After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times-Chapter 874 - 860: Escape

Zhao Erlang, with quick reflexes, grabbed the bag of explosives beside him. After lighting it, he silently counted to three before throwing it towards the direction where he had just located Shi Le...

Just as the explosive was about to hit the ground, it detonated. Although Shi Le had already moved away in advance, the shockwave from the explosion still knocked him off his horse. A piece of iron spun rapidly into his back, and he let out a muffled grunt, his vision blurred, ears ringing, and his whole body in a daze.

Zhao Erlang had no idea he had bombed the wrong person. In his mind, he had confirmed Shi Le’s position, the explosive he threw landed right on that spot = he had bombed Shi Le.

He forgot that people could move.

Especially since Shi Le had already sensed the danger. While ordering his soldiers to be cautious, he also moved, trying to ride his horse back to hide behind a shield...

However, Xie Shi’s order to attack was swift, and Zhao Erlang threw his explosives quickly as well, so Shi Le only had time to move a little...

Zhao Erlang didn’t hit his target, but he wasn’t aware of that. So he shouted whatever came to his mind.

He jumped up, picked up his bow and shot arrows downward, while shouting loudly, "I killed Shi Le, I killed Shi Le! Shi Le is dead, why don’t you surrender?"

The latter part of his words was entirely a mimic of something his sister once did, sparked by his excitement.

Xie Shi, amidst switching their weapons to bows and crossbows, grabbed Zhao Erlang and asked, "Did you really kill Shi Le?"

Zhao Erlang nodded emphatically with certainty, "Really killed him. The explosive went off right by his head, blasted his head to bits."

Xie Shi was ecstatic and shouted, "Did you all hear that? The bandit leader has been executed, surrender and you won’t be killed!"

The Zhao Family Army, while uncovering the branches covering the crossbows and loading large wooden arrows, shouted along, "The bandit leader has been executed, surrender and you won’t be killed!"

Running out of stones, the Zhao Family Army temporarily halted their charge. They lifted the logs to smash them down as they rolled and shot arrows, joining the loud chant, "The bandit leader has been executed, surrender and you won’t be killed!"

Below, the fifty thousand soldiers of the Shi Army were in a scattered mess, with only a few holding shields temporarily blocking the attacks. The rest were being hit by stones, struck by logs, shot by arrows, or trampled underfoot, making for a gruesome sight.

Amid their panic and confusion, hearing those thunderous words made them seek out their commander.

But in the chaos, they couldn’t find him, so they looked for the command flag, which they also couldn’t locate, plunging them into despair.

Once morale collapses, the situation deteriorates rapidly.

Zhao Erlang, though lacking in other areas, was highly sensitive to people’s emotions. Without waiting for Xie Shi to weigh the situation fully, he waved his hand and shouted loudly, "Boys, kill them all—"

After shouting, he picked up a spear and led the charge himself.

Xie Shi: ...

He glanced around, noticing they had run out of giant stones and logs, and only a few arrows were left. So he acquiesced to Zhao Erlang’s command, picked up his long sword, and joined the charge downwards.

Shi Le lay on a corpse, trampled several times. When his symptoms of tinnitus and dizziness slightly alleviated, allowing him to get up from the corpse, he saw his elite troops had already collapsed, with fifty thousand soldiers being slaughtered like lambs by the Zhao Family Army.

He immediately tried to stand and shouted, "I’m here! Do not panic, form up, form up!"

But few heard his cries.

Kong Chang and two assistant generals squeezed out from the chaotic crowd, found Shi Le, grabbed him, and shouted, "General, the army has collapsed, you must flee, there are two thousand soldiers at the end of the mountain path..."

Shi Le refused to abandon his elite troops, shoving his hand aside and roaring, "Where is the command flag, where is my flag bearer?"

The flag is the soul of an army; if the flag is there, the spirit remains. Wherever the flag is, the people will be.

Shi Le and his group loudly tried to stop the disarray and began searching for the command flag.

However, the battlefield was chaotic and noisy. Only those immediately around Shi Le recognized their commander and started to follow orders. Further away, the soldiers were still out of control, and some began laying down their weapons and surrendering.

Even if they vaguely heard someone shouting that the commander was safe, they still didn’t quite believe it because the command flag was missing.

A colonel found the command flag under a giant stone. He tried to pull it out, but it wouldn’t budge; it seemed the flag bearer was crushed beneath. He had no choice but to slice off half of the flag, then raise it and shout, "The commander is here, the commander is here!"

The voice not only drew their soldiers’ attention but also Zhao Erlang’s eyes as he charged down the mountain. Following the gaze, he looked beyond the layers of people and saw Shi Le, his eyes widening in disbelief, "How can this be, aren’t you dead?"

From such a distance, of course, Shi Le couldn’t hear or answer him. He didn’t even see Zhao Erlang. Under the protection of his trusted aides, he mounted an uninjured horse, intending to break through the encirclement...

Furious, Zhao Erlang, leading his trusted aides, charged toward Shi Le’s direction.

He must kill Shi Le!

At this moment, Zhao Hanzhang’s army arrived too, trapping the Shi Army yet to enter the mountain path. Thus, they supported Zhao Erlang in an inside-outside pincer attack, cutting down the Shi Army.

Meanwhile, the rumor of the commander’s death spread beyond the mountain path. Terrified by Zhao Hanzhang’s assault, many soldiers dropped their weapons and surrendered.

After this battle, the grass on both sides of the mountain path turned crimson. Zhao Hanzhang pushed into the path to reunite with Zhao Erlang, paying no attention to the corpses piled on the road and its sides, directly asking, "I heard you killed Shi Le?"

Zhao Erlang replied gloomily, "No, he escaped."

Zhao Hanzhang felt disappointed but didn’t show it. Indeed, if Shi Le were so easily killed, he wouldn’t be Shi Le.

The man seemed to have some luck on his side, and luck is the most unpredictable thing.

Zhao Hanzhang scrutinized Zhao Erlang closely, then reached out to open his robe, noticing the bandage inside, she frowned slightly, "Are you injured?"

Zhao Erlang quickly closed his robe, blushing, "It’s not a major injury, just a scratch."

Zhao Hanzhang didn’t believe him and called Zhao Cai over to inquire, learning that Zhao Erlang had engaged Shi Le in close combat, where Shi Le slashed him deeply, almost to the bone.

If it weren’t for the field medics stopping the bleeding promptly, he could have died from blood loss alone.

Zhao Hanzhang frowned and forbade him from fighting again, "You return to assist Ji Yuan in preparing supplies."

Zhao Erlang protested, "I’m no good at calculations, how will I prepare supplies?"

"You’re going as a supervisor, ensuring no one embezzles supplies," Zhao Hanzhang said seriously, "Right now, supplies are critical. I’ve entrusted my back to you; you must ensure it’s well managed."

Entrusted with an important task, Zhao Erlang then felt happy, nodding, "Alright, I’ll go."

Though after agreeing, he felt a bit regretful, "Sister, I still prefer the battlefield."

Zhao Hanzhang frowned, "How can you be so lopsided? As a commander, you must learn a bit of everything: command troops, strategize, and manage logistics. You’ve learned the first two, now it’s time to master logistics. Once you do, I can confidently let you return to the battlefield."

Zhao Erlang looked around and whispered, "Can I go without Mr. Xie and Mr. Wang?"

Zhao Hanzhang smiled and nodded, "You can."

That sneaky look, as if without Xie Shi and Wang Nai, there’d be no one else?

Zhao Hanzhang currently had plenty of competent people on hand.

After cajoling Zhao Erlang away, Zhao Hanzhang’s smile faded, and she instructed Zhao Cai and Lv Hu, "Take care of Erlang, ensure he uses the anti-inflammatory medication. It’s hot now, so be cautious."

Zhao Cai and Lv Hu nodded in agreement.

Only then did Zhao Hanzhang order the army to rest fully, for tomorrow they would pursue Shi Le.