Chapter 348: The Death of the Man Lord

The next night, the moon was dark and the wind high, the perfect time for deploying troops.

Huangfu Song stood before his own camp tent, his palm lightly stroking the glossy mane of his warhorse, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's, piercing the heavy night and looking toward the vague outline of Guangzong City.

A commander hurried up to him, armor clanking, and whispered, "General, all divisions have been organized, awaiting your command!"

Huangfu Song gave a slight nod, his face showing no expression.

He flipped onto his horse, moving cleanly and decisively, tightening the reins; the warhorse reared up and let out a bright whinny.

Then he drew his sword, its blade pointing straight at Guangzong City; the sound was soft yet carried a metallic resonance, clearly reaching the front troops:

"Attack!"

In an instant, like a breached dam, the long‑awaited imperial army surged forward like a black tide, rushing toward Guangzong City!

Footsteps, hoofbeats, and armor scraping merged into a low rumble, the ground trembling slightly beneath the iron hooves.

Inside Guangzong City.

Most of the Yellow Turban Army soldiers, after days of tension and now deep into the night, were already drowsy.

Yet Zhang Liang felt no sleepiness.

He stood alone before a mound within the city, where his elder brother Zhang Jiao's corpse was buried.

The night wind ruffled his disheveled hair as he whispered to the cold tombstone, his voice hoarse and weary:

"Brother… when will you finally return? I… I really can't hold on any longer…"

He recalled the thousand‑jin burden Zhang Jiao had shouldered alone in life, and endless sorrow and helplessness rose in his heart:

"So before… it was this hard… sigh…"

He let out a long sigh, just as he was about to turn away from this heartbreaking place, when a sudden thunderous battle cry and urgent alarm rang out from outside the city, exploding like a flash of thunder!

"Enemy attack! Imperial Army night raid—!"

Zhang Liang was startled, had no time to think, his form flashed like lightning, and in a few bounds he leapt onto the shattered city wall.

Torches outside the city blazed like dragons, countless Imperial Army troops surged in like a broken dam, their killing intent soaring to the heavens!

"Damn it! Right at this moment!" Zhang Liang cursed through clenched teeth, his eyes instantly filling with bloodshot veins.

He roared loudly, commanding the defenders on the ramparts to rise: "All troops, meet the enemy! Archers forward! Prepare rolling logs and stones!"

At the same time, he abruptly drew several Golden Talismans left by Zhang Jiao, their aura brimming, a flash of resolve and madness in his eyes, and, channeling his inner qi toward the Imperial Army formation bearing the "Huangfu" banner, let out a thunderous roar:

"Old Huangfu! You have overstepped! Tonight, you shall never return!"

"Divine General, aid me!"

"Thunder Come!"

"Great Fire!"

Each time he roared, he hurled a Talisman with force!

The first Talisman ignited in midair, turning into three massive shafts of Golden Light that fell, instantly expanding into three Huangjin Elite Warriors over ten zhang tall, faces indistinct yet unmatched in might!

They wielded Giant Hammers forged from Golden Light, emitting silent roars, marching with heavy strides toward the Imperial Army formation, each step shaking the earth.

The second Talisman summoned celestial phenomena; dark clouds gathered abruptly, dozens of pale thunderbolts as thick as arms tore the darkness, bearing a destructive aura, and rained down brazenly upon the most densely packed Imperial troops!

The third Talisman transformed into an all‑covering scarlet fire cloud; scorching heat swept the battlefield, countless fireballs rained like meteoric fire rain onto the charging Imperial Army, instantly igniting banners, tents, and even soldiers' armor!

Facing this god‑like onslaught, Huangfu Song remained unflustered; he had already anticipated Zhang Liang's desperate tactics. He tightened his reins, his voice booming like a great bell:

"Gentlemen, thank you for your effort!"

Before his words finished, three figures in the Imperial ranks suddenly rose from the ground, robes fluttering, walking on air!

They were the army's devoted Lianqi practitioners!

One, sleeves billowing, summoned a Dark Turtle Shell Shield, instantly enlarging it to block the thunder, flashes of lightning striking yet held steady;

Another grasped a Jade Pure Bottle; tilting its mouth, a torrent of true water formed a water dragon that rose against the fire cloud, countering it with a hissing roar, white mist billowing;

The last one chanted a mantra, unleashing binding golden light that coiled around the three Huangjin Elite Warriors; though it could not subdue them instantly, it greatly slowed their movements!

The three massive Huangjin Elite Warriors were met by the Imperial army's valiant generals leading elite infantry to grapple with them.

One of the warriors happened to be targeted by Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei!

Liu Bei's sword moved like a swimming dragon on the sea, striking at the lower body; Guan Yu's Long Sword wielded great, heavy force, each slash scattering Golden Light; Zhang Fei's spear surged like a poisonous dragon from a cave, roaring continuously.

The three coordinated flawlessly, forcing the warrior to retreat repeatedly, temporarily unable to wreak havoc!

In that brief interval of mutual restraint among the elite forces, the imperial army's vanguard, like ants, surged fearlessly beneath the city walls!

Ladders and ropes were erected and thrown, and the fierce siege battle instantly entered a white‑hot stage!

Above and below the city, arrows fell like locusts, rolling logs and stones rained like raindrops, and blood instantly stained the wall bricks red.

Roars, clashing of weapons, dying wails, crackling of flames burning…

At every moment someone fell; life here was as fragile as a blade of grass.

The firelight illuminated the twisted, ferocious faces of soldiers on both sides, turning the battlefield into a flesh‑grinding mill.

The melee lasted the entire night.

When the first hint of dawn tinged the horizon, the weak morning light struggled to pierce the lingering smoke and blood‑stained air, spilling over the ruined rooftops of Guangzong City.

At the highest point of the wall, amidst the wreckage and piles of corpses as tall as mountains, a figure still stood stubbornly upright.

It was Zhang Liang.

His body was already soaked through with blood, indistinguishable whether it was enemy's or his own.

His armor shattered, his flesh riddled with wounds deep enough to see bone, his left arm unnaturally twisted, clearly broken.

He leaned on a curved‑blade ring‑handled sword, gasping heavily, each breath pulling sharp pain through his lungs.

He stood atop a "platform" built from the corpses of both sides, beneath his feet the solidified dark red and broken weapons.

Yet he remained upright as a rigid javelin, his eyes fixed dead on the ground below.

Huangfu Song, surrounded by his bodyguards and commanders, stepped through the littered ground toward Zhang Liang.

The famed general now wore a face of exhaustion, his armor stained with blood, yet his gaze remained sharp.

He halted, looked at the cornered Zhang Liang, and spoke in a deep voice, hoarse from the fierce battle, yet it carried across the surroundings:

"Zhang Liang! The great tide has turned, you—have been defeated!"

Zhang Liang watched Huangfu Song and the others slowly advance, hearing his proclamation of victory; despite his blood‑stained face, no despair appeared, but instead a sudden burst of a hoarse, mad laugh:

"Hahaha… defeated?!"

His laughter halted abruptly; summoning his last strength, he let out a hoarse roar, his voice tinged with a heart‑pounding madness and conviction:

"Foolish delusion! My elder brother… Zhang Jiao! He will return! He will certainly return!"

"When he returns, that will be the moment the Liu Family Dynasty falls! The sullied fate of the Han Court is destined to be reduced to ash in the Yellow Heaven Holy Fire!"

"Yellow Heaven Shall Stand!"

Amid the sudden pallor on Huangfu Song and the others' faces, Zhang Liang abruptly drew out the last Talisman Scroll from his bosom, using the final glimmer of his life to activate it, and hurled it forcefully ahead!

"Boom—!"

The Talisman Scroll instantly transformed into a towering sea of golden flame, the heat oppressive, the light blinding, as if the sun had fallen to the mortal world!

Huangfu Song and the others' faces changed dramatically; they hurried back, only able to watch helplessly as the all‑consuming golden blaze completely devoured Zhang Liang's proud, upright figure and the mountain‑high piles of corpses surrounding him…

The flames roared, reflecting the newly risen sunrise and also illuminating the complex, inscrutable expressions of Huangfu Song and his companions.

In the air remained only the scent of charred Flesh and Zhang Liang's shout of "Yellow Heaven Shall Stand," echoing over the ruins, lingering endlessly.

Zhang Fei, standing beside Liu Bei, suddenly spoke:

"Brother, this fellow is indeed a man......."

Liu Bei recalled his own teacher's fate, merely pursed his lips and turned, saying:

"Do not speak any more."

Surprisingly, Huangfu Song at the front, startled by Zhang Liang's words, instructed those beside him:

"Go, dismember the corpses, and send Zhang Jiao's head to the Capital."