Chapter 142: Defeat

The final collapse of the Iron Crow Army's strength was like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

It utterly destroyed the remaining, already shaky fighting will of the Northern Han-Khitan allied army.

The right-wing breach opened by Chen Wen and the Jing'an Army.

Now it is no longer a breach, but an entrance to purgatory filled with death and fear.

The Jing'an Army soldiers who received the 'Wide 4x Ability Grant' were like tireless killing machines.

Under the leadership of Chen Wen and Shi Dun, they continually penetrated and sliced into the depth of the routed troops.

In their wake, corpses littered the field, whether low-ranking officers trying to organize resistance.

or panicked ordinary soldiers, they could not delay their advance even a moment.

Such absolute, crushing advantage on this local battlefield produced a terrifying chain reaction.

First, the Khitan cavalry that had engaged the Jing'an Army head-on collapsed completely.

Their famed horse archery and charges, before absolute power, speed, and coordination, became laughable juggling.

Watching comrades fall like weeds, watching the 'Jing'an' banner, as ominous as a death talisman, draw ever closer.

The remaining Khitan cavalry let out a desperate whistle.

No longer heeding formations or orders, they desperately turned their horses.

They only wanted to get as far away from this group of 'demons' as possible.

The massive rout of the Khitan cavalry instantly shook the footing of the Northern Han infantry on the flank.

These infantry were already struggling to hold up under the Zhou army's full-line counterattack.

At this moment, seeing the Khitan allied forces they relied on most flee first, that sliver of courage instantly vanished.

"We're lost! Run!"

"The Khitan have run!"

"Escaping is urgent!"

Panic spread like a plague through the Northern Han army at an unprecedented speed.

Officers could not suppress it, and many officers themselves joined the rout.

The entire allied right wing, like toppled dominoes, went from partial collapse to a full-line avalanche in an instant!

This wave of defeat inevitably struck the allied center and left wing, which still maintained basic formation.

"Hold! Hold for me!"

Northern Han Emperor Liu Chong, in the central formation, roared hoarsely, his face turning ashen from shock, anger, and fear.

He could not believe it, despite having held absolute advantage just moments before.

Seeing that they were about to break the Zhou army's great formation, how could the offense and defense reverse in an instant, leaving them in such a plight?

However, a defeated army collapses like a falling mountain.

The routed troops from the right wing surged like a breached dam, overwhelming the central flank's defenses.

It also brought the emotions of defeat and panic into every soldier's heart.

The Zhou army's earth-shaking battle cries came from all sides, especially the Jing'an Army that thrust like a spear into the belly; its blade pointed wherever, almost no one could stop it!

"Your Majesty! The situation is lost! Flee!"

The senior officials beside him grabbed Liu Chong's reins, urging him anxiously.

They had already seen the Zhou army's cavalry beginning to encircle from both flanks.

If they didn't run now, they would likely be surrounded here!

Liu Chong looked at the utterly chaotic battlefield before him, at the Zhou army lunging like wolves and tigers.

Finally, he sobered from the immense disparity and fear.

What contending for the Central Plains, what restoring the Han lineage—before life and death, all became trivial.

"Withdraw… withdraw quickly!"

He squeezed out a few words from his throat, no longer able to maintain imperial decorum.

Under the protection of his trusted generals and the elite 'Pishi' troops, he hastily turned his horse.

He fled desperately toward the direction he had come, toward the north.

Once the emperor left, the last will to resist in the central army also completely collapsed.

The movement of the commander's flag, like a clear signal, proclaimed the final outcome of this battle.

The Northern Han central and left-wing units still struggling to hold on instantly disintegrated.

They joined this massive rout.

Soldiers could not find officers, officers could not find soldiers; everyone had only one thought—run north!

Flee this Gaoping battlefield that has devoured countless lives and is destined to become their nightmare!

"Pursue! All troops pursue! Do not let a single one escape!"

Chai Rong stood beneath the central army's great banner, although fatigued.

but his eyes blazed, shining with the ecstasy of victory and an unquestionable resolve.

He would not let slip such a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity to expand their gains!

At his command, the entire Zhou army boiled over!

The soldiers, long pent up, like tigers released from a gate, went mad in chasing down the fleeing enemy.

Infantry pursued infantry, cavalry pursued cavalry; across the Gaoping plains unfolded a bloody great flight and great pursuit.

Chen Wen-led Jing'an Army, as the top contributor who opened the situation, was also the vanguard of the pursuit.

They were full of stamina, their morale like a rainbow, relying on the speed and endurance advantages granted by Ability Granting.

They chased and slaughtered all along, reaping an abundant harvest.

The captured weapons, flags, and provisions were too numerous to count, and the number of enemy officers and soldiers taken prisoner ran into the hundreds.

The setting sun sank westward, the remaining sun like blood.

It bathed the land, which had just undergone a battle that decided the nation's fate, in a bleak and splendid light.

On the battlefield, corpses lay scattered, broken halberds and snapped spears littered the ground, and riderless warhorses neighed beside their fallen masters.

The air was thick with an inseparable stench of blood and gunpowder.

The Zhou army's cheers of victory intertwined with the wounded's cries and the prisoners' sobs, forming a cruel tableau of victory and death coexisting.

Chen Wen reined in his warhorse, stood on a slight rise, and surveyed the vast and tragic battlefield.

The soldiers of the Jing'an Army behind him, though each wounded, drenched in blood, and utterly exhausted.

Yet their eyes were filled with the joy of having survived the catastrophe and the pride of victors.

Within him, the Fortune Momentum vortex had not subsided despite the battle's end.

Instead, it spun and expanded at an unprecedented speed!

That dark-gold vortex became incredibly solid and vast, nearly filling every corner of his sea of consciousness!

This was the immense blessing of fate brought by saving the lord, defeating the enemy, and turning the nation's destiny!

It was the foundation that let him truly plant his feet in this chaotic age and make his name known under heaven!

【Personal Ability Multiplier: Lv. 5 (32x)】 (Stabilized)

【Growth Progress Bar: 100%】 (Complete)

【Fortune Momentum Vortex: Majestic! Vast! Like a dark-gold nebula vortex slowly turning, exuding a heavy aura that suppresses all and bears the future!】

The Battle of Gaoping ended with a glorious, overwhelming victory that far exceeded historical expectations.

The Northern Han's main force suffered a devastating blow; Emperor Liu Chong barely escaped with his life, fleeing north in panic.

The Khitan cavalry sustained heavy losses, making a large-scale southern invasion impossible in the short term.

And the Later Zhou, having endured this battle,

It not only resolved the greatest crisis since the state's founding, but also established prestige in one battle, greatly boosting the nation's strength!

And Chen Wen, together with the Jing'an Army he personally forged, was the most brilliant shining star in this glorious victory!