Three Kingdoms: Domination of the World

Nanyang's Dafu Mountain, like a weathered, silent beast, lay quietly on the earth. Trees were sparse on the mountain, and the few remaining branches and stumps still emitted smoke and sparks.

Large areas of scorched earth connected to each other, like a huge and ugly black curtain, covering the Dafu Mountain heavily.

After learning that Yan Xiang had retreated to Dafu Mountain, a hint of coldness and determination flashed in Sun Wu's eyes. He made a prompt decision and ordered the mountain to be set on fire.

"Burn the mountain! Be sure to capture Yan Xiang alive. The reward for capturing her alive will be a thousand gold coins!" The military order came out coldly from his mouth, like a sharp dagger, cutting through the silent night sky.

"Haha, General Sun, this plan is brilliant. Once Yan Xiang is captured, Suo Chao will surely be too cautious and lose sight of the big picture." Zhou Yu raised his head slightly, clapped his hands and laughed, with a cunning light flashing in his eyes. In that smile, there was both admiration for Sun Wu's strategy and the expectation of capturing the enemy general.

"Gongjin, you are too kind. You are good at making plans and deploying troops in the army, which shows the style of a great general. If you and I join hands, there is no need to worry about the failure of our lord's great cause." Sun Wu raised the corners of his mouth slightly and replied to Zhou Yu, with a hint of mutual admiration in his eyes.

At the foot of Dafu Mountain.

Huang Gai was filled with mixed emotions. He had used a self-torture trick to help his young lord, Sun Ce, successfully seize the land of Nanyang, but this made him feel unworthy of Suo Chao's kindness.

Suo Chao's caring for him and his martial arts training. His concerned eyes, his sincere words, and Yan Xiang's daily respect and kindness towards him—every detail was as clear as yesterday, like a heavy hammer, hammering at his conscience and heart.

"How can I just watch Yan Xiang being captured?" Huang Gai thought to himself, his brows furrowed, his eyes full of entanglement and struggle.

Finally, Huang Gai made up his mind. He took advantage of the night and secretly sent his trusted confidant, carrying his own letter full of guilt, to carefully move up the mountain.

The confidant's figure was looming in the darkness, his footsteps were light and quick, for fear of making any sound and alerting the patrolling guards of the friendly forces.

Huang Gai stood outside the tent, looking at the direction where his confidant was going away, muttering to himself:

"Bo Yi, I'm sorry. This is all I can do." His voice was low and hoarse, full of helplessness and self-blame.

On the mountain, Yanxiang and the others, having experienced the baptism of fire, were in a state of disarray. Yanxiang's hair was disheveled and plastered to her cheeks, and her beautiful eyes, blackened by the smoke, glared angrily at the messenger who had brought the message.

Yan Xiang gritted her teeth and said:

"What tricks is Huang Gai trying to play? I will never trust him again!" Xu Shu on the side was relatively calm. He looked deep in his eyes, carefully analyzing the current situation and thinking about how to break out.

"General, although the Jiangdong army is determined to win, I think this may not be their trick." Xu Shu spoke slowly, his voice steady and calm, trying to persuade Yan Xiang.

"Oh? Why do you say that, military advisor? Is it because Sun Wu wants to capture me alive that he resorts to such means?" Yan Xiang turned her head and asked with a hint of doubt in her eyes.

"General, the former imperial teacher had an old friendship with Huang Gai, and you once disobeyed General Huang. In my opinion, there is a 70% chance that this matter is not a fabrication. Now we have no choice, so we might as well take a risk." Xu Shu looked straight into Yan Xiang's eyes with a firm gaze, trying to make her believe his judgment.

After hearing Xu Shu's words, Yan Xiang weighed her options. She looked at the Jiangdong army surrounded by them and thought about the responsibilities she shouldered.

In the end, Yan Xiang gritted her teeth and agreed to the retreat route secretly arranged by Huang Gai with the mentality of giving it a try.

"Forget it, I'll just trust him this time. I hope I won't fall into his trap again." Yan Xiang sighed inwardly.

In the dead of night, Dafu Mountain was shrouded in silence, with only the occasional sound of patrolling soldiers.

In order to cooperate with the retreat, Huang Gai moved carefully in the camp. His eyes were focused and his movements were slow. He secretly directed his men to rotate some of the guards.

The confidant brought Yan Xiang to a secluded corner and met Huang Gai. Huang Gai handed them sets of Jiangdong Army armor and whispered:

"General Yan, put on this armor and follow me."

Yan Xiang and the others silently took over the armor and quickly put it on. Under Huang Gai's clever arrangement, they cleverly avoided the numerous sentries and walked down the mountain step by step.

"General Yan, we each serve our own masters. I can only send you here." Huang Gai stopped and looked at Yan Xiang, his eyes full of complex emotions, including blessings for her and worries about his own fate.

"General Huang, take care." Xu Shu saluted and said gratefully.

Yan Xiang stared at Huang Gai, the anger in her eyes had long since dissipated, replaced by an indescribable complex expression.

She sighed slightly and said:

"General Huang, your situation is not good after this separation. Why don't you come back to Sizhou with me?" Her voice was soft and sincere, with a hint of concern.

"No. Letting the general go is already disloyalty, and I cannot escape the punishment of my lord." Huang Gai shook his head, his eyes firm, his tone filled with helplessness and open-mindedness.

Seeing Huang Gai's determination, Yan Xiang stopped pushing. She knew it was difficult to choose between loyalty and righteousness. Huang Gai had already made his choice, and she didn't have time to waste. So, she led a group of a dozen people and, taking advantage of the night, hurried off into the distance, gradually disappearing into the darkness.

Huang Gai stood for a long time, gazing in the direction Yan Xiang had left. Soon, the troops of Sun Ce and Grand Commander Sun Wu arrived. With heavy steps, he headed towards his lord's tent.

"I am guilty! I let the enemy general Yan Xiang go." Huang Gai walked into the tent, knelt on one knee, lowered his head, and said with a guilty look on his face.

"Huang Gai, you ruined my plan. You will be punished by military law!" Sun Wu's face turned ashen, his eyes widened with anger, and he shouted loudly.

"Grand Commander, you have made great contributions in the matter of false surrender. I hope you can take his merits into consideration and give him a lighter sentence." Zhou Yu hurriedly stepped forward, clasped his fists and begged for mercy, with a hint of anxiety in his eyes.

"Yes. Without General Huang, it would have been difficult to achieve such results in this battle." Sun Ce also echoed from the side, his eyes revealing his trust and understanding for Huang Gai.

After listening to everyone's words, Sun Wu's anger subsided a little. He looked at Huang Gai deeply and said helplessly:

"Considering your military achievements, the matter of letting the enemy general go will not be pursued for the time being. However, do you think your plan succeeded?" There was still a hint of teasing in his tone.

"General, what do you mean by this?" Huang Gai raised his head and asked in confusion.

"Haha, Gong Fu, our army has once again besieged the enemy general Yan Xiang in Tanghe." Zhou Yu explained with a smile, a proud gleam in his eyes.

"Okay, the military situation is urgent. We must first stabilize the morale of the Nanyang army, and then try to capture Yan Xiang." Sun Ce stood up with a serious expression and said loudly.

To capture Yan Xiang, Sun Wu and Zhou Yu led a 300,000-man army, advancing towards the Tang River overnight like a surging tide. Their horses neighed, their hooves thundered, and the dust they raised filled the air in the moonlight.

Sun Ce led an army of 50,000 and pursued the defeated Borshu troops without stopping. At the same time, he sent elite troops to closely guard against Zhang Ren's army in the direction of Yizhou.

Yan Xiang and the others fled, exhausted both physically and mentally. When they reached Tanghe, before they could even catch their breath, they found themselves once again surrounded by Jiangdong's light cavalry. The circles of cavalry trapped them like a solid wall, their cold weapons gleaming in the sunlight.

Yan Xiang looked at the enemy troops around her, despair welling up in her heart. Their fate was once again pushed to the forefront, their life or death uncertain, as if they were struggling in a dark abyss, awaiting an unknown judgment.