210: Chapter 210 A Word is a Promise

When the Yan Kings Army saw the two sons of the Zhao family mixed in with the White Kings Army, they immediately fell into chaos!

They had only dared to launch a winter campaign because they relied on the Cold Iron Guard. Now that the Cold Iron Guard had defected, how were they supposed to fight!?

In an instant, the Yan Kings Army was routed, discarding their armor and helmets as blood flowed like a river!

Seeing this, Eunuch Zhu became exasperated and shrieked hysterically:

"Zhao Yunting! No wonder your commands were so chaotic! It turns out you joined Prince Bai long ago!?"

"Shut up!! Cough, cough!..."

Zhao Yunting's face turned livid. Consumed by fury, he coughed up a mouthful of blood!

"Commander-in-Chief!!"

Several of his old subordinates felt a sharp pain in their hearts. They knew well that Zhao Yunting was by no means a treacherous man!

In all likelihood, the two brothers, Yelong and Yefei, had acted on their own and secretly colluded with the White Kings Army!

"It is nothing! This Commander-in-Chief will go and get an explanation right now!!"

Zhao Yunting grabbed his Black Iron Heavy Spear, which he hadn't brandished in a long time.

Ignoring the pleas of his old subordinates, he leaped onto a warhorse and charged toward the front lines.

When the cavalry of the Hanguang Battalion saw their old commander approaching, they naturally parted to make a path.

"Rebellious sons!! Have you gone mad!?"

Zhao Yunting pulled the reins and pointed his spear at his two sons, who were standing nearby with triumphant expressions.

"Father, we should be the ones asking you that!"

Zhao Yelong spoke without a hint of fear: "You staked the lives of twenty thousand Cold Iron Guard soldiers on a fatuous and incompetent Prince of Yan. Did you ever ask if we agreed?"

"Big brother is right! The debt of gratitude we owed the Empress was already repaid during that battle against the Khitan!"

"How many times have we protected the Prince of Yan? Not only has he never offered a word of thanks, but he also demanded we attack a city to die in the dead of winter. This is outrageous!"

"You are old and have lived long enough; you only care about leaving your name in the history books. But should we, the brothers of the Cold Iron Guard, be buried with you!?"

Zhao Yefei pointed toward the Yan Kings Army in the distance, where screams were constant, and said: "Look for yourself. What has the Prince of Yan's army rotted into?"

"If it weren't for us holding the line, the Three Prefectures of Yan would have long been in Prince Bai's pocket!"

The group of Cold Iron Guard cavalry behind them nodded one after another. Clearly, they had also had enough of the Prince of Yan's abuse, which was why they followed the two in rebellion.

The more Zhao Yunting heard, the angrier he became. He gritted his teeth and said: "Do you think that by joining Prince Bai, you can be named marquises or ministers, reaching the pinnacle of power?"

"Don't be fools!! You are becoming turncoat generals! If you betray the Prince of Yan today, Prince Bai will never trust you in the future!!"

At that moment, a general from the White Kings Army spoke up with a smile: "Commander-in-Chief Zhao, I am Zhang Shide. I have long admired your great name."

"His Highness Prince Bai has said that as long as the Commander-in-Chief is willing to lead the Cold Iron Guard to surrender, His Highness can guarantee the Zhao family's prosperity and wealth for generations!"

"Not only that, once the Yan Region is taken, the Three Prefectures will be governed by the Zhao family. When His Highness ascends the throne in the future, the Zhao family will be Kings of a different surname!"

Zhao Yelong was excited upon hearing this: "Father, did you hear that? The conditions Prince Bai has offered are enough for us to have no worries for the future!"

"Furthermore, the White Kings Army is powerful and well-equipped. Why should we fight to the death? Surrendering now is the best opportunity!"

"Absurd!"

Zhao Caiwei said, frustrated by their lack of ambition: "Brother, if you were Prince Bai, would you hand over three prefectures to our Zhao family on a silver platter?"

"When the skin is gone, where can the hair attach? Even if the Prince of Yan is incompetent, at least he relies on us and needs us!"

"Prince Bai has a multitude of powerful generals. If he wants to absorb the Cold Iron Guard, the first thing he'll do is wipe out our Zhao family! Do you not understand that!?"

Lin Xiao nodded inwardly. These two fools combined weren't as smart as Zhao Caiwei.

Everyone coveted the elite force that was the Cold Iron Guard, including himself.

Therefore, the Zhao family's existence was actually quite an "obstacle."

Even if the Zhao family were kept, they would at most be treated as puppets; they would never truly be allowed to rise again.

Zhao Yelong and Zhao Yefei's expressions turned ugly, and a trace of complexity appeared in their eyes. They seemed to realize something was amiss.

But even if it was a trap, surely it was better than fighting the White Kings Army? Wouldn't that be seeking death?

"This must be General Zhao Caiwei, right?"

Zhang Shide chuckled and said: "As expected of a heroine among women, with extraordinary intelligence. A scheme I carefully laid out was easily neutralized by you."

"If a female hero like Miss Zhao is willing to submit to our Prince, she will surely be given a position of great importance!"

Hearing this, the two brothers Zhao Yelong and Zhao Yefei looked nervous and uneasy, appearing as if they wanted to speak but hesitated.

"No need! I would rather die on the battlefield with my father than join a traitorous rebel like Prince Bai!"

Zhao Caiwei's face was cold as frost, her phoenix-like eyes filled with contempt and irony.

"Good!!"

Zhao Yunting was so moved that his eyes turned red. "Child, your father has wronged you all these years. I was wrong!"

"Today, we, father and daughter, shall slay those two wretched obstacles together!!"

Zhao Caiwei saw the regret on her old father's face, and her heart was filled with mixed emotions.

In truth, she had never truly blamed her father. Favoring sons over daughters had been the norm since ancient times, let alone in a family of military generals.

However, she was used to being cold. Even though her emotions were churning like a stormy sea, she only nodded and gave a soft "Mhm."

"What a touching display of fatherly love and filial piety. Do you really think our White Kings Army is made of paper?"

Seeing this, Zhang Shide didn't bother to waste any more effort on recruitment and waved his hand.

"Fire arrows!!"

Hundreds of crossbowmen, who had long been ready, fired countless bolts directly toward Zhao Yunting and his daughter!

At a distance of less than a hundred meters, how easy could it be to dodge a dense rain of arrows?

While Zhao Yunting and Zhao Caiwei could certainly use their exquisite spear techniques to defend themselves, most of the cavalry could only rely on luck to parry.

In a matter of moments, dozens of Hanguang Battalion cavalrymen were shot down!

"Charge!! Charge forward!!"

Zhao Yunting knew there was no retreat. He had to find a way to kill the enemy general and turn the White Kings Army into a headless fly!

He summoned the last of his strength, spurred his horse into a wild gallop, and led the charge toward Zhang Shide's direction!

"Follow the Commander-in-Chief!!"

Seeing this, Zhao Caiwei also threw caution to the wind and led her troops in the charge!

The Hanguang Battalion consisted entirely of veterans who had followed her for many years, the elite of the elite. At this moment, every one of them was expressionless, their faces filled with a solemn killing intent!!

Watching their comrades fall one by one beside them, they looked straight ahead without the slightest hesitation and charged into the White Kings Army!

Lin Xiao had been waiting for this moment. He followed closely by Zhao Caiwei's side, using his black blade to cut down the incoming arrows.

"Miss Caiwei! I will go and disrupt their formation. You find an opportunity to lead the troops and break out!"

"No! The disparity in numbers is too great. General Lin, your own escape is what matters!" Zhao Caiwei hurriedly refused.

Lin Xiao laughed heartily: "I promised Brother Zhao that I would keep you safe. I am a man of my word!"

After speaking, Lin Xiao suddenly leaped into the air, choosing to sprint forward on foot!?

Watching that indomitable back charging forward with overwhelming momentum, Zhao Caiwei's heart shook violently!

In such a desperate situation, this man still wanted to protect her? All because of a single promise?!

Zhao Yunting also heard Lin Xiao's words, and a look of admiration appeared in his eyes.

"A promise worth a thousand gold. Kuan'er truly did not misjudge him!"

Meanwhile, the two Zhao brothers were very excited when they saw Lin Xiao charging over.

"General Zhang! Look! That is Lin Xiao!!"

"We tested him last night. He didn't bring any troops; he came alone! This is the perfect opportunity to kill him!!"