Choose Liu Bei at the start, I am the only one who knows the plot of the Three Kingdoms.

"Ignition! Launch!"

"Buzz—Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The booms of dozens of makeshift catapults suddenly swung up, emitting a dull whistling sound!

Countless bundles of firewood soaked in sticky kerosene, along with large quantities of bundled, dried ghost-weeping grass, like a swarm of locusts startled into flight, swept across the dawn sky with a whooshing sound and crashed heavily into the black sandstone formations!

Almost simultaneously, thousands of archers who had been preparing at the front lines released their bows at the same command!
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!!!"

Thousands of rockets, their arrowheads wrapped in tarpaulins and burning fiercely, shot into every corner of the rock formation like a sudden meteor shower, carrying the aura of death!
In an instant, the entire Black Sand Pass seemed to be set ablaze!
Dry bushes, piles of debris, and even animal hide curtains hanging at the entrances of some caves burst into flames the moment they come into contact with the fire!
Fueled by the increasingly fierce east wind, the fire spread and engulfed the rock formations at an alarming speed! The towering flames completely dispelled the pre-dawn darkness, illuminating the menacing rock formations in a blood-red glow!
Even more deadly were the ghost weeping grasses that were thrown into the fire!

When they burn, they produce a large amount of thick, pungent, yellowish-green smoke that is impossible to disperse!
The smoke has a nauseating, pungent odor and contains trace amounts of neurotoxins. Inhaling it can cause dizziness, difficulty breathing, and watery eyes.
The east wind, carrying this thick smoke, poured relentlessly into every cave, flowing through the crisscrossing ravines and fissures!

"Cough cough cough...!"

"Fire! Run!"

"It's poisonous smoke! Hold your breath! Hold your breath now!"

"my eyes!"

The once desolate Black Sand Pass instantly erupted into chaos!

Screams, violent coughs, desperate curses, painful wails... all sorts of sounds mingled together, emanating from various caves and rock crevices, merging into a chaotic symphony of impending doom!

Many enemies who were originally hiding in well-ventilated areas or caves near the fire were forced out by the raging fire and deadly smoke!

They covered their mouths and noses, tears streaming down their faces, and fled in a panic like headless flies, trying to find a breath of air.

However, what awaited them were the ruthless archers of Gu Rubing's army, who had already drawn their bows and arrows on the outskirts of the rock formation!
"Fire arrows!"

At a single command, a rain of arrows poured forth like locusts!

Those enemies who had just escaped the fire and poisonous smoke had no time to rejoice before they were riddled with arrows, falling screaming as they lay on the edge of the rocky outcrops. Their bodies were quickly engulfed by the spreading flames.

The power of fire attack is beginning to show! The entire Black Sand Pass has been transformed into a burning inferno!

Gu Rubing stood atop the central command platform, his long sword like a banner that would secure the world, pointing with unwavering determination at the black sandstone formation that had been completely engulfed by flames and thick smoke, resembling the entrance to hell!
"assault!"

With his command, the three elite assault teams, which had been poised to strike, shot forth like three deadly arrows.

Led by the three peerless generals Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Ma Chao, they bravely tore through the thick smoke and pounced on the core areas inside the rock formation that had been identified as the enemy's main defensive targets, following the relatively safe path that the scouts had explored with their lives!
The battle entered its most brutal and intense phase the moment the assault team stepped onto the rocky outcrops!

The assault team members had to brave the suffocating, blinding smoke and dodge the occasional bursts of flame as they struggled through a complex environment of jagged rocks and narrow passages.

Their enemies, the remnants of Penglai, were forced out of their hiding caves by the flames and poisonous smoke.

At this moment, most of them were already tearing up, coughing incessantly, and panicking, but driven by their survival instincts and the remaining leaders, they still brandished their weapons and launched a desperate and frantic counterattack like trapped beasts!

"Zhang Yide of Yan is here! Anyone who blocks my way shall die!"

Zhang Fei roared like thunder, completely ignoring the scattered arrows and spells that came his way. His eighteen-foot spear danced like a black whirlwind of destruction!

Under that unparalleled force, any enemy who dared to stand in his way, whether a guard with a shield or a sorcerer trying to chant evil spells, was smashed along with his weapon, breaking bones and flying backwards, carving a bloody path through the chaotic enemy ranks!
Zhao Yun displayed extraordinary agility and precision; even in a narrow cave passage that could only accommodate one person at a time, his gleaming silver spear seemed to come alive!

The spear tips, like cold stars in the night sky, pierced the enemy's throat, eye sockets, and other vital points that armor could not protect against with unparalleled precision. Each strike was efficient and deadly, minimizing casualties and exhaustion for the enemy's own side.

His figure flickered in the smoke and firelight, like a white ghost, and wherever he passed, enemies fell silently to the ground.

Ma Chao chose a more treacherous route. He personally led the most valiant and skilled climbers of Xiliang, using ziplines and gaps in the rock face to scale the steep cliffs like agile monkeys, launching a surprise attack from above that the enemy could not have imagined!
The tiger-headed golden spear falling from above can often instantly break down the enemy's defenses below, disrupt their formation, and create an excellent opportunity for teammates to launch a frontal assault.

Gu Rubing sat in the central command post, his gaze sweeping across the entire battlefield like that of a hawk.

He calmly analyzed the battle situation through the constant reports from returning messengers and lookouts, issuing clear and decisive orders and continuously deploying reserves to fill any defensive gaps that might appear after the assault team opened up a breach.

At the same time, the outer perimeter troops were ordered to continue to strengthen fire suppression to prevent any enemy from moving in from other directions and to ensure that the gains could continue to expand.

The remarkable effectiveness of fire and smoke attacks was fully demonstrated at this moment!

The enemy's defense system was completely disrupted by this double attack from within and from the environment. Effective communication and coordination between various strongholds were lost, and the command system was almost paralyzed.

Many enemy soldiers, before even engaging the assault teams, were rendered mostly incapacitated by the thick smoke or forced off their fortified positions by the fire, becoming easy targets for archers in the open. Under such favorable conditions, the three assault teams advanced with extraordinary speed!
Like three red-hot daggers, they relentlessly cut and tore apart the enemy's chaotic defenses, conquering one after another those cave strongholds that were originally easy to defend but difficult to attack.

The remaining enemies were constantly divided and compressed, until finally, like a flock of sheep being driven, they were all squeezed and surrounded in the very center of the rock formation, in a huge cave that was both the most spacious and the most solid.

That place appeared to be their last command post and the place where they stockpiled their most important supplies.

Desperate and with nowhere else to turn, the remaining enemy launched their final and most frantic desperate counterattack!
Like gamblers who had lost everything, they roared as they surged out of the cave, attempting a final desperate gamble.

However, under the overwhelming force of the enemy forces, and the crushing power of the three fierce generals Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Ma Chao, this counterattack was like a wave crashing against a reef, quickly crushed and annihilated!
As the blazing sun rose directly overhead in the desert, relentlessly baking the earth, the deafening shouts of battle and the clashing of weapons within the Black Sand Pass gradually subsided, leaving only the crackling of burning debris and the occasional faint groans of the wounded.

The battle is basically over.

Of the thousands of remaining enemies from Penglai, most were annihilated in this desperate place they had chosen, except for a few who knelt down and begged for surrender when all hope was lost.

Some of the mid-level leaders who organized the resistance were killed by Zhang Fei's spear in the chaos of battle, some were thrown off a cliff by Zhao Yun, and two others, unwilling to be captured and humiliated, detonated some kind of evil energy item they were carrying deep in the cave, committing suicide and leaving no trace of their bodies.

The long-running and exhausting campaign to clear out the western Liangzhou region finally ended with a complete and decisive victory for Gu Rubing's army!
The last organized force of Penglai entrenched here was uprooted!
Almost at the same time that Gu Rubing achieved a decisive victory at Heisha Pass and began ordering his troops to clear the battlefield and tally the results, a fast horse from the eastern front, foaming at the mouth and covered in sweat, broke through layers of checkpoints and presented him with an extremely urgent battle report!
Gu Rubing quickly unfolded the silk cloth stained with dust and sweat, his gaze sweeping over the contents. His brows first relaxed slightly, then furrowed tightly again.

The battle report detailed the situation on the eastern front.

Guan Yu and Huang Zhong led 30,000 troops to reinforce the east. After receiving the order, they rushed day and night to the eastern border, which was on the verge of collapse.

When they arrived, the situation was already extremely critical!
Sun Jian's army's offensive was like a tsunami, wave after wave, and they had already captured several important border cities. Their fierce military force was heading straight for the eastern hinterland of Liangzhou!
Although the remaining troops fought desperately, they were outnumbered and suffered heavy losses after days of fierce fighting. Their morale had plummeted, and the defensive line was on the verge of collapse and could be completely breached at any moment!
Faced with such a critical situation, Guan Yu demonstrated the courage and decisiveness of a top commander!

He knew that if the troops were allowed to stop and rest at this moment, even for just half a day, it could lead to the collapse of the entire defense line!

He made a decisive decision immediately, disregarding the extreme fatigue of the army after the long march, and without even letting the cavalrymen have a sip of water, he personally led all the cavalry units in the army.

Like a streak of blue lightning, it launched an extremely fierce and merciless attack on the flank of Sun Jian's army, which was frantically besieging an important pass called "Iron Wall Pass"!

"Guan Yu is here! How dare you, you cowards, invade our territory!"

Guan Yu's roar was like a dragon's cry, echoing throughout the battlefield!

He led from the front, his Green Dragon Crescent Blade transforming into a blue halo that tore through the battlefield. Wherever the blade passed, men and horses fell, and he was invincible!
He completely ignored the small groups of enemy troops, his target was crystal clear, and he launched a desperate charge straight towards the core of Sun Jian's army formation, where the commander's flag was flying high!
He actually intends to single-handedly storm the enemy's stronghold, kill the generals, and seize the flag!
Huang Zhong, who arrived shortly after, displayed the composure and strategic vision of a veteran.

He quickly directed the arriving infantry troops to take over and stabilize the already precarious frontal defenses, repelling the counterattack of Sun Jian's main force.

At the same time, he ordered his elite archers to occupy advantageous terrain and cease their sweeping fire. Instead, they were to concentrate their firepower to precisely snipe the officers in command, the messengers carrying orders, and most importantly—

Those flag bearers who hold high the flag and maintain the morale and formation of the troops!

The situation on the eastern front finally took a turn for the better thanks to the timely arrival of Guan Yu and Huang Zhong's fresh troops, and their fierce tactics that combined "fierce tiger pounces on the heart" with "precise point kill"! A major battle concerning the fate of eastern Liangzhou is now being fiercely fought outside the Iron Wall Pass!
Sun Jian's army was launching a full-scale attack on Tiebi Pass. Seeing that this strategic pass was about to fall and victory was in sight, the entire army was filled with arrogance.

They never expected that Gu Rubing's reinforcements would arrive so swiftly, like divine soldiers descending from the sky!

What terrified them even more was that the one who came was not an ordinary general, but the invincible Guan Yu, Guan Yunchang, who had long been famous throughout China and whose name was known throughout the world!

Suddenly attacked on the flank with such fierce and sharp force, Sun Jian's carefully arranged siege formation was thrown into chaos! While the vanguard was still struggling to climb the ladders, the rear guard was already being brutally driven in by a torrent of blue!
The cavalry, personally commanded by Guan Yu, were all elite warriors who had fought countless battles. Now, with the momentum of their long-distance raid and the God of War personally charging into the fray, their force was truly like a red-hot blade cutting into solidified butter!

With iron hooves trampling and blades flashing, Sun Jian's army's flank was torn open almost instantly upon contact, and the fleeing soldiers surged back towards the central army like a flood breaking through a dam!

Guan Yu?!

How could he be here?!

Sun Jian, who was overseeing the battle from the central army, was both shocked and furious when he saw the "Guan" banner fluttering in the wind and the figure under it who was like a blue dragon descending to earth, invincible! He was shocked because Guan Yu's appearance was too sudden, and furious because the other party dared to charge straight into his central army!
"My guards, follow me to meet the enemy! Slay Guan Yu, and Liangzhou will be ours for the taking!"

Sun Jian was also a brave and valiant man; how could he sit idly by and watch his army's formation be broken?
He roared, brandishing his family's heirloom ancient sword, and led his most elite personal guard cavalry, like a burning flame, against the tide of fleeing soldiers, and bravely met the blue lightning bolt!

"clang--!!!!!"

The two commanders-in-chief and their two peerless weapons clashed violently under the watchful eyes of the entire army!

The moment the Green Dragon Crescent Blade clashed with the Ancient Ding Blade, a deafening roar erupted, as if thunder from the heavens had struck the battlefield!

The surging energy spread wildly outwards from the two of them, stirring up clouds of dust!
Guan Yu's phoenix eyes widened in anger, and he unleashed the Azure Dragon Saber Technique, which flowed like the Yangtze River, each strike containing the supreme belief and immense power to slay generals and seize flags!

Sun Jian was not to be outdone. He wielded his ancient sword like the wind, his swordplay fierce and domineering, carrying the fierceness and fearlessness of the Jiangdong tiger. He and Guan Yu fought head-on, attacking each other!
The two men clashed on horseback before the two armies, their swords flashing, creating billowing dust and illuminating the sun and moon! (End of Chapter)