Chapter 699: A High-Stakes Gamble in the Dead End, a Retreat Shielded by Flesh and Blood

"You can't leave! Great Khan! You can't leave!"

Ku Di Gan looked at the turning Yunhe Ti who wanted to leave, and felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

He lunged forward violently, even unable to maintain the dignity of a commander, and seized Yunhe Ti's Horse Rein, his voice full of pleading and despair.

"Great Khan! If you stay, all the treasure in Licheng is yours! I'll give you… give you double! No, twice the gold and silver! Just help me hold out for three days… no, two days will do!"

Ku Di Gan knew clearly that once the Rouran left, it would strip away their last backbone.

Without this highly mobile cavalry to hold the flank, Wei Shaokuan in Licheng will surge out like a shark smelling blood, and behind him Chen Yan will drive the demoralized Qi army like a shepherd driving a flock of sheep, crushing them completely.

Yunhe Ti sat on a tall warhorse, coldly watching the desperate pleading of Ku Di Gan, a flash of impatience passing through his eyes.

He swung the Horse Whip violently, and with a "Whack!" it struck the back of Ku Di Gan's hand, leaving a bloody mark.

"Get out of the way! Don't block my path!"

Yunhe Ti pointed north, his tone as cold as iron, "My home is being burned down by those Turkic dogs; keep your gold and silver to buy a coffin! If you dare utter another word, I'll flatten your camp right now!"

With that, he squeezed his legs against the horse's belly, the Warhorse whinnied, lifted its four hooves, and mercilessly smashed through the Qi army's bodyguards blocking the road.

"Boom—"

It was the sound of tens of thousands of Rouran Iron Cavalry moving at once.

They surged like a black whirlwind, raising dust into the sky, howling as they burst out of the main camp, racing northward.

They didn't even glance back at the former ally, leaving only a mess on the ground and dust still swirling in the air.

"They've run… all of them have run…"

Gao Xiaoyu slumped in the mud, watching the retreating silhouettes of the Rouran, his whole body stunned.

He had originally hoped to use the Rouran's sword to avenge his grievances, but now the sword ran away on long legs, even stomping him hard before leaving.

That feeling of being abandoned by the whole world, of loneliness and terror, instantly engulfed him.

"What about that loneliness? Duke Ku Di… what do we do?" Gao Xiaoyu trembled, clutching Ku Di Gan's trouser leg like a helpless child.

Ku Di Gan ignored the Crown Prince, still holding out his hands in a pleading stance, standing rigidly in place.

Until the Rouran cavalry's dust completely vanished on the horizon, he finally lowered his hands slowly.

In that instant, the despair and panic in his eyes miraculously vanished, replaced by a ruthless, cold calm born from being cornered by death.

He knew, it was over.

Completely over.

But he could not just wait for death.

He was a famed general of Great Qi, the Prince of Anding, and even if he must die, he would die like a wolf, not like a dog.

Ku Di Gan slowly turned, glanced at the frantic Gao Xiaoyu still on the ground, a barely noticeable disgust flashing in his eyes, quickly well concealed.

"Men!"

Ku Di Gan's voice was as cold as if squeezed out from between his teeth, "Take the Crown Prince to the rear tent to wash and change! Guard him carefully! Send many men; without my command, even if the sky falls, the His Highness must not step a single step out of the main tent!"

"Yes!" several bodyguards rushed forward, half dragging, half lifting the still struggling, crying Gao Xiaoyu away.

Having sent away this biggest burden, Ku Di Gan inhaled deeply, then abruptly turned to face the Qi army generals inside the main tent, their faces already ashen and at a loss.

His gaze was like a blade, sweeping each face, finally settling on Deputy General Pi He.

"Transmit my orders!"

Ku Di Gan's voice rose sharply, filled with frantic resolve, "Order the forward camp commander Zhang Meng to immediately gather those three thousand elite vanguards! Push all siege equipment—ladders, battering rams, catapults—up there!"

"Half Hour Rest later! Spare no cost, launch a fierce assault on Licheng!"

The words caused panic throughout the tent.

Deputy General Pi He widened his eyes even more, shouting in terror, "Commander! You've gone mad?! The Rouran just left, our flank is completely empty! At this moment, shouldn't we retreat while Wei Shaokuan hasn't reacted yet? Why attack the city?!"

"This is clearly a death sentence! If our siege fails, that old fox Wei Shaokuan will break out, and we'll be surrounded! The whole army will be wiped out, Commander!"

The surrounding generals also echoed, each breaking into a cold sweat.

"Retreat?"

Ku Di Gan gave a wretched smile, uglier than crying.

He walked to the map, his finger pressing heavily on the open plain between Licheng and Lingzhou.

"Pi He, use your brain! Do you think we can run away now?"

"If we even turn now and show a hint of retreat, Wei Shaokuan in Licheng will bite our backsides like a mad dog! And behind us, that devil Chen Yan is racing forward with a massive army!"

"On this plain, being sandwiched from both sides is certain death!"

Ku Di Gan abruptly turned, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Pi He, his hoarse voice terrifying, "Only fight! The fiercer we strike, the more reckless, the more Wei Shaokuan will think we still have a backup, believing the Rouran are merely feigning retreat while actually ambushing from the side!"

"He is naturally cautious; if we hurt him, scare him, he won't dare chase out of the city lightly!"

"We must trade the lives of these three thousand men for a single escape route for the main army! It's the only way!"

At that point, Ku Di Gan abruptly drew his waist sword, slashing a corner of the command desk, "Crunch!" and wood shavings flew.

"Execute the order! Tell Zhang Meng, if he can't take the city walls, he doesn't need to return! That is his death!"

"All other units, while the siege proceeds, quietly withdraw the camp, raise many flags, feign strength, and retreat west in batches!"

Pi He looked at the commander before him, as crazy as a gambler, feeling a chill surge from his soles straight to the Heavenly Spirit Cover.

"Is this even a battle?"

"This is clearly using three thousand living souls to fill an abyss with no bottom, just to buy the remaining people even a single hour of escape time."

"But he also understood, this truly is the only move that might survive in the current Dead End Trap."

"Subordinate General… at your command!"

Pi He gritted his teeth, eyes brimming with tears, clasped his fists in a bow, and strode away.

The night wind howled, stirring up the sand dust on the ground.

Within the Qi army camp, war drums sounded again, yet exuded a bleak, deathly aura.

Those three thousand selected "abandoned ones," driven by whips and military orders, shouldered cloud ladders, pushed battering rams, and launched the final, fated‑to‑have‑no‑return deadly charge toward the towering, immobile, beast‑like Li Cheng.