"Well done!"
Taishi Ci roared, his tiger-like eyes glistening as battle fury surged through him. With a violent shove of his shield, he knocked aside several defenders and swept his blade in a wide arc—
Blood sprayed.
Men fell.
Behind him, soldiers flooded onto the wall, forming ranks amidst chaos, turning a fragile foothold into a growing breach.
Elsewhere, Yue Jin and Zhu Ling seized the moment, climbing up through the storm of arrows and steel, joining the melee with relentless ferocity.
"Hold them! HOLD THEM!"
The defenders' commander screamed himself hoarse.
But the line… was breaking.
The Turning Point
From afar, Zhang Xin stood atop the watchtower.
When he saw three of his generals secure positions on the wall, his eyes lit up.
"Old Dian!"
His voice thundered down.
"Go—reinforce them!"
Panic Within the City
Inside Zheng County, Dong Huang rushed into the county office, face pale.
"Old General! The city is in danger!"
Huangfu Song looked up sharply.
"…Explain."
Dong Huang spoke in a rush:
"Zhang Xin has deployed a new siege weapon! It hurls massive stones onto the walls from afar—the defenders were caught off guard! The enemy is already fighting atop the walls!"
Huangfu Song's expression changed slightly.
"A catapult…"
So.
Zhang Xin had reached this level.
For a moment, silence.
Then Dong Huang pressed again, panic rising:
"What should we do?!"
Huangfu Song exhaled slowly.
"At this point… there is no 'strategy.' Only resolve."
It had come down to one thing.
Will.
Collapse
Before they could move—
A soldier stumbled in, covered in dust and fear.
"The East Gate has fallen!"
Silence.
The words struck like thunder.
Dong Huang's legs nearly gave out.
"What… what do we do now?!"
Huangfu Song looked up at the sky, eyes distant.
"…Heaven's will cannot be resisted."
Then, quietly:
"Retreat."
Orderly Withdrawal
"No! We can't retreat!"
Dong Huang panicked.
"If Zheng County falls, Chang'an is exposed! We must retake the gate!"
Huangfu Song looked at him calmly.
"With what?"
Ten thousand inside the city.
Forty thousand outside.
The answer was obvious.
Dong Huang froze.
The battle was already lost.
"…Then I will withdraw first," he muttered finally.
Huangfu Song nodded.
"I will cover the rear."
Without hesitation, Dong Huang fled with his guards.
Huangfu Song turned, issuing crisp orders:
"Withdraw in order. Do not break formation."
Then—
he personally led the rear guard.
Outside the Walls
General Huangfu Li received the command.
No hesitation.
No lingering.
He abandoned the camp, gathered his forces, and withdrew toward Chang'an.
Watching from afar—
Sun Jian exploded.
"A few days ago you harassed me when I attacked!"
"Now the city falls—and you run?!"
"Are you mocking me?!"
Rage burned in his chest.
He immediately prepared to pursue—
—but a rider arrived at full speed.
"My Lord orders—do not pursue!"
Sun Jian froze.
Then slowly… exhaled.
"…Understood."
He lowered his weapon.
Victory
Instead of pursuit, Sun Jian turned toward the abandoned camp.
What he found—
mountains of supplies.
His eyes lit up instantly.
"We're rich…"
Laughter echoed through the camp.
Into Zheng County
As Zhang Xin's army entered the city—
Cheers erupted.
After more than a year of war…
Victory was finally within reach.
Chang'an lay ahead.
Zhang Xin ordered rest and inventory, maintaining discipline even in triumph.
Far Away — Chang'an
Dong Zhuo listened to Dong Huang's report, eyes wide.
"…Even Huangfu Song lost?"
When he heard the reason—
a new weapon, unseen before—
he relaxed slightly.
"…So be it."
It was not incompetence.
It was fate.
More importantly—
time had been bought.
Yuan Shao was already moving.
Another Battlefield
Far away in the north—
Yuan Shao finally made his decision.
"Prepare."
If Zhang Xin took Chang'an—
everything would change.
He had to strike now.
Rumors and Resolve
Back in Zhang Xin's camp—
A letter from Dong Zhuo arrived.
Yuan Shao is attacking Qing Province.
Zhang Xin barely reacted.
He had prepared for this long ago.
"Tell Dong Zhuo to worry about himself."
But the rumor spread among the troops.
For a moment—
unease stirred.
Xu He rushed in.
"My Lord… is it true?"
Zhang Xin's expression hardened.
"Nonsense."
"I left forty thousand troops in Qing Province. Yuan Shao cannot take it."
Then coldly:
"Anyone spreading rumors—execute them."
Morale stabilized instantly.
The Final March
With Zheng County secured—
the army advanced.
Across the Guanzhong plains, Zhang Xin rode at ease, even humming to himself.
Everything was falling into place.
Inside Chang'an—
officials were already reaching out.
The city… was weakening from within.
At the Gates of History
Hongmen Pavilion.
A place of ancient betrayal.
A place of destiny.
Zhang Xin's army arrived and set camp.
Chang'an—
just ahead.
As the central tent was raised—
Left Leopard rushed in, barely containing his excitement.
"My Lord!"
"Yang Yi has returned!"
The next move—
would decide the fate of the empire.