This battle, upon which the fate of Wei hinged, had already begun to show signs of defeat. Their supply lines had been cut. The Wei army was already beaten. Since the vast majority of their provisions were stored in Shangwei City, their lifeline was severed the mont it was captured.
Wei... The national fortune... "I... I have been defeated!"
Unwillingness and bitterness surged in Wei Wuji’s eyes. He had been defeated.
At that mont, from the direction of the distant Wei army camp, a succession of hoofbeats thundered closer, as if thousands of warhorses were stampeding toward them.
THUD. THUD. THUD.
"Your Majesty!" a scout from the rear guard reported with alarm, having galloped back in haste. "The Qin Army is attacking! They are less than two miles from our rear!"
Hearing this, Wei Wuji’s footing faltered.
"Your Majesty!" several Wei generals cried, rushing to support him.
Wei Wuji looked toward the Wei troops still attacking the city, his gaze fixed on the breached gates. His old eyes, with their trembling lids, were brimming with resentnt. No one could possibly know the depths of his unwillingness, his reluctance to let go of this mont. They had paid such a heavy price, suffered so many casualties, to finally break through the gates and fight their way into the city. It seed they were on the verge of conquering this critical Qin city, which would have opened a direct path to invade the Han Land.
But now, the Qin Army was attacking from behind. He had no choice but to order a retreat, a decision he truly could not bear to make. In this critical mont, however, Wei Wuji had no ti for further thought.
"Retreat! Break out!" Wei Wuji commanded, his voice faint and listless.
After saying these words, he seed to have lost all his strength.
"His Majesty has given the order! Retreat! Break out!" the Wei generals shouted in unison.
The alarming call of the retreat horn blared.
HOOOORN! HOOOORN!
The sound washed over Wei City, and the Wei troops, who were in the midst of a ferocious assault, froze in unison. They couldn’t understand. After so many consecutive days of attack, just as they had finally breached the walls, why were they suddenly being ordered to withdraw? But the horns had sounded. No matter how confused the Wei generals and soldiers were, they had no choice but to slowly fall back.
"The Wei army is retreating!"
Watching the enemy recede like the tide, Wei Quan, Tu Sui, and the others were all baffled.
Have they gone mad?
Soon, many of the Qin defenders ca to the sa conclusion. After all, from their perspective, the Wei army had fought fiercely for seven days to breach the city. If they retreated now, they would likely never get another chance.
"It must be the General’s surprise attack!" Tu Sui declared with excitent. "He succeeded in cutting off the Wei army’s supply route and is now hitting their rear!"
The soldiers around him were shocked, not understanding what he ant. Zhao Feng’s plan for a surprise attack was known only to a few of his most trusted n; it had not been revealed to anyone else. Even when the main force had departed from Wei City, they had done so in secret.
"Brothers!" Tu Sui roared, raising his blood-stained sword. "We’ve been suppressed by the Wei army for far too long! The ti for our counterattack has co! All forces, heed my command! Pursue the Wei army! Kill!"
"All forces, heed my command! Pursue the Wei army! Kill!"
Simultaneously, at the main defensive line, Wei Quan, Liu Wang, and Zhuang Wei echoed the cry. All the soldiers were exhausted after enduring seven days of relentless attacks from the Wei army. Even so, they refused to let the enemy withdraw so easily. Moreover, Zhao Feng had given them prior instructions: if the Wei army suddenly sounded the retreat while they seemingly had the upper hand, it was the signal that his raid had succeeded. The army could then, at their discretion, sally forth from the city in pursuit.
"Kill!"
"Kill these sons of bitches!"
"Kill them!"
Countless Da Qin soldiers, their pent-up fury finally unleashed, roared as they gave chase. The archers fired volley after volley at the retreating Wei army, punishing them severely.
On the other side of Wei City, in the direction of Yingchuan, twenty thousand troops were arrayed in battle formation less than five miles from the walls.
"Reporting to the two generals," a cavalry scout said, galloping up to Chen Tao and Zhao Tuo. "We heard the sound of retreat horns from Wei City. The reason is unknown."
"The signal to retreat?" The two n exchanged a look of shocked suspicion.
"Could the Wei army actually be withdrawing?" Chen Tao asked in surprise.
"Impossible," Zhao Tuo imdiately shook his head. "The Wei army has already deployed their Wei Wu Troops. They’ve been attacking for seven or eight days straight and have even breached the city gates. They would never retreat now. The only possibility is that Tu Sui gave the order. Let’s just wait here. Once the defeated army falls back, it will be our perfect mont to win glory. We two will turn the tide and guard the Great Qin Territory," Zhao Tuo declared, his eyes burning with ambition.
Hearing this, Chen Tao nodded in agreent. "Indeed. After this, Zhao Feng will be charged with deserting his post. No matter how many rits he’s earned in the past, he’ll be stripped of his command at the very least. He might even be thrown in prison," Zhao Tuo added with a cold, expectant laugh.
「Back at the rear of the Wei army.」
A large number of Wei soldiers had regrouped around Wei Wuji. But just then, a figure in black armor appeared behind them, riding a warhorse and holding a long spear, galloping swiftly toward them. Following him were thousands of soldiers from the Black-armored Qin Army.
"Archers, prepare!" Zhao Feng commanded, raising his spear as he watched the Wei forces draw closer.
His gesture was a signal.
"WIND! WIND! WIND!"
The war cry shook the heavens. Following the chant, thousands of arrows arced into the air, raining down upon the Wei army like a tempest.
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