Why had Murong Xiong led his troops out of the city for a surprise attack? The answer lay an hour earlier.
"Xie Lihu, Murong Kang, the rebel offensive is fierce. We cannot passively defend the city like this," Murong Xiong shouted in exasperation at Xie Lihu and Murong Kang. The allied forces of the Donghai Army and Zhen Aoren had already reached the city walls.
Xie Lihu and Murong Kang still had a considerable number of troops.
Murong Kang glanced at Xie Lihu, who in turn looked at Murong Qing as she approached.
"I know nothing of warfare. Everything is up to you," Murong Qing said indifferently.
With the allied forces about to storm the city walls, Murong Qing remained remarkably composed, earning admiration.
"Prince Runan, the Right Worthy King and I are tasked with guarding the Empress Dowager and His Majesty. How about you lead troops out of the city to flank the rebels?" Xie Lihu nodded and said to Murong Xiong.
"I..." Murong Xiong wanted to refuse but could find no valid reason, so he nodded. "This King can lead troops out of the city, but what about the support...?"
Everyone knew that staying within the city walls offered far greater safety. A sortie to attack and halt the allied offensive was extremely dangerous. A single mistake could lead to the annihilation of his entire army, or at the very least, severe damage to his forces. In these turbulent times, troops were the foundation of one's existence. With a powerful army, one commanded respect.
Xie Lihu's intention was crystal clear: he wanted Murong Xiong to lead his troops out, thereby depleting his Runan forces. If Murong Xiong succeeded and repelled the allied forces, it would naturally be a good outcome, and depleting his forces would be even better. If he failed, he would still deplete the allied forces' strength and simultaneously resolve the trouble of Murong Xiong holding the court hostage with his troops.
However, Murong Xiong's prompt agreement also had his own calculations.
If he couldn't win, couldn't he at least flee?
Rather than cowering in Youzhou City waiting to die, it was better to charge out and fight. If he couldn't win, he could escape. He could escape far away, far from this place of trouble, and wait for the allied forces and the imperial army to engage in a bitter struggle, then reap the benefits.
In fact, at this moment, Youzhou City still held a considerable number of troops from the Yan Dynasty and Murong Xiong's Runan Army, outnumbering the allied forces outside the city. If they could act in unison, they would surely defeat the allied forces outside the city, or at least defend themselves, and Youzhou City would remain as stable as Mount Tai.
But now, with internal strife and scheming, the battlefield situation grew increasingly dire.
"Prince Runan, rest assured. This King will immediately organize his troops and personally lead them out to provide support," Murong Kang said with great satisfaction, patting his chest and readily agreeing.
Thus, the Prince of Runan led his troops out through the secret gate of Youzhou City.
With a loud "bang!", the heavy gate closed after the Runan troops exited the city.
Let them fend for themselves...
And so, the scene from before unfolded.
...
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Prince Runan Murong Xiong's plan was to charge the allied forces and then turn to escape before they could react.
But plans were just plans, and your plan was not the same as others'.
How could the allied forces of the Donghai Army and Zhen Aoren not guard against an attack from the Youzhou Yan Army?
When Murong Xiong led his remaining eighty thousand troops out for a surprise attack, the allied forces temporarily retreated, but soon they regrouped and surrounded him. Murong Xiong then attempted to escape, but his retreat was cut off by an ambush from the allied forces, who had also set numerous traps. Murong Xiong was soon surrounded by the allied forces of the Donghai Army and Zhen Aoren.
The allied ambushers poured out from all directions, engulfing the Runan troops. Facing them was Zhen Aoren's force of over five thousand men.
The more than five thousand Zhen Aoren soldiers were disheveled, with bushy eyebrows and broad noses. Beneath their thick brows were eyes that gleamed with ferocity. Their beards were like wild grass, and their heads were adorned with either ox-horn helmets, iron rings, or nothing at all, just greasy bald heads. Their chain mail, leather armor, and beast-hide armor were insufficient to cover their bodies, revealing their strong muscles.
Zhen Aoren's appearance was exceedingly fierce, sending shivers down one's spine.
The more than five thousand Zhen Aoren soldiers, armed with a motley assortment of weapons including axes, blades, bronze staffs, fish forks, and chains, slowly advanced towards the Runan Army with ferocious smiles, accompanied by the sound of drums and horns.
"King of Donghai, esteemed brother..." In his panic, Murong Xi, from afar, spotted Murong Hong hiding behind the formation and shouted, "I bear you no enmity, why do you press me so relentlessly? Spare me today, and brother will surely repay you handsomely in the future!"
If he could win, he would fight; if he couldn't, he would flee. If he couldn't escape, he would beg for mercy and wait for a later opportunity. This was Murong Xiong's consistent strategy.
"What is brother saying?" Murong Hong also shouted in response. "How am I pressing you? You lived a carefree life in Runan, why did you have to wade into the muddy waters of the capital? Here's how it is, I won't press you today either. Heh heh, leave your troops behind, and you can return alone. I will not stop you. How about that?"
Without troops, one was like a plucked chicken, at the mercy of others. Murong Hong understood this, and how could Murong Xiong not?
Murong Xiong was furious. He reined in his horse, turned, and roared at his subordinates, "Today I am in a desperate situation. Only by fighting our way out can we survive! Kill! Fight your way out! Carve a bloody path back to Runan, and this King will reward you handsomely!"
At this moment, Murong Xiong truly felt some regret. Just as Murong Hong had said, life in Runan was carefree and pleasant; why did he have to get involved in the capital's troubles?
But it was too late. Murong Xiong had been surrounded by Murong Hong, and how could Murong Hong let him escape easily? He would be stripped to the bone, if not killed.
It was all because of excessive greed that he had harmed the life of his beloved!
"Kill! Kill! Kill your way out!"
"Kill these bastards and leave none alive!"
Upon receiving the order, Murong Xiong's two thousand plus cavalry drew their sabers and charged forward. Murong Xiong directed the main body of his army to follow closely, aiming to carve a bloody path, break through the encirclement, and return to the Runan base camp to regroup and plan for the future.
The hundred thousand troops Murong Xiong boasted of were, in reality, at their most elite with his five thousand Runan cavalry. The rest were merely auxiliary troops, supply troops, support troops, and so on, along with many ordinary civilians forced to join. Their combat effectiveness was naturally questionable. Therefore, as long as his five thousand Runan cavalry were defeated, the rest would scatter like birds and beasts.
Even so, even in this critical moment, Murong Xiong was reluctant to commit all his elite troops, sending only two thousand cavalry as the vanguard, keeping the remaining elites to protect him.
Without a full-force charge, how could they break through the encirclement? Hesitating at a critical juncture, how could they not fail?
"Hiss... hiss... hiss..."
"Whoosh!"
"Thump!"
The whistling sound of arrows piercing the air was incessant. Countless knights, struck by arrows, fell from their horses. Yet, more Runan cavalry charged forward, brandishing their sabers. But as they approached the allied forces, a huge horse-trapping pit suddenly appeared on the ground. In the darkness, the vast pit was like a monstrous beast with its mouth agape, continuously swallowing the charging Runan cavalry.
And the traps prepared by the allied forces for the Runan Army were not limited to the horse-trapping pit.
After the Runan cavalry fell into the horse-trapping pit, the allied archers, spearmen, Zhen Aoren soldiers, and others swarmed upon them like madmen, firing arrows and slashing furiously.
After one volley, over a hundred Runan cavalry met their demise. Those Runan cavalry who fell into the pit but survived struggled desperately, but soon they also perished within the pit.
The remaining cavalry continued to fight desperately, also killing countless allied soldiers and Zhen Aoren soldiers around the horse-trapping pit.
The ferocious Zhen Aoren soldiers, facing the charging Runan cavalry, first hurled their fish forks. The fish forks whistled through the air, and upon landing, impaled rows of Runan cavalry. Zhen Aoren then wielded axes, blades, and bronze staffs to engage the charging cavalry.
With a thunderous "boom!", the soldiers of both sides collided. Countless Zhen Aoren soldiers were sent flying by the galloping warhorses. However, the ferocious Zhen Aoren soldiers were fearless and did not retreat, hacking, stabbing, or dragging Runan cavalry from their horses. Wielding their weapons, they slaughtered them madly and with extreme cruelty, severing heads and fastening them to their waists, or holding them high to intimidate the enemy.
The charge of the Runan cavalry was like crashing into a frenzied wild beast. The impact of the warhorses was immense, but the ferocious Zhen Aoren soldiers were fearless. In an instant, countless allied soldiers and Zhen Aoren soldiers were sent flying and perished on the spot. Even those charging cavalry, despite their efforts to dodge and sweep, still lost many lives on the spot.
Such scenes were constantly replaying on the battlefield!
The vast battlefield was littered with the corpses of Runan cavalry, Zhen Aoren soldiers, and allied forces. Blood flowed like a river, heads rolled, and screams and roars echoed incessantly.
This scene, even the usually calm Murong Xiong, was shaken to his core. Xie Lihu, Murong Kang, and others watching from the Youzhou city walls turned ashen-faced. Even the perpetually composed Murong Qing trembled slightly and, escorted by several eunuchs, covered her face and descended from the city tower, not out of inability to bear it, but out of fear of seeing more.
To sally forth and provide support? At this moment, how could Xie Lihu, Murong Kang, and the others dare to leave the city to support? Moreover, their goal was for Murong Xiong and his Runan Army to be annihilated.
As for what would happen after Murong Xiong's defeat, that was a matter for later consideration.
The Yan soldiers watching from the city walls also trembled. Most of them were pampered youths from the capital, accustomed to bullying ordinary citizens and appearing heroic, but they had never witnessed such a bloody slaughter!
No matter how terrified Murong Xiong was, at this moment, there was no retreat. He could only drive the Runan soldiers to engage in a desperate struggle with the allied forces of the Donghai Army and Zhen Aoren, fighting to break through the encirclement.
The two sides became entangled, fighting desperately until dawn.
Murong Xiong, defeated, managed to escape the encirclement with less than ten thousand men and fled in disarray back to Runan.