"Tell them the Hejian Army has already left, and I'm preparing to leave too."
Once Zhang Shiyu, draped in his cloak, grasped what had happened, he issued an order before everyone in a furious fluster. "Tell them not to come over. Turn straight around. If they're worried the Exorcising the Dragon rebels will cross the river in pursuit, head north and meet us at Rao'an! We need to leave too. Head north before the Exorcising the Dragon rebels come up. No more delays!"
Understanding dawned on the messenger, and he hurried away.
There was nothing wrong with this military order. At this moment, from Zhang Shiyu's understanding of the situation, this was precisely what he should do. No one could fault it.
But when Zhang Shiyu gave that order, he never imagined that Dou Lide, standing at the very back of the hall, had come with every intention of feigning surrender... This was no ordinary man. The middle-aged man, who looked so honest and simple that he might have been an old farmer, was one of those so-called heroes of troubled times. Before the realm fell into disorder, he had already enjoyed playing the timely rain that relieved men in distress. After he rose in rebellion, his family had been slaughtered until only a daughter and a distant nephew remained. He was determined to accomplish great things, the sort who hoped to turn clouds into rain with a flip of his hand.
In fact, the situation was very similar to when Xue Changxiong had chosen to withdraw earlier.
Rationally, there was nothing wrong with that either. The Exorcising the Dragon Army had appeared far too confident, far too resolute, and Hejian Grand Camp had already lost those ten thousand men at the outset. With the enemy's situation unclear, they should