Cao Cao, leading his main force, rushed to the palace gate with Ma Chao, both filled with anxiety. Even before they got close, they could already hear the thunderous shouts of battle coming from inside the palace, each sound piercing their ears as if to tear their eardrums apart.
Ma Chao and Cao Cao exchanged a look, a hint of solemnity flashing in their eyes. They quickly sent an urgent message to He Jin, and then, a brutal siege battle began.
Soldiers surged towards the palace like a tide, holding up their shields against the arrows and stones that rained down from the city walls. Siege ladders were erected one after another, and brave warriors climbed fearlessly, constantly falling down wounded by arrows, screaming as they tumbled from the ladders.
The General defending the city fought desperately, swinging their swords and cutting down enemies who approached. Blood stained the city walls, and severed limbs flew everywhere. Battle drums roared, and shouts of killing shook the heavens and earth. Soldiers on both sides fought with bloodshot eyes, as if trapped in an endless slaughter.
Cao Cao personally oversaw the battle, his roars echoing across the battlefield, inspiring his soldiers to charge forward. In this brutal battle, life became so fragile, yet the desire for victory burned like a flame in everyone's heart.
The battle became a stalemate, with neither side gaining an advantage. Seeing this, He Jin immediately ordered a large army to quickly reinforce them. Instantly, the pressure on the city gate dramatically increased.
General Han Xian, seeing the situation, was filled with anxiety and was about to ask for help from the other gates when he discovered that Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu's forces had also begun to attack the city. In an instant, all the gates were plunged into bitter fighting.
Shouts of killing and the clash of weapons intertwined, and the entire battlefield was filled with the strong smell of gunpowder and blood. The attacking side, with soldiers surging towards the city gate like a tide, their eyes glinting with madness and determination.
Some soldiers were struck by arrows during the charge, falling like kites with broken strings, but those behind them continued without stopping, stepping over their comrades' bodies. Soldiers on the siege ladders were smashed to a bloody pulp by rolling logs and stones thrown by the defending soldiers, but they still clung tightly to the ladders, stubbornly climbing upwards.
At the moment of sword clashes, sparks flew, accompanied by piercing screams as soldiers rolled and fought in pools of blood. On the battlefield, severed limbs flew everywhere, a brutal sight that was unbearable to witness. Every moment, a life vanished; every impact was accompanied by great sacrifice. The attacking side, with their flesh and blood, composed a tragic war song.
Ma Chao, filled with anxiety, watched the stalemated battle from afar, his heart feeling as if it were pierced by thousands of steel needles, in excruciating pain. He did not know the specific situation inside the palace, but the only thing he knew and deeply worried about was his respected teacher Lu Zhi being trapped inside, his fate unknown, which filled him with immense worry and fear.
Thinking of this, Ma Chao could no longer suppress the anxiety and anger in his heart. His eyes turned bloodshot, like a raging lion completely provoked, letting out an earth-shattering roar. Immediately after, he leaped from his warhorse, gripping the long spear in his hand, and charged towards the city without hesitation. His steps were firm and resolute, each step seemingly stamping a deep imprint on the earth, each step carrying his immense concern for his teacher's safety and his determination to rescue his teacher even if it cost him his life.
Ma Chao personally braved the dense and deadly rain of arrows, fearlessly charging onto the city wall. Burning fury blazed in his eyes—hatred for the enemy, and worry for his teacher's plight. In his gaze, there was also a resolute determination, a belief that he would not hesitate to pay the price of his life.
The General defending the city felt Ma Chao's ferocity and terror, and they surged towards Ma Chao like a tide. However, Ma Chao was fearless; he wielded his long spear, its shadow swirling like a fierce whirlwind, knocking down all enemies who approached him. His long spear danced flexibly like a dragon, and wherever it went, enemies screamed and fell, blood gushing out like fountains, staining the city wall. The General defending the city watched him in horror, as if facing an invincible god of war, their hearts filled with fear and despair.
Ma Chao charged left and right on the battlefield as if entering an empty land, creating a vacuum on the city tower. Han Xian, seeing his bravery, dispatched his personal guards to surround Ma Chao, and for a time, Ma Chao also fell into a bitter struggle.
Pang De and Sun Ce, who had been quietly waiting near the city gate for an opportunity to respond, had been closely monitoring the situation at the gate with high tension from the moment the shouts of battle began.
Just as the personal guards went to encircle Ma Chao, Pang De and Sun Ce keenly sensed the opportunity. They unhesitatingly raised their weapons and charged towards General Han Xian like fierce tigers.
Han Xian, without his personal guards nearby, was caught off guard by the sudden charge of Pang De and Sun Ce. For a moment, he was somewhat unprepared and found it difficult to block their assault, only able to flee frantically into the crowd of soldiers.
Sun Ce was truly unparalleled in bravery. Together with Pang De, they were like two sharp daggers, stabbing directly towards Han Xian. The soldiers around Han Xian were completely unable to resist their fierce attack, and for a time, the city gate fell into chaos, a complete mess. The shouts of soldiers and the clash of weapons echoed through the sky, and the situation became increasingly tense and fierce.
Cao Cao seized the opportunity and, with decisive action, committed all his forces, launching an even fiercer assault. In an instant, the city gate became precarious under the fierce impact of Cao Cao's army, as if it could be breached at any moment.
Han Xian was now preoccupied with his own survival and could not afford to be distracted by anything else. He was filled with anxiety but powerless, only able to watch helplessly as the situation grew more critical.
Sun Ce's gaze was like a torch, fixed on Han Xian's every move. Seizing the opportunity, he quickly parried the enemy's attack, then, holding his long spear, he chased after him like a swift wind.
Sun Ce's agile figure, like lightning, quickly closed the distance with Han Xian, and with a sudden thrust of his long spear, he precisely pierced Han Xian. Han Xian's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Sun Ce, blood gushing from his mouth, before he slowly fell.
Seeing this, Pang De immediately shouted, “The General is dead! Those who surrender will not be killed!” His voice was as loud as a bell, echoing across the battlefield. Instantly, the General defending the city's soldiers stirred, looking at each other, their hearts filled with fear and confusion.
Some soldiers began to waver, their weapons trembling slightly, realizing that the tide had turned and the hope of defending the city was shattered. Other soldiers, however, continued to resist stubbornly, but their morale had been severely damaged. The entire battlefield's situation underwent a massive change due to Sun Ce's thrust and Pang De's shout.
Ma Chao, who had been heavily surrounded and under immense pressure, felt the pressure around him suddenly decrease with Han Xian's death. He furiously wielded his long spear, fierce as a wild beast, sweeping away the enemies besieging him one by one, successfully breaking out of the encirclement.
At the same time, Sun Ce and Pang De were also fighting fiercely on the battlefield, gradually closing in on Ma Chao. Finally, the three converged at one point.
Subsequently, the three charged down to the city tower. They moved as if entering an empty land, wielding their weapons, and wherever they went, the General defending the city's soldiers fell one after another. They cleared out all the General defending the city inside the city gate.
Ma Chao, Pang De, and Sun Ce successfully opened the city gate. With a loud "boom," the heavy city gate slowly opened. Immediately after, Cao Cao's army surged in like a tide, and the shouts of battle instantly echoed through the sky.
Seeing that the city gate had been breached, He Jin instructed Cao Cao and Chunyu Qiong to quickly rush to the other two city gates to rendezvous with Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao.
And Ma Chao, Pang De, and Sun Ce, these three young Generals, like three sharp blades, charged at the very front as vanguards, with an unstoppable momentum, heading towards the direction of the imperial sleeping quarters. Their figures sped across the battlefield, and wherever they went, the enemy forces collapsed.
Their faces were filled with determination and resolve, and their eyes burned with the fire and passion of battle.
Under their leadership, Cao Cao's army's offensive became even fiercer, the enemy forces retreated steadily, and the entire battlefield was filled with the strong smell of blood.