The Peacock Kingdom's elephant cavalry intended to break through Lin Tian's army formation with a charge, thereby nullifying the threat posed by Lin Tian's forces to them. They believed that once their elephant cavalry began their assault, Lin Tian's army would be helpless against them.
However, their hopes were grand, but the reality was entirely different from what they had imagined. As they attempted to charge, the hooks wielded by Lin Tian's cavalry had already ensnared them. Their charge only served to hasten their descent to the ground. Accompanying their charge was the sound of soldiers falling, one after another. That sound was more pleasant to hear than the sound of someone falling into water.
But for the people of the Peacock Kingdom, it was utterly terrifying. Every single one of their soldiers had fallen, and the elephants, losing control, were rendered devoid of combat effectiveness. The cavalry that followed the elephant troops had their charging momentum significantly blunted. If there were elephant troops ahead of them, their charging momentum would be incredibly fierce; a momentum that even the strongest cavalry could not withstand.
But without the elephant troops, these cavalry soldiers seemed to have lost their ability to charge. Their combat effectiveness plummeted dramatically. This led to them facing a brutal slaughter by Lin Tian's cavalry by the time they reached them. Lin Tian's cavalry simply raised their swords and easily cut down the Peacock Kingdom's cavalry. Moreover, they did not stop. After killing those cavalry soldiers, they continued their charge forward, unwavering. Their momentum might not have matched that of the elephant charge, but their assault was unstoppable.
The Peacock Kingdom's army was determined to halt Lin Tian's army and prevent their charge. However, when they actually attempted to intercept Lin Tian's cavalry, they found the situation to be completely contrary to their expectations. Lin Tian's cavalry, like rampaging bulls, were simply impossible to stop. Anyone who dared to obstruct Lin Tian's cavalry met their end at the hands of Lin Tian's soldiers. Lin Tian had no intention of leaving any survivors from the Peacock Kingdom.
This allowed his soldiers to charge forward with utter abandon. Under such an onslaught, a large number of Peacock Kingdom soldiers perished by their swords. This slaughter instilled immense fear in the Peacock Kingdom's soldiers.
"No, I don't want to die, I don't want to die here!"
"Don't kill me, please don't kill me!"
"How can this be? How can we possibly win against them? Their combat power is too great; we are no match for them!"
"We're finished, our Peacock Kingdom is going to fall!"
Although the war was not yet over and the fighting continued, many people already foresaw that their Peacock Kingdom would be defeated this time. This premonition was undoubtedly terrifying for the Peacock Kingdom's soldiers. Judging by the ferocity of Lin Tian's army, they knew that defeat meant only one outcome: death. This prospect filled many of them with dread. If they could, they would wish that none of this had ever happened and that they had never come to this battlefield. However, there is no such thing as a pill of regret in this world.
"Captain, what do we do? Are we just going to stay here? If we remain here, it's a certain death!"
"Yes! Captain, take us away, we don't want to die here!"
"Captain, take us away, we can't stay here anymore. These people are too terrifying; we must inform the King, we must go and protect the King!"
The words "protect the King" resonated with many of the Peacock Kingdom's captains. Originally, they couldn't find a reason to flee, and even if they had the inclination, they couldn't convince themselves or their military discipline. But with the mention of protecting the King, everything changed. Military law might be important, and orders might be crucial, but the most important thing was the safety of their King. Therefore, after uttering the words "protect the King," countless soldiers immediately responded.
"That's right, we can't stay here any longer, we must go and protect the King!"
"Yes! The King's safety is paramount, we must let the King know the crisis our Peacock Kingdom is facing. If necessary, we must even lead the King away from here to a safer place!"
"Let's go, we're going back, we'll tell the King everything that happened here!"
As someone finished speaking, without any hesitation, they turned and fled. This act of turning and running left even Lin Tian's army momentarily stunned, let alone the other soldiers of the Peacock Kingdom. They stared blankly at the fleeing soldiers, and then, their hearts were suddenly overwhelmed with fear.
"Run, escape from here, hurry, escape from here!"
"Leave here, we're leaving right now, everyone run!"
"They've already fled, if we stay here, it's a death sentence. Whoever wants to deal with these terrifying enemies can do so; I certainly don't dare!"
Lin Tian's army was too terrifying, especially since the Peacock Kingdom's soldiers had lost their elephant cavalry. Therefore, they had completely lost the will to resist Lin Tian's army. Once one person fled, it was like an explosion, and others followed suit, fleeing one after another. This contagion of escape spread rapidly. In just a few breaths, the Peacock Kingdom's army was in complete disarray.
Even many who wished to resist Lin Tian's army found their path forward blocked by those fleeing, causing them to lose the courage to continue fighting. Ten breaths later, they had completely broken and fled. The speed of this rout far surpassed the speed of Lin Tian's army's assault. By the time Lin Tian's army truly charged forward, the Peacock Kingdom's army had almost entirely vanished.
This situation left Lin Tian somewhat speechless. While he knew the Peacock Kingdom's army was not strong, he never expected their combat effectiveness to be so abysmal after losing their elephant cavalry. At this moment, his own army seemed a little bewildered.
"Your Highness, they've all fled. Should we pursue them?"
"There's no need to pursue. They have very little combat strength left. If they flee this time, they will flee again when they face us next!"
"Therefore, we don't need to pursue them. We just need to advance all the way and attack their capital!"