The water level kept dropping. They wanted to save the rafts while the mudflat was not wide enough to leave an escape route for the army.
But it was difficult to drag the rafts. It was difficult for a group of people to carry one raft. It was difficult for people to even walk, let alone drag something heavy.
The depth of the silt was simply unfathomable. The shallowest part didn't even reach one's knees, but the deepest part could sink a person's entire body.
The front was under the fierce attack of the Yan army, while the soldiers who were trying to rescue the wooden rafts were in despair because of the mud. It was the kind of despair that was so close, yet so far away. They could only watch as the water level went further and further away as time passed.
The commander of the Zhao army, who was commanding the front, cried when he heard about the situation of the rafts being saved.
The dignified man's eyes were filled with tears. The war was far from over, but he was already crying silently. Tears covered his cheeks and moistened his beard. His lips trembled as he muttered to himself, "The Kingdom of Zhao … is finished! The State of Zhao is finished … "
He was not one of those soldiers who only listened to orders and did not know what was going on. He knew clearly that after the Yan army and the Zhao rebel army joined forces, their overall strength was twice that of the Zhao army. When they launched an attack, it would often be twice that of the Zhao army.
Furthermore, the person commanding the army that was twice the size of this army was not a good-for-nothing, but a famous general whose name shook the world.
Also, the three major sects of the Yan State could fight against the three major sects of Zhao. Now, the powerful Waning Moon Pavilion joined hands with the three major sects of the Yan State. In other words, the enemy's cultivators were also stronger than the Zhao army.
Now, he was being attacked by the enemy's superior forces. It was impossible for him to fight back. The only way out was the big lake behind him, but it was blocked by the mudflat.
If his people couldn't retreat, how could the army in the lake get to the shore? There were millions of soldiers in the lake!
A man-made natural barrier. It had to be man-made. He believed that it had to be man-made. Such a huge lake was not a small pond. Someone must have opened a big hole. Otherwise, the water level wouldn't have dropped so quickly. Otherwise, the Yan army wouldn't have attacked at this time.
Relying on the man-made natural barrier, the Yan army only needed to use a small part of their forces to trap the millions of soldiers in the lake.
The million soldiers in the lake were useless to the State of Zhao, and they could be treated as if they didn't exist.
One thing was also very clear. The water level of the lake would not drop only to his side. Not only did his people have no way out, but the people of the Kingdom of Zhao in other directions also had no way out.
At this stage of the war, he already knew that the State of Zhao was finished without even seeing the ending.
Tears streamed down his face as he looked up at the sky, speechless. That 'Ming of Yan Mountain' had commanded thousands of troops and set up a grand plan that could swallow the mountains and rivers in one fell swoop. He had done it …
On the lake, among the troops that were rowing as fast as they could, a general pointed ahead and shouted, "Governor, we can see the shore. We're almost there."
Pang Teng urged again, "Quick, we must get ashore before nightfall. We must meet up with the defenders and break out of the encirclement before nightfall!"
Even he himself did not believe what he said. He knew that he was forcibly boosting the morale of the troops.
When the front line of the army crossing the lake approached the so-called shore, all of the officers and soldiers were dumbfounded. The people sitting on the wooden rafts also stood up one after another to observe.
It was not the real shore. The grassy shore was still hundreds of feet away, and there was still more than a mile to go.
Standing on the wooden rafts, they could see the real shore. There were many people tossing and turning in the mud.
Zuo Chengfeng, Jiang Wanlou, and Mi Man's faces darkened. They finally understood why Pang Teng said, "I'm afraid it's too late."
Zuo Chengfeng said in a cold tone, "Governor Pang, as the commander of the army, it is your responsibility to keep the army alive. Do you have any way to get the army out of here?"
Jiang Wanlou and Mi Man also stared at Pang Teng. It would not be a problem for them to cross this muddy area, but they could not bring so many people across in such a short period of time. They could only hope that Pang Teng, the commander, would think of a way as soon as possible.
Pang Teng turned around and said to the three of them, "Some of you go down and see which place is shallower. Use your height to test the depth. Line up and scout ahead."
A group of disciples from the three sects immediately obeyed and dashed out. They landed on the muddy ground in front of them and lined up. Then, they all released their mana and their feet immediately sank. In some places, the mud did not sink past their knees. In some places, it did not go past their thighs. In some places, it did not go past their waists and chest, and it did not stop sinking past their shoulders.
As for those places that did not go past their knees, it looked like they could still walk, but in reality, it was only a small area. After walking for a few more feet, it would sink until they could not even see the top of their heads.
It was unknown how many years the mud at the bottom of the lake had settled down.
Pang Teng knew there was no way to cross anymore. He slowly closed his eyes. His face was full of bitterness, and no one could understand the sorrow in his heart.
The father and his brother had become the Governor of Zhao. His father and brother had led the Zhao army into battle, but in the end, they had all been defeated and brought great losses to the Zhao Kingdom. He wanted to turn the situation around, but in the end, he would follow in his father's and brother's footsteps. Was this the fate of the Pang family?
"There's no need to try anymore. We can't cross." Pang Teng opened his eyes and sighed.
Jiang Wanlou said angrily, "As the commander, how can you say such things that affect the army's morale? We have to cross even if we can't!"
Mi Man said, "Put the rafts together and try to build a pontoon bridge."
Pang Teng said, "It's no use. Wooden rafts can float in drainage, but they can't float in this kind of mud. If you throw them in, they will be swallowed up. Even if they can float, people will still sink if they step on them."
Mi Man did not believe this. More importantly, they could not accept this reality. Should they just admit defeat like this? They would not be satisfied if they did not try.
They quickly organized the soldiers on one of the rafts and distributed them to the other rafts. Then, they had a few cultivators use their arts to carry the rafts to the muddy ground and set them down.
Reality proved that in some aspects, even the supposedly experienced and knowledgeable leaders of the three major sects could not compare to Pang Teng.
Pang Teng had been on the battlefield all his life and had led his subordinates to rush about. He had experienced too many different kinds of terrain. He knew where the army could go and where they could set up camp. This was already his basic knowledge. He could tell the outcome of the terrain just by looking at it. His ability in this area was far superior to the leaders of the three major sects, who often flew here and there.
This result made Mi Man, who had insisted on trying, very angry. She angrily rebuked Pang Teng, "What do we do now?"
Pang Teng did not make a sound. His eyes stared at the shore a few hundred feet away. The pain in his eyes was so deep.
The three leaders looked in the direction he was looking at. They could already hear the faint sounds of fighting coming from the other side.
From here, they could see the shore and from the shore, they could also see the dense mass of the army on the lake. But in this short distance, the two sides could not meet.
Jiang Wanlou suddenly said, "I have a way to try. The army can go down from the mouth of the river and should be able to reach the shore!"
As soon as he said this, everyone understood the deeper meaning behind his words. They wanted to give up on the surrounded Zhao army on the shore. They wanted to not rescue them and pretend that they did not see them.
But they had no choice but to give up. There was no way to rescue them. Zuo Chengfeng said, "That's right!" Saying this meant that he also agreed to disregard the lives of the people on the south bank and give up!
Pang Teng said, "It's useless. The lake is so big and the water level is dropping so fast. The speed of the water flow at the mouth of the river is obvious. With so many people rushing over, they will all be dead before the enemy even attacks!"
Jiang Wanlou said angrily, "This won't do, that won't do. What do we need you as the commander-in-chief for? Since the beginning of the war, you have always been at a disadvantage since Meng Shanming made his move. Who was the one who said that they could win before the war started? Who was the one who insisted on us starting the war? Meng Shanming could still turn the situation around when Yan was so weak. What about you? The great state of Zhao was beaten by you. You are just a piece of trash who enjoyed a high position and a generous salary for nothing! "
Pang Teng's face was gloomy. He accepted the fact that Jiang Wanlou scolded him so mercilessly. "I, Pang Teng, am the sinner of Zhao!"
The surrounding generals also looked gloomy.
Mi Man said, "It doesn't matter if you are a sinner or not. What we need to do now is to solve the problem. Are we going to let the army die in vain? Regardless of whether Brother Jiang's method works or not, at least it is the only feasible method. We should at least try! "
Pang Teng closed his eyes and said regretfully, "There is no need to try. Even if we rush out of the Corner Lake … the downstream will be flooded with water. As long as we rush in that direction, we will lose! I, Pang Teng, am useless. I have implicated the people of Zhao. Poor people downstream. I don't know how many people will suffer because of this flood! Meng Shanming repeatedly used such a vicious plan. He will be punished by the heavens! "
Jiang Wanlou scolded angrily, "Punished by the heavens? As a commander-in-chief, it is our duty to win the war. What kind of ability is it to curse the enemy when you can't win? If you, Pang Teng, have the ability to use a plan to kill the enemy. I will bear the punishment for you! "
Pang Teng accepted whatever Jiang Wanlou scolded. A defeated general was not brave enough. Even if he had thousands of reasons, there was no need to defend himself. This was not a quibble in the imperial court. A loss was a loss …
After losing more than half of the army at the south bank, with no hope of breaking out of the encirclement, no way to retreat and no reinforcements, the remaining 300,000 soldiers and horses finally … surrendered!
The last three million elite soldiers of Zhao, including those who died in battle, those who surrendered and those who were trapped in the lake, had lost more than half of them.
Their military strength was not as strong as the joint army of Yan Country and Zhao's rebel army. As a result, the defensive strategy of the Corner Lake completely collapsed. The remaining Zhao soldiers on the shore were compressed into a small area. The joint army did not attack them forcefully. Instead, they besieged them and kept persuading them to surrender.
Victory was in their grasp. The Zhao army had no chance to turn the tables. Shang Chaozong and Meng Shanming were not willing to attack forcefully anymore. They did not want the Yan army to suffer too many casualties.
From conquering the Song Kingdom in the east to attacking the Zhao Kingdom in the west, the Yan soldiers had paid a huge price to defend the country and resist the foreign enemies!
At this point, the defense around the Corner Lake was almost completely taken over by the joint army. The millions of Zhao soldiers in the lake were completely trapped!
The news of the battle at the Corner Lake shocked the world!
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