kingnovel Chapter 1175 Ma Chao vs. Lü Bu: A Top-Tier Showdown
Chapter 1175 Ma Chao vs. Lü Bu: A Top-Tier Showdown
The night was as dark as ink, obscuring the gleam of the armor of the Xiliang cavalry. Ma Chao lay on his horse, gazing at the outline of the camp a hundred paces away, his fingertips tapping lightly on the saddle—after two months of stalemate, Lü Bu's soldiers had long lost their initial vigilance; the torches on the arrow towers flickered weakly, and the guards huddled in the corners of the towers, nodding off.
"Go!" Ma Chao shouted, and two Xiliang assassins darted out like cats, their soft footsteps making no sound as they trod on the grass. The guards on the watchtower seemed to sense something, groggily opening their eyes. Seeing two dark figures approaching, they mistook them for shadows cast by the night wind. They rubbed their eyes, trying to get a better look, but their throats were already being slashed by a cold dagger, and they couldn't even utter the words "enemy attack."
Another guard was awakened by the sound of his comrade collapsing. Just as he was about to shout, an arrow pierced his mouth with pinpoint accuracy, its fletching vibrating in the torchlight.
Having dealt with the guards at the arrow tower, the assassins quickly lowered the rope ladders. Ma Chao waved his hand, and Zhang Liao and Zhang Xiu each led their men, silently climbing the rope ladders up the camp wall. They swiftly cut down several drowsy patrolmen and together pulled open the iron bolts of the camp gate.
The soft creaking of the door hinges was swallowed by the wind.
Ma Chao took a deep breath, drew a fire arrow coated with oil from his quiver, and drew his bow to its fullest extent. The night wind suddenly stopped, and even the distant chirping of insects seemed to hold its breath.
"put!"
The rocket pierced the darkness, leaving a crimson trail, and plunged straight into the top of the nearest tent. The dry canvas instantly burst into flames, the flames licking at the tent fabric and leaping upwards, illuminating the sleeping figure inside.
"kill!"
Ma Chao mounted his horse, thrust his silver spear forward, and charged into the camp. Zhang Liao's spear formation swept across the left tent like an iron wall, while Zhang Xiu's short spearmen coiled around the patrolmen on the right like venomous snakes. Screams, cries of alarm, and the crackling of burning tents suddenly erupted, violently dragging the camp from its slumber into hell.
Flames, like wildly growing vines, climbed up the tent canvas, crackling and popping amidst screams.
"Fire!" Someone shouted first, and the cry, like a spark thrown into boiling oil, instantly ignited the fire. Soldiers inside the tents scrambled out in a panic, some wearing only one shoe, others shirtless, with half-tied belts haphazardly wrapped around their waists. As soon as they rushed out, they were met with the gleaming blades of the Xiliang soldiers. Terrified, their legs went weak, and they wildly swung their unsharpened iron spears, only to be felled to the ground in a few blows.
A spark ignited the grain tents on the east side, and the dry wheat straw burst into flames atop the trees, sending thick smoke billowing into the air. Several soldiers guarding the grain tents tried to extinguish the fire with buckets of water, but just as they reached the tents, a stray arrow pierced their wrists. The buckets crashed to the ground, spilling water that instantly vaporized from the flames. They cried out in pain and tried to run, but a Xiliang soldier caught up and kicked them to the ground, pinning them down by the back.
Near the central camp, the ranks were slightly more orderly, with several captains brandishing their swords and roaring as they rallied their men, but the soldiers were already in disarray. A soldier, his eyes bloodshot from the firelight, thrust his spear at the charging Xiliang soldiers, but in his panic, he veered off course and was instead pulled back by the enemy, the spear shaft striking his chest. He doubled over in pain, and then his throat was slit. Blood splattered on the burning tent fabric, quickly licked clean by the flames.
In the corner, two soldiers huddled behind the wreckage of a tent, trembling. One of them fumbled for a tinderbox to light a signal arrow, but just as he struck it, a flying spear pierced his palm. The tinderbox fell to the ground, quickly soaked with his own blood. The other tried to crawl away, but a Xiliang soldier's horse hooves crushed his calf. A piercing scream tore through the night, only to be quickly drowned out by the increasingly intense shouts of battle.
The tents were knocked askew by the warhorses, and scattered weapons, overturned tables, and trampled bedding were mixed in with the flames. Everywhere there were running figures, making it impossible to distinguish friend from foe. In a panic, a soldier swung his sword at his comrade, only to realize he had struck one of his own. In that moment of hesitation, a Xiliang soldier seized the opportunity and stabbed him through the chest.
Thick smoke billowed, choking people as if their lungs were filled with fire. Many coughed and brandished their swords, their faces streaked with tears and snot, unable to even see the enemy in front of them. Occasionally, a few tried to resist, but they were quickly scattered by the Xiliang cavalry, falling to the ground like crushed wheat straw.
The candlelight inside the tent danced wildly in the night wind. Lü Bu slammed his fist on the table and rose abruptly, smashing a wine cup to pieces. "What's all the noise about!" he shouted gruffly. Cao Xing had already flung open the tent flap, letting in a gust of wind that smelled of smoke and fire.
"Lord Wen! The enemy is launching a night attack! The camp is on fire!" Cao Xing ran so fast that the straps of his armor hung loosely, his face was covered in soot, and his voice trembled.
A fierce glint instantly flashed in Lü Bu's eyes, all traces of drunkenness vanishing. His guards had already brought over his halberd, while his Red Hare pawed restlessly outside the tent, snorting. He snatched the halberd, strode out of the tent, and the night wind, carrying the smell of smoke, rushed towards him. In the distance, firelight illuminated half the sky, and shouts of battle mingled with cries of "Fire!" rose and fell.
"A bunch of useless trash!" Lü Bu mounted his horse, Red Hare, which reared up. He tightened the reins, his halberd pointing directly at the fiercest flames. "Where are Cheng Lian and Hao Meng?"
Not far away, Cheng Lian, barefoot with his armor slung across his shoulder, was shouting at the top of his lungs, "Don't panic! Get the water bags! The granary on the east side is about to burn through!" Seeing Lü Bu galloping towards him, he hurriedly knelt on one knee, "Lord Wen! The enemy's attack came too suddenly, and the brothers have been scattered!"
Hao Meng, carrying a spear with a broken handle and his helmet askew behind his head, nearly tripped over a rope on the ground as he ran over: "Lord Wen, half of the western camp has collapsed. Gao Ya and Li Feng are leading men to plug the gap, but they can't hold on much longer!"
Lu Bu swung his halberd, cleaving aside a charging Xiliang soldier, and roared, "We have to hold on, even if we can't! Cheng Lian, take a squad to guard the granary. Burn it all down and I'll skin you alive! Hao Meng, charge with me!"
Red Hare, like a streak of red lightning, carried Lü Bu into the enemy ranks. His halberd danced with impenetrable force, and wherever it swept, heads and limbs of Xiliang soldiers flew off. He caught a glimpse of Gao Ya surrounded by three enemy soldiers, her spear broken, and she was wildly smashing things with the hilt of her sword. Immediately, he turned his horse around, his halberd thrusting out from the side, impaling the three men in a chain.
"Lord Wen!" Gao Ya, with a bloody gash on her face, saw Lü Bu arrive and her eyes turned red. "Li Feng... Li Feng has been shot through the throat..."
Lu Bu abruptly reined in his Red Hare, slammed his halberd heavily into the ground, the tip sinking three inches into the earth, and roared like thunder: "Zhang Liao! Get out here! Lu Bu is here, come and die!"
The roar, laced with fury, made the eardrums of the surrounding soldiers buzz, and they almost dropped their weapons. The two sides in the midst of the melee froze, all stopping their movements and turning their gazes toward the source of the sound—there stood Lü Bu, clad in beast-faced chainmail armor, his Red Hare pawing the ground, his halberd pointing diagonally at the ground, his face contorted with rage, more intimidating than the bloodshed on the battlefield.
A hearty laugh came from afar, followed by the rapid sound of approaching hooves. A silver-armored general, wielding a tiger-headed golden spear, rode his magnificent steed "Aurora"—it was none other than Ma Chao.
"Lord Wen, don't be hasty, your adversary is right here!" Ma Chao reined in his horse and stopped ten paces away from Lü Bu, the tip of his spear pointing directly at him. "What, don't you recognize me?"
When Lü Bu saw that the person who came was Ma Chao, his pupils shrank: "Liang King Ma Chao? What are you doing here?" As he asked the question, he did not hesitate. He spurred Red Hare with his legs and thrust his halberd straight at Ma Chao's face with a whooshing sound. "You've come at the right time. Today I'll let you taste my power!"
Red Hare and Aurora reared up simultaneously, the two steeds seemingly sensing their masters' fighting spirit, neighing and charging towards each other. Halberds danced like silver snakes, spear shadows bloomed like pear blossoms, the crisp sound of clashing weapons making the air tremble. Lü Bu's halberd was heavy and domineering, each strike carrying the force to split mountains and shatter rocks; Ma Chao's golden spear was agile and swift, its tip always locked onto Lü Bu's weaknesses. The two exchanged blows, fighting twenty rounds in the blink of an eye.
"Good! That was exhilarating!" Ma Chao forced Lü Bu back with his spear and laughed loudly, "Lord Wen is indeed worthy of his reputation! Take another spear strike from me!" With that, he flicked the tip of his spear, creating three spear shadows that attacked Lü Bu from the upper, middle, and lower parts of his body.
Lu Bu roared, his halberd flashing in a silver arc, deflecting all three spear shadows: "A mere trick!"
The shadows of halberds crashed against the shore like raging waves, and the glint of spears flashed like fireflies through the forest. The two men fought on horseback, Red Hare and Aurora circling with light, quick steps, their iron hooves leaving messy hoofprints on the ground, mingling with flying dust.
Lu Bu grew increasingly impatient with each attack, wielding his halberd with ever greater ferocity, each strike carrying the force to "splitter mountains": sometimes sweeping horizontally like a whirlwind, forcing Ma Chao to lean back and dodge; sometimes thrusting straight forward like thunder piercing the clouds, the spear tip almost grazing Ma Chao's armor. He hated the frustration of the past few days, hated Ma Chao's sudden appearance disrupting his plans, and hated that his opponent, despite being evenly matched, always used hit-and-run tactics to stall for time, as if toying with him.
"Ma Chao! Do you dare to take a blow from me?" Lu Bu roared and slammed his shoulder down, his halberd slashing down with tremendous force toward Ma Chao's head. The blade whistled as it cut through the air, and the surrounding soldiers watched in terror, as if the silver armor would be cleaved in two at any moment.
Ma Chao, however, did not engage. His steed, Aurora, nimbly leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding the halberd's blade. At the same time, his Tiger-Headed Golden Spear flicked out, the tip grazing the halberd's shaft before striking Lü Bu's wrist with a "clang." The angle was tricky, forcing Lü Bu to withdraw his halberd and defend, his fierce attack momentarily halted.
"What's the rush, Marquis Wen?" Ma Chao chuckled, his spear technique becoming even more agile. At times, the spear tip skimmed the water like a dragonfly, weaving through the gaps in the halberd; at other times, it flicked like a snake, striking precisely when Lü Bu's strength was exhausted and his new strength had not yet arisen. His Aurora steed moved in perfect coordination, always managing to evade Lü Bu's heavy blows at the last second, as if dancing on the edge of a blade.
Eighty rounds passed in the blink of an eye, and the two had fought to a hundred moves. Beads of sweat appeared on Lü Bu's forehead, and his breathing became slightly heavy. His previously unstoppable halberd technique was gradually showing flaws—his strength was being depleted very quickly, and each fierce strike felt like hitting cotton. The unreleased, fierce energy made his chest feel tight.
Ma Chao's breathing remained steady, and his silver armor was barely dusty. He seized the opening after Lü Bu's horizontal slash, thrusting his spear tip towards Lü Bu's ribs like a shooting star, but just before it touched the armor, he abruptly withdrew his force and gently pushed with the shaft. Caught off guard, Lü Bu staggered, and his horse, Red Hare, also stumbled half a step.
"You!" Lu Bu was both angry and anxious, and he swung his halberd even faster, but it became increasingly disorganized.
"Lord Wen, it's been a hundred rounds." Ma Chao's voice carried a smile, yet it exuded an undeniable composure. "What's wrong, Lord Wen, who has roamed the world so freely, have your legs gone weak?"