Season 3: Chapter 294. The Beginning of the End (1)

"Ah, in the end, Liu Bei managed to set up some defenses! Cookie might have made a bit of a mistake!"

China had bought itself enough time with a last-ditch tactic, giving Liu Bei the time needed to prepare the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation with around 100 soldiers.

"Actually, instead of amassing 200 troops to go in, Joseon should've just charged straight for the palace!"

"Ah... you're right!"

"To be fair, that's easier said than done. Most people can't do that when they actually get there!"

"Yes! It's a common mistake in RTS games when facing a relatively stronger opponent. You start overthinking, wondering if there’s something more waiting. As the battle drags on, your concentration wears down!"

"Yes, exactly. As the underdog, you can’t help but worry! Your opponent isn't just anyone. It’s China’s Liu Bei! Naturally, you think he’s got one last trick up his sleeve and Liu Bei counted on that! He bought himself enough time to complete the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation..."

"Whoaaaa!"

Cheers erupted from the Chinese crowd. Nothing special had happened yet. They just felt thrilled by the sight of the formation itself. It seemed the Chinese commentators were mentioning something exciting.

"Ah, the reaction from the Chinese side is intense right now."

"Right. It's like they're saying, 'One last move left...!' Am I right?"

"But OrangeKing! What exactly is the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation? Why are they so hyped? Could you explain, OrangeKing?"

“Gulp,”

OrangeKing swallowed nervously. "..."

He was at a loss for words.

— ??

— What's going on?

— Did he get too shocked?

"OrangeKing?"

"Uh...."

"?"

"I don’t know!!"

— LOL

— Seriously?

— LOL

— Why the big reaction, then?

"I know it’s called the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation! But I don’t know how it’s made, how to get through it, or dismantle it!"

"Wait, wasn’t this supposed to be some famous tactic from

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

?"

"That’s the thing... I’ve read that part over five times and I still don’t get it!"

— LOL, true

— Actually, nobody knows how it works

— Famous just for being famous!

— The ultimate Kim Kardashian formation!

— LOL, what is this?

Indeed, while the name and shape of the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation were well-known, no one had ever actually seen it used in a real battle. There were only a few guidelines left behind: "If the enemy approaches, do this," or "Set it up this way if they come from that side."

Unless someone was deeply invested in ancient formations, no one would even think of recreating it.

"But here’s what I can explain! This formation works by locking down the gates!"

"Oh, you know that part?"

"It has eight gates. No matter where the enemy comes from, each gate coordinates to respond and repel the invaders."

Indeed, the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation’s strength lay in its adaptability. No matter where the enemy attacked from, soldiers could be immediately deployed in the most efficient numbers to respond. It was like pressing into a large, soft jelly. The sides would rise to envelop the finger while the pressed spot would sink and absorb the impact. The strategy of the formation was to counter every force and push back the enemy.

"But! This isn’t the original Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation. With their limited numbers, it’s only a formation that resembles it."

Naturally, what Liu Bei created wasn’t exactly the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation described in ancient records.

"Oh, really?"

"Yes. In the original, the center should be filled with soldiers, but what’s at the center here?"

What the gates encircled now wasn’t an army. It was a large palace with elegant tiles pointing upward, resembling the Forbidden City. This core building was known as the palace and it housed the supreme commander they had to protect.

"Ah... so it might work differently!"

"Yes, probably... What matters isn’t the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation itself, but how Liu Bei interprets it!"

"Just as you say that, Joseon is on the move!"

Thump, thump...

Dust rose from Joseon’s camp as they began moving. Cookie had apparently decided after staring at the formation for a while.

"The cavalry is charging forward!"

"It looks like Cookie has made up his mind!"

***

"Whoaaaaa...!"

Joseon’s cavalry boldly galloped forward.

"Hmm."

However, Cookie was truly focused on the siege weapons. He redeployed the trebuchets capable of long-range bombardment to the back of the formation.

Clank...

"Charging directly into the Eight Gates is risky."

He planned to weaken the formation with catapults before sending in troops.

Creaaaak...

The catapults pulled back to full tension and aimed at the enemy infantry.

[Fire]

Whoosh──

The cavalry immediately turned back as the stones soared through the air. Thinking the cavalry was coming, the enemy spearmen began shifting their formation and moved into position.

They lowered their shields in the process, which left them vulnerable now to the siege weapons.

Boom!

A massive stone crashed down on them. In an instant, five Chinese soldiers were pulverized into nothing.

"Whoaaaaa!"

Cheers from the audience sounded as thunderous as the falling stones.

"Ugh!"

"Dammit, it was a feint!"

"Follow the orders. Don’t move ahead of time!"

A smirk played at the corners of Cookie’s mouth.

"As expected, they moved hastily."

They had no choice. The Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation’s strength was in responding to every attack, which also meant it had to respond to every attack.

Otherwise, the formation’s purpose would be compromised. The Chinese soldiers were forced to act on their own. These feints would inevitably succeed unless Liu Bei gave commands at an unbelievable VNS rate like Best Yi Sun-Shin.

"Next, we’ll—"

“Neigh!”

With a grin, Cookie sent out troops again.

Even with careful judgment from above, the Chinese soldiers had no choice but to react on the ground. For them, it was impossible to instantly judge whether a charging cavalry unit was real or fake.

"They’re coming again!"

"What should we do?!"

"... Hold! Hold your positions!"

Thud, thud!

The Joseon cavalry charged forward again as if to collide with the formation. This time, they rode even faster and advanced even closer. The trebuchets tautly pulled back and the enemy spearmen grew more cautious. They held their shields in place and stood ready, but—

"Move, moveee!"

The Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation had to respond to serve its purpose. As they gauged the cavalry's speed, they eventually shifted the formation again. The shields lowered and the spearmen became exposed. At that moment—

"Fire!"

The Joseon cavalry split, revealing another unit within.

[Focus]

Vroooom!

White flames rose from the arrows of the mounted archers.

Thwack, thwack, thwack!

They let loose the arrows, drawing countless arcs as they struck the enemies’ exposed heads.

"Whoaaaaaa!"

Bam, bam, bam!

A considerable number of Chinese soldiers fell to the ground. Then, stones from the trebuchets came falling for the finishing touch.

"...?"

However, the stones from the trebuchets never came crashing down.

"Huh?"

Cookie was taken aback as he turned to the trebuchets. They had all been destroyed. From the traces left, it seemed like they had been bombarded.

"Did they fire something from the palace?"

If the Ming dynasty palace had been fully upgraded, it would be capable of long-range cannon bombardments. In that case, there would be visible indications on the exterior, which Cookie would not have missed. After all, range calculations were crucial in siege warfare.

In the next moment, Cookie realized what was happening. A cannon shot landed right in the middle of the assembled Joseon troops.

Boom!

In an instant, dozens vanished due to the bombardment from the Ming dynasty's mobile stone cannon. Third era soldiers could not withstand the power of the Ming’s cannon.

“... An ambush?!”

It was indeed an ambush. He uttered the word out loud without realizing it.

‘It looks like almost all their forces are here.’

His troop count was not wrong. At least 95% of China’s forces had gathered here.

‘Then, did they move the siege weapons separately?’

Siege weapons were expensive, vulnerable in defense, and slow. They usually moved with soldiers. This time, they had been moved separately and likely hidden in the forest to the east. It was a completely unexpected tactic. China was taking a calculated gamble of its own.

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Crash!

The cannon erupted with fire. It seemed determined to kill as many as possible before being found. Cookie's gaze wavered.

‘If the infantry start searching the forest now, it’ll be too late. But the cavalry is all up front... Could it be?!’

It was astounding. Liu Bei had anticipated that Cookie would use his cavalry to toy with the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation. Therefore, he confidently deployed the cannon to a separate location. It would take ages if the Joseon infantry went to search.

‘In that case...’

Ultimately, Cookie had to call back the cavalry to locate the cannon and abandoned attacking the formation.

Just then—

“Chargeeeee!!”

The Eight Gates suddenly opened from the front and China's cavalry began a full-on charge.

Thud, thud!

A figure with a massive crescent moon blade on his back led them.

[Guan Yu]

It was Guan Yu, who had escaped in the previous battle. Guan Yu’s cavalry accelerated from a straight path and quickly closed the gap with Joseon’s cavalry, which was attempting to change direction.

Moreover, these Chinese soldiers now wore armor that was practically fifth era gear. They matched Joseon in speed, power, and defense despite their lower numbers.

Clang!

The crescent moon blades of Guan Yu and Malatang crossed. Joseon’s cavalry had been caught. Cookie tried to pull back the mounted archers.

“!”

Bang!

Suddenly, explosive arrows fired from behind Guan Yu’s cavalry and cut off the rear of Joseon’s mounted archers.

‘Mounted archers from the Yuan dynasty...’

Around half of the Chinese soldiers were mounted archers. Even while cornered on the edge of this cliff, they maintained such a balanced formation. In the end, Joseon’s mounted archers had no choice but to engage in combat. Attempting to flee would only mean death due to the difference in horse speed and arrows piercing their backs as they ran.

[Scatter]

Above all, the Joseon archers would be annihilated by the Yuan dynasty’s explosive arrows if they moved in single file.

[Engage individually]

Ultimately, Cookie could only order his cavalry to engage in individual combat. And then—

“Haa...”

he let out a strained breath in exhaustion before making a final decision.

[All troops, charge]

All the Joseon troops charged at the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation. They had to get as close to the Chinese troops as possible so the cannon wouldn’t have free rein. Siege weapon bombardments would also hit the Chinese forces. Cookie could no longer afford to try and slowly dismantle the formation. He had to confront the enemy directly.

‘From this point on...’

Cookie thought it was now beyond his control.

‘From now on...!’

Liu Bei had been waiting for this. The final battle was just beginning.

***

"A full-scale battle! A full-scale battle is breaking out!”

"Joseon and China! China and Joseon! The ultimate battle is finally here!”

"The cannon is hidden in the forest! They’ve boldly kept three cannons hidden! It seems Cookie didn’t expect this at all! And right now—”

Boom!

The cannon struck and the two armies clashed head-on. Infantry against infantry, cavalry against cavalry. Every type of unit was entangled in melee.

“Whoaaaaa!”

“Daehan Minguk!”

“Jiayou! Jiayou!”

The cheering from both sides grew more intense than ever. The camera briefly panned over the audience. Many had clasped hands while others spread their arms wide, shouting fervently.

The intensity of their support seemed to spill over to the battlefield, where the fight was fiercer than ever. The camera couldn’t cover the whole scene as the fighting extended in every direction. It finally refocused on the cavalry battle, the spark that had ignited the conflict. There, Joseon and China’s archers were on the verge of a face-off.

Thud, thud!

Both sides shot arrows while charging at maximum speed.

“The mounted archers are clashing with ferocity!”

“This is almost a battle of pride for both sides!”

"Not quite on par with the Mongols, but China’s Yuan civilization is known for mounted archers. They can’t afford to lose here!"

“They’re racing and shooting like mad!”

***

‘They’re coming.’

Creak—

With his focus heightened, Almond gritted his teeth as he drew back his bow. Through his dilated pupils, he saw the enemies closing in fast. Both sides charged at top speed and closed the distance in no time.

‘Now.’

Twang!

An arrow flew between the galloping soldiers.

Thunk!

The head of an enemy archer snapped back as he fell from his horse.

Twack, twack, twack!

All the other mounted archers let loose their arrows. A multitude of mounted archers fell from their saddles.

“Neeeigh!”

Most of them were from Joseon.

“Whoooooaa!”

Cheers erupted from the Chinese audience.

Crunch.

Almond gritted his teeth.

"Again!"

Almond signaled to the surviving mounted archers.

“Regroup!”

"...!"

It seemed like Joseon’s mounted archers were outmatched in many ways, but Almond turned his horse back and rallied his troops.

‘They’re stronger, but...’

The enemy was faster, stronger, and tougher. However, he trusted in something else.

‘I had a brief moment to regain my focus.’

Thanks to Cookie’s careful strategy, Almond managed to take a break from combat. Now, his concentration was at its peak once more. Cookie trusted that in the crucial moments, Almond could overcome everything with his arrows.

Because of that trust, Almond believed as well. He had to believe he could make something happen.

He shouted even louder, “Regroup!”

The soldiers, who initially seemed overwhelmed by the enemy’s sheer force, now turned around with renewed determination.

“Charge!”

“Got it!”

“All right, let’s do this!”

All the Joseon mounted archers turned their horses and charged again.

Thud, thud!

“Whoooaaa!”

The crowd cheered once again.

Carrot shouted from behind through all the noise, "They may be faster, but we have the longer range! Focus!”

Almond nodded.

Creak—

He drew his bow a split second earlier this time. The other mounted archers followed his lead and set their arrows.

‘A hit and run isn’t possible.’

Just because they had longer range didn’t mean hit-and-run tactics would work. The enemy horses were faster. However—

‘The timing.’

Among countless breaths, only one perfect moment existed. The first instant they came into range. In that moment alone, Joseon had the advantage.

“Phew.”

Almond released his held breath and shouted, "Now!"

Twang!

He released his arrow. This time was different. China’s mounted archers had yet to release their arrows. An ordinary observer wouldn’t have noticed, but... it was clear to the trained eyes of his mounted archers.

“!”

Thwack, thwack, thwack!

China’s mounted archers fell in Joseon’s initial assault.

“Neeeigh!”

With a collection of panicked neighs, the entire front line of China’s mounted archers had been annihilated.

Now it was Pang’s turn to scream, his face red with intensity.

“

Whoooaaa!

Let’s goooo!”