In the military camp, some Jiaozhou soldiers finally erupted in anger, beheading over a dozen Tianri soldiers who had come to show off their might on the spot.
"Kill these cannibals!!"
The Jiaozhou soldiers' rallying cry spread like wildfire throughout the camp, even alerting the Great Qian scouts outside.
The crowd was incensed, and mutiny seemed imminent!
"What happened?"
Xiao Chang, only managing to put on one shoe, rushed to inquire about the situation, only to see the ground littered with the mangled remains of Tianri soldiers.
"Your Highness, the Tianri people ran into our military camp, attempting to rob the soldiers of their rewards and rations. They were dismembered by the soldiers!" the general responsible for this camp reported through gritted teeth.
"These fools, they are dependent on others now, yet they still dare..."
Xiao Chang was furious and went to confront Hannibal.
"My people are naturally proud..." Hannibal's expression soured.
The current situation was unfavorable for the entire Jiaozhou allied forces, especially the Tianri soldiers.
The Great Qian army would not let them off. If the Jiaozhou soldiers refused to assist them in breaking out, they would have no chance of escape.
"Hannibal, circumstances are stronger than people. At this point, the Tianri still lack self-awareness. This is difficult to handle," Xiao Che said sinisterly.
"After we break out, we will compensate you when we return!" Hannibal said with a forced smile.
Dugu Qun shook his head with a wry smile, "Break out? The Jiaozhou soldiers are about to rebel now. How do we resolve this?"
Hannibal fell silent.
"Now, including you and me, we have all suffered defeat and are in a bad mood. Why don't we listen to the Jiaozhou soldiers' demands?" Xiao Che said, smiling grimly through his anger.
"There's no need to ask. They want to eradicate the Tianri soldiers completely..." Xiao Chang sighed.
"That's unacceptable! Our Tianri people still have the strength to fight. How can we just sit and wait for death?" Hannibal roared.
Everyone fell silent. Even Gongyang Qiu, who served in the Peacock Dynasty, looked dejected.
Dugu Qun proposed, "Why don't we send an envoy to find Liang Xiao to negotiate peace, pretend to surrender, and accept the Great Qian court's amnesty? It's better than dying here..."
"If the Jiaozhou soldiers are willing to fight, this King can still break out!" Xiao Chang said angrily.
"Brother, peace is just a delaying tactic," Xiao Che reminded him.
Xiao Chang finally breathed a sigh of relief and agreed.
In the military tent, Liang Xiao stared at Dugu Qun, who was kneeling before him with a fawning smile, and couldn't help but laugh.
How arrogant and overbearing the former "Minister Dugu" was, was matched by how subservient and obsequious Dugu Qun was now.
Dugu Qun glanced around and whispered, "Our Dugu family was also forced onto this ship against our will. We are willing to assist Marquis An Guo in pacifying Jiaozhou and apprehending the Southern King..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Nan Jiyun and others cast disgusted glances at Dugu Qun: "Betraying loyalty for glory is despicable!"
Dugu Qun, however, remained unfazed and explained, "You know, Marquis An Guo, we were once noble families. Even if the world was flooded, we wouldn't care. We only wanted to develop our families... But now we know we were wrong and are willing to compensate His Majesty with all our family assets. From now on, we will only be a family. We hope Marquis An Guo and His Majesty will forgive us."
Liang Xiao smiled, "Have you read the ancient texts of the Great Zhou sent by the Ye family?"
Dugu Qun nodded.
"Since the Wu Dynasty, the Dugu family and the Gongyang clan have colluded in rebellion. During the Great Zhou period, they even conspired with the Tianri people, acting as guides, leading to the fall of the Great Zhou's western border and widespread suffering! The sins of your Dugu family are too numerous to be inscribed on bamboo slips. Even if this Marquis were to forgive you on a whim, would the Great Qian army and its people forgive you?"
Dugu Qun was speechless.
"Before our army annihilates you all, tell Xiao Chang and Xiao Che to surrender within a day. I will report to His Majesty, and you will be spared death, living out your twilight years in prison!"
Dugu Qun stared at Liang Xiao, gritting his teeth, "Leave some room for maneuver!"
"The Nie family of generals only had Nie Yuan luckily escape. Why didn't you leave them room for maneuver?" Liang Xiao asked.
Dugu Qun was speechless.
Dugu Qun, as the envoy, was driven back to the mountain pass by Liang Xiao.
Dugu Qun and his retinue sat in the carriage, gazing at the vast sky and earth, filled with confusion.
"Why not flee back to Jiaozhou, notify our families to go overseas, and abandon the army in the mountains?"
With his mind made up, Dugu Qun immediately ordered the carriage to turn back towards Jiaozhou, but was intercepted by Shi Liuyun and the Great Qian cavalry.
"The Marshal said he wants you to go back to the mountains, not Jiaozhou, understand?" Shi Liuyun cursed, and feeling it wasn't enough, he added with a sneer, "Forgot to tell you, Nie Yuan of the Nie family of generals grew up with me."
Dugu Qun's face turned ashen, and filled with shame, he fled back to the mountains to report.
"He truly refused to agree!" Xiao Chang said in despair.
Dugu Qun suggested, "Currently, morale is unstable, and the Jiaozhou soldiers are our last reliance. Hannibal, why don't you emulate the Southern King and sacrifice those five thousand Tianri cavalry, letting the Jiaozhou soldiers slaughter them? This would help the Southern King regain the loyalty of his soldiers."
"What?! Our Tianri people have swept across Eurasia. How can we be 'sacrificed'!" Hannibal exclaimed in shock and anger, flatly refusing.
"Five thousand people die, or all twenty-five thousand of us, including ourselves, are annihilated. How do you decide, Hannibal, do I need to teach you?" Dugu Qun said coldly.
Hannibal looked pained.
In the current situation, if no compromise could be reached, it was a dead end for the Tianri troops!
The Tianri, who were fond of cannibalism, especially disemboweling and eating hearts, finally reaped what they had sown.
Five thousand Tianri cavalry were hotly discussing in the military camp.
"Why don't we, along with the Marshal, flee back to Jiaozhou first, and let the remaining twenty thousand infantry fend for themselves? We need to preserve our lineage, right?"
"That's right! I miss the 'meat girls' of Jiaozhou!"
The thousand young girls of Jiaozhou, who refused to comply, were defiled by these Tianri soldiers and then used as rations. The Tianri called them "meat girls."
Just then, Hannibal entered the camp, sweating profusely.
"Discard your heavy armor and weapons. Take only your long sabers and evacuate this place lightly!" Hannibal commanded.
These five thousand Tianri cavalry were both surprised and delighted. They took off their armor, most of them wearing only a single layer of clothing.
Pure-blooded Tianri people were immune to the severe cold. Only a few "fanatical converts" wore cotton-padded clothes.
The five thousand men, armed with long sabers, followed Hannibal to the western military camp. Hannibal then left under a pretext.
The five thousand men waited for a moment, and then countless Jiaozhou soldiers, clad in armor and carrying spears, surged towards them like a tide.
In an instant, the bodies of the five thousand men were pierced with holes by the Jiaozhou soldiers' spears, and they were no more.
The Jiaozhou soldiers also disemboweled them and ate their hearts, taking the hearts of the Tianri soldiers to the military camp where the five thousand Jiaozhou soldiers had died tragically. This place had long since fallen into disrepair, and the blood shed by the five thousand Jiaozhou soldiers there had already turned black.
They sliced the hearts into pieces and offered them to their fallen comrades.
"The Great Qian army's spirit emphasizes unity. We also want to be Great Qian soldiers. If it were the soldiers under Marquis An Guo, they would surely avenge you in the same way..."
The soldiers looked at the scattered heart fragments, their hearts filled with confusion.
The remaining twenty thousand Tianri soldiers were terrified when they discovered what had happened.
Xiao Chang, hearing the commotion outside gradually subside, finally emerged from the military camp and began to appease the Jiaozhou soldiers.
"When five thousand Jiaozhou compatriots died tragically, this King was heartbroken, but could only endure silently. Today, I give you the opportunity to eliminate the enemy, proving that I value all of you soldiers in my heart."
As he spoke, Xiao Chang faintly heard the sounds of Great Qian soldiers trying to persuade them to surrender from outside the mountain. Impatiently, he asked, "Our army still has two hundred thousand elite troops. Can you all rest assured and break out with me?"