I Don't Agree to the Terms
Chapter 490 - 271: A Million Liangzhou Army Was Crushed by Fifty Thousand Daoist Soldiers

Chapter 490: Chapter 271: A Million Liangzhou Army Was Crushed by Fifty Thousand Daoist Soldiers

"We haven’t even reached Yong’an yet, and the Liangzhou Army is already on the verge of collapse," Gu Shanhai remarked with a sigh.

Today marked the twelfth day since they set off, and of the original thirty thousand Daoist Soldiers that the provincial governor had, only twelve thousand remained, with substantial losses among the other soldiers and Daoist Soldiers as well.

The sight made everyone in the Liangzhou Army jittery, as they watched their forces close to crumbling.

As for the idea of marching at double speed, it indeed could speed up their arrival, but the issue was how to coordinate a million-strong army with such haste. Not all therein were Daoist Soldiers directly under the same commander’s control, capable of swift mobilization. The Daoist Soldiers were already a mixed bunch, to say nothing of the majority of the army comprised of ordinary soldiers who simply couldn’t keep up with the Daoist Soldiers’ pace.

With numbers came chaos.

"Teacher, do you think the provincial governor will be driven to despair?" Jiang Lu asked rather worriedly.

It was obvious to everyone that Qiao Xuan was aiming to capture the king first in his strategy to capture the thieves.

"Who knows? But even if he is driven to despair, it doesn’t matter, it won’t affect us," Gu Shanhai said calmly.

Their opponents would actually welcome the provincial governor’s desperate act, because any astute observer could see that he currently had no ability to counter Qiao Xuan and his Swift Shadow Daoist Soldiers. Outnumbered and outclassed in strength, how could he win?

So, the so-called act of desperation would only be against his own Liangzhou Army, not the enemy.

"Besides, don’t you think it’s over just like that. I suspect the provincial governor has already called for reinforcements from Liang State. Don’t forget, he still has seventy thousand Daoist Soldiers and numerous subordinates in Liang State," Gu Shanhai knew that if the enemy couldn’t directly crush the provincial governor, reinforcements would arrive soon.

A million-strong army couldn’t march at double speed, but his own Daoist Soldiers could, and according to Gu Shanhai’s estimate, if they hurried, they could arrive today.

"Is he really willing to go to such lengths?" Jiang Lu asked, puzzled.

"It’s not that he is willing to go to such lengths, but he is now caught in a dilemma. Retreat would mean complete loss of face. After such a grand display, if you get beaten and scurry away with your tail between your legs, how would the world view him? To advance would mean either calling for reinforcements or waiting for death."

"He wants to save face and his life, so his only option is to call for help."

In this world, reputation was an extremely precious resource. For some, the loss of face was almost akin to death.

"What would you do if you were in his shoes?" Gu Shanhai then posed the question back to Jiang Lu.

After some consideration, Jiang Lu looked quite troubled. If he were in the provincial governor’s position, he would have done the same.

Not out of foolishness, but out of desperation.

"The provincial governor isn’t wrong; he simply didn’t expect the enemy to take the initiative to strike and defeat his forces one by one," seeing the answer in Jiang Lu’s expression, Gu Shanhai skipped over the topic.

"With one hundred and eight states in Dalong, there must be at least one state that can make it," Jiang Lu said.

"What does that have to do with us in Liang State? We can prepare to pack up and head home," Gu Shanhai felt an inexplicable premonition, as if the coalitions against Dong Zhuo had barely set out before being cornered and killed one by one by the likes of Lu Bu and Hua Xiong right outside their gates.

This situation did indeed catch Gu Shanhai by surprise. With the enemy’s solid strength, Liang State, among the one hundred and eight states of Dalong, could only rank about the seventies. The arrival of a veteran with fifty thousand Daoist Soldiers was about to collapse their million-strong force.

Blame could only be laid on the provincial governor.

If he had brought his entire force of one hundred thousand Daoist Soldiers, along with his commanders, Qiao Xuan’s fifty thousand Swift Shadow Daoist Soldiers would have been decimated on the spot, rather than allowing the enemy to harass and bounce back repeatedly.

He wanted all the benefits without the costs and to keep an escape route open as well. He fancied a beautiful outcome, but reality was far different from what he wished.

"Qiao Xuan attacks again?" Jiang Lu quickly realized.

"Yes, look at that momentum. He’s preparing to send the provincial governor off," Gu Shanhai narrowed his eyes. He noticed a difference this time—previously it was about weakening the opponent, but this time it was a direct strike to kill.

The reason behind this troublesome move was simple: attacking the provincial governor in his prime wasn’t wise, even if Qiao Xuan had fifty thousand Swift Shadow Daoist Soldiers, they would not have an advantage.

Due to their entire focus on agility, their defensive power and lethal force had been greatly reduced. To truly kill the provincial governor, Qiao Xuan’s fifty thousand Daoist Soldiers would have to lose thirty-five or even forty thousand soldiers. An unprofitable venture for Qiao Xuan, who preferred to whittle away a thousand or two soldiers from time to time. With enough repetition, it wouldn’t matter if they had thirty thousand or three hundred thousand—they wouldn’t withstand it.

Now, with only fifteen thousand left, Qiao Xuan chose this method to reduce their numbers, and his fifty thousand soldiers, while not untouched, had at most suffered a loss of a thousand to eighteen hundred. It was estimated that this time he was poised for a total offensive to resolve the Liangzhou Army in one fell swoop.

Sure enough, chaos began to spread, and the magnitude of Qiao Xuan’s move was great enough that even the ordinary soldiers on Gu Shanhai’s side could sense it.

"Teacher, do you think these fifty thousand Swift Shadow Daoist Soldiers could kill our million-strong army?" Jiang Lu’s face was grave.

"If you were talking about a million Daoist Soldiers under the command of a single master, there would be no need for personal involvement. One strategy would turn Qiao Xuan’s fifty thousand Swift Shadow Daoist Soldiers into lambs to the slaughter. But in your so-called million-man army, ninety percent are mere soldiers, and the Daoist Soldiers are fragmented. What do you think?" Gu Shanhai glanced at Jiang Lu. It wasn’t even night yet; why start daydreaming, or is it fantasy time?

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