Chapter 494

At a command, the Nanan Army, which had been ordered to retreat, suddenly halted; the rear became the front, and tens of thousands of troops turned and charged back.

Ma Shang and Chen Ruiwen each led their troops, coming from both wings to envelop.

The Prince of Nan'an personally urged the main force forward, pressing against Lan Yu's vanguard.

In an instant, shouts of killing boiled over the plain, and the Nanan Army was about to encircle Lan Yu's vanguard.

Lan Yu gazed at the battlefield, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

He had long prepared; seeing the Nanan Army turn to fight, he immediately issued orders:

"Hold the vanguard, do not retreat! Let the main force become the left and right wings to envelop the enemy's rear! Let the rearguard stand firm in formation to cut off their retreat!"

At the order, the twelve regiments instantly changed formation.

The vanguard, which had been advancing aggressively, suddenly drew together into a square formation, bristling with spears, and stubbornly withstood the Nanan Army's counter‑attack.

Meanwhile, Lan Yu's main force, no longer sluggish, unfolded left and right with thunderous speed, the cavalry wings accelerating to circle behind the enemy.

At the same time, the rearguard deployed on the great road, rows of anti‑cavalry obstacles and wagon forts stretching across the highway, completely cutting off the Prince of Nan'an's return route to Jizhou City.

As the Prince of Nan'an turned to attack, he suddenly saw dust rising on both flanks; Lan Yu's main force came like two iron arms closing in, shocking him deeply.

Still in shock, he then saw dust blotting out the sun on the rear road, a great host already arrayed outside the West Gate, trapping his thirty‑plus thousand men in the open field.

At that moment, the smile on his face had not yet faded, but cold sweat poured out unbidden!

These twelve regiments were surprisingly elite—orders obeyed, formations set up swiftly—and in an instant they suppressed our own great army.

"This is bad—Lan Yu was just feigning weakness; he intends to encircle and annihilate us!" Ma Shang shouted, his face changing.

The Prince of Nan'an forced himself calm and bellowed:

"Don't panic! Lan Yu's isolated force has penetrated deep; we still have Xie Ying's ten thousand elite cavalry outside. When he bursts out, we'll attack from inside and out, and the advantage remains ours!"

He had not finished speaking when the sound of urgent horse hooves suddenly came from the northern mountain path, growing nearer.

A cavalry unit bearing a "Xie" flag came flying from the mountain‑side direction, ten thousand strong; amidst the sky‑high dust, a general brandishing a spear led the way—none other than Xie Ying.

The Prince of Nan'an rejoiced and cried out loudly:

"Our ambush has arrived! Victory is assured! Brothers, charge for me!"

In an instant, the morale of the Prince of Nan'an's troops soared!

The Prince of Nan'an was about to order a rendezvous, but he saw that cavalry charging straight into his own rearguard—its course seemed wrong.

Suddenly, the cavalry halted a hundred paces behind his rearguard, and a black‑red flag rose high from their ranks, embroidered with a huge "Jia" character.

Xie Ying sat astride his horse, spear across his lap, and shouted in a loud voice:

"By order of the Duke of Jingguo, eradicate the rebels! All troops hear this: those who abandon darkness for light shall be spared; those who cling to futile resistance shall be killed without mercy!"

The ten thousand elite cavalry roared as one, turned their blades, and charged madly into the Nan'an rearguard.

The rear troops, taken completely by surprise, fell into instant chaos.

Before them lay Lan Yu's main force pressing in; behind them, Xie Ying had defected; both flanks were also enveloped by Lan Yu, trapping thirty‑five thousand men in the wild west of Jizhou City—as if fallen into an iron cauldron.

The Prince of Nan'an sat on his war chariot, eyes wide, sweat drenching his back, then his face turned ashen and his limbs grew cold.

He stared blankly at the "Jia" flag, disbelief filling his eyes, and hoarsely demanded:

"A conspiracy! This was Jia Jing's plot against us from the very start……

"Xie Ying, you shameless villain, dare to toy with this prince……

He had not finished speaking when a mouthful of blood spurted, staining his chest armor red.

Only then did the Prince of Nan'an finally realize: perhaps they had fallen into Jia Jing's scheme from the beginning!

Jia Zi Jie not only wanted to reopen the farmlands, but also to purge these old veterans of ours!

And yet we, who secretly plotted to overthrow the ruler, thought ourselves clever—how laughable!

Ma Shang, Chen Ruiwen, Qi Jianhui and the others had expressions frozen on their faces, as if they had seen a ghost, utterly shocked with a hint of fear.

Damn it! Xie Ying, with that loyal‑looking face, is actually an insider!?

Damn it! Xie Jing, with this honest-looking face, is actually an insider!?

Finished! This time we're truly done for!

Immediately, several people came to their senses, hurriedly taking their personal guards and fleeing.

Chen Ruiwen led several hundred cavalry south, only to crash into the elite cavalry of Shi Lang circling around, and was speared off his horse.

Qi Jianhui tried to break out west, but was intercepted by Lan Yu's main force; his personal guards were all slain and he himself was captured by the rebel troops.

Ma Shang hid among the defeated soldiers, trying to slip through the encirclement, but was recognized by pursuing troops and pressed to the ground on the spot.

Lan Yu spurred his horse into the Nan'an main force, thrusting his spear left and right, as if entering an empty land.

The Prince of Nan'an was escorted by his guards as he fled backward; Lan Yu followed closely, clearly seeing him, and with a spear thrust he knocked over the prince's standard‑bearer, then another thrust snapped the commander's flag.

The Prince of Nan'an's war chariot overturned, he rolled off, and his guards who tried to help were speared one by one, several killed in succession,

finally the spear tip was placed at his throat, and he shouted loudly:

"Rebel Prince of Nan'an, surrender at once!"

The Prince of Nan'an lay on his back, crown askew, body soaked in blood and grime; the former majesty had vanished from his deep eyes, leaving only ash‑colored defeat and despair, and he hoarsely said:

"With this vile scheme…… what kind of hero is that! I will not submit……

Lan Yu gave a cold snort and said:

Lan Yu let out a cold snort and said:

"Not convinced? Say it in front of my lord! Tie him up!"

Immediately, several burly personal guards shouted their assent, swarmed forward, and bound the Prince of Nan'an!

The Prince of Nan'an struggled violently, cursing nonstop!

Lan Yu showed no concern, looked at the surrounding rebels whose defeat was already certain, and gave a cold order:

"Pursue them separately; not a single one is to escape!"

When the sun sank in the west and dusk was about to fall, the wasteland outside the west gate of Jizhou City was already strewn with corpses, the surrendering ones came like a tide.

Meanwhile, within Jizhou City, Crown Prince Mu Chen of Dongping stood atop the city walls, watching the battle outside the city with crystal clarity.

When Xie Jingzhen defected and Prince of Nan'an's banner snapped at that moment, he knew that if he did not leave immediately, it would be too late.

Without hesitation, he ordered the lower city to assemble its elite five thousand soldiers, opened the south gate, and abandoned the city.

But after he had been out of the city for less than ten li, he saw the official road ahead blazing with lanterns; Feng Ziying's five thousand elite cavalry already blocked the road, with more than ten squads of archers on each wing, sealing the exit tightly.

Mu Chen reined his horse and looked back; the road behind was already shrouded in smoke and dust, and Lan Yu's personal cavalry had already caught up.

Knowing he could not escape, Mu Chen let out a long sigh, threw away his pendant sword, dismounted, and surrendered with his hands bound.

His five thousand troops either surrendered or died; none escaped.

The 15th day of the eighth month, a Mid‑Autumn night.

All four gates of Jizhou City opened, and the 12th Regiment marched into the city.

Lan Yu ascended the city tower, gazing at the sea of black prisoners and countless weapons and banners below, ordered the old flag on the city wall to be taken down and replaced with the 12th Regiment's military flag.

A full moon rose from the city tower, bathing the whole city in daylight.

Lan Yu said to the generals and officers on his left and right:

"The 15th day of the eighth month is a good day! Flowers bloom, the moon is full, let us sweep away demonic aura! With Nan'an defeated, the capital Guard Posts face no more obstacles!"

"Immediately dispatch troops to occupy the surrounding Guard Posts, and send someone to report the victory to the Duke!"