Starting with a Wei Wu soldier

The massive black banner bearing the character "山" (mountain) collapsed with a deafening crash. Before the dust had even settled, the invisible force known as "morale" leaked and dissipated rapidly from the Black Mountain Army's vast and chaotic ranks, like a punctured sack. That banner represented not only Han Meng's command, but also the spiritual pillar held together by tens of thousands of Black Mountain soldiers' belief in victory, their fear of harsh military law, and their thirst for plunder and rewards. With the pillar crumbling, all the forcibly united strength instantly lost its direction, transforming into countless blind and terrified torrents.

First, there was the central command area. Han Meng had been shot in the left arm with an arrow; the pain was excruciating, blood was gushing out, and half of his body was almost numb. He was only able to stay on his horse thanks to the desperate support of his personal guards. He watched helplessly as the banner fell, his ears filled with the panicked cries of his guards for "Protect the General!" and the inevitable commotion among the "Trap Camp" soldiers around him caused by the fallen banner. He was filled with shock and anger, and a chilling despair quickly spread through him—with the banner down, morale would collapse! How could they possibly fight this battle?

"General! Run! This place is in grave danger!" The advisor, pale as a ghost, gripped Han Meng's horse's reins tightly, his voice trembling with tears. "As long as we're alive, we can fight another day!"

Han Meng tried to struggle, tried to shout, "Hold on! Don't retreat!" but the excruciating pain in his left arm and the increasingly chaotic scene before him made his throat dry, and he couldn't utter the command. Even worse, he saw the red-clad female general who had cut down the flag standing with her sword, her icy gaze seemingly piercing through the chaotic crowd, locking onto his location! A chill ran from his tailbone to the top of his head!

"Retreat...retreat first! Stabilize the formation first!" Han Meng finally squeezed out these words through gritted teeth, his voice hoarse and dry. Under the desperate cover of his personal guards and some of the elite "Trap Camp," he turned his horse around, disregarding any semblance of generalship, and fled hastily in the direction they had come from—north. With their commander retreating, the last vestige of resistance in the central army completely dissipated. Hundreds of armored soldiers and personal guards swarmed around Han Meng in a chaotic retreat.

The rout of the central army was like toppling the first domino. On the front lines, the Black Mountain infantry, initially outnumbered, were caught in the "Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation" of Xinghuo Fortress, suffering heavy casualties. However, thanks to the continuous influx of fresh troops from the rear and the strict supervision of the troops, they were still managing to maintain their offensive, and even apply pressure in some areas. But when many of them instinctively turned back to find the flag that guided their way, they saw only a chaotic scene of dust billowing and figures retreating in the direction of the central army. Then, cries of terror, "General Han has retreated!" "The flag has fallen! We've lost! We've lost!" spread like a plague from the front ranks to the rear!

Panic instantly devoured all the courage that was still fighting!

"Run! The general has run away!"

"Get out of my way! Get out of my way!"

"Where's my knife? I've lost my knife!"

The Black Mountain soldiers in the front ranks, still fighting fiercely with the soldiers of Xinghuo Fortress, were the first to collapse. They dropped their weapons, turned, and ran, wishing they had more legs. The soldiers in the middle and rear ranks, already terrified by the fierce fighting and the constant falling of their comrades, lost all will to fight when they saw the front ranks retreating and heard of the central army's defeat. They immediately joined the fleeing army. The supervising officers initially tried to suppress the fleeing, cutting down a few deserters, but they were quickly overwhelmed and scattered by the surging tide of retreat, unable to save themselves.

The army collapsed like a house of cards!

In a mere instant, the massive infantry force of the Black Mountain Army transformed from an attacking army into a chaotic rabble, driven only by the instinct to flee. They shoved, trampled, and discarded anything that hindered their escape—weapons, shields, helmets, even ration bags. Cries, screams, and curses mingled together, dust filled the air, and the scene was utterly out of control.

The Starfire Fortress's "Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation," which had been operating like a precision millstone and enduring immense pressure, suddenly experienced a reduction in pressure the moment the enemy collapsed. Immediately afterwards, the war drums under the command flag abruptly became rousing and soaring, piercing through all the clamor!

"Counterattack! All troops—counterattack!" Chen Xing's voice was clearly conveyed to every combat unit through flags and drums.

The soldiers of Starfire Fortress, who had been suppressed for so long, roared like tigers released from their cages! The "Iron Wall Formation" instantly transformed into the most ferocious offensive formation, and the "Strangulation Formation" was in full operation. It was no longer just about dividing and wearing down the enemy, but about launching a rapid pursuit and slaughter!

The spearmen thrust forward with all their might, impaling a string of fleeing soldiers with their backs turned; the axemen wielded their blades, hacking down staggering enemies as if chopping vegetables; the crossbowmen no longer held back their arrows, unleashing deadly volleys at the densest points of the fleeing crowd. Under the officers' command, the formation began to advance and compress forward at an unprecedented speed, like a giant iron plow, brutally ploughing through the scattered enemy ranks, leaving a trail of corpses in its wake.

On the right flank, the cavalry led by Helan Sou, who had been entangled with the remnants of Shi Biao's forces, saw the enemy's main force collapse and their morale soared. They launched a counterattack, completely defeating and scattering the two hundred Black Mountain cavalrymen who were already unsettled by the fall of their commander's flag.

The left-wing defensive squares also began to advance, coordinating with the main force to crush the fleeing soldiers attempting to escape from the flanks.

The most dazzling red figure on the battlefield—Murong Mingyue—after catching her breath and witnessing the rout of Han Meng's central army, did not hesitate for a moment. She mounted her horse, raised her blood-stained yet all the more menacing saber, and shouted at the remaining seventy or eighty exhausted but fanatical cavalrymen behind her:

"The enemy has collapsed! Follow me—pursue them in full retreat! Target—Han Meng and Shi Biao's remnants! Don't stop!"

"Chase!"

The thunderous sound of hooves rang out once more. This small but powerful cavalry force ignored the scattered infantry and, like a cheetah eyeing a wounded buffalo, relentlessly pursued Han Meng's retreating central army and Shi Biao's troops who were gathering their remaining forces and trying to stabilize their position. They launched a desperate pursuit, determined to wipe them out completely!

Shi Biao had barely managed to gather about two hundred cavalrymen, and was already furious at the collapse of his army and the fall of his flag. Seeing Han Meng's central army retreat first only fueled his anger, and he cursed wildly. He had wanted to reorganize his troops to see if he could salvage the situation or at least provide support for Han Meng, but Murong Mingyue's cavalry had already caught up with him like a persistent plague!

"Damn it! This is outrageous!" Shi Biao was furious, but looking at his terrified remnants of soldiers around him, and then at the overwhelming retreat of infantry in the distance and the surging counterattack of the Starfire Fortress infantry, his last shred of will to resist was extinguished by the cold reality. Staying here would only mean being surrounded by Starfire Fortress's infantry and cavalry, a dead end!

"Retreat! Retreat north! Rejoin General Han!" Shi Biao roared unwillingly, finally joining the fleeing ranks. His remaining "Iron Falcons" troops, no longer caring about their elite status, followed their commander, desperately whipping their warhorses and fleeing northwards for their lives.

Murong Mingyue led her troops in hot pursuit. Arrows flew continuously from behind, shooting down the lagging Black Mountain cavalry one by one. During the pursuit, they also frequently encountered large groups of scattered Black Mountain infantry. Often, a single swift charge and slash was enough to rout these terrified routs, sending them scattering in all directions, utterly unable to stop them.

The entire valley had become a battlefield of carnage, a scene of pursuit by the Starfire Fortress army and the rout of the Black Mountain army. Abandoned weapons and flags were everywhere, as were the dead and struggling wounded. Blood stained the yellow earth a dark red, and the pungent stench of blood and dust was nauseating. The Black Mountain army cried out in despair, wishing they had wings; the Starfire Fortress soldiers, on the other hand, were filled with unwavering morale, their battle cries echoing across the land.

Standing under the command flag, Chen Xing gazed at the grand scene of collapse and pursuit before him, and the tension that had gripped him for so long finally eased slightly. But he knew that this was far from the time to relax.

"Give the order!" he commanded in a deep voice. "Infantry formation, maintain formation, advance steadily, and disperse the fleeing enemy. Do not pursue them too haphazardly! Focus on clearing out the remaining enemy in the center and flanks of the battlefield, take in prisoners, and treat our wounded! Chen Wei, you will personally lead the team to clear the battlefield!"

"The mounted archer battalion," he added, gazing in the direction Murong Mingyue was pursuing, "use General Murong's pursuit as a springboard to expand our gains, but order her to limit the pursuit to twenty li (approximately 10 kilometers) and not to venture too deep, lest the enemy ambush or counterattack! It's getting late; we need to retreat promptly!"

"Yes, sir!" The messenger sped away.

As the sun set, it painted the blood-soaked battlefield with a poignant beauty. The Black Mountain Army's collapse was irreversibly sweeping deeper into the north. Meanwhile, Starfire Fortress, the newly forged sword, slowly sheathed itself, beginning to tally the spoils of this tragic yet glorious victory.