Chapter 147: The Fall of Sishui Pass

Hua Xiong immediately led his five thousand elite cavalry back to Hanshui Pass and allowed Huang Zhong's two-thousand-strong vanguard camp to enter the city. Through a coordinated inside-and-outside attack, they directly captured Hanshui Pass. Unfortunately, Li Su had received word early on and managed to escape. Of the fifty thousand cavalry stationed within Hanshui Pass, thirty thousand had fled with Li Su, but under Hua Xiong's persuasion, the remaining fifteen thousand soldiers willingly defected to Liu Yao and joined his ranks.

Meanwhile, while the various warlords were wining and dining, a messenger burst into the tent. "Reporting to the Alliance Leader, General Huang has defeated Hua Xiong!"

"What?! Hua Xiong has been defeated?" Yuan Shao cried out in absolute shock. The assembled warlords stared at the messenger in disbelief. Only Liu Yao, Cao Su, and Sun Jian wore expressions of knowing it all along.

"Let me ask you, where is Hansheng now? Is he heading this way with Hua Xiong's head?" Liu Yao asked with a smile. From his perspective, since Hua Xiong had failed, he must have fallen by Huang Zhong's blade.

Naturally, the messenger was well aware of Liu Yao's identity and hurriedly replied, "Reporting to the Grand General, after General Huang defeated Hua Xiong, he persuaded him to surrender. By now, the two of them have likely joined forces to capture Hanshui Pass."

"Puff!" Liu Yao instantly spat out the mouthful of wine he had just swallowed, bitterly chuckling to himself. "Hansheng, oh Hansheng, had I known you could persuade Hua Xiong to surrender, why would I have accepted that quest? Now look, twenty lucky draws are going to be deducted all at once." Liu Yao had originally intended for Huang Zhong to slay Hua Xiong, but instead, not only had they captured Hanshui Pass outright, but they had also acquired a fierce general like Hua Xiong as a bonus.

"Ancient System, abandon Quest Three," Liu Yao muttered through clenched teeth. Though he lost twenty opportunities for the lucky draw, trading them for a top-tier general like Hua Xiong was hardly a loss. After all, lucky draw chances could always be earned back, but formidable generals like Hua Xiong were truly rare—lose one, and there was one less in the world.

"Ding! Host has abandoned Quest Three: Slay Hua Xiong. Ten times two lucky draw opportunities have been deducted. The host currently has thirty-two lucky draw opportunities remaining," the cold voice of the system echoed in his mind.

Hearing that twenty lucky draw chances had been docked, Liu Yao felt a sharp pang of regret in his heart, but what could he do? He could only laugh it off and say no more.

The surrounding warlords looked at Liu Yao's expression, shifting rapidly from sorrow to joy, completely baffled. Instead, Yuan Shao took small steps toward the messenger and roared in disbelief, "Did you say that Hua Xiong surrendered, and together with Huang Zhong, they captured Hanshui Pass?"

The messenger looked stammeringly at the furious Yuan Shao and replied, "Reporting to the Alliance Leader, this is the news sent by General Huang. It should be correct."

"Alliance Leader, the capture of Hanshui Pass is a joyous occasion. We should celebrate properly; why lose your composure like this?" Handu, the Inspector of Jizhou, looked at Yuan Shao in bewilderment.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao awkwardly stammered, "Indeed, our alliance's great victory calls for a grand celebration. We must also thank the Grand General for rendering such a monumental service to our coalition." Yuan Shao could hardly admit that he was throwing a tantrum simply because he was vexed to see Liu Yao claim the glory.

Liu Yao stood up and casually remarked, "I am not a member of the alliance, so there is no need to record this grand achievement for me."

Liu Yao then glanced around at the gathered warlords. "Gentlemen, Hanshui Pass has fallen. We should set off for Hanshui Pass immediately to discuss our next steps."

"The Grand General speaks wisely," Sun Jian and Cao Su were the first to step forward and voice their agreement, which the other warlords quickly seconded.

Consequently, the various factions returned to their respective camps to reorganize their troops and march on Hanshui Pass, leaving Yuan Shao standing there alone with a darkened face. It was blatantly obvious that he was displeased because Liu Yao had stolen his thunder.

Inside Hanshui Pass, Huang Zhong and Hua Xiong had taken complete control of the fortress, quietly awaiting the arrival of Liu Yao and the others.

About two hours later, the armies of all the warlords arrived before Hanshui Pass. Huang Zhong immediately ordered the city gates opened to admit the allied forces, while he and Hua Xiong waited inside for Liu Yao's arrival.

Inside the headquarters of Hanshui Pass, Liu Yao and the various warlords marched straight toward the main tent.

As soon as Huang Zhong saw Liu Yao approach, he hurriedly stepped forward and saluted, "Zhong greets my lord."

Meanwhile, watching Huang Zhong's actions, Hua Xiong realized that this leading young man must be Liu Yao. He quickly stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and saluted, "Guilty general Hua Xiong greets my lord."

"Rise. Since you were willing to abandon the dark and turn to the light by joining my Youzhou forces, and furthermore captured Hanshui Pass, your merits shall offset your past faults," Liu Yao said with a smile.

"Hua Xiong, you scoundrel, prepare to meet your maker!" At that exact moment, a thunderous roar echoed through the tent, followed by a six-foot-long saber cleaving straight toward Hua Xiong's head. Hua Xiong had never expected anyone to make a move against him in such a setting and was utterly caught off guard, completely too slow to react.

Sensing imminent danger, Huang Zhong did not hesitate. He swung his Dragon Sparrow saber horizontally, placing himself squarely before Hua Xiong to block the fatal blow. No matter what, Hua Xiong had already joined Liu Yao's command and was now considered part of the Youzhou forces; if Hua Xiong was to be punished, it should be at Liu Yao's discretion, not by the hand of an outsider.

The attacker was none other than Sun Jian. His sworn brother, Zu Mao, had been slain by Hua Xiong. The moment he laid eyes on the murderer, Sun Jian lost all self-control and lashed out at Hua Xiong regardless of the occasion.

"Wentai, stop!" Liu Yao shouted urgently, though internally he was cursing up a storm. He had traded twenty lucky draw chances for Hua Xiong; if the man were to be killed by Sun Jian right here and now, Liu Yao would die of grief.

Only then did Sun Jian snap back to reality and realize what kind of situation he was in. He quickly stepped forward, cupped his fists toward Liu Yao, and said, "Grand General, this villain murdered my sworn brother. I implore the Grand General to hand him over to me for punishment, and Wentai will surely repay this kindness in the future."

Hearing this, Liu Yao sneered inwardly. No matter what, Hua Xiong was now a member of his faction; if he were to simply hand him over so casually, what authority would he, Liu Yao, have left in the future? As for future repayment, that was nothing more than empty rhetoric, which Liu Yao had no intention of believing.

"Wentai, Hua Xiong has just rendered a tremendous service. Furthermore, in warfare, each serves their own master, and casualties are inevitable. I am willing to compensate you for Hua Xiong's offense with one thousand top-quality Dawan horses. What say you, Wentai?" Liu Yao said with a smile.

"This..." Sun Jian hesitated. After all, Zu Mao was already dead, and killing Hua Xiong would bring him back. Moreover, Liu Yao's words were entirely reasonable—on the battlefield, each served their own sovereign, and one's life and death were determined by fate, leaving no room for harboring grudges against others.

Most importantly, however, were those one thousand fine steeds. While warhorses weren't excessively expensive in the north, costing around ten thousand coins each, once transported south to Jingzhou or Yangzhou, their value would easily triple or quadruple. Furthermore, the warhorses Liu Yao offered were undoubtedly of the absolute highest grade, as evidenced by the two thousand elite cavalry Liu Yao currently commanded. Sun Jian was genuinely tempted to agree, but due to sheer pride, the words caught in his throat.

Aware of the delicate situation, Hua Xiong quickly offered his apologies to Sun Jian, saying, "General Sun, it was my fault previously that caused the death of General Zu. I beg General Sun for your forgiveness."

As the saying goes, one does not strike a smiling face. Hua Xiong's apology provided Sun Jian with a much-needed graceful exit. With a sullen wave of his hand and an angry snort, Sun Jian stepped aside and fell silent, which naturally constituted tacit consent.

Seeing this, Liu Yao smiled and said, "The horses will be delivered to Wentai shortly. Gentlemen, my army has suffered no small fatigue and requires proper reorganization, so I shall take my leave." With that, he led Huang Zhong, Hua Xiong, and the others out of the tent. Rather than staying behind to drink with these warlords, he would much rather return to his own tent and play a game of chess with Guo Jia.

Besides, Liu Yao knew full well that once Hanshui Pass was broken, the next target would be Hulao Pass, where Lü Bu awaited. Liu Yao was eager to witness the demeanor of the greatest warrior in the Three Kingdoms. Moreover, he couldn't keep doing all the work himself; it was only right to let these warlords taste some defeat to teach them a lesson.

After Liu Yao's departure, the remaining warlords stared at each other in blank dismay, at a loss for words. They hadn't noticed any damage or losses among Liu Yao's forces whatsoever. It was glaringly obvious that Liu Yao's message was clear: he had done his part, and the rest was up to them.

Liu Yao's departure suited Yuan Shao's wishes perfectly. Without Liu Yao around to steal the spotlight, no one would overshadow him. He promptly declared, "The Grand General has already secured the first merit; the upcoming battle at Hulao Pass naturally falls to our coalition. Gentlemen, please take your seats quickly so we may deliberate."

"Splendid, splendid!" Prompted by Yuan Shao, the warlords echoed their agreement, and the festive atmosphere within the main tent resumed, though whether they were discussing serious matters or merely indulging in revelry remained entirely unclear.