"Sir! Something terrible has happened!"

The messenger, rushing toward Factory No. 3, bumped into Davis and his group, who had just run out of the factory, at the entrance.

The messenger, barely catching his breath, hurriedly added, "There's a rout in the army!"

Davis's already ashen face turned bright red upon hearing the news, his anger surging to his head, and he began to tremble with rage.

"Damn Tachino! That coward!!!"

"I should have killed you!!!"

A dozen minutes earlier, several officers rushed into the command room to confirm whether the withdrawal was truly necessary. After hearing their account, Davis felt a wave of dizziness and was nearly driven mad by Tachino's actions. He never imagined that Tachino, who had always claimed to be ready to fight on the front lines, would issue false orders at this crucial moment. He not only wanted to be a coward, but also wanted to drag more people down with him to be cowards.

Without the slightest hesitation, Davis immediately ordered Tacino to be captured and executed. At the same time, he needed to stabilize morale. He knew that on a battlefield where his side was already at a disadvantage, this order to "retreat" might shake the will of some soldiers.

After all, times have changed. Strictly speaking, these soldiers in the military factory are workers temporarily reorganized into soldiers. Although they were all soldiers before, it is already difficult for them to fight the enemy at this time after retiring from the battlefield. If they are really shaken by this false news, some soldiers may actually be afraid of the enemy and choose to desert.

Therefore, after the officers left, Davis realized that the situation might become serious, so he quickly led everyone out of Factory No. 3, intending to personally go to the front line to command the battle, which would also help stabilize the morale of the soldiers.

But in the end, what Davis feared still happened. At this moment, after receiving a report from the messenger, Davis looked up at the back while cursing.

The rout has truly begun.

While the soldiers at the front were still fighting the enemy, those at the rear had already begun to flee for their lives. Even if only a few hundred people were fleeing, their actions would soon influence the will of the others.

Moreover, in the current extremely dangerous environment, a rout can often turn into a very bad situation, even spiraling out of control.

Just like now, apart from those who had already fled in the rear, the soldiers who were rushing to the front lines were also gradually starting to flee, like wild beasts driven completely mad. The fleeing soldiers no longer listened to the officers' urgent shouts, and even ignored the threats to kill the deserters.

Once the taut string breaks, it is difficult to repair. The strength of the enemy already brought immense pressure to the soldiers, but their duty as soldiers forced them to continue fighting. However, Tacino's highly inflammatory remarks gave the soldiers an excuse to escape.

So, the desire to live finally overwhelmed everything at the last moment, and they instinctively followed the other fleeing soldiers.

After all, if others can leave, why can't I?

One led two, two led ten, and ten led hundreds, and the rout intensified. Some radical officers even fired shots but could not stop the soldiers from fleeing. Later, even some officers with weaker wills followed suit.

Davis stood frozen at the entrance of Factory No. 3, while officers beside him roared at deserters as the rout spread to this area.

In less than half an hour, the soldiers who should have fought bravely had almost all become cowardly deserters.

Davis's face, which had been full of anger, no longer showed any anger; he had been forced to accept the outcome.

Such a large-scale rout could not be stopped, and even killing the leader of the rout had no effect; the soldiers had lost their will to fight.

"Sir! We can't stop them! Too many people have escaped!" the officers shouted anxiously to Davis.

Having accepted the result, Davis was no longer angry; he was utterly despondent. He said:

"Don't stop them. If they want to leave, let them go."

The officers were speechless at these words, for they could not stop them. The battle had come to an end, but it was ending in such a shameful way, which filled them with anger and helplessness, and even more so, a deep sense of despair.

"Is anyone leaving?"

At this moment, Davis looked at the people around him and suddenly asked a question, then added:

"The fact that you've held out this long is enough to prove your courage. The rout is unstoppable, and continuing to fight will only increase casualties."

"If anyone wants to leave, they can leave now."

A moment of silence fell, but soon, one of the men in the crowd turned and walked away without a word. The officer who fled looked ashamed, but as Davis had said, the rout had already begun, so going back to fight the enemy would only be a pointless death, and he didn't want to die here.

Davis silently watched the crowd. No one in the crowd spoke up to condemn the officer who had fled, because after him, several more people left in silence.

The sounds of artillery fire and gunfire continued to travel through the air, getting closer and closer to Factory No. 3. Even the sound of horses' hooves and the shouts of the Yan Army could be heard here.

Davis glanced ahead and saw that enemy cavalry were indeed charging forward with their guns drawn. He quickly ran to a messenger who was leaving and grabbed him.

The soldier was so ashamed that he didn't dare to lift his head, only whispering, "Sir...I..."

Before he could finish speaking, Davis swiftly and cleanly took the gun from his hand, saying:

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