“What’s that sound of shouting?”
Just as Lu Shinang was feeling worried, contemplating what his next move should be.
Suddenly, he heard a series of intense shouts coming from outside the tent.
“General, bad news! The Song army is attempting a surprise attack!”
“What are you saying? Where are the men we dispatched? Are they all dead?”
Upon hearing this from his subordinate, Lu Shinang’s lungs nearly exploded with rage.
To guard against a Song army raid, he had sent out over 400 scouts just that night.
If it were only one or two men, perhaps they could have been deceived, but with so many, how could they all have been fooled by the Song army?
“These Song soldiers are attacking from the rear, General! Hurry and think of a plan, they’ve already broken into the camp!”
“You son of Lu, your grandpa is here to take your head! Come out quickly and accept your death!” Wang Bing himself never expected their surprise attack to go so smoothly.
They had already fought their way into the rebel camp, yet these rebels hadn't even discovered their presence.
He had been cautious and meticulous every step of the way.
However, only upon finally entering the main camp did he realize that Lu Shinang hadn't placed a single scout along their advance route.
“Damn it, this is too much! Fetch my saber!”
Hearing Wang Bing’s raspy voice, Lu Shinang was utterly infuriated.
“General, you must retreat! The Song army is heading straight for the central army!”
Before the man sent to fetch his weapon had even returned, several soldiers rushed in from outside.
“Nonsense! I still have nearly twenty thousand troops! How many men does their Mingzhou city have in total? Organize the army and fight back!”
Lu Shinang didn’t hesitate, kicking out. If the men around him weren’t all carefully selected elites, he would have already beheaded the subordinate.
“But General, their advance speed is far too rapid. If we don’t leave now, it might be too late!”
As the guard spoke, he strategically placed his right hand on his saber hilt while kneeling on one knee.
“Advancing too fast? What are you eating?”
The enraged Lu Shinang, of course, had no time to notice such a subtle movement.
“I’m fucking your mother!”
Just as Lu Shinang was about to step forward and kick him again, the soldier who had been kneeling before him suddenly drew the saber at his waist, and with a swift reverse cut, severed Lu Shinang’s head.
“Wang Meng, Captain of the Great Song Victorious Army, is here! Those who are not afraid of death, come forth!”
After decapitating Lu Shinang, the personal guard who had been kneeling dropped the hat from his head, revealing his face covered in a full beard.
His rough dialect instantly stunned the remaining soldiers in the tent.
While they were dazed, Wang Meng was not. In the moment of their astonishment, Lao Meng and the soldier who had been kneeling beside him immediately swung their sabers, swiftly dispatching all the remaining rebel soldiers in the tent.
“Lu Shinang is dead! Those who surrender on their knees will be spared. Those who resist will be killed without mercy!”
After dealing with the rebels, Wang Meng immediately picked up Lu Shinang’s head, removed his rough outer garment, revealing his brand-new Song army uniform.
“Lu Shinang is dead! Those who surrender on their knees will be spared. Those who resist will be killed without mercy!”
“Lu Shinang is dead! Those who surrender on their knees will be spared. Those who resist will be killed without mercy!”
“Lu Shinang is dead! Those who surrender on their knees will be spared. Those who resist will be killed without mercy!”
Upon hearing Wang Meng’s shouts, the Song soldiers who followed behind him also began to roar in unison.
Wang Bing, mounted on his horse, excitedly rode forward and with a single saber stroke, cut down Lu Shinang’s newly erected command flag.
With Lu Shinang’s death and the fall of the flag, the rebels’ defeat was sealed.
Even Wang Bing himself hadn’t expected things to proceed so smoothly.
A captain with a few soldiers had audaciously infiltrated the rebel central command camp.
And Lu Shinang, the prime instigator, had met such a baffling end at Wang Meng’s blade…
However, this was no time for contemplation.
After verifying Lu Shinang’s head, Wang Bing immediately led his soldiers to continue their relentless slaughter throughout the rebel camp.
In mere moments, the rebel camp descended into utter chaos.
“Kill–”
“The Heavenly Army of the Great Song is here! Why do you not surrender quickly!”
As the rebel soldiers fled like headless flies, the gates of Mingzhou city burst open. Following this, Han Shizhong, leading three thousand troops, charged into the rebel camp like tigers unleashed from their cages.
Caught in a pincer attack, countless fleeing rebel soldiers promptly threw down their weapons and knelt on the ground to surrender.
As dawn broke, Han Mo finally received the news of the Song army’s great victory.
“Issue an order for the citizens in the city to assist the officers in clearing the battlefield and to promptly tend to the wounded! Furthermore, from this moment on, all subsequent matters will be handled by Li Yueyang!”
Exhaling a long sigh, Han Mo suddenly spoke.
“Yes, sir!”
Although Jiang Yan didn’t know why Han Mo was doing this, he wisely asked no questions.
“With such a golden opportunity, why give it to Li Yueyang? Even if you don't want to get your hands dirty, must you hand over such a hard-earned merit to that corrupt official?”
After Jiang Yan left, Shao Bowen grumbled.
“After all, those people are rebels. If I were to act, I would always find it difficult to be so ruthless. It’s better to let Li Yueyang handle it…”
Taking a deep breath, Han Mo said with a wry smile.
“You really are…”
Hearing Han Mo’s words, Shao Bowen’s face once again showed a hint of a bitter smile.
But upon closer reflection, it seemed to be the case.
Compared to Li Yueyang, Han Mo’s heart was indeed not hard enough.
Although these prisoners of war were ordinary people before, they had participated in the Battle of Mingzhou.
Moreover, they had inflicted considerable casualties on the city’s military and civilians.
From any perspective, Han Mo had no reason to spare them, yet when it came to raising his saber against them, Han Mo himself couldn’t overcome his own scruples.
“There aren’t many subjects of the Great Song to begin with. If you kill five thousand today, and he kills ten thousand tomorrow, killing back and forth, until in the end, after this rebellion is over, will there be anyone left alive in Jiangnan?”
Looking at the bitter smile on Shao Bowen’s face, Han Mo couldn’t help but laugh self-deprecatingly.