Han Ji

Liu Bei followed Lu Zhi through the middle section. Upon entering the canyon, the light suddenly dimmed, and a chill seeped into their bodies. Only a sliver of sky remained overhead, with vines hanging from the cliff faces. The horses' hooves echoed eerily clearly on the gravel.

He instinctively gripped the sword hilt, his gaze constantly sweeping across the cliff top.

The vanguard has already crossed more than half of the way.

Just as people's hearts were beginning to relax—

A sudden change has occurred!

"Boom—!"

A deafening roar came from overhead! Countless boulders and logs, like a flash flood, poured down from the cliff tops on both sides!

"Ambush! An ambush!" The desperate shouts were instantly drowned out by the sound of something being smashed!

Huge boulders and logs crashed into the marching column, causing chaos and disarray among men and horses! Screams, the cracking of bones, and the mournful neighing of horses filled the air!

"Whoosh whoosh-!"

Immediately afterwards, a dense barrage of arrows, like locusts, shot out from the dense forest at the top of the cliff, covering the entire canyon!

"Raise your shields! Raise your shields!" the officer roared hoarsely.

But it was too late. The canyon was too narrow, and the team couldn't deploy effectively at all, instantly becoming sitting ducks! People kept falling to the ground, hit by arrows.

"We've fallen for their trap!" Lu Zhi's face turned ashen. He drew his sword. "Don't panic! The rear guard becomes the front guard! Charge out!"

However, their retreat was blocked by barbarian soldiers who appeared out of nowhere, using boulders and thorns!

A dilemma!

"Protect the lord!"

The captain of the personal guard roared, leading dozens of elite guards to quickly form a circle, protecting Lu Zhi and several key generals in the center. Shields were raised high to deflect the continuous barrage of arrows and pebbles.

Liu Bei was held down tightly by two guards next to Lu Zhi, who used their bodies to protect him.

"Let go!" Liu Bei struggled, his eyes bloodshot. He saw the chaotic soldiers outside falling like wheat being harvested, their blood staining the valley red.

"Join the army! You can't go out! It's too dangerous!" The guards held him tightly.

Lu Zhi stood in the center of the circle, his beard and hair bristling, and he deflected an incoming arrow with his sword, his voice like thunder: "Hold your ground! Move closer to me! Form a circular formation!"

His voice had a calming effect amidst the chaos. The surviving officers and soldiers instinctively began to move towards the center, forming a makeshift defensive circle with their shields and bodies.

But the barbarian attacks grew increasingly fierce. Not only from the cliff top, but also from both ends of the canyon, large numbers of barbarian soldiers emerged, howling as they charged at the besieged government troops! They used the terrain to their advantage, constantly hurling short spears and flying stones.

The government troops were confined to a small area, and casualties increased sharply.

"My lord! This won't do! We must open a breach!" The cavalry commander's face was cut by pebbles, and blood was flowing down his face.

Lu Zhi's gaze swept across the area, finally settling on the direction they had come from through the canyon, where the barbarian soldiers blocking the way seemed relatively fewer. "Break through towards the entrance! Concentrate all archers and crossbowmen, suppress the cliff tops on both sides! Spearmen in front, fight your way through!"

The order was given, and the remaining government troops began a desperate charge toward the entrance. Archers, disregarding casualties, fired upwards at the cliff top, buying the breakout forces a chance to catch their breath.

The battle entered its most intense phase.

Liu Bei also drew his sword and charged forward beside Lu Zhi. His swordsmanship was agile, targeting gaps in the barbarian soldiers' defenses, and he felled two in succession. But there were simply too many barbarian soldiers, surging forward like a tidal wave.

Suddenly, a peculiar whistle rang out. Seven or eight exceptionally burly barbarian warriors, their bodies covered in strange totems, charged like sharp blades, ignoring the other government troops, straight at Lu Zhi, who was heavily protected by his personal guards!

These are the warriors around Pan Du, each one fearless of death!

"Protect the lord!"

The captain of the personal guards led his men to meet them, and they instantly clashed with the Blood Guards. The sounds of clashing swords, roars, and screams of the dying filled the air.

One of the barbarian warriors was particularly fierce. He swung his heavy mace, smashing two guards to the ground and tearing a gash in the air. His scarlet eyes were fixed on Lu Zhi a few steps away!

He roared, his muscles bulging, ignoring the spear thrusting at him, and pounced on Lu Zhi like a mad tiger! The mace, carrying a fierce wind, crashed down on his head!

Lu Zhi had just parried a spear thrust from the side, but his old strength was exhausted and he hadn't yet generated new strength. He was about to be hit!

"teacher!"

With a split second, Liu Bei lunged forward! His right hand swiftly thrust his sword into the guard's throat, attempting to force him to retreat and defend!

The Blood Guard didn't dodge or evade; he simply tilted his head slightly, letting the longsword slice through the flesh on his neck, while the mace still slammed down hard!

Liu Bei gritted his teeth and, at the last second, twisted his body to the side to dodge, while simultaneously changing his right-hand sword from a thrust to a parry, desperately blocking upwards!

"Clang!"

A deafening impact! Sparks flew!

The immense force sent Liu Bei's entire right arm going numb instantly. His sword slipped from his grasp, and he staggered back several steps before barely regaining his footing. The deadly strike was narrowly deflected, grazing the edge of Lu Zhi's armor and crashing to the ground, sending shards of stone flying!

Blood Guard's attack missed, and his movements faltered slightly.

Seizing the opening, the captain of the personal guard roared and slashed his blade hard at the back of the Blood Guard's neck!

Blood Guardian swayed and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Liu Bei was panting heavily, his right arm trembling, blood seeping out and staining his robes red. He leaned on his sword, his vision blurring. That last blow had almost drained him of all his strength.

Lu Zhi grabbed his arm, his eyes filled with a mixture of shock, anger, and concern: "Xuande!"

"The student... is fine." Liu Bei gritted his teeth, stood up straight, and wiped a little blood from the corner of his mouth. "It's just a superficial wound."

The shouts of battle grew even louder around them. But Lu Zhi was unharmed, and the core remained intact.

Liu Bei was awakened by the shock.

Beneath me was a hard-packed cart, and all I could hear were the sounds of wheels and footsteps. My bones felt like they were falling apart, and the muscles in my right arm were burning and tearing with pain.

It was nearly dusk.

"Liu Canjun is awake!" someone nearby exclaimed in surprise. It was Zhang Wu, his face stained with blood and filled with relief.

"Zhang Wu..." Liu Bei's voice was hoarse, "My lord..."

"Your Excellency is well! All thanks to the General!" Zhang Wu exclaimed excitedly. "We've broken through! The enemy's poison hasn't been contained!"

It turned out that Liu Bei had risked his life to draw away the Blood Guard's fatal attack, giving Lu Zhi a chance to catch his breath. Lu Zhi immediately led his elite troops in a charge, finally breaking through the blockade at the entrance and leading the remaining troops out of the desperate situation.

Pan Du clearly did not expect the government troops to be so tenacious, nor did he expect Lu Zhi to personally lead the charge. The backup plan he had prepared could not be fully utilized.

In this battle, the government army suffered heavy losses, with nearly half of its troops killed or wounded. However, the core generals and Lu Zhi's main personal guard were spared.

"Where are we?" Liu Bei struggled to sit up, but the movement aggravated his wounds, causing him to gasp in pain.

"We're almost at the designated meeting point, a place called Black Soil Hollow. The magistrate instructed you, Advisor, not to move at all; you're badly injured." Zhang Wu quickly pressed him down.

Liu Bei then took a closer look and saw that his right arm robe had been cut open, the bruised blood had been drained by the physician, the skin and flesh were peeling back, and medicine had been applied and bandaged. There were also several shallow cuts from knives and swords on his body.

The troops set up camp on the riverbank. The atmosphere was somber, and the wounded soldiers groaned incessantly.

Without resting, Lu Zhi immediately inspected the camp, comforted the wounded soldiers, and reorganized the troops.

He walked up to Liu Bei's carriage.

"Teacher..." Liu Bei tried to get up again.

Lu Zhi pressed him down and made him sit on the carriage shaft. His armor was stained with blood, and his face showed deep exhaustion, but his eyes remained sharp. "How are you feeling?"

"The student is... still holding on." Liu Bei looked at Lu Zhi. "I'm sorry to have startled the teacher."

Lu Zhi paused for a moment, looked at Liu Bei's pale face and his thickly wrapped shoulders, and slowly said, "If it weren't for you, I would be the one lying here right now."

He patted Liu Bei's uninjured left arm with considerable force. "Good lad."

Without saying anything more, Lu Zhi got up to attend to military affairs.