Three Kingdoms Mythology World.

Chapter 2729 Sun Jian's Success and Failure (Part 1)

Although various feudal lords and outsiders contributed some of the allied forces' provisions, the majority of them were secretly provided by certain wealthy gentry and merchants in various prefectures and counties.

Many people supported the Guandong Coalition to overthrow Dong Zhuo because their interests conflicted with those of the court controlled by Dong Zhuo.

The remaining grain in Liu Bei's temporary granary was mostly what he had secretly kept for himself after handing over a portion. If he had truly relied on the allied forces' support, he would have been starving long ago.

Sun Jian, who killed Hu Zhen and defeated his army, made such a great contribution to the allied forces, yet he still had such difficulty obtaining the prescribed amount of grain. One can imagine how shameless Yuan Shu was.

On the surface, Hu Zhen was considered dead, both by the allied forces and by Dong Zhuo's army.

Sun Jian knew that Lin Mu had captured Hu Zhen, and later inquired about the situation privately, discussing Hu Zhen with Lin Mu. Lin Mu promised to credit Hu Zhen's head to Sun Jian's record of merit, while Hu Zhen... wouldn't come forward to testify.

Both sides tacitly acknowledged that Hu Zhen died at the hands of Sun Jian's army.

While Xu Rong was attacking Liu Bei's camp, a battle was also taking place at Hulao Pass.

"Hua Xiong, come down here and die at once!!!" Sun Jian, holding the Ancient Divine Blade, gazed at the majestic pass and shouted.

Its sound echoed in the sky like thunder, and could be heard throughout the entire Hulao Pass.

Hua Xiong and the others, who were drinking, roared and wanted to finish off Sun Jian when they heard Sun Jian's challenge.

This man killed Hu Zhen, a capital offense that cannot be forgiven.

"I'll drink this cup first, then I'll kill him!" Hua Xiong tilted his head back and drank the wine, then grabbed his weapon, his face full of murderous intent.

"Let's go!" Hua Xiong led his men up the city wall.

Hulao Pass, also known as Sishui Pass, Chenggao Pass, and Ancient Xiao Pass, is the eastern gateway to Luoyang and an important pass. It was the core fortress that blocked the Guandong Coalition, so the defenses here against Dong Zhuo were very well done.

The garrison alone numbers five million here!
That's right, it's five million ordinary soldiers guarding the area!
In addition, the Xiliang army, commanded by generals such as Hua Xiong, brought the defensive strength inside Hulao Pass to its peak.

There were only 100,000 elite Xiliang troops on the city wall, and no more. The other Xiliang soldiers had actually already secretly left the city and scattered around to deal with the allied forces, hold them back, and wear them down.

For example, Xu Rong went the furthest south, directly to attack Liu Bei.

Beneath the wall, Sun Jian, leading his four fierce generals, clamored outside the moat of Hulao Pass, wanting to duel with the generals!
Sun Jian directly challenged Hua Xiong to come down and fight him. The strategy was to capture the leader first, so by killing Hua Xiong, the city would be leaderless and a strong attack could be launched.

"My lord, there are at least a million troops defending Hulao Pass, and there are also reserves among them. A direct assault is basically impossible!" Cheng Pu reported to Sun Jian in a low voice.

"That scoundrel Dong Zhuo has built this place like an iron fortress, how despicable!" Huang Gai gripped his weapon tightly and said angrily.

Upon hearing this, Sun Jian remained silent, instead gazing intently at the magnificent pass, seemingly lost in thought...

"Is Sun Jian, like a sick tiger, biting wildly? Is he having another episode?" Hua Xiong's voice came at this moment.

“You cowards only dare to shout on the city wall, do you dare to come down and fight?” Sun Jian shouted.

Hua Xiong originally wanted to go down and fight Sun Jian for 30,000 rounds, but considering the emptiness of the city's high-ranking generals and Xiliang cavalry, he held back.

"All you do is talk. You call yourself the Tiger of Jiangdong, huh? Fierce indeed! Lead your army to attack the city directly! Don't you dare!" Although Hua Xiong wasn't good at arguing, he could still say a few words occasionally.

"If you can climb over the wall, I will fight you to the death!" Hua Xiong retorted sarcastically.

"Haha...Good! Good! Good! You wait, once I'm on the top of the wall, let's see if you're still so full of vigor!" Sun Jian suddenly laughed, speaking with a profound meaning.

"Retreat!!" Immediately, he led the four generals away from the foot of the city wall and back to the camp.

Upon hearing Sun Jian's words, Hua Xiong, perched atop the wall, revealed a sinister smile, saying in a chilling tone, "Just waiting for you..."

……

Upon returning to camp, Sun Jian immediately ordered his soldiers to rest, and they were to assemble again late at night, three hours later.

"My lord, shall we launch a night raid tonight?" Zu Mao asked in a deep voice.

“That’s right…” Sun Jian said with confidence.

"My son Ce'er has already entered the city!" Sun Jian dropped a bombshell.

"What?!?!" Cheng Puzuo and the others were shocked upon hearing this.

Wasn't Sun Ce leading 300,000 troops to patrol the surrounding area to prevent Dong Zhuo's army from sneaking around and attacking? How did it become like this in Sun Jian's words?

“We actually have people inside the city. Ce’er went in as an inside agent. Tonight, the third side gate on the right will open!” Sun Jian finally revealed the whole plan.

Afterwards, the group began discussing the details of tonight's night raid...

It was late at night, dark and windy, the perfect time to attack the city.

Sun Jian led a large army to lie in ambush near Hulao Pass, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

They approached cautiously, trying not to make a sound so as not to be noticed by the guards on the city wall. The faint moonlight shone on them, as if they were draped in a layer of dark gray armor. When they were close enough, Sun Jian stopped, his eyes fixed firmly on Hulao Pass, waiting for the signal to open the third side gate on the right.

On the city wall, only the sounds of snoring and the crackling of firewood echoed...

At this moment, several figures quietly appeared among the ordinary soldiers guarding Hulao Pass inside the city. The one leading them was none other than Sun Ce.

He led ten Heavenly Rank Martial Generals, quietly approaching their destination with the help of an inside agent. They were incredibly powerful, their auras were extremely well concealed, and they moved with agility, avoiding many patrolling soldiers along the way.

They were well aware of their mission: once the side gate opened, Sun Jian outside the city would lead his elite troops in to help them hold the line and catch Dong Zhuo's army off guard.

If we can hold out, we can lure all the troops into the city and begin a full-scale attack on Hulao Pass.

If they can capture Hulao Pass, Lord Sun Jian will achieve tremendous merit, and they will also be able to share in the glory and wealth.

Soon, Sun Ce arrived at the side gate passage. At his command, the group quickly rushed towards the soldiers guarding the passage.

They acted very quickly, and the dozens of guards in front of the passageway were taken down silently.

They then crawled into the tunnel and began the massacre.

Meanwhile, the spies from the inside rushed in and took care of the nearby patrol soldiers as well.

Afterwards, some went into the tunnel to help, while others began to set up defensive measures.

Outside the city, Sun Jian and his men, who had been waiting for a while, finally heard a faint clanging sound. It was the sound of their inside agent opening the city gates according to plan. Upon hearing the noise, Sun Jian was overjoyed and immediately ordered, "Charge!"

In an instant, the elite troops surged towards the side gate like a tidal wave. The defenders on the city wall still did not notice anything unusual.

Upon arriving at the moat, Sun Jian took out a talisman from his robes and tossed it lightly. A strange energy bridge appeared on the surging surface of the moat.

Sun Jian immediately waved his hand, and several thousand elite troops easily crossed the moat.

When they arrived at the city gate, the massive five-zhang-high gate was already half open!
"Enemy attack!!" At that moment, a whistling sound rang out. The defenders on the city wall immediately cried out in panic.

Hearing the commotion, Hua Xiong reacted quickly; he hadn't expected Sun Jian to actually dare to launch a night attack. He organized his soldiers to resist while rushing towards the side gate.

Sun Jian was the first to rush into the city gate and quickly crossed the passageway.

Inside the passageway, Sun Ce and his men were still slaughtering the defending troops.

There were at least five thousand guards in the entire passageway, and they could not kill them all in one go.

After some time, Sun Jian and his men finally rushed into the tunnel and entered the city.

Seeing the city buildings bathed in moonlight, Sun Jian was extremely excited and actually went inside!
"Kill!!!" At this moment, a roar came from the street not far away, and countless guards emerged.

Sun Jian snorted coldly, dragging the Ancient Divine Blade, and charged ahead, a tiger's roar echoing throughout the city.

Soon, he was engaged in close combat with the enemy. Blades flashed, and wherever they struck, enemy soldiers fell to the ground. His four fierce generals followed closely behind, each displaying their strength to protect Sun Jian. The five of them were like a sharp dagger, viciously piercing the enemy's heart.

"Fire arrows! Fire arrows!!!" At this moment, shouts came from the city wall.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!" Then, a torrent of arrows burst forth, blasting towards the Sun Jian army that was charging up from behind.

After dealing with the soldiers in the passageway, Sun Ce officially captured the city gate. Instead of returning to fight alongside his father, Sun Jian, he headed out of the city to meet the rest of the army.

"Boom!~~~" At this moment, a huge roar resounded, and streaks of fire shot into the sky and exploded below the city wall.

The defending soldiers used powerful defensive weapons to kill many of Sun Jian's troops.

However, Sun Jian's vanguard, seasoned veterans, continued their charge despite casualties, and soon several elite units swiftly used the energy bridge to enter the city gate.

Meanwhile, the defenders on the city walls frantically threw logs, stones, oil, and other defensive supplies toward the city gate.

But Sun Ce was at the city gate, waving his weapon, and terrifying beams of energy shot into the sky, scattering the city's supplies and protecting his troops.

Soon, more and more of Sun Jian's army poured into the city, and the area they captured became increasingly larger.

However, the battle had been going on for some time, but Hua Xiong and the others had not yet appeared... This made Sun Jian and the others somewhat puzzled and alarmed.

At a normal pace, Hua Xiong should have appeared by now! Unless he went back to the city lord's mansion to rest... it would take him quite a while to get to the city gate.

"My lord, two hundred thousand elite troops have already entered, and with the two hundred thousand inside helpers, we can attack the city walls!" Cheng Pu reported.

"Attack the city walls!!!" Sun Jian immediately gave the order upon hearing the report.

Afterwards, the 400,000-strong army was divided into four groups: two groups guarded the city walls, and two groups attacked the city walls along two sets of stairs.

Attacking the city walls from inside the city is much easier than attacking from outside, since there are readily available 'ladders' such as steps.

(End of this chapter)