Unbreakable Axes at Pakmang Bridgehead
Left cleave. Right cleave.
They slash through the enemy. The foes scream as they tumble into the river.
Spear and greataxe.
Two men stood blocking the Pakmang bridgehead.
Zhang Fei's eight-chi spear wasn't just for thrusting—its blade had thorn-like protrusions that could rip enemies sideways to shreds.
Cheonma's greataxe was exactly that: a massive axe. An absurdly huge two-handed axe, the kind that would become a gigantic halberd if it were any longer.
But this was a murderous weapon with a blade area vastly wider than any halberd.
Cheonma swung that two-handed axe with one hand.
"Pull back the troops! Shoot arrows!"
Zhang He knew these two weren't ordinary. Who wouldn't see it? They weren't messing around.
Just the two of them holding the Pakmang bridgehead.
"The one who captures those two gets a reward of a thousand dan of grain!"
At Zhang He's command, the Wei soldiers stirred.
"A thousand dan! It's right there for the taking!"
"Charge!!! We can get rich easy!"
A few Wei soldiers rushed forward.
"Hraaaah!"
"Get outta the way, ya cowards!"
The spear whipped around, the greataxe thrashed, and soon no one was shouting.
"Shoot arrows! Don't get close!"
Incoming arrows.
The two scooped up shields dropped by the grunts without a hint of fatigue, covering their faces.
Then they exchanged some banter.
"See, Zhang-gong? What'd I tell ya? Cowards and bugs—they'd shoot arrows, just like I said."
"All the brave ones are dead already. Why you talkin' so pretty today? Keep it up with the pretty words from now on. Then I won't have to hit ya, and it'll be all good."
"Hit me lighter, will ya? You know my heart's weak—every time ya do, it hurts somethin' fierce."
"Get ready for arrows."
The two batted away the arrows.
They blocked with shields, spun their weapons, then dashed to the bridgehead's wall, out of the arrows' angle.
One Wei general couldn't take his eyes off them. He wore a yellow hood and seemed close to Zhang He.
"General! The enemy's intent feels off! Dust is rising from the mountains!"
"I know, Xu Huang! I'm thinking!"
He had to stay alert.
Dust beyond the mountains meant the enemy had a large force in ambush.
Those two were surely famed generals, and having just two high-ranking officers here wasn't normal.
In other words... a scheme. One of the enemy's stratagems.
"Maintain defensive posture until we uncover their plot! Once the crossing's done, form the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation to block any enemy raid!"
At Zhang He's shout, the Wei troops formed ranks and advanced slowly on the pair.
"No matter how strong those two are, they can't stand against our massive shield wall."
Zhang He felt a brief satisfaction, but the words died in his throat as his jaw dropped. "Urraaaah!"
Cheonma swung his greataxe, sending enemy troops flying into the sea—er, river.
"You filthy bugs!!!"
The spear smashed into a shield, pierced the iron, and swung like a flail, sending more foes rolling into the river.
These two couldn't retreat from the Pakmang bridgehead, no matter what.
To win the bet, one had to rack up more kills than the guy next to him, right?
"Eight! See that, Zhang-gong?"
"I've got eleven."
"You're exaggeratin' bad. Looks like six at most."
"You're seein' things from gettin' hit too much. Swap weapons with me. Use the spear, ya punk."
The heat of battle was rising.
"Kaaack! R-run... run away!"
"Fall back! That's no human!"
Adrenaline surging, the two entered a trance-like state.
No matter how the enemy maintained formation and pressed, the pair was ready to grind them to dust.
"Urraaaah!!"
"You dog bastards!!!"
After three such clashes, the shield troops faltered in fear, refusing to advance.
"Entire army! Halt advance and hold position!"
Zhang He instantly grasped the plummeting morale.
"Pull back the troops! Reform ranks!"
This makes no sense. How can human strength do that?
Truly absurd.
Just two men on the bridgehead, and they couldn't advance.
Zhang He's mind raced.
Can't send cavalry. Don't know what that dust behind the bridgehead means.
Xu Huang, seeing Zhang He's concern, knelt with clasped fists and spoke freely.
"General! With Xiahou Dun crushed at Pakmang, we must proceed with utmost caution! Our forces already hold overwhelming advantage in defense—please don't rush forward!"
"Your words ring true!"
Xiahou Dun had been smashed.
Enemy force around five thousand.
Even from afar, the scale of that battle was clear.
"Smashed hard" didn't cover it—Xiahou Dun had been utterly routed.
Liu Bei's army still has a reversal stratagem left.
Zhang He had every reason to suspect as much.
"They ain't comin', Zhang-gong? Sun's gonna set at this rate!!!"
At Cheonma's taunt, Zhang Fei plopped down and unleashed a torrent of curses.
"Just a swarm of bugs who can't even trade one blow! You're a hundred times better than those!"
"Zhang-gong, you sure know how to sweet-talk."
"A bug a hundred times better is still a bug."
Cheonma's face hardened.
"You sayin' that? Lumpin' me with those bugs?"
"Jokin', just jokin'! They're so damn easy, gotta joke around or this boredom'll kill me!!!"
As the grunts swallowed their rage at the provocation, a hooded man appeared before the two.
"How dare you court death so arrogantly!"
The man hefted a massive greataxe too.
It was the Wei general Xu Huang.
"Let me, Xu Gongming, teach you a lesson."
Xu Huang gripped two yellow-painted greataxes in both hands, legs spread wide in stance.
His axes had huge blades but absurdly short hafts—weird weapons.
"Who'll face Xu Gongming!"
Zhang Fei laughed heartily at the duel challenge.
"Perfect. Let's do it."
"Was gonna anyway, Zhang-gong."
Cheonma rolled his shoulders loose and strode forward confidently.
"Don't die on me, alright?"
Cheonma charged.
No need for names.
If the enemy calls for a duel, a real man accepts!
Cheonma, huge as he was, moved with uncanny agility.
He wielded the massive greataxe like an extra limb.
As if he had six arms, the axe twisted and smashed in impossible arcs, pressuring Xu Huang.
Clang—! Clang—!
Axe met axe in furious clashes, vying for dominance.
Xu Huang's yellow arcs were coiled by Cheonma's silver trails; the axe hafts embraced and released repeatedly, tracing parabolas.
"Hahaha! Ha!"
"Kuh! Grk!" When the silver parabola suddenly enveloped the yellow one, the gap showed.
Xu Huang was being pushed back.
Xu Huang, called the greataxe master, struggled against Cheonma's heavy swings.
"Not bad? Again! Again! Again!!!"
"Kuh! Kuh! Grk!"
Three consecutive strikes like splitting logs.
Huge axe, yet handled like a one-handed sword—ghostly axe skill.
Xu Huang crossed his axes to block but was steadily driven back.
The ground scraped; bent at the waist, he suddenly lunged into Cheonma's guard.
"Whoa!"
Thwack—!
Cheonma smashed Xu Huang's chest with the axe haft.
"Aak!"
Xu Huang's stance crumbled, sprawling on the ground.
"Ain't lettin' ya go, punk!!!"
Cheonma leaped high, axe poised to cleave him in two.
Kwaaaang──!!!!
"You lasted good!!!"
"Haat… haaah!!!"
Xu Huang rolled away desperately, crossing his axes with all his might to block the follow-up.
His hands trembled. The shock flung his yellow axe splash into the riverbank.
"Begone." "Kuh!"
Cheonma mercilessly kicked the fallen Xu Huang; a sickening crack echoed. Unable to endure, Xu Huang rolled into the river himself.
Splash—!
"Ah… General…." "Save the general! Down to the river!!!"
Struck square in the chest by that brutal kick, Xu Huang lost consciousness.
Shock had set in.
His brain, sensing immense pain, froze his mind to preserve life.
The moment Xu Huang hit the river, Wei morale hit rock bottom.
"You actually did it, Xu Huang…!!!"
Zhang He snatched his helmet and slammed it to the ground in fury.
"You can only know a warrior by fighting them."
Xu Huang's favorite saying.
He'd beaten Yan Liang and Wen Chou, his momentum piercing the heavens—yet he'd finally met his match.
"…Pull back the army."
Zhang He ordered retreat.
Morale was in the pits after this duel.
No more fight left in the troops, he judged.
"But… it won't go as you wish."
*
Xu Huang survived.
Soldiers risked their lives to rescue him; Zhang He commended their merit.
The sun was setting.
"Cross swiftly! Scout the enemy camp thoroughly and report back!"
Zhang He led his horse far from Pakmang's ridgeline to cross.
Some troops and horses were swept away by rapids and lost, but failing to take Xinyang now would just give the enemy time to prepare.
…Holding out this long, then retreating?
A messenger reported.
"Fire in the enemy main camp! Looks like they set it themselves!!!"