Chapter 804: Crushing Defeat (Thanks to A)
Chapter 804: Crushing Defeat (Thanks to A)
On his way, Yuan Shao, confident in his victory, had already prepared a speech in his mind.
In his opinion, this battle was his chance to make a name for himself. The fight beneath the Luoyang City walls was being watched by countless eyes within the city. At such a moment of glory, he naturally wanted to deliver a righteous speech to enhance his shining image.
However, after preparing a lengthy draft in his mind, when he saw the army under Lu Hai Kong's command, he suddenly found himself at a loss for words.
He vaguely felt that if he spoke at this moment, his face would surely be slapped hard later.
Even though he had heard from various sources about the elite nature of Lu Hai Kong's army, and had even conducted investigations beforehand, it was only when he faced this army that he realized some things couldn't be gleaned from intelligence reports; they could only be truly understood through personal experience.
For instance, the formidable strength of the army before him!
Not only Yuan Shao, but even his own soldiers, felt the iron-blooded killing intent emanating from this cavalry unit when they unleashed their full power. They stood pale-faced, their eyes flickering, and struggled to breathe.
Yes, it was true that the Western Garden Eight Schools had been established for several years, and these forty thousand soldiers were indeed well-trained veterans.
However, their so-called veterans were not the same as true veterans. This army had, at most, only trained to use their overwhelming numbers to suppress bandits. The majority of them had never seen bloodshed, and for most, this was their first real battlefield.
Therefore, when facing Lu Hai Kong's renowned Bloodbath Legion, known throughout the world, as the iron-blooded killing intent erupted from them, and the thick, pungent smell of blood assaulted their noses, a wordless sense of fear overwhelmed them. In this state, this army could barely maintain its morale, let alone launch an attack. The fact that they could still stand firm under such pressure was a testament to their rigorous training.
In this situation, as Yuan Shao gazed at Lu Hai Kong's Bloodbath Legion, with a bellyful of words to say, he suddenly stumbled, unsure of what to utter. Just as he hesitated, on Lu Hai Kong's side, Dian Wei stepped forward once more.
"Listen up, soldiers of the opposing army! No matter whose orders you've received to aid the tyrant and oppress the people, my lord is giving you a chance. We hope that within the time it takes an incense stick to burn, you will lay down your weapons, abandon the darkness, and embrace the light. If you fail to do so within this time, don't blame us for showing no mercy!"
Once again, his voice resonated throughout the city. Upon hearing these words, everyone was stunned.
The Western Garden Eight Schools had marched with forty thousand troops, appearing formidable, but now, it seemed that Lu Hai Kong's side had seized the absolute initiative. Their words carried an air of contempt, as if the forty thousand troops were nothing but lambs to the slaughter before them.
With these words, Yuan Shao's side was left without a response. He had no choice but to act; hesitation was no longer an option. If he showed weakness now, the loss of face would be immense.
In this situation, Yuan Shao had no choice but to stride forward, holding a loudspeaker-like device in his hand.
"Emperor Lu Hai Kong trusted you despite your humble origins and bestowed upon you important responsibilities. Yet, you, ungrateful, have betrayed the Emperor and the country for trivial matters, committing such heinous crimes. Today, I, Yuan Shao, the Central Commander of the Western Garden Eight Schools and the Tiger Guard General, will capture you, the traitor who dares to defy the Emperor!"
As Yuan Shao finished his declaration, his heart boiled with fervor, and he was about to order his troops to attack. But just then, a calm voice from the opposing side reached him.
"You have half an incense stick's time left."
The voice was devoid of any emotion, as if dousing Yuan Shao with a bucket of cold water. And after the cold water came a surge of anger.
The speaker's indifferent tone made it clear that they didn't consider Yuan Shao a worthy opponent. Could Yuan Shao bear such disrespect?
"Charge! Capture that traitor!"
Yuan Shao's blood boiled, and with a grand gesture, he led the forty thousand troops of the Western Garden Army towards Lu Hai Kong's legion, just a few hundred meters away.
As the Western Garden Army charged forward, Dian Wei's voice echoed once more.
"Your final choice grieves my lord deeply. Since you choose to aid the tyrant and hinder my lord's mission to purge the court and rectify the Emperor's rule, we have no choice but to treat you as enemies!"
As Dian Wei finished speaking, the large, yellowish-brown warhorse beneath him let out a neigh and charged forward. Zhao Er and the three thousand Bloodbath Legion soldiers followed suit.
Simultaneously, the Bloodbath Legion activated their unique Legion Trait, 'Blood Ignition,' increasing the combat strength of all its members by five points. The already thick scent of blood and their terrifying aura became even more ferocious.
The terrifying aura surged forth, and within moments, the Bloodbath Legion, led by Dian Wei and Zhao Er, charged into the ranks of the Xiyuan Army, covering a distance of several hundred meters in an instant.
These two individuals, one with a strength score of 97 and the other with a strength of 90, which, combined with his unique warrior trait, brought him to 95, were both top-tier warriors in the realm. When these two unleashed their full power, the scene was awe-inspiring.
Many on the city walls, witnessing the battle between these two, deeply understood the meaning of slaughtering enemies like cutting grass.
Anyone who stood in their way, be they warriors or soldiers, would be eliminated with a single strike. It was common to see Zhao Er sweeping his long spear across several people at once, sending them flying, while Dian Wei, with his halberd, would similarly launch a group of enemies into the air.
Through their actions, everyone witnessed firsthand what it meant to have an unparalleled general.
The performance of the Bloodbath Legion, under the leadership of Dian Wei and Zhao Er, was not overshadowed by their prowess. The legion, with its members' base strength of 45, had been leveling up at various training spots on the grasslands for nearly a year. Many of them were on the verge of reaching their maximum experience levels.
In this situation, their strength had improved to varying degrees, and although the highest they could achieve without leveling up was 49, their rich combat experience made them even more formidable.
Under the command of Dian Wei and Zhao Er, this army demonstrated the strength that had made them famous throughout the land.
The clash between the two armies lasted only a few minutes before Yuan Shao's legion collapsed. His elite troops were inexperienced and had never seen bloodshed before, and they were usually divided into eight battalions. When hastily assembled, they lacked any coordination.
In this chaotic environment, their fear fed into each other, hastening the collapse of the Xiyuan Army.
The primary reason for the Xiyuan Army's collapse lay with Yuan Shao himself. Dian Wei and Zhao Er had charged straight towards Yuan Shao, who had been at the forefront earlier.
After all, the Bloodbath Legion's specialty was decapitation tactics, and with Yuan Shao boldly stepping forward, they had the perfect target.
In a 6-9-1-9-1-8-1-3-1-4 version, there were no mistakes!
At this moment, Yuan Shao lacked the formidable generals like Yan Liang and Wen Chou. As he watched Dian Wei and Zhao Er approach with murderous intent, Yuan Shao couldn't hold on for more than a few minutes and was directly scared into retreating.
With Yuan Shao, the main general, withdrawing, what chance did the Xiyuan Army have? They immediately scattered.
As the Xiyuan Army disintegrated, they rushed towards the city gate like madmen. After a brief pursuit, Dian Wei and his forces halted, refraining from further slaughter.
On the one hand, they were still the imperial army, and Lu Hai Kong had come under the pretext of purging the court. It wouldn't be appropriate to massacre the Xiyuan Army at this time.
On the other hand, if they pursued further, they would enter the defense range of Luoyang's city defenses, which were notoriously formidable. Lu Hai Kong didn't want the Bloodbath Legion to suffer significant losses.
Although Dian Wei and Zhao Er didn't pursue further, the situation on the Xiyuan Army's side was dire.
Due to Lu Hai Kong's Bloodbath Legion, the gate they had exited from was closed, trapping them outside.
With tens of thousands of Xiyuan soldiers rushing towards the gate, the chaotic army quickly experienced a severe stampede. During this incident, the number of soldiers trampled to death exceeded those killed by Dian Wei's forces.
Ironically, the disorganized Xiyuan Army was eventually reorganized with the help of the Bloodbath Legion. Upon witnessing the stampede, Lu Hai Kong immediately sent a message through Dian Wei.
"Listen up, fellow soldiers of the Xiyuan Army! Don't panic. The battle is over. Our lord has come to purge the court and uphold the Emperor's decree. We are the forces of justice, so trust us. We won't attack anymore. Stay calm, and take care of your injured comrades..."
Yuan Shao, amidst the chaos, nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood upon hearing Dian Wei's words.
Lu Hai Kong had defeated the Xiyuan Army, and now he was pretending to stabilize the troops. In this battle, Yuan Shao felt that Lu Hai Kong had taken all the benefits, leaving him humiliated.
Thinking about the aftermath of this battle, Yuan Shao realized that his reputation would likely be ruined, and his future prospects were looking bleak. He couldn't help but grind his teeth in anger, wishing he could tear Lu Hai Kong apart.
As Yuan Shao seethed with rage, Lu Hai Kong's mood was relatively more relaxed. With the end of the battle, the system prompts arrived.
"You have defeated the Xiyuan Army (40,000) (Beginner). Your army has gained a large amount of war experience. You have obtained 500,000 personal experience points to distribute and a legendary treasure chest."
"1,172 Bloodbath Knights under your command have reached their maximum experience and have been promoted to the Elite unit!"
The second prompt was a genuine surprise for Lu Hai Kong, and he immediately checked the attributes of this new unit.
(End of Chapter)
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