CHAPTER 466: CHAPTER 466: A SUDDEN BETRAYAL

General Pang was confronting Shi Daquan at the battlefield, with two hundred thousand Great Yu soldiers between them.

Behind them stood the Yan State Army brought by Vice General Sha.

General Pang looked down on them, so naturally he wouldn’t place them at the forefront to charge into battle.

The implication was clear, just short of openly declaring they were no different than the kitchen hands.

On the battlefield, perhaps influenced by the momentum, a sudden and unpredictable storm arose.

Seeing the wind start to howl towards the opposite side, Vice General Sha immediately shouted.

"Release!"

Otherwise, the vanguard of the Great Yu army had barely set off when they realized there were no reinforcements coming.

When they turned around, clouds of lime powder descended from the sky.

This trapped the central and rear sections of the Great Yu army.

In an instant, everyone was howling in agony as the lime powder mixed with chili pepper enveloped them.

No one could determine east, west, north, or south.

They stepped on each other, pushing and jostling back and forth.

They hadn’t even charged out, and the casualties had already begun.

As for the Yan State Army behind this "wicked deed," every soldier’s face was covered with a black scarf.

Led by Vice General Sha, they shouted loudly.

"The Liu Family has no virtue, attempting to drag all of the Northwest into hell for personal gain. We, the Yan State Army, will never aid tyranny! Kill!"

At his command,

these twenty-five thousand Yan State soldiers charged in like monkeys into an elephant herd.

Taking advantage of the "blinded" Great Yu army, they launched a chaotic assault.

Before long, the rear formations were in complete disarray.

General Pang, beset from both sides, was furious when he saw the Yan State Army raise the banner of rebellion.

"Damn bastards, the Yan State Army are traitors!"

Seizing the opportunity, Shi Daquan struck him at the side of his waist with a shot.

Then he chuckled and said,

"Traitors and rebels have the nerve to call the righteous army traitors. Take a good look at yourself, what kind of scum are you!"

With another shot,

he hit General Pang, who couldn’t withstand it and was about to flee in panic.

He never expected that this pincer attack would be aimed at him.

With a loud shout, he ordered,

"Retreat to the city, retreat to the city!"

His shout left the vanguard who had just rushed up confused about what to do.

Should they advance or retreat? Everyone was in turmoil.

Amid the vanguard was Qiu Dong, who, making a resolute decision, immediately climbed onto the neck of a nearby comrade.

Perched high, he yelled,

"Brothers, the Liu Family has no virtue. Why should we aid tyranny? General Shi is right! If we truly sharpen our knives against our own comrades and people, how will we face our ancestors and family underground in the future?"

He had some minor prestige in the army.

With this shout, the vanguard became even more chaotic.

A deputy general saw this and immediately attacked.

Shouting, "Those who shake the army’s morale will be executed without mercy!"

However, before he could finish speaking, he was taken down from behind by a cold arrow from another elite soldier involved in the Red Leaf Village massacre.

Then that person also said to Qiu Dong!

"Right! We were all involved in the Red Leaf Village massacre. The Liu Family are inhumane, slaughtering unarmed civilians and burning the village with not a single survivor left! Why should we risk our lives for such people!"

The army’s morale was already unstable.

It was stirred up even more by Qiu Dong and others.

In front were Shi Daquan and the Liangzhou Army, relentless in their assault.

Behind, Vice General Sha and the Yan State Army were fiercely slashing.

In the middle, Qiu Dong and others revolted from within.

Poor General Pang never understood, even in death, why his outstanding achievements were useless at this place.

Until he was overtaken by Shi Daquan from behind, who pierced a hole through his chest.

Many Great Yu soldiers looked on coldly, without any intention of helping.

"You... you... traitors, traitors!"

Then, with blood spilling from his mouth, he breathed his last.

Seeing General Pang’s death, many of his deputy generals felt the battle was hopeless.

They had always been victorious and invincible before.

Because they had never faced such a scenario.

Double defection within the army! It was unheard of.

Under such circumstances, even if they wanted to struggle, it was futile.

Qiu Dong was the first to throw down his weapon, loudly declaring,

"Great Yu lacks virtue. I would rather die than have my sword and blade fall on our comrades and people again!"

With this shout, many soldiers’ sense of guilt arose.

Especially those elite soldiers who participated in the village massacre, they threw down their swords as well.

Seeing their attitude,

Shi Daquan, no fool, immediately shouted,

"Those who discard their weapons will not be killed! All others blocking the way will be annihilated!"

"Yes!"

Thus, the grand army of two hundred thousand Great Yu soldiers was mostly consumed within a few hours.

Those who surrendered surrendered, those who were killed were killed, and others still blinded stumbled around aimlessly.

The battle that started in the morning extended into the afternoon.

It ultimately ended with the Liangzhou Army’s victory!

Eight thousand defeating two hundred thousand, though there were many unsavory methods, was nonetheless a victory.

The most important aspect was that more than half of the two hundred thousand soldiers surrendered.

Aside from their time as Great Yu soldiers, they had once been part of the Northwest Army with a record of accomplishments.

Therefore, Shi Daquan didn’t mistreat them.

Instead, he spoke encouragingly.

"Soldiers, we are all sons of Da Wei, eating its grain and drinking its water! Now this absurd Great Yu arises, trying to make life unbearable on Da Wei’s land! Can you endure that?"

"No!"

"Good! You’re all worthy! If so, then join this general in toppling Great Yu’s regime to restore happiness to the Northwest people, alright?"

Shi Daquan’s words reminded many soldiers of their former glory.

They once joined the army to protect the people. What were they doing now?

The awakened soldiers unanimously shouted,

"Okay!"

"Okay!"

"Okay!"

They were always different from those attacking Anzhou.

Their hands weren’t stained with the blood of their comrades, so they could still turn back.

Otherwise, even if they won today’s battle.

If not exterminated by the Imperial Armor Army, they would be tortured by their inner guilt till death.

Tens of thousands of Great Yu soldiers defected, joining the ranks of the Liangzhou Army.

Suddenly, Shi Daquan became like a nouveau riche landlord, having the second-largest number of soldiers on the Northwest land.

When news reached others, their reactions were naturally varied.

The Fourth Prince and others were no longer as grim as before.

In the main tent, they burst into laughter.

"Shi Daquan is indeed formidable, worthy of being the Fourth Prince’s top subordinate!"

The speaker was an older general, whose words triggered knowing smiles among those aware of the situation.

But those not in the know, like Feng Qi, were bewildered.

They looked at the Fourth Prince in confusion.