Wen Chou strode into the tent, armor still dusted from haste.
"My lord—Zhang Xin's army is five li away!"
The words struck like a spark in dry grass.
Yan Liang stepped forward immediately, fists clenched.
"My lord, give me five thousand men. I will crush them!"
Guo Tu and Pang Ji followed without hesitation.
"The enemy has marched far—they are exhausted. This is the moment. We must strike!"
Only Xu You stood apart.
"Yuan Shao… hold fast," he said quietly.
Four voices against one.
Yuan Shao's brows tightened, indecision flickering across his face.
Yan Liang glanced at Wen Chou.
This is our chance.
Wen Chou understood instantly.
"My lord! This general requests to fight!"
The balance tipped.
"…Very well."
Yuan Shao's voice hardened.
"Yan Liang, Wen Chou—you will each take five thousand men. Strike immediately. Do not give Zhang Xin time to establish himself."
The two men grinned like wolves.
"We obey!"
They left with barely contained excitement.
Xu You watched them go, unease settling deeper in his chest.
Too eager.
Too reckless.
He stepped forward one last time.
"My lord, then at least prepare a second line. Have Chunyu Qiong ready to reinforce. And… inform Wang Kuang."
This time, no one objected.
"Do as you say."
Yuan Shao waved it off, already moving toward the camp walls.
From there, he would watch.
Three li away, Zhang Liao's army came to a halt.
Orders spread rapidly. Lines shifted. Gaps opened and closed with eerie precision.
From a distance, the army looked immense—banners blotting out the sky, armor gleaming in layered ranks.
But the truth was buried beneath the illusion.
The outer ring was solid.
The core… hollow.
A loose formation.
A lie given shape.
The gates of Yuan Shao's camp burst open.
Yan Liang and Wen Chou led the charge, five thousand men each, pouring forward like a flood.
Behind them—chaos.
No formation.
No rhythm.
Only momentum.
Xu You's expression darkened.
"Their formation isn't even complete…"
He turned urgently.
"My lord, recall them—now!"
Pang Ji scoffed.
"They've already left the camp. How can we change orders mid-battle?"
Guo Tu nodded.
"Retreat now would only destroy morale."
Yuan Shao hesitated for a heartbeat—
Then nodded.
"…Advance."
Xu You closed his eyes briefly.
Too fast.
Everything was happening too fast.
"Beat the drums! Advance!"
Yan Liang didn't wait.
Didn't think.
Didn't care.
A subordinate officer tried to intervene.
"Our ranks aren't formed yet—shouldn't we—"
"What do you know?!" Yan Liang snapped.
"The enemy is exhausted! If not now, when?!"
The drums thundered.
The Yuan army surged forward—
disordered,
uneven,
hungry for glory.
From atop his horse, Zhang Liao watched in silence.
Two figures led the charge—bold, reckless, unmistakable.
Behind them, a mass without shape.
Without control.
He let out a cold laugh.
"Charging at the front instead of commanding from the rear…"
"And they call themselves generals?"
Any lingering caution vanished.
This wasn't a battle.
It was a slaughter waiting to happen.
"Nine ways," he murmured.
"I have nine ways to kill them."
His voice rose.
"Archers—prepare!"
Seventy paces.
"Fire."
Arrows fell like rain.
The first line of Yuan soldiers collapsed instantly—bodies crumpling before they even understood what hit them.
"Don't stop!" Yan Liang roared, deflecting arrows mid-charge. "Break through!"
They pushed forward.
Two steps.
Another volley.
Two more—
another.
Relentless.
Measured.
Unforgiving.
Three-stage fire.
By the time they closed to thirty paces, crossbows began to sing.
This time—there was no gap.
No escape.
Yan Liang and Wen Chou became the focus.
Targets.
Their skill kept them alive—
but their horses were not so fortunate.
Bolts pierced flesh.
Again.
Again.
Again.
The animals screamed, collapsing beneath them in a spray of blood.
Both men were thrown violently to the ground.
For a moment—
the battlefield paused.
Then Zhang Liao raised his voice.
"The enemy generals are dead!"
The shout spread like wildfire.
"Dead!"
"Dead!"
"Yan Liang and Wen Chou are dead!"
Panic erupted.
Yuan soldiers, already shaken, turned instinctively.
Their leaders—
gone.
No banners.
No command.
Nothing.
Something inside them broke.
"Run!"
And so they did.
"Kill."
Zhang Liao didn't waste the moment.
His army surged forward—disciplined, controlled, merciless.
The Yuan army disintegrated.
What had been a charge became a rout.
What had been a battle became a hunt.
"I'm not dead!" Yan Liang shouted desperately, scrambling onto another horse.
"No—hold your ground!"
But his voice vanished into the chaos.
No one listened.
No one cared.
The army had already collapsed.
Like a landslide.
Irreversible.
Wen Chou dragged himself away, equally helpless.
Behind them, screams filled the air.
Ahead of them, there was only escape.
On the walls, Yuan Shao's face twisted with rage.
"This… is your flawless plan?!"
His gaze burned into Pang Ji.
Pang Ji's confidence crumbled.
"These two fools—!"
Guo Tu quickly intervened.
"They charged too hastily. This is not Yuan Tu's fault."
Pang Ji seized the chance.
"Yes! I told them to attack—not to throw themselves into chaos!"
The two exchanged a glance.
"The strategy was sound."
"The execution failed."
Yuan Shao's anger eased—slightly.
Enough to redirect blame.
Xu You watched in silence.
The army was breaking apart below them…
…and still, they argued.
"Send Chunyu Qiong," he said sharply. "Now."
This time, Yuan Shao did not hesitate.
The gates opened again.
Fresh troops emerged.
Chunyu Qiong rode forward—and immediately began killing.
Not the enemy.
His own men.
Over a hundred fell under his blade.
The fleeing soldiers froze.
Fear forced them sideways—away from his formation, away from total collapse.
Brutality restored order where command could not.
The battlefield stilled.
For now.
Elsewhere—
time stretched thin.
"Still not attacking?"
Hu Zhen frowned inside the command tent.
"It's already noon."
Dong Zhuo shook his head slowly.
"Not yet."
His eyes were sharp.
"Zhang Xin's cavalry hasn't appeared."
"And that… is wrong."
Zhang Xin, too, felt it.
Something was off.
Zhang Liao should already be locked in battle.
So why…
Why hadn't Wang Kuang moved?
A flicker of unease crossed his mind.
Did someone see through it?
At Mengjin—
Wang Kuang yawned.
He stretched lazily, rubbing his eyes.
"…That was a good nap."
He waved a hand.
"Bring wine."