Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 14 Ziyi, Shu, have been waiting for a long time.

As night deepened, the firelight atop Qu'a City faded into the distance behind them, and ten thousand elite soldiers, their hooves encased in iron armor, marched swiftly, mouths clenched.

Taishi Ci sat astride his green horse, his gaze fixed intently on the Yuan army camp not far away.

He knew that Yuan Shu's army was pressing in, and even if it was only fifty or sixty thousand men instead of the claimed 300,000, it was still far inferior to his own forces. But he felt only a surge of pride and excitement, and no fear whatsoever.

With Yuan's camp close at hand, he took out a powerful bow with a three-stone capacity, nocked an arrow, and fired in rapid succession. The lookout guards fell to the ground one after another, and he turned to shout to his men.

"The fate of Qu'a rests on this one battle. All soldiers, follow me to burn down Yuan's camp. Whoever captures or kills Yuan Shu will be rewarded with ten thousand gold pieces, promoted three ranks, and granted a beautiful wife and children to share in the glory!"

Charge now and fight alongside me!

"Kill the enemy! Kill the enemy! Kill the enemy!!!"

The soldiers responded in unison, "Kill the enemy!" Their morale soared.

What a powerful cry of "Kill the enemy!"
Ten thousand elite troops descended the mountain like tigers, rushing straight towards Yuan Shu's camp. Yuan's defending troops were caught off guard and were thrown into chaos.

Taishi Ci charged ahead, leaping left and right, shouting, "Taishi Ci of Donglai is here!" His voice shook the surrounding area, striking fear into the hearts of the enemy!

They encountered almost no decent resistance along the way and reached the granary in the midst of the fighting. As soon as the torch was thrown, the boiling sea of ​​fire was instantly ignited!
His excited smile froze on his face, and his blood boiled as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. He felt cold from head to toe, his whole body was ice-cold!

Grain would never burn so quickly and so fiercely; this is dry firewood and oil!

There was almost no resistance? It wasn't that Yuan's troops had fallen asleep; rather, this was simply an empty camp!

Taishi Ci's face was deathly pale, and his hoarse voice was almost squeezed out of his throat!
"You've fallen for their trap! Retreat!"

It's too late!

Suddenly, the night sky burst into a fiery red burst. Zhou Yu stood on the southwest hill, his silk turban and crane-feather cloak fluttering in the wind. He lowered his feather fan, and a dense barrage of rockets rained down.

Huang Gai directed the arrow release from the southeast hill, his heroic voice soaring into the sky: "Taishi Ci, you have fallen into Yuan Shao's trap! Today you will die!"

Upon hearing this, Qu'a Jun became even more panicked, and the surrounding fire, fueled by the dense barrage of rockets, surged and spread rapidly! The tents soaked in tung oil suddenly burst into flames, and the heat wave knocked over more than a dozen soldiers.

"Retreat! Generals, don't panic! Maintain formation and follow behind me. I will lead you to break through!"

Taishi Ci swung his spear to deflect the stray arrows and led the charge through the sea of ​​fire. The Qu'a army, which was originally in chaos, was inspired by this and many of them spontaneously followed him, regrouped, and wanted to break out of the camp!
"Taishi Ci, don't run away!"

Just then, seeing the fire break out in the camp, Zhang Xun immediately led 20,000 ambushers out like a black tide, their spears forming a dense array that blocked their path.

"My soldiers! We will die whether we fight or not, we are all going to die anyway! Shall we fight to the death?"

Taishi Ci's tiger-like eyes were bloodshot. He used his silver spear to knock away three enemy soldiers, shouted loudly, and spurred his horse to charge towards Zhang Xun!
"Those who want to live, fight your way out with me!"

Seeing their commander's bravery, the soldiers knew that their only way out was to break through the encirclement. So they risked their lives and followed Taishi Ci, charging desperately towards the enemy.

"Well done!"

Upon seeing Taishi Ci charging towards him, Zhang Xun, confident in his martial prowess, was fearless and fearless, raising his spear to meet him!

After only a few exchanges, Zhang Xun was sweating profusely and inwardly groaned, wondering where this young general had come from and how he could be so powerful. He felt that he was afraid of the young and strong, and he was actually no match for him.
He barely managed to hold out for over thirty rounds, spear in hand and horse on horseback, but was in grave danger. He had no choice but to retreat and order his army to pursue and kill him.

Fortunately, although Zhang Xun was no match for Taishi Ci, he had a large and powerful army. Taishi Ci, having been ambushed, was focused on breaking out and was unwilling to fight him.

"I am Taishi Ci of Donglai! Who dares to stand in my way!"

Amidst the flames, he tore off his burning cloak, and his green horse charged through the fire, roaring like thunder.

"Taishi Ziyi is here! Anyone who blocks my way shall die!"

Although Yuan's army was numerous, they were all terrified when they saw that even their general Zhang Xun had been driven back. On the other hand, the Qu'a army was greatly encouraged by his bravery! The soldiers followed Taishi Ci and fought to the death, giving their all. They actually managed to carve a bloody path through the sea of ​​fire!
However, just as they stepped out of the camp gate, dust billowed up on both flanks, and two troop formations charged out from the side.

"Don't run away, you who come here!"
Cheng Pu and Han Dang, acting on General Yuan's orders, have been waiting here for quite some time!

Helplessly intercepted by the two, Taishi Ci had no choice but to raise his spear and meet them head-on, fighting fiercely once more. The three of them fought back and forth for dozens of rounds before he finally managed to find an opening and escape.

"Demou, did you do this on purpose? Aren't you afraid of Lord Yuan's wrath for letting this man escape?"

Watching Taishi Ci lead his remaining troops away into the distance, Han Dang looked at his old brother with a strange expression, somewhat puzzled by his intentions.

"Lord Yi, don't forget? The young general is still behind us."

Cheng Pu smiled meaningfully, "What's the use of us taking all the credit when we're both over fifty? I heard that Lord Yuan once told the young general: 'Your young son is often sick, you should encourage him!'"

Han Dang was taken aback upon hearing this, and almost wanted to clap his hands and cheer, "Among us, you are the most shrewd and calculating."

Taishi Ci finally escaped the encirclement, but when he returned to the road he came from and took stock, he found that of the ten thousand elite troops who had followed him, only seven or eight hundred remained. He was filled with resentment that he could not draw his sword and die, and he had no face to return to Qu'a City to see Liu Yao again.

"I feel ashamed before my lord."

Before he could finish speaking, a sneer rang out, and Sun Ce, spear in hand, rode his horse to block the road with his men.

"I have heard people say that Taishi Ziyi is highly skilled in martial arts, and possesses both wisdom and courage. He is one of the most outstanding talents of our time!"

I never imagined that upon meeting you today, I would find you to be such a coward, afraid to face failure.

"Who are you?"

Upon hearing his question, Sun Ce raised a slight smile, pointed his spear at him, and challenged him to a duel, the lion-embroidered helmet and red tassel fluttering like fire in the night wind.

"I am Sun Ce, Sun Bofu! You cowardly and despicable scoundrels, why don't you dismount and surrender at once!"

"My skills are inferior, and I have fallen into your ambush. I am destined to die today, how dare you humiliate me!"

Facing Sun Ce's three thousand troops lined up to block the way, Taishi Ci was fearless and led seven or eight hundred remaining soldiers to fight like cornered beasts, charging forward at all costs!
One man stood on horseback, spear in hand; the other rode on horseback, spear in hand. Their spears clashed under the moonlight, their cold gleam like snow. They exchanged nearly a hundred blows, neither gaining the upper hand.

Sun Ce, caught up in the excitement of the battle, laughed heartily, "Taishi Ziyi, you truly live up to your reputation, a true hero of our time!"

Seeing that he could fight Sun Ce to such an extent, Taishi Ci secretly praised Sun Ce's prowess. However, breaking through the encirclement was the priority at the moment, so he did not reply. Instead, he used his spear technique to become faster and more ruthless, each move taking lives, and he was willing to exchange injuries for injuries.

"Why are you acting so ruthlessly?"

Sun Ce had already developed a sense of appreciating talent, and Zhou Yu had also entrusted him with the task of helping the great cause. How could he bear to truly harm Taishi Ci?

He was caught off guard and forced to retreat by the ruthless gunmanship. He was at a disadvantage in every move, and within a few exchanges, the gunman managed to create an opening and escape.

Watching that departing figure, Sun Ce laughed angrily and cursed, "This doesn't count, let's have another match next time!"

"On the battlefield, only life and death matter. Who can compare to you?"

Taishi Ci was completely baffled and ignored him, urging his green horse to gallop away.

Finally, he saw the flickering firelight on the city wall of Qu'a again. At this time, only forty-seven riders were still by his side. The blood of his soldiers, the blood of the enemy, and his own blood had already stained his white robe red.

Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, he heard loud laughter from the city walls.

"Ziyi, Shu, we've been waiting for you for a long time."

(End of this chapter)