Chapter 182

As Wei Yan said, we had fought two battles, so we expected to pass through the gate easily. However, we passed through it faster than expected.

The gatekeeper of Guangcheng Pass, was it Zhou Kai? I never dreamed he would open the gate without any fight.

As we passed by, I glanced around, but there were no traces of battle. Could it be that he just opened the gate for Guan Yu, Sima Yi, and me? Zhou Kai is a seasoned veteran, so that couldn’t be it, right?

Unlike the pristine Guangcheng Pass, the scene at Yique Pass was utterly devastating. Buildings were charred, and uncollected corpses and bloodstains were scattered everywhere.

Our troops fell silent upon confirming that the uniforms belonged to the Han army. Opening their mouths would only unleash a torrent of furious curses.

The number of troops guarding Yique Pass wasn’t small, and the number of corpses was significant. Whether left by Sima Yi or the original defenders, even with the Wei army burning the bodies, there were easily over a thousand corpses remaining.

When was the last time thousands of Han soldiers were massacred by the Wei army? From what I recall, such an event was only seen before the Battle of Chibi.

Meanwhile, Wei Yan’s face stiffened to a level similar to mine, perhaps recalling the crushing defeat inflicted by Lu Xun during the Wei-Wu alliance.

Before heading straight to Luoyang after passing Yique Pass, I gathered the troops for a final rest and spoke to them.

“All troops, engrave this feeling in your hearts! And let’s repay those traitors who dared harm our comrades!”

The final sprint toward our ultimate destination, Luoyang, had begun.

The distance from Yique Pass to Luoyang was less than 30 kilometers. If we trotted to conserve the horses’ stamina for battle, we could arrive in two hours.

‘The problem is the Luo River.’

South of Luoyang, two tributaries flow: the Luo River and the Yi River, which flows further south.

We had already crossed the Yi River since its upper reaches were south of Yique Pass, but the Luo River still flowed mightily between us and Luoyang, cutting off the land route.

If there were no bridge to cross, we might have been left watching helplessly as Guan Yu faced disaster, like watching a fire from across the river.

This was purely a matter of luck. Sima Yi had called Zhang Pei as reinforcements, but if he had heard of our approach, he might have burned the floating bridge to cut off our path and eliminate variables.

Fortunately, my worries were unfounded.

“Those fools left the floating bridge intact, never dreaming we’d come!”

Wei Yan shouted with joy upon seeing the floating bridge still spanning the Luo River.

The Wei troops, initially mistaking us for reinforcements, hesitated but soon realized we were enemies and rushed to cut the bridge.

Torchbearers stepped forward, and archers began forming ranks to hold us off. Clearly, being under Sima Yi’s command, their response was swift.

In any case, we couldn’t let them burn the bridge.

“I’ll go first!!”

Gold-Spirit Phoenix, without even needing a kick, sped up at my shout. True to its name as a “Thousand-Mile Horse,” it still had the strength to accelerate even after running so far, unlike ordinary horses that would tire after a few minutes.

“General! It’s dangerous to go alone! You need to match our speed…”

“Kang Baek-yak, I’ll go ahead too! General, I’ll join you!”

Kang Yu’s anxious voice called out from behind, but it was soon drowned out by Ma Dai’s voice as he caught up to me.

Kang Yu, also from Tianshui, had slightly inferior horsemanship compared to the Xiliang cavalry, perhaps due to his brief stint as a Wei official. If Kang Yu was like that, Wei Yan was even more so.

Though they couldn’t fully catch up to Gold-Spirit Phoenix, the Xiliang cavalry, superior in both horse quality and rider skill, quickly followed behind me.

With me at the forefront and the Xiliang cavalry supporting from behind, we entered the floating bridge.

As soon as we stepped onto the bridge, Gold-Spirit Phoenix seemed to fold space, reaching the other side in an instant.

The Wei troops, trying to light the bridge, were terrified by the massive horse and its rider—me—and stumbled backward, dropping their torches.

I passed by the Wei troops, watching the torches roll on the ground.

Swish!

Perhaps it was just my imagination, but the chilling sound seemed to echo a beat late, as if Gold-Spirit Phoenix’s speed had outpaced it.

Starting with the soldier at the front, I cut down every Wei soldier in my path. It was a merciless slaughter, a grotesque massacre.

Even though Sima Yi’s troops were elite, they were too distracted to withstand even a single strike from my spear.

Even those who seemed to be high-ranking officers or lords were no different. When I swung my spear, they too met their end.

The Wei troops, having failed to stop us at the crossing, scrambled to flee. They had never expected us to come. I ruthlessly exploited their disarray, tearing through their encirclement.

“General! I see the Supreme General!”

As I charged forward, slaughtering Wei troops, Ma Dai pointed westward and shouted.

‘Am I too late…!’

Guan Yu’s figure, with a spear embedded in him, was far from unscathed. However, Guan Ping and Zhao Lu forming a defensive line around him, and Guan Yu still mounted on his horse, suggested he was still alive.

“It’s not too late! The Supreme General is alive! Let’s break through the enemy lines and protect him!!”

With the goal in sight, our troops’ morale soared as they fiercely pressed the Wei army.

At the vanguard were me, flanked by Kang Yu and Ma Dai. In the center, Wei Yan maintained the army’s balance. Over ten thousand cavalry moved as one, organically and efficiently piercing the enemy lines.

The Wei troops, focused on the front, were extremely vulnerable to an attack from the rear. Even if they had prepared for us, the outcome wouldn’t have changed much.

Our breakthrough power and attack strength were beyond anything they could handle.

‘Sima Yi…’

Just before breaking through Sima Yi’s encirclement to join Guan Yu’s forces, I noticed a gaze fixed on me from a distance and followed it to its source.

It was the same face I had seen in Ye. But his expression was even more twisted than when I had challenged Cao Pi to a game of Tan-ki.

Sima Yi, locking eyes with me, stopped shouting orders and glared at me as if in a staring contest.

‘Should I go after Sima Yi now and leave Guan Yu?’

The thought crossed my mind out of irritation but quickly vanished.

Sima Yi’s surroundings were perfectly defended, as his orders reached there first. Guan Yu’s forces were in such dire straits that without my arrival, they would have been annihilated.

No matter how much I hated Sima Yi and wanted his head, saving Guan Yu took precedence.

‘Count yourself lucky, Sima Yi.’

Sima Yi seemed to realize that our primary goal was to rescue Guan Yu. Otherwise, given his personality, he wouldn’t have held his ground so close to an enemy attacking from the rear.

It was infuriating.

‘You think you can surround and beat us without facing any retaliation?’

How insolent. After killing so many Han soldiers and grievously wounding Guan Yu, you dare to glare at me, thinking you’re safe?

“Baek-yak! You ensure the Supreme General’s safety and prepare to retreat with Commander Zhao Lu!”

“Huh? General, surely you’re not…”

I turned my back without hearing Kang Yu’s response.

The path through the Wei army was open. The vanguard had paved the way, and the following cavalry, less fatigued and also elite troops of the Lanling Army, poured in. Among them was someone who could match my pace.

“Rear General, remember the day we left Hanzhong?”

“Hahaha! Of course I do! Naturally. I always get along with Commander Wei.”

Wei Yan, sharing my sentiment, immediately turned his horse’s direction upon mentioning the day we rescued Ma Chao’s family in Hanzhong.

“Then follow me!”

The situation wasn’t better than back then. When we left Hanzhong, Zhao Yun, Jin Dou, and Bang Deok were with us.

But now, ten years later, Wei Yan and I were no longer the inexperienced generals who couldn’t keep up with those three. We had grown into formidable warriors standing tall in the world.

With two of the Han’s second-generation mighty generals leading the charge, who dares to hold their ground?

I wasn’t sure if I could take Sima Yi’s head. He was no ordinary general and was exceptionally skilled at preserving his own safety. He might even use my attack as an opportunity to capture me.

But I was confident I wouldn’t lose to Sima Yi’s army.

“I want to see that shameless face of Sima Yi’s filled with terror.”