Entering the village, looting and plundering.

Time was pressing, and no one knew when the Qiang and Hu NPC cavalry would strike.

None of the villages dared to waste time on elaborate tactical formations. Hastily converging an elite force of 4,000 troops, they launched a simultaneous charge from all four sides of the village.

Even if they had to rely purely on a human wave, they had to take down Sword and Cauldron Village today; otherwise, they would have no face left to show in Rise of Cities in the Three Kingdoms. The village chiefs had reached a consensus on this point, so no one held back their strength. The most elite units were sent charging at the very front.

"Roar!" "Maintain formation, advance steadily!"

Led by their legion commanders, the player army marched boldly toward Sword and Cauldron Village. Five li, four li, three li, two li... They walked to conserve their stamina, as intense physical exertion could easily drain stamina points. Running prematurely would exhaust their energy and prove disadvantageous in combat.

Although the coalition forces were already within the shooting range of the elementary arrow towers inside Sword and Cauldron Village, the towers were too few in number, and those sparse, drizzle-like volleys had no real impact on the massive army. They maintained their steady, advancing formation.

Zhan Xiaobai and the others led the 850 main elite troops to attack from the East Gate, while the remaining forces advanced from the South, West, and North, pressing in along a full front. They had not prepared any reserve troops at all. The continuous arrival of players from various villages rushing to participate in the battle served as their reserves.

Inside Sword and Cauldron Village, Sword Gone Mad was frantically dispatching troops and adjusting defensive deployments while shouting loudly to keep all the players in the village calm.

"Everyone, do not panic! We have reinforcements! As long as we hold out for half an hour, our reinforcements will arrive!"

"The rise of my Sword and Cauldron Village begins today! Once we survive today, my village dominating Liang Province is just around the corner!"

"It's useless for them to outnumber us! In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao's sixteen-route army attacked Dong Zhuo, and weren't they defeated in the end? As long as we hold out today, they will meet the same fate! We have the Qiang and Hu people as allies, who can possibly do anything to us?"

Sword Gone Mad shouted desperately. He wanted to play the role of Dong Zhuo and make those seventeen coalition village chiefs his Yuan Shao alliance! He was determined to smash this rushing army to pieces.

It was a rather fine daydream, but he forgot one crucial detail: he did not possess the natural stronghold of Hulao Pass; all he had was a brushwood fence with 100 durability. The high-defense wooden palisade wall had not yet been built in time. Nor did he have the super-warrior Lu Bu in hand, having only two deputies, Solitary Cheapster and Arrogant Ginseng, along with a few other player heads.

When the distance closed to just 100 meters, they were already within bowshot. A small number of players inside Sword and Cauldron Village possessed bows and arrows and began shooting at the players from the various villages.

The seventeen-route player armies finally launched a fierce charge with battle roars. "Charge, brothers! Charge—!" "Wipe out those little bastards of Sword and Cauldron Village and avenge our destroyed allied villages!"

Like a tidal wave, they surged toward the brushwood fence, competing to hack it apart and pour through the breaches into the village.

Fifty archers from小白村 (Xiaobai Village) equipped with bows and rigid arrows simultaneously raised their hunting bows. With a "swish-swish-swish" sound, a wave of arrows caused a section of the brushwood fence over twenty meters long to collapse with a crash, simultaneously wounding quite a few players from Sword and Cauldron Village.

The players around Xiaobai Village's formation didn't even need to destroy the fence; they simply surged straight through, becoming the first batch of players to slaughter their way into Sword and Cauldron Village.

Amidst battle cries and shouts of slaughter, both sides clashed in a melee. This chaotic slaughter required no elaborate methodology; driven mad by the killing intent, one simply hacked desperately—whoever had bad luck fell first. Those who survived popped a health potion and charged again.

For easy identification, all players had raised their village marker symbols above their heads beforehand. As long as it bore the symbol of Sword And Cauldron Village, stood on ceremony was unnecessary—the only word was "slash."

The resistance of Sword and Cauldron Village was fiercely stubborn. Sword Gone Mad had arranged all warrior players along the inner defense line of the brushwood fence. Past the brushwood fence were a small number of hastily improvised traps, and past the traps lay the dense player defense lines of Sword and Cauldron Village.

The traps played no role, overrun instantly by the human wave of the seventeen-route players.

In an instant, hot blood flew across both sides.

Barely one to two minutes into the mutual hacking, Sword and Cauldron Village players could no longer take it and began wailing loudly. "Damn it, these coalition forces are way too fierce! How are they so much tougher than those previous opponents? The players from those small villages were so easy to bully."

That the core players of the seventeen routes were tough was only natural.

Because these 850 main elite troops were all top-tier experts carefully selected from various villages, possessing first-class levels and equipment. Sword and Cauldron Village's top-tier players were clearly far inferior; having around 80-odd top-tier players already made them extremely formidable, so they simply had no way to stem the charge of the coalition's main legion.

The most terrifying part was Xiaobai Village's archer corps. They refused to engage in close combat with Sword and Cauldron Village players. Protected by players from numerous other villages, a single volley of aerial arrow rain would clear out a small sector of Sword and Cauldron Village. The players from other villages then seized the opportunity to launch a frenzied assault, instantly tearing the defense line apart.

The defense line of Sword and Cauldron Village could not hold at all. With a single charge from the seventeen-route coalition's main legion, it rapidly disintegrated.

In a mere three to four minutes, unable to withstand the coalition's frantic assault, Sword and Cauldron Village players lost their brushwood fence defense line and retreated successively toward the administrative courtyard—the hub of Sword and Cauldron Village—attempting to regroup and strengthen their defensive power.

Both sides had already suffered hundreds of casualties each. Fewer than 2,500 warriors remained in Sword and Cauldron Village, while countless coalition troops poured in from outside the village like a tide. Everywhere inside the village, coalition players were burning, killing, and looting, knocking down buildings and smashing the few elementary arrow towers to pieces.

"Big Brother, the East Gate has fallen, a total collapse! They are too fierce; they are definitely the main legion, we urgently need reinforcements!" shouted a reporting player from Sword and Cauldron Village anxiously.

"Big Brother, the North Gate is critical. The battle situation is unfavorable."
"Big Brother, the South Gate has fallen. The battle is deadlocked."
"Big Brother, the West Gate has fallen. The brothers are preparing a counterattack... The probability of success is extremely small. Requesting permission to pull back the defense line."

Various reports of defeat came in frequently.

Sword Gone Mad could finally sit still no longer. He mobilized his 200 well-equipped, level-20-plus NPC militia, alongside 100 elite, leather-armored, spear-wielding Qiang and Hu NPC soldiers stationed in the village. Personally leading them, he charged toward the East Gate where the combat situation was most critical.

The thin Qiang-Hu NPC originally wanted to object, but seeing the village's crisis, he had to hold his tongue. The Qiang-Hu soldiers were only lent to Sword and Cauldron Village for defense.

The most powerful armed forces of Sword and Cauldron Village collided head-on with the coalition's main forces.

Zhan Xiaobai, Warring States Tianxia, Mo Xiaofeng, and the others were overjoyed. They weren't afraid of the enemy being strong; they were only afraid that the enemy's main force would refuse to meet them in battle and instead run off to slaughter ordinary coalition players.

The coalition's main force was brimming with momentum. Seeing the spear-wielding Qiang-Hu troops forming a tight formation—with those possessing wooden shields hoisting them up to hard-pounded against the NPCs—they didn't need to charge; they merely needed to defend.

In the middle of the coalition formation, the 50 archer players led by Zhan Xiaobai had not suffered a single casualty to date. Nocking their bows, they fired wildly. A volley of arrow rain fell upon those spear-wielding level-30 Qiang-Hu soldiers, instantly sending countless spurts of blood flying. After a few rounds of shooting, even a blood-thick juggernaut would be laid out flat.

Furious, Sword Gone Mad yelled and urged on the attack without delay, desperate to break through the defense and slaughter that batch of archers. Unfortunately, after a single charge by the 100 elite Qiang-Hu soldiers, over 30 were lost, every single one of them injured, and their formation grew somewhat scattered.

Who among the coalition forces wasn't an old hand? Every last one of them was craftier than the next. Seeing that their charge had been thwarted and stalled, they immediately switched from defense to offense, swallowing up the Qiang-Hu soldiers in a counter-charge. Three to four player experts around level 25 hacking at a single level-30 spear-wielding Qiang-Hu was like slicing vegetables; with a flurry of sword strikes, each one was easily cut down.

Horrified and panic-stricken, Sword Gone Mad hastily retreated with dozens of surviving NPC soldiers, concentrating all remaining player military forces toward the administrative courtyard.

......

Chaos reigned inside the village. Everywhere were destroyed buildings, fallen NPCs, pillaging, and slaughter, bubbling like a pot of boiling porridge, thoroughly overcooked.

Some players whose villages had previously been destroyed by Sword and Cauldron Village simply went around setting fires to vent their revenge. "Burn, haha! You turtle-headed bastards of Sword and Cauldron Village, didn't expect a day like this, did you? You just destroyed my village a few days ago, now it's your turn to taste the flavor!"

Springtime Swordsman led over 300 well-equipped Xiaobai Village players running amok throughout the village. Occasionally they hacked down scattered players from Sword and Cauldron Village, but most of the time they were searching for valuable items.

Long before attacking the village, he had already received clear instructions. His task was singular: plunder, plunder from Sword and Cauldron Village. Sword and Cauldron Village had many fine goods supported by the Qiang and Hu people, and he needed to grab as many of these things as possible.

There were valuables scattered about the village that players from various villages fought over, even coming to blows over certain items and triggering small-scale conflicts.

Springtime Swordsman did not bother with ordinary wealth. However, the moment he spotted an NPC, he immediately led a large group to rush forward and snap up the NPC for himself.

Very few players dared to contend with this massive group for NPCs, because whether viewed from the perspective of numbers, equipment, or aura, they were difficult characters to provoke—not to mention the Xiaobai Village symbols floating above their heads.

In a very short space of time, Springtime Swordsman and his group had seized over a dozen NPCs.

......

Fierce battles raged throughout the village as various factions vied for every visible precious item—draft oxen, horses, dropped weapons, and the like.

Although Tiger and Leopard Village had dispatched a 50-man main force to participate in the siege of Sword and Cauldron Village, their elder, Shen Biao, was also leading a squad looting everywhere.

While Shen Biao was busy fighting other villages for wealth and money, he happily discovered a draft ox. Ignoring whether it had an owner, he immediately summoned his brothers to charge forward and snatch it, driving away the people from other villages and claiming it for himself.

As Shen Biao was rejoicing, he was suddenly struck a blow on the back of the head by Black Tiger, who had appeared out of nowhere.

Black Tiger cursed bitterly: "Idiot, are you brainless?"

Rubbing the back of his head, Shen Biao looked immensely aggrieved. "Big Brother, what is it this time? Aren't I grabbing things? I snatched a very valuable draft ox worth at least several strings of copper coins!"

"You fool, didn't you see what the elder of Xiaobai Village is doing? People! People are the most important assets! Go capture NPCs for me immediately—capture those NPCs with skills! How many acres of land can a draft ox plow? Can it possibly be worth more than an NPC with skills?! Learn a thing or two. I knew you were slow, so I came over specifically to remind you. Fortunately I came out, otherwise this trip to participate in the battle at Sword and Cauldron Village would truly have been for nothing."

Shen Biao suddenly woke up to reality. "Big Brother is brilliant, I'll learn right away! Whatever that Swordsman grabs, I'll grab too!" He immediately led a few hundred men to capture the terrified NPCs running amok through the village, grabbing them and demanding, "What skills do you know?"

Whenever an NPC shook their head, Shen Biao would immediately curse, "Don't know anything? Useless rice bucket!" Then he would slash down with his blade and lead his men off to catch other NPCs.

Seeing that Shen Biao had finally learned sense, Black Tiger relaxed his mind and returned to the main battle zone to command his own troops.

......

The coalition's main attacking force of over 4,000 troops had completely surrounded the remaining 1,500-plus members of Sword and Cauldron Village near the administrative courtyard.

If the players of Sword and Cauldron Village wanted to flee, it was actually quite easy. But once they fled, the village would be completely finished, and they would all become unaligned vagrants with no territory, forced to seek refuge in other villages to survive in the future.

Inside the courtyard of Sword and Cauldron Village, Sword Gone Mad, Solitary Cheapster, and others were still organizing the remaining forces for a final resistance, deploying players all around the courtyard.

With bloodshot eyes, Sword Gone Mad roared in a shrill voice, "Hold the line! It's been almost an hour, our reinforcements are about to arrive. Victory is right before our eyes! You must hold!" "Hold on, brothers, we cannot fail at the very last hurdle!" (The coalition spent 20 minutes organizing manpower, but the actual combat time was only about 30 minutes.)

Suddenly discovering that Arrogant Ginseng was nowhere to be seen, he hastily barked at Solitary Cheapster, "Second Brother, where did Third Brother run off to? Wasn't he supposed to be leading and commanding?"

Solitary Cheapster hurried over, panting heavily. "That bastard, I haven't seen hide nor hair of him for ages; he most likely fled long ago! I knew all along he wasn't a good person. Sure enough, the moment trouble strikes, he vanishes."

Cursing furiously in rage, Sword Gone Mad found himself utterly helpless.

......

Outside the courtyard of Sword and Cauldron Village, a desperate and bloody slaughter was underway between the coalition forces and Sword and Cauldron Village, with the majority of fallen players choosing to revive at the resurrection point.

The coalition players resurrected at Warring States Village.

Upon death, the players of Sword and Cauldron Village mostly chose to log off or select a random resurrection point rather than reviving inside Sword and Cauldron Village—because after reviving, players suffered a 12-hour weakness debuff rendering them unable to fight. With the village swarming with coalition forces everywhere, reviving inside meant total helplessness, slaughter awaiting them at every turn, and dropping an entire level of experience points upon each death. Only a handful of core members of Sword and Cauldron Village revived inside the administrative courtyard, which had not yet fallen.

Zhan Xiaobai, Warring States Tianxia, and the others commanded the player coalition, pressing forward frantically and giving Sword and Cauldron Village no breathing room whatsoever. Their manpower was utterly abundant, with wave after wave of fresh players continuously surging forward into battle.

Watching the still-stubbornly resisting players of Sword and Cauldron Village, Mo Xiaofeng sighed and remarked, "What a pity. The strength of this Sword and Cauldron Village isn't weak either, yet it's about to be wiped out. It rose quickly, and its destruction comes just as fast."

Everyone burst into hearty laughter. "Old Mo, why are you sighing over nothing? It's not your village!" "This battle feels so satisfying! In such a short time, thousands of people have been hacked down!" "I reckon it won't take much longer for the rest of them." "This is all thanks to the brilliant command of Big Brother Xiaobai and Warring States Tianxia, pressing forward in one single, irresistible push."

Warring States Tianxia laughed heartily. "Not at all, not at all, it's everyone's contribution."

With the impending destruction of Sword and Cauldron Village and the hidden threat eliminated, Warring States Tianxia felt immensely refreshed in spirit.

Zhan Xiaobai looked around at the crowd and said, "Everyone put in a bit more effort; don't let up at the very final hurdle. Once we take down Sword and Cauldron Village, we'll celebrate properly."

The crowd let out a unified cheer, rushing off to direct their troops and pressing forward with deadly determination.

Sword Gone Mad was in agonizing misery. He had always been extremely confident and acted recklessly. After aligning with the Qiang and Hu people, he had immediately abandoned his post as a squad leader in the Wuwei Infantry Camp to come here and build a village, aiming to become the overlord of Liang Province. But now, isolated and besieged, his resolve wavered. The overlord position seemed within arm's reach, yet utterly unattainable. The Qiang and Hu reinforcements were delayed, and less than ten minutes remained before his total defeat. Had he known this would be the outcome, he might as well have stayed muddling along in Wuwei City.

"Qiang cavalry!"

Outside Sword and Cauldron Village, a wave of astonished cries erupted among the players across the wilderness.

Amidst the rumbling sound of hooves, they broke into the field of vision of the two warring sides. The Qiang people, awaited by everyone for so long, had finally arrived.

There were three ways to resurrect: 1. In-place, 2. Random—anywhere in the country, 3. A freely set resurrection point—which had to be a place the player had visited, allowing them to set their current coordinates as the resurrection point.

This freely set resurrection point coordinate usually needed to be kept as confidential as possible and changed frequently to prevent enemies from camping at the resurrection point and hacking them back to Level 0.

Normally, players would set this coordinate inside a village for safety—because player villages had public security maintenance personnel who would not permit brawls to break out freely.

If the administrative courtyard of a village was open to the outside, players could enter and set their resurrection point inside the courtyard. If it was not open to players, outsiders could not enter, and naturally could not set their resurrection points within it.