The Bodyguard King’s CEO Wife Chapter 1546: Trapped in an Encirclement

The main force under Han Hao’s command had already reacted, charging toward the meteor crater. Even though Ye Shikai’s move was a surprise attack, he had far too few troops under his banner. At most he could temporarily drive back the Qin Army; if they really went head‑to‑head, they wouldn’t be able to hold out for long.

"General Ye, look over there." Following the direction of the soldier’s finger, Ye Shikai turned his head. On the distant horizon, dust was rising like an oncoming sandstorm—that was Han Hao’s army.

"Half of the civilians still haven’t been rescued yet, General Ye, what should we do?"

Ye Shikai looked into the distance. At this speed, in less than the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn, tens of thousands of Qin troops would be upon them, surrounding them on all sides.

"You take a team to escort the civilians to the valley. Also, Han Hao has definitely already dispatched a large force to hunt down the civilians. Notify Man Cang at once to lead the Iron Armor Army to meet the enemy. They must hold the Qin Army back."

"Yes, sir."

Ye Shikai looked at the few soldiers left by his side and the civilians who had chosen to follow him. His heart was a jumble of emotions. More than half of the civilians were still trapped inside the enemy formation; if he didn’t save them, they would all be slaughtered.

"The rest of you, come with me." Ye Shikai wheeled his horse around. Han Hao’s main force was already closing in from both flanks. Over ten thousand cavalry, ten thousand horses thundering—just that momentum alone was enough to strike fear into everyone’s hearts, and yet Ye Shikai led his men in deep. This was practically throwing his life away.

"Loose!"

Swish swish swish.

Arrows rained down. Countless civilians were hit and fell to the ground. Ye Shikai swung his sword, batting arrows aside. The brothers at his side dropped one after another. They had already put everything on the line; every soldier who had come was mentally prepared for a nine‑in‑ten chance of death. Otherwise, faced with this kind of arrow rain, even the Wolf Clan’s iron cavalry would have had to avoid its edge.

Ye Shikai charged into the enemy formation, smashing all the nearby Qin troops. Seeing this, the remaining civilians all started running toward him.

Swish swish swish.

"Everyone, take cover, the arrow rain is coming!"

The arrow rain blotted out the sky. Ye Shikai’s heart clenched. He grabbed a shield at hand and raised it over his head. When the arrows fell, another hundred corpses appeared on the ground. Ye Shikai’s mount also took an arrow, but the warhorse did not rear and scream in panic. It was as if the animal had human understanding and knew this was a critical moment; it gritted through the pain and kept running.

"Hurry, all of you, over here!" Ye Shikai shouted. The three thousand soldiers left at his side were forcefully holding back the charge of thirty thousand. They only needed the time it takes two sticks of incense to burn, and all these civilians would be able to withdraw.

An hour later.

"General Ye, most of the civilians have pulled back. We should go too."

Ye Shikai turned and looked around. The civilians were all running toward the eastern valley. Han Hao had also sent out a large force to pursue them, but they were being firmly held in place by Man Cang’s Iron Armor Army, unable to advance a single step.

"Good, everyone move out with me."

"Don’t let a single rebel escape, surround them." By now, Han Hao’s main force had already encircled them tightly, and the road leading to the valley was cut off. Man Cang and Wan Qi Yuan led the Iron Armor Army and the cavalry in an attempt to punch through and relieve them, but they were all blocked outside. This was sixty to seventy thousand troops, ringed three layers deep inside and out, like an iron barrel.

"General, we’re surrounded. We can’t get out."

"We’re surrounded."

Ye Shikai turned his head and looked around. Indeed, the Qin reinforcements had sealed off three sides so tightly that not even water could leak through. Behind them was the meteor crater—this was a desperate situation. No one could fight their way out of here...

Trapped in a heavy encirclement, everyone understood their current situation. Their only options were to fight to the death or surrender—but even if they surrendered, the fate of rebels was still a dead end.

Ye Shikai did not panic. His gaze was sharp and piercing like an eagle’s as he searched for a breakthrough.

"Count our numbers."

"Report to the General, we still have over nineteen hundred brothers left, with more than seven hundred lightly or heavily wounded."

From an initial force of five thousand, only a third remained after the brutal fighting. Ye Shikai's heart ached as he witnessed the surviving soldiers, leaning on each other for support, with numerous wounded requiring several men to assist each casualty. Facing fifty to sixty thousand Qin troops with just over a thousand men, the scene was one of both tragic heroism.

A sudden calm washed over Ye Shikai. He realized that death might claim him today. If it were possible, he wished he could order Man Cang and Wan Qi Yuan to withdraw immediately, to prevent further futile bloodshed.

"General, none of the brothers fear death. Let us charge them with everything we have."

"Charge them!"

Ye Shikai now fought with his back to the river. Every soldier understood that escape from death today was highly improbable.

At that critical moment, a mounted general emerged from the Qin Army's ranks. The rider was none other than Han Hao himself.

"Traitor! The court has shown you no ill treatment, yet you lead troops in rebellion. Have you no conscience left?" Han Hao bellowed furiously.

"Hahaha! Conscience? You, of all people, dare speak of 'conscience'?" Ye Shikai's gaze swept over the scattered bodies of slain civilians, many felled by arrows, others impaled by spears. Han Hao's words ignited a wild, raw laughter within him, a profound and naked sarcasm. Since his transmigration to the Qin Dynasty, he had never experienced such unbridled fury.

If even a sliver of conscience existed, such an utterly inhuman act would never have transpired. A burning rage surged through Ye Shikai's chest, his grip tightening on his sword hilt.

"Brothers, are you willing to follow me into a righteous, final battle?"

"We are willing to fight with the General!"

"Excellent. Form ranks to face the enemy." Ye Shikai dismounted. The warhorse, a gift from Shangguan Jian back in Shangshui Village, was not an exceptional steed, but it had faithfully carried him through countless campaigns. Over time, an undeniable bond had been forged between them.

"Old partner, it seems we won't be leaving today." Ye Shikai gently patted the horse's hindquarters, whispering into its ear. Then, bracing himself, he swiftly yanked the arrow from the horse's flank, tearing a strip of cloth to staunch the wound.

"Ling'er, I pray you can reach Chu Territory safely."

"Release!"

"Meet the enemy!"

...........................

The valley.

"Quickly, get the civilians into the valley! Guide them along the mountain paths to facilitate their escape. Once dispersed, the Qin Army will be unable, and likely unwilling, to pursue them relentlessly. Hunting down hundreds of thousands would undoubtedly ignite a widespread popular uprising." Shangguan Jian realized that if these refugees reached other commanderies, the Qin Army would lack both the means and the political justification for another 'indiscriminate massacre' of such magnitude.

"Why hasn't Old Ye arrived yet?" Shangguan Jian pressed.

"Reporting, my lord, it appears General Ye is surrounded in the meteor crater. General Man and General Wan Qi are attempting a rescue."

"What? How could this have happened?" Shangguan Jian had never anticipated Ye Shikai being encircled. According to the established plan, he should have already broken through the enemy lines.

"General Ye was trapped within the encirclement while attempting to rescue the civilians."