Chapter 55: Zhao Yun's Divine Majesty

  Zu Mao was carried back, just like a hedgehog. Sun Jian ordered his horse to gallop out for over ten miles, and only then did he let go, barely escaping with his life, but still in a sorry state. Today's battle was a defeat, with vanguard Sun Jian injured and General Zu Mao under Sun Jian killed in action. After returning to the camp, everyone hung their heads in shame. When Sun Jian saw Zu Mao's body, he was overcome with grief. However, there were also people who were secretly pleased, such as Yuan Shu, Liu Dai, and Kong Yi, who thought that now that they had lost the battle, Sun Jian would not be so arrogant.

  Compared to the gloom of the Allied Army's camp, the atmosphere at Tiger Trap Pass was one of jubilation, as if a shadow that had loomed over them for many days had finally been lifted. Although they had won this battle, Hua Xiong thanked Long Fei for saving his life, but in Lü Bu's heart, he felt uneasy - how could someone like Long Fei have such capable men under him? This question left a huge question mark in his mind.

  The celebration banquet ended without much drinking, Lü Bu as the supreme commander, was always frowning and occasionally glanced at Long Fei, his eyes filled with hostility. Long Fei regretted it a bit, regretting that he had acted too early, making Lü Bu have a guard against himself, but since things had come to this point, he could only take it one step at a time. Returning to his own large tent, Long Fei immediately summoned Jia Xu.

  Jia Xu smiled: "Lü Bu's intention is not hostility, but jealousy! He is jealous of the talents under Lord Cao's command and regrets not going to battle today, so he has hostile intentions towards Lord Cao!"

  "What's the next step, are we going to continue or keep a low profile?" Long Fei looked at Jia Xun: "Lü Bu is the commander, if we offend him, he will make us wear small shoes."

  Jia Xu shook his head: "My lord, don't forget that in this Tiger Trap Pass, it's not just Lü Bu who has earned Dong Zhuo's trust. There are also Li Ru, Hua Xiong, and Zhang Chao - these men have been following Dong Zhuo through thick and thin for many years. In Dong Zhuo's heart, they weigh no less than Lü Bu. In my opinion, not only should we take action, but we must go all out to steal the spotlight from Lü Bu! Only then can my lord get closer to Dong Zhuo!"

  Long Fei didn't understand the meaning of Jia Xu's last sentence. Now that Hei Bing has cancelled the assassination order against Dong Zhuo and is instead targeting the lords of Guandong, why did Jia Xu still say that? After carefully thinking it over in his mind, he finally understood. Dong Zhuo controlled the government and had already offended all the scholars, so they all wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible. If one could get closer to Dong Zhuo, there would be more opportunities. In this feudal era of the Three Kingdoms, everywhere was filled with landlords and powerful families, and the imperial court was full of scholars. Without their support, even basic needs like food and clothing were a problem.

  Long Fei looked at Jia Xun and nodded: "It was right to dig you up, you are indeed a veteran of the old tricks, with an eye for talent! Alright, I'll listen to you!"

  The second day's battle was also initiated by the Allied Forces. Today, Yuan Shao was much more cautious and the newly-made large flag did not move forward again, only a few soldiers with loud voices came forward to shout slogans. No wonder it was just surrendering, before Lü Bu gave the order, Huang Zhong had already fired three arrows in unison, shooting and killing the three shouting soldiers within one arrow's range.

  A loud shout came from above the pass, and the allied army was in an uproar. Suddenly a swift horse rushed out from the left side of the allied army's formation, holding a long spear and pointing at the pass: "You despicable scoundrel, you only know how to shoot cold arrows to harm people, if you have the guts, dare to fight with grandpa for a few rounds?"

  Lü Bu was about to go down the city when Long Fei said: "Zhao Yun ordered you to take this thief's head, Xu Huang and Zhang Liao are pressing the array!"

  Three men bowed and went down the pass. Lü Bu looked at Long Fei, whose fists were tightly clenched, his teeth gritted with a cracking sound. Li Ru patted Lü Bu's back lightly and shook his head slightly towards him. Only then did Lü Bu glare at Long Fei, clasping his hands behind his back to look down the pass. Long Fei, on the other hand, seemed to have seen nothing, calm and peaceful, even asking Wang Teng to get him a cup of tea.

  The gate of Tiger Trap Pass opened, and Zhao Yun rode out first on his horse, wearing a white robe and holding a shining silver spear. Behind him to the left was Zhang Liao and to the right Xu Huang, only three men charged out. Zhao Yun was young and not tall, and sitting on the horse made him look even smaller. The opposing general laughed loudly: "A baby who still smells of his mother's milk dares to come out and die? Report your name!"

  "Zhao Yun, the garrison commander, has come to take your head on his brother's orders!" Zhao Yun said with a slight tremble in his voice as he brandished his long spear. This was his first time engaging in combat in such a situation, and he couldn't help but feel a bit tense. Zhang Liao urged his warhorse forward two steps and whispered, "Don't worry, let's just treat this like a friendly competition within the military camp. That guy may look rough around the edges, but he's not to be underestimated!"

  With Zhang Liao's words, Zhao Yun finally put his mind at ease: "Who are you?"

  "I am Bao Zhong, younger brother of Ji Bei Xiang. Come on, come on, let's go for a walk with Grandpa!"

  He finished speaking and urged his horse on, brandishing his spear to strike. Zhao Yun's eyes widened, he clamped his legs tightly around the horse's belly, and with a swift motion, he drew out a large gun flower with his long spear, perfectly blocking Bao Zhong's line of sight. For a moment, Bao Zhong couldn't find an opening to counterattack, and could only grit his teeth and thrust his spear through the midst of the gun flower. Just then, the sharp tip of the spear scraped against the spear shaft, emitting a piercing whistle.

  The two horses crossed each other in an instant, and Zhao Yun not only used his spear to block Bao Zhong's spear but also lightly swept the tip of his spear across Bao Zhong's throat as they passed each other. The two men instantly separated, and Zhao Yun's white horse circled back to its original position. Meanwhile, Bao Zhong's horse stood quietly in place. People on both sides did not know what had happened and were all silently watching.

  "Hah!" Bao Zhong fell off his horse and died, and there was a shout on the city wall. Xu Huang hurried over and cut off his head with one axe. The allied army was shocked, they did not expect this white-robed young general to be even more fierce than Hua Xiong yesterday, where did Dong Zhuo get so many people from? Seeing Bao Zhong's dead body, for a while no one dared to go up.

  Xu Huan shouted: "And that fearless one, come quickly! The day is not early, we still have to go back and eat!"

  Yuan Shu looked around and called over his beloved general Yu She, asking in a low voice: "Are you sure?"

  Yu She hastily said: "Don't worry, Master. Bao Zhong was just underestimating him earlier. That kid is still young, as long as he can hold on for ten moves, once he's exhausted, we'll naturally win!"

  Yuan Shu nodded: "Since it's like this, are you daring enough to go?"

  Yu She pulled on the reins of his horse, brandishing his sword as he charged out of the allied army's formation. As he ran, he shouted: "Don't speak wildly, Yu She is here!"

  Zhoa Yun didn't respond, and charged at Yu She with his spear. Yu She was quite skilled, and struck Zhao Yun's helmet with a single slash of his sword. Zhao Yun dodged the attack by turning his horse around, and counterattacked with a sweep of his spear across Yu She's waist. Yu She dodged to the side, avoiding the blow. The two men exchanged blows, managing to exchange three to five moves. Liu Dai and Kong Xi gave a thumbs up to Yuan Shu: "The General's subordinate is indeed brave and fierce! That young general killed Bao Zhong with a single spear thrust, and Yu She fought him for so long, yet still had the upper hand - truly a great general!"

  Yuan Shu looked at the two men in the arena with a smile on his face. Yu She and Zhao Yun fought for several rounds, and immediately felt that something was wrong. Zhao Yun's victory over Bao Zhong was not because Bao Zhong was careless, but because Zhao Yun's spear technique was unpredictable and rarely seen in the world. His spear moves were endless and difficult to defend against. Just as Yu She was distracted for a moment, Zhao Yun's long spear came again, this time aiming directly at Yu She's thigh. Yu She was frightened and hurriedly danced his sword to block it. Who would have thought that the spear suddenly changed direction halfway, stabbing towards the war horse? Yu She quickly used one hand to pull the horse's head away.

  Thus the gate was wide open. Zhao Yun let out a loud cry, and his spear suddenly shot out swiftly and fiercely, rushing straight at Yu She's chest. Although Yu She realized something was wrong, it was already too late to react, and he could only watch as the spearhead pierced his own chest. Suddenly, he felt difficulty breathing, and all his strength flowed out of the wound. The big knife in his hand could no longer be held, and with a "clang" sound, it fell to the ground. Zhao Yun withdrew his spear, and Yu She's corpse collapsed under the horse.

  "Good……!" The shouting on the wall had reached its peak, with loud cries that were deafening.

  Yuan Shu was like an eggplant that had been struck by frost, and he let out a cold snort as he turned his horse's head and left. Liu Dai and Kong Xiu, who had just been boasting, quickly shut their mouths. Yuan Shao was at a loss for what to do, and the deaths of his two great generals made him extremely angry: "It's a pity that my great generals Yan Liang and Wen Chou are not here; if either one of them were present, they could have beheaded this Zhao Yun!"

  Han Fu said: "Why use Yan Liang and Wen Huo? I have General Pan Feng, with the bravery of a thousand men, who can fight this man!"

  This Pan Feng was even taller and larger than the two men from earlier, sitting on his horse he looked like a mountain, making the horse look especially small. Without waiting for Han Fu's orders, he walked out of the ranks with a large axe in hand. Pointing at Zhao Yun with one hand, he said in a deep voice: "Don't be arrogant, you nameless little soldier, your skills are not refined, today let me show you what real battlefield slaughter looks like!"

  "Who are you again?"

  Pan Feng swung his giant axe with a loud whoosh, striking towards Zhao Yun: "Less nonsense, go ask the underworld for the truth!"

  This giant axe, at least half the size of a small car, if it were all made of wrought iron, would weigh at least 400-500 catties. Not just anyone could wield it in battle. Zhao Yun knew his strength was no match for Pan Feng's, so he hastily dodged. The axe blade scraped against Zhao Yun's armor and passed by, and Zhao Yun took advantage of the moment to thrust his spear upwards from below. Pan Feng had no time to react, and Zhao Yun's spear struck him on the thigh, immediately staining his battle robe with fresh blood.

  Pan Feng was not deterred in the slightest, and his second axe came down. Zhao Yun used an iron plate bridge to avoid the blade, which passed right in front of his eyes. As soon as the big axe had passed, he suddenly sprang up, his long spear thrusting straight at Pan Feng's chest. This was a critical moment, and Pan Feng could not help but block it. He suddenly stretched out his hand to grab Zhao Yun's long spear. Zhao Yun turned his spear around once, pulling it back in an instant, and the hand that had tried to grab the spear handle ended up grasping the blade instead. With one turn of the spear, one of Pan Feng's hands was immediately a bloody mess, with his thumb nowhere to be seen. As the saying goes, "the ten fingers are connected to the heart," Pan Feng let out a loud cry and hastily withdrew his hand. Zhao Yun's long spear followed up immediately, stabbing through Pan Feng's throat and killing him on the spot.

  Zhoa Yun's spear shook the three generals, and from then on his name resounded throughout the land. Gong Sun Zan, who was in the allied army, saw this clearly and regretted it deeply. If he had known earlier that Zhao Yun was so brave, why bother to make things difficult for those Xianbei people? If Zhao Yun were under his command, what would Liu Yu be? Perhaps he himself would have a chance to contend for the world.