My brothers are all warriors capable of taking on ten thousand men; I'll roam freely in the Thr

Thirty li east of Sishui Pass.

In Bao Xin's military camp, the lights flickered.

"Brother, that Xiang Yu is known as the reincarnation of the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, yet the Alliance Leader has sent him with only eight hundred men as the vanguard." Bao Xin stroked his short beard, his eyes gleaming with calculation.

"If he truly gains the greatest merit and breaks through Sishui Pass, what face will we brothers have left in this allied army?"

Upon hearing this, Bao Zong leaned closer and whispered, "What does my brother mean...?"

"I'll give you three thousand soldiers," Bao Xin said in a low voice.

"Take the shortcut, travel day and night, and reach Sishui Pass before Xiang Yu to challenge him. If you can defeat his generals and capture the pass, the credit will go to our Jibei army! Then the whole world will know that it was we, the Bao brothers, who first defeated the traitor Dong Zhuo!"

Bao Zong's eyes lit up: "Brilliant plan! I'll go right now! I'll make sure Xiang Yu doesn't get all the credit!"

"Remember that," Bao Xin instructed.

"If things are not going to work, retreat quickly; do not fight head-on."

"Don't worry, brother!"

That night, Bao Zong led three thousand soldiers from Jibei, quietly left the camp, took a mountain path, and headed straight for Sishui Pass.

One day later.

Thirty li east of Sishui Pass lies the official road.

The eight hundred Yinglong Winged Riders are resting.

Xiang Yu sat on a blue stone, wiping his Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd.

Li Cunxiao dozed off against a withered tree, with Yu Wang's spear across his lap.

Lu Bu, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Yang Zaixing sat around the fire, roasting dry rations.

Xun Yu stood a little distance away, gazing at the deep twilight in the west, his brows slightly furrowed.

Suddenly, a scout rode up on horseback.

"Report—!"

The scout dismounted, his voice urgent: "General Xiang! Bao Zong led three thousand troops, taking a shortcut to Sishui Pass to challenge them! Half an hour ago... Bao Zong was beheaded by Hua Xiong! His three thousand troops scattered!"

"What?!" Zhang Fei jumped up suddenly.

"Is Bao Zong courting death?!"

Guan Yu narrowed his phoenix eyes slightly: "His eagerness to seize credit has brought him trouble."

Xiang Yu slowly rose to his feet, his double pupils flashing with cold light: "You fool who overestimated yourselves, losing a general before the battle even begins, only emboldening the enemy."

Xun Yu sighed, "General Bao's actions were indeed reckless. However... after Hua Xiong killed the general, he will surely become complacent, which may be an opportunity for our army."

"Underestimating the enemy?" Xiang Yu sneered.

"What I want is for him to give it his all, and then die by my halberd!"

"Second Brother, what are we waiting for?" Li Cunxiao opened his eyes.

"Go now and twist Hua Xiong's head off!"

"Let's go!" Xiang Yu mounted his horse.

Eight hundred winged riders set off again.

Inside Sishui Pass.

The aroma of wine and meat filled the air.

Hua Xiong sat in the main seat, his face flushed, holding a wine bowl in his right hand, and laughed loudly: "Hahahaha! The nineteen warlords? A rabble! That Bao Zong, who claims to be a fierce general of Jibei, is nothing but a blade of grass under my blade!"

At the next table, Li Su, Zhao Cen, and other generals sat together, raising their cups in praise: "General Hua is incredibly brave!"

"Bao Zong probably didn't even see how the commander's sword was drawn before he died!"

"The nineteen warlords are nothing but clay chickens and earthen dogs!"

Hua Xiong grew even more smug, pushed away the maid in his arms, raised his bowl, and shouted, "Drink! We won't leave until we're drunk!"

"Report—!"

A soldier rushed in and knelt on one knee: "General! Bao Zong's head has been delivered to Luoyang by fast horse! The Prime Minister has ordered that you be promoted to Commander-in-Chief and given overall command of the military affairs of Sishui Pass!"

"Great!" Hua Xiong was overjoyed.

"The Prime Minister understands me!"

Li Su rose and raised his cup: "Congratulations, Commander Hua! Please drink this cup to the brim!"

Everyone was about to drink again.

"Report—!"

Another soldier rushed in, his voice filled with panic: "General! They've come down from the gate! They're carrying a banner with the character 'Xiang' on it, and about a hundred horsemen are challenging us at the gate!"

There was silence in the hall.

Hua Xiong put down his wine bowl and squinted his eyes: "Xiang Yu?"

"Exactly!" the soldier replied in a trembling voice.

"The leader, with his double pupils and wielding a halberd, was the very man who appeared outside Luoyang that day..."

Hua Xiong waved his hand to interrupt, scoffing, "Who do you think I am? I'll drink this bowl of celebratory wine first, then I'll go and take his head!"

He raised his bowl, ready to drink.

"Governor!" Li Su hurriedly stood up.

"That Xiang Yu is no ordinary man! Back in the day, outside Luoyang, he and Li Cunxiao led twenty-eight horsemen to defeat Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu's five thousand elite troops! He even trampled the Xianbei royal court, forcing Helian to surrender! This man is incredibly brave..."

"What are you afraid of?" Hua Xiong asked, displeased.

"Li Changshi, don't boost their morale! I, Hua Xiong, have dominated Xiliang for over a decade, slaying countless generals and capturing numerous flags. How could I possibly fear a mere border boy?"

He tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, then smashed the bowl: "Bring me my sword! Today I'll show the world who truly is a match for ten thousand men!"

The voice just fell.

"Report—!!!"

A third soldier scrambled in, his face ashen: "General! General Hu Zhen... went out to fight Xiang Yu! They fought for less than a single round... and he was slain! His body... his body is already impaled on a halberd!"

"What?!" Hua Xiong suddenly stood up, sobering up considerably.

Although Hu Zhen was not as good as him, he was still a veteran general of Xiliang, yet he couldn't even last a single exchange.

Li Su's expression was grave: "Commander, I warned you long ago that Xiang Yu should not be underestimated, but now it seems..."

Hua Xiong's expression changed, but he finally calmed down.

He is not a fool.

Hu Zhen's death brought him to his senses.

"Pass on the order!" Hua Xiong said in a deep voice.

"Close the gates tightly! All troops on high alert! Fire arrows first to force them back!"

"promise!"

Below Sishui Pass.

Eight hundred Yinglong Winged Riders stood in formation.

Xiang Yu rode alone in front, his Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd pointing diagonally at the pass wall.

Behind him stood five generals: Li Cunxiao, Lü Bu, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Yang Zaixing. Behind them, eight hundred Yinglong Winged Cavalrymen remained silent.

Xun Yu rode his horse slightly behind, gently waving his feather fan, his expression calm and composed.

"Second Brother, is that brat Hua Xiong scared?" Zhang Fei asked impatiently.

"We've been standing here for half an hour!"

Guan Yu stroked his beard: "Fifth brother, please calm down. Hua Xiong must be intimidated by the news that Hu Zhen was killed by second brother. He is probably watching from inside the pass right now."

Li Cunxiao, carrying the Yuwang Spear, grinned and said, "How about we just charge through the pass? I can smash a hole in this lousy wall in a few moves!"

He looked at Xiang Yu: "General Xiang, why don't we provoke him a little more?"

Xiang Yu nodded, about to speak.

Suddenly, countless archers surged out from the gate.

"Release the arrows!"

At a single command, arrows flew like locusts!

"Ding ding ding ding—!"

The arrows struck the plate armor and horse armor of the Yinglong Winged Cavalry, producing a dense metallic clanging sound, but most of them were deflected.

Those few that were hit by shots through the gaps in the armor plates were exhausted due to the leather lining inside the plate armor.

After a volley of arrows, none of the eight hundred riders fell from their horses!

Even the warhorses were unharmed!

Hua Xiong stared in disbelief as the door was locked on the wall.

He personally supervised the battle and could clearly see that the arrows could not penetrate the armor of the cavalry at all!

The strange "wings" on the backs of those cavalrymen and the animal skins they wore became mere decorations amidst the rain of arrows, leaving them completely unharmed!

"This... what kind of armor is this?!" Hua Xiong exclaimed in disbelief.

Li Su's expression was solemn: "Governor, this must be a new suit of armor made by the Institute of Natural Sciences under Ji Xuanyuan's command. It is said that he has been researching strange and ingenious techniques in Youzhou. Seeing it today... his reputation is well-deserved."

Just then, Zhang Fei's thunderous laughter echoed from below the pass: "Hua Xiong, you little brat! Is that all you've got? Come on! Shoot it right at your grandpa Zhang!"

He spurred his horse forward, bared his chest, and pointed to his heart: "Shoot here! I'll give you three arrows! If your Grandpa Zhang even flinchs, he's no hero!"

On the gate, the Xiliang soldiers looked at each other, none daring to fire another arrow.

Hua Xiong's face turned ashen.

humiliation!

This is a blatant insult!

"Commander!" Li Su hurriedly pressed down on his hand that was drawing his sword.

"We must not leave the pass! Xiang Yu and his men are strangely equipped and possess superb martial arts skills. Leaving the pass now would play right into their hands!"

He lowered his voice: "Our army has 50,000 men, ample supplies, and strong walls. We only need to hold our ground and wait for their food to run out, or for the Prime Minister's reinforcements to arrive, before launching a counterattack. Why waste time fighting with these 800 men?"

Hua Xiong's hand, gripping the knife, was bulging with veins.

He stared intently at the burly, dark-faced man below the gate who was pounding his chest and cursing, then looked at Xiang Yu, who stood silently like a mountain, holding a halberd and sporting double pupils.

Finally, gritting his teeth, he ordered: "Issue the order... the entire army must hold the line! Without my command, no one is to leave the pass to engage in battle!"

"promise!"

Li Su breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew that although Hua Xiong was arrogant, he was not a madman after all.

Faced with this cavalry force whose equipment and fighting prowess are extremely bizarre, holding their ground is the wisest choice.

only......

He looked down at the eight hundred silent cavalrymen below the pass, and a deep unease welled up in his heart.

Are these people really just here to "challenge" us?

Or is it...?

They originally planned to use these 800 men to forcefully break through Sishui Pass.

This thought sent a chill down Li Su's spine.

As Xiang Yu watched the gate close without any further movement, a cold glint flashed in his double pupils.

"Mr. Wenruo." He turned his head.

Hua Xiong was scared.

Xun Yu smiled: "In that case... let's proceed with the second strategy."

Xiang Yu nodded and slowly raised the Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd.

Eight hundred Yinglong Winged Riders gripped their weapons tightly.

A real siege is about to begin.