Chapter 150: Chapter 135: Advancing Instead of Retreating, Defeated and Fleeing
So, people soon began to take the opportunity and run.
At first, only one or two fled, but soon it was as if a dam had burst.
People are creatures of the herd. When your comrades start fleeing, it seems foolish to be the one who stays behind to fight.
So, even when the Beheading Gang’s squad leaders screamed at them, even drew their blades, they still couldn’t stop the rout.
Eventually, even these elites couldn’t hold on anymore. Some of them simply threw down their weapons and started to run.
This palpable fear of battle spread quickly, even affecting Zhang Pengcheng’s men.
Although their usual harsh training kept them from immediately dropping their weapons and fleeing, doubt and alarm crept into their hearts, and their movements slowed.
In contrast, Xie San’s men fought with ever-growing courage, their morale soaring.
In a single moment, the tide of battle had turned.
The Black Banner Camp and the Beheading Gang, who had just held the advantage, were now in a steady retreat. Relentlessly pursued by Xie San’s men, they could barely manage to defend themselves.
Seeing this, a look of despair crossed Zhang Pengcheng’s face. He knew there was no point in continuing the fight.
Dragging it out any longer would accomplish nothing but the needless sacrifice of his valuable troops.
’Besides, the recent impact from that giant boulder had left Zhang Pengcheng terrified. ’If another one comes, who knows if this carriage can take it? If it can’t, won’t I be smashed to a pulp?’
So, without hesitation, he gave the order. "Retreat!"
Hearing his order, the soldiers of the Black Banner Camp were visibly relieved and immediately began to turn and withdraw.
As for Mo Daoyuan, his face was ashen. Gone was his usual smug confidence of a master strategist with everything under control.
He knew he was finished.
After this battle, even if he wasn’t immediately hunted down, he knew he couldn’t keep his position as strategist.
And when he thought of all the enemies he had made over the years, a wave of panic washed over him.
Without the protection of his title as the Beheading Gang’s strategist, there was no telling what his enemies would do to him.
He suddenly began to scream like a madman.
"We can’t retreat! Attack! There aren’t many of them! If we just hold on for another moment, we’ll definitely crush them!"
But at this point, no one was paying him any mind.
The men of the Beheading Gang were nearly all gone, and the soldiers of the Black Banner Camp certainly weren’t going to listen to him.
Suddenly, as if realizing something, Mo Daoyuan scrambled over to Zhang Pengcheng. "Marshal Zhang, I’ll add another ten thousand—no, twenty thousand silver coins! I’m begging you, just order your men to hold on a little longer! Xie San only has a handful of men. If we can just wipe them out, Flower Square will be our—"
SLAP!
A resounding slap cut Mo Daoyuan off. Zhang Pengcheng’s face was a mask of vicious fury as he snarled through clenched teeth.
"Mo, you bastard! I must have been fucking blind to trust you. It cost me this many of my brothers."
"And now you have the gall to ask me to commit more men? The hell I will! Fuck!"
The slap sent Mo Daoyuan seeing stars. Blood trickled down from the corner of his mouth as he stared blankly at Zhang Pengcheng, still muttering.
"Just a little longer... even just for a moment..."
But Zhang Pengcheng paid him no mind, hastily leading his men away.
After they had left Flower Square, a figure appeared atop the main gate. It was Wu Liangchen.
He watched the retreating figures of Zhang Pengcheng and his men but chose not to pursue.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but that he couldn’t.
Although Zhang Pengcheng was retreating, his men’s formation had not broken. The Black Banner Camp soldiers remained tightly packed, guarding the carriage.
’And it wasn’t as if he could just find another suitable boulder to throw at a moment’s notice.’
Still, Wu Liangchen didn’t feel much regret. After this battle, those two wouldn’t dare to make a move on Flower Square again, at least not for a while.
As for the future...
Given the current pace of his martial progress, the more time passed, the more it would be to his advantage.
Once he achieved Blood Reformation and Bone Marrow Cleansing, gangs like the Beheading Gang or the Cripple Gang would be nothing more than paper tigers.
So, Wu Liangchen simply stood atop the gate, watched them leave, and then turned to go back inside.
Meanwhile, not far from Flower Square, once he was certain they weren’t being pursued, Zhang Pengcheng ordered his men to throw Mo Daoyuan out of the carriage.
"Mo, I’ve done more than enough just by getting you out of there. Now go back and get ready. I lost a lot of brothers today, and I expect you to pay their death stipends. Not a single coin short. Or else... Hmph!"
Zhang Pengcheng snorted coldly and departed without a backward glance, leaving Mo Daoyuan to tremble by the roadside, completely broken.
Back in Flower Square, cheers erupted.
The cheers came not only from the young men who had fought and bled for this victory, but also from the girls who had been hiding in the shadows.
Following Wu Liangchen’s instructions, they had all gathered in a few of the pleasure houses at the center of Flower Square. They hadn’t even dared to light the lamps, watching secretly from the windows.
They had witnessed everything that had just transpired on the battlefield with their own eyes.
When they saw the men of the Black Banner Camp and the Beheading Gang sent packing in a bloody, panicked rout, scurrying out of Flower Square, the girls couldn’t help but burst into ecstatic cheers.
"Girls, the enemy has been driven away! Go reward our heroes!" a madam shouted.
As if waking from a dream, the girls rushed out of the buildings and onto the battlefield.
The more reserved ones took out handkerchiefs to wipe the sweat from the young men’s faces or help bandage their wounds. The more uninhibited girls simply threw their arms around the men and began kissing them.
This display left the young men rather flustered.
But it was a pleasant outcome, so even though they were so exhausted they could barely stand, the young men forced themselves to stay upright under the girls’ admiring gazes, even trying to act as if it were nothing.
Amidst the clamor, Wu Liangchen returned.
The moment they saw him, the young men’s expressions grew solemn, and they bowed their heads in unison.
"Brother Wu!"
If they had called him Brother Wu before simply because Third Brother had told them to, this time, the title came straight from their hearts.
After all, it was under Wu Liangchen’s leadership that they had repelled the enemy and successfully defended Flower Square.
As for the girls, they stared at Wu Liangchen with stars in their eyes, but none dared to approach, intimidated by his powerful aura.
"What’s the casualty report?" Wu Liangchen asked the young man leading the group.
His name was Wen Yunlong. He was Xie San’s most capable man after Yan Feng, and he had been the one commanding this desperate battle.
"Brother Wu, we lost thirty-seven brothers. Eighteen are critically wounded. As for minor wounds... just about every man is injured."
Hearing Wen Yunlong’s report, the jubilant crowd fell silent.
For though it was a great victory, it had come at a heavy price.
The fighting had only lasted for a short while, yet it had claimed thirty-seven lives and left eighteen critically wounded.
And all of them had been fine young men in the prime of their lives.
Wu Liangchen couldn’t help but sigh softly. He patted the teary-eyed Wen Yunlong on the shoulder.
"Alright. First, prepare the bodies of our fallen brothers. The critically wounded need to be treated immediately."
The cleanup began in an orderly fashion. Grateful to the men for their sacrifice, the girls all began to help of their own accord.
Wu Liangchen cleaned the wounds of a few of the most critical men, after which the young woman named Ninyun began suturing them closed.
Having done it once before, both the speed and quality of her stitching had improved considerably.
Watching from the side, Wu Liangchen nodded to himself in approval.
’Even though Ninyun is a woman,’ he thought, ’she isn’t the least bit afraid of these gruesome wounds. Her hand with the needle is perfectly steady.’
’If this were back on Earth, she would definitely be an excellent surgeon.’
After watching for a moment longer, Wu Liangchen turned and left.
The moment he left, the seemingly calm Ninyun let out a long breath, a faint blush rising on her cheeks. The sight was enough to make the wounded man, who had been grimacing in pain, stare at her, dumbfounded.
And while Flower Square was a hive of activity—treating the wounded and clearing the battlefield—news of the battle’s outcome spread like wildfire, soon causing a massive uproar within the Huangpu Guard.
