Countless Han troops burst from the city, charging madly toward the Logistics Army camp outside. They advanced step by step, firing arrows indiscriminately.
As they neared the camp, they saw bewildered Qin soldiers rushing out of their tents.
"Kill them! Leave none alive!"
The Han troops roared, brandishing their weapons and crazily slashing at the Qin Logistics Army soldiers, who were caught completely by surprise. The scene outside Yang City was one of carnage.
The Logistics Army was not a combat unit and was completely unprepared for the sneak attack. They were simply being massacred. Many logistics soldiers were cut down by the charging Han troops while still in a daze from sleep. The sudden, brutal slaughter threw the entire Logistics Army into disarray.
"The Han army is really here to kill us?"
"How is this possible?"
"Where did they come from?"
Wei Quan looked at Zhao Feng in utter terror, and the soldiers around them were just as panicked.
If the defeated Han army had attacked from behind, it would have been more plausible; after all, it was expected for some enemies to slip through the net during the Qin Army’s advance. But an attack from within Yang City was something no one had anticipated. No preparations had been made. Even the Logistics Army’s patrol sentries were positioned outside the city, not on the side facing it.
"It’s obvious," Zhao Feng said calmly. "This contingent of Han soldiers must have been hiding inside the city before its fall. They were waiting for Qin’s main force to give chase before they struck."
"Yang City may be large, but with an army of one hundred thousand attacking, where could they have hidden? There isn’t enough space in the residential houses for so many, right?" Wei Quan was still puzzled.
"Not in the houses? What about underground?" Zhao Feng retorted, turning his head.
Hearing this, Wei Quan’s face turned deathly pale. "What do we do now? The enemy launched a surprise attack. Our generals probably haven’t even reacted yet, and we’re just the Logistics Army. What can we do?"
"Fall back," Zhao Feng said without a moment’s hesitation. "Once the generals understand what’s happening, they’ll have a countermeasure."
He was not the general of this Logistics Army, merely a minor garrison commander. Facing this unexpected slaughter, there was nothing Zhao Feng could do to change the outcome. Although he now possessed the strength to kill a hundred men, he was still just one person. Faced with an unknown number of enemies while his own side was in complete chaos, charging into the fray would be suicide. Zhao Feng was not that foolish.
"Retreat! Retreat!" Wei Quan immediately shouted, hurriedly signaling his men to fall back.
Nearly a hundred men scrambled away in disarray. They couldn’t worry about anyone else. In wars , involving tens of thousands of soldiers, the strength of a hundred men was negligible. Zhao Feng could perhaps charge forward and kill enemies, but it would make little difference. The Logistics Army’s morale was shattered. Unless they could pull back and regroup, him rushing in now would be a senseless sacrifice.
"What is the situation?" Wang Yan asked from her horse, a long spear in hand.
"Reporting to the Chief Junhou, the Han army has broken out through the main gate and is charging straight for the Logistics Army outside the city," a subordinate Junhou urgently reported.
Hearing this, Wang Yan’s expression changed dramatically.
"This is bad," Wang Yan said gravely. "They aren’t trying to capture the city. They’re creating the impression that they are, making us believe that’s their goal. While we gathered our Sharp Warriors for the defense, they struck through the main gate to cut our supply lines and attack our baggage train."
"Chief Junhou, what do we do now?" Several Junhou looked at Wang Yan, somewhat at a loss.
This was no small matter. If the supply lines were truly severed, it would affect the entire Qin campaign to annihilate Han and could even introduce many new variables.
"Mobilize the troops at once and pursue them! We must not allow the enemy to succeed!" Wang Yan commanded.
"Yes, ma’am!" the Junhou immediately responded.
Time passed quickly. The sun gradually rose, the sky growing brighter. The Han army’s sudden attack from within Yang City had dealt a heavy blow to Wang Yan’s defending forces. Outside the city, the Logistics Army camp was a wreck, littered with corpses. For the moment, the slaughter had ended.
「Ten miles from Yang City.」
Fleeing logistics soldiers were scattered everywhere. After last night’s sneak attack by the Han army, it was likely that half of the original ten thousand soldiers were already dead.
"We can finally catch our breath."
"Mr. Wei, are you okay?"
Zhao Feng glanced around. Unlike the others, he was not in such a wretched state. With his current Constitution, even running all day wouldn’t overly exhaust him.
"I’m... I’m fine," Wei Quan said with the relieved smile of a survivor, slumping to the ground.
"Good. We made it out alive," Zhao Feng replied, smiling in relief to see Wei Quan was unharmed. In the army, Wei Quan was the person he was closest to.
"I wonder how many died this time," Wei Quan said with a sigh, looking at the exhausted companions around them. "I never thought the Han army would be hiding inside the city."
"Perhaps it was an oversight from the higher-ups," Zhao Feng replied with a calm smile. On the battlefield, war was ever-changing.
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH.
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH.
Suddenly, a dense volley of arrows appeared out of nowhere in the sky above.
"The enemy’s caught up to us!"
The arrow barrage plunged the soldiers, who had just begun to relax, back into despair.
As the arrows rained down, Wei Quan saw several heading straight for Zhao Feng. He yelled and threw himself in front of Zhao Feng to shield him.
Although this sudden turn of events also caught Zhao Feng by surprise, his spiritual power was already active, and his speed was immense.
In the blink of an eye, Zhao Feng yanked Wei Quan aside, dodging the attack. Several arrows thudded into the ground where they had been standing.
"What are you doing, Mr. Wei?" Zhao Feng demanded, rushing forward.
He was wearing armor over inner mail. Combined with his current strength, these few arrows couldn’t have hurt him. He never imagined Wei Quan would try to take arrows for him.
"You’ve saved my life again, Mr. Zhao." Wei Quan laughed, relieved to have survived. "I knew I wasn’t wrong about you. Your skills are extraordinary—to think you can even dodge arrows moving that fast."
"Do you realize you almost died?" Zhao Feng was both moved and angry. He was touched that Wei Quan truly saw him as a brother, willing to risk his life for him, but he was angry that Wei Quan had so recklessly disregarded his own safety.
"Alright, alright," Wei Quan replied helplessly. "I’m your superior officer, yet you’re scolding me. Have you no respect? Let’s just focus on escaping with our lives."
Zhao Feng looked up at the pursuing Han army, a murderous intent welling in his eyes.
"At this point, do you really think we can still escape? These bastards have no intention of letting us go."