All the heroes of the world are now in my grasp.

Chapter 18 Black Knight Death

The dull thud of shields clashing against each other was deafening. Zhou Bo held his iron shield firmly against the oncoming saber, and with his right hand, he slashed horizontally with his ring-pommel sword, the blade piercing the foreleg of the Xiongnu warhorse and spraying a spray of hot blood.

The warhorse let out a mournful neigh and crashed to the ground, throwing the Xiongnu cavalryman on its back onto the snow. Before he could get up, a long-spearman following behind pierced his chest.

This was the third wave of attack that Zhou Bo and his troops held off.

The shield-and-spear formation of three hundred men stood like a reef in a raging sea, firmly anchored in the open space in front of the central command tent. Shield bearers led the way, their iron shields linked together to form an unbreakable wall. Spear bearers peered out from the gaps in the shield formation, aiming to pierce the charging warhorses and cavalry. Archers and crossbowmen continuously fired arrows from the rear of the formation, reaping the scattered Xiongnu cavalrymen who charged forward.

The effect is immediate.

Those small groups of Xiongnu guerrilla cavalry, who had previously roamed freely within the main camp, were utterly unable to break through this densely packed, impenetrable defense. They had been using the advantage of surprise attacks to hunt down fleeing soldiers, but now, encountering elite troops locked in a fierce defensive formation, their several charges were met with bloodshed and the deaths of over a dozen corpses. They could only retreat dejectedly, circling the formation, no longer daring to advance easily.

"Raise your shields! Hold the line! Don't panic!" Zhou Bo roared at the forefront of the formation, his blood-stained ring-pommel sword held high. "My comrades! We're growing stronger! Those Hun dogs can't break through our lines!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the commander of the personal guards moved Zhou Bo's banner forward a dozen steps, so that the entire camp could see that their commander, their general, was driving back the enemy. The black banner fluttered in the wind, snow, and firelight, and the character "Zhou" on it was particularly conspicuous in the blazing fire.

This banner was the backbone of the entire camp's routed soldiers.

The Han soldiers, who had been fleeing in all directions in the camp, saw the general's flag erected in front of the central command tent and heard Zhou Bo's familiar roar. It was like drowning people grabbing onto a piece of driftwood, instantly finding their direction.

The soldiers who had been scattering and fleeing suddenly gripped their weapons and gathered towards the direction of the general's banner. Some garrison commanders who had narrowly escaped the swords of the Xiongnu cavalry rushed over with a dozen or so remaining soldiers; cooks and supply soldiers who had been hiding in their tents and dared not come out also grabbed kitchen knives and wooden sticks and ran over to join the formation; even a few cavalrymen who had been scattered abandoned their horses, raised their swords, and disappeared into the shield formation.

In just a few breaths, the formation, which had initially consisted of only a few dozen men, grew larger and larger. Soldiers spontaneously filled gaps in the shield formation, spearmen reinforced the flanks, and archers rearranged themselves. Their previously panicked eyes gradually calmed, and their hands gripping their weapons became much steadier. In the blink of an eye, the entire formation had grown to three to five hundred men, disciplined and exuding a chilling aura of battle; it was no longer the hastily assembled remnant army of moments before.

The more stable the formation, the higher the morale. Some soldiers couldn't help but roar, and their shouts of battle gradually drowned out the cries of the Xiongnu cavalry, echoing throughout the snow-covered camp.

Meanwhile, the Xiongnu cavalry, who were roaming freely within the camp, quickly discovered the change on this side.

They had taken advantage of the Han army's laxity on New Year's Eve to catch them off guard, using the advantage of a surprise attack to breach the camp gates and scatter the unprepared Han troops. But now, the Han army's commander had regained his composure and regrouped his forces. If this Han army were allowed to regroup, and all the scattered soldiers in the camp were gathered together, their surprise attack tonight would be a complete failure.

The Xiongnu cavalry scattered throughout the camp turned their horses around and converged towards the central command tent. The thunderous sound of hooves crushing the snow grew louder and louder. The scattered wolf-head banners gradually gathered together, and the cavalry squads merged into a mighty torrent, forming a charging formation on the open ground not far away. The flames of their torches stretched out, illuminating half the night sky, and an aura of killing intent filled the air.

As if by some tacit agreement, both sides abandoned their small-scale skirmishes and gathered on the large training ground in front of the central command tent. One side leaned against the camp gate, and the other side leaned against the tent, just like two generals who were about to fight one-on-one, both preparing and calming down.

The Xiongnu knew very well that whether they could completely take over this camp tonight depended entirely on whether they could break through the Han army's infantry formation in one fell swoop.

The Han soldiers were well aware that whether they could survive tonight and whether Bingzhou could be saved depended on whether they could withstand the next wave of attacks from the Xiongnu.

However, the Han army, whose formation was gradually becoming more organized, was actually starting to feel more confident. After all, the Xiongnu could launch night raids and pursue the enemy, but if those nomadic light cavalry were to face the Han army's armored infantry formation head-on, it was hard to say who would suffer the most!

Just then, the Hun cavalry's formation suddenly split to the sides.

A tall knight, clad in heavy black armor, slowly rode out from the front of the formation.

His heavy armor covered him from head to toe, even his face was encased in a full-body black iron mask, revealing only a pair of cold, piercing eyes that gleamed in the firelight. His warhorse was also jet black, similarly clad in half-body armor, clearly a steed chosen from among the best. Among the Xiongnu cavalry, who generally only wore leather armor, this full suit of heavy armor stood out starkly, like the Grim Reaper in the night, exuding a suffocating sense of oppression.

He reined in his horse, stopping at the very front of the formation. He raised his gloved hand and shouted a few words in the Xiongnu language. His voice, muffled and hoarse through his visor, carried an undeniable authority. As soon as he finished speaking, the Xiongnu cavalry behind him let out a deafening roar, and the cry of "Qilian!" echoed through the night sky once again.

The next second, the black-armored knight suddenly turned his horse around, raised his lance high, and charged towards Zhou Bo's formation.

Like a flood bursting its banks, the Xiongnu cavalry behind him charged madly towards the Han army's formation. The thunderous hooves shook the earth, and snow, swirling in the wind and snow, lashed at their faces. They were actually attempting to break through a well-organized infantry formation head-on with their cavalry!

"Archers! Fire!" Zhou Bo watched the charging cavalry and knew that this black-armored knight must be a key figure among the Xiongnu. Generally, Xiongnu cavalry would advance when the opportunity was favorable and retreat when the disadvantage was unfavorable, and would never easily charge into the Han army's ranks. However, this also meant that the most crucial moment was just around the corner. His pupils contracted sharply, and he roared the order.

A hail of arrows instantly rose from behind the formation, raining down on the charging Xiongnu cavalry like locusts. The first few horses fell to the ground, their riders thrown off and instantly trampled into a bloody pulp by the hooves of the horses behind. But the remaining Xiongnu cavalry did not hesitate for a moment, still stepping over the corpses of their comrades, they accelerated wildly, charging straight into the Han army's shield formation.

On one side were hastily assembled infantrymen, their armor in disarray; on the other side were cavalrymen, mostly wearing only leather armor, except for the leading black-armored knights. This head-on collision resulted in casualties far exceeding expectations.

With a deafening roar, the front rank of Xiongnu cavalry slammed into the wall of iron shields. The sounds of warhorses' bones shattering, shield bearers' muffled groans as their bones broke, and spears tearing through flesh mingled together instantly. The shield bearers in the front rank were thrown back by the immense impact, many collapsing to the ground, spitting blood. But their comrades immediately filled in, holding the shield wall firmly, preventing any gaps in the formation.

The charging Xiongnu cavalry fell in droves before the shield formation, but they were fearless and charged forward wave after wave, crashing against the rocks like a tide, determined to smash this iron wall to pieces.

Just as the two sides were locked in fierce combat and the formation was at its most strained, the black-armored knight made a move.

He swung his lance horizontally with tremendous force, instantly sweeping away the three iron shields and shield bearers in the front row, tearing a gap in the well-organized shield formation.

Immediately afterwards, he spurred his horse, and the warhorse reared up, stepping through the gap and charging into the formation.

He was like a grim reaper emerging from hell; wherever his lance passed, men and horses fell, and flesh and blood flew everywhere. Long spears pierced his heavy armor, producing only a piercing metallic clang, leaving not even a scratch; his swords struck his horse armor, shattering the blades in two. Alone on horseback, he charged through the formation, unstoppable in his path, utterly disrupting the well-organized infantry ranks.

With their formation disrupted, the Xiongnu cavalry outside seized the opportunity and surged in through the gap like a tide. The once orderly army was now in imminent danger.

After breaking through the formation, the black-armored knight did not linger in battle. His eyes were fixed on the "Zhou" banner fluttering in the center of the formation, and he spurred his horse straight toward the banner.

"Don't even think about touching the general's flag!!!" Zhou Bo roared, his eyes bloodshot, gripping his ring-pommel sword tightly with both hands, and charged towards the black-armored knight.

He knew that the general's flag was the courage of the entire army. As long as the general's flag was up, the morale of the army would remain. Just as when the flag was raised, soldiers would naturally flock to the army. When the flag fell, the morale of the army would collapse instantly, and these three thousand men would be like a pile of loose sand, at the mercy of others. Tonight, there would be no way to turn the tide.

The lance and the ring-pommel sword clashed instantly, producing a deafening metallic clang. Zhou Bo exerted all his strength to desperately resist the opponent's lance, but the opponent, using the immense impact of the charging warhorse, pressed down with force as if Mount Tai were pressing down on him. Zhou Bo felt a sharp pain in his tiger's mouth, his arms went numb, and the ring-pommel sword almost slipped from his grasp.

The black-armored knight, seated on his horse, suddenly flicked his wrist, and his lance slammed down, the tip striking Zhou Bo squarely in the chest.

Zhou Bo groaned, his entire body like a kite with a broken string, violently knocked to the ground by the enormous impact, spitting out a mouthful of blood, his vision blurring.

"General!!!" The guards, their eyes bloodshot, rushed forward like madmen, using their bodies to shield the fallen Zhou Bo, raising their shields and wildly swinging their swords at the black-armored knight.

But the black-armored knight ignored them completely, spurring his horse to the banner. He swept his lance across the ground, snapping the thick banner in two. He leaned forward, grabbed the fallen black banner, turned his horse around, raised the banner high, and roared in the Xiongnu language.

The general's flag has fallen!

The Han soldiers, who were fighting desperately, collapsed instantly upon seeing this scene. Those who had been resisting fiercely could no longer hold on, dropping their weapons and fleeing in all directions. The entire formation crumbled in an instant, and the Xiongnu cavalry seized the opportunity to charge in, their shouts and screams echoing throughout the camp.

Zhou Bo was helped up from the snow by his personal guards. His chest was in excruciating pain and he was covered in wounds. Looking at the soldiers who were fleeing in all directions, at the central command tent that had been set on fire by the Xiongnu cavalry, and at the general's flag that was being raised high by the black-armored knight, his eyes were filled with resentment and despair.

He knew that tonight, he would suffer a crushing defeat, and this camp at the border river mouth would be lost.

"General! The camp can't be held! Let's go! It'll be too late if we don't leave now!" The commander of the personal guards held him tightly, shouting as he urged, "As long as we're alive, we can always fight again! Let's break through first!"

Zhou Bo gritted his teeth, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and decisively ordered in a sharp voice, "All guards, cover the rear! The rest of you, protect my nephew Gao and break out through the back gate of the camp! Quickly!"

He knew very well that Gao Zidan was his old friend's only bloodline and could not die here.

At the entrance of the central command tent, Gao Zidan and Han Xin stood side by side, watching the entire battle unfold before their eyes. From Zhou Bo forming his battle formation to stabilize the situation, to the black-armored knights charging and breaking through the enemy lines, to the capture of the general's flag and the collapse of the army, every scene unfolded before their very eyes.

The wind and snow, carrying blood and foam, rushed towards them. Han Xin had already gripped the sword at his waist, protecting Gao Zidan behind him, his eyes warily watching the charging Xiongnu cavalry, ready to break through at any moment.

But Gao Zidan seemed not to hear the sounds of battle around her, her gaze fixed on the black-armored knight riding a horse and raising a flag.

Despite the swirling snow, the blood-soaked battlefield, and the distance of dozens of steps, despite the fact that the other person was fully encased in heavy armor and wore a mask, obscuring even their features, Gao Zidan felt an indescribable sense of familiarity welling up inside her.

He must have seen that figure charging on horseback, that action of wielding a spear to break through enemy lines, that fearless and fierce aura somewhere before.

But where exactly is it?

Gao Zidan frowned, her mind racing through scenes from her time travel, but she couldn't quite grasp that familiar figure, and her doubts deepened.

Just then, several guards rushed over and shouted urgently to Gao Zidan, "Young Master Gao! The general has ordered us to protect you and help you break through the encirclement! Come with us quickly! It will be too late if we delay any longer!"

Han Xin tugged at Gao Zidan's sleeve and said in a deep voice, "Young lord, we shouldn't stay here any longer. Let's break through first!"

Gao Zidan snapped out of her daze, took one last look at the figure of the black-armored knight, took a deep breath, gripped the ring-pommel sword at her waist, and followed her guards, rushing out towards the back gate of the camp.

The main camp behind them was completely engulfed in flames and carnage. This surprise attack on New Year's Eve ultimately ended in a crushing defeat for the Han army.