Liu Bei raids the camp

  Cao Jun's big camp...

  A strong gust of wind blew by, and a large banner standing in front of the commander's tent suddenly fell over.

  Inside the tent, the lights were shining brightly. Jia Yu sat in the main seat, leisurely and self-satisfied, holding a bamboo book to read. Suddenly, he heard a commotion outside the tent, Jia Yu furrowed his brow, with a hint of doubt in his mind. He went out of the tent to take a look, only to see several soldiers pointing at the broken banner and whispering to each other.

  A soldier on the side saw Jia Yu coming, and immediately dispersed, each standing at their post. Jia Yu looked at the broken banner with a hint of contemplation, then turned to gaze up at the sky, where the vast expanse was covered in darkness, only illuminated by a sliver of moonlight that faintly lit up a few points.

  Suddenly, Jia Yu thought for a moment and smiled, patting his forehead and muttering: "Foolish, foolish, almost made a big mistake..."

  Jia Xu turned around and ordered the soldiers to clean up, then entered the commander's tent. He said to a guard outside the tent: "You quickly go find General Zhao and tell him I have something to order..."

  "Yes!" The guard received Jia Yu's order and turned around to go outside the account to find Lu Zhaoyi.

  A cup of tea later, Zhao Rushi arrived at the commander's tent in a flurry.

  "Mr. Wen, what instructions do you have? Please speak directly." Lu Zhao's eyes shone brightly as he looked at Jia Yu.

  "Heh heh, General Lu, don't be in such a rush. As the saying goes, 'a hasty heart can't eat hot tofu.' If something happens to General Miao, it won't be easy to explain..." Jia Xi said with a light smile.

  Lu Zhao's fiery heart was suddenly doused with cold water from head to toe after hearing Jia Yu's light and airy words, thoroughly extinguishing it...

  After a moment, Jia Yu looked at Lu Zhao calmly and asked slowly: "General Lu, how many soldiers are in the camp?"

  Uh... Lu Zhao was stunned by Jia Yu's words, and then reacted, cupping his hands towards Jia Yu: "Mr. Wenhe, the camp has only about 1,500 people, but there are about 200 auxiliary soldiers, so the actual military strength is less than 1,200 people."

  Lu Zhao said to this point, can not help but feel a little worried and depressed, Xia Hou General said that this place can be built, what can be done with just over 1,000 people? Moreover, in recent days Lu Zhao had just discovered that there were a large number of heavy loads in the camp, which made Lu Zhao even more surprised and uncertain.

  "General Xiahou, isn't this a case of personal revenge? This is not achieving merit, it's clearly a trap! If Liu Bei were to launch a surprise attack on the camp, our current military strength would be utterly insufficient. If the rear camp's supplies were seized by Liu Bei, the consequences would inevitably lead to me being made a scapegoat."

  "About twelve hundred people, that's about it..." Jia Yu heard Lu Zhao's report and nodded slightly, saying a sentence that made Lu Zhao confused.

  Before Lu Zhao could react, Jia Xu pointed to a place on the map and said in a low voice: "General Lu Zhao, you will lead one thousand soldiers to ambush here. If Liu Bei comes to attack, let him pass by first, but as soon as flames and battle cries erupt, quickly seal off his retreat..."

  "What? Wen...Wen and Mr., Liu Bei wants to raid the camp?" Lu Zhao heard Jia Xu's words, and suddenly stuttered. Ah, my god, what a mouth I have, thinking about something and it really happens?

  Lu Zhao's face was filled with fear and trepidation, Jia Yu's gloomy eyes scanned Lu Zhao's face, quite chilling.

  Lu Chao was swept by Jia Xun's eyes filled with cold intent, and suddenly felt like being placed in an ice cellar. His forehead began to sweat, and he dared not breathe heavily as he lowered his head.

  Inside the big account, the swaying candlelight shone on Jia Yu's thin face, and his calm eyes suddenly flashed with sharpness and wisdom. His expression was solemn, and Lu Zhao took a glance at him and immediately lowered his head to wait for Jia Yu's instructions.

  At this moment, Lu Zhao suddenly realized the true intention of Xia Houyuan in calling him here. He himself was mediocre and had no great prestige or authority to speak of, making him a perfect tool for the unknown scholar in front of him. If he were to die, it would be of little consequence. This thought filled Lu Zhao's heart with a tinge of sorrow.

  Is that all I'm good for?

  Jia Xun gazed at the map for half a moment, looked at Lu Zhao's dazed expression, and suddenly let out a cold hum: "General Lu Zhao, some things are better left unclear..."

  Lu Zhao heard the coldness and fierce killing intent in Jia Xun's tone, his body trembling with fear, mumbling: "Y-yes... I understand..."

  "Alright, go and prepare as I instructed earlier!" Jia Yu said with a wave of his hand.

  "Wen He, sir, what about the safety of the large camp? I'll be taking the army away, and there won't be anyone left to defend the camp. If Liu Bei were to launch a surprise attack on the camp, then..." Lu Zhao said with some concern.

  "Heh heh. Aren't there still 200 auxiliary troops? You just focus on killing the enemy, Liu Bei will flee to wherever, just use all your strength to capture him..."

  "Yes!" Lu Zhao responded with a single word, bowed to Jia Xu and left the main tent, preparing his troops for departure.

  Watching Lu Zhao leave, Jia Yu summoned a guard from outside and handed him a brocade pouch, saying: "Take this letter to General Jia Ying and order him to act according to its contents. Be careful not to be too hasty or too slow."

  "Yes!" The guard looked at Jia Yu with a serious expression, his face also turned solemn, and responded in a dignified tone, then went out.

  A gust of cool wind blew up the canvas of the large tent, Jia Yu walked out of the tent with a leisurely pace, stroking his hand over his forehead and gazing at the dark sky that was as black as ink. A sharp glint flashed across his eyes, but he immediately retracted it, restoring his usual calm and composed demeanor.

  "Liu Bei, a hero of the world, hehe, Jia Mou will meet you today..." A soft laughter echoed through the peaceful sky, and was immediately covered by the howling and whistling cold wind.

  *

  At 3 o'clock, the darkness before dawn is the longest and shortest.

  This is also the easiest time to fall asleep.

  Not far from Cao Jun's camp, a faint rustling sound was heard in the forest. If there were scouts from Cao's army observing carefully now, they would discover that a large force was hiding here.

  Inside the forest, someone said in a low voice: "Ping'er, has the scout returned?" The tone was quite heavy, and it sounded like a middle-aged man's voice.

  The one called Ping'er was actually Guan Ping, son of Guan Yu. The middle-aged man who asked the question was actually Liu Bei.

  Guan Ping heard his uncle's question and nodded repeatedly. He then said in a low voice, "Uncle, the scout has returned. There are no defenses at Cao's camp."

  "Huh? Unprepared?" Liu Bei's eyes flickered for a moment, and he asked in doubt: "Have you looked at the left and right wings?"

  "The scouts have reported back, and both wings on the left and right are also unusually quiet, as if there's nothing unusual. The scouts didn't dare to go forward, fearing they might alert the enemy." Guan Ping replied in a low voice.

  Liu Bei fell into deep thought after hearing this, gazing far away at Cao's camp. The left and right wings were shrouded in a silent darkness, with only the central army's large tent having bright lights visible. His eyebrows furrowed, Liu Bei felt that something was not quite right, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was.

  Liu Bei was also a veteran of many battles, with rich experience on the battlefield. In an instant, he sensed the danger and turned his thoughts to Cao's army being held back by his brothers, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and others, so it seemed reasonable that the main camp was empty.

  Xiahou Dun was momentarily stunned and didn't expect this turn of events, seemingly also having a reasonable excuse.

  Would Xiahou Yuan and Li Meng also be so careless and rash?

  Guan Ping looked at the old man beside him, his face sinking and his head bowed in contemplation. The worry hidden between his eyebrows was evident, and he couldn't help but speak out: "Is the old man worried that Cao's camp is harboring deceit?"

  After listening, Guan Ping asked in a low voice, and Liu Bei immediately came back to his senses, nodding slowly: "Yes, Ping'er, my brother and Cao Jun have been fighting for many years, although they have lost repeatedly, my brother has a good understanding of the generals of Cao Jun. Xiahou Yuan is meticulous, he will not make such mistakes, let alone with a large camp with heavy loads... something unusual must be going on..."

  Guan Ping's eyebrows furrowed at the words, and he slowly nodded, reluctantly saying: "So Uncle is suggesting... retreat?"

  After Guan Ping asked the question, Liu Bei fell silent for a moment, and his face flashed with a struggle between rationality and emotion.

  "No, ahead is a den of dragons and tigers. Today Liu Bei will also make a dash...". After a long time, Liu Bei suddenly raised his head and shouted loudly.

  "After years of trials and tribulations, if I, Liu Bei, were to retreat without a fight when faced with Cao's army camp with weak defenses, wouldn't that make Cao laugh at me for being incompetent?" Liu Bei's eyes burst forth with intense fervor as he spoke in a stern voice.

  Guan Ping saw that Liu Bei's face was twisted and quite hideous, and he silently nodded. Guan Ping also understood the frustration in his uncle's heart. Every time they fought against Cao Cao, they never won... almost ending up with a disastrous defeat, his uncle urgently needed a victory to wash away the shame.

  "Alright, Big Uncle, I'll make the arrangements. Little Nephew will lead the troops in a frontal assault, while you follow slowly from behind. This way, even if there's an ambush, we'll have time to respond!"

  "All right, let's do it your way, but Ping'er must be extremely careful and cautious. If anything goes wrong, she should withdraw immediately..."

  Liu Bei looked at Guan Ping with a gentle face, kindly and affable yet without losing his dignity.

  "Great uncle can rest assured, Ping'er understands..." Guan Ping nodded vigorously. A moment later, the troops under Guan Ping's leadership cautiously approached Cao's camp.

  The wind gradually grew stronger. It seemed to have blown away the clouds and mist in the sky, revealing the twinkling stars at the horizon...