Chapter 182: Defeat Crumbles Like a Mountain

With Ba Ya'er, the deputy commander and Northern Yuan Crown Prince, fleeing, the last remaining morale of the Northern Yuan troops completely collapsed.

Originally the central army's elite guards protecting the great banner were still thinking of fighting desperately for Tuo Tuo Bu Hua, but at this moment they saw Crown Prince Ba Ya'er leading the escape.

Their faces turned grim, the last spark of fighting spirit vanished, and when they saw Jia Jing charging on horseback, they all hurriedly fled backward.

They thought to themselves, we are not afraid of that Han General; we just need to protect the Crown Prince's retreat!

Protecting the Crown Prince's retreat can also count as atonement for our deeds, right?

"Run fast! That demon god has already come to kill!"

"Run fast, the Crown Prince has already fled!"

"Run fast! The Grand Commander has already been shot dead by that demon god!"

"Han Army is unbeatable! Withdraw quickly!"

At this moment, the Northern Yuan troops facing Jia Jing were already terrified to death, shouting in panic.

Seeing the rear army and central army already begin to rout, they had no thought of resistance, each scrambling backward.

Even trampling and fratricidal killing occurred, just to get farther away from Jia Jing, the killing god!

And with Crown Prince Ba Ya'er's escape, the defeat of the Northern Yuan army in this battle was fully sealed.

In warfare, many times it relies on a single breath of morale.

With the commander dead, the great banner fallen, the deputy commander fleeing, the army inevitably loses its spirit and collapses at the slightest touch.

Even though some mid‑ and low‑ranking Northern Yuan officers still wished to resist, seeing the completely routed troops, they could only show a bitter expression and retreat with the chaos.

They knew that if they did not retreat now, the fleeing defeated soldiers would treat them as obstacles and cut them down with a single slash!

Once morale collapses, soldiers only know how to flee and can no longer distinguish friend from foe!

Logically, Jia Jing killed only about a thousand people, while fewer than one‑tenth of the tens of thousands in the Northern Yuan army died, so they still had fighting strength.

But battles often hinge on morale; once it collapses, numbers become meaningless.

The Northern Yuan army is not the strictly disciplined Qi Family Army that can ignore the death of its commander and sacrifice for the Northern Yuan.

In the blood battle at Hun River, after Shenyang fell, the remnants of the Qi Family Army fought alone on the southern bank of the Hun River.

The commanders Chen Ce and Tong Zhongkui fell in succession, yet no soldier fled; they persisted in hand‑to‑hand combat using the Mandarin Duck formation and Eight Banner iron cavalry until all perished for the country.

This is because the Qi Family Army has strict discipline, many veteran elites, long‑term coordination, and a clear deputy and succession mechanism.

However, the Northern Yuan commander's sudden death caught them off guard, the deputy turned and fled, and the Northern Yuan army was chilled by Jia Jing's killing, making recovery clearly impossible.

The remaining bravery should be used to chase down the fleeing bandits!

Jia Jing, after days of relentless assaults and this fierce burst, now felt a degree of fatigue.

But he did not halt his charge; instead, as the Northern Yuan troops retreated, Jia Jing, alone on horseback with his spear, pressed forward even faster!

Amid tens of thousands of fleeing Northern Yuan soldiers, Jia Jing was utterly fearless, charging on horseback; wherever he passed, no one could hold him even for a moment.

His bright red cloak had long been soaked with blood, and his armor was stained red by the Northern Yuan soldiers' blood.

The Red Hare Horse, swift as wind, and his bright silver Dragon‑gall spear left men and horses tumbling; every Northern Yuan soldier blocking Jia Jing was flung aside.

Retreating Ba Ya'er saw Jia Jing charging straight at him, drawing ever nearer, and his heart grew uneasy; he shouted loudly to the man beside him:

"Tuo Guhan, take a hundred riders to hold off the Han General for a moment, cover the Crown Prince's retreat; after returning to the royal court, the Crown Prince will reward you richly."

Tuo Guhan, Ba Ya'er's trusted guard taken from the royal court, felt this mission was certain death, yet he said nothing and immediately set out with his men to block Jia Jing.

But before he could depart, he saw the Han General draw his bow and arrows again, aiming at the fleeing Crown Prince Ba Ya'er.

"Crown Prince, be careful!" Tuo Guhan roared, warning Ba Ya'er.

Alas, it was already too late!

Jia Jing's Overlord Bow string twitched violently, and a black, iron‑cluster armor‑piercing arrow burst from the bow.

In the blink of an eye it caught up with the Northern Yuan Crown Prince Ba Ya'er, who was desperately riding his horse to escape.

At this moment, behind Crown Prince Ba Ya'er, more than ten guards held up large cowhide shields in all directions, clearly valuing the safety of this future great Khan of the Northern Yuan!

Yet before absolute power, all defense is meaningless.

A huge "bang" rang out as the iron‑cluster armor‑piercing arrow shattered the cowhide shield in the hands of a guard behind Ba Ya'er.

And after blasting the shield, the arrow kept flying, slanting toward Ba Ya'er.

Ba Ya'er at that moment heard Tuo Guhan's shouted warning and the strange sound behind him, but before he could turn to dodge, his thigh went cold.

Not his chest?

Ba Ya'er was slightly stunned, and inexplicably felt a hint of relief.

Then Ba Ya'er looked down…

A thick black iron arrow pierced his thigh, its massive kinetic force instantly hurled his body upward.

The excruciating pain struck; he let out a wail, was flung from his horse by the arrow, and crashed to the ground, shattered.

He tried to rise, but found the arrow still lodged in his leg, the tip protruding from the other side, deeply embedded in the earth, pinning him to the ground.

He could not move a fraction; any motion of the leg sent a tearing, heart‑rending pain.

Ba Ya'er could only lie prone, trembling all over, wailing continuously, watching helplessly as the figure approached.

The Red Hare Horse's hooves sounded like a death‑drumming beat.

"Han General, with Tuo Guhan here today, you shall not harm my Crown Prince!"

Tuo Guhan, seeing Jia Jing charge at Ba Ya'er, let out a roar and stepped in front of Jia Jing.

Though he knew he was no match for the Han General, he nonetheless selflessly blocked Ba Ya'er.

Jia Jing gave him a faint glance, then, with a calm and cold expression, continued straight toward Ba Ya'er.

Tuo Guhan, seeing the situation, gathered all his Qi and hurled the bone bud in his hand toward Jia Jing's head.

Jia Jing, one‑handed with his spear, cape fluttering, eyes like lightning, used his bright silver Dragon‑gall spear to sweep Tuo Guhan's bone bud away.

The spear blade brushed past Tuo Guhan's neck in a flash and severed his head!

Remembering his loyal devotion to protect his lord, Jia Jing did not let his death be overly painful!

The other personal guards who rashly tried to step forward to protect Crown Prince Ba Ya'er could not at all stop Jia Jing's advance; the bright silver dragon‑gall spears sweeping from left and right quickly cut them down.

The remaining Northern Yuan soldiers no longer dared to step forward to block; they each frantically spurred their horses to flee, leaving only Ba Ya'er alone, lying on the ground face‑to‑face with Jia Jing's cold long spear.