Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms
Chapter 924: Determined to Die and Block the Enemy
Yuan Tan staggered to his feet, propping himself up with his sword, and forced a smile. "General Yan, Mr. Xin, victory and defeat are common in war. Don't be discouraged." He turned to look at the nearby Tongguan Pass, a glimmer of hope rekindled in his eyes. "Return to Tongguan Pass. All we have to do is hold the pass, ask father for help, and then we can send an army and fight back!" However, before he could finish his words, he stumbled from exhaustion and nearly fell.
Yan Liang reached out to support Yuan Tan, looking at the exhausted and desperate faces of the crowd, and tightened his grip on his Pofeng Blade. "Young Master, you are right!" His voice became louder again. "As long as Tongguan is there, we still have a chance! Form a team! Prepare to enter the pass!" With this order, the remaining soldiers barely pulled themselves together and, with heavy steps, walked towards the pass that symbolized their last hope.
A northerly wind whipped up the dusty snow, raging across the wilderness. The distant cries of the pursuers, accompanied by the clatter of horses' hooves, drew closer like the drums of death. Yuan Tan grappled with the reins, his purple, frozen fingers barely holding the horse's mane. Summoning his last remaining breath, he shouted, "Hurry, mount your horses! If we can reach Tongguan, we'll have a fighting chance!" Before he could finish his words, he stumbled forward from exhaustion, nearly falling off his horse if not for the quick-witted actions of his personal guards.
Yan Liang supported the staggering Yuan Tan, looking at the soldiers' bloodstained faces and dull eyes, his heart ached. He gripped the Pofeng Knife at his waist tightly, the blade still clotted with blood from last night's battle, glowing dark red under the pale sky. "Sir, it's too late!" His voice exploded like thunder in the snow. "If no one stops the pursuers, even if they reach the gate, the guards will not dare to open it rashly."
Yuan Tan raised his head suddenly, a trace of panic flashing in his eyes: "What should I do? Should I abandon the pass and flee?"
"I am willing to lead my troops to cover your retreat!" Yan Liang knelt on one knee, ice chips falling from his armor, "The halberd warriors will escort you and Mr. Xin into the pass. As long as Tongguan is still there, we still have a chance to turn the tables!" He turned his head to look at the enemy army pressing in like a black cloud in the distance, a cruel smile curled up at the corner of his mouth, "What's more, with my ability, if they want to keep me, I'm afraid they will have to pay a price!"
Yuan Tan grabbed Yan Liang's arm and said in a trembling voice, "No! I want to stand with you!"
Yan Liang suddenly stood up, his eyes wide open: "Master! As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood!" He reached out and patted Yuan Tan's shoulder, the force so strong that it almost pushed him back into the saddle. "Don't delay! Hurry up!"
The halberd-wielding warriors had already formed a tight square formation, their bronze shields clashing with crisp clashes. Xin Ping gazed at Yan Liang's resolute back, a complex expression flashing in his eyes. He whispered, "Sir, the general is absolutely right. Don't act rashly at this moment."
Yuan Tan gritted his teeth and finally turned his horse. The clatter of hoofbeats faded, and Yan Liang watched his lord's direction until the disheveled figure vanished into the snowy mist. He took a deep breath, straightened his tilted helmet, brushed the mud off his cloak, and carefully tied every knot on his armor. As a renowned general from Hebei, even in dire straits, he refused to lose his composure.
A cold wind whistled past, rustling the tattered military flags. Yan Liang mounted his horse, and his yellow horse, as if sensing his master's resolve, raised its head and let out a long neigh. Five hundred personal guards silently formed up behind him, the cold gleam of unsheathed blades blending with the swirling snow. At that moment, the entire world seemed to have fallen silent, leaving only the approaching clatter of horses' hooves, a countdown to fate.
Wei Yan, commanding the Xiliang Iron Cavalry, came roaring forward. But he saw a general leading the remaining troops blocking the road. Wei Yan looked closely and saw it was General Yan Liang. Wei Yan raised his broadsword, halting the pursuers' advance. He spurred his horse to the front of the battle formation and said in a deep voice, "General Yan Liang, how are you?"
Yan Liang looked up and saw that the pursuer was none other than Wei Yan, the same Wei Yan who had retreated after fifty rounds under his command that day. He brushed off the snow flakes from his armor and said calmly, "General Wei Yan, during that battle, you were repelled by Li Ru and could not return to the city. I still regret that such a great general was lost. Judging from the situation today, it seems that it was all your Xiliang plan."
Upon hearing this, Wei Yan bowed, his eyes alight with interest. "Oh? In that case, I must thank you, General, for your concern. It's just that although your bravery is superior to mine," he paused, the tip of his sword gesturing toward the firelight of the tent behind him, "your strategy is not even a fraction of what my master can achieve." He then spoke aloud, "General, you've fought me several times, and I know your abilities well. Now that you're at the end of your rope, why don't you surrender to Xiliang? I'll speak well of you in front of your master and the King of Liang."
Yan Liang suddenly laughed out loud, and the wind-pouring sword shook the snow to the ground. "General Wei! I am the leader of the Four Pillars of Hebei, and everyone in the world calls me the best general in Hebei! Lord Yuan has been so kind to me. Today we will fight to the death, how can I betray him and surrender to the enemy?" He tightened the reins of his yellow horse, his eyes sweeping across the enemy's formation. "Besides, my son has retreated to Tongguan. With my sword in my hand and my horse on my back, you can't keep me here without paying a price! When Lord Yuan's army arrives, it's still unclear who will win!"
Wei Yan looked at Yan Liang, who was deliberately slowing down his speech and his eyes constantly looking into the distance, and sneered in his heart - this famous general from Hebei was trying to delay time. Every moment of entanglement would give Yuan Tan more time to breathe and escape to Tongguan.
"So, General, you want to challenge me again?" Wei Yan heaved his broadsword over his shoulder, deliberately dragging out the last syllable, letting the wind and snow fill the space between them. He saw Yan Liang's knuckles turning white as he gripped the sword, and his yellow horse paddling the frozen soil anxiously, apparently waiting for news of Yuan Tan's escape.
Yan Liang suddenly ripped off his tattered cloak, the bloodstained fabric slicing a half-arc through the air. The moment he lifted his sword with one hand, the notch on the blade gleamed coldly in the snow. "I couldn't ask for more!" He shouted, and his yellow steed charged out like an arrow. In the mist he stirred up, he could vaguely see the guards behind him quietly adjusting their formation, trying to buy time.
Wei Yan's lips curled up, and he spurred his horse forward. The moment the crescent-shaped blade and the wind-splashing blade collided, sparks splashed onto the snow on their shoulders, and wisps of white smoke rose.
A cold gleam and a gust of wind shredded the drifting snow. Wei Yan's crescent-shaped blade pierced the air with a sharp resound as it collided with Yan Liang's wind-splashing blade. Sparks flew, and the snow beneath their feet exploded into a silvery mist. Since last night's battle, Yan Liang's armor had long been soaked with blood and ice, yet his blade's momentum was still as powerful as splitting rocks, and every blow numbed Wei Yan's palms.
The horses' hooves dug deep pits in the frozen ground, and the two warhorses tangled and swirled. Wei Yan seized the opportunity and slashed his blade diagonally towards Yan Liang's waist and abdomen, but the enemy roared and swung his wind-splashing blade like a dragon across the river, abruptly deflecting the attack.
Fifty rounds passed in a flash, leaving Wei Yan's black armor ripped open with cracks. Meanwhile, though Yan Liang was also wounded, his attacks only grew more ferocious. His yellow horse neighed and reared up, Yan Liang capitalized on the momentum and slashed through the air, his blade flashing like a galaxy. Wei Yan hastily raised his blade to block, only to be thrown back half a foot in the saddle, his arm bones nearly shattered by the immense force.
"Brilliant! A renowned general from Hebei!" Wei Yan wiped the blood from his lips, his eyes ablaze with fighting spirit. He suddenly abandoned defense for offense, his broadsword dancing in a curtain of cleaving blades, determined to entangle Yuan Tan before he could escape to Tongguan. And every swing of Yan Liang's sword was a resolute race against time—a moment's delay gave Yuan's army a fighting chance.
A northerly wind blew snowflakes onto the clashing blades, and in a blink of an eye, another thirty rounds passed. Wei Yan's crescent-shaped sword suddenly switched from defense to offense, its blade grazing Yan Liang's face and forcing his yellow horse back repeatedly. Just as his wind-spraying sword was about to block the opponent's fatal blow, Wei Yan suddenly pulled the reins, and the steam rising from his black armor condensed into white mist in the cold air: "That's it! That's it!" He panted and shook his numb wrist, "General, your courage is indeed inferior to mine!"
Before he could finish his words, the roar of horses' hooves crushing the frozen ground swept over from the side and rear. The Black Mountain Army led by Zhang Yan surged across the snowy plains like a black tide, their scimitars gleaming a cold blue in the twilight. Wei Yan looked at the crumbling formation of Yan Liang's personal guards and deliberately raised his voice: "Look, General—here come another 20,000 soldiers! Is it really worth it for your five hundred brothers to die with them?"
Yan Liang threw his head back and laughed so hard that the ice on his curly beard fell off. He pounded his Wind Blade into the snow, sending blood foam and snow flying into the air: "General Wei, we have fought enough!" He turned to look in the direction of Yuan Tan's escape, a flicker of relief in his cloudy eyes. "Our lives are no longer worth cherishing at this moment. Even if I die here, I will have done my duty for you, General!"
Five hundred personal guards simultaneously held their blades across their chests, the clash of armor melding into a tragic war song amidst the snowstorm. Zhang Yan's Black Mountain troops gradually closed in, but were held back by Wei Yan's outstretched hand. He gazed at Yan Liang's straight back and suddenly recalled the fierce battle five days prior. From beginning to end, the renowned Hebei general had never wavered in his resolve to fight to the death.
Wei Yan suddenly raised his head and laughed out loud, his laughter carrying snow particles and exploding in the cold air: "General Yan Liang, do you think I'm a three-year-old child?" He suddenly reined in his black horse and pointed his gilded sword towards the sky, "Relying on these five hundred tired soldiers to block the road is clearly giving Yuan Tan a chance to escape!" Before he finished speaking, the blade suddenly turned, and the cold light reflected Yan Liang's suddenly tense face, "What a pity, Mr. Li Ru had already calculated the secret - on the top of Tongguan City, I'm afraid that my Xiliang battle flag has already flown!"
Yan Liang's knuckles turned white as he gripped his sword, and his yellow horse pawed the frozen soil restlessly. Wei Yan didn't give him a chance to breathe, but continued with a sneer, "Just now, I saw your guards, and they all had death in their eyes. If I ordered the cavalry to charge, even if I could crush you, it would inevitably cost me blood and flesh." He suddenly sheathed his sword, and the frost on his black armor fell off. "Besides, I respect your unparalleled loyalty and righteousness, so I am willing to play this life-and-death battle with you!"
Before he could finish his words, a deafening cry of killing erupted from the distant Tongguan Pass. The clang of metal and iron, mixed with shrill screams, pierced the wind and snow. Dark crimson flames shot up into the sky, staining half the sky a crimson crimson. Yan Liang staggered, nearly falling from his horse. Wei Yan's lips curled into a sinister smile.
Yan Liang's neck veins bulged, his teeth clenched to the point of bleeding. He swung his sword fiercely, pointing it at the flying snow: "Since there is no way to retreat, we have no choice but to die for our country!" Before he finished speaking, the five hundred guards behind him drew their weapons at the same time. The clanging sound of the blades clashing startled the crows perched on the dead branches and scattered.
"Wait a minute!" Wei Yan suddenly blocked Zhang Yan's raised scimitar with his sword, his black armor gleaming coldly in the twilight. "General Yan, why do you want to throw your life away so easily?" He raised his hand and pointed in the direction of Tongguan, where thick smoke was rising. "Why don't you go and join your young master?"
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