Although Zhang Dalian said that if Zhang Cheng did not listen to advice this time, he would kill him, Zhang Cheng believed that as long as he could win, it would be a merit, not a fault!

In particular, Zhao Jun's combat effectiveness is clearly inferior to Wang Jun's. A steady advance can lead to victory, but a surprise attack is even more likely to succeed!

This was the first battle, and I was the vanguard. My surprise attack accelerated the victory, leaving Xiao Luofeng utterly defeated and forced to flee in a sorry state. What a great achievement that must be!

Am I stupid to turn down an opportunity like this?

Zhang Cheng became more and more excited as he thought about it, and immediately gave the order to lead five thousand elite troops to break away from the main force, bypass them from the side, and rush towards Xiao Luofeng!

Xiao Luofeng continued giving instructions, seemingly oblivious to Zhang Cheng's movements.

Zhang Cheng was even more pleased with himself and sped up his pace.

It's unclear whether Xiao Luofeng saw Zhang Cheng, but Zhang Dalian did notice Zhang Cheng's actions.

"That idiot!!!"

Enraged, Zhang Dalian immediately shouted to those around him, "Quick! Stop him!!"

Zhang Cheng's speed continued to increase, and Zhang Dalian couldn't stop him. Just as Zhang Cheng was about to approach Xiao Luofeng, Xiao Luofeng had only just reacted and immediately turned around to flee, which made Zhang Cheng even more excited.

"Whoever kills Xiao Luofeng will be credited with the greatest merit! Kill!!!"

At Zhang Cheng's command, the cavalry behind him charged forward.

At this time, Xiao Luofeng's troops were already engaged in battle with Wang Jun. He had less than two thousand cavalrymen and was showing signs of fleeing in disarray. For Zhang Cheng's men, who were on a roll, victory was within their grasp!

Fifty steps!

Thirty steps!

Fifteen steps!

Just as the first wave of cavalry was about to charge at Xiao Luofeng, Xiao Luofeng suddenly turned around and revealed a flag.

The cavalry dispersed, and warriors wielding sabers appeared, slashing directly at the hooves of the warhorses in the front ranks!

In an instant, horses neighed and their legs flew everywhere. Countless cavalrymen fell from their horses and were then killed by Xiao Luofeng's cavalry with their spears.

The sudden change left Zhang Cheng somewhat bewildered. Before he could react, shouts of killing suddenly came from his side.

A team of fewer than a hundred men attacked him like a sharp knife.

He thought he was the sharpest blade, but he never expected the real sharpest blade was behind him!

On Zhao Jun's side, Commander Xiao Luofeng was directing from the rear, while the one leading the charge was Captain Gan Lang, not Vanguard Heng Wenhao.

Heng Wenhao, who had been absent all along, finally appeared at this moment!

The situation on the battlefield changes in an instant. Heng Wenhao instantly rushed to Zhang Cheng's side and pounced on him.

Upon seeing the knife in Heng Wenhao's hand and his murderous gaze, Zhang Cheng immediately recalled Zhang Dalian's words and realized that this person was Heng Wenhao. He immediately turned his horse around and fled.

Killing Xiao Luofeng is impossible now; preserving our lives is the most important thing!

Just as the horse turned around, Heng Wenhao slashed down with his sword, severely injuring the horse's tail. Startled, Zhang Cheng dismounted.

Heng Wenhao continued his attack, but several cavalrymen stopped him. Another group of cavalrymen pulled Zhang Cheng onto their horses and quickly retreated.

Seeing this, Xiao Luofeng immediately shouted, "The enemy vanguard has fled! All troops, attack!!"

The five thousand cavalrymen brought by Zhang Cheng immediately retreated. Some fled from the side, while others, their horses startled, ran back into the army, scattering the two armies' formations.

At the heart of the battle, Gan Lang, seeing the commotion behind him, shouted, "The enemy vanguard has fled! They've been defeated!! Kill them all!!! Take the first battle!!!"

Gan Lang's words quickly spread throughout the ranks, boosting the morale of Zhao's army and throwing Wang's army into chaos. Especially when they saw their own cavalrymen constantly retreating from the flanks, those who had no will to fight immediately withdrew, and Wang's army's formation was thrown into disarray.

Taking this opportunity, Xiao Luofeng also led his men to the front and began a frenzied pursuit of Wang Jun.

Zhang Dalian sighed. He was surprised by Xiao Luofeng's reaction. Knowing that there was no way to turn the tide, he decisively gave the order to retreat.

Everything happened just as he had predicted. If Zhang Cheng launched a reckless surprise attack, Heng Wenhao might seize the opportunity. With Heng Wenhao's assassination attempt, whether Zhang Cheng was killed in action or escaped, the Wang army's morale would inevitably be thrown into chaos, their formation would be out of control, and defeat would be inevitable.

He never expected that after he had spoken such harsh words to his nephew, this good nephew would still dare to disobey him...

Seeing Zhang Dalian lead his men in retreat, Xiao Luofeng drove them back another five miles before stopping his troops. He then raised his sword and shouted, "Victory! We've won!!"

For a moment, cheers resounded throughout the sky.

In this first battle, Zhao's army achieved a minor victory in eastern Suiyuan.

Central Army Camp.

"A resounding victory in the first battle! General Xiao, congratulations on achieving the greatest merit!"

Zhao Cheng was in a very good mood. He walked over and shook Xiao Luofeng's hand tightly. Then he looked at Gan Lang and Heng Wenhao and smiled, "You've all worked hard!"

Heng Wenhao was rather taciturn, Xiao Luofeng was always calm, but Gan Lang was extremely excited and laughed, "That Zhang Cheng is just as I predicted, like a fool!"

Zhao Cheng nodded and said, "War is about people and money, but even more so about people's hearts."

Xiao Luofeng clasped his hands and said, "Therefore, the greatest credit for this battle belongs to the young marshal. Without the young marshal's strategy, this battle would have been very difficult."

Last night, Zhao Cheng obtained intelligence about Zhang Dalian's troops through the Yiwen Flying Team. He and his team worked through the night to formulate tactics for the first battle based on this intelligence. Originally, the most important part of the intelligence was about Zhang Dalian, but Zhao Cheng discovered Zhang Cheng within the intelligence, learning that he was involved in Wang Yuluan's capture by the mob. He also learned about Zhang Cheng from his later involvement in battles, and thus the tactics were designed around Zhang Cheng.

Seeing that Xiao Luofeng's expression was calm, and there was even a hint of worry in his eyes, Zhao Cheng asked, "You fought the battle, so the credit is naturally yours, but General Xiao doesn't seem happy?"

Xiao Luofeng said with a sigh, "Today's battle has shown me the gap between us and Wang Jun. Although we deliberately played it weak to lure Zhang Cheng into a trap, the individual qualities of our soldiers and the overall strength of our team cannot be faked. We are already at a disadvantage in terms of numbers, and if we are also slightly inferior in combat power, it will be very troublesome when we encounter tough battles in the future."

“Wang Jun has been tempered by the Night Pill, so he is naturally incomparable to our new recruits who have only been training for a few months.”

Zhao Cheng agreed with Xiao Luofeng's words, but then said, "The front of the Zhao family army consists of new recruits, while the rear is made up of well-trained veterans, and there are also Dragon Spear Guards. Now that we are already engaged in battle, General Xiao doesn't need to worry about these things anymore. We must have a strong sense of conviction and strive for victory at all costs."

Xiao Luofeng realized something, knelt down on one knee and said, "I have undermined the morale of the army, please punish me, young marshal!"

Zhao Cheng smiled and helped Xiao Luofeng up, saying, "There are only a few of us in this tent, how could it affect morale? General Xiao, you flatter us. The victory in the first battle must be publicized; that's how you boost our own morale and diminish the enemy's prestige."

"Mr. Yan, I'm leaving this matter to you."

With his hands behind his back, Zhao Cheng laughed and said, "Founding the Yiwen Society and establishing the Yiwen Flying Team was truly the most correct decision."