NOVPUBDuring the Hour of the Ox that night, Gao Lan led two thousand infantry, each with a copper coin in their mouth, and stealthily ran towards Guan Ping’s main camp after opening the city gate.
Simultaneously, after midnight, Guan Ping had already awakened all his soldiers and instructed them to stay within the military camp without stirring. As for Wei Yan, he had taken two thousand soldiers out of the main camp and lay in wait about a mile away. Though the deep autumn night was cool, these were physically fit soldiers who had no trouble with the chill.
After Gao Lan left the city, Zhang He felt an ominous premonition lingering between his brows. He wanted to send someone to call Gao Lan back, but lacking a good reason, he could only pace back and forth in his room, feeling irritable.
With an arrow striking down a patrolling soldier, Gao Lan let out a roar and charged directly into the main camp. The soldiers led by Gao Lan also surged into the camp, one tent after another flipped over to reveal nothing but emptiness—Gao Lan instantly knew something was amiss.
"Slaughter them!" shouted Guan Ping as he leapt onto his horse, and a large number of soldiers from all directions emerged, their Cloud Qi forming a dense mass. Then, taking the lead, they charged directly towards Gao Lan.
"Form up, retreat slowly," Gao Lan ordered as he saw the dire situation, issuing the command to retreat without any hesitation. However, since there were enemy soldiers attacking from the left, right, and front, Gao Lan did not dare to order an outright retreat.
"Puchi!" The military camp wasn’t very large to begin with. Gao Lan’s vanguard had entered the camp, and before they had a chance to set fire, Guan Ping had already launched his attack, surrounding them on three sides. Before Gao Lan could stabilize his formation, close-quarters combat had already begun.
Gao Lan coolly surveyed the current situation and, without any hesitation, chose to make a painful but necessary decision. After all, not having seen the other military general Zhang He mentioned, Gao Lan already understood what he was up against. Sometimes experience is far more terrifying than wisdom, especially the kind of experience Gao Lan had accumulated at the brink of life and death, which allowed him, even on instinct alone, to know what was the right choice in such peril.
"Throw the kerosene!" Gao Lan shouted, not caring about the distance as he ordered his men to hurl the kerosene forward, and then the torches followed towards the direction of the kerosene.
"Ahh~" Those drenched in kerosene and then ignited soon caught fire. With this, Gao Lan was finally separated from Guan Ping’s vanguard.
"Rear Army to the front, shield soldiers on the left and right, spear soldiers to follow closely, crossbowmen ready at any time!" Gao Lan bellowed, retreating along the original path.
Upon seeing some soldiers rushing forward, Wei Yan led his own men, who had been lying on the ground, to slowly crawl towards the main camp. However, it was clear that in this weather, many of the men lying on the ground for a long time had fallen asleep.
After kicking those who had dozed off awake, Wei Yan carefully crawled forward. He planned to launch a surprise attack, but before he could execute it, he noticed that the enemy’s troops were retreating. That meant Guan Ping hadn’t maintained his grip. Cursing his bad luck, Wei Yan no longer hesitated and rose, sword in hand, rushing towards Yuan Shao’s Army, shouting as he charged.
"The left side, huh!" Upon hearing the shout from the left, Gao Lan felt his anxiety instantly vanish. What he feared most was an ambush not taking place; the pressure of being on constant alert without relief was immense. But once an ambush occurred, even if it resulted in significant losses, there was no longer a need to fear being attacked. A formation like the Ten Sides Ambush, which is heaven-defying and coupled with an ambush tactic, is not counted because hardly anyone can use it, and even fewer can survive it.
"Release the arrows!" Gao Lan listened to the footsteps, gauging the distance between the two sides, step by step, until they reached the optimal range for crossbow fire. Without hesitation, he roared in anger, unleashing the one volley of bolts directly towards Wei Yan’s position.
"Damn it! Kill them for me!" Seeing nearly a hundred of his men being struck down by a volley of bolts, Wei Yan’s eyes turned blood-red as he let out a furious bellow and leapt towards Gao Lan’s direction.
It was his first campaign, and he had estimated the situation accurately. The enemy had walked right into his ambush. Why then did things stop proceeding under his control? Why had the enemy seemed prepared?
Wei Yan had too many questions he wanted to ask Gao Lan, but there was no way to get close to him, as Gao Lan didn’t give him the chance for a one-on-one duel. Instead, a team of elite forces blocked Wei Yan’s approach, and amidst the swirling qi of Blades and spears, coupled with close-quarters combat, they nearly killed him on the spot.
However, it was precisely this danger that made Wei Yan realize why he should never stray from his trusted aides. After Guan Ping handed over the reins to Wei Yan, the two of them led the troops towards Gao Lan, not charging into the enemy ranks alone but rather leading the soldiers cautiously, as Guan Yu had instructed, slowly building pressure on Gao Lan.
Gao Lan, though experienced, was after all outnumbered and ambushed. Initially, he had maintained his formation, fighting while retreating, awaiting reinforcements. But faced with Wei Yan and Guan Ping’s cautious and incrementally tightening encirclement, he had few options. He now could only hope that Zhang He would arrive quickly.
By the third quarter of the Yin Hour, Zhang He had already sensed that something was amiss. He had previously gathered five thousand infantry and cavalry, who under his command, now charged toward Guan Ping’s camp. This move wasn’t for an assault but solely to intimidate the enemy so that he could safely extract Gao Lan.
"General, the gates of Leling City have been opened, and the enemy has emerged with no less than three thousand infantry and cavalry," a Military Marquis reported to Guan Yu.
"Three thousand men?" Guan Yu’s hand paused on his beard, then slowly started stroking his big beard again. After a long while, a cold glint flashed in his eyes. Victory or defeat hinged on this very moment!
"Listen to my command," Guan Yu devised a plan suited only for a brave warrior, one that required both valor and exploiting the enemy’s guard. "I will stand alone on the road waiting for them. Once I have slain the enemy commander, you must not delay. Strike immediately amidst their chaos and wipe out the enemy!"
"General, you mustn’t!" his trusted aide exclaimed in shock.
"Prepare as I have ordered. I will stand guard on the road; watch how I slay the enemy general before the army!" Guan Yu spurred his horse and headed for the center of the road. His aides, at a loss, exchanged glances and hesitantly followed his instructions to hide away at a distance on their horses.
Guan Yu inhaled deeply on his horse, suppressing the tumultuous thoughts within. He felt a surge of excitement. The darkest moment before dawn was now, and with no moon at the end of October, even he could only see for a little over a thousand meters. The enemy would need to get within five hundred meters to see him. The only chance was to strike lethally, creating the impression of an ambush by a large force. The success was within reach. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please vote for it with your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)
