At this moment, on the battlefield, facing Qin Ze's reprimand, even Xiao Ru's face flushed red. Just as he was about to retort, Qin Ze roared again:

" Lian Xiaoru! I know all about your business!"

"For all your fifty-six years, you've wasted them by being subservient and flattering the powerful. You only became an Annam General by bowing and scraping to Jin Weizun! Do you really think you have any real ability? Only you know the truth!"

"On the battlefield today, you, a broken-backed dog, still dare to bark!"

"Hmph! You dare to use righteous indignation against me? Why not look within and see your own failings!"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter.

"Hahahahahaha!"

"Hahaha!"

Dian Wei listened to the laughter of the crowd, froze for two seconds and then laughed along. But soon, he whispered to Zhang Liao:

"This reflection... what does it mean?"

Zhang Liao let out a light chuckle: "My lord, you're saying he invoked righteousness? He should look in the mirror and see if he even has any righteousness."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Dian Wei suddenly opened his eyes wide and burst into laughter towards Lian Xiaru:

"Damn you! Hurry up! So many people are watching! Pee on yourself and take a look at yourself!!"

Amidst the laughter, even Xiao Ru's face turned red with shame and anger. He felt like dying of humiliation, his eyes darkened with fury, and a dull ache started in his chest.

Today, in the battle, my son has already died. And now, one after another, all of An Yang's city defenses have fallen.

Now, even this inner city is about to be lost. Although these soldiers around me are my personal guards and their combat strength is not bad, the enemy forces are obviously much larger.

Having realized he couldn't escape death today, Lian Xiaoru had initially wanted to accomplish something great before his passing. However, upon finishing those words, he found even the pretense of righteousness stripped away from him.

At the time, being expelled from the Chi Yan Army was a shameful affair he refused to speak of. Now, his last shred of dignity had been torn away, and in front of so many people, he was subjected to such insults. Even with Xi Ruo's shame and anger, he became even more enraged.

His rage overwhelming him, he disregarded everything else and, brandishing his spear, roared:

"Kill him! Kill him!"

Qin Ze saw that he had been driven to the brink of madness by anger, and said no more. With a wave of his hand, the soldiers immediately charged out.

"Kill!"

This time, Xu Huang also participated in the battle. He led a troop of soldiers charging fiercely, his pear blossom opening mountain axe swinging wildly, as if entering a realm devoid of people!

While Lian Xiaoru's tens of thousands of soldiers were indeed different from the previous defenders in terms of military strength.

Most of them carried guns in their hands, and some shield-bearers held shields to defend themselves, forming several formations.

But—

They are facing no ordinary army.

Regardless of whether it's the Camp, the Back Ridge Army, or those Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, every single troop type is top-notch, not to mention they currently hold the upper hand in numbers.

Therefore, not long after the war began, they had already surrounded Lian Xiaoru's troops completely!

Then, the massive army began to converge on the battlefield from all four directions. The inner city was large enough, and the heavy cavalry of the Tiger and Leopard Riders held overwhelming power in such circumstances.

Their charge was such that even the shield-bearers could not withstand it. They burst through, immediately tearing open a gap, and then drove straight towards the heart of the enemy!

And Lian Xiaoru, who was surrounded by his personal guards, now looked even worse than death.

Looking around, it was a sea of soldiers, everywhere you looked were men coming to kill. The roars and shouts shook the heavens, even a scholar who valued propriety like Xiao Ru would no longer have his previous fierceness; at this moment his face paled, and his hand holding the gun trembled slightly.

Thinking of the surrender letter that had been torn apart earlier, even Xiao Ru, gritting his teeth, felt a moment of sudden realization.

At this very moment, a furious roar echoed in their ears.

"Hey, you cowardly thief who only knows how to bark! What are you hiding for? Come out and fight me!"

Lien Xiaoru's heart skipped a beat. He quickly looked up and saw, not far away, a muscular warrior with twin halberds, covered in blood, charging left and right, causing the enemy to fall like dominoes.

It's like a humanoid monster!

Beside him, countless people lay fallen, their heads bleeding and bodies broken.

If it had been in the past, even the most upright Confucian scholars would have stood their ground and fought to the death. But today, they've been utterly routed and humiliated on the battlefield. Where is there any remaining fighting spirit?

Seeing him shouting, he quickly stepped back a few steps, but his gaze turned towards the city.

There, it is where the common people reside.

<< Lian Xiaoru knew that Anyang County was already indefensible. He had intended to fight to the death alongside his men, earning a posthumous reputation for valor. But now... >>

Unknowingly, he had developed some fear.

"What? You're afraid to look at me?!"

"Hold it right there, old scoundrel! Don't you think you can get away with this?"

Dian Wei saw that Lian Xiaoju was looking around nervously, as if he wanted to escape. This made Dian Wei even more furious.

Today in battle, he didn't even encounter half a notable general, only fighting common soldiers. As for this cohort, even Xiao Ru as a general had to ensure he took them down!

Normally, he was always guarding Qin Ze's side, rarely having the opportunity to go into battle. Today's battle, however, was a rare occasion.

From the depths of his heart, Dian Wei turned his head and shouted to Xu Zhu who stood beside him:

"Come! Help me clear the people in front of me, I'm going to kill Lian Xiaoru!"

Xu Zhu remained impassive, silently nodding his head. He grasped the Fire Cloud Sword and strode forward. The two fought side-by-side, quickly hacking their way out of the encirclement.

Seeing these two so brave, even Xiaorou grew increasingly fearful. In his panic, he no longer cared about his reputation before or after death.

Even though he felt conflicted, Lian Xiaoru still decided to follow his heart.

"Stop them, don't let them come over!"

At a cry, even Xiao Ru urged his horse forward and galloped towards the city.

Seeing him truly run away, Dian Wei's heart was burning with anxiety. He roared out in anger:

"Get out of here, you vile counterfeiters!"

As the sound faded, he dashed forward, kicking a shield soldier in front of him with all his might. That kick was delivered with his full strength!

With a loud *boom*, the shield bearer was sent flying backward, knocking over several people behind him before landing.

Dian Wei hurriedly picked up the shield from the ground and threw it at Lian Xiaru!

Lian Xiaoru rode his horse, intending to flee into the city. But at this moment, looking around, he saw that it was densely packed with soldiers everywhere, filled with enemy troops, completely surrounded like a tight net.

If you want to escape from this web, you have to fight your way out.

As he looked around and decided to escape from a lightly guarded spot, he only heard the shouts of soldiers coming from behind.

"General, be careful!"

The moment he heard the sound, even Xio-ru felt a chill wind coming from behind him. His heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly lay down on the horse's back!

The instant he lay down, a shield came whooshing in. It was heavy, and at that moment it was charging with fury, but it slammed into the horse's head.

"Plop!" With a sickening thud, the shield—weighing well over several dozen pounds—embedded itself into the horse's hindquarters.

Bloody horse blood spattered everywhere, splattering Lian Xiaoru all over. The warhorse, struck so hard, could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground, taking Lian Xiaoru with it in a tumble.

"Haha! Good! Good!"

Dian Wei laughed with delight and, taking advantage of the opportunity, rushed forward a few more steps.

Lien Xiaorou scrambled to her feet in panic, pulling a soldier beside her off his horse and leaping onto it.

At this very moment, another roar of anger echoed.

"Damn you! Where are you going!"

A lone figure rode a horse from afar, it was none other than Xu Huang wielding his pear blossom opening mountain axe!

Xu Huang rode his horse toward them, brandishing a gigantic axe called "Opening Mountain" that was smeared with blood. Facing this monstrous weapon, those soldiers didn't dare to fight back.

On the battlefield, this weapon is not only powerful, but its presence is also quite intimidating.

When Lian Xiaoru saw Xu Huang wielding an axe and chasing after him, his heart skipped a beat. He furiously slapped his horse's rump and shouted loudly:

"Hurry! Run! Run!"

"Hmph! Want to leave? First, ask my axe if it agrees!"

As they were speaking, Xu Huang had already arrived before Lian Xiaorou. He raised his battleaxe and swung it down fiercely!

Lien Xiao-ru was astonished. Though he had a spear in his hand, he knew it wouldn't be able to stop the axe.

A chill ran through him, and he leaped from his horse.

"Poof"

Luckily, Lian Xiaoru reacted quickly enough, and the axe didn't hit him but landed on his horse's back instead.

The warhorse's flesh and bone along with its spine were severed, and it collapsed to the ground with a thunderous crash.

There were no more horses around. Even Xiaorou, carrying a long spear, ran quickly forward.

"Die!"

"Die!"

At this very moment, two angry shouts rang out simultaneously.

Lian Xiaoru hastily raised his gun and turned around, but what met him was a flurry of axes and spears...