My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Xiahou Wei awoke too late.

From the east, the Han army's iron cavalry had already charged in like a storm.

His Wei soldiers were terrified by this sudden change and fled in panic.

The fall of Jiguan Pass seems to be a foregone conclusion.

For a fleeting moment, Xiahou Wei felt fear and considered running away.

In the blink of an eye, the lessons learned from the Yijing battle suddenly came to mind.

At that time, without Cao Cao's orders, he feared the Han army's offensive and ordered the abandonment of Yijing and the escape.

The results of it.

Cao Cao was greatly disappointed in him, and the entire Wei state despised his cowardly behavior.

This rising star of the Xiahou clan fell to the ground and has been neglected by Cao Cao ever since.

The current situation is remarkably similar to that of the Battle of Yijing.

Is it possible that we will repeat the same mistake as Yi Jing?
Xiahou Wei clenched his fists suddenly, his thoughts of running away forcibly dispelled by the remaining pride in his heart.

"Most of the troops in Hedong Commandery are concentrated along the Dayangdu line in the south to guard against a surprise attack by the Han army from Hongnong across the Yellow River, while there are almost no troops stationed in the east."

"If this pass falls, the Han army will advance unimpeded and invade Hedong. Our army will be powerless to resist, and Hedong will surely fall!"

"At that time, the Han army can cross the Puban and Longmen Pass to the west, threatening Guanzhong, and march north to directly attack Jinyang and seize Bingzhou. Our Great Wei will be in grave danger!"

"If it really comes to that, wouldn't I, Xiahou Wei, become a sinner of the Great Wei? A sinner of the Xiahou clan?"

"Even if I escape with my life, how can I face His Majesty?"

"No, this time, I absolutely refuse to run away again!"

Xiahou Wei had made up his mind. He drew his sword and shouted:
"If this pass is lost, the Great Wei will surely perish!"

"Soldiers of Wei, summon your courage and follow me to retake the city gates!"

Xiahou Wei took the lead, charging like a mad dog with his sword drawn, towards the Han soldiers blocking the gate.

The Wei soldiers on either side were stunned.

Clearly, they hadn't expected that this second-generation ancestor of the Xiahou clan, who had abandoned the city and fled in Yijing, would have such courage in this time of crisis.

Inspired by his courage, the Wei soldiers regained some of their fighting spirit and had no choice but to muster their courage and follow him toward the city gate.

Under the city gate.

Zhuge Dan stood proudly with his spear held high, as majestic as a mountain.

A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes as he watched the surging Wei soldiers.

According to his original prediction, Xiahou Wei, this spoiled brat, would surely flee in panic upon seeing that the city gates had fallen and the situation was dire.

To his surprise, this spoiled brat had the courage to not only not flee but also try to retake the city gate!
"The people of Wei are not all worthless; they still have men of courage and integrity..."

Zhuge Dan secretly approved, then his eagle eyes narrowed:
"Hold on a little longer, and our cavalry will be there."

"Follow me to the death to defend the line! We must fight to the last man and never let the Wei dogs take back the city gate!"

The Han soldiers gripped their swords and spears tightly and shouted in unison:

"Defend the city gates to the death, never retreat!"

The fewer than forty Han soldiers were all determined to die, and they stood in formation without retreating.

In an instant, a large group of Wei soldiers charged forward.

A fierce battle of attack and defense unfolded beneath the city gates.

Although the garrison at Jiguan Pass numbered only two thousand, compared to the tens of thousands of troops at other passes, it was indeed a small force with few generals.

However, compared to the forty-odd Han soldiers, they had a numerical advantage of more than ten times.

Under normal circumstances, even if the Han army were the most elite, it would be extremely difficult to withstand such a disparity in troop strength.

The Han army, however, had the advantage of the terrain.

The city gate was narrow, and forty men in formation were enough to seal the gate. Although the Wei army was large, they could not maneuver properly and could only take turns attacking.

For a time, although the Han army was pushed back step by step, it was still able to maintain its formation.

Xiahou Wei roared like a beast, urging his soldiers to push the Han soldiers backward like a madman.

at last.

More than forty Han soldiers were pushed to the gate, just one step away from being pushed outside. Xiahou Wei was about to succeed.

Unfortunately, it was still a step too late.

With a deafening roar, thousands of Han cavalrymen crossed the drawbridge and surged toward the city gate like a tidal wave.

Zhuge Dan felt relieved and immediately ordered the Han soldiers to retreat.

The forty Han soldiers, as if granted a pardon, hastily retreated to the flanks.

The iron cavalry surged forward, passing under the gate with the force of a raging torrent, crashing into the oncoming Wei soldiers.

The Wei soldiers, who were already lacking in fighting spirit, saw the Han cavalry charging in and their morale collapsed instantly.

They panicked, screaming as they turned to flee.

Unfortunately, the soldiers in the back row didn't have time to retreat; they were pushed and shoved together, making it impossible for them to escape.

The next instant, the iron cavalry crashed down.

The flesh and blood of the Wei soldiers could not withstand the charge of the iron cavalry. In an instant, they were smashed into pieces like ants, their flesh and blood flying everywhere.

Wherever the iron cavalry passed, everything was trampled to pieces.

The blade sliced ​​through, severing heads.

In a single encounter, the Wei soldiers were thrown into disarray, scattering like ants in a collapsed nest.

The Wei army has completely collapsed!

Xiahou Wei, however, refused to retreat, swinging his sword to cut down the charging Han cavalry while shouting wildly:
"Hold the line! Anyone who retreats is a traitor to the Great Wei, and the Emperor will surely exterminate their entire clan!"

In this critical moment, Xiahou Wei resorted to any means necessary, even threatening to exterminate his entire family and clan.

To no avail.

Under the crushing force of the Han army's iron cavalry, the Wei soldiers' morale had collapsed. They thought, "Even if you exterminate my three clans, or even my nine clans, my survival is the priority."

No one paid any attention to Xiahou Wei's threat, and they still collapsed in droves.

At this moment, Xiahou Wei was conflicted.

The Han cavalry had already broken through the gates, and the entire army was in disarray and demoralized. The fall of Jiguan Pass was now inevitable.

With the situation hopeless, fleeing with the routed soldiers is the wisest choice.

Normally, he probably wouldn't have lasted this long; he would have already fled.

The problem now is that his hands and feet are bound.

He didn't want to become a sinner against the State of Wei, didn't want to disappoint Cao Cao again, and didn't want to be ridiculed by his colleagues for being afraid of death once more!

Caught between a rock and a hard place, Xiahou Wei stood frozen in place, unsure of what to do.

"General Xiahou, the situation is hopeless; preserving your life is the most important thing!"

"Only by saving your life can you gather the defeated troops in time, hold Hedong, and wait for His Majesty's reinforcements."

"If you die here in vain, our army in Hedong will be leaderless, and the Han army will be able to advance unimpeded. Who can stop us?"

"General Xiahou, let's retreat!"

His personal guards pleaded with him, desperately trying to find a way out for Xiahou Wei.

Xiahou Wei's body trembled, and his eyes suddenly snapped back to reality.

"That's right. If I live, I can still gather the defeated troops and retreat to Anyi to defend Hedong. If I die, Hedong will be finished."

"I cannot die. For the survival of the Great Wei, even if I am branded as a coward, I must preserve my life!"

Xiahou Wei quickly completed his mental preparation, finding the perfect excuse for abandoning the city and fleeing.

Then, without further hesitation, he turned his horse around and shouted:
"Retreat! The entire army will abandon Jiguan and retreat to Anyi!"

It's too late.

Before he could finish speaking, Wen Qin had already broken through the Wei army's lines behind him, arriving like lightning with his silver spear in hand.

Those bloodshot eyes locked onto the Wei general who was shouting and yelling.

Xiahou Wei!

For a member of the Xiahou clan, beheading him would be a great achievement!
Wen Qin's eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and he shouted:
"Wen Qin is here! Xiahou Wei, don't run!" (End of Chapter)