Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1254 The Army Arrives at Mianzhu and Sees Through the Plan

Mianzhu Pass was five days' journey from Jiangyou. Peng Yang, as the vanguard, confident in his bravery and eager to make a name for himself, led three thousand Shu soldiers on a march day and night, with Fei Guan following behind with five thousand Shu soldiers. In just three days, they were about to enter the territory of Jiangyou. That afternoon, the group arrived at a canyon called "Luoyanpo" (Wild Goose Slope). The mountain walls on both sides were steep, and the forest was so quiet that only the sound of horses' hooves could be heard.

"General, this place is treacherous; we must be wary of ambushes." A lieutenant reined in his horse, his face showing worry.

Peng Yang scoffed, "Jiangyou hasn't fallen yet, where would an ambush come from? Speed ​​up the advance, we'll reach Jiangyou tomorrow!"

Before he finished speaking, countless boulders suddenly rolled down from the mountain walls on both sides, the thunderous roar echoing through the valley, instantly blocking the way in both directions. Immediately afterward, a horn sounded like thunder, and a troop of armored cavalry charged out from the ravine on the left. Pang De, wielding a large sword, roared, "Peng Yang, you scoundrel, leave your life behind!"

From the woods on the right, the Black Mountain Army emerged, Zhang Xiu's spears forming a forest, aimed directly at the Shu army's formation: "This road is blocked! Surrender and you will be spared!"

Caught off guard, the Shu soldiers' formation instantly fell into chaos. Peng Yang was both shocked and furious. He drew his sword and roared, "What's the panic! Follow me and fight your way out!" He spurred his horse to the left, but was blocked by Pang De's blade. The clash of sword and axe sent sparks flying, making Peng Yang's hand go numb.

"You think you can take me?" Pang De sneered, sweeping his broadsword and forcing Peng Yang to retreat repeatedly. The soldiers of the Trapped Camp advanced like a wall, their armor clashing in unison, quickly cutting the Shu soldiers into several pieces.

Zhang Xiu's Black Mountain Army, skilled in mountain warfare, used the cover of the forest to maneuver and charge, the crisp sound of short swords slicing through armor mingling with screams. The Shu soldiers were trapped in the canyon, charging left and right but unable to break through, gradually being compressed into a single, tight group.

Seeing the situation was dire, Peng Yang feigned an attack to force Pang De back, then turned his horse to try and break through from the right. He hadn't gone far when he ran into a troop of cavalry. Zhang Ren, holding a longbow, fired an arrow like a meteor, striking the front hoof of Peng Yang's horse.

The warhorse neighed and collapsed, throwing Peng Yang to the ground. Before he could even stand up, Zhang Ren had already arrived on horseback, his spear pointed directly at his throat: "Will you surrender or not?"

Peng Yang struggled to parry with his sword, but Zhang Ren knocked his weapon away with a spear and slammed him to the ground. "You traitor from Shu, don't even think about making me kneel!" Peng Yang roared and tried to get up, but Zhang Ren finished him off with another spear thrust, killing him instantly.

In the canyon of Luoyan Slope, boulders blocked their retreat. Pang De and Zhang Xiu's troops, like two iron pincers, trapped eight thousand Shu soldiers in the middle. Seeing that there was no way out and no escape route ahead, Fei Guan's forehead veins bulged, and he roared with his sword, "Brothers, follow me and fight our way out! Breaking through means survival!"

He charged ahead, his blade flashing and whistling through the air, cutting down two soldiers of the Trapped Camp in quick succession. Seeing their commander fighting so desperately, the Shu soldiers behind him mustered their remaining courage and followed him, rushing towards the gap in the mountainside on the left, where fewer boulders had rolled down, seemingly able to tear open a crack.

"Trying to leave?" Pang De had already set his sights on him, spurring his horse forward and bringing his broadsword down with tremendous force. Fei Guan raised his sword to parry, but with a loud clang, the blade bent from the impact, and he himself was thrown back three steps, his hand bleeding from the force of the blow.

"Fei Guan, surrender!" Pound's voice echoed through the canyon. "Your men are already trapped, why add to their casualties?"

"We, the generals of Shu, would rather die than surrender!" Fei Guan roared and charged forward again, his blows ruthless, but he was always suppressed by Pang De. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Peng Yang being knocked off his horse by Zhang Ren on the right, and his heart sank, his offensive faltering slightly.

Just then, Zhang Xiu's Black Mountain Army attacked from the flank, their short swords flashing like a forest, instantly cutting down most of Fei Guan's personal guards. Fei Guan was isolated in the middle of the formation, struggling to defend himself, and had already sustained several wounds, with blood dripping down his armor.

"General! Break through!" A lieutenant rushed forward desperately, using his body to shield Fei Guan from the Black Mountain Army's blades, and roared, "This subordinate will cover the rear!"

Fei watched as his lieutenant was hacked down with several blows, his eyes bulging with rage, but he knew that dragging things out any longer would only lead to the annihilation of the entire army. He feinted a strike to force Pang De back, then turned his horse and charged into the depths of the canyon, where there was a narrow ravine that might allow him to escape.

But after rushing out less than ten steps, he ran headlong into the enemy's phalanx. Gao Shun, holding a long halberd, stood in front of the formation and said coldly, "This road is blocked."

The phalanx advanced like an iron wall, its long halberds thrusting forward in alternating motions. The Shu soldiers fell with screams of agony, unable to get close at all. Fei Guan spurred his horse forward, but several long halberds simultaneously pressed against the horse's belly. The warhorse neighed and fell, throwing him to the ground.

He struggled to his feet, raised his sword, and wanted to fight again, only to find that his legs had been pierced by a halberd, and blood soaked through his trousers. The Shu soldiers around him were either dead or had surrendered on their knees; he was the only one left standing in the canyon.

“Heaven is not on my side…” Fei Guan looked at the gray sky and suddenly laughed bitterly. He knew that there was no hope of breaking through, and further fighting would be pointless.

Pound rode closer, looked at his bleeding legs, and said in a deep voice, "Surrender, and I will save your life."

Fei Guan slowly shook his head, raised his hand to wipe the blood from his face, a resolute glint in his eyes. He gripped the hilt of his knife tightly and suddenly raised it above his head—not to slash at the enemy, but to slice it towards his own neck.

"General!" the surviving Shu soldiers cried out in despair.

A flash of light, and blood gushed forth. Fei Guan lay in a pool of blood, his eyes wide open, staring in the direction of Mianzhu Pass, remaining upright until his death.

Pound stared at his corpse, remained silent for a moment, and then said to those behind him, "Give him a proper burial."

The wind in the canyon carried the stench of blood; the corpses of eight thousand Shu soldiers littered Luoyan Slope. Pang Dele turned his horse and said to Zhang Ren and Zhang Xiu, "Clean up the battlefield and march to Mianzhu Pass tonight. Dong He is still waiting for news from them."

As night deepened, the main force of the Xiliang army, stepping over the bloodstains of the Shu soldiers, sped toward Mianzhu Pass.

On the city wall of Mianzhu Pass, Dong He paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, his brow furrowed. Ever since Fei Guan and Peng Yang received their orders to set out on the expedition, he had felt as if a stone was pressing on his heart, and he was constantly restless. In the past two days, he had been increasing the number of soldiers patrolling the pass while sending out three groups of messengers to Chengdu to request reinforcements. Each time a messenger set off, he personally saw them off at the pass, repeatedly urging them to "go quickly and return quickly."

"Sir, you've been standing for half an hour. Take a break," the personal guard beside him advised. "General Fei and General Peng are both capable and skilled warriors. Their reinforcements to Jiangyou City will surely be successful. The reinforcements from Chengdu should also be on their way and will arrive in a few days."

Dong He shook his head, gazing at the winding mountain road beyond the pass: "I have a feeling something's not right. Fei Guan is brave, but he lacks composure; Peng Yang is ambitious and too impatient. Jiangyou City's hasty request for help might be a trap." He counted the days on his fingers, "Judging by the distance, they should have arrived at the foot of Jiangyou City by now."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a chaotic sound of horses' hooves came from beyond the pass, followed by soldiers shouting, "Open the gate! Open the gate quickly! We are soldiers under General Fei!"

Dong He's heart tightened, and he quickly walked to the edge of the battlements to look. He saw a group of ragged, blood-stained soldiers stumbling and running down the pass. The leaders were carrying something wrapped in a tattered cloth, which looked like a person.

Standing atop the city wall, Dong He gazed at the disarrayed fleeing soldiers below, his brow furrowed. His personal guard whispered a reminder: "Sir, should we open the gate? They say they brought General Peng's body..."

"No." Dong He's voice was as cold as the wind from beyond the Great Wall. "It seems General Fei Guan and General Peng Yang have already perished."

The deserters cried and begged at the foot of the pass, even carrying Peng Yang's body to the front, trying to move him with their old friendship. Dong He, however, simply turned away, no longer looking at the chaos, and said to his personal guards, "Strengthen the defenses. No one is allowed to approach the city gate."

The guard hesitated, "But they are, after all..."

"Are they dead?" Dong He interrupted him, his tone carrying an unquestionable authority. "Fei Guan and Peng Yang's troops have already been wiped out. What can these deserters bring besides news of defeat? Supplies? Troops? Or strategies to defeat the enemy?"

He walked to the arrow emplacement and gazed at the rolling mountains beyond the pass: "We defend this Mianzhu Pass not because of past friendships, but because of the swords in our hands and the arrows on the city walls. Letting them in will only shake the morale of the army. Besides, we don't even know if they are spies trying to trick us into taking Mianzhu Pass!"

The guards lowered their heads and said no more.

The cries from below the pass gradually subsided. The deserters probably understood Dong He's meaning, and in the end, they could only drag Peng Yang's body away elsewhere.

Dong He watched their departing figures and sighed softly. He was well aware of the despair those deserters felt, but in this chaotic world, being soft-hearted was a path to death.

"Pass down the order," Dong He's voice echoed from the city wall, "tonight, triple the number of sentries. Tomorrow morning, take stock of the provisions and distribute them according to the number of people. No one is allowed to take more than their share."

Sunlight streamed through the arrow slits, casting a long shadow on him. The perseverance in Jiangyou City had only just begun.

The "deserters" retreated to the dense forest outside the pass. Seeing that the pass remained tightly closed, they removed their thin camouflage, revealing the armor of the Xiliang army. The leader was Jia Xu's personal guard. He looked at the closed city gate and whispered to the people behind him, "Dong He is indeed suspicious. This trick didn't open the city gate."

When the news reached the central army, Jia Xu was standing on the hillside observing the defenses of Mianzhu Pass. Upon hearing this, he simply nodded and said, "As expected. If Dong He is so easily fooled, he is not fit to defend the pass." He turned to Pang De and Zhang Xiu and said, "Since we cannot outwit them, we will have to attack them head-on."

Pang De, unable to contain himself any longer, drew his sword and said, "I'll go prepare the siege ladders and battering rams right away!"

Zhang Xiu also said, "The Black Mountain Army is skilled in rock climbing and can launch a surprise attack from the western cliff, coordinating with a frontal assault."

The morning mist over Mianzhu Pass had not yet dissipated when the bugle call to attack tore through the sky. A massive, dark army stood arrayed before the pass, ladders like a forest, their armor gleaming in the dim light, as if they were about to devour this formidable fortress whole.

"Beat the drums!" The commander raised the command flag high, and the sound of the drums shook the ground. The soldiers in the front row carried ladders and charged towards the city wall. Their iron hooves trampled over the pebbles of the moat, and the splashing water mixed with dust spread into a murky fog in front of the formation.

On the city wall, Dong He gripped the sword at his waist, his gaze sweeping over the soldiers and civilians around him—archers had already drawn their bows and nocked their arrows, the strong men beside the catapults gripped their levers tightly, and even the vendors who usually set up stalls had picked up their carrying poles, their eyes filled with determination. "Release the arrows!" he commanded, and a rain of arrows descended like a dark cloud. A chorus of screams erupted below the city, and soldiers at the forefront fell in droves, while siege ladders tilted and plunged into the moat.

The enemy's catapults quickly retaliated, boulders crashing against the city walls, sending brick fragments flying. A young soldier was grazed on the shoulder by a piece of rubble, groaning as he fell to the ground. Immediately, civilians dragged him away, while another man who looked like a farmer grabbed his bow, squinting as he aimed at the commander below the city.

"Break down the gate!" Seeing their siege ladders blocked, the enemy switched their attack to the city gate. Heavy battering rams, covered in iron plating and pushed by dozens of men, slammed against the gate repeatedly with deafening thuds, the hinges groaning. Dong He looked down and saw dust seeping into the cracks in the gate. He shouted sharply, "Pour boiling oil on it!"

Boiling oil, prepared beforehand, was poured down the city wall. Accompanied by a piercing sizzle and shrill screams, soldiers near the crashing chariots fell in droves, while the rest retreated in terror. A cheer erupted from the city tower, and even children threw stones down, shouting, "Drive them away!"