The imperial court is ceding territory from our northern border? Then we'll rebel!

The main camp of the punitive expeditionary force.

The flag has been lowered, but it has already been raised.

The white flag, representing surrender and submission, fluttered helplessly on the flagpole of the commander's tent, as if offering a final elegy to this great army.

Deputy General Zhang stood under the flag, his expression numb.

Making this decision took almost all of his energy.

He knew that from the moment that flag was raised, he and the millions of brothers behind him had become fish to be slaughtered.

Their fate is no longer in their own hands.

However, he had no other choice.

Tian Kui gave his life to buy them this opportunity.

He cannot, and dares not, let them down.

The chaos within the camp temporarily subsided after the flag was lowered and raised.

After the initial shock and indignation, most soldiers chose to remain silent.

They didn't know what the future held, but at least for now, they wouldn't die.

For these ordinary soldiers, survival is more important than anything else.

However, not everyone thinks that way.

"We cannot surrender! We absolutely cannot surrender!"

In one of the central army camps, a burly general with a full beard was excitedly roaring at his tens of thousands of soldiers.

His name was Li Mang, a fierce general in the Yunzhou army. He was brave in battle and had a fiery temper. He was also one of the few generals under Tian Kui who felt resentment rather than fear over Tian Kui's death.

"We are the imperial army, established by the court! We are here to punish the rebels! How can we surrender to the rebels?"

"The general's body is barely cold, and we're already kneeling down like this? Where is your shame? Where is your backbone?"

"That spineless coward surnamed Zhang is afraid of death, but we are not! Anyone willing to stand with me, Li Mang, to avenge the General and fight the Northern Frontier Army to the end, then stand on my side!"

His words were highly inflammatory.

Soon, tens of thousands of his soldiers, along with some other troops who were also unwilling to surrender, responded and gathered around him.

In a short period of time, a stubborn force of more than 100,000 people was formed.

They took up their weapons again, rallied together, and openly defied Deputy General Zhang's orders.

Besides the "pro-war faction" on Li Mang's side, another group of people chose a third path—escape.

They felt that surrendering was a great disgrace, and resistance was a dead end. The only way to survive was to escape back to Yunzhou before the Zhenbei Army completed its encirclement.

In an instant, the entire camp was divided into three factions.

Led by Deputy General Zhang, the majority of the "surrender faction" consisted of people who had surrendered.

Led by Li Mang, the "pro-war faction" was small in number but resolute in its stance.

And those "escapees" who, like headless flies, frantically run around trying to escape.

The entire camp was once again plunged into great chaos.

Deputy General Zhang trembled with rage at the dire situation before him.

"Li Mang! You idiot! You're going to get everyone killed!"

He sent someone to persuade Li Mang to prioritize the overall situation and stop making futile resistance.

But Li Mang wouldn't listen at all. Instead, he beheaded the messenger and threw his head back.

He also sent troops to intercept soldiers who wanted to escape, which resulted in an even larger-scale conflict.

The tragedy of fratricide began to unfold in the camp.

Deputy General Zhang was extremely anxious, but he was at a loss for what to do.

Although he still had several million men under his command, morale was low, orders were not being followed, and he was unable to effectively control all his troops.

He could only watch helplessly as the situation slid step by step into an abyss of spiraling out of control.

He knew that Xiao Jingchen's patience was limited.

If they cannot stabilize the situation themselves, then what awaits them is a thunderous blow from the Zhenbei Army.

Amidst this chaos.

"Thump—thump—thump—"

The deep, rhythmic sound of war drums rose once again from the horizon.

The sound, like a death warrant, instantly silenced the noisy and chaotic camp.

Everyone, whether they wanted to surrender, resist, or run away, instinctively stopped what they were doing and looked in terror toward the direction from which the sound came.

Three black horizons appeared in the open fields to the east, west, and north.

It was an iron torrent composed of countless soldiers clad in black armor.

Banners fluttered, and swords and spears stood like a forest.

Cang Jia's First Legion.

Zhao Wu's Green Army.

Wang Meng's Fifth Army Corps.

The three main corps of the Zhenbei Army, arranged in a huge triangular formation, slowly approached the expeditionary army's camp from three directions.

They did not launch an attack, nor did they shout for battle.

They simply marched forward in unison, step by step.

With each step, the earth trembled.

That silent oppression is more suffocating than any loud threat.

The nearly 200,000-strong Zhenbei Army, like three ever-tightening walls, tightly compressed the millions of remnants of the punitive expeditionary force into the middle.

The encirclement is getting smaller and smaller.

Ten miles.

Five li.

Sanli.

When the vanguard of the Zhenbei Army advanced to within a mile of the main camp, they stopped.

Then, from the ranks of the three legions, hundreds of loud-voiced messengers emerged simultaneously.

With all their might, they repeated the same sentence over and over again towards the besieged camp.

"By order of General Zhenbei!"

"Those who surrender live! Those who resist die!"

"Put down your weapons! Kneel down or you'll be spared!"

"Resist to the bitter end! Kill without mercy!"

These simple sixteen characters struck the hearts of every soldier in the punitive expedition like a heavy hammer.

This is the final ultimatum.

It is also the only option.

Inside the camp, the soldiers who had originally planned to escape in the chaos were now utterly despairing as they looked at the endless steel walls on three sides.

They threw down their bundles and weapons, and with a thud, knelt down on the ground.

More and more people are making the same choice.

The instinct for survival overwhelmed everything.

Soon, the outer perimeter of the camp was filled with a dense, dark mass of kneeling people.

Only Li Mang and his 100,000 "pro-war" subordinates remained gathered in the center of the camp, holding weapons and standing stubbornly.

"Brothers! Don't be afraid!"

Li Mang brandished his broadsword and roared at the top of his lungs.

"They outnumber us! We outnumber them! Let's fight them!"

"Charge out! Fight your way back to Yunzhou!"

However, he was met with fearful and evasive looks from the soldiers around him.

No one moved.

No one was willing to die for his ridiculous pride.

Zhao Wu, mounted on his horse, looked at the small group of enemies still putting up a stubborn resistance from afar and curled his lip in disdain.

"Damn it, there really are people who aren't afraid of death."

He turned to look at the messenger beside him.

"Go and tell Cang Jia and Wang Meng that we can start closing the net."

"Those who surrendered on the periphery, tell the brothers to act quickly, disarm them first, and keep them under guard."

"As for those in the middle who're courting death..."

A cold glint flashed in Zhao Wu's eyes.

"Pass on my order: all Qing Army troops, prepare to charge!"

"The Marquis said, those who surrender will live, those who resist will die."

"Since they want to die, then let's grant their wish!"