Ministry of Justice Prison was breached, and Xue Shougui and his men have escaped. With their escape, the other officials and civilians in the city followed suit..."

Due to the chaos, they still hadn’t figured out how many people had actually fled.

Moreover, having suffered defeat during the day, many soldiers were terrified by Song Xian and the Song Family Army, and the number of deserters was innumerable. They now feared that by dawn tomorrow, more than half of the royal army would be gone.

Realizing there’s no chance of victory in this battle, they weren’t even sure if they could hold out for three days. Previously, they thought they could defend the city for a while after returning with the army, but now they were not so confident.

Gao Yu stood up, his face contorted with a fierce expression, "A jailbreak?" How bold to incite internal chaos while he was leading his army.

"I always knew they had ulterior motives," Gao Yu gritted his teeth, "I should have eliminated them long ago."

"Your Majesty," the military general asked, "what should we do now? Return to the city or continue to battle with Song Xian tomorrow?"

If they didn’t return now, they might never be able to go back to Taiyuan Prefecture, but if they returned now, even more people would seize the opportunity to flee.

Gao Yu’s hair at the temples hung down, appearing somewhat disheveled in the light of the torches.

"Go," Gao Yu made a determined decision, "Return to Taiyuan Prefecture." They needed to suppress the internal chaos in Taiyuan Prefecture now, or they would be cut off from their retreat.

The military general responded and immediately went to give the order to break camp.

However, the road back to the city was not as smooth as Gao Yu had hoped.

Soon, the vanguard reported, "Song Xian’s troops have come up to launch a surprise attack."

Gao Yu led his men in a frantic retreat, as if Taiyuan Prefecture was a thousand miles away.

The royal army soldiers seemed to be completely drained of their morale in a single day.

As Gao Yu fled, he vaguely heard shouting. He turned to the commander beside him, "What are they shouting?"

"They are shouting... ’No killing of prisoners’..."

Gao Yu clenched the sword at his waist, Song Xian was disrupting his army’s morale. Under such circumstances, shouting such words could only encourage deserters.

Filled with anger, Gao Yu ordered, "Pass down the order, deserters will be executed without mercy."

That night, the royal army discarded their armor as they fled, repeatedly being blocked by the Song Family Army and having to detour, until only at dawn did they see the gates of Taiyuan Prefecture City.

Gao Yu seemed to have lost all strength, struggling to maintain his monarch’s dignity. As he stumbled onto the city wall, he saw only a small portion of his royal army had returned.

"Where are the men?" Gao Yu looked at the people around him.

The military general, his armor stained with blood, no longer had the sharp gaze he once had, "Gone." Dead, wounded, fled, those who could return were all they had.

Gao Yu seized the military general by the neck, "How will these troops defend the city?"

The military general remained silent.

When Song Xian arrived at the city, what would they use to defend against him?

...

Du Zhuo arrived with his forces just in time to join Song Xian’s army in besieging Taiyuan Prefecture.

Observing the corpses, the wounded, and the prisoners being removed, Du Zhuo couldn’t believe that in just one day, Gao Yu’s army had suffered such a devastating defeat.

Song Xian looked up at the Taiyuan Prefecture city tower, his eyebrows filled with cold determination.

Du Zhuo couldn’t understand. After winning such a resounding victory, why was Song Xian still displaying such a dissatisfied expression?

Could Song Xian possibly hope to capture the Pseudo King in one fell swoop?

Song Xian turned to Du Zhuo, "Two more days."

The emotion of joy hadn’t fully spread in Du Zhuo’s heart before he was left stunned, "What do you mean, two days?"

Song Xian replied solemnly, "In two days, I will lead the troops to Dai State."

Though Du Zhuo was a military general, he had studied since childhood, considering himself a man of manners, and usually appeared courteous enough not to be mistaken for a mere brute.

But now, he only wished to curse Song Xian to his elders.

Though seething with anger inside, Du Zhuo dared not provoke Song Xian. Song Xian appeared as though someone had stolen his wife, and saying too much wouldn’t end well.

If they dawdled any longer, two days could turn into one.

With a stern face, Du Zhuo ordered, "Prepare to storm the city." Since Song Xian’s troops had already been in battle for a day, the first assault naturally fell upon him.

The sound of fighting echoed once more, and Du Zhuo mounted his horse, personally leading the troops straight towards the city.