Wu Shuangren issued the order.
He was exhausted, but he couldn't stop to rest yet; there was still a lot of work waiting for him to do.
As long as he's there, he'll be the backbone of this team!
Before the battle began, Wu Shuangren and Xu Jing hid their warhorses in the bushes in front of and behind them respectively.
Although the fleeing enemy entered the forest from the middle section of the road, they might take a detour and run back onto the main road.
Fortunately, the hidden warhorses were not lost. Firstly, the fleeing enemy would have to take a long detour before daring to run back onto the official road; secondly, not everyone can ride a horse, and it is impossible to ride freely in the jungle, so leading the horse would only slow down the speed.
After confirming that the warhorse was alright, Wu Shuangren arranged for men to guard the prisoners, finish off the enemies who weren't quite dead, and remove the armor from the enemy corpses...
Finally, he also went to treat the wounded.
A guard in lamellar armor lay on the ground, stabbed in the neck, bleeding so much that he was beyond saving.
Wu Shuangren recognized this person; his name was Wu Mao, and he was a distant cousin.
When Wu Mao became a bodyguard, he was even whipped with a stick by Wu Shuangren during training.
Wu Shuangren crouched down and pressed on the wound on Wu Mao's neck. The man's eyes had been somewhat unfocused, but upon seeing Wu Shuangren, they refocused. "Commander... Commander..."
Wu Shuangren looked down at him and said in a deep voice, "Is there anything else you want to say?"
Wu Mao, his mouth agape, gasped for breath. "I... my home..."
Wu Shuangren: "Don't worry, they won't be shortchanged on any of the money and provisions they're owed!"
Wu Mao blinked, let out his last breath, looked up at the sky, and his voice trembled with tears:
"Father... Mother..."
He died completely.
Wu Shuangren squatted on the ground, keeping his hand pressed against the wound, and after a while he got up and walked toward the next wounded soldier.
One of the seriously wounded soldiers, unable to bear it any longer, pleaded, "Commander, give me a quick death!"
"Is there anything else you need to explain?"
"Give me a quick death!"
"Good."
Wu Shuangren then drew the Fish-Dragon Saber from his waist and plunged it into the opponent's heart...
Wu Shuangren personally saw off five of his personal guards.
Nearly half an hour later, the initial count of casualties was completed.
Twenty-three of Wu Shuangren's personal guards were killed in action, and eleven were seriously wounded.
The remaining militia members suffered 19 deaths and 8 serious injuries.
Although Wu Shuangren's personal guards were better equipped, with infantry armor and lamellar armor, they were at the forefront of the battle and bore the heaviest combat responsibilities, so they suffered greater casualties.
Of the more than 250 people in the team, 61 were killed or wounded, nearly 30%!
In reality, the hundred-man squad led by Wu Shuangren had been completely thrown into disarray by the end and was on the verge of collapse.
If the Mount Liang forces had held out a little longer, or if not so many of the hundred-man squad had been wearing lamellar armor, the militia would have been the first to collapse!
Accompanying Wu Shuangren in this ambush were his personal guards, militiamen from the First Battalion of the First Battalion, and dozens of elite soldiers drawn from various battalions.
They are the most elite group in the entire regiment!
Some of these people experienced the initial battle where they ambushed the Mist Hidden Temple cavalry outside Bo County, the bloody battle of West River Market, and the ambush on the Grand Canal... but today they are forever left on this official road.
"The soldiers you've brought are elite, even by military standards."
Xu Jing walked over and said to Wu Shuangren.
Wu Shuangren shook his head; he knew that not the entire regiment possessed such combat strength.
Not to mention that armor could not be universally adopted, the 'data' from this battle was not applicable to the main force.
A few elite troops can continue fighting despite high casualty rates, but if we look at a training group of more than two thousand people, it is likely that they will collapse if they suffer casualties of nearly 10%.
"My father used to tell me that the true spirit of a warrior lies in breaking through enemy lines and slaying unparalleled enemies on the battlefield!"
Xu Jing said to Wu Shuangren, "You've really shown me something today."
He insisted on joining the ambush, initially not believing there was any chance of victory. It was only after learning that Yi Prefecture City had fallen into the hands of the bandits, and remembering that his third uncle, Xu Dengyun, might have already died for his country, that he refused to fall behind.
I never imagined we could actually win this battle!
Who goes there!
As the two were talking, a shout suddenly came from the jungle.
"Sir, don't attack! We are from the Rong Province Militia!"
Someone shouted from the jungle.
Wu Shuangren and Xu Jing exchanged a glance.
Xu Jing had sent people to keep watch around the perimeter; it seemed the other party had come looking for them.
"Let them come over."
Wu Shuangren gave the order.
Soon, a group of militiamen, leading five men, emerged from the jungle and headed towards Wu Shuangren.
The five men were all wearing leather armor, but they were not carrying any weapons.
After they approached, they looked at Xu Jing and Wu Shuangren, and finally bowed to Xu Jing in unison.
"This humble servant greets the General. May I ask if you are the Assistant Commander of Yi Province?"
Xu Jing looked at Wu Shuangren beside him with a strange expression.
Wu Shuangren had already taken off his helmet and looked so young that the Rong Province Militia members all thought that Xu Jing beside him was the one in charge.
In their view, a mere two hundred men dared to ambush six thousand troops and even win the battle, so they must be the government troops from Yi Province, and the elite of the elite!
The leader is very likely the military commander of Yi Province!
"We are not government troops, but local militia from Yi Province."
Wu Shuangren spoke up, "What do you want?"
The five people looked at each other in Wu Shuangren.
Isn't this young man the one in charge?
And these people weren't government troops; they were local militia members just like us?
Are you kidding me? When did local militias get so many armored vehicles? And their combat power is so terrifying?!
For a moment, the five people stood there, stunned, unable to utter a word.
These Rong Province Militia were coerced by the Mount Liang forces and forced to join them in attacking Yi Province. Now, they were defeated halfway through the campaign, losing all their supplies and provisions, and even if they wanted to escape back to Rong Province, they couldn't.
However, they did not want to continue following the Mount Liang rebels, so they had no choice but to take the initiative to find these "government troops" on the official road, hoping to abandon the darkness and turn to the light.
Unexpectedly, they also recruited a group of trainees.
How many more people can you gather?
Wu Shuangren took the initiative to ask.
One of the five men, who appeared relatively quick-witted, said, "We consist of five different militias; we can easily gather one or two thousand men."
Wu Shuangren nodded and said solemnly, "We are acting on the orders of Governor Lu Hongjian of Yi Province, and we will be returning to Yi Province soon. If you are willing to come with us, I can ask Governor Lu for a job for you so that you can make amends and clear your names."
Xu Jing glanced at him, somewhat surprised, but with admiration in his eyes.
The five leaders of the Rong Province Militia quickly discussed the matter and reached a consensus:
"Alright, sir, we are willing to go with you to Yi Province to atone for our mistakes!"
When Wu Shuangren and his men finished their ambush on the official road, the battle Yi Prefecture City also came to an end.
The fighting within the city lasted for nearly two hours. Eventually, all shouts of battle ceased to be heard, with only occasional screams or pleas for mercy coming from a few places.
After entering the city, the Mount Liang troops and the martial monks of Mist Hidden Temple immediately split into several groups and rushed towards the other three city gates.
Lin Qian galloped alone through the streets, charging through any groups of soldiers who resisted, his spear flashing like a dragon, utterly crushing them!
Liang An led a group of people to the government office first, blocking the officials inside the gate.
Although Lu Hongjian, Xu Dengyun, and the Xu Family had previously joined forces to suppress the Mist Hidden Temple's forces within the city, the Mist Hidden Temple had been operating in the city for many years and still had a considerable number of people they could mobilize.
The group quickly captured key locations such as the granary and armory.
Only after they had completely taken control of Yi Prefecture City did Zhigang, Liang An, and Lin Qian lead their men towards the governor's mansion.
Ciwen also went; he was still wearing his infantry armor, but he had removed his helmet.
The group arrived outside the governor's mansion, where Ciwen immediately ordered his men to surround the area, preventing anyone inside from escaping.
The governor's mansion was tightly shut.
"Break through!"
Liang An gave the order.
Soon, the door was forced open, and the crowd filed in.
Lu Hongjian was already seated in the main seat of the central hall, wearing a blue official robe, with his hands on his knees and his back straight.
His hair and beard were white, but there was no fear on his face.
The group entered the main hall without any hindrance and were somewhat surprised to see Lu Hongjian sitting in the main seat.
Liang An sneered and had two wooden boxes delivered to Lu Hongjian.
The wooden box was placed on the ground. When it was opened, it contained the heads of Xu Rangzheng and Cheng Yi!
Xu Rangzheng's eyes were not closed. Cheng Yi had a very deep cut on her face, running from her eyebrow all the way to her chin.
Lu Hongjian looked at the two severed heads, his eyes filled with sorrow, and the muscles on his face twitched slightly, but he remained seated.
"You corrupt official! Even on your deathbed, you're still putting on airs. Why don't you kneel down before us?"
A leader from Mount Liang pointed at Lu Hongjian and cursed him.
Lu Hongjian coldly glanced at the man. "I am the governor of a prefecture appointed by the imperial court. I kneel to heaven and earth, to the emperor, and to my parents, but I will not kneel to you traitors!"
Liang An listened without getting angry, but instead smiled. He slowly walked forward and stopped five steps away from Lu Hongjian:
"You're bolder than that governor of Rong Province. When the city fell, he ran away without even putting on his shoes. Unfortunately, he was unlucky; our brothers caught up with him and hacked him to pieces!"
"Now I'll give you a chance. Write a letter saying that the emperor is tyrannical and the court is corrupt, and that you are willing to open the city gates to welcome us, the righteous men of Mount Liang, so that we can take over Yi Province. You are a civil official, so you must be a good writer. If you write this letter well, I might consider sparing your life."
As he spoke, Liang An took out several sheets of paper from his bosom and said with a mocking smile, "Your Prefect, Chief Clerk, and Military Advisor of Yi Province have all written letters. I'd like to see whose writing is better."
Lu Hongjian looked at Liang An and sneered, "You scoundrel, you probably haven't read many books. No matter how well I write, can you tell whether I'm criticizing you or praising you?"
Liang An's expression finally turned cold.
He turned to the men behind him and ordered, "Go and tie up his entire family. I want to skin them alive, one by one, in front of him! Let's see if he can still talk back!"
Lin Qian, standing behind him, frowned upon hearing this, wanting to say something, but the people outside, having heard Liang An's order, had already turned around to arrest the person.
A moment later, one of the subordinates who went to arrest the man ran back and whispered a few words in Liang An's ear. Liang An's expression immediately changed.
He turned to look at Lu Hongjian, a look of surprise appearing in his eyes for the first time. "You poisoned your whole family?"
These words sent a chill down the spines of everyone present!
They had seen many officials who were greedy for life and afraid of death, and who preyed on the people. But this was the first time they had ever seen someone like Lu Hongjian who made his whole family commit suicide by poison before the enemy arrived!
Lu Hongjian said nothing, only looking at Liang An and the others with contempt.
For some reason, Liang An was completely enraged by that look, and he suddenly drew his sword and charged at Lu Hongjian!
"Brother Liang!"
Zhigang and Lin Qian spoke at the same time.
Lin Qian stepped forward, reaching out to stop Liang An, the blade hovering an inch in front of Lu Hongjian's forehead.
Seeing Liang An charging at him with his sword drawn, Lu Hongjian showed no fear; instead, he sat up even straighter. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but before his lips could move, a mouthful of black blood gushed from his throat.