Cultivation Begins with Caring for Sister-in-law-Chapter 493: Defeat Comes Like a Landslide

However, within the city, the Jin Xia garrison was already in a panic. Upon learning of a possible escape route and now seeing the Chen Army breaking in, those who were wavering between fighting to the death and fleeing were now inclined towards the latter. They felt that since the Chen Army had breached the city, Bing City could no longer be defended, so they might as well retreat.

Therefore, in response to Gale’s loud calls, not many followed his orders.

Moreover, after the Divine Martial Guard entered the city, they formed the Yanyue Array and slashed through the Jin Xia vanguard in the city, subsequently scattering the Jin Xia soldiers within.

Soldiers wielding large shields and horizontal sabers took the lead.

The heavy footsteps echoed as the long spearmen in heavy armor followed behind the sword and shield warriors.

Behind them were even more infantry, also wielding long spears.

Archers climbed onto the rooftops of civilian houses or other high points where they could stand, shooting down Jin Xia people in scattered groups, providing cover for the army’s advance.

Due to orders from above, their advance was not fast.

Hasty hoofbeats echoed within the city.

With the breach of the East City Gate, Chen Mo, along with the Personal Guard Battalion, entered the city. Hearing the hoofbeats, he immediately climbed the city wall to observe with the Thousand-Mile Mirror in hand.

It turned out that facing the formation and advance of the Chen Army,

the Jin Xia Army in the city, for some unknown reason, sent out cavalry to charge the formation.

Now, it was time for the Divine Brave Guard to make a move.

The Divine Arm Crossbow Battalion within the Divine Brave Guard moved forward into the formation unfolded by the Divine Martial Guard, lining up in a straight line.

"Woo—"

The horn sounded.

The powerful mechanisms instantly released the arrows.

With powerful penetration, the crossbow arrows, carrying the weight of a thousand pounds, whistled through the air and shot into the charging Jin Xia cavalry.

"Pffft..."

"Neigh..."

Humans and horses were thrown to the ground.

The Divine Arm Crossbows could pierce even iron armor. With terrifying lethality, the horses, in pain, reared up on their hind legs like humans standing, throwing the cavalry on their backs to the ground.

Before the cavalry could rise in pain, another horse fell heavily, crashing onto them.

Under the pressure of the Divine Arm Crossbows, the Jin Xia cavalry fell midway through their charge, adding more obstacles as the fallen corpses of men and horses choked the already narrow streets, halting the advance of those behind.

Crossbow arrows continued to shoot out, piling up cavalry and horse corpses like mountains,

"Kill!"

After dissolving the Jin Xia cavalry charge, the Divine Martial Guard continued their formation and advance.

With the cohesive advance of the Chen Army, the hastily organized defenses of the Jin Xia Army within the city began to quickly collapse, retreating backward.

They had no more will to resist.

Could they still withstand the Chen Army?

How could they stop them?

At this point, the Jin Xia defenders on the side of the East City Gate fell into complete chaos, constantly retreating. The officers could not command the soldiers.

Gale’s personal soldiers fell back to his side to guard him, urgently saying: "General, let’s lead the rear troops and escape, we can’t hold them back."

Having once walked through the gates of death, Gale had already lost much of his courage. Seeing that he couldn’t fight off the Chen Army and with more and more Chen troops entering the city, he did not insist and ordered: "Retreat to the West Gate."

Both the South Gate and North Gate were surrounded by the Chen Army, and only outside the West Gate was free of Chen troops.

Logically, anyone would sense something suspicious about the West City Gate at this time.

Tuoba Zhu naturally felt a strong sense of unease, but given the current situation, even knowing there were tigers at West Gate Mountain, they had no choice but to head towards Hushan.

With the South and North Gates besieged by the Chen Army, retreating through those gates would surely be blocked by the Chen forces outside. If the Chen Army that entered from the East City Gate caught up, they would be trapped in a pincer attack, leaving no escape.

Only the West Gate offered a slim chance of survival.

And it was only because of this slim chance that the Jin Xia Army no longer had the strength to continue fighting.

...

"Pass down the order, have them slow down even more; don’t chase too closely."

Noticing the retreating Jin Xia Army heading towards the West Gate, Chen Mo was overjoyed and quickly ordered the Divine Martial Guard not to follow too closely.

Xia Zhining understood what was happening and said nothing. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Sun Meng was a bit puzzled and said, "Marquis, if we don’t keep pressing, these barbarians will escape through the West Gate."

"They won’t escape."

The gap at the West Gate had long been prepared for them by Chen Mo.

...

When Chen Mo laid siege to Bing City, he divided the Divine Courage, Divine Martial, Xianzhen, and Jiangdong Armies into four parts to besiege the four city walls of Bing City.

The most troops were stationed at the East City Gate.

Afterward, Chen Mo withdrew the troops from the West City Gate, but instead of redeploying them to the East, South, or North gates, he had them retreat to a mountain forest ten miles outside the West Gate for an ambush.

This was the true stratagem within the "besiege three sides, leave one unguarded" tactic.

Breaching the East City Gate was merely to pressure the Jin Xia Army into fleeing, while the Chen forces at the South and North gates ensured the West Gate was their only route, preventing the Jin Xia forces from scattering.

What Chen Mo had plotted for so many days was not just to drive them out of the Great Song, but to completely annihilate these thirty thousand troops in Bing City.

Upon learning that the Jin Xia Army was retreating through the West Gate, Chen Mo immediately ordered the Chen troops advancing slowly in the city to accelerate, and he had the Brave Cavalry Guard pursue them relentlessly.

...

On another front.

Cui Shuang and Song Shiming, leading nearly seven thousand troops, lay in ambush in a mountain forest named "Jishi Ridge," ten miles outside the West Gate of Bing City.

As the sun set, Cui Shuang had just instructed the officers and asked the soldiers to prepare dinner while dispatching scouts to probe the military situation in Bing City.

"General, we discovered a large number of Jin Xia cavalry heading towards us in a haphazard formation." The scout, sent out not long ago, now rushed back to report to Cui Shuang.

Cui Shuang raised an eyebrow, quickly regaining composure, and asked, "How many troops?"

The scout said, "It was too hurried to estimate the number, but this Jin Xia cavalry seems to have just fought a battle and is escaping from Bing City."

"Haha, General Cui, it seems the Marquis has succeeded, it’s our turn now." Song Shiming was elated.

Since allying with Chen Mo, Song Shiming had yet to achieve any noteworthy accomplishments and envisioned this as his opportunity for recognition, displaying his excitement.

"Issue orders, have everyone stay hidden and prepare to engage the enemy." Cui Shuang felt a surge of excitement within.

...

After Gale and his troops fled Bing City through the West Gate, Tuoba Zhu, having better grasped the surrounding situation in recent days, immediately advised Gale to dispatch a small detachment ahead for reconnaissance and temporarily slow their retreat.

But at this moment, reports came that Chen’s cavalry was pursuing from behind.

The Jin Xia Army, still in fear, upon learning the enemy cavalry was closing, cared little for the possible dangers ahead.

Slow their march? Impossible!

They were already lamenting not having grown extra legs.

The cavalries hastily whipped their warhorses, fleeing towards "Jishi Ridge."