Chapter 222 Sun Wanrong's Defeat

Long before Yi Yuanyu was ambushed and killed, Xiaomei retreated from Pingzhou City and returned to Xiao Qingfang.

Xiao Qingfang was still full of confidence at that time, thinking that she could achieve something tonight, until she met Xiaomei.

"Xiaomei, why are you back? Have you succeeded in the city?" Xiao Qingfang quickly grabbed Xiaomei's hand and asked.

Xiaomei looked anxious: "Di Renjie and Zhao Ji have returned to Pingzhou, Zong Huaichang and his people have been arrested!"

These words were like a bolt from the blue. Xiao Qingfang was so shocked that she couldn't help but fall into the chair, her face dull and stupid.

"How could this happen? Su Xianer! I want you to die!" Xiao Qingfang screamed hysterically.

Seeing this, Xiaomei quickly comforted her: "Sister, now is not the time to pursue this. We need to think of a solution."

After this reminder, Xiao Qingfang quickly cheered up: "There is still a chance, go find Sun Wanrong and persuade him to return to the army, and make long-term plans!"

However, Xiaomei pulled her sleeve tightly and said anxiously: "It's too late, sister! The Khitan's vanguard may have been ambushed and is in great danger."

"Let's go find Sun Wanrong now. He won't let us go! Also, Xian'er has joined Di Renjie. If our plan fails, this place won't be safe anymore."

These words were like a wake-up call. Xiao Qingfang woke up as if from a dream. She suddenly held Xiaomei's hand and said, "Xiaomei, I'm relying on you. Notify everyone to evacuate Pingzhou and return to Luoyang. No! Return to the headquarters!"

Seeing that Xiao Qingfang had been persuaded, Xiao Mei felt relieved and nodded heavily: "I'll arrange it right away!"
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On the other side of the battlefield, Zhou army's offensive did not leave Sun Wanrong much time to breathe.

Just as Sun Wanrong was sighing to the sky, the situation took a turn for the worse.

Those Khitan fleeing soldiers who were deliberately led by Zhao Ji actually became the vanguard of the Zhou army and broke up the formation of the main Khitan force in the dark night.

The news of the vanguard's defeat also spread to the main force of the Khitan army along with the fleeing soldiers. Coupled with the long journey and forced marches for several days, the morale of the main force of the Khitan army was greatly reduced.

At this time, the Zhou army led by Xiao Bao followed suit and collided with Sun Wanrong's main force.

For a moment, arrows rained down and the Zhou army's shouts of killing shook the sky.

In the darkness, the Khitan army found it difficult to accurately judge the true size and movements of the Zhou army. Panic and anxiety quickly spread among the army, and the entire line was immediately shaken.

"Khan, the Zhou army is coming. Should we take shelter from the enemy for a while?" The Khitan general Luo Wuzheng rode his horse to Sun Wanrong's side and asked anxiously.

Sun Wanrong gritted his teeth and said, "We can't retreat. If we retreat, everything will be over. You lead the troops to charge forward. The Zhou army may not have many people. Only by charging back can we turn defeat into victory!"

Sun Wanrong may not know the story of Fu Jian's Battle of Feishui, but he more or less understood that a retreat under this circumstance would probably soon turn into a defeat, which would be a disaster.

Upon hearing this, Luo Wuzheng rode away at full speed, vowing to hold his ground.

Although the Zhou army was not at an advantage in numbers, they were well-rested and their morale was boosted after a short victory. They actually formed a stalemate with the Khitan army, which had come from afar and had low morale.

Sun Wanrong keenly caught this subtle change. He brandished his knife and laughed wildly: "They are few in number and can't hold out for much longer. Charge and kill them all!"

So the Khitan army, under the command of Sun Wanrong, rushed towards the Zhou army.

At this critical moment, sparks of fire appeared on the east side of the Khitan army. Zhao Ji led his men from the east and attacked the flank of the Khitan army.

"Khan, it's bad, another group of Zhou troops is coming from the east!" A guard came to report in panic.

Sun Wanrong's wild laughter came to an abrupt end, but at this moment he was already in a desperate situation. He had no other choice but to hold on: "Now that things have come to this, the only way to turn defeat into victory is to fight hard! Charge!!!"

He roared, inspiring the soldiers around him to fight to the death.

The Zhou army was much more relaxed on the one hand. Zhao Ji's cavalry was like a sharp sword, fighting back and forth in the Khitan formation and being victorious every time.

Xiao Bao's troops, who were originally at a disadvantage, were greatly encouraged by the timely arrival of reinforcements from Zhao Ji. They launched another charge and engaged in a fierce melee with the Khitan army.

As the two armies clashed, the sounds of swords and guns clashing were endless, and the interweaving of fire and blood made the entire battlefield look like purgatory.

The Khitan army was attacked from both sides by the Zhou army. They were tired and hungry. Although they had large numbers, they gradually showed signs of defeat.

Sun Wanrong knew very well that this battle was related to the fate of Khitan. He personally led the charge with a large flag. Every time he swung his sword, he was accompanied by a roar, trying to inspire morale with his bravery.

A moment later, a large-scale fire gradually lit up behind the Zhou army in the front - Quan Shancai's infantry support arrived!
The Zhou army also outnumbered the Khitans, which was the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Under such multiple blows, the Khitan army finally could not hold on and began to suffer a large-scale defeat.

As the saying goes, a defeat is like a landslide. Seeing this, Sun Wanrong was unwilling to accept it, but he also knew that the situation was hopeless, so he threw away his armor and fled. However, his previous action of personally going into battle to boost morale had already been noticed by Zhao Ji.

At this time, Zhao was so bloodthirsty that he certainly would not let the Khitan Khan escape, so he took his troops and chased after him regardless of the consequences.

As soon as Sun Wanrong left, tens of thousands of Khitan troops were completely out of control, their morale completely collapsed, and they became prey to the Zhou army.

Quan Shancai was cautious. He commanded the entire army to divide and surround the Khitan troops who were unable to escape, and annihilated them one by one.

Zhao Ji closely followed Sun Wanrong's defeated army, chasing them all the way from darkness to dawn.

Sun Wanrong had thrown away almost everything that needed to be thrown away. He was at the end of his rope, with only a few hundred remaining soldiers left.

After a night of fighting and fleeing, the warhorse was extremely exhausted. Although Sun Wanrong still wanted to escape, the warhorse could not hold on and had to stop by a stream to rest temporarily.

Just as they were trying to take a short rest, the sound of war horses' hooves could be heard from both the north and south sides of the stream.

Sun Wanrong had lost his helmet, his face was bloodstained, his hair was dishevelled, and he stood up in a daze, looking to both sides.

The Zhou army chasing from the south was naturally Zhao Ji, while those from the north were Wang Xiaojie and Li Yuanfang. Their subordinates were not Zhou army either, but some Xi soldiers and some Turks.

Luo Wuzheng and the remaining Khitan soldiers stood up consciously, looked at Sun Wanrong, and waited for his orders.

"Khan, let's go, go east, there is still a way to survive." Luo Wuzheng said.

Sun Wanrong saw Wang Xiaojie's face across the stream and couldn't help but smile bitterly and shook his head.

He drew his sword, put it in his hand, and sighed: "Yingzhou is finished, and Khitan is finished. Now that things have come to this, how can I face my late loyal brother!"

Luo Wuzheng seemed to realize what Sun Wanrong was going to do and hurriedly tried to speak out to stop him.

"Take my head and surrender to Zhou's army!" Sun Wanrong was even quicker. He left a last word and committed suicide with his sword.

Zhao Ji's current appearance was not good either, his whole body was covered in blood, he really looked like a bloody man.

Sun Wanrong was dead, and Luo Wuzheng no longer resisted. He knelt on the ground with the remaining soldiers and surrendered to Zhao Ji.

When Zhao saw Sun Wanrong commit suicide, he couldn't help feeling a little regretful. After all, he failed to kill the enemy chief with his own hands. He just casually commanded his soldiers to confiscate the Khitan's weapons.

Just as he was immersed in his thoughts, Li Yuanfang and his group came over on the stream, gathered around him, and called out loudly: "Chengyuan!"

Zhao Ji then looked up and noticed that behind Li Yuanfang and Wang Xiaojie were Ruyan and Yan Feishi.

This is a happy event. Zhao Ji was surprised and said, "General Yan, you are still alive!"

Yan Feishi smiled and explained, "I am ashamed. When I was defeated in Dongxishi Valley, I was captured by the Khitans. I was lucky enough to escape with my life. Thanks to General Li's rescue, I was able to see the light of day again."

Zhao Ji smiled and nodded repeatedly: "It's good to be alive. You and General Wang have finally escaped!"

Wang Xiaojie laughed loudly upon hearing this: "We were able to escape this time thanks to Brother Yuan Fang, Miss Ruyan, and General Yang!"

Zhao Ji asked again: "Hey, speaking of which, where is General Yang? If you were here, General Yang should have taken Yingzhou."

Wang Xiaojie laughed again and said, "General Yang is in Yingzhou, so we came here according to your plan. But Sun Wanrong is dead, I think we are late!"

Zhao Ji waved his hand and said, "It's not too late, it's not too late. Although Sun Wanrong died and the Khitan was defeated, the Khitan sent out nearly 100,000 people this time, and I don't know how many of them were defeated."

"It would be troublesome to let them run back. It is better to annihilate them all. I will not take the credit from you. My cavalry is exhausted. I will go back to Pingzhou first and report to Lord Di that you and I have jointly captured Sun Wanrong. What do you think?"

Wang Xiaojie shook his head repeatedly when he heard this: "Chengyuan is too modest. It was you who defeated Sun Wanrong and forced him into a desperate situation. We only watched from afar. How dare we take credit for this achievement?"

Zhao Ji smiled slightly: "Ah, my brother, you are wrong. You have blocked Sun Wanrong's way. If not, I am afraid he would not surrender. I have close ties with the general, Yuan Fang, and General Yan. Why should we be so divided?"

"Hahahahaha, in that case, thank you Chengyuan." Wang Xiaojie said solemnly.

Zhao Ji was humble again, and then he went back to Pingzhou with Li Yuanfang and Ruyan to report to Di Renjie.

Wang Xiaojie and Yan Feishi dispersed their troops, guarded the Khitan army's way back, and went on to make new contributions.

(End of this chapter)