Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

On the day the gates of Youzhou were flung open, Yuan Shao's dark banners flowed like a tide over the mottled walls. Gongsun Zan stood on a hill ten miles away, watching the smoke and dust rising from the city, his knuckles clacking as he gripped his silver spear. Beside him, Gongsun Yue handed him a wine bag. The strong liquor poured down his throat, but it couldn't dispel the coldness in his eyes: "Brother, Yuan Shao's army has taken control of the four gates. When do we start?"

"Wait." Gongsun Zan's gaze swept across the valley behind him. Five thousand white horse volunteers, draped in snow cloaks, lay in wait in the pine forest, their horses' muzzles wrapped in oil-soaked linen. On the distant grasslands, the cavalry of Wuhuan Chanyu Tadun were pressing towards Youzhou like a tidal wave. The sound of their hooves made the frozen earth rustle with snow. He suddenly ripped open his cloak, revealing the hideous arrow scar on his chest: "The blood debt of Guangyang County back then should be repaid by these barbarian dogs!"

As dusk fell, the Wuhuan vanguard had already entered the valley. Gongsun Zan swung his spear fiercely, and three whistling arrows streaked across the sky! In an instant, a torrential downpour of logs and rocks descended, and smoke billowed from the mountain walls on both sides, obscuring the sky. Tadun Chanyu's yellow banner swung violently in the flames. He reined in his frightened warhorse, gazed at the looming white horse flag in the forest, and shouted, "How dare you, old scoundrel Gongsun, set an ambush!"

"Kill!" Gongsun Zan led the charge down the hillside, his silver spear sending three Wuhuan knights flying. The White Horse Volunteers followed closely behind, their scimitars reflecting the blood-red sunset as they tore the Wuhuan army into pieces. Tadun gritted his teeth, drawing his bone-shaped hammer and preparing to launch a counterattack, when he saw the pine forests on either side suddenly burst into flames, the night wind carrying the flames and blocking their retreat.

The Wuhuan cavalry's horses neighed in terror amid the sea of ​​fire, their iron hooves shattering the frozen earth and sending up icy shards. Gongsun Zan's silver spear danced like a dragon and snake, spraying bloody mist wherever it touched. "I'm telling you, Chanyu, Han lands are not something you can tread on just because you want to!" Before he could finish his words, a Wuhuan warrior charged with a scimitar, the blade barely glancing at Gongsun Zan's throat. With a backhanded strike, Gongsun Zan stabbed the warrior in the heart, then, using momentum to leap onto his horse's back, charged towards Tadun's central banner.

The dusk was dyed purple and black by a bloody mist. As Gongsun Zan's silver spear plucked away the seventh Wuhuan head, three bloody gashes had already broken out of his knuckles. Each blow from Tadun Chanyu's bone hammer pounded deep, bowl-sized craters into the frozen earth. Splashing ice shards mixed with blood, turning the armor of the two men into blood-red armor. In the center of the battlefield, the White Horse Volunteers clashed with the Wuhuan cavalry. Sparks flew from the collision of scimitars and lances, like dying fireflies falling into a sea of ​​blood.

"Fire the rockets!" Tadun suddenly ripped open his bloodstained fur robe and pointed it at the pine forests on either side. The Wuhuan cavalry dispersed like ghosts, their arrows coated in pine resin streaking through the night sky, instantly igniting the ambush positions set by Gongsun Zan. The fire, fueled by the wind, turned the already narrow valley into a purgatory. The screams of the White Horse Volunteers and the wails of their war horses pierced the cold wind. Gongsun Zan stared at his retreat, which was cut off by the wall of fire. He suddenly plunged his silver spear into the frozen soil, tore off his clothes and wrapped them around his bleeding wrist: "Form a circle!"

The Wuhuan's array of bone-tipped hammers pressed down like an iron wall, each blow shaking the ground. A young knight under Gongsun Zan, Aman, was struck in the face by the hammer's handle, sending him flying backwards into the frozen ground, his twitching fingers still clutching the half-broken sword. Tadun seized the opportunity to shout, "Gongsun Zan is like a lost dog! Kill!" Thousands of Wuhuan cavalrymen roared in unison, their roars sending snow cascading down from the city walls.

"A stray dog?" Gongsun Zan suddenly laughed wildly, his laughter mixed with blood foam that sprayed on Tadun's tiger-skin cloak. He yanked off his blood-stained headband, and his gray hair danced wildly in the wind like a ghost. "When has Bai Ma ever been afraid?"

Gongsun Zan ceded Youzhou to Yuan Shao, but he was unwilling to leave Youzhou to the ravages of the Wuhuan, so he decided to give him a hard time before leaving. The main force, including women, children, food, and baggage, was already being escorted by Gongsun Xu and Gongsun Rou as they headed towards Bingzhou. Therefore, Gongsun Zan was currently at a disadvantage in terms of military strength.

Gongsun Zan's silver spear drew a final arc of light in the morning light, and the blood on the tassel fell in drops. The corpses of the Wuhuan cavalry piled up into a small hill, dyeing the valley mouth a dark red lake. Gongsun Yue wiped the blood from his face, and blood seeped through the cracks in his armor and dripped through his fingers: "Brother! The elite Wuhuan have been destroyed by 50%, but our Baima Yicong..." Before he could finish his words, Yan Gang swung his sword to block a stray arrow, the blade numbing his palm: "My lord! The remnants are still gathering. If we don't leave now, we will be surrounded!"

Gongsun Zan fiercely kicked away the corpse of the Wuhuan in front of him, and looked at the Tadun army flag that was regrouping in the distance, a scarlet smile curled up at the corner of his mouth. On the wall of Youzhou, Yuan Shao's black flags fluttered, but no soldiers came out of the city to support him. He gripped the blood-stained spear tightly, and the cold wind made his white hair dance wildly: "Hold on for another half an hour! Tadun will not swallow this breath and will definitely pursue us. I want to see—" His eyes shot towards the top of the city like poisoned arrows, "Does Yuan Benchu ​​dare to stab this barbarian dog in the back!"

"But if Yuan Shao sits on the mountain and watches the tigers fight..." Yan Gang's voice was drowned out by the whistling rain of arrows. Gongsun Zan laughed wildly and said, "We gave up Youzhou, but we still fight to the death outside the city without regrets! If Yuan Benchu ​​continues to sit on the sidelines, the world will see the face of this hypocrite!" He turned around and plunged his silver spear into the frozen ground, shaking the ground and making snow fall. "Pass the order, all wounded soldiers mount their horses! We must see them alive or dead!"

Gongsun Yue and Yan Gang exchanged a glance, simultaneously raising their weapons and shouting, "White Horse Volunteers, listen to my orders! Form a goose formation!" The remaining cavalrymen, dragging their wounded legs, scrambled onto their horses, their blood-stained cloaks fluttering in the wind like banners. The roar of Tadun pierced the smoke, followed by the clatter of Wuhuan cavalry hooves.

The setting sun dyed the black banners atop Youzhou City a dark crimson. Yuan Shao leaned against the cold battlements, gazing at the two armies locked in battle in the valley, his eyes shifting beneath his gilded crown. Wen Chou's eight thousand cavalrymen had long been ambushed in the dense southeastern forests, their armor wrapped in cotton wool, even their horses' hooves covered in soft cloth, yet they remained motionless.

"My lord, Gongsun Zan has been fighting hard for six hours." Guo Tu approached, waving a folding fan. "If we continue to waste time, I'm afraid both sides will suffer losses, and the Xiongnu will benefit..." Before he could finish his words, Yuan Shao suddenly raised his hand to stop him. The sound of killing was deafening below the city. Gongsun Zan's White Horse Volunteers were reduced to only 300 or so riders, and his soldiers numbered only 2,000 to 3,000. However, they still held on to the Wuhuan center like a blood-red vortex, tightly clamping down on their silver spears. Even the personal guards of Tatun Chanyu dared not approach where his silver spear pointed.

As dusk fell, a stray arrow grazed Gongsun Zan's cheek, leaving a scarlet streak of blood on his pale face. He burst into laughter, his laughter mixed with blood foam and drifting on the cold wind: "Tadun! Today, either you die or I die!" This roar pierced the battlefield, startling Yuan Shao on the city wall so much that he rapped his fingers heavily on the bricks.

"What a shrewd Gongsun Bogui!" Yuan Shao slammed the battlements, shaking the snow off the walls. "Regardless of other things, this kind of bloodiness makes him a great general of the Han Dynasty!" His eyes swept in the direction of Wen Chou's ambush in the distance, and a fierce look flashed in his eyes. "Send a message to Wen Chou - when the Wuhuan pursue us, intercept their food and supplies! Let Tadun know that Youzhou is not a place where you can come and go as you please!"

Guo Tu paused for a moment, his folding fan pausing: "My lord, are you going to..."

"Even if you want to reap the benefits, you must have a legitimate reason!" Yuan Shao turned around, his dark brocade robe sweeping across the remaining snow. "Gongsun Zan is fighting with his life, how can we let the barbarians escape unscathed?" He looked at the White Horse Army flag still fighting in the twilight, a meaningful smile on his lips. "After this battle, the world will know who is the true pillar protecting the Han territory."

As the waning moon was swallowed by clouds, Gongsun Zan finally lowered his silver spear. The neighing of the White Horse Volunteers, mingled with the shouts of the Wuhuan, echoed across the snowy plains. Amidst the scattered corpses, the last few blood-stained warhorses stumbled westward. Tadun Chanyu's leather boots crushed the ice ridges, the blood scabs on his bone hammer gleaming dimly in the night. "Chase! Live or dead!" Over ten thousand Wuhuan cavalrymen roared in unison, their iron hooves shattering the night sky, stirring up a mist of snow like billowing dust.

On the top of Youzhou City, Yuan Shao's gilded crown was hidden in the shadows. He gazed at the pursuing troops surging like a black tide, and suddenly laughed heartily, clapping his hands. "Our chance has come!" He yanked open his cloak, his dark brocade robe rustling in the cold wind. "Send a message to Zhang He and Gao Lan! Each lead 5,000 cavalrymen to attack from both sides and cut off Tadun's retreat!"

"My lord, Gongsun Zan..." Guo Tu had barely finished his words when Yuan Shao snatched up the command arrow from the table and slammed it to the ground. "Gongsun Bogui bravely faced fifty thousand Hu cavalry with only a few thousand remaining soldiers. How could I sit idly by and watch him perish in the chaos?" He turned to gaze outside the city, a wolfish glint in his eyes. "Order Wen Chou to lead the light cavalry in a surprise attack on the Wuhuan baggage camp. Tonight, we must slay Tadun!"

A north wind, whirling icy shards like a blade, swept across the snowy plains outside Youzhou City. Tadun Chanyu's knuckles turned white as he clenched his gnarled hammer. He gazed at the remnants of Gongsun Zan's desperate resistance ahead, filled with confusion. How could those White Horse Volunteers, who should have been exhausted by days of fighting, still unleash such formidable fighting power?

"Chase! Chase!" Tadun roared, and over ten thousand Wuhuan cavalrymen surged across the frozen earth like a black tide. The clatter of their hooves rustled the frozen earth, and the rising mist of snow obscured the last rays of the setting sun. Tadun's wolf-head banner fluttered in the wind. He vowed to slay Gongsun Zan on his horse and avenge his previous humiliation.

The night was as dark as ink. Just as the Wuhuan cavalry chased to the valley pass, a personal guard suddenly rushed to Tadun's side and said in a trembling voice: "Great Chanyu! The left wing has spotted the Han army! They are charging towards us with spears raised and torches lit!" Before Tadun could respond, another urgent report came from the right: "The Modao army is charging out from the right wing! The horses' legs have been cut off, and the brothers can't get out at all!"

Tadun's pupils suddenly contracted, and he reined in his horse. At this moment, a deafening explosion was heard from the rear. Amidst the sky-high flames, a blood-soaked cavalryman stumbled forward: "Oh no! The baggage camp was raided! All the food and horse fodder is on fire!"

"What?!" Tadun's bone hammer slammed heavily on the saddle, shaking off pieces of ice. "Where did the Han army come from?! How could Gongsun Zan's remaining soldiers have such strength?!" He looked up at the top of Youzhou City, where torches hung like an inverted galaxy, dark banners fluttered in the wind, and Yuan Shao's gilded crown shone coldly in the flames.

A chill ran down Tadun's spine and up to his head. He finally understood he had walked into a carefully laid trap. "We've been tricked! Quickly, form our formation!" Tadun roared, brandishing his bone hammer, trying to steady his position. But then he saw Zhang He's spearmen swooping down from the left flank like flaming dragons. Over a thousand rockets pierced the night, instantly transforming the Wuhuan rearguard into a sea of ​​fire. Gao Lan's heavy swordmen charged from the right flank, their cavalrymen falling to the ground with their Mo Dao, a weapon designed to cleave horses' legs. And Wen Chou's light cavalry had already charged straight into the center of the army, their scimitars flashing a cold blue light.

The Wuhuan camp was instantly thrown into chaos. The sounds of screams and the clashing of weapons mingled with the chilling wind, piercing the bones. Tadun gazed at the horrific scene of corpses strewn all around him. The burning tents on the snowy plains dyed the night sky blood red. His personal guards were all dead or wounded, and his own horse, struck in the eye by a stray arrow, threw him to the ground in a frenzy.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" Tadun gritted his teeth and gave the order, then climbed onto his horse under the desperate protection of several personal guards. He looked back at the black flag fluttering on the top of Youzhou City, his eyes filled with resentment and hatred.