Two hours later, the sky had completely darkened.
In an open space outside the valley, the surrounding makeshift military tents had already been set up.
Han Army soldiers were patrolling the area, and many fires were burning in the camp, with people gathering around them to warm themselves.
Liu Jin sat by a bonfire, gnawing on a piece of dark, burnt flatbread.
Although it was a bit rough on his throat, being able to eat flatbread while campaigning was already considered good.
When it was difficult to swallow, he would pick up his water skin and take a big gulp, washing the flatbread down.
After eating and drinking his fill, Liu Jin sat by the bonfire, looking at the simple map in his hand.
The mountains, rivers, and major cities of Jizhou were all marked out.
From the current intelligence, Jizhou had basically been swept by the Yellow Turban, and several commanderies had already been lost.
These were Julu Commandery, Guangping Commandery, Anping Commandery, Hejian Commandery, Qinghe Commandery, and Bohai Commandery.
Only Zhongshan Commandery, where he was currently, was slightly better, with no large Yellow Turban forces, though there were likely many small Yellow Turban groups.
Liu Jin didn't pay much attention to these scattered forces; he should be able to pass through Zhongshan Commandery easily.
The army led by Lu Zhi was stationed in Wei Commandery, in a standoff with the Yellow Turban.
To rendezvous with them, he would either have to go through Julu Commandery or Changshan Commandery.
Julu Commandery was definitely not an option; it was Zhang Jiao's stronghold, already occupied by the Yellow Turban. Passing through there would make it very easy to be encircled and fall into enemy territory, leading to certain death without the support of reinforcements.
Therefore, the only option was to go through Changshan Commandery, though this route was much longer, adding at least several days to the journey.
For safety's sake, it was better to travel a greater distance than to risk venturing deep into enemy territory.
After understanding this, Liu Jin prepared to stand up and return to his tent to rest.
The sky had completely darkened, and he still had to continue traveling tomorrow morning.
Just then, Zhao Ergou quickly walked over, a look of anxiety on his face!
He quickly reported!
“Big Brother, there's intelligence from the front.”
“News just came that Wuji County, twenty li away, has been surrounded by several thousand Yellow Turban Army soldiers and has been under continuous attack for several days.”
Liu Jin was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, not expecting there to be Yellow Turban blocking the way ahead.
However, he wasn't surprised. Jizhou was inherently the most frequent area of Yellow Turban unrest, with countless Qu Shuai of all sizes.
Wuji County was also one of the more affluent counties in Zhongshan Commandery, with immense wealth and provisions, so it was perfectly normal for the Yellow Turban to target it.
Since he had encountered them, he naturally couldn't just let them go. Anyway, to go to Changshan Commandery, he had to pass through Wuji County, so he had to eliminate this Yellow Turban force no matter what.
After understanding this, Liu Jin immediately ordered!
“Summon Yun Chang, Yide, and the others to discuss this matter.”
A moment later, several figures quickly walked towards the bonfire.
Under the firelight, Zhang Fei's dark face showed excitement as he eagerly said!
“Big Brother, there are Yellow Turban ahead!”
“My hands have been itching for a long time, and I can finally slay some bandits!”
Guan Yu, Han Dang, and Wei You all showed eagerness in their eyes. These men had only one thought in their hearts: to achieve meritorious deeds.
Now that they had encountered the Yellow Turban, they naturally wouldn't let them go and were determined to wipe them all out.
Liu Jin looked at their eager expressions, chuckled, and waved his hand, signaling everyone to sit down by the bonfire.
He then began to explain!
“I believe you all know the situation. Wuji County, twenty li away, has been surrounded by the Yellow Turban, estimated to be several thousand strong.”
“I called you here, of course, to annihilate this bandit army.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, sitting quietly and listening.
Liu Jin's voice continued!
“If we march quickly from here, it will take about two hours, which would be around the fourth watch of the latter half of the night, when people are most weary.”
“So, I plan a night raid tonight, catching the Yellow Turban off guard and annihilating them in one fell swoop, to avoid any prolonged complications or being detected by Yellow Turban scouts and allowing them to escape.”
Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Han Dang, and Wei You all nodded in agreement upon hearing this. Night attacks were the easiest to succeed. Although they might suffer from night blindness, the enemy would too, with blurred vision.
As long as they charged into the camp, it would cause panic among the enemy, leading to a rout, making it impossible for them to resist and only causing them to flee in disarray.
Seeing that his Generals agreed to this, Liu Jin did not hesitate and immediately assigned tasks!
“According to the intelligence gathered, this Yellow Turban Army is stationed a few li outside Wuji County, with the south side near a small river, the north side near Wuji County, the east side a forest, and the west side an open field.”
“The south side is blocked by the river, and the north side is close to the county town with many scouts, so neither of these directions is suitable for a night raid.”
“We can only launch a pincer attack from the forest in the east and the open field in the west.”
After saying this, Liu Jin looked at Guan Yu beside him and slowly said!
“Yun Chang, you will lead your five hundred cavalry to charge directly into the enemy camp from the open field in the west, creating chaos and setting the camp on fire.”
“I will lead the rest of the forces to charge out from the eastern forest and into the camp to wipe out all the Yellow Turban.”
“Do any of you have anything to add?”
Everyone around shook their heads, having nothing to add, as the plan was perfectly laid out.
Moreover, they were only facing the disorganized Yellow Turban, and with a night raid, the combat power of their soldiers would be overwhelming, leaving the enemy no power to resist whatsoever.
Seeing that everyone agreed to the plan, Liu Jin immediately waved his hand and said loudly!
“You all go and assemble your troops, break camp tonight, and by the fourth watch, you must arrive outside Wuji County, then charge and kill in the Yellow Turban camp.”
The Generals all stood up, their eyes filled with determination, and bowed, saying!
“Understood.”
Soon, sounds in the camp began to rise, and soldiers from each company assembled.
Led by their Generals, they split into two routes. One route, consisting of five hundred cavalry led by Guan Yu, quickly advanced, bypassing the surrounding mountains and heading towards the west of Wuji County.
The other route, led by Liu Jin and his nearly two thousand Generals and men, quickly marched towards the southeast.
Several hours later.
Liu Jin led his army and had already arrived outside Wuji County. In this dense forest, they could already see the enemy tents ahead.
These were the military camps built by the several thousand Yellow Turban outside the city, with some torches still flickering, indicating there were Yellow Turban soldiers on patrol.
Han Dang, seeing this, said with some surprise!
“Ming Gong, the General of this Yellow Turban force seems to have some skill; he even knows to patrol at night, showing some understanding of military tactics.”
“They are much stronger than the Yellow Turban we encountered in Youzhou.”