Chen Gong looked at the letter from Cao Cao and couldn't help but feel a bit irritated. What kind of situation is this? If sothing goes wrong, I’ll end up taking the bla. Even worse, if things get out of hand, too many innocent civilians could die. This… doesn’t sit well with .
Returning to his usual sharp mind, Chen Gong began to ponder the situation. After thinking it through for a while, he decided to go and et Lu Bu to assess his strength. If Lu Bu truly had the capability, it might be best not to make a move against him in Yanzhou. However, if Lu Bu proved to be as reckless as rumored, Chen Gong figured it might be better to help Cao Cao eliminate him.
anwhile, Wei Yan and Guan Ping had switched roles. Wei Yan led 2,000 troops to lie in ambush outside, while Guan Ping remained inside the camp, instructing his n to maintain a loose exterior defense while keeping a tight interior one. All soldiers and officers were ordered to sleep in their clothes, ready for any situation.
At Le Ling, Zhang He had already mapped out the flaws he noticed in Guan Ping's camp layout.
"Junyi, since you’re injured, I’ll lead the night raid tonight. You stay behind to defend Le Ling. What do you think?" Gao Lan said after studying the camp diagram and morizing the key points.
"Very well. But please, Yuanbo, be cautious. If anything goes wrong, retreat imdiately. I’ll be here in the city, and if you don't return within the hour, I’ll send reinforcents!" Zhang He nodded, but his warrior's prudence led him to voice so caution.
Gao Lan's face stiffened briefly before he forced a smile. "Don't worry, Junyi. I’ll be careful. Just bear with
for a while."
Zhang He nodded in agreent and then returned to studying the camp’s weaknesses. He failed to notice the complex emotions in Gao Lan's eyes. As one of the fad "Four Generals of Hebei," Gao Lan often felt overshadowed by the likes of Yan Liang and Wen Chou, who were known for their brute strength, and even Zhang He, who was a superior tactician. Despite being one of the four, Gao Lan often felt like an afterthought.
After Zhang He and Gao Lan reviewed Guan Ping's camp, they ordered their soldiers to eat well and rest. By the third watch of the night, they prepared to launch their attack.
Similarly, Guan Ping had his n eat and rest early. Only a few soldiers patrolled, while the rest were told to sleep with their weapons, ready for any potential night raid. The veteran soldiers quickly recognized the signs of a possible attack and tied their rations to their belts, resting with their weapons in hand. Their years of military experience told them that a night raid was likely.
"Report!" ca a loud shout. A ssenger arrived at the headquarters where Guan Yu was stationed, a hundred miles away from Le Ling, delivering a detailed report.
"Ping’er is injured!" Guan Yu’s grip on his Green Dragon Crescent Blade tightened. In his mont of panic, he forgot to use his son’s courtesy na and called out his childhood na instead. After quickly scanning the report and the diagram of Guan Ping's camp, Guan Yu’s face darkened as he handed the report to Guo Jia. "Military Advisor Guo, do you think Ping’er and Wen Chang can handle the situation? As for the camp layout—hmph!"
Guo Jia glanced over the latest intelligence and imdiately guessed what Guan Ping and Wei Yan were planning. He smiled as he put down the report and said, "Congratulations, General. Ping’er has indeed inherited so of your skills. This is rely a ruse to lure Zhang He and Gao Lan into a trap."
Guan Yu was montarily taken aback, but he quickly understood the plan, and a rare smile appeared on his face. He felt proud that his son was starting to make a na for himself. However, the thought of his son being wounded dampened his mood.
Seeing Guan Yu's expression, Guo Jia knew what he was thinking. It's natural for a father to be upset when his son gets injured on his first campaign. Guo Jia recalled a detail from the report about Zhang He being wounded and couldn’t help but smile.
"General Guan, how about we take a trip to Le Ling tonight?" Guo Jia suggested with a grin. "Who knows, we might even capture the city or take down one of Yuan Shao's top generals."
"Le Ling? But it’s at least a hundred miles from here. Even if we set out now, our main force won't be able to catch up," Guan Yu said, stroking his beard thoughtfully.
"We’ll take your elite saber-wielding guards. If we leave now, we should be able to make it in ti," Guo Jia replied with a smile. "The rest of the troops can be led by Zang Ba and Gao Shun, marching overnight to Le Ling."
"Do you think this will work, Fengxiao?" Guan Yu asked, dropping the formal title of "Military Advisor" and addressing Guo Jia by his courtesy na, a sign of growing trust.
"There's a fifty-fifty chance, but I believe luck is on our side," Guo Jia said with a grin. "If we’re lucky, we could take Le Ling and force Yuan Shao to shift his focus back south, giving Gongsun Zan so breathing room."
"Very well, fifty percent is good enough for ," Guan Yu said, his cold and stern deanor softening into a rare smile. He grabbed his Green Dragon Crescent Blade and headed for the door.
"Zhou Cang!" Guan Yu called out.
"At your command!" Zhou Cang responded with a booming voice.
"Gather my saber-wielding guards. Tell them to prepare provisions and water. We must reach Le Ling within four hours, before midnight. If anyone fails, I’ll allow them to leave the unit!" Guan Yu commanded.
"Understood!" Zhou Cang answered loudly.
Soon, five hundred elite saber-wielders were assembled, all ard with large sabers and mounted on horses. With Guan Yu leading them, they set off on a swift march toward Le Ling.
"Move out!" Guan Yu shouted, spurring his horse forward. Guo Jia downed a mouthful of wine before following suit. Despite his basic martial skills, he could still take down a few weak recruits.
However, despite their efforts, Guan Yu and his troops didn’t reach Le Ling by midnight. In fact, they were still on the road past the third watch. Guo Jia had overestimated his stamina and was nearly shaken to pieces halfway through the journey.
Yet Guo Jia wasn’t too concerned. His goal wasn’t necessarily to save Guan Ping but rather to ambush the enemy. Arriving late wouldn’t hurt; as long as they could ambush soone, the mission would be a success. By the ti they passed Guan Ping’s camp around the third watch, no signs of chaos or fire indicated that the night raid had begun.
But just as Guo Jia and Guan Yu passed, shouts erupted from Guan Ping’s camp, followed by a blaze of light and the sounds of battle.
"It seems our luck isn’t too bad. At ten miles away, no one should have noticed us yet," Guo Jia said, panting. "I overestimated my stamina, but General Guan, don’t worry about . Go quickly and set up an ambush between Le Ling and Ping’er’s camp. If the enemy forces are large, cut through their middle. If they’re small, strike them head-on. I expect Wei Yan and Ping’er to pursue as well."
Guan Yu glanced at Guo Jia’s state, then listened to the distant battle cries. He knew ti was of the essence, so he said, "Zhou Cang, stay here with ten n to guard Fengxiao. If anything happens, you’ll be held accountable!"
"Rest assured, General! I, Zhou Cang, will protect the Military Advisor with my life!" Zhou Cang responded with a solemn salute.
Guan Yu nodded, leaving ten soldiers behind before heading to the location Guo Jia had indicated on the map. There, he planned to ambush Gao Lan as he retreated from the failed night raid. Little did he know, instead of Gao Lan, he would encounter Zhang He leading three thousand soldiers to reinforce the city.
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