I, Zhou Cang, am the number one tank in the Three Kingdoms.

"General! General!"

A lowly soldier ran through layers of makeshift tents, shouting at Zhao Yun as he went.

To create a false impression, Zhao Yun set up a large circular camp in an open area as soon as he arrived in Yancheng, and the soldiers were already panting heavily from running.

Zhao Yun was watching the changes in Cao Cao's garrison at Yanxian city gate through the camp gate. Since this morning, there had been obvious changes in the number of garrison troops on the city wall, the flags, and even some visible weapons, which meant that Cao Cao's army had probably arrived.

"What is it?" Zhao Yun frowned as he looked at the flustered soldier in front of him. This man was not a spy sent out, and his noisy behavior in the military camp made Zhao Yun a little angry.

"General! A cavalry unit is approaching from Runan... from the direction of Runan!" the soldier gasped.

"You must be mistaken. General Guan's troops have already passed by. Where are the cavalry?" Zhao Yun said as he mounted his horse and looked in the direction the soldier had indicated towards the rear of the camp.

"You are all ready to break camp at any time!" Zhao Yun took two steps and then instructed the guards by the camp gate.

"Here you go!"

When Zhao Yun arrived at the camp, a light cavalry unit was indeed approaching the main camp, with a banner bearing the character "Chen".

Upon seeing Zhao Yun standing in front of the camp with a spear in hand, the lead rider quickly reined in his horse and dismounted.

"This humble general, Chen Dao, has come to assist the general!" Chen Dao bowed before Zhao Yun, presenting the command token and Shan Fu's letter with both hands.

"Oh? You are General Chen Dao? I've often heard the lord mention you." Looking at the strong and capable general before him, Zhao Yun spoke politely, but the unexpected arrival of reinforcements still left him somewhat puzzled.

He gestured for Chen Dao to stand up while reading Shan Fu's letter.

Zhao Yun remained expressionless as he read the contents again, confirming that his eyes were not deceiving him.

In his letter, Shan Fu told Zhao Yun that the reinforcements from Jingzhou had failed to arrive on time and that Zhao Yun needed to do everything he could to delay Cao Cao's army and minimize casualties.

The last five hundred elite cavalry available in the city have all been sent to provide support. This is an unavoidable situation, so we will do our best.

Chen Dao is exceptionally brave and I hope he can be of help.

This matter has also been communicated to Zhang Fei's unit, which is responsible for receiving them.

Zhao Yun showed no reaction on his face, but his heart was in turmoil. This change was too great!

Although Shan Fu did not explicitly state how long the Jingzhou troops were delayed, given the strategist's meticulousness, such a significant last-minute change must have come under considerable unexpected pressure.

"Report—!" The scout he had sent out finally returned, and his shout broke Zhao Yun's thoughts.

"Reporting to the General! Cao Cao's army entered the city at midnight last night, and by dawn they had all entered Yan County!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yun was surprised that they had arrived so quickly and immediately summoned the messenger.

"Pass down the order: deepen the trenches, increase patrols, and all soldiers are to remain in their armor immediately without orders! Don't forget to make sure those noisy, diversionary soldiers are also fully armored!"

"Yes, sir!"

"General Chen, come with me." After making the arrangements, Zhao Yun led Chen Dao into the tent.

"The strategist instructed me to delay Cao Cao's army. General Chen, what good strategies do you have?" Zhao Yun asked directly upon returning to his tent.

Chen Dao pondered for a moment and said, "I believe that General's expedition this time is a feint. If we want to delay, it is simply to keep Cao Cao's army from knowing the truth and prevent them from advancing rashly."

Zhao Yun nodded in agreement, saying, "We agree! If we want the enemy to be unaware of us, it all comes down to 'cleverness'."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "The strategist once said that Cao Cao's army was trapped at Guandu, yet they mobilized a large force from afar, surely seeking a swift victory."

"Cao Cao's army only entered the city at dawn today. Given their exhaustion, they will surely rest during the day." Zhao Yun paused halfway through his sentence.

"Does the general mean that Cao Cao's army will raid the camp tonight?" Chen Dao's eyes lit up; Zhao Yun had actually thought of the same thing as him.

"Exactly. I intend to assign you another three hundred cavalrymen. You will lead these eight hundred cavalrymen to ambush east of the camp. Once you see the camp on fire, charge towards the north gate of the main camp and cut off Cao Cao's retreat."

"I will lie in ambush in the camp and set fire to Cao Cao's army when they arrive. What do you think?"

"I will obey the general's orders!" Chen Dao thought to himself in amazement. No wonder the strategist entrusted Zhao Yun with this important task.

He received such a request from the strategist at the last minute, but instead of complaining, he remained calm and composed, and even came up with an excellent response in a short period of time.

"Someone come here!" Time was of the essence, so Zhao Yun immediately summoned the sergeant to make arrangements.

First, Chen was sent to his unit to rest briefly in the camp. Then, another earthen wall was built twenty paces away from the original wall in the circular camp. Vehicles and other objects were used to reinforce the earthen wall, thus creating a camp within a camp.

When the entire army finished their afternoon meal at Shenshi (3-5 PM), Zhao Yun hid all the archers between the camp walls and earthen walls, and also placed countless straw figures in the hollow tents, both to create a false impression and to serve as tinder.

Finally, as night fell, the entire army completed all its deployments. Chen Dao led his cavalry quietly to the ambush site, while Zhao Yun led five hundred elite soldiers and hid outside the south gate of the camp.

On the opposite side of Yanxian city, Cao Ren frequently climbed the city wall to look at Zhao Yun's camp from noon onwards. He kept seeing people coming and going in the camp, which seemed to be very busy, so he asked the garrison commander for information.

"Is the rebel camp always this busy?"

The garrison commander nodded: "It's like this every day, very noisy."

"Have you seen the bandit leader Liu Bei?" Cao Ren pressed.

The garrison commander shook his head again: "Although there is a banner, we have not seen the person. However, according to the scouts, it seems that reinforcements have been arriving in the past few days."

Cao Ren frowned, pondered for a moment, and looked at Li Dian and Yue Jin: "The Prime Minister has ordered us to fight quickly. What are your thoughts?"

Li Dian said, "Our troops have just arrived. I think we should rest and regroup first, and then fight again tomorrow."

Le Jin said, "The former said that the enemy force exceeded ten thousand. If what the garrison commander said is true, the enemy force is probably far more than ten thousand. I also think it is better to be cautious."

Cao Ren shook his head: "The art of war says that you must know yourself and your enemy to win every battle. Judging from the enemy's posture, I have a strong feeling that they are using a feint."

Li Dian asked, "What does the general mean?"

Cao Ren tapped on the crenellation, turned around and said, "I intend to raid the camp tonight to probe its strength."

Li Dian hurriedly advised, "General, I think this is absolutely unacceptable! Those who rush into battle from the rear will be exhausted, while the enemy army will be rested and waiting for them to tire themselves out. This is a great disadvantage!"

Cao Ren squinted at Li Dian and said, "Hmph, do you think I don't know military strategy?! Since you know the first part, how come you don't know the second part, which says that a skillful strategist brings the enemy to victory rather than being brought to victory? In my opinion, victory is within our grasp!"

Li Dian retorted, "General, if we march in full armor, day and night without rest, doubling our speed and covering a hundred li to seize the advantage, we can capture the three generals! I urge you to reconsider!"

Cao Ren flew into a rage, slamming his fist on the battlements and pointing at Li Dian, saying, "Who do you think you are? Instead of thinking about killing the enemy, you're just spouting nonsense here, ruining our morale before the army even moves!"

When Yue Jin saw the two arguing, he quickly bowed and said, "If the general insists on attacking the camp, I am willing to lead a troop of soldiers to wait outside the camp and provide support if anything goes wrong."

Cao Ren nodded, his anger subsiding somewhat: "Alright, tonight at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), I will lead three thousand troops to raid the camp. You will lead your troops to wait outside the camp with me. If Mancheng does not wish to go, he can observe from within the city." With that, he stroked his sword and left.

Le Jin looked at Li Dian, shook his head slightly, patted Li Dian on the shoulder, and then followed Cao Ren away.

After the two men had gone some distance, Li Dian slammed his hand hard on the battlement, angrily saying, "You didn't listen to me, you're doomed tonight!"