Chapter 59: General's Blood-Spattered Breakout

Go?

The general let him go?

He watched Zhang Xun's retreating back, that not-so-tall frame, as he led his personal guards and charged resolutely into the densest part of the rebel forces.

A large wave of rebels surged toward Zhang Xun's direction, suddenly easing the pressure on Wang Ce's besieged side.

"General!" Wang Ce's eyes nearly burst as he bellowed. Instinctively he wanted to draw his sword and rush over.

"Captain! Run!" Chen Xin beside him grabbed his arm tightly, "Captain! We can't let the general's sincere intention go to waste! We must survive!"

"Survive?" Wang Ce's voice hoarse, he turned to look at Chen Xin, then at the few dozen brothers left beside him. Each one's armor was shattered, their bodies drenched in blood, their eyes filled with grief and unwillingness.

Yeah, survive.

Zhang Xun bought them this opportunity with his own life; if they all died here, who could carry away the Suiyang garrison's battle achievements, who could carry its battle flag?

Wang Ce's heart ached so badly he could barely breathe, but months of blood and fire had already made him understand: war is not one man's heroism, but mutual life-and-death trust between comrades.

His duty was not just to kill the enemy, but to bring his brothers beside him to survive.

"Go!" Wang Ce squeezed the word out from between his teeth.

He stared deeply, taking one last look at the direction swallowed by the rebel tide, etching that figure forever into his heart.

"East! Break out!"

"Kill!"

The remaining several dozen Tang soldiers burst with their last strength, following behind Wang Ce, fiercely thrusting at the weakest point of the rebel line.

Zhang Xun's action created an excellent opportunity for them. Most of the rebels on the eastern wall were drawn to his side, the rest somewhat panicked, their formation showing obvious looseness.

Wang Ce took the lead, his martial skill exerted to the utmost at this moment; each of his strikes went straight for the enemy's vital points.

The others tightly guarded his left and right flanks, forming a simple arrowhead formation. They had long grown accustomed to Wang Ce's charge rhythm, cooperating flawlessly. Wang Ce was responsible for tearing open a gap; they were responsible for widening it, preventing the enemy on the flanks from encircling.

At last, a gap was torn in the enemy soldiers—now!

"Charge!"

Wang Ce led the people, bursting out of that brief gap. Without bothering to fight the enemy behind him, he sprang up and sprinted wildly toward the eastern open field.

The rebels outside the city never expected anyone could actually break out of Suiyang City. By the time they reacted and organized pursuers, Wang Ce and his group had already put some distance between them.

"Fire arrows! Fire arrows!"

The rebel archers began to launch arrows toward their fleeing direction.

"Raise shields!" Wang Ce shouted.

Everyone hastily raised whatever could block the arrows—some used shields, some used corpses, and some even used their own backs to shield the comrades ahead.

"Thud! Thud!"

Soldiers kept falling with arrows, letting out muffled groans.

An arrow also struck Wang Ce's back; the intense pain made him stagger, nearly falling.

"Captain!" Chen Xin hurriedly steadied him.

"I'm fine!" Wang Ce gritted his teeth, snapped the shaft off, leaving only the arrowhead still deeply embedded in his flesh.

He glanced back; the pursuers drew ever closer. On their side, after the earlier charge and arrow storm, only fewer than thirty could still keep running.

"Hurry, brothers! There's a woods ahead—if we get in, we can survive!" Having said that, Wang Ce ignored his wounds and dashed forward desperately.

Watching them rush into the woods, the leader of that pursuer band waved his hand.

"#&*#." Gazing at the direction Wang Ce and his men fled, he cursed in Hu language.

"Withdraw! These Tang troops are too tough to handle! Just kill a few people, take their clothes, and head back."

The rebels who had just been panting from running now all grinned with satisfaction.

Randomly killing people—no longer Tang soldiers, but the residents of Suiyang City, or the nearby mountain folk.

Dealing with these civilians, they've come up with all sorts of tricks along the way.

After entering the dense forest, Wang Ce and his party dared not stop, running another half a period in one breath.

Seeing no pursuers behind, they finally halted.

"We survived…… we survived……"

A soldier slumped to the ground, muttering to himself.

Everyone exhaled in relief; the joy of surviving the ordeal almost made them faint.

"Captain! Your wound!" Chen Xin rushed over, tearing off his own clothes to bandage Wang Ce.

Wang Ce waved him off, looking at the brothers before him—each wounded, yet their eyes bright.

He leaned on his sword, scanned the circle, and said in a low voice: "We survived. But General Zhang Xun is dead. We cannot let his death be in vain."

"We must find General Guo Linggong's great army, return to the battlefield, and avenge General Zhang! Avenge the countless Tang civilians slaughtered by the rebels!"

"Avenge! Avenge!"

The voices of over twenty people echoed across the open plain, lingering long.

They are now a true isolated army, with rebels behind them and unknown vastness ahead, but fortunately they lack the laxity of a defeated force.

"Captain, where do we go now?" Chen Xin approached Wang Ce, speaking softly; his wound was only roughly bandaged, still seeping blood.

Wang Ce lifted his head to check the sky; the sun was already beginning to slant westward. He pulled out a creased map from his pocket, a simple one marking only a few major cities and directions.

"General Zhang said Guo Linggong's troops are to the east." Wang Ce traced a finger on the map, "But we don't know the exact location. Now rebels are everywhere; we can't take the main road, only slip through mountain gullies, making a detour."

"What matters most now is preserving our strength, not falling behind. Tonight we'll camp in that mountain ahead."

Everyone had no objection. In that recent bloody battle, Wang Ce had already earned everyone's complete trust through his valor and decisiveness.

Wang Ce divided the little dry rations he had among everyone, himself taking only a few sips of water.

"Captain, you should eat something too." Chen Xin passed over the half biscuit he'd received.

Wang Ce shook his head: "You eat; I'm not hungry yet. Everyone, rest up—I'll take the second half of the night watch."

He knew, as the leader of this team, he must be stronger than anyone. Once he fell, the team's morale would completely collapse.