Mythical Three Kingdoms

Guan Yu glanced at the sky and nodded in approval of Guo Jia’s suggestion, so he ordered his scouts to be dispersed and stationed on the spot.

Zhang Liao planned to withdraw from Zhang Fei’s location and regroup with Lyu Bu, firmly believing that Lyu Bu had already defeated the Hebei Army. This was his recognition of Lyu Bu’s capabilities.

”A troop of about ten thousand men ahead?” Zhang Liao asked in surprise, looking at his own scout, ”Do you know whose banner they are flying?”

”It’s too far away, and the enemy is extremely cautious, with scouts everywhere. Our soldiers find it difficult to approach. In the blur, we can only see a banner with the character ’Guan’.” The scout replied, his head lowered.

Guan Yu’s scouts were spread far and wide, making Zhang Liao’s scouts wary of getting too close. However, relying on his familiarity with the terrain, he still managed to get close enough to Guan Yu’s camp to observe it from a distance and roughly estimate the number of soldiers it could accommodate.

”Guan? If that’s the case, it must be Liu Xuande’s second brother, Guan Yunchang,” Zhang Liao murmured with a grave expression.

[Guan Yunchang should be in Licheng, defending against Yuan Benchu. Why is he now in Yanzhou?] Zhang Liao was slightly puzzled and inadvertently looked towards the north, a possibility suddenly dawning on him. A chill ran down his spine as he realized that the Hebei Army and Liu Bei’s Army might be unintentionally aligned.

[It’s not just the Hebei Army; Liu Bei’s Army perhaps feels that our presence is a disruption to their plans. In this case, it’s likely that both the Hebei Army and Liu Bei’s Army harbor thoughts of utterly annihilating us.] Zhang Liao’s eyes flickered. He knew Chen Gong’s plan to benefit from both sides was unreliable.

[No, no, no. It seems I have guessed wrong. Mister Gongtai’s plan to benefit from both sides is correct, but it’s predicated on our ability to withstand the enemy’s initial probing attack. Otherwise, if both parties deem us as mere ants, then surely neither will have the patience.] Zhang Liao’s thinking was not slow. With the reality before him, he quickly surmised Chen Gong’s intentions.

[To navigate between two powers and benefit from both, one must not only restrain one’s greed but also display enough value to be courted by both parties. Only in this way can someone benefit from both sides and subsequently rely on Mister Gongtai’s insight to choose a victor.] Zhang Liao sighed. Such was the helplessness of the weak: Even if they could win temporarily, they would eventually have to depend on the strong.

Compared to other valiant generals under Lyu Bu’s command, Zhang Liao’s thoughts were extremely meticulous. His military strategy, grasp of the overall situation, martial force, and tactical acumen were all first-class. Realizing his opponent was Guan Yu, he understood the implications.

”Zhang Xing, Zhang Yu, each of you take a few men and disguise yourselves as woodcutters and hunters to closely scout Guan Yunchang’s camp. Make sure to memorize the entire layout of his camp,” Zhang Liao decisively ordered after figuring out why Guan Yunchang had come, ready to deliver a severe blow to Guan Yu and catch him off guard.

”Understood.” After Zhang Xing and Zhang Yu, two trusted aides Zhang Liao had brought from Yanmen, saluted with fist and palm, they quickly picked a few frail-looking soldiers, ditched their armor for tattered clothing, grabbed axes, and nonchalantly headed in the direction of Guan Yu’s camp.

”The rest of you, follow me. Hide all the horses behind the hill and make sure not to be detected by Guan Yunchang’s scouts.” After Zhang Xing and Zhang Yu left, Zhang Liao led the Wolf Cavalry to hide behind the shady side of a hill. Thanks to his knowledge of the terrain, he easily evaded Guan Yu’s scouts—not without eliminating a few sharp-eyed scouts, that is.

”I wonder how Guan Yunchang has arranged his scouts. Killing a dozen of them shouldn’t be noticed, right?” Zhang Liao murmured with some resignation, for Guan Yu’s scouts were quite competent in both combat and vigilance. If it weren’t for Zhang Liao’s own ability to perform Inner Qi Separation, just now his actions might have triggered the scouts to shoot Signal Arrows.

”General, why don’t we strike before midnight instead of waiting for the Hour of the Ox to raid?” one of the Sima suggested. After all, a night raid was a skillful endeavor for the elite under Zhang Liao, and not being able to see was a significant problem.

”The difficulty of a night raid is too great for us,” Zhang Liao said with a smile. ”When dawn just begins to break, Guan Yunchang will surely be getting ready to cook. That’s when we can attack and catch him off guard. We don’t aim to kill the enemy, just to crush their morale.” Who says a night raid has to happen at Midnight or the Hour of the Ox? Isn’t the purpose of a night raid to surprise the enemy? As long as we achieve that, who cares about the timing?

Meanwhile, Zhang Xing and Zhang Yu, after splitting up, carried a large pile of firewood, singing loudly as they went, naturally drawing the attention of Guan Yu’s scouts.

”Who are you all?” A scout squad quickly surrounded Zhang Xing and a few woodcutters.

”Kind soldiers, we are villagers from nearby. We went up the mountain to collect firewood for winter storage. If we don’t prepare some firewood now, it’ll be tough to get through the winter days,” Zhang Xing said, appearing startled by the soldiers, and kept answering them.

”Oh, the area ahead is our military camp. You’d better take a detour, or you can rest here tonight and leave tomorrow,” the Scout Squad Leader suggested, looking at the sky and trying to appear considerate.

”How can this be good? Our homes are over there. If we were to take a detour, we might not see clearly after dark, and my wife and children in the village are waiting for me to return,” Zhang Xing said, becoming flustered.

The scouts looked at each other. It seemed heartless to be unaccommodating, so after seeing the honest-looking Zhang Xing, they discussed it and decided it was better to lead him through the area.

”Follow us and don’t wander off. We are under Lord Xuande’s command and won’t disturb you, but if you cause us trouble, we will show no mercy,” the scouts warned them and then led Zhang Xing and his group straight through the front of the camp. Not long after, another group of scouts escorted Zhang Yu and his party from behind the camp.

By the time Zhang Xing and Zhang Yu returned with information about Guan Yu’s camp, the sun had already set and only a small arc was left.

”Is that so? Guan Yu’s scouts operate like this, huh?” Zhang Liao listened to the excitement in Zhang Xing and Zhang Yu’s voices. It was clear they were thrilled by the foolishness of Guan Yu’s scouts.

”Yes, those fools. After a cursory verification of our identities and seeing no issues, they let us through that area so easily. We could quietly observe the camp’s entire perimeter, and together with what we saw earlier when we went up the mountain to collect firewood, we now have a good grasp of Guan Yu’s main camp,” Zhang Xing and Zhang Yu excitedly reported.

This was the easiest time they’d ever had while disguised as scouts. In the past, such schemes could have resulted in a merciless execution. Unexpectedly, this time the enemy didn’t pursue the matter too rigorously.

[Liu Xuande and Guan Yunchang? I used to hear that Liu Xuande was a man of benevolence and took it as a joke. In this chaotic world, where is there a place for benevolence? But, it seems there truly exists such an army of righteousness...] Zhang Liao gazed at the sky, his heart trembling slightly, but he quickly calmed down. He knew this wasn’t the time to ponder such things. (Want to know more about the exciting developments in ”Mythical Version of the Three Kingdoms”? Open WeChat now, click the ”+” sign at the top right, choose to add friends, search for ”Qidianzhongwenwang” in the official account, and follow us so you never miss an update!)(To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian ) to vote for your favorite, purchase a monthly ticket, and your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)