Dian Wei scratched his head."My lord… are you sure you don't need me by your side?"
Zhang Xin smiled faintly."If we win this battle, I won't need protection. If we lose… your protection won't matter."
He pulled Dian Wei closer and pointed toward the Xianbei formation in the distance."Do you see that black parasol?"
"I see it," Dian Wei nodded.
Zhang Xin looked straight at him."Bring it down, and when we return, I'll reward you with a whole cow."
"A whole cow?!" Dian Wei's eyes lit up.
"When have I ever gone back on my word?" Zhang Xin said.
Dian Wei grinned broadly."Never! My lord said I'd never go hungry, and I haven't. You promised wine and meat, and you delivered every time!"
He tightened his grip on his weapon."Understood. I'll go now!"
With that, Dian Wei seized a long halberd, mounted his horse, and charged forward. His paired halberds hung at his side, swaying as he rode.
Once Zhang Xin's forces were in position, he gave the order without hesitation.
The great banner bearing the character "Zhang" surged forward, and the Han army advanced.
Kui Tou watched from afar and scoffed."Reckless."
Seeing fewer than a thousand Han troops daring to charge his three-thousand-strong center, he sneered.
"Forward! Crush them!"
At his command, the Xianbei vanguard formed a wedge and thundered ahead. The Han army responded in kind.
Two forces collided head-on—each determined to shatter the other.
After two volleys of arrows, the Xianbei cavalry rose in their saddles.
"Kill!"
The leading Xianbei warrior drew his blade and charged straight at the burly man ahead—only for a halberd to come whistling toward him.
Startled, he raised his weapon to block.
Crash!
The sheer force shattered his blade and hurled him from his horse.
"Those who stand in my way—die!"
Dian Wei roared, eyes blazing red. In his mind, there was only one word:
Beef.
His halberd swung with terrifying force—each strike either killing outright or crippling instantly.
More than a dozen Xianbei riders rushed to surround him.
Dian Wei remained calm.
When they closed to within ten paces, his left hand flashed to his waist—and several small halberds flew out in a deadly arc.
Men dropped from their saddles.
The rest panicked—but retreat was impossible in a charge.
Dian Wei crashed into them like a storm.
A thrust. A sweep. A smash.
They fell one by one, trampled beneath the hooves of the charging cavalry behind him.
Seeing this, the Han army erupted in cheers.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Their morale surged as they pressed forward.
The Xianbei front line faltered—fear spread, formation broke, and chaos followed. Horses collided, men fell, and panic rippled through their ranks.
Within moments, the line collapsed.
In less than a quarter of an hour, the Han army smashed through the vanguard and drove straight toward Kui Tou's center.
"A thousand men… routed in fifteen minutes?!"
Kui Tou's face twisted in fury.
"Even a thousand pigs would take longer to catch!"
His plan to wear down the Han army had failed completely.
Before he could react, a cry erupted from the flank.
Turning, he saw his right wing collapsing—and at its head rode Lü Bu, drenched in blood, flesh still clinging to his halberd.
"Don't run, you dogs!"
"Retreat! Retreat!"
Kui Tou's confidence shattered. He turned and fled with his central army.
From afar, Zhang Xin raised his spear and shouted:
"Whoever takes him—alive or dead—will be promoted three ranks and rewarded with ten thousand gold!"
The army roared and surged forward in pursuit.
The Xianbei forces crumbled.
Some fled north. Others scattered west. None dared to stand and fight.
Ahead, Kui Tou rode desperately, whipping his horse.
Behind him, Qianman's gaze turned cold.
This position… should have been mine.
In a sudden motion, Qianman leapt forward—
"Get down!"
He tackled Kui Tou from his horse.
The two crashed to the ground.
"Qianman! What are you doing?! I am your elder brother!"
"You're the one who brought disaster upon us!" Qianman roared.
Pinning him down, he shouted to the surrounding riders:
"Kui Tou has angered the Han and doomed us all! The only way to appease them—"
He raised his voice.
"—is with his head!"
The battlefield fell into stunned silence.