Chương 41: Arrival at Changshe, Observation of Enemy Situation

The seven men reined in their horses and looked down. Good heavens! The scene was quite spectacular.

Changshe City was surrounded by the dark, dense Yellow Turban army, like an isolated island in the sea.

The Han army's banners could be faintly seen fluttering listlessly atop the city wall, creating a particularly desolate scene.

Bo Cai's 100, 000-strong army set up camps haphazardly, scattered here and there.

Most importantly, Liu Ce saw that the camp and the surrounding area were full of withered yellow hay, which was practically writing "Come and burn me!" on its face!

Guan Yu narrowed his phoenix eyes, stroked his long beard, and said in a deep voice:

"Brother, the situation is clear now. When do we strike?"

Zhang Fei, who was standing nearby, couldn't hold back any longer and shouted in his loud voice:

"Brother! What are we waiting for? Let me, Old Zhang, lead my iron cavalry down and give them a good thrashing!"

His spittle was almost spraying onto Liu Ce's face.

Upon hearing this, Dian Wei and Cheng Yaojin, those two fierce warriors, also roared in excitement:

"That's right! My lord (elder brother), let's fucking kill them!"

"My double halberds have been itching for a long time!"

Even the usually composed Zhao Yun and Qin Qiong had a gleam of eager anticipation in their eyes, clearly feeling that this battle was going to be tough.

Looking at his fierce and roaring generals, Liu Ce felt both gratified and amused.

He waved his hand, looking inscrutable.

"Don't rush, don't argue. It's not the right time yet. We've been traveling at a breakneck pace, and we're all exhausted."

"Besides, my father-in-law sent enough provisions, so what's the rush? Let's rest for a few days and recharge our energy."

He paused, then pointed with his riding whip at the Yellow Turban camp below:

"The credit is there, it can't be taken away."

"Let Generals Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun hold on for a few more days, and give Bo Cai more time to clean his neck more thoroughly."

So for the next whole week, Liu Ce's army camp was a place where people ate and drank as usual, trained on time, and conserved their energy.

Liu Ce himself was not idle either, spending his days sparring with Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and the other two.

They euphemistically called it "helping you improve so you don't get rusty."

In fact, he himself was itching to try it out, and also wanted to check if his brothers' fighting ability had improved slightly in recent days (breaking through their bottlenecks).

On the open ground of the military camp, there was often a clash of swords and spears, with cheers constantly ringing out. This made the soldiers train with extra enthusiasm. If the leaders are working so hard, how can we fall behind?

(Logistics: Wow, you guys are working so hard, the food supplies are dwindling.) A few comfortable days passed in the blink of an eye.

That afternoon, Liu Ce once again led the six men up that familiar high slope.

The setting sun dyed the sky orange-red, and smoke curled from the Yellow Turban camp below, creating a scene of "peace and tranquility."

Liu Ce looked around at his six brothers and said:

"Hey guys, all rested enough? All warmed up? I've decided, tonight, let's get this guy!"

Zhang Fei was the first to jump up: "It should have been done long ago! Brother, just you wait and see!"

Liu Ce glared at him: "Yide, stop thinking about charging! I'm going to test you now. How do you plan to fight tonight's battle? Tell me your ideas."

Without a second thought, Zhang Fei roared:

"Is that even a question? Brother, are your Xuanjia Iron Cavalry just for show? Charge straight into their camp! Under the cover of night, their hooves could trample them to death!"

Dian Wei and Cheng Yaojin thumped their chests loudly, strongly agreeing:

"Third Brother is right!"

"Just crush them!"

Guan Yu was cautious, and after a moment's thought, he said:

"Third brother's method is too reckless. Eldest brother, in my opinion, it would be better to wait until the middle of the night, when the bandits are sleeping the most soundly, then sneak up quietly and launch a surprise attack, catching them off guard."

Zhao Yun and Qin Qiong nodded in agreement, agreeing that a night raid was a prudent approach.

After hearing this, Liu Ce chuckled, but the smile looked rather sinister.

"Yun Chang, Zilong, and Shubao, the three of you are a bit smarter than Yide and the others. You know how to use schemes, but..."

He then changed the subject.

"If we didn't have those eight hundred invincible Xuanjia Iron Cavalry, what would happen if we relied on those six thousand infantry, whether it was a midnight raid or a direct assault, as you said?"

"To put it mildly, we could wipe out a group and then make a hasty retreat; to put it more seriously, we might lose everything we have!"

"You'd be slaughtering 100, 000 pigs until your hands are sore, let alone 100, 000 Yellow Turban soldiers?"

These words startled Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, and the others. After thinking about it carefully, they couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

Indeed, the disparity in troop strength was too great.

Liu Ce pointed with his riding whip at the conspicuous haystacks in the Yellow Turban camp, and then felt the evening breeze that was gradually picking up:

"Brothers, we need to use our brains in battle! Look at the great spot Bo Cai chose for us, and look at this wind! We have the perfect combination of timing and terrain; wouldn't it be a disservice to God if we didn't use it?"

Qin Qiong and Zhao Yun's eyes lit up instantly, and they blurted out almost simultaneously:

"Fire attack!"

"Snapped!"

Liu Ce snapped his fingers, his face beaming with joy:

"That's right! Fire attack! Let's give him a 'barbecue feast'!"

"Alright, now that you understand, go back and prepare. Move out precisely at midnight! Remember, fire is the signal!"

Meanwhile, the atmosphere in Changshe City was far less relaxed.

On the city wall, the two old generals, Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun, looked at the endless enemy camps outside the city, their hair turning almost white with worry.

Huangfu Song sighed, "Gongwei, why haven't the imperial reinforcements arrived yet?"

"The city's food supplies are dwindling day by day, and the soldiers are nearing their limit. If this continues, I'm afraid..."

Zhu Jun also looked solemn: "Yi Zhen, who can argue with that?"

"His Majesty has entrusted us with such a heavy responsibility. If Changshe falls, it would be one thing if we died on the battlefield, but we would have no face to face His Majesty, and even less face to face the ancestors of the Han Dynasty! This great Han Dynasty... alas!"

The two veterans remained silent.

Time passed by, the night deepened, and the dark, windy weather made it perfect for murder and arson.

In Liu Ce's military camp, all troops were ready.

The soldiers lined up silently, their armor gleaming coldly in the moonlight, and even the horses' hooves were covered with cloth to prevent them from making a sound.

Liu Ce stood at the front of the group, with his brothers behind him like six war gods. He asked in a low voice:

"Is everything ready?"

The six men lowered their voices, but their fighting spirit was high: "Ready, Brother (Lord)!"

"good!"

Liu Ce's gaze sharpened as he said, "Let's go! Remember the plan: keep a low profile, but strike ruthlessly!"

The army moved silently toward the Yellow Turban camp, like ghosts in the night.

At a certain distance from the camp, archers stepped forward, their arrowheads bound with linen soaked in oil.