Suicide

To avoid being discovered, the Southern Yue Army didn't even light torches, slipping out of the main camp in the dark and soon covering five or six li.

As they walked, some soldiers became separated, but Feng Chengqian couldn't be bothered to care; all he could think about now was escaping as quickly as possible, the farther away, the better.

A detachment of the Southern Yue Army soon broke away from the main force and headed straight for the Qian Army camp, where they quickly encountered the battle-ready Beiwei Army. The leader immediately dismounted and knelt before Xue Linfeng.

"Greetings, Commander Xue."

Xue Linfeng nodded with satisfaction.

"General He, please rise. I am very pleased that you can recognize the situation and abandon darkness for the light. The conditions promised to you will be fulfilled after the war."

"Many thanks, Commander!"

The general surnamed He rose after thanking him and pointed in a direction.

"Commander Xue, that Feng Chengqian has headed towards the northeast."

"Hahaha, just as I expected. Very well, General He, take your men and go rest first."

"Understood!"

After incorporating this force of three or four thousand men, Xue Linfeng led his troops to the camp left behind by the Southern Yue Army; there were still large amounts of military supplies here, all of which were spoils of war.

On the other side, having walked over ten li in one go and estimating that they had jumped out of the encirclement, Feng Chengqian finally breathed a sigh of relief and ordered a short rest.

With his mood relaxed, his appetite improved, and Feng Chengqian ate horse meat in large mouthfuls with water, making the soldiers around him drool with envy.

As the commander-in-chief, even in such a predicament, Feng Chengqian could enjoy "horse meat freedom," while the soldiers could only have a bowl of horse meat soup and a small piece of horse meat each, barely enough to satisfy their hunger.

Having walked over ten li, the little food they had eaten last night had long since been digested, and at this moment, they were all starving, and seeing Feng Chengqian eating meat made that hunger even worse.

This feeling became even more severe when they set off on their journey again, and some people were even unable to walk, gradually falling behind.

By the time dawn broke, over thirty percent of Feng Chengqian's troops had fallen behind, but there was no helping it, and he had been mentally prepared for this.

The only thing he was unprepared for was when the enemy's figures appeared before him.

Chen Dao had already been waiting in formation with the Baier Soldiers and a brigade of the Beiwei Army, blocking Feng Chengqian's only path forward.

Just as Feng Chengqian finished reorganizing his troops and prepared to fight his way out, Ma Song appeared behind him with his men, and soon after, the Xiaoguo Army appeared on both flanks.

Without a fortified camp to rely on, having walked all night, hungry and exhausted, many men didn't even have the courage to fight when faced with the encirclement on all sides.

Feng Chengqian took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Soldiers, Shao Prefecture is less than thirty li away. Once we reach Shao Prefecture, we will be home, and our wives and children are still waiting for you!"

His words had some effect, and many people braced themselves, gripping their weapons tightly.

On this side, Ma Song and the others began ordering an advance to shrink the encirclement; the shield-bearers on the north and south flanks raised their man-sized shields and began to advance, and the Cavalry on both wings also began to accelerate.

Before engaging in direct combat, they needed to inflict as many casualties as possible on the enemy while also striking at their morale and shattering their last bit of courage.

On Feng Chengqian's side, the army finished forming up and, braving the arrows flying from both wings, began to move towards the Baier Soldiers' formation; for them, that was the direction of life, the direction of home.

"Crash..."

The Southern Yue Army's front-line sword and shield soldiers crashed into the large shields, making a loud noise. At this moment, the gap in stamina and strength became apparent, and the Southern Yue Army's sword and shield soldiers were pushed back in a sorry state by the large shields.

As the sword and shield soldiers retreated, the spearmen moved forward, and soon a clash occurred, causing their neat formation to immediately fall into chaos.

To make matters worse, the Xiaoguo Army, which had been lurking, suddenly changed its previous tactic of hovering on the periphery and shooting arrows, putting on iron face masks and charging towards the flank of the Southern Yue Army.

The Cavalry charge not only tore a hole in the Southern Yue Army's formation, but more importantly, it left the Southern Yue Army soldiers at the front with nowhere to retreat.

The three formations at the front of the Southern Yue Army fell into complete chaos, which directly shattered their already scarce courage.

Having lost their courage, the hunger and exhaustion they were feeling all came rushing back, and many people dropped their weapons and knelt to beg for surrender.

At this moment, the rear army of the Southern Yue Army was facing the charge of the main force of the Beiwei Army, and collapse was imminent.

Feng Chengqian seemed to have already seen his own death, and he roared in despair.

"The central army, and my Personal Guards, all of you, attack! You must break through and kill your way out!"

With the Personal Guards entering the battle, it meant that Feng Chengqian's last trump card had been played. The situation eased slightly, but only slightly; the speed of the frontal collapse was only delayed a little.

Watching his Personal Guards and deputy generals being swallowed by the torrent of steel one by one, Feng Chengqian finally snapped. He shouted and, wielding the horse lance in his hand, charged towards the Baier Soldiers ahead.

Chen Dao had been keeping an eye on Feng Chengqian, especially coveting the finely crafted mingguang armor he was wearing.

Not showing any weakness, Chen Dao used the silver spear in his hand to block Feng Chengqian's furious strike, then quickly thrust his spear out, aiming straight for Feng Chengqian's face.

If it were the original Chen Dao, he would only be evenly matched against Feng Chengqian, but at this moment, with Chen Dao and the Baier Soldiers together, their attributes and abilities were fully enhanced, so Feng Chengqian was no match for Chen Dao.

After only a few rounds of fighting, Feng Chengqian fell into a disadvantage, having only the strength to parry but no opportunity to counterattack.

The two sides had been fighting for only a quarter of an hour when Chen Dao seized an opportunity, sweeping his spear shaft across and hitting Feng Chengqian square in the chest. He let out a miserable scream and spat out a mouthful of blood.

The people around him quickly stepped forward to block in front of Feng Chengqian, but it was in vain. How could these people block Chen Dao, who was eager to make a contribution? In less than a moment, they were killed and scattered.

When the cold spear tip pressed against his throat, Feng Chengqian was finally willing to believe that he had lost, and lost thoroughly.

He knew that he had only one outcome ahead: becoming a bargaining chip in Gao Yuan's hands, a chip that could be used to extort huge benefits from Feng Pu.

That would be a huge blow to his own reputation and prestige, and also a huge blow to Feng Pu's cause.

Whether to ransom him or not would be a dilemma. If they paid the ransom, it would definitely be a huge loss, and the national treasury would surely be emptied.

If they didn't, in the eyes of outsiders, Feng Pu would be a cold-blooded and ruthless person who could abandon his eldest son just like that.

In almost an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Feng Chengqian's mind.

Gritting his teeth and hardening his heart, Feng Chengqian grabbed Chen Dao's spearhead and slammed into it fiercely.

Chen Dao didn't expect Feng Chengqian to commit suicide, and by the time he reacted, his spear had already pierced through his throat.

Helpless, Chen Dao could only use his spear to lift Feng Chengqian's corpse together with a few personal soldiers and shout.

"Feng Chengqian has been executed! Those who surrender will not be killed, but those who put up a desperate resistance will be shown no mercy!"

The Southern Yue Army soldiers who were still fighting saw the corpse of their commander, and that last bit of spirit finally leaked away.

"Clang..."

As the first sound of weapons hitting the ground rang out, more and more people dropped their weapons.

When the sun rose, the last resisting soldier was turned into a beehive, and the battle was completely over.

The main force of the Southern Yue Army, this army of nearly thirty thousand, was completely wiped out, with nearly seven thousand beheaded and the rest surrendering.

The heir to the King of Nanyue and commander-in-chief, Feng Chengqian, was defeated and killed.

Looking at the severed head hanging in front of Chen Dao's horse, the others were all so envious that their eyes turned red.