"General...you, are you sure you didn't misspoke, or did I, Old Niu, mishear you..."

"You...you want us to surrender?"

Xu Rong nodded and added.

"That's right. Although they don't know what's happening in Luoyang City, they're not stupid. They can sense that things are not going well."

However, I only permit them to surrender to the Marquis of Qin. The bandits like Lü Bu within the pass are two-faced and traitors! If they wish to surrender, I, Xu Rong, will surely execute them!

Niu Dali immediately knelt on the ground, bowed his head to the ground, and raised his spear with both hands towards Xu Rong.

"General, I, Old Niu, have followed you all the way from the Northeast and never thought of betraying you! If anyone dares to surrender, I, Niu, will surely kill them without mercy!"

I urge the general to regain his composure and refrain from surrendering. If the general suspects me of harboring disloyal intentions, please pick up this spear and stab me to death here, to set the record straight!

Upon hearing this, Xu Rong looked distressed. After hesitating for a moment, he stepped forward and helped Niu Dali up.

"Having known each other for so many years, how could I doubt you?"

But this time, we are definitely not going to win.

Let alone whether the intelligence brought by Hu Ban is accurate.

The bandits inside and outside the pass alone could trap us here and starve to death.

I am confident that they will have to pay a heavy price to take this hurdle.

But if that's the case... how many of our brothers would die?

Niu Dali frowned; even if Xu Rong hadn't said it, he could have guessed it.

It's quite remarkable that Xu Rong managed to keep the city from rioting for so long with only these hastily assembled troops.

To say that one can be 100% certain of defending against attacks from both sides is nothing but a pipe dream.

Zhao Hao's army has been at the city gates for months, yet he has remained inactive.

Today, however, they have unusually sent an envoy to persuade them to surrender.

This proves that they are about to launch a full-scale offensive!

"Even if I die, I'll be a hero again in eighteen years. I, Old Niu, am not afraid!"

Xu Rong didn't know whether he should feel gratified or in pain.

Finally, he could only place his hand heavily on Niu Dali's shoulder.

"Okay, brother, I understand... You can go down now, I need to be alone for a while."

"...Alright then, General, if you have any further orders, please summon me again."

Once Niu Dali was completely out of sight, Xu Rong summoned the remaining officers and repeated the same words to them.

The vast majority of people were caught in a dilemma, appearing unsure of what to do.

Finally, with Xu Rong's tacit approval, groups of officers, their faces heavy with sorrow, bowed to Xu Rong in farewell.

...

October finally arrived, and the weather began to slowly turn cold.

On the first day of October, Zhao Hao personally launched a dazzling firework into the sky!

In the cloudless sky, a Buddha's hand with its five fingers joined together blooms.

An outsider might interpret this as a metaphor for 'stopping'.

But everyone under Zhao Hao knew that this was the origin of the code name for Zhao Hao's plan.

The code name for this operation is 'Covering the Sky'!

"Brothers, today is the day to conquer the city and seize the stronghold."

"Siege engines, follow me!!"

"Strong wind, strong wind, strong wind!"

Zhao Hao has been busy all this time.

Nearly ten thousand people fled from Hulao Pass to join him.

Including his existing personal guard, Zhao Hao successfully created four catapults that were far more powerful than ordinary trebuchets...

Thunderbolt!

"put!!!"

With a furious shout from Zhao Hao, countless giant projectiles from the trebuchet were hurled toward the gates of Hulao Pass.

The more than 10,000 people who fled and surrendered were filled with disbelief when they saw the new catapults that they had been fortunate enough to help build.

Such a big rock, so much debris.

This thing, these really simple things, was thrown towards the wall and the gate.

They seem to have made the right choice?

"The Qin Marquis has finally made his move! Soldiers, coordinate with our allies and launch a fierce attack on the city walls!"

"kill!!"

Within the army, a well-equipped but small heavy infantry unit charged at the very front.

"The momentum of our charge is one of no retreat; our resolve to fight is one of certain death!"

"Brothers, follow me, Gao Shun, and let's be the first to scale the city wall!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

In just one exchange, Xu Rong was caught off guard and at a loss for what to do.

On Zhao Hao's side, the trebuchets smashed through the main gate of Hulao Pass, resulting in countless casualties among the soldiers.

From behind, Lu Bu and his men invaded like wolves and tigers. He had a vague feeling that he couldn't even hold Hulao Pass for a single day!

It turns out... he really underestimated this invincible marquis in the northern desert!

This guy seems capable of being invincible!

If Xu Rong knew that hundreds of thousands of troops had already begun to bare their fangs in the area where Dong Zhuo's territory bordered Zhao Hao's, he would have been a different person.

What should he think?

"Brothers, it is my incompetence that has dragged the entire army down..."

As expected, conquering cities and capturing strongholds was no challenge for Zhao Hao. Even earlier than Xu Rong had predicted, they held out for only six hours before Hulao Pass was officially declared to have fallen.

Xu Rong, along with his personal guards including Niu Dali, formed a circular formation inside Hulao Pass, intending to make a final stand.

"Hmph! If you're going to die, you'll have to face my young master's judgment!"

Yuwen Chengdu would never grant him his wish to die a martyr and achieve fame for loyalty and righteousness.

With a single sweep of the phoenix-winged gilded halberd, a large number of the remaining soldiers were knocked down.

"Enemy general Xu Rong has been captured alive by my Yuwen Chengdu!"

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