The Calm Before
It was the kind of morning that whispered war.
A gray mist clung to the fields outside Zhaoling, blanketing the world in silence. The air was thick, as if holding its breath. Soldiers lined the walls, quiet and waiting. Even the wind was still.
The first attack hadn't come yet—but everyone knew it would.
This wasn't a question of if.
Only when.
At the southern gate, Lü Bu stood with his hands resting on the hilt of his longspear. His eyes scanned the distant treeline. He could feel it in his bones.
Today would be the first bloodshed.
The beginning of everything.
The First Strike
Just after dawn, the White Serpent mercenaries made their move.
From the fog, they came—not as a wave, but as a dagger. Fast. Sharp. Precise.
A strike force of three hundred men charged out from the tree line, aiming directly for the weakest portion of the outer wall—an old wooden barricade that had been reinforced only days earlier.
Kael the Viper wasn't testing their numbers.
He was testing their will.
Clash at the Wall
"ENEMIES APPROACHING!"
"TO ARMS!"
The call spread like fire.
Archers nocked arrows, lining the ramparts.
Lü Bu raised a single hand. "Hold…"
The enemy charged closer, faces painted, blades drawn.
Fifty meters.
Forty.
Thirty.
Still, Lü Bu's hand remained steady in the air.
"Hold…" he whispered again.
To his side, Wei Yun narrowed his eyes. "They're almost on us."
"Wait for it…"
The charging warriors let out blood-curdling screams as they neared the gate.
Twenty meters.
Ten.
Then—
"Now."
Lü Bu dropped his hand.
"Loose!"
Hundreds of arrows darkened the sky, falling like a black rain onto the charging soldiers.
Dozens dropped in an instant. The front lines collapsed. But the White Serpents kept coming, stepping over their fallen like wolves sensing blood.
At the gates, the enemy rammed into the walls with sheer force.
The earth shook.
Wood splintered.
"Push them back!" Han Jie roared from the southern tower. "Don't let them breach!"
Blood on the Walls
The battle exploded.
Screams, steel, smoke.
The White Serpents threw grappling hooks up the walls. Some climbed. Some fell. Zhaoling soldiers met them at the top with swords, spears, and sheer fury.
Down below, Fang Sihan led a cavalry charge through the side gate to flank the enemy.
But it wasn't enough.
Too many were getting through.
Then—Lü Bu moved.
Lü Bu Enters the Battle
With a single bound, he leapt from the inner platform and landed hard on the wall's edge.
His spear gleamed in the light.
"Get back!" he shouted, voice like thunder. "This wall does not fall today!"
And then he attacked.
Every move was like watching a storm given shape. His spear tore through armor like paper. He moved with the grace of a dancer and the force of a war god.
One enemy came from behind—Lü Bu spun, sweeping his leg and breaking the man's jaw against stone.
Another lunged—he caught the sword arm, twisted, and drove his elbow into the man's throat.
[System Notification: +42 XP | Combat Proficiency Increased]
[Momentum Gauge Building: 37%… 48%… 65%]
The system pulsed in his mind.
But he didn't care.
He was present. In the blood. In the fury.
And every man who saw him knew:
This was no boy pretending to lead an army.
This was a commander born in battle.
Holding the Line
The fight raged for nearly an hour.
Bodies fell.
Smoke filled the air.
But slowly—Zhaoling began to push back.
Lin Zhao's archer units picked off the last of the climbers.
Han Jie lit the oil traps and set fire to the outer moat, blocking the enemy retreat.
Fang Sihan's cavalry finally circled back, collapsing the Serpent's rear line.
And at the center of it all—
Lü Bu stood, his armor bloodied, eyes like fire.
"Push them out," he ordered. "Let no one breach our gate again."
And they did.
The people of Zhaoling roared as the final wave was crushed beneath their boots.
When the battle ended, silence fell again.
Broken only by the sound of burning wood and shallow breathing.
The first enemy attack had been repelled. But it came at a cost.
Fifty-two dead.
A hundred wounded.
Parts of the outer wall damaged.
Yet morale had never been higher.
Because they had fought back—and won.
"Let them know," Lü Bu said to Wei Yun as they surveyed the wall. "Zhaoling does not kneel."
Wei Yun simply nodded.
"Today, we became more than a city. We became a nation."
🧠 SYSTEM UPDATE: DEFENSIVE VICTORY
✔ Primary Objective Complete
❌ Bonus Objective Failed (Minor Breach Occurred)
New Ability Unlocked: Iron Blood Command (Tier 1)
→ Passive Aura: Nearby allies gain +5% defense and morale when led by Lü Bu in battle
→ Active Skill (Cooldown: 24 hours): Unyielding Line – Grants a temporary 20% defense bonus to all units within 30 meters for 10 minutes.
Army Morale: +14%
Reputation: Zhaoling is now recognized as a Defiant Holdfast by regional scouts. Expect mercenaries and warrior bands seeking allegiance.
"Victory is not decided by banners, nor by numbers. Victory belongs to those who bleed last."
— Lü Bu