Xiao Chang heard of the defeat on the front lines, his face turned ashen. He hurried to Hannibal's side, his expression tense.
"The Jiaozhou troops still lack fighting spirit, they can only defend at best! If they break and rout on the battlefield, they will only disrupt your forces..."
"Incompetents!!" Hannibal finally roared in frustration, but it was to no avail.
The five thousand Jiaozhou soldiers being used as a "sacrifice to the flag" had originally been his idea. The real problem now was that the Tian Ri clan's forces had been unable to repel Liang Xiao.
Just as everyone was urgently discussing whether to retreat and defend, a swift horse galloped from the distant battlefield.
"An enemy unit has suddenly appeared on the northern flank of the battlefield and has already broken through our defenses. Our archers have suffered heavy casualties! Their attire suggests they are from Xichuan!"
"Xichuan troops?" The leaders of Jiaozhou's contingent's pupils contracted.
On the battlefield, Liang Xiao's dispatched Yizhou corps advanced like a broken bamboo, using the cover of night to scatter the Tian Ri clan's infantry into disarray.
Liang Xiao had originally planned to send the infantry from the rear to attack, but the Yizhou soldiers, upon hearing the news, came forward one after another to request to fight.
The fierce assault by the Yizhou troops became the last straw that broke the camel's back. The Tian Ri clan's forces, having endured the long-range bombardment of the Da Qian nation for nearly two hours, were already at their last gasp, and the situation of collapse quickly spread.
The Divine Might Cannons had entered their cooling period, while the Huihui Cannons continued to hurl large quantities of stone projectiles.
Due to the darkness, the ballistae brought by the Tian Ri clan had to sacrifice weight for range, lobbing small stone projectiles at the distant Da Qian army as much as possible.
The Huihui Cannons were similar, and occasionally a few stone projectiles would accidentally shatter a ballista!
The Tian Ri clan's forces had no time to receive Hannibal's orders and retreated into the city fortress, only to be pursued by the Da Qian soldiers, leaving behind countless corpses.
The two sides seemed to have returned to a pre-battle stalemate, but the Tian Ri clan's forces had lost absolutely more than twenty thousand personnel on the spot, their heavy cavalry almost completely annihilated, with only a small number of light cavalry escaping.
"Marshal, the enemy has retreated, our army has achieved a great victory! Shall we continue to assault the inner city!"
Liang Xiao received the news and nodded with satisfaction, "Advance close to the fortress, bombard the city walls with Huihui Cannons, force them to abandon the inner city. Our army will continue to surround them. The enemy is exhausted and will surely be trapped in the mountains!"
With defeat sealed, Hannibal was consumed by worry, but he could only ascend the walls of the inner city, gazing at the faint glow of the Da Qian army's torches in the distance, his face filled with resentment.
"The enemy's long-range attacks are too strong, our army cannot quickly break through the enemy's defense lines..." The Tian Ri clan's generals were dejected.
Hannibal merely glared at the Jiaozhou contingent, speechless.
At this point, he had no right to blame the Jiaozhou troops.
But the defeat here meant that the southern front and Jiaozhou Village...
"Trouble! Quickly send Jiaozhou troops to reinforce the south!"
Xiao Chang also realized the perilous state of his own situation and had no choice but to go to the Jiaozhou troops' camp, offering them significant rewards.
"For repelling the invaders, each man will receive twenty taels of silver. I, the King, will personally supervise the distribution and will not allow any withholding!"
To stabilize morale, Xiao Chang did not reveal the truth of Jiaozhou Village's fall to the Jiaozhou soldiers.
Upon hearing the amount of silver reward, the Jiaozhou soldiers also mustered their courage and marched out of the mountains under the cover of night, only to be met by shouts of battle from the southern part of the mountain range.
"Your Highness! The Tian Ri cavalry has been defeated and is being pursued by the Da Qian cavalry!"
The Jiaozhou contingent was greatly alarmed: "The Tian Ri cavalry numbered over seventy thousand, and they were defeated?"
The southern battlefield was not far from here. After the Tian Ri cavalry, including the Tian Ri Swift Cavalry, split into two paths, the other half faced the fierce assault of the Da Qian cavalry and finally realized they were no match for them, quickly fleeing in defeat.
The Da Qian cavalry pursued relentlessly, leaving a river of blood along the way, chasing them south of the mountain range!
"Rumble..."
The ground trembled violently wherever the iron hooves of the Da Qian heavy cavalry passed. Finally, they blocked the mountain pass, where forty thousand Da Qian Swift Cavalry stood in formation, with a small number of Zhongzhou cavalry coordinating operations behind them.
Ten thousand Zhongzhou cavalry had already rushed to the southern battlefield to support Lü Changhe and Shi Liuyun.
The east and south of the mountain range were now firmly blocked by the Da Qian soldiers.
Outside Jiaozhou Village, Lü Changhe and Shi Liuyun, sensing the enemy's reinforcements, immediately dispatched their troops. The White Robe soldiers and the Jiangnan Iron Cavalry maneuvered on the battlefield.
The Tian Ri cavalry that had come to reinforce, facing the fresh White Robe soldiers who were lying in wait, scattered at the first touch.
The White Robe soldiers first conducted guerrilla harassment on the edges of the battlefield, using Da Qian's catapults to hurl projectiles until the enemy's formation was in chaos, and then, together with the Jiangnan Iron Cavalry, charged into the ranks.
"What kind of army is this?"
Before even engaging, the Tian Ri cavalry suffered over a thousand casualties, filled with inexplicable fear, and instantly broke and fled in disarray.
The darkness provided the best cover, causing the Tian Ri cavalry to underestimate the combat power of the White Robe soldiers and the Jiangnan Iron Cavalry, believing it to be merely a small cavalry detour, thus paying a heavy price.
"Man-eaters, do not flee!!"
Under the awestruck gaze of the Jiaozhou troops in the southern camp, the two cavalry units pursued and cut down the enemy, their might shaking mountains and rivers!
"The White Robe soldiers are invincible..."
The Jiaozhou soldiers whispered to each other, their hearts filled with excitement.
As special "captives," the Da Qian cavalry did not mistreat them; they even considered their safety, which moved them deeply. At this moment, they even wished for the Da Qian cavalry to win with ease.
The Tian Ri cavalry, after an afternoon of fierce fighting and losses, were already at their last gasp. Even in retreat, they were exhausted, with their men and horses weary, and were continuously pursued and reaped by the Da Qian cavalry.
Just then, shouts of battle and the neighing of horses echoed from the north again.
Xilakley led the Zhongzhou cavalry to reinforce!
Having lost his country and family due to the Tian Ri clan, Xilakley's hatred for these enemies was unparalleled. He charged at the forefront, his white dragon gold armor and silver dragon gold saber serving as his companions, invincible.
With their commander leading by example, the Zhongzhou cavalry were greatly encouraged and charged forward bravely, penetrating the enemy ranks like the sharp edge of an axe, cleaving the retreating Tian Ri cavalry formation.
The Tian Ri cavalry fled for their lives, but due to the pincer attack of the Zhongzhou cavalry, their losses grew heavier.
The Zhongzhou cavalry attacked from the northeast, seemingly allowing passage to the northwest, and did not directly cooperate with the Jiangnan Iron Cavalry and the White Robe soldiers to encircle and annihilate them.
The Tian Ri cavalry quickly fled to the northwest, pursued by the Da Qian cavalry, with cries of agony from men and horses and howling winds along the way.
It was not until the Tian Ri cavalry reached the south of the mountain range that they discovered an even more desperate trap awaiting them.
The Da Qian Swift Cavalry to the north stood ready, their fierce expressions intimidating...
"Marshal! The cavalry units south of the mountain are almost completely annihilated. Only a small number are still retreating northwest, attempting to escape back through the west side of the mountain range!"
Upon receiving the urgent report, Hannibal collapsed on the ground: "It's over..."
So many cavalry, and they were all annihilated?
Whether it was in terms of military equipment, troop quality, or tactics, the Tian Ri clan had been surpassed by the Da Qian nation.
"From the very beginning, we should have fled back to Jiaozhou instead of defending this mountain. This is still Da Qian's territory, and they are familiar with the terrain..." Xiao Che sighed involuntarily.
Hannibal was utterly distraught, no longer hearing Xiao Che's words. He knelt on the ground, covering his face, and let out a mournful wail.
The Tian Ri clan had been established in the Peacock Dynasty for over a century, and with this battle, it was completely ruined.
From now on, the Peacock Dynasty would no longer be able to organize an expedition of this magnitude. The Tian Ri clan had even lost the opportunity to occupy Jiaozhou.
And in Jiaozhou Village, Lü Changhe and Shi Liuyun, having repelled the enemy reinforcements, finally began to take stock of their supplies with relief.
"What the hell?!"