Chapter 856: First Volume, Chapter 856: Two Thousand Against Fifty Thousand, Certain Victory

First Volume, Chapter 856: Two Thousand Against Fifty Thousand, Certain Victory

Although he failed to succeed, Zhao Yuxiong's intent to kill was unmistakable; among the officers and soldiers of the Right Route Army, some were furious, some resentful, but most were terrified.

A general who arrived from afar with merely two thousand troops, his rank at most Sixth Rank, dared to launch a lethal strike directly at a Fourth-Rank Loyal and Martial General.

And he knew full well that the opponent was backed by the entire Central Plains Imperial Party, with tens of thousands of elite troops.

This Zhao Yuxiong is either an idiot whose head was kicked by a donkey—a naive youth unafraid of tigers—or he truly doesn't regard Zhou Yunhai at all.

At that moment, another bearded Deputy General burst out from the camp, roaring: "Zhao Yuxiong, you brat! How dare you attack our Right Army General? Your crime is unforgivable—kill him!"

With that roar, the others finally snapped out of their daze and surged forward again.

Meanwhile, the Black Cavalry advanced directly, smashing into the Right Route Army troops and crushing or trampling countless numbers.

Remember, the Black Cavalry were all uniformly heavy cavalry; though slow to start and charge, their superior armor made them the only troop type capable of standing toe-to-toe with infantry and gaining the upper hand.

The Right Route Army soldiers on the field, though holding the home-field advantage and receiving endless reinforcements, had not even formed a battle posture.

Instead, it resembled more of a brawl fueled by resentment.

No organization meant no combat effectiveness.

Facing the frontal charge of hundreds of Black Cavalry, they were utterly powerless to resist; a single impact scattered the densely packed Right Route Army troops, causing them to flee in all directions.

Meanwhile, the Longhu Army cavalry stationed in the rear also moved.

To compensate for the Black Cavalry's shortcomings, these Longhu Army cavalry were all light, fast horsemen, splitting into two groups and advancing toward the camp from both flanks, completing an encirclement.

When the first volley of ArrowRain was loosed, countless Right Route Army soldiers clad in light armor—who had never intended to fight—fell, pierced by arrows.

Only then did the entire Right Route Army realize that Zhao Yuxiong was not bluffing—he truly came to suppress the Rebel Party…

Faced with the harassment of Longhu Army light cavalry and the frontal charge of the Black Cavalry, the scene was horrific beyond description, descending into one-sided slaughter.

Seeing this, Zhou Yunhai finally snapped out of his shock; several Deputy Generals and guards swiftly surrounded him, shielding him tightly in the center.

Zhou Yunhai shouted orders: "Under attack! Under attack! Transmit my command—full army, engage!"

As the order was issued, countless messengers surged in all directions, either notifying other ZhuZhen outposts or racing deep into the camp to execute Beidi War Mobilization Order.

This Right Route Army, as a Regular Army, transmitted orders with remarkable speed.

Too bad…

No matter how fast, it couldn't outpace the arrows before them!

Zhao Yuxiong's target was clear—he led several Black Cavalry straight toward Zhou Yunhai.

The Deputy Generals and guards raised their spears, Zhan Dao, and Horse-Slaying Slash Blades, slashing at the Black Cavalry to protect Zhou Yunhai.

Unfortunately, they faced Black Cavalry armed to the Teeth; whether in armor durability, lance length advantage, or combined horse-and-rider strength and stamina, they were incomparable to infantry.

Even though these Deputy Generals and guards were individually formidable warriors, they were thrown into extreme disadvantage against lances far longer than their own weapons.

Within just a few exchanges, two Deputy Generals and four guards were impaled and killed on the spot.

When Zhou Yunhai's entourage huddled into a tight defensive circle, Zhao Yuxiong gave another order—ten or more Black Cavalry charged straight in.

Crushing and trampling, several more died instantly.

Zhou Yunhai was stabbed hard in the chest by a Black Cavalryman's lance; no one knew what he was thinking—he'd been wearing heavy armor daily—and the lance struck empty again.

Dozens of Black Cavalry closed in, stabbing repeatedly at Zhou Yunhai and the few remaining Deputy Generals—hundreds of thrusts in all—yet failed to kill any of them.

They were like unbreakable iron tortoises.

Zhao Yuxiong had no time to waste—he growled, and the Black Cavalry abandoned Zhou Yunhai and his men, charging straight toward the Right Route Army soldiers still clad in light armor, too slow to change gear.

The camp Door was completely sealed off by the Black Cavalry, while the Longhu Army light cavalry continued harassing from the perimeter, never engaging in close sparring.

As one side gained, the other declined; the cumulative shock of these sudden events caused the Right Route Army soldiers to fall like cut grass.

The few Deputy Generals, preparing to escort Zhou Yunhai's retreat, were blocked by Black Cavalry arrows.

At this moment, Zhou Yunhai understood: the Black Cavalry could not penetrate his and the other senior officers' elite armor, so they ignored them—but also prevented them from fleeing, trapping them in place.

At that moment, footsteps approached.

Zhou Yunhai turned to look and saw a group of infantry running behind Zhao Yuxiong—these accompanying infantry numbered no more than two or three hundred.

Their armor was mixed and chaotic—some wore heavy armor, others light.

Among them, ten or more heavy infantry clad in full armor, wielding Long-Handled Axes, Wolf Tooth Clubs, and bone clubs, had a clear target: Zhou Yunhai.

Zhou Yunhai's heart sank; despite him and his men fighting desperately to hold back, they were quickly overwhelmed by the sheer number of heavy infantry.

Then, one heavy infantryman raised his Wolf Tooth Club and slammed it down hard on Zhou Yunhai's shoulder.

Zhou Yunhai's Shoulder Guard was merely dented—but the immense force penetrated the armor, shattered into his flesh, and pulverized his entire scapula.

He could not bear the pain and let out a deafening scream.

But the scream elicited no mercy from the heavy infantry—in fact, they grew even more frenzied.

Weapons designed to break armor—Long-Handled Axes, Wolf Tooth Clubs—struck repeatedly on Zhou Yunhai and the few Deputy Generals until they were crushed to death, their armor still "intact," their deaths caused entirely by blunt-force trauma.

The heavy infantry chopped off Zhou Yunhai's head and hurled it forcefully toward Zhao Yuxiong.

Zhao Yuxiong skewered Zhou Yunhai's head on his lance and roared: "The rebel general Zhou Yunhai has been beheaded! All who resist will be killed on the spot!"

"Will you not lay down your weapons and surrender?!"

The Right Route Army soldiers still fighting stared at Zhou Yunhai's head, their eyes filled with disbelief.

The Right Army General, Fourth-Rank Loyal and Martial General, a pillar of the Central Plains Imperial Party—just like that… beheaded?!

The events unfolded too fast; the Right Route Army soldiers' minds couldn't process it. When one soldier, terrified by the Black Cavalry's ferocity, dropped his weapon and surrendered, the collapse spread like plague—more and more laid down their arms.

With their Main General dead and the Supervisor of the Army useless, the rout was now unstoppable.