Battle of Sishui Pass (2)
When Dong Zhuo, who had seized absolute power by enthroning a new emperor, received word that the Guandong regional officials had reached Sili Province, his first reaction was a snort of contempt.
Just a pack of feeble white-faced scholars throwing a tantrum.
The forces that had formed this Coalition Army were nothing but a motley rabble.
Only Colonel of Valiant Cavalry Cao Cao and a handful of the other local officials had any real experience commanding troops. In other words, the Guandong Coalition Army was just a useless mob flaunting a moral cause.
"Hahahaha! Even if those rebel scum bring a million-man army, they will never break through Sishui Pass! How could a bunch of bookworms who do nothing but spout empty theories and debate righteousness ever defeat the invincible Xiliang army?!"
The middle-aged man with a thick, shaggy beard burst into hearty laughter.
There was not a trace of tension in him.
Only absolute certainty of victory.
Even after hearing that the Guandong rebel army had assembled in Yingchuan Prefecture, right on his doorstep, he was relaxed enough to guffaw and gulp down cup after cup of wine.
"Inspector of Yan Province Liu Dai, Governor of Dong Prefecture Qiao Mao, and Governor of Shanyang Yuan Yi... they are all bookworms who held high ministerial posts at court. If Your Excellency the Grand Preceptor personally leads a great army to the field, they will scatter like frightened mice."
"You've gotten much better at flattery. Though what you say is true."
Niu Fu, Dong Zhuo's son-in-law and a General of the Household of the Central Army, spoke with exaggerated gestures.
Dong Zhuo's expression turned jovial.
"Your Excellency!"
"What is it, that you come running in such a breathless panic?"
Dong Zhuo was lounging on the throne—a seat above all others, permitted only to the Son of Heaven—idly tilting a wine cup, his massive bulk on full display,
when a furious voice rang out.
It was Li Ru, Director of the Palace Gentlemen, Dong Zhuo's close aide and chief advisor.
Unlike his master, who reacted as if this were nothing, the advisor looked utterly appalled. Only then did Dong Zhuo realize a variable had emerged that threatened him directly.
"Yuan Shao, the Governor of Bohai who orchestrated this rebellion, has brought in King of Chen Liu Chong!"
"Liu Chong? You mean King of Chen Liu Chong has joined the war?!"
Liu Chong.
A master archer who never missed, Hundred Shots, Hundred Hits.
A descendant of Emperor Guangwu and a vassal king of the Han Imperial House.
And a great southern warlord who sheltered countless prefectures and counties.
The martial fame of King of Chen Liu Chong and his heir, Crown Prince Liu Seong-hwi, had spread even to Yong Province and Liang Province, where the vast, desolate desert stretched out. That was precisely why Dong Zhuo, even as he dismissed the Guandong officials as a rabble, had always remained wary of Liu Chong and Liu Seong-hwi.
"Crown Prince Liu Seong-hwi has joined the rebel army with forty thousand troops. Moreover, we have word that he has recruited Major of a Separate Command Sun Jian and drilled them into an elite force."
"Sun Jian...! That accursed brute has joined them too?!"
Sun Jian.
How could he forget that warrior's name?
The Tiger of Jiangdong.
A fierce general from Jiangdong renowned as a one-man army.
Dong Zhuo treated the Tiger of Jiangdong as a vulgar, ignorant savage, but even he acknowledged the man's martial prowess, which bordered on that of a one-man army. Recalling the monster drenched in enemy blood as he kept butchering his foes, Dong Zhuo's chin began to tremble.
"Liu Seong-hwi...! Sun Jian...! Those bastards have joined the rebellion!"
"Your Excellency, what about winning them over? As you have said, the Guandong officials are mere white-faced scholars, but Liu Seong-hwi and Sun Jian are different. They are seasoned veterans who have fought in the field ever since Jiao Province's Zhang Jue raised his rebellion!"
In a flock of sheep, there were predators going for the throat.
Realizing death's grip was closing around his own neck, cold sweat streamed down Dong Zhuo's face.
"Surely Sun Jian must regard me as his mortal enemy...!"
"Your Excellency, Sun Jian has suffered the injustice of being stuck in low-ranking posts despite countless battlefield achievements. If you bestow upon him a high general's rank and a noble title, would he not serve you sincerely?"
He was not at all afraid of the Guandong officials.
But Liu Seong-hwi and Sun Jian—those two he genuinely loathed the prospect of facing.
Would it be better to leave some room for negotiation?
The great warlord, so full of bluster moments before, had hunched his bulky shoulders and was deep in thought when—
A voice dripping with scorn ripped through the thick fear.
"You look utterly pathetic, Father. You're going to sue for peace without even putting up a proper fight?"
"...Fengxian."
A mane of wild, spiky blonde hair, like that of a beast.
Crimson eyes as sharp as the tip of a freshly forged blade.
The beautiful warrior-woman, armored in light crimson brigandine, displayed nothing but vulgarity and disrespect toward the great warlord who wielded power over all beneath the heavens.
Flying General Lü Bu.
The mightiest warrior representing the north.
She was also a monster whose martial fame thundered as Peerless Under Heaven.
She had committed the most heinous of crimes—murdering her own lord and adoptive father, Inspector of Bing Province Ding Yuan, then leading his troops to surrender to his enemy Dong Zhuo. Yet because everyone dreaded Lü Bu's martial prowess, which had achieved invincibility against the fierce northern barbarians, no one dared speak her infamy aloud.
"Send me out. I'll slaughter every last one of those Guandong traitors and return."
Had it been any other officer, he would have dismissed it as a fool's empty bravado.
But the one making this boast before his eyes was Lü Bu.
A mad obsession with victory.
And a vicious killing intent that granted not a shred of mercy to her enemies.
Dong Zhuo trusted this terrifying monster implicitly. That was why he had taken her as his adoptive daughter and entrusted her with command of the Bing Province Cavalry that Ding Yuan had once led.
"Why use an ox-cleaver to slaughter a chicken? Let us leave the opening engagement to Commander Hua Xiong."
Lü Bu was a Peerless Under Heaven warrior who had never known defeat. Deployed to the field, she would rampage like a savage monster and brand fear into those foolish lords.
But in the end, Lü Bu was still a Surrendered General.
The Xiliang-born officers who followed Dong Zhuo regarded Lü Bu—who had murdered her lord and seized power—with deep distrust. Since no one would ever truly follow her, she was utterly unsuited to be sent as the overall commander of the opening battle.
"I have a stratagem to sweep away the traitors. Leave it to me."
Thud— Thud—
A man in heavy armor strode forward.
Commander Hua Xiong.
Xiliang's foremost warrior boasted a monstrous frame exceeding ten chi in height.
If the monster representing Bing Province was Lü Bu, then the monster representing Liang Province was Hua Xiong. Hua Xiong, who had quietly fulfilled his duties on the frontier all this time, was the complete opposite of Lü Bu, who was treated as an object of distrust: he commanded sincere respect from countless officers.
He was more than capable of handling the opening battle.
Hua Xiong boasted that he would lead Luoyang's Imperial Guard and wipe out every last traitor.
"How could I distrust your valor! Commander Hua Xiong, smash Crown Prince Liu Seong-hwi and Major of a Separate Command Sun Jian to pieces and return to Luoyang. Once you have returned having fulfilled your mission, I shall appoint you General-in-Chief of the Han!"
"I accept Your Excellency's command."
Tch—
Lü Bu clicked her tongue in disappointment.
But if it was Hua Xiong, Xiliang's greatest warrior, he would rout the rebel army in a single stroke and return, so she raised no objection to her adoptive father's decision.
* * *
The Dong Zhuo army officers commanding the defense of Sishui Pass were Left General Li Jue and Right General Guo Si. They were executing their orders to pin down the Guandong officials until overall commander Hua Xiong reached Sishui Pass with the elite forces of Luoyang.
Boom!!
Craaaash—!!!
Massive boulders traced parabolic arcs as they flew in.
With every catapult strike that landed true, the walls of Sishui Pass, reputed to be an impregnable fortress, shook perilously.
Could they truly hold?
The rebel army's ferocious assault far exceeded anything they had imagined.
"Gah!"
"Get down! Get down this instant!! Those damned archers are lying in wait—!!"
A Dong Zhuo army officer who had raised his head to survey the catapult emplacements collapsed with a single sharp cry, brains spilling out.
It was a sniper's shot.
They had clearly been waiting for him to expose his head.
Already, nearly thirty officers and men had lost their lives to arrows that pierced the air from nowhere. As this situation continued to rain down upon them, none among Dong Zhuo's forces dared to poke their heads out rashly.
Shields?
The sharp arrows tore straight through shields and killed the shield-bearers.
Li Jue and Guo Si found themselves trapped in extreme terror, forced to brace for merciless sniper fire while warily facing an enemy invisible to the naked eye. As officers commanding the battle, they could not simply ignore the battlefield, so every single time, they had to risk their lives just to lift their heads.
"Merciless bastards! I had heard there were many skilled archers and crossbowmen in the south, but this...!"
They tried raising a helmet propped on a sword hilt.
But the veteran archer did not fall for such a crude trick.
The moment an officer raised his head,
and the moment soldiers rose briefly to transport supplies—
Every time Liu Seong-hwi drew his bowstring, another of Dong Zhuo's officers or soldiers died in a single shot. Watching him from a distance, Liu Bei and her Sworn Sisters watched in open awe.
"General Who Defeats the Barbarians."
"Yes, you called?"
I lowered my bow for a moment and called for Sun Jian.
Sun Jian stepped forward and offered a salute.
"As I expected, Hua Xiong is nowhere to be seen."
"If you order a general assault now, we can take Sishui Pass at a single stroke. Please, give the order for the general assault at once!"
"They're aiming for our rear. Their plan is probably to use a flanking route to sweep away the great army currently striking Sishui Pass in one blow. First, we'll cut off the traitors' shoddy little scheme."
"Yes!"
Yangren.
It was obvious they would detour around Mount Song and strike from the Yangren direction.
Sishui Pass was effectively under blockade.
If they chose the direct approach of opening the gates and sallying out, they would immediately become targets for our Archers and Crossbowmen.
I first secretly detached Sun Jian's forces and Liu Bei's forces and sent them toward the gorge where Dong Zhuo's army was expected to lie in ambush. I also decided to deploy all the siege engines being used in the siege to the very front of our lines.