weaving

Chapter 1423 How can this be tolerated?
"The banner has fallen..."

"The officers and soldiers have won!"

"The rebel king has run away..."

"The rebel army has been defeated..."

Suddenly, a variety of voices emerged, and the situation began to spiral out of control...

Chen Zhanqi's side had already engaged the five hundred bandits of the Children's Camp, while thirty or forty riders galloped back. They first helped Wang Erzhu onto his horse, and then dragged Shi Dashuan, whose face was covered in blood and who was already unconscious, onto his back as well...

Just as they were about to leave, they saw a man suddenly dismount. He quickly ran to the flagpole of the fallen Li Zicheng, the Grand Marshal of the Li Zicheng, and pulled out a dagger from his waist, cutting the flag down in a few swift strokes.

"Chen Zhongshi, get on your horse! Are you out of your mind?" Team leader Hou Chengduo shouted.

As Chen Zhongshi ran quickly toward his warhorse, he stuffed the large banner into his arms, shouting, "Erzhu and Dashuan risked their lives for this, I have to take it back to them!"

He had just mounted his horse when a group of infantrymen charged at him with hoarse shouts. The captain, Hou Chengduo, did not want to engage in a prolonged battle. He ordered his soldiers to fire a few arrows and then led his cavalry in pursuit of Chen Zhanqi.

…………

As the banner of the rebel leader, Fengtian, the Grand Marshal of Civil and Military Affairs, was cut down by the government troops, many of the rebel soldiers in the camp, unaware of the truth, began to desert due to the constant stream of rumors.

Many people even laid down their weapons, kneeling on the ground with tragic expressions, covering their faces with their hands, deeply grieving, murmuring: "The King of Rebels is dead... The King of Rebels is gone... Oh, the King of Rebels..."

Of course, some people were more determined, like Luo Hu, who was convinced that the rebel king was safe, but he also believed that the banner had been cut down.

Therefore, he vented all his anger on He Zhenxiong and his men. Although the child soldiers were fierce and good at fighting, the old cavalrymen of the standard battalion were not to be trifled with either, and they also had the advantage in numbers, which made Luo Hu very helpless.

Fortunately, there were many of their own infantry and cavalry soldiers around them. Although the morale of the army was already showing signs of disintegration due to the shouts coming from afar, some loyal soldiers still rushed up to help.

However, their good fortune was short-lived. The hundred child soldiers were intercepted by Li Changsheng's Imperial Guards and were defeated in less than a quarter of an hour. At that moment, Li Changsheng heard the shouts of "The flag has fallen!" and was rushing towards the place where He Zhenxiong and Luo Hu were fighting to provide reinforcements.

…………

The flag has fallen.

For the rebel army's infantry and cavalry, this was almost tantamount to a collapse of their beliefs.

They naturally couldn't determine whether the rebel leader was alive or dead, but his banner had indeed fallen, a fact visible from afar. The shouts of "The banner has fallen!" "The rebel leader is dead!" and "The government army has won!" grew louder and louder, forcing them to accept the reality before their eyes.

In ancient military battles, there are countless examples of defeats caused by the downing of military flags or the death of commanders.

The commander of an army is the embodiment of the army's courage and strategy. If he were to be suddenly killed in battle, not only would the entire army be deprived of further orders and instructions, but the pillars of support for junior officers and soldiers would also collapse, causing them to lose their original fighting spirit.

This was also true for the rebel army!
Even the highest-ranking generals in the army, after the death of their commander-in-chief, can almost only lead their troops out of battle in order to preserve their strength, and this is often the wisest choice.

After all, once the commander-in-chief is killed, the entire army will be unable to receive further battle orders and will be trapped in a dangerous situation of fighting alone. The final outcome will inevitably be that they will be defeated one by one by the enemy, and even if they escape, they may not be able to get away.

Therefore, in past battles, once the commander-in-chief was killed in battle, a rational general would often immediately rally his troops and either surrender the entire army or break out of the encirclement as soon as possible, perhaps with a chance to escape the enemy's pursuit.

Although all the leaders in the rebel army were extremely loyal to him, given the circumstances, once they received news that the banner had been cut down and the rebel king's fate was unknown, they would inevitably have to make various choices...

Some would lead their bandit troops to break through the encirclement, while others might surrender to the government troops. Of course, there would also be those who risked their lives to see if the rebel king had truly perished in battle!
…………

Li Zicheng, the rebel leader, whose face had always been calm, was now extremely agitated. In his view, the fact that his banner had been cut down by the government troops was an unbearable disgrace.

Although he had not concentrated all his main forces, he still had more than 200,000 troops. Yet, his camp was breached by tens of thousands of enemy soldiers, who even cut down his own command flag. How could he tolerate this?
"Bring me my horse!" the rebel leader shouted.

Wu Ruyi hurriedly stepped forward and blocked Li Zicheng's path, advising him: "Chuang Wang, the government troops are powerful. It would be better to temporarily avoid their sharp edge and plan for the future."

Suddenly, the rebel leader raised his horsewhip and lashed it across Wu Ruyi's cheek, leaving a bloody mark. He shouted, "Get out of here, you coward!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Ruyi felt extremely aggrieved, but he still stood in front of Li Zicheng, the King of Chuang, and advised him with a sob in his voice: "King of Chuang, I am not afraid of death, but you are responsible for the entire army, and you should not enter dangerous places lightly."

As he said this, he glanced at Niu Jinxing and Song Xianze behind him, and continued to persuade them: "Grand Marshal, you, Mr. Niu, and Military Advisor Song stay here to watch the battle. I will lead men to drive back the government troops."

Li Zicheng, the rebel leader, seemed determined to persist, but then he heard Song Xianze's voice from behind: "Grand Marshal, the government troops are fierce, a sight rarely seen by our army. Now that the banner has fallen, morale is wavering. Even if we fight to the death to repel the government troops, our army will inevitably suffer heavy losses."

Niu Jinxing then stepped forward and said, "Grand Marshal, the outcome of a single battle means nothing, and it is insignificant compared to the great cause we are pursuing."

Although he was still very angry and resentful, he was still able to listen to some of what Song Xianze said, especially what Niu Jinxing said.

After a brief silence, the rebel leader spoke up, "Enough, enough."

He turned to Wu Ruyi and said, "Ziyi, gather your personal guards and come with me, the strategist, and Mr. Niu."

Before Wu Ruyi could receive the order, the rebel king said, "Immediately send out cavalry to deliver a message to all the generals, instructing them to gather their troops and retreat in an orderly manner. I will wait for them ten miles away to discuss strategies for defeating the enemy."

"Yes."

Li Zicheng, the rebel leader, turned his unwilling gaze to the battlefield ahead. He gritted his teeth and said again, "Tell Xiaohuzi not to linger in battle, and that killing government soldiers will not happen today."

"Yes."