Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

At dawn the next day, dark clouds gathered over the city walls. Yan Liang's yellow steed galloped through the frost and snow to the front of the pass again. Blade lifted the tattered military flag left behind the previous night. He threw his head back and laughed heartily, "You coward! You lost yesterday, and you don't even dare to show your face today?" His cries startled the crows from the city walls, which fluttered across the banner bearing the Chinese character "Liang."

Gao Ming leaned against the arrow embrasure, fingertips stroking the bronze arrowheads, listening to the torrent of obscenities pouring from the enemy below. Du Xiong couldn't contain himself, sweat seeping through the cracks in his armor. "General, to be humiliated like this..." "Silence!" Gao Ming turned abruptly, a cold glint in his eyes. "Military Advisor Li Ru has already given orders. Let him scream his throat out."

Seeing no movement from the city walls, Yan Liang, enraged, swung his sword and chopped off the flagpole beside him. "Build me ladders!" As the command flag waved, a creaking sound erupted from the Yuan army's ranks. Dozens of ladders, like black centipedes, slowly approached the city walls. The snow turned to mud amid the clatter of footsteps. Archers formed a defensive formation, their arrows pouring down on the city walls like a dark cloud covering the sun.

A shrill horn blast tore through the air, and like a swarm of ants, Yuan's army descended upon the walls of Tongguan. Dozens of ladders thundered up the ramparts, and soldiers clad in animal skins, shields at their backs, scaled the icy ladders. Yan Liang rode his horse to the front, his broadsword flashing with a cold light, and his voice resonated like a bell: "Whoever captures the city will be rewarded with a thousand gold pieces!"

On the city walls, Gao Ming was well prepared. Scalding golden liquid poured down from the battlements, and screams erupted. Yuan soldiers on the ladders were scalded and fell, tumbling mid-air into the trench, leaving a bloody mess. Du Xiong wielded his spear, slashing down enemy soldiers who approached the city walls one by one. The spear tip carried strings of blood, which froze into ice crystals in the cold wind.

Yuan's army was fearless. As one fell, another surged forward. Arrows rained down like locusts, and the defenders on the city walls were repeatedly struck and fell to the ground. Blood flowed through the cracks in the masonry, staining the snow a glaring scarlet. Some, shot in the throat, stumbled into their companions, and both fell off the wall. Others, struck by ladders, had their heads slammed against the bricks, instantly losing their breath.

The moat quickly filled with corpses, and the trenches became a bloody graveyard. Seeing this, Yan Liang roared and personally led his elite soldiers into the charge. From the walls, rolling logs and rocks rained down, crashing against shields with a dull thud, and many soldiers' brains were smashed open. However, Yuan's army continued its offensive, and finally, a few men leaped onto the city walls and engaged the defenders in a brutal hand-to-hand combat.

The clang of blades clashing, the roars of soldiers, and the wailings of the wounded intertwined in a breathtaking display. Gao Ming, wielding his longsword, the blade bent and wounded in many places, fought on with all his might. Gazing at the Yuan army surging beneath the city, he knew in his heart that this was a truly brutal, life-or-death battle.

A north wind, carrying the stench of blood, swept across the battlements. Gao Ming knelt on one knee, deliberately stabbing the bloodstained tip of his spear into the cracks between the bricks. The armor on his shoulder tilted, revealing a purple bruise. He caught a glimpse of Du Xiong's black flags still immobile in the second line of battle. He yanked off his helmet, letting his disheveled hair cover half his face, and roared at the city walls, "Rear troops... hurry up!" His voice was hoarse like a broken gong, but it just happened to reach Yan Liang's ears.

Yan Liang laughed wildly as he rode his horse, his sword held high, the blade slapping against his shield with a humming sound: "It's truly the last gasp of a spent force!" He saw that the defenders on the city walls were sparse, even the rolling logs and stones had become sporadic, and some of the battlements were even empty. When the guards, carrying ladders, rushed to the base of the wall, Gao Ming had only sent less than a hundred sword and shield soldiers to block the attack. The soldiers' sword swings were weak and flimsy, clearly feigning exhaustion.

"Get on the city walls!" Yan Liang's roar shook the bricks and snow off the walls. The front row of Yuan soldiers climbed to the top of the city walls, stepping on the corpses of their comrades. When the blades were about to hit Gao Ming's face, he "hastily" retreated three steps.

Du Xiong's palms were sweating as he watched from the dark. He finally understood Gao's brilliant plan - those deliberately empty battlements, the bluffing retreat, and even the fact that his own elite troops were kept idle, were all designed to give Yan Liang the illusion that the victory was "within his grasp."

A sharp, sharp wind carried the stench of blood from the city walls. Gao Ming's battle robe was already soaked with blood, and streaks of dark red seeped from beneath his crooked armor. He leaned against the mottled bricks, looking at the corpses of Yuan soldiers lying in disorder below the city walls. He forced himself to swing his sword and cut down the last ladder. The edge of Du Xiong's spear was twisted into a knot, and a half-broken arrowhead was still embedded in his arm. The white mist that came out of his breath was stained with blood.

"Don't run, you traitor!" Yan Liang's furious roar pierced the blizzard, his Red Hare's front hooves raised high, sending shards of ice and flesh flying against the base of the city wall. He gazed at the crumbling defenders atop the city walls, his blade lifting a half-broken, blood-stained banner: "They are but a spent force!" The howls of the wounded echoed in the Yuan army's ranks. Frozen corpses piled up like a small mountain, and the blood clots on the ladders glowed an eerie dark purple in the sunlight.

Gao Ming suddenly stumbled to his knees, his sword clanging to the ground. This deliberate display of bravado ignited a rapture in Yan Liang's eyes. He swung his sword to chop down the dead tree beside him, its branches sweeping away snowflakes. "Pass the order down! Rest and regroup! Once we've regained our strength in the afternoon, I'll conquer Tongguan!" With that, he reined in his horse. Behind him, the Yuan army slowly retreated, trampling the devastated ground. Only the cold wind, carrying the lingering smoke, swirled and whirled through the shattered city walls.

The afternoon sun shone slantingly, casting a cold gleam on the swords and spears of the Yuan army. As Yan Liang's war drums roared, tens of thousands of Yuan troops descended upon Tongguan again, like a dark cloud looming over a city. Du Xiong gripped the ring-handled sword at his waist, gazing at the motionless Black Mountain troops beside him. His Adam's apple rolled as he swallowed back his surging fighting spirit—his ten thousand elite soldiers remained, still like statues, in their second-line positions.

Arrows rained down from the walls, and rolling logs and rocks rained down upon the advancing Yuan troops. Gao Ming, blood-soaked, his sword blade slashed like a saw, yet he continued to scurry back and forth, shouting. Du Xiong repeatedly challenged for battle, but Gao Ming's bloodshot eyes silenced him. He could only watch helplessly as the defenders withdrew with their flesh and blood, the battlements gradually soaked with blood.

Yan Liang watched in fury from the front, his words to Yuan Tan the previous night, "We'll take the city in one day," still ringing in his ears. He yanked off his scarlet cloak, revealing his scarred chest: "Follow me, take the city!" His personal guards roared in unison, surrounding their leader like tigers descending from the mountains and charging towards the ladders. As Yan Liang's broadsword split the shields of the defenders on the city walls, Yuan's army's morale soared, their roars nearly blowing the banners off the walls.

At that moment, Gao Ming suddenly dropped his sword and laughed wildly, his bloodstained face revealing an eerie glee. "We can't hold this! Brothers, retreat!" Du Xiong watched, stunned, as the usually composed commander led the charge toward the city gates. The Black Mountain soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment, until Gao Ming grabbed his arm and exclaimed, "This is a brilliant plan, strategist!" They finally awoke, their voices etched, and followed suit in their retreat.

The dusk was blood-red, stained the devastated walls of Tongguan. Yan Liang, clad in blood-stained armor and standing on the mottled bricks, watched Gao Ming and Du Xiong retreat into the dusty streets, a sneer of disdain playing on his lips. The cold wind whipped his untied hair, and behind him, the flag bearing the Chinese character "Yuan" fluttered, creating a brutal battlefield scene against the scattered arrows and corpses.

When Yuan Tan and Xin Ping arrived at full speed, Yan Liang turned and stood with his arms folded, his massive figure appearing even more imposing in the setting sun. Yuan Tan dismounted, his eyes filled with wonder: "General Yan is truly a brave man! He actually managed to break through this fortress in a single day!"

"Young Master, do you still believe what I said yesterday?" Yan Liang raised his head and laughed loudly, the sound shaking the whole area. He tapped the long sword at his waist with his bronze wrist guard, as if he was still savoring the pleasure of fighting.

Xin Ping hurriedly bowed and flattered, his brocade robe fluttering in the wind. "The general is so majestic, he's like a god descended from heaven! The Xiliang rats are nothing but chickens and dogs. How can they withstand the general's brilliance?"

Although Yuan Tan showed admiration, he couldn't help but frown: "But why didn't General Yan take advantage of the situation and pursue? If we can defeat the remaining enemies in one fell swoop..."

"Young Master," Yan Liang raised his hand to interrupt, a gleam in his eyes, "Our army has fought hard today, and the soldiers are exhausted. A hasty pursuit is exactly what the enemy wants." He paced to the battlement and pointed to the vast wilderness in the twilight, "Only by clenching your fists can you strike more powerfully. Rest well tonight, and take Chang'an directly tomorrow!" After saying this, he stroked his beard and smiled, as if Chang'an was already in his hands.

The dusk was like ink, dyeing the mountains and forests even darker. Gao Ming and Du Xiong ran out of Tongguan for more than 20 miles, and finally found a hidden valley to rest. Du Xiong turned over and dismounted, his heavy breathing mixed with white mist. He looked at the dim lights of Tongguan in the distance, and finally couldn't suppress his anger: "General Gao Ming! The military advisor sent me to lead 10,000 Black Mountain troops to help defend Tongguan, but from beginning to end, my troops didn't even touch the corner of the enemy's clothes!" He clenched the hilt of the sword at his waist, and his knuckles turned white due to the force. "We could have fought a desperate battle with Yuan's army and defended the pass, why did we give up so easily? If such an important town falls into the hands of the enemy, how can we explain to the military advisor?"

Gao Ming leaned against a mottled old pine tree, pausing to wipe the blood from his sword. Du Xiong, however, grew increasingly agitated, stepping forward and ripping open his bloodstained shirt. "The battlefield situation is ever-changing, and it's up to the general to assess the situation and make decisions on the spot!" His eyes widened in anger. "If we had followed Military Advisor Li Ru's pre-planned strategy without any compromise, wouldn't we have wasted our opportunity? If I had led the attack just now, I would have surely caught Yan Liang off guard!"

Gao Ming stood up, his eyes sweeping across Du Xiong's flushed face like a hawk. He suddenly sneered, "You, a country bumpkin who's only led troops for a few days, dare to criticize the military advisor's strategy?" He raised his hand to stop Du Xiong's rebuttal, his sneer growing even more fierce. "Don't worry, I'll explain it to you slowly."

Gao Ming kicked away the pine needles covering his armor. The cold light of his black iron chain mail pierced the twilight, and dark red blood scabs still formed in the crevices of the armor. "Do you see these armors stripped from Yuan Jun?" His sword tip lifted a piece of heart-protecting mirror, and the mirror reflected Du Xiong's stunned face. "This is Mr. Li Ru's chain of tricks."

Du Xiong squatted down, his rough palm stroking the cold metal lines: "Retreating on purpose? Are you trying to let Yan Liang think we are vulnerable?"

"That's right!" Gao Ming swung his sword fiercely, cutting off the dead branches beside him, and the debris flew like stars. "First, we want to make Yan Liang arrogant and underestimate the enemy, thinking that our army is just a bunch of chickens and dogs; second, he has only 50,000 soldiers, and if he wants to take Chang'an, he must continue to advance westward." He suddenly lowered his voice, and a cold light flashed in his eyes. "When the main force of Yuan's army leaves the pass, we will put on these armors and pretend to be defeated and knocking at the gate. Once the city gate opens..."

"But what kind of victory is this?" Du Xiong suddenly stood up, rustling the bushes behind him. "What's the point of hiding and pretending to be an enemy?"

Gao Ming threw back his head and laughed, his laughter startling the birds roosting in the forest. Wiping tears from his eyes, he pointed in the direction of Tongguan Pass in the distance: "Do you think taking the pass is a victory? Mr. Li Ru wants to shut the gate and beat the dog!" He snatched up a helmet from the ground and hurled it fiercely. "Let Yuan's army enter the pass, then retake Tongguan and cut off their retreat. This 50,000-man army will be trapped! There'll be no way to attack, no way to defend. Then..." Before he finished speaking, Du Xiong gasped, finally seeing the killer move behind this chess game. The pine waves swept up fallen leaves, enveloping the two figures in the deepening darkness.