Chapter 46: With over two thousand pigs, surely the Feng Army would need at least half a month to catch them all!

The Chief of Staff glanced at his watch and exclaimed in disbelief, “How can this be possible? In less than half an hour, such a massive position has been completely lost?!”

“Investigate immediately—has the entire 114th Regiment mutinied and deserted?!”

At this moment, chaos reigned across the embattled lines of the Scarf Faction’s army. Reports from the field described the Chengyun Army’s fierce assault as an overwhelming deluge. With their advanced weaponry and precise infantry-artillery coordination, they not only shattered the defensive line but also threw the defenders into disarray and obliterated their morale.

Under relentless enemy shelling, soldiers scattered in panic. Some, having received no orders, abandoned their weapons in terror and fled toward the rear without a backward glance.

Across the trenches of the 114th Regiment, explosions rang out without pause, smoke and dust billowed, and the ground was strewn with shattered equipment and supplies. Just as Chu Yunfei had predicted, once-sturdy bunkers and trenches were reduced to rubble under the enemy’s heavy fire, as fragile as tofu.

With urgent calls for support pouring in like snowflakes, the Chief of Staff stared tensely at his watch, his brow furrowed. “Why can’t they even hold for half an hour?!”

Even with outdated equipment and tactics lagging far behind the Chengyun Army, they should have been able to hold for at least several hours.

But now, the situation on the battlefield was as dire as a collapsing summer palace—complete breakdown was inevitable and imminent.

The first wave of deserters triggered a domino effect: soldiers on the third defensive line, gripped by terror and despair, began to flee as well.

As the third line teetered on the brink of collapse under the Chengyun Army’s relentless attacks, the Chief of Staff’s thoughts were in turmoil. For him, whether to flee or fight was now a question demanding serious consideration.

The fighting resolve of the 114th had long since faltered, and faced with the merciless, death-defying assault of the 64th Brigade, their morale was utterly crushed.

They had never before witnessed soldiers charging straight into heavy machine gun fire—these were not men, but wild beasts, a flood of deathless infantry whose ferocity inspired only dread.

Amidst such accumulating disadvantages, the defeat of an entire division of the Scarf Faction at the riverside positions was all but certain.

“We must hold! We cannot abandon this position!” Yan Chun’s face was etched with anxiety and helplessness. He tore off his cap and hurled it to the ground, his eyes flickering with uncertainty and despair, his voice revealing a determination that was almost forced.

“Send word to the 114th! Even if the Chengyun Army’s bayonets are at their teeth, they are to hold their ground to the death!”

“If they can hold, I’ll reward them with silver dollars—hell, I’ll even give command positions of regiment or brigade!” His voice was thick with suppressed rage and desperation.

“Yes, General!” The signalman’s face was blackened with smoke and dust. He saluted gravely, then turned and dashed off at a near frantic pace to deliver this near-impossible order.

“General, should we consider a temporary withdrawal? Trade space for time, and seek reinforcements from the rear?” The Chief of Staff’s expression was deeply troubled as he ventured, “All we can count on now are the 115th Regiment and the 112th, which has already suffered over 20% losses. If this continues, I fear the entire division will be annihilated!”

“You think reinforcements will arrive? We’d be better off running now!” Yan Chun’s voice was edged with hopelessness and irritation, as though he’d already resigned himself to defeat. “No matter how many men we throw in, it’ll just be needless sacrifice.”

“Who could have imagined the shelling by the river would be so ferocious!”

“Order all units—immediate withdrawal!” As Yan Chun spoke, his face revealed a complex mixture of disappointment, resentment, and the resignation of one forced to accept impending defeat.

At this point, even a moment’s hesitation might lead to capture by the Chengyun Army.

A glimmer of tears shone in his eyes—he was deeply pained by the outcome, but, facing the harsh reality of war, he could only make the hardest choice.

As division commander, Yan Chun’s heart was wracked with struggle and anguish, yet he knew that to preserve the remaining forces, retreat was his only option.

To withdraw before the enemy’s main force had even appeared.

He could already foresee the aftermath: once the battle report spread, his reputation would be stained with the disgraceful title of “the general who ran.”

But there was no other way.

How could this battle be fought? The Chengyun Army was well-equipped and apparently cared nothing for their lives—the disparity in strength was simply overwhelming.

If they did not withdraw at once, they risked being encircled by Jiang Bai’s forces.

“As long as the green hills remain, there will always be wood for the fire! Jiang Bai, I’ll remember this day’s humiliation!”

With this resolve, Yan Chun swiftly rallied the still-intact 115th and the battered 112th, and began a rapid retreat along the planned route.

In the end, events proved Yan Chun’s decision correct.

Shortly after their withdrawal, Li Yunlong’s Independent Regiment, having secretly landed ten kilometers away, launched a surprise attack.

Apart from capturing a supply battalion composed of the old, weak, and wounded, they achieved little else.

This left Li Yunlong, who had hoped to seize the 23rd Security Division’s headquarters, seething with anger and frustration.

Meanwhile, the remnants of the 113th and 114th Regiments, still holding out on the riverbank, learned that their commander had abandoned them and retreated.

With their last shred of hope gone, under the leadership of several battalion commanders, the remaining two thousand men surrendered en masse.

When Jiang Bai received news of Yan Chun’s flight, he was momentarily surprised.

“So, the 23rd Security Division, entrusted with such an important mission by Old San, crumbled so easily.”

“Within just a few hours of contact, their entire line has collapsed and fled.”

It was nearly impossible to completely annihilate a force determined to escape, and doing so would take far too much time.

For a commander like Jiang Bai, intent on quickly seizing Wangkou, such an effort was simply not worthwhile.

He stepped up to the enormous military map. Beside him, the operations staff officer continuously updated the positions and strength of friend and foe alike as reports came in from the front.

Jiang Bai carefully studied the terrain and troop deployments, contemplating the likely escape route of Yan Chun’s forces.

Wangkou lay between the 23rd and 24th Security Divisions—a key contact point, strategic in its location.

Jiang Bai understood that by rapidly capturing Wangkou, his troops could not only sever the retreat of both security divisions, but also prevent them from coordinating or falling back to safer ground.

Furthermore, this move would block both divisions from retreating beyond Wangkou, preventing them from reinforcing their defenses elsewhere.