Chapter 9 of 10

Chapter 9

15 min read3,738 words

Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Zhang He, and Gao Lan, collectively known as the Four Generals of Hejian, or the Four Pillars of Hebei. These four men would later become famous, but at this moment, they were still unknown figures, just like Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei.

Yan Liang was then serving as the Commandant of the Central Army, Wen Chou as the Commandant of the Rear Army, and Zhang He held a lower rank as a Deputy Commandant, even lower than Liu Bei. If Ma Han had been closer, he would have recognized that this Zhang He was the young general who had repeatedly attacked him on the battlefield when he first arrived in the Three Kingdoms era.

In this corner of the stormy Hebei battlefield, the five most formidable warriors in the world had gathered. Their confrontation foreshadowed a fierce and intense battle.

"Take this from your grandpa!" Despite being surrounded, Zhang Fei, with his innate courage, fearlessly shook his long spear and launched the first attack, targeting Wen Chou.

The three brothers from the Peach Garden were now exhausted and could not afford a prolonged battle. The best strategy was to directly attack the enemy's commander. The reason they chose Wen Chou was not only because he was the closest to Zhang Fei but also because they were similar in appearance: both had a leopard-like forehead and a swallow-like chin, round eyes, and a beard. They even used the same weapon, a long spear. Such an opponent was exactly what Zhang Fei was looking for.

Wen Chou was directing his cavalry to attack the enemy when he suddenly saw an enemy general, clad in black armor and riding a black horse, wielding an abnormally long spear, charging at him like a black lightning bolt. Even from twenty paces away, the enemy general exuded an aura of invincibility.

Wen Chou's fighting spirit was instantly ignited. He kicked his horse's belly hard, and the warhorse shot forward like an arrow, meeting the enemy head-on. The dozen or so cavalrymen surrounding him also charged forward, spears at the ready.

Zhang Fei rode like the wind, his beard bristling, laughing wildly as his twelve-foot-long spear pierced the chest of the leading cavalryman. What was shocking was that he did not throw off the corpse impaled on his spear but instead held it steady with one arm. With a powerful thrust, he impaled the second cavalryman, and the two corpses were skewered on the three-foot-long spear blade like a kebab.

This terrifying and fierce scene made the surrounding Ji Province cavalrymen rein in their horses, too afraid to advance. At this moment, a cavalryman, unable to stop in time, rushed past Zhang Fei's side. This cavalryman, thinking he could take a chance, swung his saber at Zhang Fei.

Zhang Fei roared, flinging the corpse off his spear. He suddenly reached out with his left hand, grabbing the cavalryman's belt, who was almost thrown off his horse by the roar, and pulled him off his saddle, lifting him high and throwing him at Wen Chou.

Wen Chou's eyes, visible under his helmet, were filled with rage. He did not dodge or evade the human projectile—it was impossible to do so without losing the initiative. The long spear in his arm, charged with explosive force, thrust forward without hesitation—blood splattered as the spear blade pierced the back of the thrown cavalryman. With astonishing strength, Wen Chou lifted the corpse and, without stopping, charged at Zhang Fei.

Zhang Fei's eyes bulged with anger, and he thrust his spear forward, spear against spear, attack against attack.

Thud! Clang! The twelve-foot-long spear cruelly pierced the corpse, and the two spear blades collided, clashed, and scraped inside the still-living body. As the two horses passed each other, the spear blades cut and tore the corpse, splitting it in half. A cloud of blood and internal organs drenched the two fierce warriors as they passed each other.

The first round of the battle between Zhang Fei and Wen Chou ended with a blood-soaked, brutal confrontation. What about the second round?

At the same time, another pair of fated opponents, Guan Yu and Yan Liang, also engaged in a decisive battle.

If Zhang Fei was confronting Wen Chou with the might of a hero, Guan Yu was launching a lightning strike, attacking Yan Liang from the side.

When Yan Liang was amazed by the bravery of Wen Chou's opponent, he suddenly saw a commotion in his rear. A general, wielding a saber, cut through his seven or eight bodyguards like a wave, charging fiercely toward his flank.

Yan Liang was startled and immediately fled, not because he was afraid of the enemy general but because he needed to create distance to get his horse moving. In cavalry combat, you couldn't fight without momentum. If the enemy charged like thunder and you stood still, even if your martial prowess was much greater, you couldn't withstand the combined force of man and horse.

After charging for more than thirty paces, Yan Liang suddenly turned back and saw the enemy general only ten paces away, with a dozen of his bodyguards lying dead on the ground, some struggling in the blood and others motionless.

Yan Liang drew a sharp breath. These dozen bodyguards were all seasoned warriors, and in just a moment, they had all been killed by the enemy general. Such bravery was indeed rare.

The loss of so many bodyguards made Yan Liang both angry and determined. He always boasted that in the Ji Province army, only Wen Chou could match him, and in Hebei, only Yan and Wen were heroes. He never expected to encounter such a strong enemy today. Moreover, the general fighting Wen Chou also seemed to be a formidable opponent. Such enemies were hard to come by, and he couldn't let this opportunity pass.

Yan Liang whipped his horse hard, using its speed to create enough distance, then turned around, brandishing his saber, and coldly eyed the powerful opponent charging at him.

Guan Yu also slowed his horse, having fought for a long time, his horse was drenched in sweat, and he was at the limit of his strength. He had already killed nearly twenty cavalrymen, using highly skilled techniques, precise cuts, and leveraging the momentum of his saber rather than brute force. However, even the most skilled techniques could only reduce the effort, not eliminate it.

Guan Yu had first charged with Liu Bei, killing dozens of enemies, then pursued Yan Liang, killing another dozen. In just half an hour, he had killed nearly fifty enemies. Despite his bravery and skill, his arms were now sore, numb, and swollen, and the blade of his fifty-refined steel saber was chipped in several places.

Guan Yu decided that after killing this general and rescuing his brothers, he would immediately retreat, as even if he wanted to continue, his horse was too exhausted.

"Yan Liang of Xiangguo, who have you killed?"

"Guan Yu of Hedong, I have come to take your head!"

After the exchange, the two horses charged at each other like lightning. One swung his saber downward, the other upward. Clang! The two sabers clashed, sparks flying. Normally, they would have passed each other and then turned back to fight again, but an unexpected event occurred—due to the frequent use of Guan Yu's saber, it had become fatigued, and the force of the clash was too great, causing a fingernail-sized chip in the blade. Yan Liang's saber also chipped.

The two chipped sabers locked together, and the cavalry battle turned into a grapple.

This was where Guan Yu's superior saber skills came into play. As soon as his saber was locked, he instinctively turned his right hand, switching from a forward grip to a reverse grip, making the use of force smoother. He then exerted a sudden, powerful force, throwing Yan Liang and his saber off his horse. However, the force was so great that Guan Yu's horse finally gave out, its front legs buckling and throwing Guan Yu off.

Yan Liang's horse ran away, and Guan Yu's horse fell, turning the horse battle into a foot battle. At this moment, an unexpected event brought these evenly matched battles to an abrupt end.

Both the battle between Zhang Fei and Wen Chou and the battle between Guan Yu and Yan Liang could be described as evenly matched, but the battle between Liu Bei and Zhang He was not on the same level.

Zhang He realized this, so he did not engage Liu Bei in combat but instead drew his bow and arrow and shot at Liu Bei.

Liu Bei was directing his archers to fire another round to rescue his light cavalry when he heard a warning from his bodyguards: "Commandant, watch out for the arrow!"

Regardless of Liu Bei's physical prowess, his battlefield instincts were sharper than most famous generals of the era, which is why he was later known as the "Master of Escape." Hearing the warning, he ducked, and his helmet was shot off. As he dodged, a second arrow struck his horse's neck. The horse neighed in pain and fell, pinning Liu Bei's leg.

The fall of the commander caused a commotion among the bodyguards, which alerted Zhang Fei and Guan Yu. Seeing their elder brother fall, they were shocked and immediately broke off their battles to rush back.

The archers fired two rounds, forcing Zhang He, Yan Liang, and Wen Chou to retreat. They helped Liu Bei onto a horse and, under Guan Yu's protection, cut a bloody path through the encirclement.

Just as Zhang He, Yan Liang, and Wen Chou were about to pursue, a thunderous voice rang out: "If you want to harm my two elder brothers, you must get past me first!"

With a roar, a general charged from the side, his super-long spear slicing down at Zhang He like a mountain collapsing.

Zhang He hastily raised his spear to block. Crack! The spear shaft bent like a bow, and he was thrown back on his horse's rump. Seeing the sharp spear blade about to cut his nose, another spear blade appeared from the side, blocking the attack. The spear blade paused, then continued to press down. Another chipped saber appeared, supporting the spear blade. The saber, spear, and spear blade all exerted force, finally stopping the powerful attack.

At this critical moment, Zhang Fei's adrenaline-fueled, terrifying attack forced the three Hebei generals to retreat.

"Truly worthy of the fierce Zhang Fei of Changban!" Ma Han watched from a distance, deeply impressed. With Zhang Fei covering the rear, Liu Bei was sure to escape. As for Zhang Fei, if he wanted to flee, even the combined forces of Zhang He, Yan Liang, and Wen Chou would not be able to stop him.

As Ma Han was marveling, he suddenly noticed a detachment of his army breaking off from the main formation, banners flying, and heading east toward a hill.

"It's the Black Mountain Army's Du Chang unit." Ma Han was greatly surprised. At this critical moment in the battle, why was the Black Mountain Army suddenly leaving the battlefield?

As a scout leader, it was his duty to investigate. Without hesitation, he ordered fifty cavalrymen to gallop down the hill and race eastward.

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