Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

Meanwhile, on the Liaodong border.

Jixu, riding on his horse, thought to himself: "The Xianbei are leading the charge, and we'll follow behind and pick up the spoils—grain, ironware, cloth... When we get back, my brother will surely reward us handsomely!"

Then he saw the Han army.

It wasn't a small force, but a main force of 24,000 men—all fully armored, with spears like a forest and crossbows like clouds.

"All troops, attack!" Xue Rengui gave the order, not even bothering with tactics—with overwhelming strength, what need was there for tactics?

"kill!!!"

Guan Yu's Loyal and Brave Battalion and Zhang Fei's Breaking Battalion led the charge; both battalions were composed of the most formidable warriors.

Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade was as easy to wield as cutting grass; Zhang Fei's Eighteen-Foot Serpent Spear could pierce through the heart with a single thrust.

Qin Qiong's Xuanjia Iron Cavalry and Cheng Yaojin's Mo Dao Battalion flanked them.

The Xuanjia Iron Cavalry were invincible in charging into battle, and the Mo Dao Battalion was the nemesis of infantry—that Mo Dao could cleave a man and his horse in two with a single strike.

Huang Zhong's elite archers provided long-range suppression, Gao Shun's elite battalion launched an assault, and Qu Yi's vanguard battalion pushed forward across the entire front.

The Goguryeo people were dumbfounded.

Didn't they say that the Han army had just finished fighting the Wuhuan and suffered heavy losses?

This is a fucking devastating loss!

Jixu tried to organize a resistance, but Huang Zhong shot an arrow that pierced through his helmet, splattering his brains.

With their commander dead, the Goguryeo army collapsed instantly.

With 24,000 against 20,000, and elite troops against ragtag soldiers, the outcome was a foregone conclusion.

A complete rout, a one-sided rout.

After the battle, the results were tallied: 12,000 enemy soldiers were killed, 5,000 were captured, and the rest fled.

Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai came over, the two rascals' eyes darting around.

"Rengui," Guo Jia said with a smile, "this should be all the main forces of Goguryeo. Their king dares to collude with the Xianbei, shouldn't we... show some support?"

Xi Zhicai chimed in, "Since we're already here, it would be a shame not to visit the Goguryeo capital. As the saying goes, 'It is impolite not to reciprocate.'"

Xue Rengui laughed and said, "That suits me perfectly. Let the entire army rest for a day, and we'll march on Goguryeo tomorrow!"

...

Meanwhile, at Yanmen Pass in Bingzhou

Zhang Liao stood on the city wall, looking at the smoke and dust in the distance, his brows furrowed.

Rilu, Yanliyou, Qianman, and Kebineng are leading 40,000 Xianbei cavalrymen, who are making a ruckus outside the pass.

This group knew that the Han people had passes, and that a direct assault would result in heavy losses, so they were looking for other solutions.

Unfortunately, they encountered Zhang Liao.

Zhang Liao's military strategy can be summed up in one word: stability. If you attack, I defend; if you try to outflank me, I harass you; if you want to attack my logistics, I've already hidden the supplies.

When the Xianbei people tried to bypass Yanmen Pass, Zhang Liao sent small groups of cavalry to launch a surprise attack—he wouldn't fight them head-on, he just wanted to annoy them.

The Xianbei turned back to fight, but Zhang Liao retreated back into the city.

After a few exchanges, the Xianbei people grew angry and began to hurl insults at each other outside the pass:

"You traitors! Come out and fight if you dare!"

"A cowardly turtle!"

......

Zhang Liao picked at his ear on the city wall and said to Yan Liang beside him, "How long have they been cursing?"

"It's been half an hour."

"Oh," Zhang Liao nodded and said, "Tell the brothers to eat when it's time to eat and sleep when it's time to sleep. Let them curse all they want; they won't be able to knock down a single brick."

Yan Liang grinned and said, "Wen Yuan, that's a pretty cunning trick of yours."

"War is war," Zhang Liao said calmly, "as long as we win, who cares about the losses?"

...

A few Xianbei soldiers who managed to escape ran to the Xianbei camp crying and begging for their parents.

"My lord! Something terrible has happened! Our stronghold has been wiped out by Liu Ce! Our family members and elders have all been killed! Not a single one has been spared!"

These words struck like a bolt from the blue.

Kui Tou was stunned, Fu Luo Han was stunned, Bu Du Gen was stunned, Mi Jia, Que Ji, Su Li, Ke Zui, Que Ju, Murong... they were all stunned.

Their home was gone, their loved ones were dead, and the core of the tribe was wiped out.

"What???" Kui Tou's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "What did you say? Say it again!"

The surviving soldiers cried out, "Liu Ce... Liu Ce led several thousand cavalry and wiped out the Eastern Xianbei, the Central Xianbei, the Kebineng tribe, and... even the royal court! They killed their families and elders! They built a mound of corpses and displayed graffiti..."

"Pfft!" Kui Tou spat out a mouthful of blood, roaring to the sky, "Liu Ce!!! I swear I will never forgive you!!!"

Fuluohan, Budugen, Miga... have also gone mad.

If our homeland is gone and our core clan members are gone, what's the point of robbing more things?

"Revenge! Revenge!" the leader roared, drawing his sword. "All troops, assemble! Charge back! An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, blood for blood!"

More than 20,000 Xianbei cavalrymen, their eyes bloodshot, gathered and charged toward Xu Da's position like mad dogs.

Xu Da, Jia Xu, and Cheng Yu watched from above and laughed.

"My lord has succeeded," Xu Da said with a smile.

Jia Xu said slowly, "The morale of the army is in chaos; today is the day to defeat the enemy."

Cheng Yu nodded and said, "Leave none alive."

Xu Da immediately ordered: "All troops, prepare for defense! Prepare to engage the enemy!"

At that moment, a cloud of dust rose from behind the Xianbei army.

A large flag bearing the character "Liu" appeared on the horizon.

Liu Ce has arrived.

Kui Tou and his men were charging forward with bloodshot eyes when they suddenly noticed enemy troops behind them. They turned around and saw…

The large black banner with the character "Liu" in gold fluttered in the wind.

"Liu Ce!!!" The leader's eyes widened in fury. "Turn around! Kill Liu Ce first!!!"

Enemies meeting are bound to be extremely hostile.

More than 20,000 Xianbei cavalry turned their horses around and pounced on Liu Ce's 3,800 cavalry like mad dogs.

Liu Ce smiled.

He gripped the Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd, rode his black horse, and took the lead in meeting the enemy.

Behind them, Dian Wei, Xu Chu, Luo Cheng, and Taishi Ci stood like four killing gods, the Eighteen Riders of Yanyun were like ghosts, and the Longxiang Camp and Jingsai Iron Cavalry were like moving city walls.

"kill!!!"

The two torrents collided.

Liu Ce's goal was clear—to become the champion.

The black horse was as fast as lightning, and in the blink of an eye it rushed in front of the leader.

With bloodshot eyes, Kui Tou swung his knife and began to slash.

"when!"

The halberds clashed, sparks flying everywhere.

Kui Tou's arm went numb, and he was horrified—Liu Ce was incredibly strong!

But he had gone mad, and regardless of everything, he continued his relentless attack.

Liu Ce, however, was in complete control. His martial prowess, modeled after Xiang Yu, made him nearly invincible in this era, not to mention the Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd in his hand and the black gold armor he wore.

Three rounds.

In the first round, Liu Ce broke Kui Tou's sword.

In the second round, the halberd tip slashed across the leader's chest, shattering his armor and causing blood to gush out.

In the third round, the Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd, like a poisonous dragon emerging from its cave, thrust straight at the leader's throat.

"Pfft..."

The halberd tip pierced through the neck.

Kui Tou stared wide-eyed at the halberd shaft on his chest in disbelief, opened his mouth but no sound came out.

Liu Ce drew his halberd, and the corpse fell from his horse.

"Big brother!!!" Fu Luohan and Budugen rushed forward with mournful cries.

Liu Ce didn't even look, and with a backhand slash, he swept away Fu Luohan's broadsword, then thrust it through Fu Luohan's heart.

Budugen tried to run, but Dian Wei caught up with him, cleaved him into three pieces with both halberds.

In just a few exchanges, the three Xianbei brothers were all wiped out.