By daybreak, the government army had already burst apart like a breached dike. Thousands threw away helmets and armor and fled their camp, scrambling east along the route they had taken the day before.
It caught everyone off guard.
That went without saying for the government forces. Zhao Xingmi had originally still been able to hold his own, but the inexplicable collapse of the army below immediately left Wu Changzai chasing him down. With Wu Changzai's battle-mad temperament, how could he possibly let him off? Meanwhile, the Exorcising the Dragon Army cavalry who had just broken into the enemy camp were actually caught inside it, unable to regroup quickly enough to pursue across the open ground outside.
Liu Heigun, who had penetrated the camp fastest and deepest, cursed their mothers in fury.
Meanwhile, on the northern bank of the Bian River, Zhang Xing and the others were mostly left gaping, at a loss when they heard the news from the front.
Even Xu Shiying, who had previously laid out their respective advantages and disadvantages and pointed out that the rank-and-file soldiers of the Jiangdu-Xuzhou Army were more likely to collapse in this extreme
weather, was somewhat flustered now.
How could Xu Dalang possibly have known that the Condensing the Core experts, already free of the weather's effects, had been the first to retreat?
After recovering his wits, Xu Shiying instead sought out Zhang Xing, who sat blankly by the bank in the river breeze, and spoke earnestly. "Chief! You mustn't underestimate the heroes of the world just because we won one battle! The weather broke them, not our own abilities!"
"I know." Zhang Xing came back to himself and answered seriously from where he sat. "I know."
Xu Dalang relaxed a little.
Then Zhang Xing asked him, "What should we