Insufficient balance

  "Break through the camp gate, and not even a chicken or dog will be left behind!"

  Guan Hai waved his arm and shouted loudly, the soldiers behind him responded with three cheers, the sound waves were like sharp swords piercing the air, rushing out of the camp, all the yellow turbans in the camp turned pale as earth, their bodies trembling like sieves.

  Ma Yue's gaze fell on Guan Hai like a knife, and he saw that this guy was as robust as an iron tower, with a height of over two meters, wearing only a thin hemp garment in the cold winter, his thick neck full of explosive power, as if it couldn't be cut off even with a knife.

  The horse that Guan Yu rode was also a fine steed, but carrying the weight of such a heavyweight as Guan Yu made it seem somewhat laborious.

  Ma Yuexing looked around and found that the morale of Liu Pei's Yellow Turbans had collapsed. If he let Guan Yu's men charge into the camp at this time, it would be like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, and Liu Pei's Yellow Turbans would have no power to resist. Their final fate could only be slaughtered. To save the fate of Liu Pei's Yellow Turbans, there was only one opportunity, that is, to defeat Guan Yu!

  This is almost an impossible task, but Ma Yue wants to take a gamble! Born in troubled times, one must be not only ruthless enough but also bold enough!

  Ma Chao took a deep breath, and turning to the Yellow Turbans cowering behind the gate, said: "Open the gate, I will go fight against Zhang He."

  The gatekeeper Huang Jin turned to Ma Yue with a shocked gaze, seemingly not daring to believe his own ears, and asked in a low voice: "You... what did you say?"

  Ma Yue gripped his steel knife tightly and said calmly: "Open the door, I'll go fight with Guan Hai."

  The gatekeeper shook his head in extreme fear and said, "No, you can't go. You'll die. No one is a match for that devil Gan Hui!"

  "Brush!"

  A flash of cold light, the sharp steel knife was already placed on the neck of the gatekeeper Huang Men. Ma Yue said word by word: "Open...the...door!"

  The gatekeeper's yellow scarf was suddenly as still as a cicada in winter.

  "What's going on? What are you arguing about?"

  At this time, a low and majestic voice sounded not far away. Huang Men, the gatekeeper, felt relieved and panted: "General Pei, this brother wants me to open the door, he wants to challenge Guan Hai!"

  "What! Who dares to challenge Guan Yu?"

  The onlookers were shocked and speechless, clearly astonished.

  Ma Yue turned around and said calmly: "I want to challenge Guan Hai."

  Their eyes met, and Ma Chao and the newcomer simultaneously saw each other clearly. The newcomer was none other than Pei Yuan Shao, the Yellow Turban leader who had almost died at Ma Chao's hands.

  "Ma Yue is you!?" Pei Yuanshao's eyes suddenly narrowed, and he said in a condensed voice, "I won't let you go, you're not a match for Guan Hai."

  Ma Yue's mouth curled up with a cold smile, and he said calmly: "This is our last chance to survive. If we can't defeat Guan Hai, no one here will be able to see the sun tomorrow!"

  The air around seemed to solidify, and all the Yellow Turbans who heard this sentence hung their heads in despair, including Pei Yuanshao. Ma Chao had not spoken wrongly; this was indeed the last chance for survival. If they could not defeat Guan Hai, none of the Yellow Turbans in the camp would be able to escape the disaster of being slaughtered.

  Guan Hai is a devil, killing people is a kind of pleasure for him.

  "Open the camp gate."

  Ma Yue said another sentence with an expressionless face.

  The gatekeeper looked at Pei Yuanshao with a pleading gaze, and Pei Yuanshao nodded solemnly.

  The heavy gate finally creaked open, Ma Yue placed the steel knife on his shoulder, and stepped out of the camp with a heavy pace. Behind him, Pei Yuanshao's anxious inquiry came: "Ma Yue, what are your chances of winning?"

  Ma Yue didn't turn his head back, but a cold and indifferent reply came from him in the chilly wind: "Less than one percent."

  ……

  At the gate of the camp, the Yellow Turban leader Du Yuan suddenly changed his expression and respectfully said to Liu Bei beside him: "Director, someone has come out of the camp to respond to the battle!"

  Liu Bei's expression suddenly changed, and he hastily asked: "Who? Who is going out to fight?"

  "I don't know." Du Yuan shook his head and replied, "He's a knife shield user."

  "What! A knife shield?!" Liu Bi immediately deflated like a punctured balloon, sighing, "What's the use of a knife shield, alas..."

  Pei Yuanshao rushed up to the gate, strode to the front of the military drum, and shouted loudly at the Yellow Turban bandits who were beating the drum: "Make way!"

  The Yellow Turbans were stunned for a moment, and Pei Yuanshao had already kicked them open with one foot. Pei Yuanshao also snatched the drumstick and slammed it heavily onto the drumhead, producing a loud "boom" sound. This thunderous drumbeat made the hearts of all the Yellow Turbans in the camp jump suddenly. Immediately afterwards, dense drumbeats like raindrops rang out continuously, shattering the silent and deadly battlefield.

  ……

  Guan Yu raised his right arm high above his head, and the shouting of the Yellow Turban soldiers behind him came to an abrupt halt.

  In the midst of a majestic and stirring drumbeat, a burly man with a steel knife slung over his shoulder emerged slowly from the creaking gate. Guan Hai's gaze fell on this man like a sharp blade, his eyes gleaming with a strong murderous intent, just like a wild beast that had caught wind of blood, its jaws wide open, revealing bloody fangs.

  "Come, let's make a name for ourselves! Those who are beheaded by the executioner's knife will no longer be unknown!"

  Guan Hai pointed with a long knife, and this loud shout actually covered the stirring drumbeat of the golden armor and iron horse, clearly entering the eardrums of the soldiers on both sides of the battlefield.

  Ma Chao rode forward one hundred paces and arrived at the center of the two armies' formation, calmly responding: "I... am Ma Chao of Xiliang!"

  Guan Hai clamped his legs tightly around the horse's belly, and the warhorse let out a mournful whinny as it raised its hooves and galloped towards them. Guan Hai's eyes narrowed into slits, and the long knife in his hand was already raised high.

  "Kill!"

  That loud shout tore through the air, sharp as a knife piercing Ma Chong's eardrum, causing a dull ache.

  "Kill!"

  A thousand Yellow Turban elite troops responded to the call, their voices shaking the heavens. At the gate, the drumming suddenly stopped, and a tiger skin drum had been smashed by Pei Yuanshao.

  Ma Yue wore a slanted sword, like an icy steel sculpture standing still on the battlefield, unmoving as a mountain. The bleak cold wind blew up a few strands of his black hair by his ears, fluttering and flying about, desolate yet handsome, just like his dark eyes, sorrowful yet stern.

  Liu Bijun's camp gate, Liu Yan urged his horse to gallop like the wind, rushing towards the distant Wan City. A crystal tear fell from the sky, and the horse leapt forward. You must win! You can't die, you absolutely cannot die...

  "Woohoo!"

  Guan Hai let out a loud roar, his hands exerting great force as he swung the long knife high into the air, drawing an eerie arc in the sky. The blade flashed towards Ma Qiao's neck, but Ma Qiao remained motionless, his sharp eyes fixed intently on the knife's edge. In that instant when there was no time to react, his body suddenly and inexplicably plummeted downwards.

  Guan Hai slashed the air with one knife, charging forward for dozens of steps before finally pulling hard on the reins to stop his warhorse. Guan Hai exerted great force to rein in the horse, which let out a mournful whinny as it reared up on its hind legs and kicked twice before turning around in mid-air.

  Ma Yue took a deep breath of cold air, trying his best to calm down his racing heart. The previous exchange seemed to be without danger, but in reality, it was fraught with hidden perils! Only Ma Yue himself knew that at that moment he had been so close to death.

  Ma Yue stared intently at the hoof of Guan Yu's war horse, that... was Ma Yue's only chance to survive!

  "Hehe~"

  Guan Hai raised his head to the sky, his left fist wildly pounding his chest, emitting a loud and deafening sound. The disheveled hair on his head stood up like steel needles, his expression frenzied. The thousand Yellow Turban elite soldiers brought by Guan Hai also went wild, raising their weapons high into the air and letting out a continuous, inhuman howl.

  "Go die, roar~"

  Guan Hai let out a loud roar, and the warhorse once again rose up on its hind legs. By the time its front hooves landed, it had already accelerated to a speed that was as swift as lightning, charging towards Ma Jiao with an unstoppable force. This time, Guan Hai was finally heading straight for Ma Jiao. It was clear that Guan Hai had been enraged, and in this clash, even if he couldn't behead Ma Jiao with one slash of his sword, he would trample Ma Jiao's body to pieces with his horse's hooves.

  Ma Yue's hands grasped the knife, and a wild light flashed in his dark eyes. The opportunity had finally come! As long as he could cut off the leg of Guan Hai's war horse with one knife, Guan Hai would inevitably lose combat effectiveness for a short time after falling from the horseback, which was Ma Yue's only chance to win in danger!

  Guan Hai's legs clamped tightly around the horse's belly, constantly urging the warhorse to speed up, and again to speed up. The frenzied killing intent in Guan Hai's eyes was more intense than ever before.

  "Pffft!"

  The poor war horse could no longer withstand the abuse and suddenly knelt down, throwing Gou Hai off its back. Unprepared, Gou Hai was flipped over along with the horse, crashing to the ground with a loud thud. The dust kicked up by the fall blinded Ma Jiao's eyes, and victory... came so suddenly.

  Guan Hai shook his head vigorously, opening his eyes in the dusty air. The first thing that caught his attention was a dazzling flash of cold light - a sharp steel knife, its tip pressed tightly against his throat. He could clearly feel the icy chill emanating from the blade, death... just an inch away from him.

  The setting sun finally broke free from the shackles of dark clouds, casting a cold and desolate glow over the battlefield. The shadow of Ma Chao's horse stretched out long and gaunt on the ground, as if the entire world had come to a standstill. Everyone, including all the Yellow Turbans, stared at the dueling arena in stunned silence, unable to adapt to the shocking turn of events.