Three Kingdoms: Conquer Wu from Maicheng with Cavalry and Swords, Don't Fall Behind

The north wind howled along the official road, the crows fell silent, and all was still. The soldiers of Jingzhou, trudging through frost and snow, hastened their march in a sullen silence. The common people, clad in thin, tattered hemp clothing, led the old and helped the young, their breath turning to frost.

In order to gather supplies and clean up the battlefield, the Han army wasted precious retreat time and failed to reach Maicheng before nightfall. As night deepened, the temperature plummeted, and the power of heaven and earth raged.

"Keep going, don't stop! Maicheng is just two miles ahead. Only if we enter the city can we survive!" Wang Fu urged loudly as his horse galloped past.

The people, with renewed vigor, trudged forward with each resounding step. A powerful belief surged within them as they pursued the hope of survival.

Qi Ye practiced his horsemanship by galloping left and right across the vast snow-covered plains. China was experiencing the Little Ice Age, and there were records of the Huai River basin freezing over. He had to adapt to snow combat as quickly as possible.

"Use the arrow keys in conjunction with the horse's inertia to turn, and practice making subtle adjustments in advance while galloping. The spacebar allows for a quick stop and turn, which is suitable for escaping during close combat. When used with Red Hare, it's smoother than Dove chocolate."

"When using two-handed weapons, you need to anticipate the intersection of the weapon's swing trajectory and the enemy's position. When attacking an enemy on the side of a horse, a straight slash is more in line with my habits, while a backhand slash requires more practice."

"The Green Dragon Crescent Blade is too long, making it easy to enter a blind spot and give the enemy a chance to breathe."

Qi Ye believes that the horsemanship in "Gods of the Three Kingdoms" pays homage to the legendary game Mount & Blade, with some optimizations and increased difficulty in capturing targets from a distance. In terms of levels and martial arts skills, it tends to resemble the "Dynasty Warriors" series, where one can take on a thousand enemies.

He quickly adapted to seamlessly switching between mounted charges, maneuvering, and turns, mastering the rhythm of combat. Currently, he still needs extensive practical experience to develop an instinctive judgment of speed, distance, and field of vision.

A rider on horseback, carrying a command flag, galloped through the wind and snow: "Reporting to my lord! At one-quarter of the hour of midnight, six li southeast of Maicheng, we have spotted an enemy vanguard of about three thousand men, advancing rapidly towards our army, less than three li from our rear!"

Qi Ye thought to himself, "Finally!" He then manipulated the Martial Saint to turn its horse's head, urging Red Hare to neigh and gallop away: "Order the entire army to retreat to Maicheng. I will hold off the enemy alone!"

The entire army was in an uproar, all thinking that Guan Yu had gone mad, their hearts trembling like a surging tide.

The people stood there stunned, their eyes filled with genuine emotion. Apart from the King of Hanzhong who led the people across the river, only Guan Yu was willing to give everything for them, even saying that he would hold off the enemy army alone.

Qi Ye saved his game and rode forward alone on his horse. "Gods of the Three Kingdoms" features legion warfare strategies, where soldiers charge into battle fearlessly. However, his current forces are too small to be easily lost.

Soldiers are effective at defending cities, holding off even the most formidable strongholds. Using them for field battles would be wasteful and extravagant.

With the Martial Saint upgrade imminent, at worst, he can cut down twenty or thirty enemy soldiers and then retreat calmly. With the Red Hare steed by his side, no one can catch up.

The vast sky was shrouded in white snow along the official road. The Martial Saint rushed up a towering slope, looking down at the myriad lights of travelers hurrying along the road below.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained!" Qi Ye made a firm decision.

Red Hare galloped down the slope, its hooves transforming into a blazing inferno. The sounds of people talking and horses neighing pierced through the wind and snow, delicately reaching my ears.

The Green Dragon Crescent Blade swiftly cut through the snow, instantly covering a distance of dozens of steps, and beheaded a Wu army captain.

The head flew off, spurting hot blood as it fell onto the snow. Wu Jun's torch illuminated the狰狞 (zhengning, meaning ferocious or hideous) face; the captain was still struggling to blink his sleepy eyes!

Wu Jun was deeply shocked; his exhausted body from the long march was simply unable to recover. A lone rider roared through the snowstorm—who could have predicted it was an enemy attack?

The Green Dragon Crescent Blade roared like a dragon and howled like a tiger, unleashing a devastating and domineering strike. A piercing scream rang out as the victim spun and flew backward.

Beneath our feet lies the frozen, blood-stained earth, evoking both a sense of grandeur and desolation.

Wu Jun's peace of mind was utterly shattered. His gaze was fixed on the godlike figure, and fear fermented in his chest, flowing to every part of his body.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" Hysterical warnings erupted among the Jiangdong youths.

The soldiers of Wu were unarmored and their horses unsaddled, and they instantly became agitated and fearful. Their exhausted bodies hardened into a stubborn determination as they looked toward the highest banner in the army.

The proud "Han" flag, with its fierce fangs and menacing eyes, hints at a predatory intent to devour its enemies.

The veteran general Han Dang abruptly raised his head, staring intently at the noisy vanguard: "The sun rises in the east, destiny favors Wu, what's the panic!"

He calmly ordered his men to prepare for battle, and astutely analyzed the situation on the battlefield.

The Wei and Wu armies have an alliance, so they wouldn't attack recklessly. Guan Yu only had five or six hundred elite troops under his command, and after the battle with Jiang Qin, his wounded soldiers were increasing.

Initial estimates suggest that no more than three hundred soldiers will be available for combat.

"Three hundred men attacked my three thousand brave warriors. Guan Yu, what can I say to you? How dare you, a cornered dog, bark and howl before me!"

Han Dang, courtesy name Yigong, was a native of Lingzhi in Liaoxi and a veteran general of three generations of the Eastern Wu. In his early years, he followed Sun Jian in battle and was known for his bravery in archery and horsemanship. He served under Sun Ce and Sun Quan, making many military achievements and becoming the most senior among the tiger generals of Jiangdong.

In the instant he was attacked, he decided to sacrifice the vanguard as bait to buy enough time to don his armor, then flank Guan Yu from both sides and capture him in one fell swoop, thus achieving an unparalleled feat.

The scouts came galloping in, their pale faces illuminated by the firelight.

Han Dang shouted, "How many enemy troops have arrived?"

The scout reined in his horse and replied, "Only Guan Yu!" The soldiers were speechless with astonishment.

Han Dang was seething with rage, almost spitting out a mouthful of blood he had accumulated over thirty years. A mere brute had attacked his three thousand warriors?

"Go! Leave Guan Yu here, all of you. You don't want to be remembered as fools in history, do you?"

Grand Commander Lü Meng feigned weakness and illness to lull Guan Yu into a false sense of security, and ordered his soldiers to disguise themselves as merchants in white robes and advance up the Yangtze River to launch a surprise attack on Jingzhou.

This battle captured Jiangling without bloodshed, dismantled Liu Bei's eastern defenses, ended Guan Yu's northern expedition, and helped Eastern Wu secure the natural barrier of the Yangtze River.

His fame will last for eternity, needless to say.

Han Dang's fame was renowned throughout the army and would be remembered for three generations. If he could not defeat Guan Yu alone on horseback, he would become a laughingstock among his troops and lose his heroic reputation. The achievements of Eastern Wu's crossing the river in disguise would also be greatly diminished.

"Lord Wu values ​​his reputation highly and will certainly not let this go easily. I must consider the future of my descendants!"

The generals of Eastern Wu, brandishing banners with the sun, moon, dragon, and phoenix motifs, hastily led their troops forward. Torches were lit all at once, their flames soaring and illuminating the snow-covered plain. They could only see corpses strewn across the ground; there was no sign of Guan Yu anywhere.

The crowd suddenly parted to make way for Han Danglai.

"Where is that scoundrel Guan Yu?"

"Reporting to the old general, the traitor Guan has fled north."

"Our army's banners and armor are so magnificent and splendid, why don't we pursue them?!" Han Dang roared in anger.

"Guan Yu came alone on horseback, surely with thousands of soldiers lying in ambush behind him. With the wind and snow raging, we dare not pursue him too far," Han Zong replied, feeling wronged.

He was outwardly fierce but inwardly weak. He often relied on his father Han Dang's reputation to allow his troops to plunder and oppress the people, becoming a great scourge to travelers.

The sound of horses' hooves broke through the wind and snow: "Report! A rider wielding a Green Dragon Crescent Blade attacked our rear guard and destroyed our supply wagons!"

Han Dang slapped his son across the face, the sound ringing out crisply: "It would have been better to give birth to a piece of char siu than to you! If you had chased after him, how would an old bastard like Guan Yu have dared to turn back!"

Han Zong lowered his head in shame and indignation, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of severed limbs and remains on the snow, and secretly rejoiced that he had not done anything wrong.

A biting north wind swept across their faces, and Han Dang turned to face his army:

"My son has successfully lured the enemy into a trap! Gentlemen, follow me on a surprise attack, capture and kill Guan Yu, and present him to our lord!"