Traveling back in time to Liu Feng, starting with rescuing soldier Guan Yu.

The night was as dark as ink.

Fancheng was brightly lit, and the sounds of revelry and drinking filled the Cao army camp. Liu Feng stood on the side of a grain ship at the ferry dock, his eyes slightly narrowed as he watched the commotion on the shore. Behind him, in a hidden compartment of the ship's cabin, ring-pommel swords had been distributed to the soldiers, their blades gleaming coldly in the moonlight, yet not a single person uttered a sound.

"Pass down the order," Liu Feng said in a low voice. "Kou Wei, lead three hundred elite soldiers of the Fengzi Battalion. At the third watch, march straight to the central command tent. Bring me Cao Ren's head!"

A dark figure clasped his hands in a fist salute behind him and silently retreated into the depths of the ship's cabin. Liu Feng turned to Ma Liang beside him: "Mr. Ji Chang, the city gate is now in your hands. Make sure to control the gate immediately to prevent Cao Ren from escaping the city!"

Ma Liang was dressed in coarse cloth, but a sword was already tucked into his waistband. He nodded, his expression calm as still water: "Deputy General, rest assured."

Among the grain transport fleet, more than seventy "grain ships" were still in very deep draft. The Cao army soldiers on the shore were already drunk and dazed, and no one cared to even glance at these ships that should have been unloaded.

Two thousand elite Han soldiers waited silently in the darkness for the sound of the drum. Inside the central command tent, Cao Ren had already drunk no less than four jars of wine.

He was a heavy drinker, and for the past three or four months, he had been defending Fancheng, where food supplies were running low, and wine was even scarcer. Seeing the fine wine Liu Feng had brought, how could he possibly resist? He drank from afternoon until late at night, and even with Cao Ren's immense capacity for alcohol, he was now slumped against his desk, snoring loudly.

Outside the tent, the three hundred Tiger and Leopard Cavalry guards were divided into three shifts for duty. Although the hundred or so men on duty at the moment had not been drinking, they were much more relaxed. With the general so drunk, and inside Fancheng City, surrounded by their own troops, and even Guan Yu, who was renowned throughout China, had been defeated, who would think that anything strange could happen tonight?

In the more distant camps, the officers and soldiers were even more unrestrained. Some were playing drinking games, some were so drunk they collapsed on the ground, and several lieutenants even fell asleep with their wine jars in their arms, snoring loudly.

During the day, Cao Ren ordered the three armies to take a day off. These soldiers and officers, who had been on edge for months, relaxed completely, as if their bones had been removed.

The third watch drumbeat sounded at this time. The dull drumbeats came from the direction of the ferry, and at first no one noticed. It wasn't until the second drumbeat that a few veteran Tiger and Leopard Cavalry soldiers who hadn't drunk any alcohol changed their expressions. This drumbeat was wrong; it wasn't the rhythm of Cao Cao's night patrol.

"General!"

A guard rushed in, but Cao Ren remained slumped over the table, unresponsive. The guard gritted his teeth, shoved him hard, and Cao Ren mumbled a curse before turning over and falling back asleep.

Just then, a short, bloodcurdling scream rang out from outside the tent. The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry guard abruptly drew his sword and turned around, only to find the tent flap cleaved open from the outside. A man dressed in Cao Cao's army uniform charged in first, blood still dripping from his ring-pommel sword. The guard instinctively swung his sword to parry, but then saw seven or eight figures surge in behind him, their blades flashing like snowflakes.

Outside the tent, Commander Kou slashed down the Cao-character banner outside the command tent with a single stroke, shouting fiercely, "Feng Battalion! Kill! Leave no one alive!"

Three hundred elite soldiers of the Fengzi Battalion charged out of the darkness like tigers among sheep. Those Cao soldiers who had passed out drunk on the drill ground were still asleep when their throats were slit by blades. Screams echoed between the tents as more Han soldiers poured out of the darkness, hacking and slashing at anyone in their path.

At this moment, Ma Liang had led five hundred elite troops to the north gate of Fancheng. Most of the guards on the city wall were drunk and unconscious. A few conscious sentries heard the shouts of battle from inside the city and were about to sound the alarm when they were shot through the throat by Han crossbowmen who had sneaked up the city wall.

Ma Liang, longsword in hand, ascended the steps and ordered in a deep voice, "Seize the gate! Occupy the city tower! Fire three fire arrows and inform the deputy general!"

Five hundred soldiers surged onto the city wall like a tidal wave, and in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the north gate of Fancheng changed hands. Three rockets shot into the night sky with sharp whistles, illuminating the entire city of Fancheng.

Upon seeing the three rockets, Liu Feng swiftly mounted his horse. Behind him, over a thousand of his main force veterans had already landed and formed ranks at the ferry dock. Liu Feng drew his longsword, pointed it forward, and shouted, "Attack the city!"

More than a thousand elite troops, like a sharp knife, plunged straight into Cao Cao's camp inside Fancheng.

Cao Cao's army was thrown into complete chaos.

Some officers and soldiers in the various battalions were so drunk that they died in their tents, their heads being chopped off by soldiers who rushed in without them even realizing it. Others barely awoke, but their hands and feet were still weak from the alcohol, and they couldn't even hold their swords properly.

The soldiers were leaderless, and in the darkness, they could only hear shouts of battle coming from all directions. They couldn't tell how many enemy troops were approaching, nor did they know where to regroup. Some were shot down by stray arrows as soon as they rushed out of their tents, some trampled each other in panic, and some organized groups of soldiers simply threw down their weapons and knelt down to surrender.

"Enemy attack!"

"Guan Yu has broken in!"

"It's a massive army! It's Guan Yu's massive army!"

Terrified screams echoed through the night, pushing the already chaotic Cao army to the brink of collapse. Liu Feng led his troops in a crushing advance, encountering almost no significant resistance.

However, Kou Wei encountered a tough obstacle in the direction of the central command tent.

Tiger and Leopard Cavalry.

After the initial panic, the hundred or so Tiger and Leopard Cavalry guards who had not been drinking quickly recovered. They were elite troops selected by Cao Cao from his million-strong army, and even if their commander was drunk, their fighting strength should not be underestimated.

More than twenty guards risked their lives to drag Cao Ren out of the command tent, while the remaining eighty-odd men formed a circular formation and forcefully blocked the three hundred troops of Kou Wei's beacon tower outside.

"Wake up the General!" a hundred-man Tiger and Leopard Cavalry officer shouted sternly. Two guards dragged Cao Ren to the water trough behind the tent and shoved his head directly into the icy horse-drinking water.

Cao Ren jolted awake, struggling to sit up abruptly. The cold water had sobered him up, though he wasn't fully sober, he had regained some of his senses. He pushed aside his guards, panting heavily, wiping the water from his face, his ears filled with the sounds of shouts and clashing weapons from all directions.

Cao Ren's pupils suddenly contracted.

Having fought half his life, he understood his predicament almost instantly. His hangover throbbed like axe blows, but he couldn't care less. He roared hoarsely, "Form ranks! Follow me... charge towards Xiangyang!"

Seeing their commander regain his senses, the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry's morale soared. Cao Ren mounted his horse, took the long sword handed to him by his personal guard, and personally led the remaining Tiger and Leopard Cavalry in a breakout to the south.

Kou Wei was unwilling to let him go. Liu Feng had specifically requested Cao Ren's head, and if he were to escape, the Fengzi Camp would lose all face. He personally charged to the front, sword in hand, and engaged in a bloody battle with the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry in the narrow camp passages.

The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry were few in number, but their armor was excellent, and each soldier was a veteran skilled in both mounted and foot combat. They fought while retreating, and their formation never broke. Cao Ren directed operations from the center, leading reserves to reinforce wherever the pressure was greatest.

The Fengzi Battalion charged into battle several times, but was driven back each time. The camp road was littered with the corpses of soldiers from both sides, and blood flowed into streams, soaking the soil.

"Fire!" Kou Wei's eyes reddened as he ordered the crossbowmen to advance. A volley of crossbow bolts rained down, and more than ten Tiger and Leopard Cavalrymen fell instantly. But the remaining men immediately tightened their formation, with shield bearers taking the lead to protect Cao Ren as he continued his retreat south.

Cao Ren was covered in blood, his long sword broken, so he drew his sword and slashed. His mind was still very hazy, but he bit his tongue hard to stay awake through the pain.

Once you break out of the central command area, the South Gate is just ahead. Once you're outside the South Gate and across the Han River, Xiangyang City will be not far away.

"We can't let him leave the city!" Commander Kou shouted sternly.

On the opposite bank of the Han River, atop the city wall of Xiangyang, Lü Chang stood in full armor on the city tower, his face ashen.

The flames of Fancheng illuminated half the night sky, and the shouts of battle drifted across the Han River, clearly audible. Lü Chang gripped the battlements with both hands, his knuckles white from clenching his fists. He didn't ask "What happened?" but instead gave the order directly.

Where is Deng Ai?

The adjutant beside him paused, then asked, "Deng Ai? That stuttering kid who brought the grain today?"

"It's him." A cold glint flashed in Lü Chang's eyes. "The attack on Fancheng must be due to something fishy about those grain ships during the day. Issue my orders: immediately surround the ferry crossing and the water fortress! Capture Deng Ai!"

The deputy general accepted the order and left. Lü Chang turned and looked towards Fancheng, saying in a deep voice, "Light the beacon fire to warn Xinye."

However, before his military orders could be relayed from the city tower, a burst of flames rose from the south of Xiangyang.

Then came the second and third rounds.

Flames shot skyward from the direction of the water fortress, and the wooden fences and piers ignited instantly upon contact with the fire. The fire spread far faster than anyone had anticipated. Dozens of warships stockpiled in the water fortress were set ablaze almost simultaneously. The tung oil and flammable materials stored on board caused the fire to spiral completely out of control, and the entire water fortress was transformed into a sea of ​​fire in a short period of time.

"What's going on!" Lu Chang turned around abruptly, his pupils reflecting the towering flames.

No one answered him. Because almost simultaneously, thick smoke billowed from the east, west, and north of Xiangyang. Flames erupted one after another, burning houses, granaries, and stables everywhere. At the same time, shouts echoed through the city's streets and alleys.

"Guan Yu has breached the city!"

"Run north! Run north!"

The shouts spread through the night, from one street to another, from one market town to another. The people of Xiangyang were awakened and rushed into the streets in panic, their cries and shouts mingling together. The defending troops, who had already assembled and were advancing towards the water fortress, were thrown into disarray by the fleeing people and were unable to advance or retreat for a time.

Deng Ai stood on the roof of a burning house in the south of the city, calmly watching the flames and chaos spreading throughout the city. He threw the last torch in his hand with all his might toward the distant arrow tower, and then leaped off the roof.

"Pass down the order," he said to the soldiers of Wancheng Camp beside him. "Everyone, break into smaller groups and do not engage the defenders in direct combat. Set fires and shout battle cries throughout the city. Remember, our mission is not to kill the enemy, but to make everyone in Xiangyang believe that Guan Yu's army has already entered the city."

Several soldiers clasped their hands in acceptance of the order and dispersed. Deng Ai glanced back at Fancheng on the opposite bank of the Han River. The shouts of battle there had not yet ceased, and the firelight also illuminated the river surface red.

He murmured, "General, I'll hold Xiangyang for you. As for Fancheng, we need to... hurry up."