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

"General Zilong is both brave and resourceful. I am truly impressed by his prowess in battle!"

On the way back to Runan, Chen Dao praised Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun waved his hand and laughed, "This is not my doing."

Upon hearing this, Chen Dao exclaimed in surprise, "Oh? Could it be that there are strategists in the army?" He then turned around and looked at the troops behind him.

Zhao Yun shook his head and said, "No, when my lord and I invited the strategist back from Jingzhou, we took a narrow, winding path."

"We passed through a valley that was quite similar to the place where we had ambushed earlier."

The strategist pointed to the hillside and said to me, "From now on, whenever we encounter valleys like these, we must be very careful."

"But if we ambush one of our troops, allowing the enemy's vanguard to pass through, and then attack their rear, the enemy will inevitably fall into chaos."

Chen Dao also laughed and said, "The strategist is indeed a master."

As the two were talking, more than ten riders turned out from the intersection ahead and galloped toward their troops.

"Zilong!" the newcomer shouted.

"Yide!" Zhao Yun recognized the newcomer as Zhang Fei and, along with Chen Dao, rode up to greet him.

"Zilong! Shuzhi! You two have accomplished something truly great!" Zhang Fei said to Zhao Yun with delight.

"Yide, are you getting impatient waiting here with your troops lying in ambush?" Zhao Yun asked Zhang Fei with a smile.

"Indeed! Since we set up this ambush, the three generals have been anxiously waiting every day, and we don't know how to persuade them," Pei Yuanshao, who was right behind Zhang Fei, chimed in.

"I wonder if Yide is getting impatient waiting for me, or for Cao Cao's army?" Zhao Yun asked with a smile.

"Hahaha, if we wait for Cao Cao's army, I'm afraid we'll have to trouble the Third General to wait for another two days," Chen Dao laughed heartily.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei's eyes widened, and he asked, "Oh? What's the reason for this?"

As they walked, Chen Dao described to everyone the events leading up to and following the ambush of Cao Cao's army in the valley during the retreat. Everyone marveled at Zhao Yun's courage and Shan Fu's strategy.

As they walked and talked, they arrived at the Ru River. Gong had already set up a pontoon bridge and was waiting there for a long time.

"Zilong, I'll see you off here! I'm sure the strategist has prepared a celebratory feast for you!" Zhang Fei laughed as he bid farewell to Zhao Yun and the others.

"Third General, we're waiting for you to join us in our victory celebration!" Zhao Yun said, cupping his hands in greeting.

Zhang Fei stood at the ferry crossing, watching Zhao Yun's troops cross the river with smiles and laughter, lost in thought.

"I wonder how my second brother is doing," Zhang Fei murmured to himself.

Guan Yu, the second brother, was less than a hundred miles from Wancheng at this time and had already joined forces with Zhou Cang and Liao Hua.

"General, what are the strategist's orders?" Liao Hua asked Guan Yu, who was looking at the secret plan in the brocade pouch, impatiently.

Guan Yu did not answer directly, but instead looked at Zhou Cang and Liao Hua and asked, "The strategist's letter mentioned a ferry crossing here called Guali Ferry. Do you two know it?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Cang immediately reported, "My lord, I know of this place. Guali Ferry is about ten miles northeast of Wancheng, on the west bank of the Yu River. Cao Cao's army has a camp specifically guarding this ferry crossing."

Guan Yu nodded and looked at the two men, saying, "The strategist has ordered us to first seize this place, then set up camp on the east bank and bring our troops to the walls of Wancheng. You two can go and scout ahead, but do not alert the enemy."

"Yes, sir!"

"Our troops are exhausted. I will stay here and cook for you two while I wait for your news. Be careful and return quickly." Guan Yu glanced at the sky and added another sentence to the two of them.

Zhou Cang and Liao Hua accepted the order, chose two fast horses, dressed in plain clothes and carrying short blades, and left.

After traveling twenty li, the two were approaching the Yu River when Zhou Cang suddenly reined in his horse at a crossroads and gazed into the distance.

"Yuanjian, look at the end of the mountains and forests. Is there a tall tower there?"

Upon hearing this, Liao Hua looked around and said, "It does indeed appear to be a tall tower."

Zhou Cang turned to look at Liao Hua and asked, "How good are you at swimming?"

"Uh... I'm not good at swimming, why do you ask that, brother?" Liao Hua scratched his head.

"I fear that Cao Cao's soldiers are watching from the top of the tower, which would be disadvantageous to us," Zhou Cang said, jumping off his horse.

"What does my elder brother mean?"

"I am a good swimmer. I will take this shortcut and dive into the water to scout out the situation at the ferry crossing. You, on the other hand, will detour south to find a wild ferry to cross the river and scout out Cao Cao's camp from the west bank. What do you think?"

"Alright, I'll follow your instructions, brother. Should we meet here again after we've investigated?"

"No need. The military situation is urgent. Once you have completed your investigation, report to General Guan immediately."

Liao Hua nodded and spurred his horse south.

More than an hour later, Liao Hua stood in front of Guan Yu, covered in dirt.

"Quickly bring me clean clothes!" Guan Gong called out as he hurriedly brought over a small stool.

"How's the investigation going?"

"General, the Gualijin camp is not large, it can only accommodate three to five hundred people at most, and the number of soldiers among them has not been seen."

"However, this stronghold is not on flat ground, but is built on earth, so the terrain is very high. A moat was dug in front of the stronghold and the Yu River was diverted to surround it, like a moat. Patrol soldiers come and go in an endless stream, so it is probably easy to defend and difficult to attack."

"There is a watchtower in the village, which is several tens of feet high. The tower has three floors, and each floor has more than ten soldiers with bows and crossbows. It is located directly on the shore and overlooks the water."

Liao Hua had no time to rest and quickly reported what he had seen.

After hearing this, Guan Yu took out the brocade pouch and examined it closely, saying, "Just as the strategist said, this place is extremely important. Without the strategist's brocade pouch, we would have been discovered by Cao Cao's army."

As the two were talking, Zhou Cang, soaking wet, finally arrived in a hurry.

"How did Yuanfu find out?" Guan Gong quickly pulled Zhou Cang to the campfire and made him sit down to warm up.

"My lord, I have secretly descended to the ferry crossing from the river and observed from outside the water gate. Behind the water gate, there is a dock on the left and a watchtower on the right. All the passing ships are patrolled and inspected by soldiers." Zhou Cang finished his report in one breath, panting heavily.

The original owner was a really good swimmer. Zhou Cang dived into the wide Yu River from the east bank, took only five breaths, and swam to the west bank in one breath. He then secretly observed the water for a long time before swimming back to the east bank.

"Yuanfu means that we can reach the watchtower directly by water?" Liao Hua asked hurriedly before Guan Gong could speak.

Zhou Cang wiped his face and nodded: "Exactly!"

Guan Gong stood up and paced in front of the two men.

Liao Hua looked at Guan Yu and said, "In that case, if we build some light boats and rafts and enter through the water gate, we can bypass the camp gate and easily take this stronghold."

Guan Yu shook his head: "No, according to your descriptions, if we attack the camp by water, it will be detected by the watchtowers, and all our previous efforts will be in vain."

Zhou Cang suddenly remembered something, and stood up abruptly, saying, "I wonder how many people in the camp are skilled in swimming?"

Upon hearing this, Guan Yu immediately turned to Zhou Cang in surprise and said, "Yuanfu's thoughts actually align with mine?"

Zhou Cang clasped his hands and said, "My lord, judging from the size of the water gate, it is certainly not a problem to intercept passing ships. However, if they try to sneak in from underwater, there is absolutely no way to stop them."

"However, it is the summer flood season, and the water is surging. Even if one were to dive in, no matter how good one's swimming skills are, one's life would be in danger. Therefore, I am hesitant," Guan Yu said slowly.

When Zhou Cang described the situation at the water gate, Guan Yu had already thought of this plan, but it was indeed too risky.

So he paced anxiously, still thinking of a better solution.

Guan Yu would never do something as simple as uttering a single sentence that could cause the easy and unnecessary death of his subordinates.

Zhou Cang and Liao Hua were quickly infected by this anxiety, and they both frowned.

"My lord! I have an idea!" Zhou Cang suddenly shouted.