Jinting Han people

Qiao Deng's formation was so successful not only because of his bravery, but also partly because Liu Xian had found Luo Shang's location and the Iron Horse Camp had already marched south to form a battle formation.

After half a day of fierce fighting, both sides' central armies were exhausted. Although the front lines were still fighting, the central forces began to rotate and rest. But Guo Mo was unwilling to give up. He was still searching for the enemy's main camp, but how easy was it to find the enemy commander among tens of thousands of people? So he fought his way through, capturing prisoners and interrogating them.

He had arrested several junior officers, but they all claimed ignorance, which greatly disappointed Guo Mo. Fortunately, luck was on his side. During a meal break, Guo Mo saw a knight draped in silk riding by not far away. He immediately perked up, spurred his horse, and captured the knight. Upon questioning, he learned that the knight was Gong Liang, Luo Shang's advisor.

Gong Liang had originally intended to announce the rotations between the various units, but unexpectedly, a giant eight or nine feet tall suddenly appeared and kidnapped him, leaving him utterly terrified. Gong Liang himself was only about six and a half feet tall, and Guo Mo carried him like a chick. When Guo Mo asked about the location of his main force, Gong Liang guessed Guo Mo's intention, but he didn't intend to hide anything for Luo Shang. Firstly, he wanted to save his own life, and secondly, Luo Shang had treated him extremely roughly, often humiliating him for his short stature. Now, sensing that the army's chances of victory were slim, he immediately spilled the beans, revealing the entire distribution of Luo Shang's troops.

Guo Mo was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately unfurled a khaki flag, waving it back and forth in the air—a signal that Luo Shang's main camp had been located. Liu Xian, on the high platform, was delighted to see this and immediately ordered Zhuge Yan and Gongsun Gong's troops to meet up with Guo Mo. However, they just missed Qiao Deng's infiltration.

After Guo Mo's troops joined forces with Gongsun Gong's troops, they discussed and confirmed their route: the three of them would split into three groups, with Gongsun Gong launching a frontal attack, Guo Mo attacking from the flanks, and Zhuge Yan flanking from the rear, using a three-pronged offensive to defeat Luo Shang's forces.

Guided by Gong Liang, Gongsun Gong maneuvered across the battlefield, charging directly towards Luo Shang's main force. In fact, the moment Gongsun Gong's armored cavalry appeared, their immense impact immediately drew Luo Shang's attention.

Even though the soldiers on the battlefield were exhausted, their numerical advantage remained. Once the Iron Cavalry started moving, it was like a sharp blade piercing through paper. Wherever the armored cavalry went, the riders charged left and right, spear in hand, and any army they encountered was utterly defeated. The Jiangzhou soldiers, though they had fought for years, had never encountered such a force. They had never felt so weak and hopeless; it was as if a horde of death had descended, trampling corpses and galloping across a blood-soaked plain. No matter how hard they fought, they could not slow their advance even slightly.

In just a quarter of an hour, Gongsun Gong's troops broke through the formations of Bao Zhong, Yao Shen, Luo Yanshou, and others, and pressed towards Luo Shang's main formation without any hesitation.

This immediately alerted Luo Shang, who ordered all surrounding units to converge on his front, attempting to block Gongsun Gong's forces. In an instant, the surrounding armies mobilized, crowding towards Luo Shang's main force like a tidal wave, trying to push the Iron Cavalry back. This proved effective. Seeing the enemy troops approaching in droves, Gongsun Gong immediately changed formation, ordering his cavalry to dismount and form a circular formation. Facing the overwhelming counterattack, they held firm in place, almost unshaken.

This situation undoubtedly left the Jiangzhou army's flanks extremely vulnerable, with almost all of its mobile forces deployed to the front of Luo Shang's main camp. Luo Shang was left with only a mere thousand men protecting him. Furthermore, no one noticed that Guo Mo's troops had bypassed the battle lines from the west, swiftly passing through the Jiangzhou army's left flank and gradually approaching Luo Shang's main camp.

Passing through a grove of trees stripped of their branches, they suddenly saw a cluster of yellow flags fluttering on the nearby slope, with warhorses pacing among them. Guo Mo was overjoyed. He smiled at his trusted confidants and said, "We've arrived! This is where Luo Shang is! Remember this! When you see an old bandit with white eyebrows, probably in his fifties, a long, dark face, slanted eyebrows, wearing a brocade robe, and a saddle adorned with pearls, that's Luo Shang!"

The knights were overjoyed to see that there weren't many Jiangzhou troops on the slope. They had memorized Guo Mo's words perfectly and were now only thinking about capturing and killing Luo Shang as quickly as possible. At Guo Mo's command, they broke formation and charged up the slope, quickly closing in on the enemy.

At this moment, the top of the hill was indeed Luo Shang's main force. The Jiangzhou army was still waiting for news from Qiao Deng's troops and was also actively mobilizing its various units to advance and defend against the enemy. Messengers rode back and forth on horseback in various places in front. The battlefield situation was changing in an instant, and they had no idea that enemy cavalry would be charging from the flank.

Luo Shang was shocked by what he saw. Before he could react, Guo Mo and his troops were already upon him. Many didn't even have a chance to nock their arrows; a sparse volley of arrows, barely qualifying as a volley, shot down seven or eight light cavalrymen who weren't even armored. The knights behind them quickly closed in, and the cavalry immediately became entangled and intertwined. The two sides were neck and neck, weapons clashing and thrusting, and those struck fell from their horses one after another.

The two sides were evenly matched in strength, but one side was prepared while the other was unprepared. Guo Mo's troops moved faster, and the surging knights squeezed through the gaps in the formation, attacking Luo Shang's main force. More than fifty riders rushed to Luo Shang's cavalry, finding him among a dozen or so guards, just as Guo Mo had described. Their courage surged, and they fought desperately, shouting, "Catch the traitor Luo! Catch the traitor Luo!"

When Lan Ji, the prefect of Wenshan, saw the enemy approaching, he was equally terrified. His instinct was to flee, but he was currently closest to the cavalry, and the arrows of the Hanzhong army were almost upon him. He instinctively threw down his weapon, intending to surrender, but the enemy's eyes were all on Luo Shang; they paid him no heed. A spear thrust forward, immediately striking his chest and throwing him backward to the ground. Immediately afterward, galloping horses galloped around him, their hooves trampling his waist several times, instantly inflicting severe internal injuries and rendering him unconscious.

Of course, Luo Shang still had some daredevils by his side, among them a junior officer named Chang Shen, who was as famous as Zuo Si in the army. He was eight feet tall and looked imposing and strong. At this moment, he stepped forward to block the enemy with a long spear in hand. Onlookers saw that he was tall and strong, and seemed to have great strength in the fight, so they could not advance for a while.

In this situation, archery was the solution. Dozens of men fired arrows at him simultaneously; at that distance and in such numbers, how could Chang Shen possibly withstand them? Even though he wore thick armor, he was quickly riddled with arrows. However, most of the arrows did not kill him; only one arrow flew from the side and struck his cheek. Chang Shen fell from his horse and was caught up by Hanzhong knights who used long spears to stab him to death. It was truly a pity that a warrior, who was said to have a record of killing a hundred men, lost his life in this way.

Guo Mo's troops surged forward, and the Jiangzhou soldiers who were blocking their way were either killed or wounded. Luo Shang himself, riding a silver-brown rabbit, was now revealed. The cavalry at the forefront were only a few feet away from Luo Shang!

Luo Shang was far from surrendering. He was actually the first to realize the enemy had entered the fray and turned to flee. However, his horse was laden with two large bundles, and even a fine steed couldn't run fast. Seeing the pursuers closing in, he didn't care about that anymore. He drew a short knife from his waist and immediately made two cuts in the bundles, revealing the gold, silver, and precious stones inside. As the horse jolted and bounced, the precious stones poured out. Agate, pearls, gold ingots, and jade scattered on the ground, making a clear, clinking sound and shimmering with a dazzling iridescent light in the sunlight. The pursuers were mesmerized, and their pace involuntarily slowed.

At that moment, Luo Shang shouted, "You foolish men, even if you capture me, the credit will go to someone else. Taking these jewels is the most practical thing to do!"

The dozen or so pursuers behind them, upon hearing this, also thought it made sense. Although the Hanzhong army had won a series of victories recently, the rewards from the army had not been much. Capturing Luo Shang would only lead to Guo Mo's promotion, which wouldn't really benefit them. They might as well take some jewels. So, they all slowed down and dismounted to collect the valuables.

Having lost its valuables, the silver-brown rabbit grew faster and faster, and in just a few breaths, Luo Shang was out of danger. But he dared not stop, rallying the people around him to come over while continuing his escape south. He knew one thing: after such a charge, he had already lost. Since he had lost, the situation was beyond saving, and Li Xiong was certainly helpless. Staying here would only be to witness Liu Xian's great victory, a mere token of goodwill for him.

Sitting on his horse, Luo Shang's mind was filled with thoughts of whether Jiangzhou could still be held. The answer was clear: it was impossible. This defeat would likely send him fleeing all the way to Badong and then to Baidi City! With this victory, Liu Xian would surely unify Bashu, and then who could stop him?
Thinking of this, Luo Shang couldn't help but feel remorseful. If only he had known this would happen! He should have gone north to interfere as soon as Liu Xian entered Bashu! Otherwise, how could he have ended up in this situation?

Of course, Luo Shang harbored a deep-seated fear, and what he dared not admit even more was that if Liu Xian not only restored Shu Han but also conquered Shu and unified the world, how would he face himself? Wouldn't all his life's work become a joke?

Luo Shang recalled the scene of the soldiers scrambling for his belongings, feeling both smug and heartbroken. He thought: "Look at these people, they've never seen the world before! If Shu Han were to rise again, wouldn't all the scholars in the world have to go back to the miserable lives they had in their childhood? What good would that be? This must not be allowed to happen! After escaping Baidi City, I must immediately report to the court and seek help from all sides. I must strangle Liu Xian in Shu, or at the very least, prevent him from making any further progress!"
In an instant, Luo Shang seemed to be electrified, instantly regaining his spirits and determined to continue fighting Liu Xian to the very end.

Seeing that there were no pursuers around, Luo Shang reined in his horse and counted his followers, finding that there were only about two hundred people left. He seemed to be several miles away from the battlefield. Although he could still hear the shouts of battle, they seemed quite far away. This relieved Luo Shang, and his mood improved somewhat.

Seeing the dejected mood of those around him, he couldn't help but laugh and encourage them, saying, "What's there to be sad about? Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. Liu Xian is indeed a skilled commander, but what kind of skill is it to use cavalry to bully infantry! If he's so capable, let's go to the river and have a showdown. As long as I have warships, I'll definitely win!"

"Don't be fooled by Liu Xian's current smugness. The throne isn't so easy to hold onto! Now that Bashu is devastated, what can he do after this battle? He can either head north to Guanzhong or east to the Yangtze River. Is Guanzhong so easy to conquer? Even Prime Minister Zhuge Liang couldn't do it, so how can he be any better? If he heads east to the Yangtze River, he can no longer rely on tricks. He'll have to fight me on the river. I'll personally teach him a lesson and make him give back everything he's gained! Haha!"

Hearing these words, most of his followers looked at him in surprise. They hadn't expected that Luo Shang would actually have such an indomitable spirit, being able to laugh even in this situation and imagine future victories. This was something that most people would find difficult to do.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, a group of men suddenly rushed out of the woods to the south and charged towards Luo Shang. This was Zhuge Yan's troops.

Zhuge Yan's troops used a large-scale flanking maneuver, waiting for a moment before intercepting Luo Shang. They advanced in a semi-circular formation, constantly tightening their lines to encompass Luo Shang and his forces, pursuing them relentlessly. The panicked soldiers around Luo Shang scattered like headless flies; some tried to draw their swords to resist, but were instantly cut down.

Upon seeing this, Luo Shang's guards cried out in alarm and tried to turn north. Looking back, they saw that the pursuers were closing in again. The clatter of hooves seemed like an inescapable curse, almost freezing Luo Shang and the rest of the group in place, as they watched themselves being surrounded by knights. To their east lay the surging river.

Seeing this scene, how could Luo Shang not know that he had no way out? He immediately threw down his weapon, dismounted, and said decisively, "I am Luo Shang! I surrender! My adoptive father and uncle are Luo Xian, the governor of Badong in the Great Han Dynasty! Anle Gong is my former lord, we have old ties!"

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Yan spurred his horse forward and looked Luo Shang up and down, saying, "You are Luo Shang?"

Upon seeing that the visitor was a young man, Luo Shang nodded, cupped his hands in greeting, and smiled kindly, "That's right. Please give me some face for the sake of my master, Lord Lingze (Luo Xian)!"

Zhuge Yan remained silent for a moment, then suddenly drew his sword and beheaded Luo Shang in his astonished gaze. Holding Luo Shang's head, Zhuge Yan looked into his unseeing eyes and said slowly, "His Highness said that for your crimes, giving you a quick death is the final act of mercy." (End of Chapter)