Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 458 Duel of Generals on the Battlefield
"Young Zhuge~"

Zhang He, clad in armor and riding a tall horse.

He brandished his weapon, rode his horse to the front of the battle, and shouted, "Do you dare to fight me?!"

"Oh?"

Lin Dao, who was standing next to Prime Minister Zhuge, was immediately struck by this sight.

"Could this be the legendary duel between generals on the battlefield?"

In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, there are countless stories of generals fighting, which can be said to be the mainstream culture.

In this historical timeline, duels between generals are actually not very common.

There are only seven recorded instances of generals fighting during the Three Kingdoms period in the entire historical record.

This included Lu Bu taking the initiative to challenge Guo Si in battle, and wounding Guo Si with a spear during their duel.

When Sun Ce attacked Jiangdong, he encountered Taishi Ci at Shenting Ridge and they fought to a draw.

In the Battle of Baima, Guan Yu charged into Yuan Shao's army formation alone, killed the commander-in-chief Yan Liang amidst thousands of soldiers, and returned with his head.

During the Battle of Jingzhou, Zhao Yun killed Gao Lan with a single spear thrust.

In the Battle of Dingjun Mountain, Huang Zhong killed Xiahou Yuan in battle.

During the Battle of Xiangfan, Pang De fought against Guan Yu and wounded Guan Yu with an arrow.

Also, Zhang Liao killed Tadun in battle.

If this were set in the timeline of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the situation would be different. Zhao Yun alone had a total of thirty-eight one-on-one duels.

He is undoubtedly the king of one-on-one duels.

If Lin Dao ever has the chance to travel to the timeline of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" in the future, he will definitely go through it all from beginning to end.

At this moment, Zhang He challenged the enemy in front of the battle. Firstly, he was overwhelmed by the constant harassment and traps on the road, and he wanted to vent his anger.

Secondly, it was used to boost morale and fighting spirit.

The morale of the Wei army suffered a significant blow along the way.

Before the battle began, Zhang He urgently needed to boost morale and inspire his troops.

One-on-one duels in front of the enemy are the best option, and he has enough confidence in himself.

After all, Zhao Yun was not here, and Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Huang Zhong had all died young.

Although he was old, Zhang He was confident in his martial prowess and therefore took the initiative to challenge him.

On the Shu army's side, everyone was looking at Prime Minister Zhuge.

Zhuge Liang thought about it carefully. Zhang He was already over sixty years old, just an old man in his sixties.

If we can provoke them on the battlefield, then great things can be accomplished.

His gaze swept over the group of young generals of the Shu army.

The generals of the Shu army immediately had a plan.

If one could kill the old man in a duel, one would immediately become famous throughout the world.

Fame, money, houses, girls—it all came rolling in.

Immediately, some people stepped forward to pay their respects.

"Prime Minister, this humble general is willing to go!"

Upon closer inspection, everyone recognized the warrior Zhang Xiu.

Zhang Xiu was tall and burly, with a large belly that made his nails bulge out.

It perfectly matches the image of an ancient warrior.

Moreover, his thick, bristly beard, resembling steel needles, was a big plus.

Most importantly, Zhang Xiu was twenty or thirty years younger than Zhang He.

Prime Minister Zhuge nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Lin Dao and asked, "Zihou, what do you think?"

Lin Dao smiled and waved his hand, saying, "I'm only good at selling goods and giving advice; I'm not good at fighting."

"The Prime Minister should make the decision himself."

"Very well." Prime Minister Zhuge looked at Zhang Xiu and instructed him, "If you can return victorious, I will certainly recommend you for the title of Marquis of Ting!"

Zhang Xiu was overjoyed. He immediately grabbed his weapon, mounted his horse, and charged out of the formation.

Both men rode forward on horseback, and when they were about a hundred paces apart, they introduced themselves to each other.

When dueling, the biggest worry is someone launching a sneak attack with arrows.

How to prevent it?

That is, when the two sides form a battle formation and approach each other, their archers will fire arrows at their maximum range.

This is called "holding the line".

As long as you don't get past the arrows stuck in the ground, it's fine.

After announcing their names, the two men spurred their horses forward, gripping their weapons and gritting their teeth as they charged.

The epic battles depicted in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, often lasting dozens or even hundreds of rounds, did not exist in reality.

Under normal circumstances, the outcome can be decided within two or three rounds, and often it is a one-hit kill.

Zhang He's willingness to take on the challenge of dueling opponents naturally stems from his confidence in himself.

Similarly, he was aware of his physical condition; after all, he was getting older and no longer had the strength and vigor of his youth, so he came from the start aiming to win with a single blow.

The sound of war drums grew more intense and louder, like thunder that stretched on and on.

The soldiers on both sides cheered loudly, encouraging their respective generals.

The onlookers only saw the two horses clashing and passing each other.

The next moment, Zhang Xiu's robust figure swayed and fell off the horse.

Zhang He turned his horse around and struck Zhang Xiu in the face with his spear, then dismounted and beheaded him.

On the Wei army's side, cheers erupted deafeningly!
On the contrary, not only were the soldiers and officers of the Shu army silent, but even the sound of drums had stopped.

The difference in morale and fighting spirit was instantly apparent.

Lin Dao, who was watching the spectacle, glanced at Prime Minister Zhuge.

Although his face was expressionless, the hand holding the feather fan suddenly clenched tightly.

A defeat in a duel can be a huge blow to the morale of an army.

All the generals remained silent.

After a while, Prime Minister Zhuge forced a smile and said, "If General Zilong were here, how could he tolerate Zhang He's arrogance!"

At this time, the most capable general that Shu Han could offer was Zhao Yun.

There's no way around it; the talent gap is severe.

Prime Minister Zhuge's original intention was to boost the morale of the army and reduce the impact of Zhang Xiu's defeat.

Unexpectedly, a general stepped forward and clasped his hands in greeting.

His voice boomed like thunder as he shouted, "Wait here, I'll go and take Zhang He's head!"

Upon closer inspection, everyone recognized the warrior Li Sheng.

Li Sheng was very tall; Lin Dao estimated him to be over 1.8 meters. He also had the physique of a typical military general.

It has a big head, a thick neck, strong limbs, and a big belly.

The only difference is that his beard isn't as thick as Zhang Xiu's before, making him look slightly less imposing.

Prime Minister Zhuge remained expressionless, but he was already displeased.

You've already delivered one, do you want to deliver another?
If two generals are lost in quick succession, what will become of the army's morale?

He wanted to refuse, but his subordinates volunteered for battle but were refused, which also hurt the morale of the army.

In a dilemma, Prime Minister Zhuge looked at Lin Dao again.

"Zihou, look~"

Prime Minister Zhuge meant that he wanted Lin Dao to help.

Putting everything else aside, the true divine weapon that was displayed on the military training ground that day could have taken Zhang He's life in an instant.

Lin Dao, sitting on a stool, didn't respond at all.

He replied with a smile, "I'll just sit and watch, you guys continue."

Prime Minister Zhuge frowned, reluctantly intending to politely decline.

But Li Sheng stepped forward, his voice booming, "Prime Minister! This humble general requests to fight!"

Seeing that Prime Minister Zhuge still did not respond.

Li Sheng took another step forward, his voice even louder.

"Prime Minister, this humble general is willing to sign a military pledge!"

Prime Minister Zhuge wanted to roll his eyes.

If you win, then there's nothing more to say.

But if you lose, you probably won't have a chance to come back alive to receive your military order.

Wouldn't it be pointless to say that?

But since things had already come to this point, he couldn't very well refuse again.

After all, Li Sheng looks pretty good; what if he can win?
Prime Minister Zhuge smiled and lightly waved his feather fan. "Good! If you win, I will certainly recommend you for the title of Marquis of Ting!"

As for pledges and such, there's no need to mention them.

It's useless anyway.

After bowing, Li Sheng immediately turned around and put on his armor.

He picked up his spear, mounted his horse, and charged out of the ranks.

Zhang He, seeing another Shu general enter the battle, burst into laughter.

"One death isn't enough, you want to make it a pair?"

"it is good!"

"If that's the case, then I'll grant your wish!"

The drumbeats that had been ringing all day began again.

Tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides shouted, cheered, and encouraged each other.

The entire valley echoed with chilling screams.

The two horses charged at each other, their weapons clashing as they passed each other before being deflected.

The horses were moving very fast and had already passed each other.

After charging out, it gradually slowed down, and after several dozen steps, it turned its horse around to prepare to go again.

This time, a solemn expression appeared on Li Sheng's square face.

That exchange just now made him realize firsthand that although Zhang He was old, the strength in his arms was actually greater than his own!
This is outrageous!

The old man in his sixties was stronger than me, a strong man in my prime.

Undoubtedly, Li Sheng, who had suffered a psychological blow, was subconsciously somewhat fearful.

After spurring his horse to speed up, he decided to take a shortcut.

He deliberately created a weakness to lure Zhang He into making a move.

He only needed to sidestep and use his arm to catch Zhang He's spear to kill him with a swift move.

The two sides moved closer together again.

Li Sheng didn't expect that as soon as he created an opening, Zhang He's spear would thrust at him.

Then he realized that Zhang He's spear was thrusting at an incredibly fast speed!

Selling weaknesses has turned into risking one's life.

Zhang He pierced Li Sheng's ribs with his spear, immediately knocking him off his horse.

Although his armor wasn't pierced, the immense impact still broke his ribs and damaged his internal organs.

As he lay on the ground struggling, Zhang He had already turned his horse around and thrust his spear into his face.

Zhang He then dismounted, drew his sword, and took Li Sheng's head.

A similar scene unfolded again, and the Wei army's morale soared, with soldiers shouting in high spirits.

The Shu army, on the other hand, was wilted like frostbitten eggplants.

Zhang He caught his breath, mounted his horse, and raised Li Sheng's hideous head high, displaying it to the Wei army.

Amidst deafening cheers, Zhang He roared.

"Kill~~~"

The Wei army, with high morale, marched forward in a mighty force to fight.

On this side, Prime Minister Zhuge, his face ashen, gritted his teeth and ordered his troops to advance and engage in battle.

As the two sides gradually drew closer, arrows rained down on them.

Then the infantry engaged in battle, striking each other's long weapons and repeatedly thrusting and stabbing.

"As expected of a seasoned veteran."

Lin Dao, who was watching the battle, nodded repeatedly, "Killing two in a row is about his limit."

"We should take this opportunity to boost morale and launch a surprise attack."

"We might be able to succeed in one fell swoop and defeat the Shu army."

"His observation and command abilities are indeed outstanding."

"Unfortunately, he was eventually tricked and killed by Sima Yi."

Prime Minister Zhuge had no time to listen to Lin Dao's rambling.

He continuously assigned commands and arranged troops to resist the Wei army's attacks.

Although the Shu army had a slight advantage in numbers, its morale, combat effectiveness, and coordination were inferior to those of the Wei army.

Logically speaking, it should have been difficult to defeat them, but the Shu army withstood the attack and even showed signs of launching a counterattack.

As for the reason~
Of course, it was the excellent armor and weapons provided by Lin Dao that played a decisive role!

(End of this chapter)