Beheading Hua Xiong
A sharp whistle sliced through the night sky, heralding the start of the battle. Hua Xiong's cavalry burst from the darkness, crashing into Sun Jian's camp like a pack of starving wolves—fierce and blindly driven by the scent of meat.
"Kill them! Cut off Sun Jian's head and claim the meat!"
Hua Xiong roared from the vanguard, swinging his crescent blade. The wooden barricades splintered helplessly beneath his horse's hooves.Crack!
The Xiliang iron riders charged unhindered into the heart of the camp. Their eyes fell on soldiers slumped asleep by the campfires.
"Fools! Passed out drunk!"
Hua Xiong's deputy crowed in triumph, thrusting his spear down at a soldier buried under a blanket. The killing blow should have pierced flesh.
Thud. But there was no resistance, no scream of agony. Only torn fabric and a bundle of straw snagged on the spear tip.
"Wha... what the hell?"
The deputy's eyes bulged. Everywhere he looked, the same scene unfolded. Slashes and stabs yielded no blood—only dry hay bales.
Only then did Hua Xiong realize the meaty aroma teasing his nostrils wasn't temptation, but a lure of death. A chill raced up his spine.
"Oil! It's oil! It's a trap! All troops, turn your horses! Retreat!"
Hua Xiong screamed, but the order came too late.
From the watchtower overlooking the battlefield, I slowly raised my hand. Sun Jian stood beside me, his face taut with tension. I gave him a curt nod, then dropped my hand.
"Set it ablaze."
Whoosh! A single signal arrow streaked across the night sky. At once, archers hidden throughout the camp loosed flaming arrows. They arced toward the smashed oil jars, glowing red.
Whoosh!Boom!
Explosive roars erupted as massive flames surged skyward. The pitch-black night blazed like midday. The fire, fueled by wind, devoured the entire camp in moments.
Trapped by walls of flame, the Xiliang cavalry panicked, rearing and bucking in terror.
"Aaaagh! It's hot!"
"The horse won't listen!"
Chaos reigned on the field of slaughter. Toward the flailing enemy in the inferno, I issued my second command in a voice like ice.
"Now. Charge."
Thoom—thoom—thoom! Drums of advance thundered.
Sun Jian's army, lurking in the shadows, surged forth as one. Bellies full of hearty rice porridge, they thrust spears fueled by hunger for meat and rage at the foe.
"Avenge the men of Jiangdong!"
"Let none escape alive!"
It was a one-sided massacre. The panicked enemy couldn't even resist, crumbling like autumn leaves in the wind.
From the watchtower, Sun Jian stared in stunned silence. This wasn't mere melee. At every escape route, our spearmen waited precisely. When foes clustered, arrows rained from nowhere, scattering them. It was as if an invisible hand orchestrated the battlefield.
And that hand belonged to the young general standing beside him: Seowon.
I issued crisp orders nonstop to the flag-bearing messengers.
"Relay to Huang Gai on the left: let the fleeing enemy through the woods, herd them to the center."
"To Cheng Pu on the right: advance thirty paces, close the encirclement."
My commands held no hesitation. With each one, the tide turned impossibly in our favor.
Sun Jian shuddered.
Does he have eyes everywhere? Visibility's choked by smoke and fire—how does he read the enemy like an open palm?
"Incredible... General Seowon, what exactly is in that head of yours?"
To his awe, I kept my gaze fixed on the field and replied evenly.
"General, this isn't the time for admiration. A cornered rat will bite a cat."
"What do you mean?"
"Enemy commander Hua Xiong. He's coming this way."
No sooner had I spoken than a massive shadow burst through the flames.
"Raaagh! Cowards! I'll kill you all!"
Hua Xiong, drenched in blood. Blocked from retreat, he'd gambled on assaulting the command post to create chaos.
"Stop him! Hold the line!"
Guards charged with spears leveled, but one sweep of his crescent blade sent three or four flying into the air. A beast's death throes, fearless of mortality. His momentum was terrifying.
Sun Jian's hand instinctively went to his fixed sword.
"I'll handle him!"
But I was faster. Stepping in front, I said quietly,
"You're the overall commander, General. I'll go."
"But he's no ordinary foe! A berserk tiger at that!"
"I know. That's why I'm going."
I vaulted over the watchtower railing, leaping into the void. I landed below in a cloud of dust. Hua Xiong and I were mere ten paces apart.
He glared at me with burning eyes.
"You! You're the one who dug this trap!"
"Yes."
My calm reply snapped his reason.
"Insolent whelp! I'll mince you with my blade and feed you to the pigs!"
Hua Xiong spurred his massive black steed. The crescent blade's strike fused horse's speed and his monstrous strength.
Boom!
I parried with my sword. A heavy shock rippled from wrist to shoulder. The ground cratered beneath my feet.
As expected... Xiliang's fiercest warrior.
Hua Xiong's power dwarfed Qi Ling's. A moment's lapse, and bones would shatter.
I twisted my blade slightly, deflecting his force and stepping back.
"Oh? Blocked my blade?"
Surprise flickered in his eyes, then he pressed with even wilder fury.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Sparks flew. His crescent blade danced relentlessly at my vitals—overhead chops, horizontal sweeps, thrusting combos.
I calmly deflected, dodged, countered. Ten clashes, twenty, thirty passed. The fight dragged on.
Soldiers around us dared not intervene, awed by the two monsters. Instinct screamed that even a graze meant death.
On the watchtower, Sun Jian and the Jiangdong generals gaped.
"That Seowon... he's matching Hua Xiong. Not just some officer."
Huang Gai muttered.
"No, it's not even. Look closer."
Sun Ce's eyes gleamed.
"Hua Xiong's breathing hard from full-power swings, but Seowon's steady. He's not just blocking—he's gauging him."
Sun Ce was right. Hua Xiong was strong, one of the era's top warriors. But I saw his next moves: shoulder twitch, eye shift, foot placement predicting the follow-up.
His openings are visible. But his durability's no joke. He's embracing death—if I strike rashly, I'll take a fatal wound too.
I didn't rush. I drained his strength, waiting for perfection. Forty exchanges passed. Bewilderment crept over Hua Xiong's face. All his skill and power poured out, yet this young rock stood firm.
"Hah... hah... What are you, damn it? Yuan Shu couldn't have a guy like you!"
He bellowed through ragged breaths.
I leveled my sword tip at his brow and replied coldly.
"My name is Seowon. Remember it. It's the last name you'll hear."
"Shut up!!"
Hua Xiong summoned his final reserves in a massive roar and charged. Crescent blade raised high, he committed his weight to a crushing overhead smash—his ultimate blow, defense abandoned.
The moment. His chest gaped wide for the swing.
I didn't dodge. I surged into his guard.
He tried to react to my speed, but too late.
Crunch! His blade grazed my shoulder pauldron, sparking. Simultaneously, I drew the sword at my waist. It flashed upward.
Slice! A heavy, satisfying impact. My blade pierced the gap in his armor—between gorget and jaw.
Hua Xiong's eyes rolled back. His upraised arm went limp and dropped.
"Guh... hck..."
Incredulity twisted his face as he stared down at me. Then his massive frame tumbled from the horse.
Thud!
Xiliang's champion was dead.
Silence blanketed the field.
I caught my breath and severed his head.
"I've beheaded enemy commander Hua Xiong!"
Raising it high, cheers exploded.
"Waaah! Hua Xiong is dead!"
"Long live General Seowon!"
"Hua Xiong's men, surrender! We won't kill those who yield!"
Though I urged surrender, the troops—having seen their leader fall—were already dropping swords.
Soon after, I returned to the watchtower, head in hand. Sun Jian stared blankly, eyes flicking between the trophy and my unscathed torso.
"Against that Hua Xiong... and not a scratch..."
He approached slowly. His demeanor had utterly changed from our first meeting—eyes holding reverence beyond equals.
"General Seowon..."
His voice trembled.
"I've seen countless heroes in my life... but never one like you. Luring foes with stratagem, felling a peerless warrior with martial might. Why serve under Yuan Shu?"
A genuine question. He couldn't fathom why such caliber bent knee to him.
I wiped blood from my blade and smiled.
"The world has unpolished gems. And..."
I glanced at Sun Ce and Zhou Yu watching me with awe and yearning, then back to Sun Jian.
"I don't choose masters. I make my master master of all under heaven."
A chill gripped Sun Jian's spine.
Not choosing a lord, but forging one...
He understood: not Yuan Shu who terrified, but this youth gripping his sword hilt.
Sun Jian clasped hands and bowed deeply—Jiangdong's tiger showing utmost respect to an outsider.
"Today, you saved the lives of my tens of thousands. This grace is carved in my bones. Should you ever face peril, every blade in Jiangdong moves for you."
"You're too kind, General. I merely earned my meal."
I lifted the bundled head.
"I'll take Hua Xiong's head. My lord awaits."
"Of course! It's wholly your merit."
I mounted. Morning sun glinted off my bloodied armor. Sun Jian, his generals, even Sun Ce and Zhou Yu—all saw me off. Their eyes shone. Reverent gazes trailed me.
In their eyes, I was no longer Yuan Shu's lackey.
Now, back to Nanyang. The first button of this chaotic age was fastened. Sun Jian's favor secured, the finest spoil for Yuan Shu claimed. I kicked my horse's flanks. Hooves thundered across the earth, heralding a new legend's dawn.