Chapter 178

It wasn’t just Xiahou Sang who was preparing.

As Yu Ye was about to fall back, he was quickly sent to the rear, and with Xiahou Sang taking full control, Guan Yu pondered how to respond.

‘Guangcheng Pass won’t hold out for long. Ultimately, when Sima Yi arrives depends on how well Xun Zhen holds Yiguan Pass. If Yiguan Pass is breached, it will only take three days to cross the river.’

In other words, if Yiguan Pass was breached, it would be impossible to avoid Sima Yi.

‘If we retreat, it must be now.’

Leaving Luoyang behind and moving towards Guanzhong to join forces with Zhang Fei at Dongguan.

However, there were two problems: one was that it would be akin to abandoning Xun Zhen at Yiguan Pass, and the other was that the path was not entirely smooth.

‘The road from Luoyang to Dongguan is blocked by Hangu Pass.’

Hangu Pass wasn’t the only obstacle. Beyond Hangu Pass was Hongnong County.

If the Han Dynasty had positioned Zhang Fei at Dongguan as the front line, Cao Wei had fortified Hongnong County as their forward base, placing Zhao Jin there.

Despite Zhao Jin’s repeated defeats by Zhang Lan, he was still considered one of the bravest and most skilled among the Cao family generals, alongside Zhao Yu.

‘They say there’s someone named Guan Gusu at Hangu Pass.’

He was the brother of Guan Gusu, who had been killed by Guan Yu while defending Yiguan Pass. Close to Cao Biao and harboring deep hatred for the Han Dynasty, he had become the gatekeeper of the crucial Hangu Pass.

Of course, from Guan Yu’s perspective, Guan Gusu and Zhao Jin were just kids. But the real issue was the terrain. The path from Luoyang to Guanzhong was narrow and treacherous, making numerical superiority useless if Hangu Pass’s troops fought to the death.

Above all, retreating from Luoyang without any gains was not an option for Guan Yu. Not for the sake of Xun Zhen at Yiguan Pass.

“Prepare the siege weapons. Restore the ladders and battering rams.”

The core parts of the ladders had been dismantled and brought along. The engineering corps, prepared for a full-scale siege, could quickly reassemble them.

They had abandoned all other siege equipment during the arduous march, carrying only the ladders. If all the siege weapons Guan Yu had prepared were here, he wouldn’t have hesitated to attack Luoyang.

Guan Yu believed that with a significant portion of the troops gone with Sima Yi, Luoyang was vulnerable.

‘Luoyang is a tall and large city, but it’s easier to attack than Chang’an.’

While Luoyang’s walls were comparable in height to Chang’an’s, it was only the highest walls of Luoyang that matched the lower walls of Chang’an.

Chang’an’s walls were about 8 meters high, while Luoyang’s were around 6 meters, a full zhang shorter. The hastily assembled ladders would suffice for an assault.

“Before Sima Yi arrives. We will launch a full-scale assault and take the city in one go.”

Guan Yu believed.

Just as he had promised Zhang Lan to cross the walls of Bansheng, he would now cross the walls of Luoyang.

§

While Guan Yu prepared to attack Luoyang, Sima Yi had arrived at Yiguan Pass.

Bypassing Guangcheng Pass at an astonishing speed, Guangcheng Pass had opened its gates to Sima Yi without resistance, contrary to Guan Yu’s expectations.

Sima Yi’s forces marched at an incredible pace, reaching Yiguan Pass in just a few days. Unlike Guangcheng Pass, Yiguan Pass remained firmly closed upon seeing Sima Yi’s army.

“Hmm, Guan Yu has left his subordinate here.”

Sima Yi muttered, noticing that it wasn’t Guan Gusu but someone else watching him from atop Yiguan Pass.

Unlike the gatekeeper of Guangcheng Pass, who was fickle, Feng Hai was a veteran who had served Cao Cao for a long time, and his deputy Guan Gusu harbored a deep hatred for the Han Dynasty. They would have fought to the death to stop Guan Yu.

‘But it seems they didn’t hold out for long.’

The Han forces occupying Yiguan Pass had prepared their defenses well, not just in the past few days.

Contrary to Sima Yi’s speculation, Guan Yu had stormed in like a tempest when Feng Hai was killed by Guan Gusu while trying to defect to the Han, but it didn’t matter much.

Sima Yi also attempted dialogue. With the fate of the world hanging on whether Guan Yu was captured or not, preserving even a little strength was worth the attempt, no matter how slim the chance.

“I am Sima Yi, the military commander of Cao Wei! Who is the enemy general here?”

As Sima Yi approached and spoke, Xun Zhen responded in kind.

“I am Xun Zhen, a general under the Supreme General of the Han! We have taken Yiguan Pass, so know that it’s too late and retreat!”

Despite Xun Zhen’s shout, Sima Yi acted as if he hadn’t heard, merely repeating Xun Zhen’s name.

“Xun Zhen, I’ve heard of you. You were one of Guan Yu’s deputies, along with Yao Hua, Zhao Lou, and Guan Ping. How fortunate.”

Guan Yu valued loyalty.

Leaving his trusted subordinate Xun Zhen at Yiguan Pass was a sign of his determination to take Luoyang.

Sima Yi, who had been worried that Guan Yu might break through Hangu Pass and enter Guanzhong, found this to be good news.

Sima Yi, pleased by Xun Zhen’s presence, spoke again.

“Listen, General Xun! Before I left Luoyang, I left over ten thousand troops with Yu Ziyang, and there are even more at Hangu Pass! I hear Guan Yu’s forces number less than forty thousand, and judging by the troops here, you must have at least five thousand!”

Xun Zhen looked at Sima Yi with a puzzled expression as he suddenly discussed troop numbers.

Undeterred, Sima Yi continued.

“The forces I lead alone are enough, and behind me, Zhang Xian is bringing even more troops! Luoyang is an impregnable fortress that will hold Guan Yu, and with the Wei army pouring in from Hangu Pass and Yiguan Pass, Guan Yu’s forces will be utterly destroyed. Wouldn’t it be wise for you to read the flow of the times and save your soldiers’ lives?”

Despite Sima Yi’s threatening persuasion, Xun Zhen’s expression only grew more resolute.

Xun Zhen even smiled at Sima Yi’s suggestion to surrender for the sake of the soldiers. And it wasn’t just Xun Zhen.

“Pfft.”

“Tch.”

Sounds of suppressed laughter echoed from the walls.

Sima Yi squinted towards the source of the sound, perhaps mistaking it for nervous laughter before the impending battle.

But the fact that even Xun Zhen, the commander of Yiguan Pass, was laughing proved it wasn’t nervous laughter.

Xun Zhen, unable to hold back any longer, burst into laughter.

“Hahahaha! Surrender to save lives? Where are the lives here? Tell me, officer, do you see any lives here?”

When Xun Zhen asked his adjutant beside him, the adjutant also laughed and replied.

“Of course not. I see no lives here.”

What kind of play was this? Sima Yi suspected they were up to some bizarre trick, like shamans.

But the conversation between Xun Zhen and his adjutant wasn’t some shallow ploy to confuse Sima Yi.

“That’s right! There are no lives here! Only the ghosts of the Han remain! Where are you looking for lives? Sima Yi! Do not try to tarnish our resolve! We have all sworn to become ghosts of the Han! We, who have received the deep grace of the Han and the Supreme General, have declared ourselves ghosts!”

Indeed. The Han soldiers remaining at Yiguan Pass were those who had volunteered to stay, knowing it was a death trap.

Xun Zhen, who in the original history had fought against the Wu forces occupying Jing Province and ultimately committed suicide, once again offered his life to stop Sima Yi.

Sima Yi, more than just thinking they were nervous, clicked his tongue at the madmen before him.

“The Han… that damned Han. Its name still holds a bewitching power.”

Further dialogue was pointless. Sima Yi turned his horse and returned to his camp. Peaceful compromise was out of the question; now only fire and blood would prove who was right.

“Attack. We need no prisoners, kill them all.”

It was a fact known to all. The Wei army, of course, and even the Han soldiers watching the enemy approach. Total annihilation was an accepted inevitability.

But there was something wrong with Sima Yi’s words.

The one following behind him was not Zhang Pei. He was busy regrouping the defeated troops.

No one expected. No one guessed.

That the one rushing from the south, having broken through Zhang Pei, would be Zhang Lan.