The Battle of She Gan Plains raged with unrelenting fury.
On the left battlefield, Lu Shen and Bao Jun had only just managed to halt the devastating advance of Wei's chariot corps. Broken chariots littered the plain beside the corpses of men and horses, while smoke and dust hung thick in the air.
Both Qin commanders knew the battle was far from over.
Then
TWANG!
A deafening bowstring echoed across the battlefield.
An instant later, hundreds of arrows darkened the sky.
"Enemy arrows!"
"Protect the commanders!"
Unlike ordinary volleys, these arrows did not seek the masses of soldiers.
They hunted officers.
One Qin commander fell with an arrow through his throat.
Another was thrown from his horse as a shaft pierced his chest.
Within moments, Bao Jun and Lu Shen's command structure was thrown into confusion.
Standing atop a distant ridge was the legendary archer of Wei.
Huang Lixian.
One of the Great Bows of China calmly lowered his enormous bow before drawing another arrow.
His expression never changed.
"Continue targeting their commanders."
"Break their chain of command."
Behind him, five thousand elite Wei soldiers marched forward in perfect formation.
Their synchronized advance shook the battlefield.
"Wei!"
"Advance!"
"Wei!"
"Advance!"
The disciplined force pressed relentlessly toward the exhausted Qin left wing.
Far away, the central battlefield continued to erupt beneath Hyou Ren's relentless offensive.
His sword carved through another Wei soldier before he turned his gaze toward the distant left flank.
His sharp eyes immediately grasped the situation.
"So..."
"Gong Yuan has sent Huang Lixian."
One of his officers looked toward the left in concern.
"The commanders of Bao Jun's army are falling one after another."
Hyou Ren's expression remained calm.
"If this continues..."
"...either Bao Jun or Lu Shen will be slain today."
His army never slowed.
The Qin center continued forcing its way deeper into Wei territory.
Then...
A thunderous roar echoed from the right side of the battlefield.
"MAKE WAY!"
Thousands of Qin banners burst through the clouds of dust.
Leading them was a towering warrior wielding a massive glaive.
"Tian Hao!"
"The Champion Commander!"
Having secured the right wing, Tian Hao had force-marched his army across the battlefield.
Without hesitation, he pointed his glaive forward.
"All men!"
"With me!"
"We break the Wei here!"
The Qin soldiers erupted.
"CHARGE!"
Like an avalanche, Tian Hao's army slammed directly into Huang Lixian's advancing force.
The battlefield exploded into chaos.
Seeing the new threat, Huang Lixian remained perfectly composed.
He raised his legendary bow.
"Target the enemy commander."
His elite archers formed around him.
Drawing a massive arrow, Huang Lixian pulled the bowstring to its absolute limit.
The air itself seemed to freeze.
"So..."
"This is the might of one of the Great Bows of China..."
THOOM!
The arrow exploded from the bowstring.
Its terrifying speed tore through the battlefield.
Bao Jun instinctively swung his heavy glaive.
CLANG!
The arrow shattered against the blade, but the tremendous force pushed Bao Jun and his horse several steps backward.
Without pause, Huang Lixian released another arrow.
Then another.
Each shaft smashed through shields, pierced armored soldiers, and forced Bao Jun to rely entirely upon his glaive to survive the relentless barrage.
Even the veteran general found himself unable to advance.
But every arrow Huang Lixian fired toward Bao Jun gave Tian Hao another step.
The Champion Commander crashed into the Wei flank like a raging beast.
His massive glaive swept through the enemy ranks, scattering soldiers with every strike.
"Commander!"
"Tian Hao is breaking through!"
Huang Lixian immediately shifted his attention.
His next arrows screamed toward Tian Hao, each shot powerful enough to force the Champion Commander to guard rather than charge recklessly.
That single shift in focus was all Bao Jun needed.
A fierce grin spread across his face.
"So you've finally looked away."
He raised his glaive high.
"QIN!"
"FOLLOW ME!"
"BREAK THEIR LINES!"
The exhausted Qin veterans answered with a deafening roar.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!"
Bao Jun personally led the charge.
His glaive swept through the Wei ranks in massive arcs, carving a bloody path toward Huang Lixian's command position.
At the same time, Lu Shen ordered his men forward, striking the Wei formation from the flank while Tian Hao continued crushing their opposite side.
Caught between three relentless assaults, Huang Lixian's disciplined formation finally began to fracture.
Still, the legendary archer refused to retreat.
Arrow after arrow flew from Huang Lixian's bow.
Every release claimed another Qin soldier.
Every shot reminded the battlefield why Huang Lixian was revered as one of the Great Bows of China.
Yet even the greatest archer had a limit.
With Tian Hao relentlessly pressing the Wei flank, Huang Lixian was forced to divide his attention between the Champion Commander and the advancing Bao Jun.
"Do not let him breathe!"
Bao Jun roared as he cut down another Wei soldier.
His heavy glaive opened a bloody path straight toward Huang Lixian.
"Protect Commander Huang!"
Wei soldiers desperately threw themselves into Bao Jun's path.
One after another they fell beneath the crushing sweeps of his glaive.
Seeing Bao Jun closing in, Huang Lixian drew one final arrow.
He pulled the massive bowstring to its absolute limit.
The battlefield fell silent.
THOOM!
The arrow erupted like a bolt of lightning.
Bao Jun's eyes widened.
With a thunderous roar, he swung his glaive with every ounce of his strength.
CLANG!
The arrow shattered against the blade.
The impact forced Bao Jun's horse to rear violently.
But Bao Jun never stopped.
He drove his horse straight through the cloud of splintered wood.
"HUANG LIXIAN!"
With a mighty leap, Bao Jun brought his glaive crashing down.
SLASH!
The heavy blade cleaved through Huang Lixian before the legendary archer could nock another arrow.
Huang Lixian's bow slipped from his grasp as he fell from his horse onto the blood-soaked earth.
For a brief moment...
The battlefield fell silent.
Then a terrified cry echoed across the plains.
"Huang Lixian has fallen!"
"The Great Bow is dead!"
The Wei soldiers stared in disbelief.
The death of one of Wei's greatest commanders shattered their morale.
Bao Jun slowly raised his bloodstained glaive.
"The enemy commander has fallen!"
"Destroy the remaining Wei soldiers!"
"FORWARD!"
Inspired by Bao Jun's victory, Qin's left wing erupted with renewed strength.
Lu Shen and Tian Hao pressed the assault from both flanks while Bao Jun led the charge through the center.
Unable to withstand the overwhelming pressure, the remnants of Huang Lixian's five thousand men collapsed and fled in complete disarray.
The battlefield on the left had been won by Qin.
Meanwhile...
The central battlefield continued trembling beneath Hyou Ren's advance.
His army had broken through one Wei defensive line after another.
No matter how fiercely Wei resisted, the son of Duke Hyou continued marching forward without hesitation.
Then...
The Wei soldiers ahead suddenly separated into two disciplined ranks.
Silence spread across the battlefield.
A lone horse slowly emerged from between them.
Mounted upon it was the commander of Wei's army.
Gong Yuan.
His sword rested calmly upon his shoulder as thousands of elite guards assembled behind him.
For the first time since the battle began...
The two generals stood face to face.
Hyou Ren slowly raised his sword.
Gong Yuan met his gaze without the slightest trace of fear.
Neither man spoke.
Neither man moved.
Yet every soldier on the battlefield could feel it.
The fate of She Gan Plains would soon be decided...
...by the clash between Hyou Ren and Gong Yuan.