Chapter Thirty-two, Xu Feng Sends Troops

  After passing through Chenliu for two days, Xu Feng and others entered the territory of Yingchuan. As soon as they entered Yingchuan County, Xu Feng reminded Zhou Cang to send scouts to investigate the news of Bo Cai's army. At noon, the news came back that Bo Cai's army had previously fallen into Huangfu Song's trap, suffering heavy losses in a fire, with less than 10,000 people remaining, and was now besieged by Huangfu Song outside Changshe City. The situation is extremely critical, and without rescue, Bo Cai's army is on the verge of running out of food and facing the crisis of total annihilation.

  "Xu Feng, shouldn't we immediately dispatch troops to rescue him? If we're late, General Bo will be in danger." All the generals, including Zhou Cang, who were stationed outside the city, gathered at the central military tent, their faces stern and worried. Xu Feng hadn't expected this outcome either; it seemed they had arrived a step too late. If only they could have arrived earlier, the fire attack plan would never have succeeded. With General Bo's military prowess, Huangfu Song was not to be feared.

  "What do you all think?" Xu Feng swept his gaze across the various generals in the tent, intending to see if there were any better suggestions.

  "General, let's dispatch troops quickly, or it will be too late and we'll regret it."

  "Yes, let's hurry up and send troops for reinforcement."

  "That is..."

  Everyone agreed with one voice, I spoke in unison, without any dissent, all advocating for sending troops to rescue as soon as possible.

  "Alas..." Xu Feng sighed softly, although there were many officials by his side, not many of them were capable. The Yellow Turbans didn't have the favor of the aristocracy, no good generals? No strategists either? When encountering problems, it was indeed a bit difficult to cope, and there wasn't even anyone to help out or come up with ideas.

  Dian Wei held a pair of iron halberds, standing tightly behind Xu Feng, not saying a word, as if an old monk had entered meditation. His thoughts were even simpler: if Xu Feng gave the order, he would execute it immediately, even if it meant going up a knife mountain or down an oil cauldron, without frowning. Zhang Fei, on the other hand, had his hands clasped together in a salute, barely managing to enter the grand tent, not even counting as a bystander, but just standing at the entrance of the grand tent, serving as a guard.

  It is said that there will be a battle, Zhang Fei's hands were excitedly rubbing together, seeing Xu Feng not speaking for a long time, he couldn't help but anxiously stamp his feet, wishing Xu Feng would immediately give the order to send out troops.

  The rest of the people also focused their attention on Xu Feng, after all, after many days of contact, Xu Feng's prestige had no one questioning, Xu Feng's ability was also recognized by everyone, at critical moments, everyone hoped that Xu Feng could have a good idea.

  "The troops are to be dispatched, but not in such a straightforward manner. To achieve victory, one must resort to unorthodox tactics. As the saying goes, 'Troops are a deceitful art!' Zhou Cang, we can divide our forces into four routes, each of you leading an army of 10,000 men. Create many banners and flags, shout loudly, and march along the main road towards Changsha. The more commotion, the better. We want to let Huangfu Song and his men know that reinforcements have arrived, but keep them uncertain about our true intentions, so they will be cautious in their hearts. Of course, the slower the pace, the better. Remember, you are just decoys, and if you can distract Huangfu Song and put him on guard, that's all we need."

  "What about you?" Zhou Cang asked.

  "I will personally lead 10,000 elite soldiers, sail up the Ying River, and directly insert into Yongquan, giving him a catch-off-guard." Xu Feng said confidently as he looked at his self-made map of Yongquan.

  "Alright, since that's the case, let's proceed according to your plan." Zhou Cang nodded in approval. As a thorough and complete general, he was fine with charging into battle and cutting people down, but when it came to strategizing and commanding troops, he really couldn't handle the great responsibility. Therefore, he placed extra importance on Xue Feng.

  "Your four armies, depart at noon tomorrow. I will set out tonight. The matter cannot be delayed. All of you go and prepare to leave now. Dian Wei, bring your Tiger Guards, and Zhang Fei, Xuecheng, follow me on this expedition."

  "It's really great." Knowing that Xu Feng's troops were the main combat troops, and he was also taking himself, Zhang Fei couldn't help but be excited. As for Dian Wei, there wasn't a hint of expression change. What to do, how to do it? He didn't ask at all, just followed Xu Feng's orders and executed them!

  That night, Xu Feng's 10,000 elite soldiers quietly set out on the road. Xu Feng did not take the main road, but instead took mountain paths and walked through dense forests, following the Ying River southward. Wherever there were mountains, they opened up roads; wherever there was water, they built bridges. Although the mountain roads were rugged and difficult to traverse, Xu Feng dismounted his horse and marched on foot with his soldiers, sharing their hardships and joys together. Who among them would still have complaints? They all lifted their spirits and closely followed Xu Feng's lead, rushing through the night.

  "Brother Feng, you've been walking for almost a whole night. Look at yourself, your body is covered in scratches and cuts. Why don't you stop and rest for a bit?" Xue Cheng saw that Xu Feng's clothes were torn from the thorns and his body was full of scratches, and he couldn't bear it, so he anxiously pulled Xu Feng back to advise him.

  "I'm not that fragile, don't forget what I used to do. Let's go, I'm fine. We can walk more at night and rest when we reach Wuping." Xu Feng wiped the sweat off his face and continued on with gritted teeth. Xue Cheng sighed and hurriedly caught up with him.

  "A report came in that Zhou Cang's large army was spotted 200 li east."

  "A scout reports that a large cavalry force has been spotted one hundred li west of here."

  "Report: In Beihuang, north of the Wei River, tens of thousands of Yellow Turbans led by Ma Wu have been spotted."

  "A report says that Zhang Bao's large army has been spotted one hundred and eighty li southwest of the city."

  One piece of astonishing news after another left Huangfu Song and the others utterly shocked. Where did so many Yellow Turbans come from? Huangfu Song slammed his palm heavily on the desk, shouting "Investigate and report again!"

  "Summon General Zhu and Cavalry Captain Cao Cao, I have important matters to discuss with them." After the order was given, Huangfu Song hastily shouted at the orderly.

  "Alright." Before long, Right Central Lang General Zhu Jin and Cavalry Commandant Cao Cao both received the message and hastily rushed over. The two men bumped into each other at the gate, both with a look of astonishment, unsure what urgent matter Huangfu Song had summoned them for.

  "General Zhu, what's going on? Why did General Huangfu summon us in such a hurry?" asked Cao Cao, his brow slightly furrowed, with a curious bow.

  "I have no idea." Zhu Jun shook his head and let out a bitter laugh.

  Zhu Huan couldn't help but feel a pang of envy as he sized up Cao Cao. Although Cao Cao was short and had an ordinary face, his eyes shone brightly with a sharp light, and he seemed particularly radiant. Zhu Huan's own army had been repeatedly defeated by the bandits, while Cao Cao had arrived and was winning victory after victory. He believed that after this campaign against the bandits, Cao Cao would surely rise to prominence, while he himself didn't know if he could even keep his position. He hoped that the Emperor would take into account his many years of service and not hold him accountable for his mistakes.

  "General, what is it that summons us?" Cao Cao asked anxiously as soon as he entered the government office of Changsha.

  "Something big has happened." Huang Fu sighed and told them about the four-way reinforcements led by Zhou Cang.

  "Ah, it seems that Zhou Cang and the others have come with ill intentions. Now that Bo's remaining troops are already surrounded by us, they can't escape even if they want to. And yet, at this critical moment, reinforcements have arrived. It looks like we must hurry up and send troops to drive back Zhou Cang and the others, in order to prevent any unexpected events."

  "Otherwise, I think we should quickly attack the remnants of Bo Cai's army, fight a quick battle and thoroughly eliminate Bo Cai and his men." Cao Cao vetoed Zhu Yan's suggestion.

  "Cao Cao, although he is young and impetuous, he is well-versed in military strategy and is brave in battle. Don't underestimate him, it's absolutely impossible to eliminate him in a short time. If reinforcements arrive, we will be the ones who are put on the defensive." Unexpectedly, Cao Cao had spoken out against himself, which made Zhu Huan, a veteran of many battles, feel very displeased. Did this Cao Cao not know how to show respect to his elders?

  "If I were the reinforcements, I would definitely launch a surprise attack, catching them off guard. I wouldn't make a big show of it and let others know my intentions. There must be some ulterior motive here. Let's just wipe out Bo Cai and his men, and cut off their thoughts." Cao Cao's eyes flickered, and he vaguely felt that something was not quite right, but still advocated for attacking Bo Cai.