Pang Tong led a small team of elites as they traveled along the ancient path winding through the sloping valley.

Sunlight filtered through the sparse clouds, casting dappled shadows on them.

Pang Tong harbored a secret sense of unease.

As the group ventured deeper into the valley, the surrounding scenery gradually became dark and silent.

The sounds of birdsong and the stream gradually faded away, replaced by an unsettling stillness.

Pang Tong frowned, and he subconsciously slowed down his march, his wary eyes scanning the surrounding mountains.

Suddenly, a sharp horn blast shattered the tranquility of the valley, followed by a dense rain of arrows falling from the sky!

"Enemy attack!"

"Protect the strategist!"

Pang Tong's soldiers roared and raised their wooden shields to block in front of them.

Arrows flew, accompanied by screams and the sound of blood splattering, and countless soldiers fell.

Ah~

Pang Tong's soldiers screamed desperately, but to no avail. In the blink of an eye, Pang Tong's number of soldiers had dwindled.

"Strategist! You retreat first, I'll cover the rear!" Xu Ermao said to Pang Tong, then raised his spear and charged towards the oncoming Cao army.

Seeing this, Pang Tong disregarded everything else and quickly retreated.

Xu Ermao took the lead, brandishing his long sword and charging to the front line.

His battle robes were stained red with blood, and his whole body exuded a chilling aura.

"Brothers, kill!" Xu Ermao shouted, his spear swirling, each thrust sending a head flying and blood splattering.

The soldiers behind them followed Xu Ermao, frantically hacking and slashing at the Cao army soldiers around them, buying Pang Tong a chance to escape the encirclement.

Although Xu Ermao was brave, he had no way to escape when faced with an enemy several times his size!

Finally, when Xu Ermao was exhausted and completely drained, Cao Cao's soldiers swarmed in and trampled him to death.

At this moment, a young figure appeared on the cliff face.

"General, it seems Pang Tong has escaped!" the adjutant beside him said, pointing to the situation below the canyon.

"Ha, he...he can't escape! I...I've been lying in ambush at the valley entrance for a long time, just waiting for Pang Tong to pass by!"

The young figure laughed and said, "Phoenix...Pang Tong, the young phoenix, is...nothing special!"

"Originally, I thought it would take... a lot of effort, but... I didn't expect him to... actually deliver himself to my door!"

This young figure was none other than Deng Ai, an outer disciple of Guigu!

After arriving at Xiegu, he did not leave but instead lay in ambush, waiting for Pang Tong to arrive.

When he was studying at Guigu Temple, he had already learned about Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong.

He even personally consulted Lu Li to find out the differences between the two and why they received such high praise from Mr. Shui Jing!

Pang Tong was skilled in ingenious strategies and military formations, but his weakness was that he was too aggressive!

While Zhuge Liang was knowledgeable in astronomy and geography, he was too cautious.

Deng Ai guessed that Pang Tong would surely anticipate that Cao Cao's army would emerge from Xiegu to launch a surprise attack on Chengdu, and that he would definitely come to Xiegu to set up an ambush.

Therefore, Deng Ai arrived at Xiegu ahead of time and set up an ambush.

Pang Tong did not expect that Cao Cao's army had such a talent, so he was caught off guard and defeated by Deng Ai's ambush!

"General Deng is truly a divine man!" a general next to Deng Ai complimented.

This man was Li Su, a valiant general under Deng Ai.

Hearing Li Su praise him, Deng Ai laughed heartily, quite pleased.

However, Deng Ai quickly composed himself and said in a deep voice, "No matter what, this Pang Tong is extremely troublesome. We absolutely cannot let him go back alive!"

"Yes!" Li Su said, clasping his hands in greeting.

Although Pang Tong was filled with shock, his mind was racing, analyzing the situation before him.

He knew that Cao Cao's army had the advantage of terrain, and any blind charge would only bring more casualties.

He needed a plan, a plan that could find a way out of this desperate situation.

The first order was given to the soldiers to quickly find cover and use the rocks and trees in the valley to block the arrows.

Next, Pang Tong observed the trajectory of the enemy's arrows and determined the approximate location of the enemy army.

He knew that Cao Cao's archers were positioned on higher ground, using the terrain of the sloping valley to launch vertical attacks against them.

He needs to break this deadlock and turn the enemy's advantage into a disadvantage.

Pang Tong quickly summoned his deputy generals and several experienced veterans, who gathered around him to listen to his plan.

Pang Tong pointed to the map of Xiegu and said, "We need to distract the enemy and find a secret path leading to the enemy's rear."

Everyone nodded, agreeing that the idea was feasible.

"I wonder if Military Advisor Pang Tong could deduce the approximate attack position of the enemy?" Li Su asked.

"Probably here, to the southeast."

Pang Tong pointed to the hills on the west side of Xiegu Valley, "The enemy's main force is right here!"

"Strategist, shall we act now?" another lieutenant asked.

Pang Tong shook his head and said, "Let's hold back for now. The enemy is still some distance away, and their main force probably hasn't arrived yet. We can use this opportunity to set up our defenses."

He ordered a squad of soldiers to continue making noise in front of them, banging their shields and weapons on the rocks to create the illusion that a large army was about to charge.

Pang Tong personally led a team of elite soldiers, who needed to silently circle around to the enemy's rear along a stream in the valley.

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