Han Dynasty Achievements

Chapter 331 Sun Ce vs. Hua Xiong

Chapter 331 Sun Ce vs. Hua Xiong

The next morning, Cao Cao took Liu Bei and Sun Ce and headed straight back to Xiaguan.

Cao Cao did not hide any more. His 40,000-strong army gathered together in an orderly formation and marched in the front.

Liu Bei and Sun Ce served as the left and right wings, following on both sides. The two of them had less than 30,000 troops together, and their formation seemed quite disorganized and tired compared to Cao's army.

Less than two hours later, a spy came to report, "General, the Dong army has withdrawn from Xiaguan, and it is now empty."

Cao Cao had no expression on his face and said, "Let's explore again."

"Yes." The scout responded, jumped on his horse again, and galloped away.

Liu Bei and Sun Ce followed from behind. Liu Bei asked, "General Cao, do you want to rest?"

Cao Cao looked ahead and said, "It's only been two hours. Let's continue marching."

Liu Bei looked back at his army and sighed inwardly.

Sun Ce responded and turned back to pass on the order.

Cheng Pu followed Sun Ce and whispered, "My Lord, this General Cao seems to be certain of something."

Sun Ce looked determined and said, "No matter what conspiracy they have, we only have 8,000 people. The worst that can happen is that we fight our way in. As long as we are safe, that's fine."

Cheng Pu nodded slightly and said, "There is also Cao Cao, who talks a lot about benevolence, morality, and the emperor's country. We must be careful of him. He is either very loyal or very treacherous. We must be on guard against him."

"I know,"

Sun Ce sat upright on his horse and said, "He is the governor of Xuzhou. We will definitely have conflicts in the future."

Wu County is at the northernmost tip of Yangzhou and is connected to Guangling County in Xuzhou. Guangling County is now in the hands of Sun Ce.

Seeing that Sun Ce was very sober, Cheng Pu hesitated for a moment and said, "My Lord, I think this battle will be full of twists and turns. We must be prepared to leave at any time."

Sun Ce turned to look at him and asked, "Do you think Cao Cao can't accomplish anything?"

Cheng Pu said: "I feel that, apart from Cao Cao, no one is really interested in fighting against Dong. They all have their own agenda. The so-called 'alliance' may collapse in an instant and then fall into internal strife."

Sun Ce turned his head to look at Cao Cao. Although he couldn't see him, he could still recall Cao Cao's words and actions, and a cold look flashed in his eyes.

In his opinion, Cao Cao has the eyes of an eagle and the back of a wolf, a heart of steel, and a strong background. He will definitely be his formidable enemy in the future!

It didn't take long before the army led by Cao Cao successfully passed through Huixiaguan and headed straight for Pinghuguan.

It was already the evening of the fourth day when they arrived at Pinghu Pass. Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Sun Ce and others dismounted, came closer and looked at this only-pass road.

There were either mountains, lakes or cliffs on both sides, and there was only a bottle-mouth-shaped entrance in the middle that could be entered.

At the mouth of the bottle stood a huge iron gate, with flags of Dong’s army everywhere on it. The soldiers guarding the city were densely packed and ready for battle.

Liu Bei observed carefully and said to Cao Cao: "General Cao, I'm afraid it will be difficult to take Pinghu Pass."

Cao Cao said expressionlessly, "It's hard to take, but we have to take it. As long as we break through Pinghu Pass, it will be a smooth journey to Xiang County!"

Sun Ce looked at this dangerous pass and shouted, "General Cao, I request that I lead the attack on the city tomorrow."

Cao Cao immediately laughed out loud and said, "Great! Bofu has inherited his father's legacy and can become a famous general of the time!"

Sun Ce looked calm, raised his hand and said, "I dare not."

Liu Bei looked back at his two sworn brothers, thinking about giving them a chance to become famous.

After observing carefully for a long time, everyone saw that there were no loopholes that could be used, so they had to return to the camp.

A group of people discussed the battle strategy until late at night. Early the next morning, Sun Ce led 500 soldiers to Pinghu Pass to challenge the enemy.

"Who is guarding the pass? Come out of the city to answer the call!" Sun Ce was riding a horse, holding a golden spear and wearing a phoenix feather crown. He looked dashing and heroic, with an imposing manner.

On the top of the city wall, Hua Xiong came out, looked at Sun Ce from a distance, and shouted, "Who are you? Tell me your name!"

"Sun Bofu of Wujun!" Sun Ce rode his horse back and forth, his tone cold and majestic.

"Nobody!"

Hua Xiong held the spear in his hand and sneered, "You are not worthy to fight me!"

Sun Ce was immediately furious, pointed his spear at me, and shouted, "I will kill you in thirty rounds!"

Hua Xiong seemed to be irritated and turned around and went downstairs.

Soon, Hua Xiong rushed out of the pass with a hundred men, holding long and slanted spears.

"Give me your life, you unknown boy!" Hua Xiong rode his horse straight towards Sun Ce!

Without saying a word, Sun Ce swung his spear and went straight forward.

The two sides quickly came together, and their spears clashed hard and intertwined.

Hua Xiong felt the force and realized that he had underestimated Sun Ce, so he turned around and attacked again.

Sun Ce also assessed Hua Xiong's strength, and with his spear as fast as wind and fire, he started a fierce battle with Hua Xiong.

Cao Cao, Liu Bei and others who were not far away were watching with some surprise on their faces.

Hua Xiong was relatively famous and was a fierce general, but Sun Ce was unknown. Unexpectedly, he could fight on equal terms with Hua Xiong.

It didn't take long before the two fought for more than thirty rounds, but there was still no winner.

The soldiers and horses brought by both sides shouted together and cheered for their generals.

Sun Ce tried his best, his eyes wide open, and his spear almost stabbed Hua Xiong several times, but he dodged it every time.

Hua Xiong had a ferocious look on his face, and he used his spear with all his might, trying to push Sun Ce back or unhorse him, but he was unsuccessful.

This was the first battle between the two sides, and it was related to morale. No one gave in and continued to fight fiercely.

Cao Cao gradually realized something and said to Xiahou Dun behind him, "Yuan Rang, who do you think will win or lose?"

Xiahou Dun shook his head and said, "I can't see that even I am not sure of defeating Hua Xiong."

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes, and felt a desire to win over Sun Ce.

"I heard that Zhao Zilong of Changshan once killed Wen Chou with a single spear. Is Wen Chou stronger than Hua Xiong?" Liu Bei suddenly interrupted with a curious tone.

Cao Cao was familiar with Zhao Yun and said, "Zhao Zilong is a famous general in the world. There are only a handful of people who can rival him."

Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Hong and others did not say anything. They had all been trained in the Imperial Guards camp and had sparred with Zhao Yun, but were no match for him.

Liu Bei was also curious and hopeful. If Zhao Zilong was under his command, there would be no need to worry about not being able to achieve great things.

But it was just a thought. Zhao Zilong was almost always by the emperor's side and was the emperor's favorite general. How could Liu Bei win him over?

As they were talking, Sun Ce and Hua Xiong were still fighting fiercely. The two sides fought back and forth for hundreds of rounds, but there was still no winner.

This kind of high physical exertion was too much for a human, not to mention a horse. After another hard fight, both sides withdrew their troops at the same time.

"Let's fight again tomorrow!" Sun Ce said loudly, his tone full of unwillingness. He felt confident that he could defeat Hua Xiong.

Hua Xiong looked at Sun Ce's back and shouted, "You unknown brat, I want Guan Yu to come out and fight!"

Compared to Sun Ce, Guan Yu still has some fame, but not a big one. However, in the coalition forces of Cao Cao, Liu Bei and Sun Ce, there are indeed no particularly famous generals.

At least, that's what Hua Xiong thought.

Sun Ce ignored him, walked to Cao Cao, knelt on one knee and said: "I failed to kill the enemy, please punish me, General!"

Cao Cao laughed, stepped forward to help Sun Ce up, and said: "Bofu does not need to worry, Hua Xiong is not an unknown person, Bofu can fight for hundreds of rounds, it is rare, not only is he innocent, but he must have made contributions!"

Sun Ce stood up, looking ashamed.

In fact, these were not what he was thinking in his heart. What he felt was that he failed to win the battle, establish his reputation, and gain credit, which was a pity.

Cao Cao looked at Pinghu Pass with a serious expression and said, "Lord Xuande, have you seen anything?"

Liu Bei nodded slightly and said, "General Cao, from what I have observed, there are probably tens of thousands of elite soldiers at Pinghu Pass. I vaguely saw Lu Bu's flag."

Cao Cao's expression changed slightly, and his eyes became serious.

Lu Bu's reputation was mainly based on defeating Sun Jian, the father of Sun Ce.

This man was extremely brave. He charged into the army alone. The soldiers under his command were as fierce as wolves and tigers. Sun Jian was not an ordinary person. He was the Marquis of Wucheng, who had been in many battles and had made many military achievements. However, he was defeated by Lu Bu and lost his armor.

As for Liu Bei, who was standing beside him, he was completely at a loss after being beaten twice by Lu Bu. He was truly no ordinary person.

"Bo Fu,"

Cao Cao took a deep breath and said, "Fight again tomorrow, as a final test."

Sun Ce was startled and asked, "General, do you want to attack by force?"

This Pinghu Pass is obviously easy to defend but difficult to attack. If we attack it by force, I don’t know how many soldiers will be lost.

Dangerous passes like this often require more intelligence than brute force.

Liu Bei also looked hesitant. He had less than 20,000 soldiers and did not want to lose them in attacking the pass.

Cao Cao took in the expressions of the two men, smiled slightly, and said, "Don't misunderstand me, I am just putting pressure on Dong Zhuo to force him not to move."

Liu Bei suddenly understood and asked, "General, are you worried that Dong Zhuo has other plans?"

Cao Cao thought of the setback he encountered on his way back to Xiaguan last time, and said calmly: "Yes, I don't believe Dong Zhuo is a trapped beast who is still fighting. He must have other plots. We have to hold back his main force. As long as we hold Pinghuguan, Dong Zhuo won't be able to do much."

This is the strategy used by Guo Jia.

If Cao Cao had carried out his plan to the end, he might not have suffered the last disastrous defeat.

Sun Ce had no objection and said, "I will obey your orders."

Liu Bei hesitated and said, "General Cao, my second brother Guan Yu and third brother Zhang Fei are both brave generals. Can you fight for our army tomorrow?"

Cao Cao still admired Guan Yu very much and said, "Don't worry, Lord Xuande. We will see tomorrow."

Liu Bei had no choice but to agree. Although he was the governor of Xuzhou, he did not have much confidence compared to Cao Cao.

Guan Yu's phoenix eyes moved slightly, and he glanced at Sun Ce, with a hint of disdain flashing across his eyes.

The bottles and pots were closed and stood still, everything was in order, without any panic.

Cao Cao watched for a moment, then led his troops back to the camp.

The next day, after breakfast, Sun Ce rode his horse again and challenged the enemy at Pinghu Pass.

Hua Xiong came out of the pass, full of vigor and vitality, and shouted: "Nameless boy, I will kill you today!"

Sun Ce remained calm and rode forward, saying, "I am Sun Ce, son of Marquis Wucheng. Hua Xiong, give me your life!"

Hua Xiong raised his spear high, with tremendous force, he pressed down Sun Ce.

Sun Ce brandished his spear like a dragon or a snake, and fought with Hua Xiong.

Both sides are somewhat familiar with each other's routines. They seem fierce, but they are more calm than last time.

Not far away, Cao Cao was watching the two men, his eyes occasionally raised towards Pinghu Pass, thinking about the attack strategy.

"General!"

Suddenly, a scout came up from behind and whispered in Cao Cao's ear, "Yuan Shao is here."

So fast? What is Yuan Shao going to do?

Cao Cao was secretly shocked.

I've been infected, feeling dizzy and drowsy, please keep warm~