Chapter 566: Chapter 477: The Defeat of the Army

At this moment, Huo Shan no longer possessed his usual spirited vigor, only a face filled with despair.

"General, we must leave now, otherwise once the rebels arrive, even we will not be able to escape!" the Deputy General grasped Huo Shan and roared into his ear.

Compared to the now distraught Huo Shan, the Deputy General seemed much steadier, after all, unlike Huo Shan’s life of luxury and smooth sailing, he had experienced much more hardship and turmoil.

So even though he was utterly hopeless at this instant, he still managed to maintain a certain level of calm.

He knew that now was not the time for rash actions; only by staying alive would there be endless possibilities.

However, Huo Shan seemed as if he hadn’t heard a thing, still standing there dazed, at a loss for what to do.

Seeing this, the Deputy General sighed to himself, wondering why some are born into luxury, with everything they desire easily within reach, while others with all their skills waste half their lives only to see their hopes doused by an unexpected blaze.

"What are you waiting for, pick him up and go!" the Deputy General chastised the others.

These men were Huo Shan’s trusted aides, loyal warriors trained from a young age, whose role on the battlefield was to take a blade for Huo Shan.

But precisely because of this, these trusted aides lacked flexibility, always waiting for orders, and now, with no word from Huo Shan, none of them wished to move.

The Deputy General looked up and saw billowing dust on a nearby mountain peak, clearly understanding that the enemy intended to capture them alive.

Surveying the surroundings, what was once the vast Imperial Army was now reduced to just them, a truly pitiful sight.

"If we don’t leave now, it’ll be too late. When it’s urgent, we must do what’s necessary; General Huo won’t blame you," the Deputy General said with urgency in his voice.

He had already made up his mind that if these men continued to be so stubbornly oblivious, he would abandon them to avoid being dragged down.

But by doing so, he’d likely have to live incognito for the rest of his life, otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to withstand the Huo Family’s retribution.

The surrounding trusted aides exchanged glances. Although they were rigid, it didn’t mean they were foolish.

The Deputy General’s assessment of the situation was something they also noticed; it was just their habit of following orders to the death that influenced their decision making.

"You’re right, in urgent times we must do what’s necessary, our task is to ensure the young master’s safe return home," one of the trusted aides said solemnly.

Upon these words, nods of agreement immediately followed from the others; after all, life is precious, and no one wanted to throw their life away needlessly.

Therefore, the men took the dispirited Huo Shan and began to flee desperately, as the pursuers from the Righteous Army were closing in, and they could even feel the ground trembling.

The Deputy General led the men towards the closest city, glancing back at the valley now engulfed in massive flames and sighed to himself.

He knew that his fate had been altered by that overwhelming fire, and as to where he would go from here, to be honest, he had no idea; he could only take one step at a time.

Shortly after they left, the pursuing team sent by Wang Qi arrived. Seeing the tracks on the ground, a big bearded man cursed in annoyance, "Damn it, that pretty boy got away!"

"Should we continue the pursuit?" a soldier beside him asked with concern.

The man with the big beard spoke irritably, "Pursue what? With these few scrawny horses, how can we possibly catch up to their fine steeds!"

"Damn it, comparing people can really kill you. That pretty boy’s horse makes me drool with envy."

Big Beard was still filled with frustration. If he could catch that pretty boy, it would be a great achievement, especially that white horse the guy was riding—he had been covetous of it for a long time. Unfortunately, the other side was too fast, and there was no way to catch up.

Pointing at the fading figure in the distance, Big Beard said with envy, "Look at that horse, that’s what real cavalry look like. It’s a pity that the duck that was almost in our mouths has flown away."

"Brother, rest assured, I’ll send out scouts right now. We will definitely find that pretty boy. That splendid horse of his will be ours sooner or later," another one offered.

Big Beard’s eyes lit up as he responded, "Exactly, keep a close watch on that kid. Their horses are as good as ours once they’ve finished eating, and then we’ll show them what real cavalry is."

Big Beard had been holding his breath for a long time, for he had been appointed as the Cavalry Commander by Wang Qi due to his proficiency in mounted archery.

However, the Righteous Army was now so poor they were nearly down to their last pair of pants. Where would they get horses to form a cavalry? With all his means, Big Beard had only managed to scrape together a few emaciated nags and had barely assembled a makeshift troop.

Yet, he became the laughing stock of others. After all, Big Beard’s forces hardly resembled any sort of cavalry, so he’d always harbored a grudge, hoping one day to vindicate himself and show those who mocked him what real cavalry looked like.

Atop the mountain, Wang Qi and Daoist Qiu saw Big Beard returning without success, and couldn’t help but reveal a look of regret.

In order to devour the Imperial Army to the greatest extent, they had deliberately let go of Huo Shan’s vanguard. However, that did not mean they did not wish to capture Huo Shan and the others.

Big Beard’s cavalry had been prepared for exactly this purpose. It was just a pity that the enemy had fled so decisively, and Big Beard’s cavalry was simply too weak to catch up, which meant this battle did not achieve its fullest potential.

Looking at Big Beard kneeling on the ground, filled with regret, Wang Qi waved his hand and laughed, "Well done, Long-beard, putting on quite a show here. I know it’s your mount that’s the problem, I was just hoping for a lucky shot at a running rabbit. Since we couldn’t catch up, let it be!"

Wang Qi could accept this outcome; after all, so much equipment remained here, the weapons and armor meticulously crafted by artisans from the capital city.

These were definitely high-quality items, far superior to the scrap metal he was wearing.

With this equipment and weapons, Wang Qi was confident about surviving in this tough world. With the mountains as their support, even if the Imperial Court sent more troops, he would not worry.

Long-beard chuckled upon hearing this, stood up, and said with a laugh, "Don’t worry, boss. I’ve already sent men to follow them quietly. Once I figure out where they’re settled, heh, that treasure of a horse will eventually bear the name ’Zhang.’"

Wang Qi patted his shoulder and said, "Good, you’ve made progress thinking so far ahead. Keep a close eye on that kid. He’s a big fish."

A legitimate child of the Huo Family, such an identity was enough for Wang Qi to capitalize on. He was quite curious to see what choice this scion of a noble family would make.

While Wang Qi waited quietly for the fire to die down on the mountaintop, the much-anticipated young lord of the Huo Family, Huo Shan, was led by his trusted aides to a riverside.

It was only then that Huo Shan recovered from his earlier shock, looked around at everyone, and revealed an ugly, bitter smile.

"I lost my composure. Thankfully, everyone reacted quickly in the moment, or else the consequences would have been unimaginable. I, Huo Shan, would like to express my gratitude to all of you here!" Huo Shan earnestly thanked everyone, not displaying any sense of arrogance typical of a noble clan!