King Huan lost his power and humiliated his country, and wanted to cede territory in exchange for what he thought was peace.
This is naive in the extreme.
After the Ghost Clan gained Zhenyang, they would only strengthen their rule over Huan Di and treat all the people within their jurisdiction as slaves.
To put it bluntly, in the Ghost King's heart, King Huan is now a puppet to be supported.
As for Xiang Ge, there was no delay after receiving Wang Ling, because he himself was already scared by the ghost army.
The military headquarters of the Huan Army was located in Zhenyang Mansion. As the commander-in-chief's military order was issued, large numbers of soldiers began to march from the city and retreat urgently.
On the street, more and more people gathered after hearing this news.
People didn't know what was going on. They stood on both sides, watching the retreating troops, and couldn't help but talk about it.
"The ghost army is approaching, why did our army suddenly retreat?"
"Who knows, is our country planning to abandon Zhenyang..."
"For alien invasion, our soldiers will retreat without a fight..."
"What will we do if this ghost army comes?"
The people's comments reached their ears, and Huan's soldiers were silent all the way.
As soldiers, they have the heart to protect their home and country, but military orders have been issued and they can only obey them.
A general riding a war horse could not help but approach a general. Looking at the people gathered on both sides, with doubtful expressions and expectant eyes on their faces, he said in a trembling voice: "General, we are here. As a soldier, do you really have to ignore these people?"
"I...I don't know." The general could only choose to remain silent.
At the same time, the commander's military orders were also spread to all parts of the front line.
The command office is in Zhenyang Mansion, but there is naturally a military fortress in front, with small units forming defensive positions.
After receiving the order, the frontline troops were reluctant but unable to disobey the order and moved one after another. But there was one person who refused to withdraw.
This person's name is Yan Zheng, and he is currently the captain of the Eighth Formation of the Huan Army Infantry. His previous task was to lead the headquarters to intercept the ghost army at the South Pass, thirty miles away from Zhenyang, in order to prevent the ghost army from suddenly bypassing Zhenyang. Finally, cooperate with the strategic purpose of the entire line of defense.
Now, after receiving Xiang Ge's order to retreat the entire army, Yan Zheng was furious and crumpled the silk book into a ball: "What kind of bullshit order is this!"
There were several thousand captains in the tent. Seeing this, they couldn't help but look at each other. One of them said: "General, why are you so angry?"
Yan Zheng took a deep breath to calm down, but he was still angry and dissatisfied: "Shuai Xiang ordered the entire line to retreat. All units have already moved, and ordered our troops to retreat to Zhenyang tomorrow morning."
"What?" The captains didn't respond.
Others were dumbfounded and said: "Isn't this...this battle going to start?"
"Is our army going to retreat again?"
Hearing this, Yan Zheng became angry again and said sternly: "Guangyuan is lost! Liaoyang is lost! Lianzhou is lost too! Hundreds of thousands of troops have retreated again and again! Now we have to give up Zhenyang! This is simply unreasonable. !”
"When the ghost army retreats and enters the city, hundreds of thousands of Li people will suffer! It's not the fault that our Huan Army officers and soldiers dare not fight! It's because the higher-ups are so weak!"
He was extremely angry, and there was a lot of disrespect in his words.
When all the captains heard this, they were all startled. Someone quickly said: "General, calm down, be careful, the walls have ears."
"Hmph!" Yan Zheng sneered: "I don't care about this anymore! After this alien invasion, I have seen the imperial court clearly! I have seen the summit clearly! Are my soldiers afraid to fight? It's those senior generals who dare not fight ! It’s those ministers who don’t dare to fight!”
"If our people dare to fight, it won't stop here!"
"How dare you, little ghost clan, come to attack!"
"As a soldier, we should protect our family and the country! But now, there is an order from above, asking us to hand over our country to others! The people who are protecting us will be given to the ghost tribe as slaves!"
"Aren't their evil deeds enough? How many innocent girls from our clan are in purgatory every day!"
He shouted angrily, and several captains were also aroused.
After taking a few breaths, Yan Zheng looked around again and made an immediate decision: "We must withdraw! They withdraw! As a general of the Huan Army, I will defend the country to the death! Even if I am wrapped in horse leather, it is my honor!"
"But this...is disobeying military orders, General..." Someone said worriedly.
"So what!? It's okay not to accept this kind of military order!" Yan Zheng glared.
"But...but even if we don't withdraw, we only have five thousand soldiers. How can we resist the ghost army?"
"Don't say five thousand, just five hundred! There are only five people! I have decided on this battle!"
Yan Zheng is a man in his thirties, a righteous man, and an absolutely bloody man. However, because of his poor background, he has been ostracized by the top brass of the military.
Now, he refused to retreat. As the highest officer of the headquarters, he ordered to hold on. At the same time, he summoned the army, mobilized all, and told the soldiers about the determination and significance of this battle.
In the military camp, all the officers and soldiers at Nanguan Pass gathered together. Their military appearance was neat and tidy, their backs were straight, and their eyes were focused on Yan Zheng.
The latter was dressed in armor and had a sword hanging on his waist. He was walking back and forth in front of him, shouting loudly at the same time:
"Brothers! Look behind you! It's your brothers and sisters! And your parents, wives and children!"
"Now, the ghost tribe is killing our compatriots! Trampling on our homeland!"
"As soldiers! It is our honor to defend our country and shed blood on the battlefield!"
"Anyone can retreat! But we can't!"
"Because once we retreat, hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens will die in our wake!!"
"In this battle, there is a huge disparity in strength between the enemy and ours! I know that we cannot hold on if we insist on holding on!"
"But if we hold on for one more day, we will give our compatriots behind us one more day to evacuate!"
"Even if we fight to the last minute! I, Yan Zheng! I will advance and retreat together with my brothers!"
The hometowns of many of these generals, and these soldiers, have now been occupied by the ghost tribe, and their parents, wives, and children have all died tragically.
The hatred of the family and the country came together, and the blood was ignited. I don’t know who was the first to shout:
"The ghost clan has no conscience! It is unbearable to bully our nation like this!"
"Damn it! Kill one and you'll get enough! Kill two and you'll earn a profit! Let's fight them!"
"I am willing to follow the general and protect our family and country!"
"I am willing to follow the general and protect my family and country——"
The shouts shook the sky and lasted for a long time.
The officers and men of the Huan Army actually dared to fight, but their superiors were too weak and incompetent.
Yan Zheng defied the orders above and decided to hold on. At the same time, he also sent people to notify the people of Zhenyang to evacuate quickly, because his own side did not have much time to buy them.
At this point, the news that the Huan army retreated and retreated to Zhenyang spread quickly. For a time, the people were panicked. Countless people were frightened, began to pack up their belongings, and moved their families to seek refuge.
