I Don't Agree to the Terms
Chapter 491 - 271: A Million Liangzhou Army Was Crushed by Fifty Thousand Daoist Soldiers - Part 2

Chapter 491: Chapter 271: A Million Liangzhou Army Was Crushed by Fifty Thousand Daoist Soldiers - Part 2

"I’ll go deliver the orders; we should leave as soon as possible," Jiang Lu understood Gu Shanhai’s intention clearly—that truly, they could escape, but the enemy wouldn’t care about them; they just wanted the Liangzhou Army to rout.

One Liang state was no threat to the Yong’an Army, but the entire Dalong wasn’t just a single Liangzhou Army.

"Let’s go; the governor is dead," Gu Shanhai said, watching as the governor was impaled through the chest by Qiao Xuan.

When Gu Shanhai mentioned death, it was literally that; the deceased governor was actually hanging from the great banner, and with the leader’s death, the power of the Daoist Soldiers immediately reverted.

The massacre began swiftly, starting from the top.

Qiao Xuan’s aim wasn’t truly to annihilate these million troops, but rather to use this as a deterrent to diminish the entire army’s morale.

Soon, the entire large troop began to collapse, and chaos increasingly worsened, while Jiang Lu, situated with the right army, began the retreat orderly.

Of course, it wasn’t just Jiang Lu retreating; there were also many capable individuals who had noticed this early, so they took advantage of the chaos to flee.

Everyone understood that Qiao Xuan’s Swift Shadow Daoist Soldiers’ flaw was targeted against fellow governors; facing their few hundred Daoist Soldiers, it was not a weakness.

A level hundred’s weak defense is only relative to another of the same level, but a level hundred’s defense, no matter how weak, cannot be shaken by a level ten; the innate difference in attributes was enough to crush them.

Perhaps the Swift Shadow Daoist Soldiers would tire from slaying a million men, but no one would bet on being the one killed.

"Shi He is dead; spare those who surrender!"

A thunderous roar resonated, bringing with it a violent wave of sound.

Shi He was the name of the Liangzhou Governor.

The generals and Daoist Soldiers of the front army surrendered immediately—not surrendering was not an option, as they were directly facing Qiao Xuan, and daring to resist would lead them to become a horrifying example.

The left, right, and rear armies started fleeing in defeat, the situation devolving into complete pandemonium.

In such chaos, it was possible for generals and Daoist Soldiers to survive—they were, after all, transcendental beings. On the other hand, many soldiers perished due to stampedes caused by the disorder.

Indeed, they were physically impressive, but so were those trampling on them.

Fortunately, Jiang Lu and Gu Shanhai’s troops could quickly break away—a small group of eight hundred Daoist Soldiers and five thousand soldiers, although larger than other individual generals’ troops, were still just a small fraction of the whole.

Of course, Gu Shanhai had immediately retrieved his two hundred Heart Demon Dao Soldiers—these were Divine Skills, not true Daoist Soldiers.

"Teacher, it might be difficult to return directly; we’ll likely need to take a detour," Jiang Lu, leading his troops, had left early and hadn’t been affected by the chaos, but that was all.

Returning directly wasn’t easy since he was part of the right army with another rear army behind him; following this speed, they’d definitely be slower, and there was even the possibility of being swept along.

Taking a detour meant they had to circle a large route, which could also harbor unknown dangers.

"Take the detour, and let’s get back quickly," Gu Shanhai said calmly.

The coalition’s lack of visibility wasn’t a concern; the death of the governor was good news.

As for the court appointing another governor? That wouldn’t be simple, as least not until the coalition and some powerful general had not resolved their conflict, both parties could simply ignore it.

"Map!" Jiang Lu called out, and a Daoist Soldier hurriedly brought over a map.

"No need for a map, I’ll lead the way," Gu Shanhai’s eyes flickered with images as he accessed the answer directly through Prophetic Divination.

Then, following Gu Shanhai’s lead, Jiang Lu waved his hand, and they departed.

Under Gu Shanhai’s guidance, their group of five thousand eight hundred quickly detached from the main force.

Gu Shanhai felt some regret in his heart, he had originally planned to collect the aura of great military slaughters, but things had collapsed midway.

Others did not wait for him to gather forces, and they shattered his plans halfway through.

Not only did they not follow his pace, but they also forced him into their rhythm, which was the usual state of affairs, not like Long Aotian who could push forward and combat the enemy relentlessly. Most of the time, escape was not even an option.

When weak, failure was common. If everything were successful, one would have become a powerful leader already.

Moreover, they were facing a formidable enemy; winning would have been questionable.

"It’s about time, we can rest now, the soldiers can hardly bear any more."

Gu Shanhai spoke after rushing for approximately a day.

The Daoist Soldiers could endure, but the ordinary soldiers could not.

Jiang Lu had also been tense all this way. Hearing Gu Shanhai speak was like a breath of fresh air, after which he arranged for the cooking pots to be laid.

"Teacher, there shouldn’t be any issues now, right?" Jiang Lu asked after making the arrangements.

"How would I know? If I knew everything, how could I possibly be fleeing with you?" Gu Shanhai was very honest; he was not an omnipotent being.

In this high-energy world, he was only a lower-tier individual in strength, after all, his system differed from that of this world. Others employed collective strength while he used individual strength, so a gap was normal. If there were no gap, he wouldn’t have come to this world.

"Alright, Teacher, you’re right." Jiang Lu was somewhat helpless, mainly because what lay ahead was too uncertain, and he felt lost.

Liang State was a small place, not very extensive. It was his first time facing an old veteran like Qiao Xuan, and the gap between them was so vast he felt overwhelmed.

All along, he thought the Dragon Tooth Daoist Soldiers were mighty foes, then he met the provincial governor, and now he had encountered Qiao Xuan and his Swift Shadow Daoist Soldiers; the disparity made him uncomfortable.

What was more important was that whether it was Qiao Xuan or the provincial governor, they were just a prelude to the battle, just small fish. There were many more powerful beings above them who could easily crush him.

"What’s wrong? Feeling inadequate again?" Gu Shanhai teased.

"No, it’s just... why is this world so vast?" Jiang Lu knew his difference from them: they had family backgrounds and resources that allowed them to train without restraint and equip their Daoist Soldiers excellently, while he only had the help from Gu Shanhai and others. If he could contend with them, then those people wouldn’t have their achievements.

"The world? You think Dalong is the whole world?" Gu Shanhai laughed, finding it as absurd as those who thought the Central Plains were the entire world.

"Isn’t it?" Jiang Lu clearly lacked the understanding.

"Beyond the barbarian plains in the north, the seas in the south, and so on, there are places unknown, ready to be explored. Why would you think Dalong represents the whole world?"

"The world is vast; if you only focus on Dalong, your achievements in life will be just so." Gu Shanhai said somewhat mockingly.

"Teacher, you have seen much more, but for me, Dalong is already vast." Jiang Lu knew Gu Shanhai wanted him to think more long-term, yet for him, taking the whole of Liang State was already considering far enough; Gu Shanhai’s view of distance was not something he could reach.

Really looking that far without commensurate strength would be over-ambitious.

He didn’t always listen to Gu Shanhai, and Gu Shanhai wouldn’t always dictate; both maintained their independence.

"Mm, I understand. If we maintain our current pace, we should be back in about five days." Gu Shanhai sensed what Jiang Lu meant, so he moved past the topic.

Five days was normal; it took twelve days for their million-strong troop due to the large numbers and difficult unified management. Now, with just five thousand eight hundred men, management was much easier without the drag of others, and the return pace would naturally be much faster than the journey there.

"Five days, is that enough time?" Jiang Lu asked.

"The time is definitely enough; I just worry that they won’t be ready." Gu Shanhai knew that launching an attack and seizing territory wasn’t just about leading troops there, it also required provisions, logistics, and other preparatory management.