Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

At a command, the Nan'an army, which had been "retreating," suddenly stopped, the rear guard became the front guard, and tens of thousands of soldiers turned around and charged back.

Ma Shang and Chen Ruiwen each led their troops to flank the enemy from both sides.

The Prince of Nan'an personally urged the central army to advance towards Lan Yu's vanguard.

In an instant, shouts of battle filled the wilderness, and the Nan'an army was about to encircle Lan Yu's vanguard.

Lan Yu gazed at the battlefield, a cold smile playing on his lips.

He had made prior arrangements, and upon seeing the Nan'an army turn around to fight, he immediately issued an order:

"The vanguard, hold firm and do not retreat! The center, shift to the left and right flanks, and encircle the enemy from the rear! The rearguard, maintain your positions and cut off their retreat!"

Upon receiving the order, the 12th Regiment immediately changed formation.

The vanguard, which had been advancing recklessly, suddenly rallied and formed a square formation with a forest of spears, managing to withstand the counterattack of the Nan'an army.

Lan Yu's central army was no longer "slow" but instead spread out to the left and right with lightning speed, while the cavalry on both flanks accelerated to outflank the enemy's rear.

At the same time, the rear army deployed on the main road, with rows of barricades and wagon formations blocking the official road, effectively cutting off the Prince of Nan'an's way back to Jizhou City.

As Prince Nan'an turned to charge, he suddenly saw dust rising from both flanks, and Lan Yu's central army was closing in like two iron arms. He was shocked.

While he was still in shock and doubt, he saw dust billowing up on the official road behind him, and a large army had already blocked the west gate, imprisoning his more than 30,000 men in the wilderness.

At this moment, the smile on his face had not yet faded, but cold sweat was involuntarily pouring down his face!

These twelve battalions were so elite, their orders were obeyed without question, and their formations were swift, instantly suppressing our own army.

"Oh no! Lan Yu was just feigning weakness; he's trying to encircle and annihilate us!" Ma Shang exclaimed, his expression changing.

The Prince of Nan'an forced himself to remain calm and shouted sternly:

"Don't panic! Lan Yu is deep in enemy territory alone, while we still have Xie Jing's 10,000 elite cavalry outside. Once he breaks out, we can attack from both inside and outside, and the advantage will still be with us!"

Before he could finish speaking, the sound of rapid hoofbeats suddenly came from the mountain road to the north, growing louder as it approached.

A cavalry force bearing the name "Xie" galloped from the direction of Panshan, numbering as many as ten thousand. Amidst the billowing dust, the lead general stood with his spear held high – it was Xie Jing.

The Prince of Nan'an was overjoyed and exclaimed loudly:

"Our ambush has arrived! The victory is assured! Brothers, charge!"

The morale of the troops under the command of the Prince of Nan'an was greatly boosted!

Just as the Prince of Nan'an was about to issue an order to provide support, he saw that the cavalry was heading straight for his rear, and their route seemed to be wrong.

Suddenly, the cavalrymen all reined in their horses a hundred paces from his rear, and a black and red flag was raised high from the formation, with a large "Jia" character embroidered on it.

Xie Jing, spear in hand, stood ready and shouted:

"By order of the Duke of Jing, the rebels shall be quelled! All troops, heed my command: those who abandon the darkness and surrender will be spared; those who stubbornly resist will be killed without mercy!"

Ten thousand elite cavalrymen shouted in unison, turned their blades, and charged into the rear army of Nan'an like madmen.

The troops in the rear were caught off guard and immediately fell into chaos.

With Lan Yu's main force pressing in from the front, Xie Jing defecting from behind, and Lan Yu encircling their left and right flanks, the 35,000 troops were trapped in the wilderness west of Jizhou City, as if they had fallen into an iron barrel.

The Prince of Nan'an sat on the chariot, dumbfounded, sweating profusely, then his face turned ashen and his hands and feet became icy cold.

He stared blankly at the "Jia" flag, his eyes filled with disbelief, and demanded sharply:

"What's going on?"

"A conspiracy! This was all a conspiracy orchestrated by Jia Jing against us from the very beginning..."

"Xie Jing, you shameless scoundrel, how dare you play tricks on me..."

Before he could finish speaking, he spat out a mouthful of blood, staining his chest armor red.

It was only then that the Prince of Nan'an finally realized that they might have fallen for Jia Jing's trick from the very beginning!

Jia Zijie not only wanted to reopen the military farms, but also to purge his old associates!

How ridiculous that they themselves were so smugly plotting to purge the emperor's inner circle!

Ma Shang, Chen Ruiwen, Qi Jianhui, and the others froze on their faces, as if they had seen a ghost, their expressions a mixture of shock and fear.

Damn it! Xie Jing, with his honest-looking face, is actually an inside man?!

No wonder……

It's over! This is truly the end!

Immediately, the group regained consciousness and quickly led their personal guards to escape.

Chen Ruiwen led several hundred cavalrymen southward, only to run into Shi Lang's elite cavalry, who had circled around to attack. Chen Ruiwen was then speared off his horse.

Qi Jianhui attempted to break through to the west, but was intercepted by Lan Yu's central army. He lost all his personal guards and was captured by the chaotic army.

Ma Shangzang attempted to slip through the encirclement of defeated soldiers, but was recognized by the pursuing soldiers and immediately tackled to the ground.

Lan Yu charged into the central army of Nan'an on horseback, his long spear thrusting left and right as if he were in an empty field.

The Prince of Nan'an fled under the protection of his personal guards. Lan Yu followed closely behind, and with a clear view, he stabbed the flag bearer next to the Prince of Nan'an to the ground with one spear, and then broke the commander's flag with another.

The Prince of Nan'an's chariot overturned, and the prince tumbled from it. His personal guards tried to rescue him, but Lan Yu killed them one by one with his spear.

Finally, he pressed the spear tip against the throat of the Prince of Nan'an and shouted loudly:

"You rebellious King Nan'an, surrender now!"

The Prince of Nan'an lay on his back on the ground, his crown askew, his body covered in blood, his former imposing gaze now filled with despair and defeat. He hissed:

"Using such a despicable tactic... what kind of hero are you! I refuse to accept this..."

Lan Yu snorted coldly and said:

"If you're not satisfied, then we'll talk in front of the Duke! Tie him up!"

Immediately, several burly guards shouted their orders and rushed forward to tie up the Prince of Nan'an!

The Prince of Nan'an struggled violently, cursing incessantly!

Lan Yu paid no heed, glancing at the defeated rebels around him, and coldly ordered:

"Split up and pursue them separately; don't let a single one escape!"

As the sun began to set and dusk fell, the open fields outside the west gate of Jizhou City were littered with corpses, and those who surrendered were like a tide.

Meanwhile, in Jizhou City, Prince Mu Chen of Dongping had a clear view of the battle situation outside the city from the city wall.

The moment Xie Jing defected on the battlefield and the flag of the Prince of Nan'an was broken, he knew that if he didn't leave now, it would be too late.

Without delay, they gathered their five thousand most elite soldiers, opened the south gate, and abandoned the city.

But he had only gone out of the city for less than ten miles when he saw that the official road ahead was brightly lit. Feng Ziying’s five thousand elite cavalry had already blocked the road, with more than ten teams of archers on each flank, completely blocking the way.

Mu Chen reined in his horse and looked back. The road they had come from was already shrouded in dust, and Lan Yu's personal cavalry had caught up behind them.

Knowing he was doomed, Mu Chen sighed, threw down his sword, dismounted, and surrendered.

Of his five thousand soldiers, none escaped; some surrendered, some were killed.

August 15th, the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The four gates of Jizhou City were opened wide, and the Twelve Battalions marched into the city.

Lan Yu climbed the city wall and looked down at the dark mass of prisoners and the countless swords, spears and flags below. He ordered the old flags on the city wall to be taken down and replaced with the military flags of the 12th Regiment.

A full moon rose above the city tower, illuminating the entire city as if it were daytime.

Lan Yu addressed the officers on either side:

"The fifteenth of August is an auspicious day! Flowers bloom and the moon is full, sweeping away evil spirits! With Nan'an defeated, the garrisons around the capital will no longer pose a threat!"

"Immediately dispatch troops to garrison the surrounding garrisons, and send messengers to report the victory to the Duke!"