Chapter 94

The next day

The night was as dark as ink, the stars dim.

The chill of early spring still pierced through the thick armor, making one feel a cold chill down to the bone.

Yuan Fang subconsciously tightened his armor, and looked up at the dark sky.

Thin clouds were like gauze, and only a crescent moon was faintly visible.

"The moon has passed its zenith, it's about time. Pass the order, light the signal fires," Yuan Fang said in a deep voice.

The order was passed down, and on the open ground of the camp, three piles of signal fires were quickly lit, the flames rising high and visible for over ten miles.

Yuan Fang held his skull-crushing staff, mounted his white horse, and walked towards the camp gate.

Along the camp gate, rows of soldiers were already standing in solemn formation.

Their armor was gleaming, their weapons like a forest, and under the firelight, every young face was filled with excitement and enthusiasm.

They all knew that tonight would be a decisive battle.

Yan Liang rode up, excitedly shouting, "Young Master, the men are all ready, just waiting for your order to charge east and break the siege of the Xu Zhou bandits."

Everyone in the army thought that their young master planned to coordinate with Zang Ba to break the enemy's eastern encampment.

Yuan Fang's lips curled slightly, and he spurred his horse forward, his eagle-like eyes filled with passion as he surveyed his troops.

Taking a deep breath, he shouted, "Brothers, I know you are already exhausted. Tonight, I, Yuan Fang, ask you to muster your last bit of fighting spirit, and follow me to fight to the bitter end, to break the enemy from Xu Zhou, and make them remember the pain of this day forever!"

His heroic words, like sparks, instantly ignited the surging blood of the soldiers.

"Fight to the bitter end～～"

"Fight to the bitter end～～"

The excited soldiers waved their weapons, roaring with excitement, their high morale suppressing their physical fatigue.

Seeing the soldiers' burning enthusiasm, the young man's handsome face showed a hint of satisfaction.

Without hesitation, Yuan Fang pointed his skull-crushing staff to the south and shouted, "All troops, advance, break the enemy camp to the north—"

The thunderous order sent a shock through every soldier, all of them looking surprised.

Yan Liang was even more astonished, "Young Master, didn't you say we were going to attack the eastern camp? Why suddenly change to the northern camp?"

Yuan Fang sneered, "That was just my strategy. Cao Bao and Liu Bei have likely fallen for it, moving their elite forces to the east. The northern camp is now weak, and I won't miss this opportunity to launch a major attack."

Generals like Guo Huai and Zhu Ling immediately understood Yuan Fang's intent, all of them filled with joy and admiration for his wisdom.

Yan Liang, lacking in strategy, was still confused.

"Zi Zheng, this is a feint to draw the tiger away from the mountain. Don't you understand?" Zhu Ling explained excitedly.

Yan Liang's body trembled, and he suddenly realized, "Young Master, you were playing with the enemy again, and we almost fell for it too."

Yuan Fang laughed, saying that the strategy was suggested by Guo Jia, but Guo Jia disliked taking credit, so Yuan Fang took the praise from the generals.

His laughter abruptly stopped, and Yuan Fang said no more, raising his staff, "Now that you know the truth, what are you waiting for? Gather your spirits, and let's fight to the bitter end tonight."

Yan Liang and the other generals were all filled with enthusiasm, no longer having any doubts, and each led their troops out of the camp.

Fourteen thousand of Yuan Fang's infantry and cavalry poured out, heading straight for the enemy camp to the north.

Horses' hooves were muffled, and soldiers' mouths were gagged, the army quickly approaching the enemy camp a few miles away under the cover of night.

Yuan Fang rode at the front of the army, looking at the enemy camp.

He saw that the enemy camp was brightly lit, the camp gate heavily guarded, and there were two layers of barriers outside the camp.

Although the enemy's main force was not there, they were still on high alert, and the camp must be guarded by a capable general.

"Young Master, the enemy's defenses are quite tight," Guo Huai rode up, his tone serious.

Yuan Fang raised his skull-crushing staff and said resolutely, "The arrow is on the string, it must be released. Quickly pass the order to all troops, light the fires!"

Riders galloped back and forth, the order to light the fires quickly spread throughout the army.

The soldiers lit their torches, and in an instant, four to five thousand torches blazed like a wildfire, the intense flames illuminating the sky and earth.

"Charge, burn the enemy camp!" Yuan Fang pointed with his staff and shouted fiercely.

Woo woo woo～～

The long horn sounded, the order to attack was given.

Zhu Ling and Guo Huai led five thousand soldiers, holding torches, shouting as they charged towards the enemy camp.

A sudden change occurred.

The enemy camp was suddenly filled with the sound of alarms, and the Xu Zhou soldiers on duty, seeing the sea of fire approaching, realized that the Yuan army was attacking the camp. They rushed to the northern camp gate to try to stop the Yuan army from breaking in.

Three hundred archers on duty quickly reached the camp gate and began firing arrows at the approaching Yuan army.

Arrows whistled through the air, and many Yuan soldiers were hit and fell, their cries of pain echoing.

But this small arrow attack could not stop the Yuan army's charge.

The five thousand brave soldiers of the Yuan army, fearless of death, driven by their hatred of the invaders, surged towards the enemy camp like a tide.

Amidst the roars, the Yuan soldiers used all their strength to throw their torches into the enemy camp.

Five thousand torches soared into the air, like a sky full of flying fire meteors, raining down on the enemy camp.

The Xu Zhou soldiers on duty were stunned by the rain of fire, helpless as they watched the fire rain fall into their camp.

As the torches landed, the camp gates, barriers, and tents were all set ablaze, and the fire quickly spread along the camp.

With the fire raging, the Xu Zhou army, which had been calmly defending, suddenly fell into chaos, each soldier screaming in terror, their fighting spirit severely weakened.

Zhu Ling and the other generals seized the opportunity, leading five thousand troops to charge into the enemy camp.

The barriers and camp gates, burning fiercely, quickly became fragile, and the Yuan army easily broke through the outer defenses, charging into the enemy camp like tigers and wolves.

"Excellent!"

Yuan Fang cheered, looking at Yan Liang, and said, "Yan Zizheng, it's your time to show your might. Lead the cavalry and charge into the enemy camp, flatten it."

Yan Liang, whose killing intent was already raging, roared and charged out with his long saber.

Seven hundred cavalrymen burst out, following Yan Liang towards the enemy camp.

The seven hundred iron cavalry, following the path cleared by the infantry, charged straight for the camp gate. Yan Liang's saber slashed left and right, and the burning camp gate was shattered into pieces.

With the camp gate broken, Yan Liang led his iron cavalry into the Xu Zhou camp like a wall of steel.

The charging cavalry, unstoppable, crushed the panicked enemy soldiers.

Yan Liang charged deep into the enemy camp, slaughtering wildly.

Zhu Ling and the other generals, each leading their infantry, followed the breach created by Yan Liang, flooding into the enemy camp like a tide.

Seeing the front line succeed, Yuan Fang's spirit soared, and he immediately spurred his horse, leading the remaining seven thousand rear troops to charge in.

In the main camp of the Xu Zhou army, in the central tent,

Guan Yu was sitting upright, one hand stroking his beard, the other holding a book, reading "The Spring and Autumn Annals" at night.

His brows showed a natural dignity and a disdain for the world.

"General, it's so late, please rest early," a serving old soldier cautiously advised.

Guan Yu put down the book, stroked his beard, and sighed, "My elder brother and third brother went to ambush that little thief Yuan Fang, leaving me here to guard the camp. I can't participate in tonight's revenge battle, so I can't sleep."

Guan Yu was worried about not being able to personally kill Yuan Fang.

"The lord left you to guard the camp, which is a sign of trust. When the lord kills that little thief Yuan Fang, it will be as if he has avenged you," the old soldier flattered.

Guan Yu nodded slightly, a hint of a cold smile on his lips, "That little thief Yuan Fang, who has been lucky and rampant, will finally pay the price today. He truly deserves it."

Just as he said "deserves it," a sudden brightness appeared in the sky outside the tent, as if countless fires were falling from the sky.

For a moment, it was so bright that Guan Yu couldn't open his eyes.

"What's happening!" Guan Yu was startled, jumping up and rushing out of the tent.

Looking towards the source of the fire, Guan Yu was shocked to see that the northern camp gate was suddenly engulfed in flames, quickly turning into a sea of fire.

Immediately after, the deafening shouts of battle came from a distance, like the sound of the sky collapsing.

Guan Yu was stunned, still not having recovered when a scout galloped up, shouting, "General, it's bad! The enemy has launched a surprise attack, broken through the camp gate, and is charging in!"

Guan Yu's proud and aloof expression suddenly changed dramatically.

PS: Swallow has created a new book club, group number 330968099, everyone is welcome to join and discuss the Three Kingdoms.