"Marshal, the enemy's crossbow fire is too intense. Our vanguard archers can't suppress them at all..." a desperate reply came from a messenger.
Helian Heng was thrown into a panic, and he hurriedly asked Helian Ting and others to brainstorm a solution.
Faced with such a rapid collapse, the soldiers were also at a loss.
"My Lord, just order a retreat. The enemy's heavy cavalry cannot sustain a long march. Once the heavy cavalry disengages, they won't dare to pursue for long!" Helian Ting sighed.
Helian Heng breathed a sigh of relief and immediately ordered, "The entire army retreats!"
Before the messenger could relay the order to the whole army, the sound of thunderous hooves and neighing horses echoed from afar.
A large contingent of armored cavalry emerged, encircling from the southeast.
Nan Jiyun, at the forefront, led his troops into the enemy formation, killing an enemy general with a single spear thrust.
"General Nan Jiyun, Conqueror of the West, of Da Qian, is here! Helian Heng, dismount and surrender!"
"Da Qian's Flying General, Nan Jiyun?"
Helian Heng and his personal guards had heard of the formidable generals of Da Qian. Upon hearing that Nan Jiyun was leading the troops, he immediately ordered his subcommanders to engage.
The first cavalry general, clad in armor, charged forward with his troops.
Nan Jiyun, in a single encounter, unhorsed him. The rebel generals behind him were so terrified that they turned their horses and fled!
The cavalry charged and broke through the enemy lines, using their warhorses and bows to repeatedly strike down the remaining enemy soldiers.
The impact of thousands of cavalry, coupled with the deafening neighing of horses, dealt an unprecedented psychological blow to the already demoralized rebel army, causing countless soldiers to lose their will to fight.
"Surrender and live!" roars echoed across the battlefield. A large number of surviving soldiers and defeated generals threw down their weapons, knelt by the roadside, and begged for mercy.
These were the soldiers with the weakest will to fight. They had elderly parents and young children, had been conscripted by force, and upon learning that Marquis Liang Xiao of Anguo himself led the army to suppress Helian Heng, they had no desire to fight for Helian Heng any longer, and surrendered in droves.
"Anyone who continues to resist will be executed!"
Nan Jiyun's cavalry, along with the Da Qian soldiers in pursuit from behind, roared out entreaties to surrender.
As the rebel vanguard collapsed, more and more rebel soldiers chose to surrender, were disarmed by the arriving Da Qian troops, and escorted to the rear.
This war was a case of one party being prepared and the other caught off guard. Furthermore, the treacherous terrain of Sichuan made it impossible for Helian Heng to effectively scout Da Qian's army information against Liang Xiao's cavalry and scouts, and his soldiers were exhausted.
Liang Xiao's surprise attack and Helian Heng's hasty engagement resulted in thousands of rebel casualties, tens of thousands wounded, and countless surrenders.
Meanwhile, Helian Heng's rear forces, unaware of the situation, were still advancing towards them.
Helian Heng, unaware of Liang Xiao's whereabouts, was beside himself with fear and roared hysterically at his subordinates.
"Immediately recall the rear army and retreat to Jiange!"
The front army and a portion of the central army had already completely disintegrated, making it impossible to rally the remaining soldiers. The only option now was for Helian Heng to make a drastic decision to cut off his losses and preserve the rear army, which had not yet engaged.
The rear forces were not yet aware of the front-line situation and still had time to be disciplined!
Helian Heng, mounted on his horse, looked back towards the northeast, utterly bewildered.
He was not lacking in military strategy or administrative ability; his leadership of all the prominent families in Western Sichuan, ruling as a de facto emperor, was proof enough of his capabilities.
However, to this day, he couldn't comprehend how he had suffered such a devastating and inexplicable defeat.
The roads in Sichuan were treacherous. Traveling from Yanzhou to here would take at least two months, and possibly three to four months at a slower pace!
Were Liang Xiao's troops made of iron?
Helian Heng's own troops had taken nearly half a month to march several hundred li from Jian Ge to take Hanzhong, only to be fiercely attacked by Liang Xiao during a forced march on the final day!
"My Lord's order! Retreat to Jiange. Hesitation will be met with execution!"
The several tens of thousands of soldiers arriving from the rear, who had just received the news, were stunned and filled with unspoken anger.
They had followed Helian Heng out of Jiange, endured such a long journey, and had barely managed to sleep soundly last night.
And now, they were to retreat back to Jiange?
But Helian Heng had issued a death order, and these rear forces, including the logistical troops, could only comply.
The troops originally heading towards Dingjun Mountain quickly changed direction, preparing to retreat to Jiange.
"The front lines have been defeated!"
Just then, more and more soldiers from the central army retreated from the battlefield, fleeing for their lives and crying out in anguish.
"Defeated?"
The rear army, which had been slowly retreating, was shocked.
But seeing the disheveled state of these fleeing soldiers, they had no choice but to believe them.
Increasingly, the rear forces were affected and turned to flee desperately, abandoning even the carts carrying food supplies.
Helian Heng watched as the rear army also began to fall into chaos, his despair deepening. He could only do his best to gather the remaining troops and supply carts and retreat to Jiange.
Liang Xiao continued his relentless pursuit, especially Nan Jiyun's ten thousand cavalry, who repeatedly harassed and chased them, shouting slogans.
"Surrender and be spared! Only the ringleader, Helian Heng, will be punished! Those who abandon the darkness and embrace the light will be rewarded..."
More and more soldiers from Helian Heng's front and central armies realized that their comrades who had surrendered earlier had indeed not been killed, and thus chose to surrender as well. This indirectly influenced the rear army and most of the central army near the rear.
An increasing number of soldiers who intended to surrender chose to break away from their units, fearing they would be mistakenly killed by Da Qian troops.
After successfully breaking away, these soldiers attempted to discard their weapons and beg for mercy. They discovered that the Da Qian cavalry did not charge them, and they were greatly relieved.
However, some of Helian Heng's loyal troops, upon seeing their comrades surrender, became enraged and shot arrows at them, leading to infighting.
After repeated entreaties to surrender, Nan Jiyun's cavalry finally moved against these remaining rebel forces who were still stubbornly resisting, showing no mercy.
After eliminating as many surrendering soldiers as possible, the Da Qian cavalry no longer held back and vied with each other to attack the remaining rebel army.
Numerous crossbow bolts rained down upon these rebels alongside the cavalry charge, and countless rebel soldiers fell, hit by arrows.
After being decimated by Da Qian's longbowmen and powerful crossbows, the rebel archers and crossbowmen could no longer organize an effective counterattack, leaving them helpless against these heavily armored Da Qian cavalry.
"Have them cover our retreat! If we can get back to Jiange, we can still hold Western Sichuan!"
Helian Heng, leading his troops in retreat, heard the news of the front-line situation and wiped the cold sweat from his brow, speaking incoherently.
Helian Heng's strategists and generals also hung their heads in dejection.
They had also been outmaneuvered by Liang Xiao. No matter how clever their plans, they all fell within Liang Xiao's calculations.
A distance of nearly three thousand li, and Liang Xiao had managed to traverse mountains and rivers within two months to appear before their lines... it was simply supernatural!
The numerous mountains and treacherous paths from Sichuan to Yanzhou, and yet his troops were able to maintain such astonishing combat effectiveness, causing them to break at the first encounter!
They seemed to have glimpsed the terrifying aspect of Liang Xiao, yet also not, remaining utterly bewildered.
They didn't even know how they had lost, nor the approximate strength of Liang Xiao's forces, and yet they had dared to attempt to seize Hanzhong!
Just as Helian Heng's army was in despair, a commotion arose from the rear, catching Helian Heng's attention.
"My Lord! The Huichun Sect and the Sun-Moon Army have arrived to provide support!"