Guan Yu rode at the front, followed by thousands of soldiers arranged in a formation. The army crossed a small hill and arrived at a bandit stronghold that looked like a small fortress.
Before Guan Yu could challenge them, the gate slowly opened, and a single rider charged out. Guan Yu squinted at the figure, snorting disdainfully.
"Bandit leader! A few days ago, you took advantage of my carelessness to capture the city, and now you dare to challenge my stronghold. Do you really think Wu Dun is afraid of you?"
The rider was none other than Wu Dun, the second-in-command. They had already faced each other in Taishan Prefecture. Recognizing Guan Yu's distinctive face, Wu Dun felt a twinge of fear.
Guan Yu, not inclined to waste words, pointed his blade at Wu Dun and declared, "You scoundrel, you've harmed countless innocent people these past few days. Today, I will eradicate your vile gang and burn this wretched mountain to the ground!"
"Hmph, bold words. That day I underestimated you. Dare you fight me for three hundred rounds today?" Wu Dun retorted, raising his steel ring blade defiantly.
"Three hundred rounds? Hahaha!" Guan Yu and his soldiers laughed. "If you can withstand three moves from me, I'll dismount and let you take me prisoner!"
"Arrogant! Prepare to die!" Furious, Wu Dun charged at Guan Yu, brandishing his blade.
Guan Yu steadied himself, holding his blade in one hand as he spurred his horse forward. Wu Dun launched a broad and powerful attack, aiming for Guan Yu's head. Guan Yu dodged the first two strikes effortlessly.
Confident in his strength, Wu Dun thought Guan Yu was no match for him. But to Guan Yu, Wu Dun's moves were full of openings. Counting the second strike, Guan Yu's eyes turned sharp.
Seeing the sudden change in Guan Yu's expression, Wu Dun's heart skipped a beat, and his horse neighed nervously.
"Two moves passed, now face this!" Finishing his warm-up, Guan Yu suddenly became a blur of motion.
Charging at Wu Dun, Guan Yu's right hand swung the blade upward while his left hand added force, delivering a powerful downward slash.
Wu Dun instinctively raised his blade to block, but with a loud clash, his weapon shattered into pieces.
The fragments, driven by the immense force, pierced Wu Dun, who screamed in pain and instinctively turned to flee back to the stronghold.
"Where do you think you're going?" Guan Yu shouted, raising his blade for another strike. Desperate, Wu Dun flung a hidden dagger from his sleeve at Guan Yu.
Guan Yu dodged the dagger, giving Wu Dun the chance to escape into the stronghold.
"Don't let the gate close! Follow me in!" Guan Yu commanded. His soldiers, ready to attack, charged into the stronghold with him just as the gates were about to close.
As Guan Yu's troops streamed into the stronghold, the heavy wooden gates slammed shut. Realizing the danger, Guan Yu turned to find bandits on the walls, bows drawn and aimed at them.
"Hahaha! You bandit leader, even with wings, you won't escape my stronghold today!" Wu Dun taunted from the wall, grinning triumphantly.
"You treacherous fiend! I swear to kill you!" Guan Yu shouted back, but it was in vain. The rear gate of the stronghold opened, and the chief, Chang Xi, arrived with more bandits.
"Hahaha! Your defeat is certain. Surrender now, and I might spare your lives. Delay, and you'll all die here!" Chang Xi sneered, arms crossed as he watched Guan Yu's men struggle.
Guan Yu stroked his long beard, ready to die fighting. His lieutenant, seeing his resolve, quickly whispered, "General, the defense at the entrance gate seemed weak. Why not lead our men to break through there, regroup, and return to crush these bandits?"
Hearing this, Guan Yu glanced at the gate and saw fewer guards there.
Nodding, Guan Yu whispered, "I am not afraid to die, but I cannot let my men perish needlessly. Split the troops into two groups. Follow me to break through and then we can plan our counterattack."
With that, Guan Yu raised his blade and shouted, "Follow me to break through!" His soldiers echoed his cry, their morale shaking the overconfident bandits.
"Damn it, they're courting death! Shoot them!" Chang Xi ordered. Arrows rained down from the walls, killing and wounding many of Guan Yu's men.
Guan Yu, protected by his bodyguards, fought fiercely, cutting a bloody path but losing momentum. His lieutenant and guards were shot dead, and Guan Yu himself was injured.
Guan Yu's plan was to distract the bandits with one group while leading another to break through the gate. Wu Dun, watching from above, saw through his strategy.
"Bearded fool, you think I'll let you escape!" Wu Dun sneered. As the gate opened, Guan Yu's soldiers, thinking they saw hope, turned pale with despair.
As the gate opened, another band of bandits awaited outside, led by the fierce and bloodthirsty Sun Guan, the fourth-in-command.
The men opening the gate didn't have time to react before Sun Guan, charging in alone, began slaughtering Guan Yu's troops, forcing them into a retreat and abandoning their plan to break through.
"General Guan! Bad news! The bandits have an ambush at the gate too; we're trapped!" A heavily wounded soldier staggered to Guan Yu, delivering the dire news.
Guan Yu was shocked, seeing his men fall in pools of blood while the bandit leaders reveled in their victory.
"I should have heeded the Advisor's warning. Today's defeat is due to my arrogance. Only my death can atone for the fallen brothers' spirits!"
Guan Yu declared solemnly, preparing to draw his sword and end his life. His men, moved by his words, readied their weapons to follow him in death.
"Hahaha!" The bandit leaders laughed, but their glee turned to horror as a blazing light erupted in the distance.
"Report!" A dirty, disheveled bandit rushed to Chang Xi, crying, "Chief! The main camp is on fire! We don't have enough men to control it, and the flames are spreading to the main warehouse!"
"What?!" Chang Xi's face turned ashen. As flaming arrows rained down on the camp, setting the dry wooden structures ablaze, the battlefield turned into a hellish inferno.
Enraged, Chang Xi barked, "Second Brother, control the fire here. I'll take men to extinguish the blaze in the main camp!"
"Understood, Big Brother!" Wu Dun, heavily wounded, reluctantly turned to tackle the spreading fire.
With the bandits preoccupied, no one paid attention to Guan Yu and his few remaining men. Just as Guan Yu was about to commit suicide, a figure emerged from the flames.
"General Guan, are you unharmed?" It was one of Wei You's close aides. Guan Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
"Follow me out of the stronghold. The Advisor awaits with reinforcements outside," the aide said.
"Thank you for saving us!" Grateful, Guan Yu and his men seized the opportunity to escape through the chaos of the burning stronghold.
Outside, Sun Guan's troops were engaged in fierce combat with another force. The blazing inferno forced Sun Guan to order a retreat to save the camp, inadvertently allowing Guan Yu and his men to slip past unnoticed.
Guan Yu emerged from the fire to see a scholarly figure wielding a sword, cutting through bandits with ease. It was Wei You!
"General Guan, are you safe?" Wei You, bloodied but smiling, looked nothing like the frail scholar he appeared to be.
Guan Yu, ashamed, clasped his hands in thanks. "I acted rashly and caused this disaster. Your intervention has saved us; I am deeply grateful!"
"No need for thanks," Wei You sheathed his sword. "We must hurry down the mountain before the bandits regroup."
Nodding, Guan Yu and Wei You led their remaining forces down the mountain under the cover of darkness. That night, Taishan's surroundings were lit by towering flames, which only began to subside at dawn.
In the stronghold's hall the next day, Chang Xi and Wu Dun sat fuming. Wu Dun, heavily bandaged, looked like a mummy, while Chang Xi's singed hair gave him a miserable appearance.
Sun Guan, barely containing his laughter at their plight, entered the hall.
"Fourth Brother! You still have the nerve to laugh!" Chang Xi roared, slamming the table. "You were in charge of the ambush outside the stronghold. How did so many troops sneak up the mountain without you knowing?"
Sun Guan, taken aback, retorted, "Big Brother, you must have lost your mind in last night's fire. You and Second Brother failed to handle the troops in the camp, causing my men to die and get injured. And now you blame me!"
"If you ask me, it's Second Brother's fault for lacking skill. Last night, I saw clearly that the bandit leader would have killed you if he hadn't used underhanded tricks!" Sun Guan shifted the blame to Wu Dun, who could only groan in frustration.
"Enough!" Chang Xi shouted. "At least we saved the main camp's supplies. These soldiers are cunning. They set a trap but let them escape; we'll have a harder time dealing with them next."
"Hmph, what's so difficult about that?" Sun Guan sneered. "The troops are exhausted. Tonight, I'll lead my men down the mountain and kill the bandit leader. Let me take the county seat and live comfortably for a few days!"
"Hmph…" Chang Xi's smile was thin and strained. "Fourth Brother, if you retake the county, you can have the leader's seat when I die."
"Alright! You said it!" Sun Guan took it as a joke, waved it off, and left to prepare.
As soon as he was gone, Chang Xi and Wu Dun exchanged knowing glances.