The night was fading, and the cold moon hung low.
Ten miles away, five thousand Jizhou cavalrymen temporarily set up camp here.
In the chilly spring, where Youxi and Jixi meet, the cold wind is naturally biting.
Yuan Jun, organized by unit, had already started cooking by evening, leaving only individual fires burning.
Some soldiers warmed themselves around the fire, while others huddled inside their tents.
The warhorses also circled the tent, their reins tied to the hitching posts.
Outside, soldiers patrolled and stood guard at night, moving back and forth.
During military operations, it is essential to guard against enemy night attacks.
However, knowing that the enemy only had one hundred cavalrymen, Yuan Shao relaxed his vigilance considerably.
After all, on this vast plain, any ambush would have been immediately obvious.
Therefore, Yuan Shao never expected the other side to launch any sneak attack.
Their camping at the bottom of the hillside must have been due to other reasons.
After a day's journey, Yuan Shao went to rest early, as did Xu You, Yan Liang, and Wen Chou, who snore loudly in their camp.
The general on night duty was Zhu Ling.
After patrolling the area with a group of guards, he saw that the fields were quiet and encouraged the soldiers on night watch for a few words before returning to camp to rest.
Suddenly, a muffled sound came from the northeast corner, as if someone was walking.
Zhu Ling immediately became alert.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The sound of arrows piercing the air rang out as they shot towards Zhu Ling.
Zhu Ling quickly rolled on the ground, shielding one of the guards beside her in front of her.
The poor guard was struck in vital areas by two arrows and died on the spot.
Of the dozen or so guards surrounding Zhu Ling, four or five had fallen!
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
Zhu Ling immediately raised her voice and shouted.
The sound shattered the darkness and the northeastern part of Yuan Jun's camp erupted in chaos.
The soldiers scrambled out of their tents and stood up from the fire.
Yuan Shao, dressed in his pajamas, hurriedly left the camp and saw Yan Liang and Wen Chou also running out. The three of them quickly looked in the direction of the sound.
Under the hazy moonlight, a great commotion could be seen, with people shouting and warhorses neighing.
Then Zhu Ling ran back, disheveled: "My lord, someone ambushed us. The enemy was hiding in the darkness and shot and killed many of our soldiers."
"I immediately stopped the archers from retaliating, but their range seemed to be longer than ours. When we exchanged fire with them, we couldn't suppress them at all."
"You mean, the enemy is shooting arrows at us in the dark?"
Yuan Shao asked, "Are their crossbows able to travel farther than ours?"
“Yes, and the intervals are extremely short, it doesn’t seem like something a human could do!” Zhu Ling replied.
“It must be Liu Wei’s guards!” Yuan Shao’s face darkened. “I have suffered at their hands in Beiman Mountain and Mengjin.”
"Fortunately, their numbers are small. Order the soldiers to prepare for defense and not to attack rashly! You shouldn't have sent anyone out of the camp to seek battle, right?"
"This...this..., your subordinates dispatched two hundred men to flank the arrows from the left and right." Zhu Ling was taken aback, but told the truth.
"Send them back immediately; don't make unnecessary sacrifices!"
Yuan Shao hurriedly said, "Liu Wei's guards are well-armored and have sharp weapons. If we send too few men up, they'll just be cannon fodder!"
"Let's go, let's go take a look!"
When Yuan Shao and his men arrived at the northeast corner of the camp, the archers were still shooting arrows into the darkness, but no more arrows were coming from the other side.
Of the two hundred men sent out, half have returned.
The two commanders who led the troops complained as soon as they saw Zhu Ling return: "Sir, the enemy is too strong in close combat. We sent two hundred men out, and before we even got close, the enemy charged at us."
"We couldn't hold them off after just one round, so we had to retreat!"
After saying this, Qu Hou raised the ring-pommel sword that had been broken in two.
"Look, our weapons are no match for their swords!"
hiss!
Yan Liang and Wen Chou took a deep breath. Such a weapon, capable of cutting through iron like mud, could truly be called a treasure.
If any military general could obtain one, it would be like adding wings to a tiger.
But each ordinary soldier had one, and they rode precious horses from the Western Regions.
Needless to say, their armor was impenetrable by sharp weapons; only blunt weapons could penetrate it.
Thinking of such weapons, armor, and steeds, and knowing that the enemy had hundreds of sets, Yan Liang and Wen Chou couldn't help but swallow hard, preparing to volunteer for battle.
"They dare to launch a night attack; they must have something to rely on!"
"They were trying to lure us out of camp for a night battle."
Seeing Yan Liang and Wen Chou's reaction, Yuan Shao worried that the two might covet the other's weapons, horses, and armor and be unable to resist challenging them. So he warned, "Pass down the order: no fighting. Keep the four camps closed and set up barricades and lassos. If they dare to come in, they will not return alive."
Under strict orders, the two had no choice but to give up.
Immediately, the northeast corner became much quieter, and the other side's movements could no longer be heard.
Yuan Shao and his men stayed there for a while, and when they realized that no enemies had appeared, the darkness fell silent.
"They must have failed in their sneak attack and retreated in frustration. If we had continued to send troops to attack, we would have fallen into their trap."
Yuan Shao was quite pleased with his own deduction.
Yan Liang, Wen Chou, and Zhu Ling repeatedly praised their lord's wisdom.
"The other party should have gone back. Zhu Ling, you continue to keep watch. If there is any further unusual activity, deal with it in this way."
Zhu Ling acknowledged and watched Yuan Shao leave.
The soldiers waited with their eyes wide open and bows and crossbows in hand for most of the hour.
Finally, someone couldn't help but yawn, and it spread like wildfire.
"Aha!"
Zhu Ling couldn't help but let out a long yawn, her eyes practically popping out of their sockets.
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