Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

A northerly wind, tinged with the smell of iron, blew in. Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade had already shattered the third round shield of the Western Liang. Smudges of wood mixed with blood smeared his crimson face. His eyes, glaring fiercely, stared at the cavalry formation commanded by Zhang Ren. "Well-timed!" He jerked the reins, and his steed reared to attention. Its hooves crushed the snow, stirring up a cloud of icy mist.

Two thousand cavalrymen deployed in a goose-shaped formation, their spears like a forest, gleaming coldly in the torchlight. Zhang Ren's five thousand cavalrymen had already charged within a hundred paces, the clatter of their hooves numbing the ground. Guan Yu shouted, his blade slicing through the night air: "Kill!" Before he could finish his words, the spears of the front row collided with the horse lances of the Western Liang army, sending sparks flying.

Guan Yu charged straight at Zhang Ren, his Green Dragon Sword flashing with a cold gleam, sending horses and men reeling in his wake. Zhang Ren dodged the blade, unleashing three volleys of arrows from his iron bow, only to be deflected by Guan Yu's slashing sword. "You bastard!" Guan Yu roared, slashing down at an angle. Zhang Ren raised his spear to block, his knuckles cracking and blood streaming down the shaft of his spear.

Elsewhere, Zhang Fei's powerful lance ripped the helmet off a Xiliang cavalryman, and he roared like thunder: "Xu Huang! Get out here!" His two thousand cavalrymen formed a cone-shaped formation, piercing the enemy like a steel spike. Xu Huang's five thousand cavalrymen surrounded them, but Zhang Fei's cavalry charged left and right, throwing their formation into chaos.

Zhang Fei pierced his warhorse's chest with his spear, leaped to his feet, and swept across the carcass. Xu Huang galloped forward, his axe slashing down to meet his blow. Zhang Fei met his blow with his spear, sparks flying, and both men's knuckles tingled. "Ring-eyed thief, today is your death!" Xu Huang roared, his axe flickering like a rain of pear blossoms. Zhang Fei grinned, revealing bloodied teeth: "You're the one who can do that?" His Zhangba Snake Spear suddenly shifted, spitting out its tongue like a venomous snake, aiming for Xu Huang's throat.

The snow fell heavier and heavier, and the battlefield was littered with corpses, their blood staining the white snow a glaring scarlet. The two thousand cavalry led by Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, like two immovable mountains, firmly blocked the five thousand cavalry led by Zhang Ren and Xu Huang.

By the time Guan Yu's Azure Dragon Crescent Blade cleaved through the last line of defense, Zhang Ren's silver spear had already been chipped and shattered. The setting sun cast a dark purple hue on the blood, which snaked down the blade and condensed into ice crystals beneath the iron hooves of his warhorse. "Retreat! Retreat!" Zhang Ren shouted at the remnants, brandishing his sword at the top of his lungs. His blood-stained cloak rustled in the cold wind. Suddenly, Guan Yu turned his horse, his blade pointed directly at the center of the army—the shouts and cries from there were even more heart-wrenching than the previous clash.

"Guan Yu! Don't run!" Zhang Ren suddenly rushed out from the side, stabbing the broken spear into the horse's belly. Guan Yu swung his sword sideways to block, and at the moment when sparks flew, there was a sudden sound of iron chains breaking through the air from the side. Gan Ning leaped into the air on his horse's back, and his meteor hammer wrapped around the blade like a venomous snake: "Guan Yu, this road tonight...can't go!"

Elsewhere, Zhang Fei's 10-foot-long snake spear sent Xu Huang's helmet flying, revealing his terrified face. "You bastard! Come again!" His wild laughter sent the remnants of the Xiliang army trembling, but they froze the moment they caught sight of a blaze of flames rising from the center. "Brother!" Zhang Fei roared, turning his horse around, only to see Hua Xiong's cavalry, like a black tide, cutting off their retreat, their long swords gleaming in the snow.

"Ring-eyed thief! Where are you escaping to!" Xu Huang suddenly abandoned his horse and lunged forward, his arms like iron clamps gripping Zhang Fei's thighs. Hua Xiong seized the opportunity and led his cavalry into an iron formation, their hooves crushing the corpses on the ground and raising a snowy mist that obscured the sky. Zhang Fei flew into a rage, his snake spear sweeping across the enemy, but he was entangled by the two men, one in front and one behind, his palms numb with every thrust.

On Guan Yu's side, Zhang Ren held his left leg, Gan Ning hanging on the blade. No matter how hard he spurred his Red Hare, he couldn't break free from the noose-like entanglement. The distant call for help grew closer. Guan Yu looked at the smoke-filled central camp, his eyes bloodshot. The moment the blade split Gan Ning's shoulder, Zhang Ren actually withstood the blade with his flesh and blood, pressing the broken spear barrel to his throat. "Want to leave? Step over my dead body first!"

Snow flakes mixed with blood pelted Zhang Fei's face. He listened to the screams from the center of the army, his grip on his spear nearly buckling. Xu Huang's axe grazed his scalp, Hua Xiong's longsword went for his ribs, but Zhang Fei suddenly abandoned defense, sweeping his snake spear across, pushing both men back half a step. A roar pierced the air, "Brother! Yide is too late!" Guan Yu's Qinglong sword, now stained dark red, splattered with flesh with every swing, but he could not break the siege, a thorn in his flesh. Under the blood-red setting sun, the two fierce generals were trapped in this small space, their loyalty and anxiety swirling in the wind and snow.

A north wind, swirling a scorching blood-soaked mist, swept through the camp, drenching the night sky in an eerie crimson-purple hue. The hooves of the Western Liang cavalry, shrouded in gore-soaked cotton, crushed the stumps on the ground with a muffled, drum-like thump. A sentry in the watchtower, pierced through the throat by a wolf-tooth arrow, fell from a height of three feet, crashing into the sharp stakes of the chevaux de frise and exploding. His intestines dangled like red silk, entangled with the desperately climbing Western Liang soldiers below.

"Break the formation!" The moment Ma Dai's serrated broadsword shattered the antler-shaped barricades, the death squad behind him ripped open their clothes in unison. These men, wrapped in sackcloth mourning clothes, bare their chests and rushed towards the village wall under a hail of arrows. The front row soldiers, pierced by crossbow bolts, clung to their comrades' legs, forming a human ladder with their flesh and blood. Scalding blood dripped from frozen fingers, forming crimson icicles on the village wall.

The central army gate collapsed with a resounding roar from the third impact, and hundreds of elite cavalry poured in like a tide. Zhang Liao's curved sword slashed a foot-long arc of blood, slicing the soldier's head in half, warm brains splattering on his cold visor. As Ma Dai's spear churned, the intestines of three guards dragged to the ground, but they clung to his stirrups until their iron hooves crushed them into a pulp. The Xiliang battle flag swept across the burning tents, sparks flying among the corpses, sizzling the charred skin of the stumps on the ground.

Liu Bei retreated, surrounded by his personal guards, his black cloak stained with shredded flesh and brains. The central army tent twisted and collapsed in the blazing flames, flames licking the pile of corpses.

Guan Yu's Blue Dragon Crescent Blade sliced ​​through Gan Ning's breastplate, but Zhang Ren clung to the hilt. The three men writhed and grappled in a pool of blood, Gan Ning's chain digging into Guan Yu's neck, Zhang Ren's broken spear pressed against his throat. Zhang Fei, driven into a frenzy, swept his Zhangba Snake Spear, sending columns of blood soaring into the air, but he was held in a firm grip by Xu Huang and Hua Xiong. His eyes widened in anger, his neck veins bulging like a dragon's, and each thrust shook the ground, finally freeing himself from the noose-like entanglement.

Zhang Liao's scimitar had already severed the tassels of Liu Bei's cloak, and Ma Dai's spear was only three inches from his throat. The Western Liang army closed in like a tide, their arrows piercing the air like a dense web of death. Liu Bei suddenly drew his double-edged sword, its cold light reflecting on his bloodstained face, and ice crystals condensed on the blade and fell. "Even though my strength is exhausted, I will cut off the traitor's head!"

The guards desperately held up their shields, but were crushed by Xu Rong's catapults, leaving flesh and blood flying everywhere. A captain hugged Liu Bei's thigh and screamed, "My lord, leave quickly—" Before he could finish his words, a wolf-tooth arrow pierced his back, and warm blood trickled down Liu Bei's boots.

"How dare you!" Zhang Fei's furious roar suddenly ripped through the night sky. His Zhangba Snake Spear pierced the air like black lightning, slicing a Xiliang cavalryman in two. Guan Yu, blood-soaked, followed closely behind. His Green Dragon Crescent Blade split the wall of men, his warhorse crushing frozen corpses. The blood sprayed from his body formed tiny ice crystals in the air.

"Yide, protect big brother!" Guan Yu swept his blade across, forcing back Ma Dai's attack. Amidst the flashing swords and shadows, he caught a glimpse of Liu Bei's blood-stained black armor, and his eyes suddenly bloodshot. Zhang Fei laughed wildly, knocking aside Niu Fu's iron spear, and aimed his snake spear straight at Zhang Liao's face: "Zhang Wenyuan! Grandpa is here to take your dog's head!" The four divine weapons collided, sparks flying, and a gap was torn open in the Xiliang army's formation.

Liu Bei gazed upon his brothers, their double-edged swords trembling slightly. Guan Yu's back was pierced by three arrows, his robe soaked with blood. Zhang Fei's curly beard was frosted with ice, and the blood seeping from the cracks in his armor formed dark red scabs in the cold wind. Yet, their roars still shook the enemy cavalry to their feet, and the crisp clash of weapons reverberated like thunder among the chaotic enemy.

Xu Rong's banner fell fiercely, and instantly, a thousand arrows unleashed, their sharp cries piercing the air like the whimpers of death. Beside Liu Bei, the Bai Li soldiers formed a circle, shields raised high. The muffled thud of arrows piercing their rattan armor echoed one after another. The front row of soldiers fell like stalks of wheat cut by a sickle, falling in a pool of blood. Crimson blood trickled down the edges of their shields, gathering in a steaming stream in front of Liu Bei's black boots.

Zhang Fei's Zhangba Snake Spear danced impenetrably, yet three wolf-tooth arrows still pierced his shoulder blades. He shook his head, shaking the blood off his face. He looked towards Chang'an and roared, "Liu Bian! Are all the bastards on the city wall blind?!" His roar shook the hooves of the Xiliang cavalry, but all he got in response was a fresh hail of arrows. Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade shattered the incoming arrows, but two more stray arrows pierced his back. Blood dripped down his peacock green battle robe, creating red plum blossoms on the snow.

Liu Bei's double-edged sword was bent, its blade streaked with broken bone and hair. He watched as his personal guards were torn apart by Ma Dai's cavalry, some with skulls crushed by hooves, others plucked up by spears and slammed against the barricades. His lieutenant's intestines trailed on the ground, but he clung to the hind legs of his Xiliang warhorse until he was torn in two.

"Brother, run!" Guan Yu suddenly turned his Red Hare towards Liu Bei, his blade deflecting three arrows. "My third brother and I will cover your retreat!" Before he could finish his words, Zhang Liao's scimitar slashed down past his ear, slicing off a wisp of his beard. Zhang Fei lunged at Ma Dai, blocking his spear with his chest. Blood foam and a roar sprayed onto Ma Dai's face. "You want to hurt me? You have to get past me first!"

Liu Bei gazed upon his blood-soaked brothers—Guan Yu's almond-shaped eyes bloodshot, his robe nailed to his back by arrows; Zhang Fei's curly beard frosted with ice, his lance wielding a cloud of blood with every swing. The last twenty of his personal guards formed a human wall, their shields studded with arrows, like ferocious hedgehogs. In the distance, the Xiliang army's flags surged in like a tide, and Xu Rong's catapult was loading its second volley of boulders.

"Order... Retreat!" Liu Bei's voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible. He gripped the bloodstained hilt of his sword, his heart aching as he watched Zhang Fei's disbelieving eyes turn as he turned. "As long as I'm safe... I'll avenge this someday!" The torch stretched his figure, overlapping the shadows of the corpses strewn across the ground. As the Xiliang army cheered, he gradually disappeared into the bloody night.

A north wind, carrying the roar of war drums, lashed the city walls. Zhao Yun's knuckles turned white as he gripped his bright silver spear. From the watchtower, the torches of the Western Liang army snaked like red, poisonous pythons, and the black battle flags of Liu Bei's remnants trembled in the sea of ​​flames. He watched his blood-soaked soldiers stumble and flee. Ma Dai's cavalry were within a hundred paces of him. The roar of "Revenge for Marquis Wei" shook the city bricks to dust.

"Open the city gates!" Zhao Yun swung his silver spear heavily, and the defenders hurriedly turned the capstan. The moment the drawbridge crashed down, he led his three hundred white-horse warriors out like arrows from a bow, the red silk tassels on their spears fluttering in the wind and snow like blood. Arrows from the Western Liang army pierced the air, and Zhao Yun raised his hand and swung his spear, the shadows of his spear transforming into an impenetrable silver screen, knocking down the arrows one after another.