Chapter 68: The Ruler and His Minister

  Houzai was attacked by Liang's elite general Zhang Tao with 3,000 elite soldiers. Unexpectedly, the Houzai camp was more solid than he had imagined. Not only was the camp stable, but the Qin army inside was also very resilient and could not be broken after repeated attacks.

  "Fu Bing's defeat is terrible!" Guo Liang suddenly sighed, the battle in the rear camp had been going on for half an hour, and the situation was indeed too intense. The Liang army broke through the Fu Bing's phalanx formation more than once, and it was all thanks to Li Ziqi's desperate counterattack that they were able to drive the Liang army out.

  "Gongsun General intentionally consumed Fu Bing's troops." Hua Xiong had no feeling about Fu Bing's death.

  Seeing Guo Liang's confusion, Hua Xiong continued: "The symbol soldiers must be weakened. Firstly, because the symbol soldiers will eventually become our opposing force, and secondly, General Gong Sun wants to suppress his own potential."

  "Besides the cool army in front of us, there are still many hostile forces behind. Xiu Bing is the strongest combat force under Big Brother's command. To abandon him like this feels like cutting off one's own arm."

  "This arm is useless, at the critical moment it doesn't listen to its own master, and keeping it would be pointless." Hua Xiong's words were very bloody, making Guo Liang somewhat unacceptable.

  "General Gongsun's wings are growing stronger, his divine generals and heavenly soldiers are all that's needed for a bloody battle. Only through one battle after another, the waves washing away the sand, eliminating the weak and keeping the strong, can we retain the truly elite troops who have been through a hundred battles!"

  "No matter how many enemy troops there are, they will eventually be wiped out. The Tiger Tally of the Great Qin is powerful, and all the souls along the way will be absorbed by it, leaving General Gong Sun with only a small portion. Even if he wins every battle and rises through the ranks, without a strong army under him, it's all just an illusion."

  It is worth noting that Hua Xiong followed Dong Zhuo to conquer the battlefield for more than 20 years, and was very familiar with the military. He also had a deep understanding of the troops and knew that only with strong soldiers could he dominate the world.

  The Zhong army's Great Fortress has fallen into the most critical moment. The Ge Bing battle line has been torn apart by the Liang army, and the Ge Bing troops have formed a defensive circle to protect themselves. A unit of White Tower crossbowmen also abandoned their crossbows and joined the frontline battle with spears.

  "Big brother, let's protect Chu Mengmeng and we'll be fine! Just hold on a little longer, victory will be ours!" At this time, Chu Mengmeng was surrounded by a group of people. Although he had woken up, he was still somewhat dazed.

  "Be careful yourself!" Gong Sunying held a thick goose feather knife and said, protecting Chu Mengmeng as he moved towards the rear. He deeply knew how important Chu Mengmeng was to Gong Sunce, that even the strongest person was just an ordinary man, but an ordinary man with brains directing him was a formidable existence.

  Chu Mengmeng is the indispensable brain of the Gong Sun Ce Wu Jiang group.

  Liang Jun had already killed his way to within ten paces of Gong Sun Ce. Gong Sun Ce held the Qing Long spear in his right hand and grasped the Wu Shan sword tightly in his left.

  His personal martial arts skills are in a breakthrough period, with Ma Chao's guidance, his understanding of the situation is becoming more and more profound.

  Momentum is morale! The reason why a general is called the backbone of an army is that he has momentum, which can boost the morale of soldiers and intimidate the enemy.

  Potential is also a state of mind. Being able to reasonably use the strength of any part of the body, and releasing it at the most opportune moment. Emphasizing cleverness over brute force, pursuing the ability to move a thousand pounds with four ounces. This is true for individual martial arts techniques, as well as for deploying troops.

  "Kill!" Xie Ai grasped the long spear that was thrusting towards him, took a step forward and appeared in front of the spearman. With one sword stroke, the blade protruded from the back of the spearman.

  Two men with swords in hand rushed towards Xie Ai, but were intercepted by his personal guards and cut down after two or three rounds of fighting.

  On the chaotic battlefield, Gong Sun Zan recognized Xie Yi at a glance and determined that he was a major figure in the Liang army, so he strode forward to kill him.

  "Kill him!" Xie E pointed his sword at Gongsun Zan, who saw that under the firelight, Gongsun Zan's golden armor was extremely eye-catching and had already judged his identity.

  "Who are you? Tell me your name, and I'll let you die!" Gong Sun Ce thrust out his spear, striking down one of Xie E's personal soldiers, then cut down two more with a single swing of his sword. He shook off the blood from the spear that had killed Xie E's soldier, pointed it at Xie E, and shouted loudly.

  "Great General of the Grand Chariot! Xie Yi of Dunhuang salutes!" Xie Yi saw that Gongsun Zan's attack was sharp and had already killed three of his own personal soldiers in just one round, knowing he couldn't match Gongsun Zan's strength, but under the protection of his personal soldiers, he loudly responded.

  "General Zhongjian? I've already killed one in Huating! You'll be the second!" Gong Sun Ce smiled, showing a row of white teeth under the firelight.

  "Arrogant! Kill!" Xie Ai was enraged by Gongsun Zan, whether it was because Gongsun Zan regarded him as nothing or because the former Central Pillar General Song Cheng was killed.

  Gongsun Zan wielded his spear in his right hand and his sword in his left, like a tiger entering a flock of sheep. He strode freely back and forth on the battlefield, his every step leaving death in its wake. One by one, Xie Yi's men fell before him, dying at Gongsun Zan's feet.

  "Remember! It's Gongsun Zhi who killed you! Don't die in vain!" Gongsun Zhi slaughtered this wave of Xie Yi's personal guards, his tone arrogant. He also had the capital to do so, because his martial skills could already withstand ten rounds under Gao Shun. Dealing with ordinary generals was no problem.

  Xie Ai was only a Confucian general, and his personal combat ability was not strong, but it did not hinder his boldness. He shouted loudly and led his soldiers to attack Gong Sun Ce.

  At this time, the Liang army's junior officers who had rushed into the central camp had already noticed this place and were leading their personal soldiers to kill Gongsun Zan amidst the chaos of the battlefield.

  Gongsun Zan swung his spear and swept out, Xie Yi was swept flying by a single swing of the spear. Gongsun Zan was about to pursue and kill him, but was intercepted by two suddenly jumping out Western Liang army lieutenants. These two lieutenants were not as skilled in martial arts as Gongsun Zan, but together they could fight with Gongsun Zan in a stalemate.

  Before long, more cooling army lieutenants rushed to this place and joined the battle one after another. There were also attempts by various departments' personal soldiers to join the battle, but none of them were not cut into pieces by chaotic blades. Even who killed whom could not be identified.

  "Hurray! Come again!" Gong Sun Ce jumped out of the battle, shouted and put away Wu Shan sword, holding Qing Long spear with both hands to kill into the battle again.

  "Go to death!" Gong Sun Ce wielded the Green Dragon Halberd with both hands, and his strength was even more ferocious. A Liang army lieutenant held a spear to block Gong Sun Ce's incoming halberd, but unexpectedly failed to deflect it, only slightly shifting its trajectory. He was pierced through the chest by Gong Sun Ce's single thrust, and the crescent-shaped blade of the halberd tore his lungs apart, ending his life instantly.

  "Kill!" The corner of the school lieutenant's mouth overflowed with blood, and he abandoned his sword to grab tightly onto Gongsun Zan's Qinglong spear. He attempted to use his last breath to restrict Gongsun Zan's weapon, so that his comrades could cut him down and avenge himself!

  Gongsun Zan had once suffered a loss when eliminating Li Le, how could he let this enemy general have his way? He immediately drew out the Green Dragon Halberd and swept aside several colonels who were closing in, took two steps forward, and kicked the enemy general who was still trying to plot against him even as he died, sending him flying away.

  That enemy general flew out of the battle array and landed right at Xie Ai's feet. He stared at Xie Ai with his eyes wide open, muttering to himself, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end, he simply tilted his head to one side and died thoroughly.

  Watching his subordinates slowly rot at his feet, Xie Ai's heart was like a knife twisting. His eyes were fixed on Gong Sun Ce, who was surrounded again, but in his mind, he was wondering why only Gong Sun Ce was fighting alone in the central camp, where were the other generals?

  At this time, a shout of killing like a tsunami erupted outside the Chinese army camp! Feeling the vibration of the earth, Xie Ai was instantly stunned. Cavalry! This is a large cavalry!

  In the firelight of the burning camp, Zhang Chonghua and others looked in the direction of the shouting and killing sounds, and saw white-clad and white-armored cavalrymen galloping in the dark night, with an unknown number of them. The leading general was majestic and powerful, riding alone at the front of the other white-clad cavalrymen, charging straight towards them!

  The Liang army, who thought the battle was already decided, saw countless cavalry rushing towards them and their morale plummeted, falling into a state of panic. They had been fighting for a long time, exhausting their physical and mental strength, relying solely on their high morale to hold on, but when they saw these countless cavalrymen, they suddenly felt extremely tired.

  "Your Majesty, retreat quickly! The Qin army has set up an ambush, please temporarily avoid the Golden City...” Wei Ji saw a lieutenant leading troops to intercept the cavalry, and in the blink of an eye, a thousand men were trampled into mud. The invading cavalry was so sharp that he knew it was not something the current Liang army could resist.

  Zhang Chonghua's face had already lost its color and turned pale when he saw the cavalry coming again.

  He saw Wei Wuxian kneeling on the ground, begging him to leave temporarily. He really wanted to go up and kick Wei Wuxian over, but he couldn't bear to do it. Wei Wuxian was not just his beloved general. It's a fact that any monarch is lonely, their spirit forever fragile and cold.

  Those who can bring warmth to their souls will be deeply etched in the king's heart. As everyone guessed, Zhang Chonghua and Wei Zhen have an extraordinary relationship.

  "What's the point of the Lonely King living on if his great cause is lost?"

  "No need to persuade me anymore, I will die for the great Liang in this battle!" Zhang Chonghua drew out his precious sword from his waist, his tone resolute.

  Wei rushed to Zhang Chonghua's side, hugged his leg with one hand, and knocked his head on the ground, tears streaming down his face. The handsome face was stained with mud, looking very pitiful.

  "Your Majesty! If you die, our Great Liang will truly be no more! Only if you live can our Great Liang have the hope of revival and rebuilding!" Wei Tuo exhorted in a loud voice, but Zhang Chonghua had already made up his mind to die. He couldn't tolerate Wei Tuo's wailing, which would greatly dampen the morale of the troops and shake his own resolve.

  Zhang Chonghua raised his treasured sword, then slowly put it down, and with another foot fiercely kicked Wei Mou, sternly shouting: "I have made up my mind to die, how can you stop me!"

  Wei Jie wanted to speak, but was kicked by Zhang Chonghua and couldn't get the words out. However, he still bit his teeth tightly and hugged Zhang Chonghua's calf, refusing to let go.

  Zhang Chonghua raised the sword in his hand and put it down again, repeating this motion three times. He really couldn't bring himself to do it, and Wei Zhen was indeed thinking of him with such loyalty.

  Maybe Zhang Chonghua was tired or didn't want to kick anymore, he stopped.

  Wei Zhuang spat out a mouthful of blood, looked up at Zhang Chonghua and said: "Has the great king forgotten the story of Qin Ershi's demise? Even if he unified China under the Qin dynasty, his fate was sealed!"

  Fate! Zhang Chonghua suddenly became optimistic! Even if surrendering to the Qin State, what's the big deal? Thinking of Liu Bei drifting for half his life, it wasn't until he was almost 50 that he had a real foundation. He himself is much luckier than Liu Bei, can't even compare to him?

  "As long as the green hills remain, we won't worry about running out of firewood to burn!" Zhang Chonghua sheathed his sword and helped Yu Zhen up, his face sincere and apologetic: "If Great Liang can rise again, it will all be thanks to your wise counsel tonight, my lord!"

  Zhang Chonghua supported Wei Bian and left the troops to guard the rear, leading a thousand heavy armored Tianbing to retreat to Jincheng.

  Zhang Chonghua had already made up his mind to surrender, but not on the battlefield. On the battlefield, others could surrender and be considered as rebelling against their own side, while he would thoroughly surrender and become a prisoner. He planned to hold out in Jin City, using Jin City as capital to negotiate the terms of his surrender.

  Surrender with capital is not surrender, but dependence. He thought that as a proud King of Liang, he would surrender to the Qin state. The Qin state, in order to spend a thousand pieces of gold to buy a horse, set up an example. At least they will grant him a marquis title and a fiefdom of at least one county, so that he can rest and wait for the great Qin to perish by fate.