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

Hua Xiong returned to the council hall inside the pass, his heart churning with anger, feeling as if Zhang Fei's public humiliation was a thorn in his side.

Li Su followed closely behind, and worriedly advised again: "General, although Xiang Yu and his men only have eight hundred cavalry, their equipment is strange and their martial prowess is outstanding. They should not be underestimated. Therefore, I believe that we should immediately increase the number of troops guarding the pass, double the defenses of each section of the city wall, and prepare enough bows, crossbows and rolling stones to guard against any unforeseen events."

Hua Xiong whirled around, his face still contorted with anger: "No need to add more men! They only have eight hundred men, all cavalry. Do you think they can attack a city with cavalry? Never before in history has such a thing been heard of! General Li, there's no need for such unfounded worries!"

"Cavalry excels in field battles but is ill-suited for sieges. They haven't brought ladders, battering rams, or even the most basic grappling hooks. What makes them think they can break through my Sishui Pass? In my opinion, they've only come to show off their power and provoke me into coming out of the pass for a field battle!"

He had clearly seen from the pass that Xiang Yu's army had not brought any siege equipment such as ladders or battering rams, and that the eight hundred cavalrymen were all lightly armed.

Cavalry attack?

That's an absolute joke.

He concluded that Xiang Yu had only come to provoke and demoralize the defending troops, and did not actually intend to attack the pass.

"But..." Li Su wanted to persuade him again.

"Enough!" Hua Xiong turned around irritably.

"General Li, I am the commander of Sishui Pass! You just need to do your job well, guard the pass and set up defenses; I have my own plans!"

Li Su's heart sank. Knowing that further persuasion was useless, he could only bow and say, "Yes."

Hua Xiong was the commander-in-chief, and I was the deputy commander; I could not disobey military orders.

He had no choice but to settle for second best, privately instructing the soldiers guarding each section of the pass: "You must be on high alert, taking turns day and night, without a moment's slackening. Report any unusual activity outside the pass immediately!"

However, Li Su's unease was soon confirmed.

Outside the pass, Xiang Yu saw that Hua Xiong was determined to avoid battle and nodded to Xun Yu.

Xun Yu waved his feather fan lightly, and the eight hundred Yinglong Winged Riders quickly changed formation.

"Target: the defenders at the wall. Fire three volleys!" Xiang Yu ordered.

"Crunch—Bang!"

The trigger mechanism of the divine crossbow rang out, and bolts rained down on the fortified wall like a storm!

The Xiliang garrison on the gate was on high alert when suddenly a hail of arrows rained down upon them, and they hurriedly raised their shields.

However, the divine crossbow bolts were powerful, and many wooden shields were pierced directly. The defenders screamed and fell down in an instant!

"Enemy attack! It's crossbow bolts!"

"The shield won't stop you! Dodge!"

The defending troops were thrown into chaos, scrambling to find cover.

In the midst of the chaos, Xiang Yu shouted to Li Cunxiao, "Ninth Brother, climb the wall and use your spear!"

Li Cunxiao understood immediately. He took a deep breath, his arm muscles bulged, and he poured all his strength into his right arm, then suddenly threw the Yuwang Spear in his hand!

The giant spear, weighing 152 jin, was like a javelin fired from a giant crossbow, tearing through the sky and embedding itself deeply into the brickwork of the fortified wall with a loud "boom," about two zhang above the ground.

With a roar, Xiang Yu spurred his warhorse forward like a bolt of lightning. When he was two zhang away from the wall, he suddenly abandoned his horse and leaped up, his body like a roc spreading its wings, grabbing the shaft of the Yu King's Spear embedded in the wall.

At the same time, with his other hand, he fiercely stabbed the Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd into a higher brick crevice.

Using the momentum, he first drew out the Yu King Spear, then used the Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd as a fulcrum to exert force again, his body rising higher and higher, leaping onto the gate wall as lightly as a monkey!

This series of movements was swift and decisive, happening in the blink of an eye.

The soldiers guarding the city wall had just recovered from the crossbow barrage when they saw a god of war already on the city wall, and they were all terrified.

"How...how did he get up here?!"

"We didn't bring a ladder!"

"Quick! Surround him!"

As soon as Xiang Yu's feet touched the ground, he swept his Yuwang Spear horizontally, knocking several soldiers who rushed up from the gate wall. Then, he drew his Tianlong City-Breaking Halberd with one hand.

He caught sight of Li Cunxiao below the pass and shouted, "Ninth Brother, catch it!" He then threw the Yu King Spear back down the pass.

Li Cunxiao leaped into the air, catching Yu Wang's spear steadily, and shouted, "Follow me to break through the barrier!"

He shouldered the Yu King's Spear and charged ahead towards the gate.

Behind them, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Lü Bu, and Yang Zaixing led eight hundred Yinglong Wing Cavalry in close pursuit, like an iron torrent.

Upon seeing that Xiang Yu was alone on the wall, the guards, having calmed down, gathered around him.

Hua Xiong arrived at the pass at this time. Seeing Xiang Yu alone on the city wall, he was both shocked and furious. He shouted sternly, "He's just one person! Surround him! Whoever takes Xiang Yu's head will be rewarded with ten gold pieces!"

Enticed by the generous reward, the defending soldiers charged forward fearlessly.

Xiang Yu glanced around and immediately spotted Hua Xiong's location in the crowd.

He sneered, swept his Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd horizontally, cutting several guards in half at the waist. Then, he used his strength in one arm to throw the halberd out!

The Overlord Halberd, weighing 144 jin, roared away like thunder!

Hua Xiong was directing the attack when he suddenly felt a gust of wind rush towards him. He looked up and saw a dark light coming towards him, but he had no time to dodge.

The dark light rapidly magnified in his pupils!

"No..." He only managed to utter half a word.

"Pfft—!"

The Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd pierced through his breastplate, sending him flying backward and pinning him firmly to the wooden pillar of the gate tower!

Hua Xiong stared wide-eyed at the halberd shaft in front of his chest in disbelief. Blood gushed from his mouth, his head lolled to the side, and he died.

"General Hua is dead!"

"The governor has been killed!"

The defending troops were thrown into chaos, screaming in terror.

"Avenge the Governor!" A guard, his eyes bloodshot, lunged forward frantically.

Xiang Yu drew his sword from his waist; the blade flashed like snow, and wherever it passed, severed limbs and broken arms flew everywhere.

The narrow walls made it difficult to wield the halberd, but the horizontal sword was perfect for it.

With only his sword, he single-handedly routed the defending troops, forcing them into a series of defeats, with no one able to get within ten paces of him.

Seeing Hua Xiong's gruesome death from afar, Li Su was terrified, inwardly lamenting, "Hua Xiong regrets not heeding my advice!"

He knew that these few thousand defenders were no match for Xiang Yu, the god of war, so he scrambled down the wall to try and gather his army. But as soon as he reached the pass, an even more terrifying scene came into view.

The door was being struck with tremendous force, shaking violently.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

Each loud bang made the heavy door tremble.

Suddenly, the spearhead pierced through the door panel, then widened into a hole.

"Boom—!"

The entire iron-clad wooden door was smashed open!

Li Cunxiao, wielding the Yuwang Spear, charged in first, followed by eight hundred iron cavalry who surged in like a tidal wave.

Li Su was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground, but Li Cunxiao spotted him immediately and exclaimed, "Capture him!"

Two winged riders stepped forward and tied Li Su up tightly.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei have led their troops to storm the city wall to meet Xiang Yu.

The three reunited, and Xiang Yu retrieved the Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd. Together with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, they led cavalry to rampage through the pass.

Although the Xiliang army was numerous, its commander was dead, its deputy commander was captured, and it was caught off guard by this surprise attack, causing its formation to fall into chaos.

The eight hundred Yinglong Winged Riders were well-equipped and highly skilled in martial arts. They repeatedly charged and killed officers in the streets of the pass, creating chaos.

The battle lasted from afternoon until dusk.

Eight hundred cavalry against fifty thousand defenders sounds unbelievable, but in actual combat, the Xiliang army was simply unable to mount an effective resistance. The terrain within the pass restricted the army's ability to deploy in large numbers, while the Yinglong Wing Cavalry used small squads to cut and weave through the enemy lines. Coupled with the death of their commander and the collapse of morale, many Xiliang soldiers began to flee.

Two hours later.

Ten miles east of Sishui Pass.

Sun Jian, along with his four generals Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Han Dang, and Zu Mao, as well as his eldest son Sun Ce, who was only sixteen but already full of vigor, and five thousand elite troops, were rushing to the rescue at full speed.

"My lord, General Xiang Yu only led eight hundred cavalry to attack Sishui Pass. At this moment, I'm afraid..." Cheng Pu said with a worried expression.

Sun Jian's face was grave: "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have competed with him for the vanguard that day. If he had died in battle, would Marquis Ji have let it go? We would have likely forged a blood feud with the Youzhou faction!"

He lashed out with his whip: "Faster!"

Despite his youthful impetuosity, Sun Ce said, "Father, since General Xiang dared to make a military pledge, he must have something to rely on. I don't think he will necessarily be defeated."

"Bo Fu, you don't understand." Sun Jian shook his head.

"Hua Xiong is no ordinary man, and he has 50,000 troops defending the pass. Eight hundred to defeat 50,000? Only a god could descend from heaven!"

However, when they arrived at Sishui Pass, everyone was stunned.

The gate collapsed, and the "Dong" character flag on the gate wall was cut down and replaced with a "Xiang" character flag.

Inside the pass, sporadic shouts of battle could be faintly heard, but they had dwindled in scale.

Even more intense was the overwhelming stench of blood.

Sun Jian's heart skipped a beat: "Could it be... that I'm too late?"

"Father, look!" Sun Ce pointed to the gate wall.

On the top of the wall, a figure with double pupils and black armor stood leaning on a halberd.

Although they were far apart, their overwhelming aura could be felt even from miles away.

"General Xiang... is still alive?" Cheng Pu asked in astonishment.

Without further hesitation, Sun Jian declared, "Enter the city!"

Five thousand soldiers poured into Sishui Pass.

Then, everyone froze in place.

Inside the pass, it has become a living hell.

Corpses piled up like mountains, blood flowed like streams, emitting faint white steam in the chill of early spring. Limbs and severed arms were everywhere, and tattered banners were soaked in blood.

In the heart of this inferno, Xiang Yu stood with his halberd hanging from his arm, his double pupils numbly scanning the corpses scattered on the ground, occasionally poking with the tip of his halberd to check if anyone was feigning death.

His black armor was completely red, and his face was covered in blood and dirt, but his eyes remained as cold as an abyss.

Zhang Fei, leaning on his eighteen-foot spear, gasped for breath and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, which dripped down the spear shaft.

Guan Yu leaned on his sword, his phoenix eyes filled with exhaustion.

Lu Bu and Yang Zaixing leaned against a broken wall, both exhausted, barely able to hold their halberds and spears.

Li Cunxiao, disregarding his image, lay down on top of the pile of a hundred corpses, which was his "masterpiece" in this battle.

The eight hundred Yinglong Winged Riders were either lying down or sprawled out. These weren't injuries or deaths, but exhaustion from killing. They had killed until they were completely worn out.

Of the 50,000 Xiliang soldiers, nearly half deserted, more than 10,000 were killed, and the rest surrendered.

Eight hundred broke through fifty thousand.

A legendary record.

Sun Jian's Adam's apple bobbed. Even a seasoned general like him couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine at the sight.

But Sun Ce, standing beside him, was the first to dismount.

The sixteen-year-old boy showed no fear in his eyes, only an almost fanatical reverence. He strode up to Xiang Yu, knelt on one knee, and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "General Xiang!!"

The sound was clear and distinct, especially clear in the deathly silent pass.

Sun Jian, as if waking from a dream, hurriedly dismounted and, along with Cheng Pu and other generals, knelt on one knee: "General Xiang! I...I submit!"

This sound came from the bottom of his heart, full of respect and awe.

Xiang Yu turned his head, his double pupils sweeping over Sun Jian and the others, and slowly nodded, his voice hoarse: "General Wentai...you've come at just the right time."

"The mess inside the pass still needs to be cleaned up."

Sun Jian rose and solemnly said, "Jian is willing to obey General Xiang's orders!"

He immediately ordered Cheng Pu and other generals to lead troops to wipe out the remaining enemy forces and take over the defense of the pass.

Xiang Yu slowly turned his head and looked towards the east beyond the pass.

That's the direction of the Allied Forces' camp.

His voice was hoarse from too much killing: "Mr. Wenruo."

Xun Yu walked up from behind, his clothes dusty but his composure undiminished: "General."

"Brother, please deliver the message," Xiang Yu said, enunciating each word clearly.

Sishui Pass

"Broken."

When news of the battle reached the Suanzao camp, all the feudal lords were shocked.

Eight hundred men defeated fifty thousand, and the formidable pass was captured in half a day.

Upon hearing the report, Ji Xuanyuan merely smiled and said to his attendants, "After this battle, the world will know the sharpness of our allied forces."

Meanwhile, in Luoyang, Dong Zhuo received an urgent report and was so startled that he knocked over his wine cup.

"Hua Xiong's 50,000-strong army... was defeated by 800 men?!"

He suddenly looked at Yuwen Chengdu beside him.

Yuwen Chengdu stood with his hand on his sword, a solemn look appearing in his eyes for the first time: "Father, Xiang Yu is a man... I must meet him in person."