Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

The night deepened, dark clouds obscuring the moonlight, leaving all around in pitch black. Sun Ce, closely pursuing the remnants of Huang Zu's army, unknowingly entered a narrow valley. Steep cliffs flanked the valley, like the bared fangs of a giant beast, trapping them within.

Huang Zu's figure suddenly disappeared in front of him, leaving only scattered weapons and broken flags on the ground. Sun Ce's heart sank suddenly. Just as he was about to order the pursuit to stop, he heard a sharp sound piercing the silence!

"Lord, be careful!" Zhou Tai reacted quickly, jerking Sun Ce's warhorse to the side. Several arrows grazed Sun Ce's shoulders and lodged themselves into the tree trunks behind him, the feathers at their tails still trembling slightly.

Instantly, countless torches lit up on both sides of the valley, illuminating the battlefield like daylight. The Jingzhou army surged out from behind the mountain wall like a tide, so dense and dense that it stretched as far as the eye could see. At the front, a veteran general stood majestically on horseback, his powerful bow still drawn. This man was Huang Zhong!

Night fell, dark clouds rolling in like an iron curtain. The renowned silver-white horse of Xiliang, "Treading Snow," suddenly raised its head and neighed, its mane dancing wildly in the night breeze—it was the precious BMW gift from Ma Chao. Sun Ce gripped his spear tightly, its tassel a crimson flame, staring intently at Huang Zhong, a hundred paces away. The defeat at Changsha County that year pricked his nerves like a venomous snake gnawing at his heart.

"You scoundrel! Do you still remember the humiliation we suffered on the walls of Changsha?" Huang Zhong roared, unsheathing the Swallowing Cloud Blade from his waist. Its cold gleam dimmed the surrounding torches. Sun Ce let out a beastly growl, his legs clamping together in the snow as he pointed his spear at the veteran. Ice crystals kicked up by his horse's hooves exploded in the firelight.

Zhou Tai, his heart pounding, followed closely behind, brandishing his iron halberd. "My Lord! Beware of his sword array!" Before he could finish his words, Huang Zhong swooped down like an eagle, his Swallowing Cloud Blade slashing with a sharp, piercing light. Sun Ce spun around, raising his spear to block. The spear shaft collided with the blade, sparks flying, and the immense force numbed his palms. He stood on the snow, his voice ringing as he narrowly avoided Huang Zhong's sweeping blade.

Huang Zu suddenly appeared from behind the hillside, waving his banner wildly: "You little bastard! Today I will tear you into pieces!" His frantic roar mixed with the shouts of the Jingzhou army, shaking the valley.

Sun Ce's eyes widened in fury, his hooves whirring through the snow. His spear, like a silver dragon emerging from the abyss, aimed straight for Huang Zhong's throat. The Xiliang horses were unrivaled in speed, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. The veteran general remained composed, his Swallowing Cloud Blade swirling in a flurry of blades, its blade whistling in the wind as it clashed with the spear. In the shimmering volley of blades, Sun Ce gradually fell into a disadvantage. Huang Zhong's every strike was sharp and ruthless, forcing him back repeatedly.

Suddenly, Huang Zhong's blade swung, heading straight for Taxue's front legs. Sun Ce, startled, hastily raised his spear to block the attack, but was a step too slow. The Swallowing Cloud Blade struck Taxue's front knee with pinpoint accuracy. The white horse let out a shrill wail and fell heavily to its knees, throwing Sun Ce off his feet.

"Hahahaha! Even Ma Chao's BMW can't save you!" Huang Zu laughed so hard that he fell forward and backward. "Back in Changsha City, General Huang Zhong spared your life, but today is the day you die!" The shouts and cries of the Jingzhou army surged in like a tide. Zhou Tai roared, wielding his iron halberd, desperately protecting the fallen Sun Ce.

Sun Ce struggled to his feet. He watched Taxue wail in agony, his fur stained red with blood, and heard Huang Zu's piercing curses. Hatred surged within him. He gripped his spear tightly, the tip pointed directly at Huang Zhong, his eyes burning with vengeance. But he knew that escaping the encirclement today would be harder than climbing to the sky.

Zhou Tai watched the wailing Taxue lying on the ground, his heart aching. He ripped off his bloodstained cloak, wrapped it around Sun Ce's injured arm, and thrust the reins of his warhorse into his lord's hands. "Master, hurry! I'll cover your retreat!" Before he could finish his words, the Jingzhou army's sword and shield array pressed down like an iron wall, the flashes of swords and sabers intertwining in the torchlight like a web of death.

Sun Ce's knuckles turned white as he gripped the reins. He gazed at Zhou Tai's blood-soaked, yet erect back, a simmering rage. His spear plunged fiercely into the frozen earth, and he leaped onto his horse, shouting, "Follow me and charge!" The remnants of the Jiangdong army erupted in a deafening roar, charging towards the valley's exit like trapped beasts.

Huang Zhong saw Sun Ce trying to break out, his graying beard rustling in the night breeze. The moment the Swallowing Cloud Blade hung from his saddle, he had already drawn his bow and arrow, the string humming with a teeth-grinding hum. "Thinking about escaping? How could it be so easy!" The old general narrowed his eyes, his arrow precisely locking onto the flickering reflection of Sun Ce's silver armor.

Huang Zu waved his command flag, his shrill cry piercing the night sky: "Shoot! Shoot down this Jiangdong rat!" Instantly, a hail of arrows from the Jingzhou army obscured half the sky. Sun Ce crouched low, his spear swiftly slashing like a dragon, deflecting incoming arrows. He charged left and right through the rain of arrows, his hooves splattering blood and mud mixed with shattered ice.

Just as the breakout team was about to burst through the valley, a cold arrow suddenly pierced the night. Sun Ce instinctively dodged to the side, but saw the arrow strangely change direction in mid-air, glancing off his breastplate and piercing Sun Ce's body.

"My lord!" Zhou Tai's eyes blazed with blood. His iron halberd swept two enemy soldiers away, and he lunged at Sun Ce like a madman. Huang Zhong's second arrow had already left the bowstring, this time piercing Sun Ce's back like a venomous snake. In the nick of time, a bloody figure suddenly knocked Sun Ce away—the fatal arrow lodged in Zhou Tai's back. Crimson blood dripped from the arrow's feathers, blooming like a seductive flower on the snow.

"Old wretch! I'll fight you!" Sun Ce struggled to his feet, his spear pointed at Huang Zhong, but his vision was blacking out from the blood loss. Huang Zu's arrogant laughter echoed through the valley, "Sun Ce, my boy, today is your burial place! Release your arrows! Shoot you like a hedgehog!" The Jingzhou army's rain of arrows poured down again.

As the rain of arrows descended, the mountain path suddenly erupted in the thunder of horse hooves. Clad in heavy black iron armor, his phoenix-beaked sword split the night sky like crimson lightning. He gazed at the chaotic throng in the valley and shouted, "Where is our lord?! Where is our lord?!" Zhou Tai's bloodstained face shone with ecstasy. Half-kneeling, he desperately supported the shaky Sun Ce, shouting at the top of his lungs, "It's Wen Chang! Wen Chang, save us! Our lord..." He coughed up a mouthful of blood before he could finish his words.

Wei Yan was like a tiger among a flock of sheep, his blade lashing out with blood and flesh. His personal guards followed closely behind, forming a cone-shaped formation and tearing a bloody path through the hail of arrows. He reined in his horse and stopped beside Sun Ce, his phoenix-beaked sword making a dull sound as he knelt on one knee. "I am too late to save you!" Before he could finish his words, the sound of metal clashing could be heard from behind—Huang Zhong, brandishing his Swallowing Cloud Sword, was chasing him, the blast of air sending gravel flying.

"Wei Yan, you bastard! You traitor who betrayed your master for fame!" Huang Zhong's silver hair stood on end, and the flash of his sword went straight for Wei Yan's throat. "You still want to ruin my plan today?!" Wei Yan blocked with his sword, laughing amidst the flying sparks: "You old man have a good memory! You couldn't do anything to me last time in Changsha, and you can do the same this time!" The roar of the two swords clashing shook the valley and the two men were locked in a fierce fight, and it was difficult to tell who was the better of them.

In the melee, Wei Yan spotted an opening and suddenly changed his stance with his Phoenix Beak Blade, thrusting the tip of his blade towards Huang Zhong's throat. The veteran reacted with incredible speed, swiftly wielding his Swallowing Cloud Blade for defense. The moment their blades collided, both men felt numb in the palms of their hands.

Wei Yan's Phoenix-beaked Knife swung heavier and heavier, his knuckles already cracked, blood spurting down the blade's shaft. Huang Zhong's Swallowing Cloud Knife, however, remained as powerful as thunder, each strike carrying the force of splitting mountains and shattering rock. Wherever the blade touched, the air shrieked. "Little thief, prepare for your death!" Huang Zhong roared, slashing down diagonally. Wei Yan gritted his teeth and raised his knife to block, but the immense force sent him back three steps, his knees slamming heavily to the ground.

Huang Zu, seeing the situation dire, waved his banner from behind and roared, "Focus on Sun Ce! Kill the Little Overlord first!" The Jingzhou army's rain of arrows poured down again. Zhou Tai pounced on Sun Ce, swinging his iron halberd with impenetrable force, arrowheads clanging against the halberd's shaft. Just as Sun Ce's silver armor was stained with blood and his strength was exhausted, the belated sound of horses' hooves could be heard in the distance.

Lü Meng, Lü Dai, Xue Zong, Quan Zong, and others finally arrived with the Jiangdong reinforcements, their faces flushed red, their eyes glaring in anger. Lü Meng slashed at a few stragglers from Jingzhou with his sword, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Which scoundrel dares to harm our lord!" His voice was loud, but his pace was slower than a typical charge. Lü Dai led his troops in a leisurely, outflanking movement, cursing, "We'll tear that old bastard Huang Zu into pieces!" But his men hadn't even formed a battle formation, as if they were merely bluffing.

Huang Zhong looked at the "hasty" appearance of the Jiangdong reinforcements and suddenly laughed: "What a great Jiangdong pillar! These reinforcements came at the perfect time!"

Huang Zu raised his sword and was about to order a pursuit when he felt a weight drop on his shoulder. Kuai Yue had grasped his arm without him noticing, his wide black sleeves billowing like crow's wings in the night breeze. "Wait!" Huang Zu turned in surprise to see Kuai Yue's eagle eyes narrowed, a knowing smile playing on his lips. Behind him, Huang Zhong also sheathed his sword and paused, his brow knitted into a puzzled frown.

"Let that kid Sun Ce live?!" Huang Zu was furious, and slammed the back of his knife on the saddle. "If I don't kill this beast today, he will become a big trouble in the future!" The sparks fell on the hem of Kuai Yue's clothes, but he gently waved his sleeves to extinguish them.

Kuai Yue, hands behind his back, gazed at the Jiangdong army, struggling to regroup in the valley. Sun Ce and Zhou Tai, their mounted horses, swayed in the torchlight. He suddenly chuckled, his voice tinged with the sinister force of a venomous snake. "A seriously injured Sun Ce is more useful than a dead one." Seeing the two generals still brimming with suspicion, he flicked the jade pendant at his waist. "Wei Yan risked his life to come to our aid, but Lü Meng and the others arrived so late... Don't you two understand the thoughts of the Jiangdong nobles?"

Huang Zhong stroked the hilt of his Swallowing Cloud Blade thoughtfully, his silver hair trembling slightly in the wind. Huang Zu, however, remained stiff-necked. "So what? Raising a tiger will only bring trouble..."

"My lord has just negotiated peace with Jiangdong. Killing Sun Ce now would give us cause for criticism." Kuai Yue's gaze swept over the corpses scattered across the ground. "Besides, don't we know what the Jiangdong nobles are thinking? They're ostensibly helping my lord eliminate Sun Ce, but in reality, they're the ones benefiting. They've betrayed their master, yet they still want to preserve their reputations. How can I let them do that? Sun Ce's death would reduce resistance to my lord's advance into Jiangdong, but it would also give these nobles an unwarranted advantage. But if he returns gravely injured, a civil war between the Jiangdong nobles and the Sun family is imminent. The Sun family would then be unable to take care of themselves, while Jingzhou would reap the benefits—a far more cost-effective strategy than executing him ourselves. Furthermore, if Sun Ce isn't foolish, he'll surely react to what happened today. The Jiangdong nobles, fearing a retribution from Sun Ce later, will surely want to put him to death. With this leverage in their hands, wouldn't it be easy for us to take over Jiangdong?"

Huang Zu's sword finally fell, and the sound of metal collision mixed with the noise of the Jiangdong army in the distance.

"Order the troops to withdraw." As Kuai Yue turned, the corner of his robe swept away a broken arrow on the roadside. "Let the Jiangdong army leave - but if Sun Ce dies on the way back..." He paused, revealing a meaningful smile, "Then Jingzhou will have nothing to do with it."