Meanwhile, Sima Shang and Jingyang, who also believed that leaving the city would open up a world of possibilities, were also experiencing despair.
Because of the chaos within the city, they were unable to gather all their soldiers for a retreat, and could only disperse and retreat separately, with only a few tens of thousands of troops remaining.
They thought they would be safe once they left the city gates, and that they could simply gather their troops along the way. However, they never expected that there would be a large Qin army guarding the city gates.
As soon as they stepped out of the city gate, they were suddenly attacked by the Qin army. They had not expected the Qin state to react so quickly. Arrows and cavalry from all directions pressed down on them, making it almost impossible for them to breathe.
"General Sima! We are surrounded!" The lieutenant beside him was ashen-faced, gripping his sword tightly as he desperately fought off the attacks from all sides.
However, this move was of little use, and the surrounding soldiers suffered heavy casualties; almost every step forward resulted in someone falling.
Sima Shang's gaze sharpened, his heart feeling as if it were being torn apart. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and commanded, "Listen to my order! Quickly form the cone formation and break through!"
However, no sooner had they finished speaking than cavalrymen galloped in from the flank, disrupting their formation almost instantly.
Sima Shang's heart sank. "Retreat! Retreat!" he shouted angrily, trying his best to remain calm despite his extreme anxiety.
The only thing they can do right now is to take the remaining troops to find a breakthrough, temporarily escape the Qin army's encirclement, and reunite with Jingyang.
This place is heavily guarded by Qin troops, and it is likely that Li Fu and Jing Yang's side are in the same situation. If they can fight and retreat at the same time and join up with the other two forces, there might still be a chance to escape.
Sima Shang glanced around, his mind made up, and his eyes turned cold: "Charge! Follow this general... and fight to the death!"
Just as they were preparing to force their way through, the Qin army's siege tightened, and soldiers fell one after another, making it almost impossible for them to resist. The constant rain of arrows, the assaults, and the encirclement from all sides left them barely able to breathe.
"Waaah—"
A deafening horn blared, and Sima Shang hurriedly turned around to see a fierce Qin cavalry force charging out from the city behind him.
As the horns sounded, the Qin army's elite cavalry brandished their spears and charged towards their ranks, quickly tearing their formation apart and causing even greater chaos.
Sima Shang's face turned deathly pale. He knew that once he was surrounded on three sides by the Qin army, his life or death would be sealed.
"Retreat! Break through quickly!" he shouted again, but his tone was filled with undisguised exhaustion and helplessness.
However, the Qin cavalry left them no way out. With a surge of iron cavalry, Sima Shang's troops were completely torn apart, and the soldiers were crushed into pieces like ants.
On the other side.
Jingyang was experiencing the same thing, but fortunately, the pressure on him wasn't as severe as on Sima Shang's side; the Qin army's ambush force numbered only about 20,000...
This caused him to lose several thousand men in an instant before he barely managed to break through the encirclement. He led his remaining troops toward the city gate where Sima Shang had retreated, intending to join forces with him.
"General!" When Jingyang arrived with his remaining troops of several thousand men, he saw that Sima Shang's forces far outnumbered his own, so he immediately accelerated and tried to lead Sima Shang away.
"Jingyang, let's go!" Sima Shang roared. He knew that the Qin army here was terrifyingly strong. If they came, they would only be giving the Qin soldiers credit for their victory.
Looking at Sima Shang's tired and anxious face, Jingyang felt a sudden sense of urgency.
"General Sima!" Jingyang called out urgently, his eyes filled with anxiety and unease. "We have to leave quickly, or it will be too late!"
"Jingyang, listen to me, lead the troops to break through immediately!" Sima Shang gritted his teeth, his tone filled with a heavy sense of command. "Don't look back! There are too many Qin troops here; you alone cannot contend with them!"
Jingyang was taken aback, a flicker of hesitation crossing his eyes, but seeing Sima Shang's resolute gaze, his heart trembled. Hesitation now would only endanger everyone's lives. Jingyang gritted his teeth and nodded: "Alright!"
At the very moment the two armies clashed, Sima Shang ordered a portion of his soldiers to hold their ground and prevent the Qin cavalry from pursuing them. At the same time, he personally led his elite troops in a charge, searching for a breakthrough within the Qin army's encirclement.
Unexpectedly, as the bugle sounded again, an even more ferocious Qin cavalry force charged out from the rear, completely blocking their retreat.
"Retreat! Clear a path for me!" Sima Shang shouted the order, swinging his sword with all his might, leading his troops toward a section of open ground that was being fiercely defended. In this chaotic battlefield, they seemed to have found the only remaining weakness.
However, the Qin army reacted too quickly. Almost every time Sima Shang led a force to break through, another, even more elite cavalry force would swiftly fill the gap, pouncing on their vanguard like ferocious beasts. Sima Shang's heart sank; he knew he was trapped.
"It's over!" The thought flashed through his mind, but he did not stop. At that moment, a deafening sound of horses' hooves reached his ears.
"General! Ahead—"
Jingyang watched helplessly as Sima Shang led the last remnants of his army in a desperate breakout attempt, only to be increasingly suppressed by the Qin army, his figure almost being swallowed up by the enemy.
Jingyang immediately realized that staying any longer would only lead to the annihilation of the entire army, so it was better to take advantage of the fact that the Qin army's attention was currently focused on Sima Shang and retreat.
"Don't stop!!"
He had been more than kind and righteous to Li Fu and Sima Shang, and when disaster struck, they should have gone their separate ways. It wasn't that he was unrighteous; he abandoned Sima Shang because he was powerless to do so.
Taking advantage of a lull in the chaos of battle, Jingyang led his troops straight into the mountains and forests, galloping towards the distance without daring to delay for even a moment. During this time, ten thousand scattered soldiers gathered together, and more and more continued to join them, which could be considered a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.
On the other side, Sima Shang's figure was gradually swallowed up by the dark mass of enemies, and blood stained the land around him. The clamor of the battlefield and the sound of bugles gradually became blurred and distant.
In the end, Jingyang mustered his last strength and broke through the encirclement, while Sima Shang and his generals... continued to perish under the Qin army's encirclement and slaughter, and their demise was only a matter of time.
Looking back in the direction of Sima Shang and Rao Cheng, Jingyang felt a heart-wrenching pain—he knew that this alliance of the three kingdoms... had ended in their crushing defeat.
The State of Yan will become yet another victim of the Qin's blade!
Fortunately, the Chu army still had more than 10,000 men remaining. Although the country's strength was greatly diminished, it still had the ability to fight.
On the other hand, the Zhao state, already weakened by successive blows, is now facing imminent destruction after the complete annihilation of the troops brought by Sima Shang.
Upon returning home, he must report to the king and make plans as soon as possible!
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