The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Xiahou Yuan suspected that Liu Bei was doing this on purpose, even though his martial arts skills were clearly inferior to his own, he deliberately put on the airs of a hermit master to deceive the enemy and the masses.

In the previous few exchanges, Xiahou Yuan was not used to Liu Bei's attacks with his two longswords, so he was in a cautious half-offensive and half-defensive posture, making it seem as if Xiahou Yuan was at a disadvantage.

In reality, Xiahou Yuan had already figured out Liu Bei's attack patterns when Liu Bei called for a halt.

If they fight a few more rounds, Xiahou Yuan is confident that he can overpower Liu Bei.

However, Liu Bei chose to abandon the battle at the crucial moment, and deliberately shouted, "Xiahou Yuan, you are no match for me," as if he could really win against Xiahou Yuan.

Unfortunately, Xiahou Yuan was helpless and could only watch as Liu Bei calmly withdrew.

"Liu Bei is a scoundrel! Does he think I can't see through his thoughts? His so-called one day of preparation is nothing but a delaying tactic to consolidate his camp! Warfare is based on deception. We should take advantage of his unstable camp and raid it tonight!" Upon returning to his own camp, Xiahou Yuan immediately presented his plan to Xu Huang and Li Dian.

Xu Huang and Li Dian exchanged a glance and pondered for a moment.

According to military strategy, Xiahou Yuan's words are indeed reasonable.

When Liu Bei first arrived, it would take time to consolidate his camp. Xu Huang and Li Dian also suspected that Liu Bei's challenge to battle was an attempt to buy time.

“While raiding the camp is a viable option, Liu Bei will surely be prepared, so we must be extremely cautious.” Li Dian expressed a cautious attitude but did not entirely oppose it.

Xu Huang hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Deep down, Xu Huang preferred to wait for Cao Chun to arrive at Lecheng upon hearing the news, and then use overwhelming force to defeat Liu Bei. However, he was afraid that saying this would only displease Xiahou Yuan.

Moreover, Li Dian's previous analysis was reasonable. Since Liu Bei had arrived in Lecheng, how could he know that Zhuge Liang had not yet arrived in Nanpi?
If Zhuge Liang were truly in Nanpi, then Cao Chun would be unable to come and launch a joint attack.

In this situation, it was of utmost importance to launch a raid on Liu Bei's camp while it was still undefended in order to dampen his morale.

After a moment's thought, Xu Huang gritted his teeth and echoed, "This humble general is willing to follow the general's orders!"

"Excellent!" Xiahou Yuan exclaimed with delight. "Tonight, I will lead the vanguard, Gongming will bring up the rear, and Mancheng will guard the main camp. Relying on our superior forces, we will surely make that Liu Bei taste my might!"

While Xiahou Yuan was enthusiastically preparing for tonight's raid, Liu Bei was also considering the fact that his army had just arrived and was not yet firmly established, as well as the disadvantage of having fewer troops than Xiahou Yuan.

If we start counting from the campaign against the Yellow Turbans, Liu Bei was a veteran general who had been fighting for twenty years and was very familiar with common tactics.

What Xiahou Yuan could think of, Liu Bei could also think of.

Back in his tent, Liu Bei summoned his generals Chen Dao, Yang Qun, Ding Li, Liu Deran, Liu He, Zhao Du, and Huo Nu, and declared, "Xiahou Yuan is impetuous and greedy for merit; he will surely raid our camp tonight! What good strategies do you all have?"

Although he asked a question, Liu Bei already had a brilliant plan in mind. He asked the question to test his generals.

Apart from Chen Dao, who had served him for a long time, Yang Qun and Ding Li were only qualified to enter the tent for discussions after making military achievements in the past two years; Liu Deran and Liu He were rising stars of the Liu family in Zhuo County; Zhao Du and Huo Nu were the earliest powerful families in Zhuo County to respond to the righteous army order.

Liu Bei lacked capable generals and urgently needed to promote and train them from within the army. Therefore, he used this battle as an opportunity for everyone to hone their skills. The way of a general is not only about personal bravery, but also about using one's brain and being able to gather troops in order to command an army.

Silence fell over the tent for a moment.

Huo Nu broke the silence first, shouting, "If Xiahou Yuan dares to come, this humble general will defend the camp to the death and fight until dawn!" While this plan was courageous, it was also reckless. Outnumbered and under attack at night, facing Xiahou Yuan's elite troops, the outcome of such a direct confrontation was uncertain.

Since this was Huo Nu's first time offering a plan, Liu Bei did not reject it. Instead, he praised Huo Nu's courage as a gesture of reassurance, which immediately eased Huo Nu's tension.

Seeing this, Zhao Du also mustered his courage and took a step forward, but he seemed a little hesitant.

"If Lieutenant Zhao has any good advice, please speak freely," Liu Bei said, casting a gentle, encouraging glance at Zhao Du.

Zhao Du bowed slightly, suppressing his inner unease, and clasped his hands, saying, "Reporting to my lord! This humble general... has a humble opinion, and... I humbly request your consideration..."

"Speak freely! The military council is in session, so please feel free to speak your mind." Liu Bei gestured with his hand.

Having received approval, Zhao Du took a deep breath, and his words became much clearer: "My lord! Commandant Huo's strategy of holding the line is commendable, but Xiahou Yuan is fierce and his troops are all elite soldiers of Cao Cao's army. Our camp is not yet secure, and we do not have the advantage of terrain. Even if we fight to the death, our casualties will be heavy."

After a pause, Zhao Du, seeing Liu Bei nod slightly, felt his confidence increase and continued, "I consulted the guide and learned that there is a hillside ten miles northwest of here, with a narrow mountain path and dense forest, which is extremely suitable for an ambush. Why not lure the enemy with a feint? We can widely deploy chevaux-de-frise and deer antlers in front of the camp, and set up fake tents everywhere. We can only send a few soldiers to guard the camp gate, beat drums and make noise, pretending to defend to the death, to lure their main force to launch a fierce attack on the front. Our main force can lie in ambush in the dense forest, waiting for them to pursue us deeper, then intercept and defeat them, and we may be able to achieve a complete victory."

Liu Bei nodded slightly and praised, "A general should be well-versed in geography. You came with me for the first time and already knew to ask the guide. If you keep this in mind, you will surely be able to take charge of things on your own in the future."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Du felt as sweet as honey.

Liu Bei turned his gaze to the crowd, his encouragement undiminished: "The key to an ambush plan lies in anticipating the enemy's moves. If Xiahou Yuan doesn't see the whereabouts of our main force, he might not be willing to pursue us for ten miles. If he takes his advantage and then retreats, or sends scouts to explore the way, not only will our camp be completely destroyed, but our soldiers will also have wasted their time. Let's discuss in depth how to fill the gaps in this plan."

Zhao Du was shocked, realizing that the strategy he had just offered was too naive, full of theory but neglecting practice. He also saw that Liu Bei had not completely rejected the ambush strategy, but instead used this line of thinking to point out the key points for everyone to consider and improve.

By doing this, Liu Bei pointed out the flaws in the plan without discouraging Zhao Du's enthusiasm.

This action earned Zhao Du's even greater respect.

A moment of silence.

Liu Deran stepped forward respectfully, clasped his hands, and said, “This place is flat and without any natural defenses, which is not a good location for setting up a camp. My lord is always cautious, so why would he disregard the advantages of the terrain and force a camp? This humble general dares to speculate that perhaps my lord has already planned to abandon the camp, and today’s challenge is a deliberate act to lure Xiahou Yuan into raiding the camp?”

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at him, their faces showing surprise.

A look of approval flashed in Liu Bei's eyes.

Although Liu Deran remained silent in Zhuo County for more than 20 years, he had once studied under Lu Zhi and had also studied military strategy.

This is also why Liu Bei ordered Liu Deran to oversee the troops in Zhuo County.

Cao Cao was able to cultivate members of his imperial clan into military leaders, and Liu Bei naturally wanted to follow suit, intending to train Liu Deran into a general who could stand alone.

Compared to Huo Nu and Zhao Du, Liu Deran had received systematic instruction under Lu Zhi, and had a solid foundation in Confucian classics and military strategy. What he lacked was the ability to translate theory into practice.

Seeing the puzzled looks on everyone's faces again, Liu Bei's lips curled into a smile, admitting Liu Deran's guess: "I did indeed intend to abandon the camp to lure the enemy." (End of this chapter)