Chapter 164

Sesung’s spear was heavy.

But it was nothing compared to Guan Yu.

Sesung’s spear was fast.

But it was nothing compared to Father.

Sesung’s spear was sharp.

But it was nothing compared to Zhao Chang.

Even in equal conditions of cavalry combat, I would have had the upper hand, let alone the advantageous situation of facing infantry on horseback.

Sesung couldn’t even launch a proper offensive and was busy blocking my attacks.

Yet, one by one, blood lines began to appear on Sesung’s body.

“Ugh!”

Again, blood spurted from Sesung’s body. This time, it was a rather deep wound. A groan of pain escaped Sesung’s lips.

But Sesung didn’t stop there, moving his arm to block the incoming barrage of attacks.

Sesung’s spirit, burning with the remaining life, had reached a level of awe. Normally, he would have surrendered long ago, but Sesung, surpassing his limits, confronted me with fierce determination.

The sense of mission carrying the nation’s great affairs.

The pride of not being able to lose as the strongest warrior of Eastern Wu.

The sense of responsibility that he must do his part to save his subordinates.

Such things pushed Sesung’s back and supported his spear-wielding arm.

Like a parent who, seeing their child in danger, momentarily exhibits superhuman strength.

Instead of recklessly aiming for Sesung’s neck, I calmly pushed him back.

At first glance, Sesung seemed overwhelmed just by receiving my attacks, but I could see his eyes still shining brightly like a beast eyeing its prey.

‘He’s aiming for mutual destruction.’

Some of the wounds Sesung had were deliberately inflicted to lure me in.

Sesung and I had different victory conditions.

For me, my safety had to be ensured before defeating Sesung, but for Sesung, it didn’t matter what happened to him as long as he could kill me or put me in a similar state.

Our values were different. I am the army’s supreme commander, but Sesung is merely a vanguard commander.

The highest-ranking officer in the Eastern Wu army is not Sesung but Bozul. Even if Sesung died, Bozul or Sonso could take command.

Knowing this, Sesung was willing to lay down his life.

But even so, the gap between Sesung and me was vast.

Sesung was struggling with all his might, barely keeping up with me.

It was clear that he was nearing his limit.

If this continued for another ten exchanges, he would collapse.

But sooner than I expected, Sesung’s stance began to crumble due to Ma Dai’s exploits from behind.

“Ma Dai of Han, the General of Pinggu, has killed the enemy general Seochung!”

The news that turned the tide of the battle.

Although not a central figure in the formation, the death of a deputy-level general I had heard of caused Sesung’s spear to momentarily waver.

And that broke the precarious balance.

Not a deliberate gap Sesung created to lure me in, but a real gap beyond Sesung’s control. It was large enough for my spear to penetrate.

Sssk!

The descending spear blade deeply split Sesung’s shoulder. The sensation of the blade cutting through the trapezius muscle and reaching the collarbone was vivid.

Although his arm didn’t completely fall off, with more than half severed, Sesung’s right arm was as good as gone.

It’s over.

As I was about to pull out the spear to finish him by beheading him instead of the shoulder.

Sesung gripped the spear with his remaining left arm. His expression, tightly gripping the spear blade, was eerily calm for someone with an arm nearly severed.

His cold, hardened face and even colder eyes staring at me.

The moment our eyes met, I knew. Sesung was burning the rest of his life as fuel for a final, desperate attack.

A flash of light came from Sesung’s left arm.

Taking advantage of my spear embedded in his right shoulder, Sesung launched his first and last attack.

Too short a moment to retrieve my spear to block.

My choice was to let go of the spear.

Kaaang!!

Sesung’s spear didn’t reach me. Because of the sword blade blocking the space between us.

Baekbyeokdo. The sword Cao Cao gave me had finally left its sheath for the first time in battle, shining its blade.

“…Ha.”

A short sigh, akin to a death rattle, escaped Sesung’s lips as he witnessed his final desperate strike come to naught.

Regret, resignation, anger, despair, sorrow, hopelessness… The sound was too short to contain his myriad emotions, making the intensity of the emotions in that single sigh all the more profound.

As strength left Sesung’s left arm, his spear slid down Baekbyeokdo’s blade. Soon, Sesung hung his arm limply, completely exhausted.

The eyes that had shone with determination also lost focus and became dull.

With a laugh that was hard to distinguish between self-mockery and a bitter smile, Sesung spoke.

“Why did heaven send down such a monstrous being? My defeat is not due to Eastern Wu’s shortcomings but because the world has disrupted its order. Alas, alas.”

Like Xiang Yu lamenting to heaven after being defeated by Liu Bang, Sesung muttered.

There was no need to do more; he would die from excessive blood loss, but seeing no need to prolong the battle, I swung Baekbyeokdo.

Sssk!

As blood sprayed, Sesung’s head fell to the ground.

Simultaneously, cheers erupted from the Lanling Army watching our fight, while screams of shock and terror came from the Eastern Wu army.

The Eastern Wu formation, shaken by Ma Dai, was now collapsing at an uncontrollable rate. Ma Su also ordered a full assault from the central army upon confirming my victory.

With Sesung’s death, the morale of the Eastern Wu army, which had fiercely resisted until now, crumbled. As Guo Yi and Ma Su led the central army in an aggressive attack, the tide of battle quickly turned in our favor.

Sonso struggled to manage the collapsing Eastern Wu army like a sandcastle, but it was insufficient.

Ma Dai, riding the momentum, flaunted as if he were today’s protagonist, successfully staining his spear with Son Sung’s blood.

With Sesung and Son Sung, half of the four generals forming the formation, dead, Eastern Wu soldiers began surrendering in droves.

The remaining battle cleanup was left to Ma Dai, Bu Chuan, Guo Yi, and Ma Su, while I looked at a group of troops retreating in the distance.

‘Bozul, quick on the uptake.’

Judging by the distance, it seemed he started retreating the moment Ma Dai broke through the formation, even before Sesung died.

While Sonso was desperately trying to gather his troops and resist, Bozul was quickly putting distance between us.

‘Using his comrades’ sacrifice to escape. How insolent.’

Rationally speaking, retreating to seek another opportunity is better than stubbornly fighting to the death and facing annihilation.

Who knows? Like how the 12 ships of Bae Seol’s fleet, which escaped after Yuan Jun disastrously lost the naval battle at Chilcheonryang, later fell into Yi Sun-sin’s hands and became the foundation for a counterattack. Perhaps the soldiers Bozul took with him could become the cornerstone of the future.

‘But as far as I know, the only talent in Eastern Wu comparable to Yi Sun-sin is Lu Xun.’

And Lu Xun is in Huainan.

Even if the Huainan front concluded and he rushed to Jingzhou while I wasn’t gathering information, it would take more time to reach here.

Moreover, Jiang Wei is guarding the path as a hunter. Even with Bozul’s considerable ability, how many troops could successfully retreat in this situation? If even a thousand made it, I’d applaud Bozul.

I decided to leave Bozul to Jiang Wei and focus on dealing with Sonso’s remaining resistance instead of pursuing Bozul. Not that I was letting Bozul go entirely; I called Bu Chuan and had him lead a pursuit force.

“Make sure to collect the enemy generals’ heads well. They’ll be useful when we attack Hagu Fortress again.”

Sesung’s fierce resistance had left me quite tired. I could still fight if needed, but there was no need for me, the supreme commander, to be at the front anymore.

Confirming that Sonso’s resistance was being cleaned up like the setting sun, I focused on rescuing our wounded and collecting the dead.

By the time the sun completely disappeared, Sonso’s final resistance had ended.

Unlike Sesung and Son Sung, Sonso, captured alive and brought as a prisoner, still had strength left, growling and acting roughly.

“He looks fine. Lock him up and treat him like the other prisoners.”

No need to treat a general specially.

After having Sonso taken away, I returned to the camp set up away from the battlefield.

As I rested briefly at the camp, Bu Chuan and Jiang Wei returned from the pursuit force.

Before reporting to me, Jiang Wei first offered an apology.

“I’m sorry. I let Bozul escape.”

Bozul, dressed like a regular soldier, used the shallow part of the lake to successfully escape. With soldiers scattering in all directions, they couldn’t chase Bozul to the end.

“Disappointing, but it can’t be helped. What about the rest?”

“Over four hundred were captured, and the rest were all killed. Fewer than three hundred likely returned intact.”

Even then, half of those who returned wouldn’t rejoin the army, so effectively, Eastern Wu lost ten thousand troops in this battle alone.

Effectively wiping out the Eastern Wu forces stationed in Xingnan, excluding the Wuling Army. This should have crushed Hagu’s morale.

“Tomorrow, we’ll return to Hagu immediately. Bai Yao, rest a bit more, then clear the blocked waterway and gather the Eastern Wu ships to come up the river. I’ll leave the prisoners with you; use them as oarsmen.”

“Yes, sir.”

Clearing the waterway is straightforward—just ram the ships in and push them aside. If ships get stuck, burn them. It’ll take some time.

‘Do I have to rush now? Sun Quan reaching here will take longer than securing Hagu.’

I would soon realize how naive that thought was.