Lu Bu's Sky Piercer halberd clashed with Xu Chu's blade, and in that instant, a crimson brilliance burst forth from both Lu Bu's weapon and his arm. Red Hare, sensing the moment, lunged at Xu Chu's horse, trying to bite it.
Both Lu Bu and Xu Chu quickly disengaged after the exchange. Sitting on Red Hare, Lu Bu swayed slightly, smirking. "I underestimated you. In terms of strength, you are second only to Dian Wei among the generals I've faced."
Xu Chu looked at Lu Bu with a serious expression. The previous strike had been his all-out attack, aiming to catch Lu Bu off guard. However, Lu Bu only swayed on Red Hare, showing no significant harm.
Lu Bu narrowed his eyes as he looked at Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Xu Chu. "Today, I will send all of you to your deaths!" he roared, swinging his Sky Piercer in a sweeping arc that enveloped all three in its deadly range.
"Kill!" Xu Chu shouted, ignoring all the illusions and slashing directly at Lu Bu. Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade, glowing with a ghostly light, also slashed toward Lu Bu, while Zhang Fei's Serpent Spear curved around, aiming for Lu Bu's back.
"This is getting interesting!" Lu Bu laughed. He no longer cared about the insults and provocations. What did it matter if they called him a "treacherous cur"? His strength, which dominated the world, would not change because of mere words!
Lu Bu first deflected the greatest threat, Guan Yu's blade, with a single strike of his halberd. Then, with a twist of his Sky Piercer's shaft, he redirected Zhang Fei's spear with a soft, spiraling force, causing it to clash with Xu Chu's sword instead.
"Is this all you've got? Then you can all die now!" After blocking their attacks, Red Hare reared up, kicking out at Guan Yu's mount, Yellow Dragon, while Lu Bu leaped into the air, swinging his Sky Piercer toward Zhang Fei's chest.
Guan Yu's Yellow Dragon horse instinctively dodged backward, but this left Guan Yu unable to block Lu Bu's next move.
On the other side, Xu Chu swung his blade at Lu Bu's head, but Lu Bu didn't even bother to turn around. He thrust his Sky Piercer straight at Zhang Fei's chest.
Zhang Fei watched as Lu Bu's weapon hurtled toward him. In that moment, time seemed to slow, and all his movements became sluggish. His spear intercepted the Sky Piercer at an impossible angle, but the sheer force behind Lu Bu's strike bent Zhang Fei's spear into a curve, pushing through his defense and striking him off his horse.
"Thud!" Zhang Fei was sent flying several meters away, heavily injured from Lu Bu's ruthless blow.
"Hmph!" At that moment, Xu Chu's fatal strike reached the back of Lu Bu's head, and Xu Chu's face lit up with a hint of triumph.
"Clang!" A clear sound rang out, and Xu Chu felt his hands go numb. His seemingly deadly strike was deflected effortlessly. Before he could react, Lu Bu's halberd was already slicing toward him. Xu Chu quickly blocked the attack, but the impact forced him to retreat several steps until he regrouped with Guan Yu.
Lu Bu's earlier attack had been too fast for Xu Chu to understand, but Guan Yu, with his sharp eyes, had seen it clearly. Lu Bu's halberd had shifted positions in an instant, seemingly without any movement, from the left side to Xu Chu's direction as soon as Xu Chu's blade neared.
"Kill!" Guan Yu shouted, charging at Lu Bu to protect Zhang Fei.
In the distance, Zhang Liao, leading Lu Bu's second wave of cavalry, saw Zhang Fei fall and immediately ordered his troops to mount up. His mission was to defeat Guan Yu.
"Mount up, charge!" Zhang Liao shouted. This was the perfect opportunity. Lu Bu's soldiers were at the peak of their morale after seeing Zhang Fei fall, while the Taishan troops' spirits had plummeted.
Zhang Fei is still alive... Zhang Liao glanced at Lu Bu, reassured. As long as Zhang Fei lived, everything would be fine. If Zhang Fei had died, as Chen Gong had warned, it would all be over.
Guan Yu's strikes grew heavier with each swing, aiming to kill. Unfortunately, none of his attacks could land a fatal blow on Lu Bu. Meanwhile, Lu Bu's halberd danced gracefully, leaving more and more wounds on Guan Yu. Yet, Guan Yu, far from being defeated, only became more determined, his blade shining brighter as he fought back fiercely.
Compared to Guan Yu's increasing momentum, Lu Bu was growing more distracted. After knocking down Zhang Fei, his battle spirit had waned. This was the only reason Guan Yu and Xu Chu had managed to hold him off. If Lu Bu had continued with the same ferocity as before, Guan Yu and Xu Chu would have been far more severely injured by now.
Even before Zhang Fei's defeat, Pei Yuanshao had sensed that the situation was turning grim. He could feel the morale of their troops declining as they failed to overwhelm Lu Bu despite outnumbering him three to one. Meanwhile, Lu Bu's forces were growing more confident by the second. As a seasoned veteran who had survived the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Pei Yuanshao knew that this battle was not going in their favor.
"Old Pei, things are looking bad. Lu Bu is too strong, and his leadership is crushing our morale," Jiang Gong, another Yellow Turban veteran, approached Pei Yuanshao, his face grim.
"You feel it too?" Pei Yuanshao asked, his face darkening.
"We've fought and lost enough times to know when the tide is turning against us," Jiang Gong replied, equally grim.
"I agree. If Lu Bu charges now, General Guan's formations might not hold. The morale gap is too wide," Pei Yuanshao said, his expression bleak. "And with General Guan tied up, if Lu Bu's forces strike head-on, we'll be forced to fight separately, and that…"
"Hei Zi, come here!" Jiang Gong called out to Zhou Cang, who was standing at the front lines. Zhou Cang hesitated but eventually came over.
"Brother Zhou, we need you to rush to Master Guo. You know as well as I do that this situation is dire!" Pei Yuanshao urged. The surviving Yellow Turban leaders had learned to recognize the signs of an impending defeat. If they didn't act, they wouldn't survive.
"Hei Zi, don't hesitate. Can't you see our morale is already faltering? Go quickly. If things go wrong, I'll lead the saber soldiers to hold the line!" Jiang Gong said firmly. Seeing Zhou Cang still hesitating, Jiang Gong made the decision for him.
"Alright, I'll go now," Zhou Cang finally agreed, understanding the severity of the situation. He wasn't foolish—he could see that the Taishan army had lost its momentum. If they were defeated here, Lu Bu's troops, with their soaring morale, would easily crush them.
After Zhou Cang left, Jiang Gong took his place at the front of the saber soldiers. Before he could even get to know the other squad leaders, Zhang Fei was struck down by Lu Bu, and Jiang Gong rushed to rescue him.
Fortunately, Guan Yu and Xu Chu managed to hold off Lu Bu long enough for Jiang Gong to pull Zhang Fei to safety. Otherwise, with his level of skill, Jiang Gong would have been nothing more than a nuisance to Lu Bu.
After rescuing Zhang Fei, Jiang Gong immediately ordered him to be taken to the rear. When he met Pei Yuanshao's eyes, they both saw the unease in each other's gaze. Zhang Fei's defeat had severely damaged the Taishan army's morale.
"I'll go to the rear," Pei Yuanshao said to Jiang Gong, his face grim. "Have your brother Jiang Yan take command of my unit."
"Where are you going? The situation is too precarious. If the commanders start abandoning their posts, we'll collapse for sure!" Jiang Gong said, thinking Pei Yuanshao was planning to flee.
"I'm going to wake up General Zhang. Can't you see that we don't have a commanding officer in the center? General Guan is tied up, and I bet he didn't anticipate this situation. We need someone to take command. As long as someone is leading, we can still hold off Lu Bu's forces," Pei Yuanshao explained, his tone serious. Unlike most Yellow Turbans, he was one of the few who had a strategic mind.
"Alright, go. I'll have my brother take over your unit," Jiang Gong agreed, quickly realizing the logic in Pei Yuanshao's plan. Normally, General Guan would be in command, but now that Lu Bu had tied him down, he couldn't spare a moment for anything else.
"Not good!" Jiang Gong, still on horseback, looked behind him and saw clouds of dust rising from Lu Bu's cavalry. Shocked, he turned back to see that there were no officers directing their forces, and dread filled his heart.
"I don't care! You, you, and you—go to the left, right, and center. Warn them about the enemy's flanking cavalry!" Jiang Gong shouted orders. "All saber soldiers, prepare for the charge. Crossbows, get ready!"
In fact, the front-line commanders had already noticed Zhang Liao's charging cavalry and had issued orders. They had tried to relay the message to the rear and flanks as well, but the army had already started to descend into chaos.
The first to notice this disarray was none other than Lu Bu. He quickly turned his horse and saw the dust clouds trailing his own army's flanking cavalry. One glance at the banners confirmed that it was Zhang Liao leading them.
Deflecting both Guan Yu and Xu Chu's attacks with a single sweep, Lu Bu unleashed a surge of power that pushed both of them back. At that moment, the unstoppable force that was Lu Bu returned to the battlefield.
"You're strong, but this is the end. Among all the opponents I've faced, you rank in the top five. But that's not enough—you can't hurt me!" Lu Bu laughed wildly, his Sky Piercer sweeping through the air with unstoppable force. Within just a few exchanges, Guan Yu's body had already accumulated several shallow wounds.
After forcing back Guan Yu and Xu Chu, Lu Bu raised his Sky Piercer and pointed it at Guan Yu. "All troops, charge!" He then lunged at Guan Yu and Xu Chu, preventing them from regrouping with the main army.
As Lu Bu pushed back Guan Yu and Xu Chu, the former Yellow Turban leaders in Guan Yu's army realized this was their last chance to turn the tide. For them, survival was everything, and they had no qualms about breaking the rules. Sima Ju, Qu Gong, Jiang Gong, and Jiang Yan all charged forward, ordering their troops to unleash a hail of arrows at Lu Bu.
Before Lu Bu could land his next strike on Guan Yu or Xu Chu, a rain of arrows poured down on him. The thin veil of protective energy around him started to waver under the relentless barrage of arrows.
"General, retreat! Lu Bu's reinforcements are closing in!" Jiang Gong shouted. "Pei Yuanshao has already sent for help!"
At first, Guan Yu felt embarrassed that his troops had resorted to such tactics, but hearing Jiang Gong's words and seeing the enemy cavalry charging from both sides, he knew it was true.
"Retreat!" Guan Yu nodded to Jiang Gong, then shouted to Xu Chu.
"Order the flanks to counterattack and have the center form a defensive line. Hold on until reinforcements arrive!" Guan Yu ordered as he withdrew from the front lines.
But as soon as he turned back, he saw his left and right flanks being smashed apart by the enemy's cavalry. The sudden collapse was shocking, and the enemy riders drove deep into their formations, breaking through to the center.
"How is this possible?" Guan Yu was stunned by the sight of the cavalry breaking through his flanks.
"Saber soldiers, prepare to block the left flank!" Guan Yu shouted urgently.
"Yes!" Jiang Gong roared, leading five hundred saber soldiers to intercept the left flank.
"Xu Chu, stop Zhang Liao!" Guan Yu ordered, pointing to the right flank.
"Tiger Guard Battalion, follow me!" Xu Chu shouted, leading his Tiger Guards toward Zhang Liao.
Soon, Jiang Gong's saber soldiers clashed with Hao Meng's troops. Although Hao Meng had the upper hand, it wasn't easy to take down Jiang Gong amidst the swirling energy of their clashing forces. Hao Meng's two hundred "Trap" soldiers, dispatched by Gao Shun, were also held back by the saber soldiers and other infantry. Although they held a significant advantage in combat power, the saber soldiers' steady retreat managed to stall the Trap troops' unstoppable advance.
"Clang!" Xu Chu swung his blade at Zhang Liao, who parried it effortlessly, slipping away like water. Zhang Liao's few remaining "Trap" soldiers clashed with Xu Chu's Tiger Guards.
After exchanging dozens of blows with Xu Chu, Zhang Liao finally relaxed as he saw his "Trap" soldiers beginning to overpower the Tiger Guards. The greatest advantage of specialized troops was their ability to break through enemy lines, creating opportunities for the regular soldiers to exploit and expand upon.
"Damn it!" Xu Chu cursed as he struggled against Zhang Liao, observing the situation around him. The enemy soldiers were incredibly strong—his Tiger Guards needed two or three men to take down just one of them! Could these really be ordinary soldiers?
Guan Yu, leading his troops in a defensive formation, was fighting desperately to hold off Lu Bu. However, several points in their defenses were already beginning to falter. No one could withstand Lu Bu's relentless charges, especially with the vast disparity in morale between the two sides.