At first, this Xianbei army arrived looking very vigilant, clearly afraid we would sally out and attack them.
But over this period, they've become very lax, even lacking much defense. Everything has a discernible reason.
Your humble general dares to be certain that news has come from the Xianbei army in Dingxiang Commandery, stating that Lord Liu has led the main army away from Yanmen.
The Xianbei soldiers stationed outside the city then assumed there weren't many troops at Yanmen Pass, hence their lax defense and complete lack of vigilance.
We can seize this opportunity to launch a night raid; we are sure to defeat the Xianbei army outside the city.
Guan Yu was slightly stunned when he heard this, a bright glint appearing in his phoenix eyes.
He looked at Zhang Liao beside him, a feeling of admiration rising in his heart. This man, capable in both literary and martial arts, was indeed a rare talent.
After this battle, he must recommend this man to his elder brother. Such a figure must not be allowed to slip away and become someone else's subordinate.
After a moment of silence, he nodded and said,
"Good."
"We will follow Wen Yuan's plan."
"Only giving you eight hundred soldiers for the raid is improper. I've decided to put all thousand-plus cavalry within the city under your command."
"I will lead another thousand infantry to charge with you. With a pincer attack from both sides, even if the enemy has some defenses, they will likely be unable to withstand it."
When Zhang Liao heard that Guan Yu not only agreed to his plan but also offered him over a thousand cavalry, he became even more excited. He quickly nodded and respectfully said,
"Your humble general will absolutely not betray the General's trust. I vow to trample their camps, defeat the Xianbei, and uphold the might of our Han Dynasty!"
Guan Yu nodded, and the two then discussed further details, deciding that without further delay, the night raid would commence tonight at the third watch.
Although many soldiers suffered from night blindness at night, the enemy was also night blind. Once they entered the camp, setting fires, fighting, and creating chaos would lead to a camp riot.
The entire camp would completely erupt, and even without intervention, these Xianbei soldiers would fight each other until the sounds completely died down.
Therefore, a night raid wasn't expected to be particularly brilliant; it relied on chaos to achieve victory.
After an agreement was reached, orders were given for the entire army to rest and await nightfall.
Time slowly passed!
The sun in the sky was slowly setting behind the mountains, casting a twilight glow and a final ray of light.
In the main tent of the Xianbei main camp!
Tuoba Jiefen sat in the main seat, eating meat and drinking wine with his subordinate generals, the atmosphere very lively.
The only pleasure they had here was eating meat and drinking wine, gathering in small groups to boast and chat.
After all, the mission of their army was merely to guard Yanmen Pass, to prevent the Han Army from exiting here and intercepting Ke Bineng's main army.
Some time ago, they learned that Liu Jin, the Prefect of Yanmen, had led five thousand troops to reinforce Dingxiang Commandery.
The Xianbei soldiers stationed here completely relaxed, as they knew Yanmen Commandery could at most have four or five thousand people.
Now that so many people had left, there were probably only a few hundred left inside the pass. If not for the high walls and strong defenses, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack, they would have already planned to break through this pass, enter Yanmen, and start plundering.
With the threat reduced, everyone could only let loose and indulge in good food and drink here.
As soon as news arrived from the other side, they could pack up and leave, then find Ke Bineng to claim their share of the spoils of war.
Night gradually grew darker.
A biting cold wind continuously swept across the sky.
In the Xianbei camp outside the city, many patrolling soldiers shivered from the cold.
In some places, a few bonfires were lit, with people sitting in small groups to warm themselves.
Although it was already June, nights in the north during this period were still very cold.
Yanmen Pass, below the city!
Over a thousand cavalry and over a thousand infantry were already prepared.
The cavalry's hooves were already muffled, so their movement produced no rumbling sounds, and the sound would not carry far.
Once they got close, whether the sound was loud or not no longer mattered. What mattered was being able to launch a fierce charge, trampling through the camps and utterly defeating this Xianbei army.
Guan Yu looked at the night sky; it was roughly the third watch. He then looked at Zhang Liao beside him, his eyes serious, and said in a clear voice,
"The time has come. Be cautious when charging the enemy. If anything goes wrong, return immediately. Do not allow yourselves to be surrounded by these Xianbei soldiers."
Zhang Liao nodded at these words, naturally understanding that Guan Yu greatly valued these thousand-plus cavalry and feared any mishaps.
He clasped his fists and said loudly,
"General, rest assured. If anything goes wrong, I will lead the cavalry back at the first opportunity."
Guan Yu waved his hand, signaling Zhang Liao to proceed.
Moments later, Yanmen Pass creaked open softly.
A vast throng of cavalry, led by Zhang Liao, departed from the location.
Everyone was quite cautious and did not charge wildly at first, but rather gradually crept towards the Xianbei camp.
They planned to launch a fierce assault once they were close, expecting the enemy to have no time to react and be caught completely off guard.
After Zhang Liao left, Guan Yu led his thousand-plus men and continued to wait.
As soon as chaos and fire appeared in the camp, he would lead these thousand-plus troops to join the battle and begin to encircle and kill these Xianbei soldiers.
If there was no movement, he would continue to guard the pass and not take a single step outside.
If he were to lead the remaining thousand-plus men away, the entire Yanmen Pass would be left without any troops to hold it. If they succeeded, all would be well.
But if they failed, Yanmen Pass would surely be breached by the Xianbei, and the hundreds of thousands of common people behind them would face slaughter.
As the defending general, how could he explain it to his elder brother? Even if his elder brother was reluctant to punish him, he would likely have to atone with his own death.
Zhang Liao led over a thousand cavalry, stealthily arriving outside the camp.
They could already faintly see the torchlight in the military camp, and even figures flickering.
Seeing this opportune moment, he had no intention of continuing to hide.
Zhang Liao loudly commanded the thousand-plus cavalry behind him,
"Soldiers, follow me and charge! Drive these Xianbei mongrels out of the Han Dynasty!"
Upon hearing this, the cavalry behind him were filled with fervor. They gripped their horses' bellies tightly with their legs, swords in hand, and charged fiercely forward.
The thousand-plus cavalry, organized together, had incredibly fierce morale, like a sharp spear piercing towards the enemy camp.
The thundering hooves resonated exceptionally loud in the dark night sky.
The patrolling Xianbei soldiers in the vicinity instantly showed panic upon hearing this sound.
Living on the grassland, they were naturally familiar with it; it was the sound of cavalry charging.
The patrolling Xianbei soldiers constantly scanned their surroundings.
They saw a vast throng of torches, accompanied by cavalry, charging fiercely towards them in the dark night sky.