Chapter 74: Gu Yi Fights Ma Chao, One Battle to Secure Liangzhou

——Shangbi.

The setting sun was like blood.

Ma Chao, having just finished his patrol, led his troops back on horseback, his face filled with unspoken vexation.

"Such a treacherous path—how could any ordinary man traverse it?"

He snorted coldly, cursing bitterly: "They've sent me here to guard against ambushes? I know Han Sui is simply afraid I'll rack up too many achievements."

Ma Chao's face was full of vexation.

He had already guarded this place for some time.

With no enemy activity for so long, this was a great torment for Ma Chao, a general at the peak of his vigor.

He had sent many men to meet Ma Teng and Han Sui.

Ma Teng was somewhat reasonable.

But Han Sui adamantly refused to let Ma Chao return, deeply fearing Gu's ambush tactics.

This left Ma Chao deeply dissatisfied.

Ambush through Long Mountain?

Are they treating everyone in the world as if they were the late Wu Hou?

Ma Chao scoffed at this notion.

He openly vented his fury, wishing he could immediately ride back to the front lines and shatter Huangfu Song's formation.

After cursing for a long while, he finally returned to his camp.

Time slipped away quietly.

Soon, night had fallen.

The torches in the camp swayed constantly in the wind.

Perhaps because there had been no enemy attacks for so long, even though Ma Chao's men were elite, many of the night guards were beginning to feel drowsy.

But just then—

A series of footsteps and rustling through the grass suddenly erupted.

Immediately followed by thunderous shouts.

"Kill!!!"

The sudden disturbance shattered the silence of the night.

Ma Chao was woken by Ma Dai in his sleep.

"Brother, the enemy is attacking!"

Ma Dai said with a Serious Expression.

Upon hearing this, Ma Chao was briefly stunned.

But then his face lit up with wild joy, and he leapt straight off his bed.

"Good! Good!"

"So someone actually dares to attack my camp?"

"Bring me my spear!"

Ma Chao felt no fear at all—on the contrary, he was excited, and immediately charged out.

At this moment, the entire camp was in complete chaos.

Gu Yi's troops were all elite, especially after enduring the trials of these mountains—now their battle spirit had reached its peak!

——This was a fight with no retreat!

By now, they had no path left to withdraw.

If they failed to seize the enemy camp, they would die!

In truth, if possible, Gu Yi did not wish to create complications—he had intended to directly strike the enemy's grain stores.

But Ma Chao's camp completely blocked all his fantasies.

He had no choice but to seek an opportunity to launch a night raid on the enemy camp.

Both sides clashed fiercely within the camp.

Gu Yi's sudden attack indeed plunged the entire camp into brief chaos.

But those who followed Ma Chao were already proof that they were elite.

Especially when Ma Chao emerged with his spear.

After merely shouting twice, the defending troops regained their formation.

This was the Divine Might Heavenly General.

If Gu Yi's men believed Gu Yi was invincible in every battle, then Ma Chao's men believed the same of him!

"Hah!"

Ma Chao rode forth, his long spear swinging wildly as he charged to the front lines, thrusting it forward: "Who are you, vile scoundrels, daring to raid my camp at night?"

"Do you know who I am?"

Gu Yi immediately noticed Ma Chao.

He felt not the slightest fear, and immediately broke through the crowd, pointing his own spear at Ma Chao: "I am Gu Ziyan of the Gu clan."

"Rebel, surrender at once!"

He had no idea who Ma Chao was.

But to Gu Yi, who he was—what did it matter?

"Oh? So you truly are a Gu clan scion?" Ma Chao laughed, not angry but amused. "Good! Long ago, my father said the Gu clan could not be defeated."

"Today, I shall see just how formidable this Gu clan scion truly is."

With that, he sharply tugged the reins.

In an instant, he charged straight out.

"Die!" Gu Chen's eyes flashed with murderous intent as he immediately rushed forward.

He had no time to waste.

If he failed to seize the enemy's grain depot quickly and aid Huangfu Song in breaking in, certain doom awaited him.

Beneath the moonlight.

Silver spears in both sides carved cold, arcing glimmers.

Clang!!

The two silver spears collided instantly, unleashing a thunderous boom.

"Good!"

Ma Chao felt a tremendous force surge through his weapon, his face glowing with even greater delight: "Come on!"

"No wonder you're a Gu clan scion!"

As he spoke, he surged forward with renewed power.

At the very moment he repelled Gu Chen's spear, he struck again—thrusting violently forward.

But could Gu Chen really be so weak now?

"Try my spear!" Gu Chen roared, refusing to retreat, driving straight for Ma Chao's chest.

In the instant the spearpoint sliced through the moonlight.

Ma Chao sidestepped, flipping his silver spear upward to slash at Gu Chen's waist.

Clang!!

Clang!!

Clang!!

A series of thunderous crashes rang out continuously.

The two long spears wove through the flickering firelight, sparks splattering onto the charred earth like scattered stars.

Gu Chen's combat strength utterly surpassed Ma Chao's expectations; his expression grew even more exhilarated, this surge of blood and adrenaline making him fiercer still.

His entire offensive became even more ferocious.

With sweeping, open strikes, death lurked in every motion.

Gu Chen felt the same—since growing stronger, he had not faced an opponent like Ma Chao in a long time.

Now, encountering such a rival under these circumstances, Gu Chen's battle spirit ignited, his performance far exceeding anything he'd shown before.

The entire battlefield spontaneously cleared a space for the two.

Ma Dai stared intently at this scene, his eyes filled with shock.

He knew full well how strong his elder brother truly was.

He could scarcely believe anyone could match his brother at this level.

Even though Ma Chao held the upper hand, he still found it hard to believe.

Without a word, Ma Dai snatched up his bow and arrow; beneath the glow of fire and moonlight, he raised it and aimed directly at Gu Chen.

Those who had spent their lives on the frontier were all peerless archers.

The next moment.

A sharp whistling pierced the air as the arrow shot instantly toward Gu Chen's face.

"Hmph!"

Gu Chen reacted with lightning speed.

He ducked low, dodging the arrow outright.

Seeing Ma Chao's silver spear descending, he roared fiercely, gripping his spear with both hands and blocking the blow.

"Ha!"

"If you want a one-on-one duel, why send someone to ambush?"

He glared at Ma Chao, rebuking him.

Hearing this, Ma Chao's expression stiffened slightly, and he immediately retracted his spear.

"Ma Dai! No ambushes!"

This was precisely when Ma Chao was at his most triumphant.

Facing an opponent like Gu Chen, he scorned such underhanded tactics.

"Elder brother…" Ma Dai froze, as if wanting to argue, but after Ma Chao glared at him, he fell silent at once.

Countless eyes were fixed on Ma Chao and Gu Chen.

"You're truly a hero," Gu Chen said, shaking his spear and staring at Ma Chao, his eyes brimming with battle lust.

Ma Chao, too, locked his gaze on Gu Chen: "Today, I will cut you down!"

"Then try!" Gu Chen spoke no more, spurring his horse forward.

The two clashed again.

The bonfire flickered in the night wind, the two long spears like twin fire dragons entwined.

The clang of steel echoed endlessly.

The two relentlessly charged and slashed before all eyes.

Ten rounds;

Twenty rounds;

Thirty rounds;

At the beginning, Ma Chao was firmly holding the upper hand.

But as time passed, Gu Chen grew increasingly accustomed to Ma Chao's strength, and his own performance improved at a visibly rapid pace.

He actually managed to stalemate Ma Chao, neither side gaining the upper hand.

This completely surprised everyone.

The morale of Gu Chen's troops rose higher and higher, while Ma Chao's soldiers each wore tense faces, their eyes filled with shock.

The battle between both sides grew even fiercer.

"Kill!!!"

Roar after roar shattered the silence of the night.

The torches around them had been knocked over at some point, and under the dry autumn air, they instantly set the camp ablaze.

Flames roared skyward!

The situation had completely descended into chaos.

Ma Chao still fought desperately against Gu Chen.

He could clearly feel Gu Chen's growing strength.

This truly surprised him.

This rate of progress had utterly surpassed ordinary limits!

"I cannot let you live!"

Ma Chao flew into a rage, his attacks growing even more ferocious.

"Then fight!"

Gu Chen showed no fear whatsoever.

But he also knew he could not afford to stall indefinitely.

In this prolonged battle, the advantage still lay with the enemy; once Ma Teng and Han Sui learned of this, they would be doomed.

While fighting Ma Chao, he occasionally seized burning logs and hurled them outward.

If I can't have it, I'll destroy it!

Autumn is dry.

A single fire is enough to burn everything to ashes.

Most crucially, he kept shouting "Fight!" to throw the enemy troops into greater panic.

The situation grew even more chaotic.

Under Gu Chen's actions.

Finally, the defenders fell completely into disadvantage and showed signs of collapse.

"You treacherous scoundrel, evil villain!"

Ma Chao finally sensed something amiss and began cursing furiously.

But what use was it now?

No matter how strong he was, how could one man possibly turn the tide?

And there was still Gu Chen, an opponent his equal.

He abandoned his desperate duel with Gu Chen, seeking to rally his troops.

But under such chaos, with morale already on the verge of collapse, how could it be easily restored?

Most crucially—the fire was growing larger!

Behind his camp lay the Shanggui granary!

"Too late!"

Ma Chao's expression changed drastically; intense fury surged through him, driving his attacks to even greater ferocity!

But how could Gu Chen fear it?

The fire was now unstoppable; his goal had been achieved.

If Ma Chao got trapped in it, so much the better.

The two fought another dozens of rounds.

No matter how unwilling he was, Ma Chao now had to calm down and retreat for the sake of the larger picture.

Shanggui could no longer be saved.

He must immediately inform Ma Teng and Han Sui!

"Gu Ziyan!"

Ma Chao stared intently at Gu Chen, spear tip pointed directly at him, teeth clenched: "Next time we meet, I will cut you down!"

With that, he said no more.

He roared loudly: "Retreat!"

And led his troops straight out.

"Next time?" Gu Chen watched Ma Chao's retreating back and shook his head slightly.

No enemy he had ever chased and brought to a stalemate had ever again held the upper hand over him.

"Young Master, what of the grain?"

At this moment, the deputy commander stepped forward, asking in a low voice, his eyes filled with admiration as he looked at Gu Chen.

"Forget it."

Though he felt regret, Gu Chen still shook his head: "Since he abandoned it, he has made clear he won't let us seize the grain."

"No one will get this grain now."

Upon hearing this, the deputy commander did not hesitate and immediately nodded.

The fire in Shangbi completely changed the entire Longyou battlefield situation.

In fact, for ancient warfare, the hardest thing to maintain was the army's morale.

Grain and forage—

was among the unavoidable critical points.

When this news spread, the morale of Ma Teng and Han Sui's entire army collapsed completely.

As a highly experienced commander, Huangfu Song would never let such an opportunity slip away.

He personally led his troops into battle and finally broke through Ma Teng and Han Sui's defenses in Longyou, storming in completely.

The entire balance of Longyou was shattered; Ma Teng and Han Sui immediately fell into disadvantage, surrounded front and back by Huangfu Song and Gu Chen.

—Trapped in Didao.

And Gu Chen finally met Huangfu Song.

"General."

Gu Chen held respect for Huangfu Song; upon their first meeting, he immediately moved to bow.

"Young Master, absolutely not."

But Huangfu Song directly stopped him, studying him with intense excitement, his eyes filled with anticipation: "No wonder you are the son of Gu Young Master."

"You truly bear the spirit of the late Wu Hou!"

Though this was their first meeting.

Yet Huangfu Song's expectations for Gu Chen had already surpassed those he held for Gu Wei.

There was no help for it—he was, after all, a warrior.

He knew well how fierce Ma Chao was.

That Gu Chen burned the enemy's grain depot from under Ma Chao's very nose proved his strength.

Compared to Gu Wei, a strategist, Gu Chen was naturally the kind Huangfu Song preferred.

"Thank you for your praise, General," Gu Chen smiled faintly.

The two spoke at length, then turned to the matter of war.

Huangfu Song wished to launch a direct assault on Didao.

But this time, Gu Chen shook his head, speaking seriously: "General, to be frank—"

"I fought Ma Chao in hundreds of rounds."

"His martial skill is extraordinary; if he could join us, he would be a tremendous asset."

Upon hearing this, Huangfu Song nodded in agreement: "Ma Chao's martial skill is indeed extraordinary."

"But when Young Master Wenyao previously tried to recruit him—"

"Ma Teng and Han Sui had no intention of surrendering."

He laid out the events of that time plainly.

When Gu Chen heard that even the Gu clan's name had failed to sway them, he immediately frowned.

But after a moment of silence, he still wished to try once more.

"General, do not rush."

"Once, Ma Teng and Han Sui held Longyou; now that the tide has turned, perhaps we may try again."

Huangfu Song did not refuse.

Thus, Gu Chen led his troops straight toward Didao.

He did not enter the city.

Instead, he sent men to climb the hills near Didao and shout aloud of Gu Xi's deeds in Liangzhou.

Under these repeated cries, the morale within the city grew increasingly unsettled.

Gu Xi's reputation in Liangzhou had been truly formidable.

Had the situation been stable, this might have had no effect.

But now, with all clearly at their desperate end, everyone could not help but listen.

And under these circumstances—

Ma Teng and Han Sui actually surrendered!

And Ma Chao was among them!

And this was not yet over: when news of the Longyou campaign reached Anding—

Li Jue and Guo Si inexplicably turned on each other in battle.

The result? Both perished!

Jia Xu then led Li Jue and Guo Si's troops to surrender directly to Gu Wei.

One battle—and Liangzhou was settled!

——————

In the winter of the fourth year of Han Xing, the tenth month, Gu Chen led two thousand elite cavalry out of Wudu, following the old path of the Wu Hou Gu Xiao, heading straight for Shangbi.

At the time, Chao commanded three thousand elite troops from the Western Liang region, holding the city.

Gu Chen crossed the treacherous mountains and launched a night raid on Chao's camp; spear tips clashed like Lei Ting, warhorses neighed across Longshan.

In the midst of fierce combat, fire erupted in the main camp; black smoke blotted out the sky, the thunderous explosions of the grain depots were heard ten li away.

Some said stray arrows ignited piled firewood; others claimed fleeing soldiers overturned firepans—but the flames rode the wind, and in moments, all grain and fodder were consumed.

Upon hearing this, Chao's troops grew disordered; all turned to gaze at the fire and cried out in grief.

At that moment, Huangfu Song was locked in stalemate with Ma Teng and Han Sui at Longdi; upon hearing the fire surge in Shangbi, he immediately dispatched the Bingzhou shock cavalry to strike Ma Teng and Han Sui's center, storming into Longyou.

Ma Teng and Han Sui were now trapped in utter desperation.

Chen said: "Ma Chao is a heaven-bestowed general; he should be employed."

He then took a stand on a high slope, raised his whip, and called out: "In former days, Duke Gu Xi saved the myriad people of Liangzhou. Now you have betrayed righteousness and burned the granaries — how could Heaven permit it!"

Teng, hearing the words, hurled down his lance and wept, saying: "Duke Xi's grain saved my grandfather in a year of famine. How can I now have the face to take up a spear?"

He then sighed as well, saying: "This is Heaven destroying Xiliang."

He and Teng removed their armour and surrendered.

Within Anding Commandery, Li Jue and Guo Si, hearing of the upheaval in Longyou, were eager to flee west.

Jia Xu secretly sent someone to forge a letter in Li Jue's hand to Guo Si, saying, "I wish to offer Guo Si's head to atone for my crimes."

Guo Si flew into a rage and that night led his dead-men-at-arms to attack Li Jue's camp.

The two villains wielded halberds and grappled on the courtyard steps; Li Jue severed Guo Si's throat, Guo Si's blade pierced Li Jue's belly, and both perished.

Jia Xu held up the two heads to show the multitude, opened the city to admit the royal army, and Liangzhou was thus pacified.

— "Records of Heroes at the End of Han. Chronicle of Gu Chen"

(End of chapter)