Chapter 404

Even if Sishui Pass was a natural barrier, it could not withstand the attack of over a hundred siege engines and millions of coalition troops.

Once the enemy broke through the defenses of Sishui Pass, the consequences were not hard to imagine!

"Everyone, pull the bed crossbows, man the arrow towers, archer units target the enemy's siege engines!"

After sending the messenger to notify Dong Zhuo, Li Su also issued the order to attack the coalition forces.

A large-scale pass like Sishui Pass was equipped with some defensive weapons, such as bed crossbows, which could fire a bolt capable of destroying a siege engine.

But a single pass could not be equipped with too many bed crossbows; all told, there were only twenty. Even if twenty fired at once, they could not destroy the coalition's hundred-plus siege engines in a short time.

What’s more.

There were many experts in the coalition, all protecting their own siege engines from harm.

It directly caused those large crossbow bolts to be destroyed before they could even get close to the siege engines.

Of course!

There were also many warriors from Dong Zhuo’s camp on Sishui Pass, but could their numbers compare to the quantity of the feudal lords' siege engines?

The answer!

Was certainly that they could not be compared.

Before the two sides had even engaged in true hand-to-hand combat, a performance of martial skills between warriors had already been staged.

Various spear auras, blade auras, halberd auras, and even sword auras flew wildly across the battlefield, just to clear away the crossbow bolts and giant stones fired by the enemy's siege and defensive weapons.

That scene, with blades flashing and swords gleaming, made one think they were filming a fantasy epic; the visual effects were maxed out!

As time passed.

Through the constant efforts of the allied feudal lords, the siege engines moved closer and closer to Sishui Pass, gradually approaching the moat.

Once bridges were built over the moat and they crossed it, nearing Sishui Pass, Li Su and the others would have to send troops out of the city to destroy the siege engines; otherwise, when the siege engines broke the gates or walls, that would be the moment Sishui Pass fell.

But with the coalition's force being dozens of times larger, how could Li Su and the others easily send troops out of the pass to destroy the siege engines?

They would likely be slaughtered to the last man before any siege engine was destroyed.

"This won't do. Sishui Pass will definitely fall, and then the Prime Minister will surely use me to offer a sacrifice to the flag. It seems I can only use that move; I'll drag it out as long as I can..."

Watching the constantly advancing siege engines and the coalition forces, Li Su’s face turned dark. As the main defending general, if Sishui Pass were lost, the primary responsibility would certainly lie with him. Given Dong Zhuo’s temperament, he would surely face severe punishment.

Therefore, Sishui Pass could not be lost; at least, it absolutely could not be lost before Dong Zhuo arrived with his main army.

Li Su had already made up his mind. Soon, his expression turned stern. He took several flags from his bosom and planted them on Sishui Pass, then bit his finger, letting fresh blood pool and sacrificing it onto the flags.

"Blood-Stained Secret Technique: Changing Heaven and Earth!"

In an instant, those few flags erupted with astonishing light that spread toward the sky.

Then, the next moment!

The originally clear sky suddenly became overcast with dark clouds.

"Huh! What's going on? Why did the view suddenly turn black?"

"Look at the sky, isn't it noon right now? Why is there no sunlight at all?"

"Oh no! This must be some secret technique cast by the enemy's strategist!"

It was not an illusion. It was clearly broad daylight, but within everyone's field of vision, the sky above Sishui Pass, originally bright, suddenly became dim, as if shrouded by some darkness.

The originally dazzling sunlight also disappeared, and everyone’s vision was deprived.

Although one could still see their fingers when reaching out, it was clearly blurry.

In such a state, let alone laying siege and fighting, even ordinary marching was a problem.

Of course!

The various units of the coalition were not stupid. They quickly realized that this was some kind of secret technique cast by the enemy and began to discuss countermeasures!

"Secret Technique: Parting the Clouds to See the Sun!"

"Terrible, this is a blood-sacrifice secret technique. Unless the caster is killed, it cannot be broken!"

When the strategists of the allied feudal lords realized it was an enemy secret technique, they also cast spells at the first opportunity, preparing to break the effect of the enemy's secret technique.

But who knew it would be a blood-sacrifice secret technique.

Such a secret technique was a spell forcibly cast at the cost of the enemy's blood and vitality.

Unless the caster was killed, it was very difficult to break with ordinary methods.

But the enemy was on Sishui Pass; how could they kill the enemy?

To put it bluntly, this was a delaying tactic Li Su used at the cost of his lifespan, but dragging it out for a while was better than nothing. As long as he waited for Dong Zhuo to arrive with his troops, even if Sishui Pass fell then, it would have nothing to do with him.

"Gentlemen, the blood-sacrifice secret technique cast by the enemy is powerful, and our army cannot break it in a short time. Do you think we should stop marching or continue to attack Sishui Pass!"

After hearing what his strategist said, Yuan Shao turned his gaze to all the feudal lords, including Su Li.

After killing Hua Xiong yesterday, Yuan Shao had held Su Li in higher regard and no longer thought of him as just a lecherous piece of trash.

"Alliance Leader, I suggest we continue marching. It’s just that the weather has turned a bit dark; even without vision, we can still fight!"

"Right! We’ll just treat it as fighting at night, what of it!"

"I still feel we should be more cautious. What if the enemy has some other trump card?"

"Lacking vision is extremely disadvantageous for the attacking side. As long as we get close to Sishui Pass, we are essentially sitting ducks, just standing there and being hit. I suggest we stop the army first and wait until the enemy's secret technique effect disappears!"

"..."

The feudal lords were clearly divided into two factions. The pro-war faction mostly consisted of those with a background as warriors; they had fought in all kinds of environments and were not afraid of the current situation at all.

The other faction was born of scholars. They were considered half-strategists themselves and, compared to the warriors, were more cautious, worrying that the lack of vision would be unfavorable for the siege, lead to excessive losses, and even fearing the enemy had other trump cards.

Once the feudal lords had a disagreement, neither side would yield even half a step, and both felt their own reasoning was sound.

Each side had their own arguments, and it grew increasingly intense, with the arguments at a stalemate, causing the coalition to be unable to move an inch.

— Author's Notes —

Seeking self-subscription, seeking evaluation.

Seeking self-subscription, seeking evaluation.