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

"My lord, I will take a rope and cross the river first. Once on the other side, I will tie the rope to the wooden stake by the water gate."

"The rest of us will come down the ropes and will no longer be in danger," Zhou Cang said, slightly excited, revealing his plan.

Guan Yu nodded slightly and said, "This method is indeed a brilliant plan. You two go to the army and select men who are good swimmers and brave in battle. Pass down the order: if you capture Guali Fort, I will reward you handsomely!"

"Yes, sir!"

Soon, Zhou Cang and Liao Hua led about forty men to Guan Yu.

Guan Yu carefully selected and eliminated those who were physically weak, leaving only thirty-three people.

"You may all rest aside and await my orders." Guan Yu invited these people aside and then returned to Zhou Cang and Liao Hua's side.

"Yuan Jian said that there are probably still three to five hundred men in Cao Cao's camp. You are only leading thirty-odd men, so I'm afraid your chances of winning are not great," Guan Yu said, stroking his beard as he looked at Zhou Cang.

Zhou Cang hissed, scratching his beard as he carefully considered his options.

Facing the entire Cao army camp, the chances of victory are slim. If they only take the watchtower and gain a commanding position...

Before Zhou Cang could even process this, Guan Yu asked again, "Did you see the distance between the dock and the camp gate today?"

"It's not very far, only a hundred paces away." Zhou Cang tried hard to recall the details he had seen today.

Although it was called a dock, it was actually just a small unloading platform. Behind the water gate, along the dock and below the watchtower, were military tents, though not many in number.

To facilitate transportation, the area from the dock to the camp gate was actually an open space.

As Zhou Cang was pondering, Guan Yu looked at Liao Hua again.

"Yuanjian! Do you still remember where you crossed the river today?"

"Reporting to the general, I remember that the river there is a bit narrow, and one can cross it by bamboo raft, but the road is too narrow for a large army to pass through."

Guan Yu nodded, turned his back, put his hands behind his back, thought for a moment, then turned back and decisively gave the order: "Zhou Cang, listen to my command!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"You will lead thirty-three men to cross the river at the hour of Chou tonight. As you wish, first tie ropes to the wooden stakes, then lead the rest across the river."

"Once we reach the shore, you will lead one group straight to the watchtower, while the rest of the group will select those who are quick on their feet to open the camp gates and lower the drawbridge amidst the chaos."

"Yes, sir!"

"Liao Hua, obey my command!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"You will lead two hundred soldiers. Tonight at midnight, cross the river by bamboo raft at the wild ferry, take the small path, and lie in ambush outside Cao Cao's camp in silence. Once Zhou Cang lowers the drawbridge, then charge into the camp."

"Yes, sir!"

"This place is too close to Wancheng. Once you succeed, immediately open the water gate and light a fire as a signal. I will then lead my troops upstream by bamboo raft into the camp. If Wancheng sends troops to rescue us, you two must guard the camp gate!"

"Yes, sir!"

The two men accepted the order and left, while Guan Yu repeatedly rehearsed the success or failure of this battle in his mind.

Although it's not a perfect plan, it's the best way to take down this stronghold in a short time.

Zhou Cang led more than thirty people to an open space to begin selecting people, requiring all those who were quick and agile to step forward.

Zhou Cang checked them one by one and suddenly saw a familiar face.

"Aren't you the supervisor who whipped his companion that day? What are you doing here?" Zhou Cang squinted and looked him up and down.

This kid is something else, he picks it up so quickly and wants to earn merit to offset those twenty lashes.

"Uh... please don't mention that day, General. I am willing to atone for my crime with meritorious service!" the inspector replied in a low voice, his face full of shame.

"You've actually learned to swim? And you're fast on your feet too? Are you trying to trick me into paying for those twenty lashes?" Zhou Cang was still uneasy and pretended to be angry as he glared at him.

"Reporting to the General! I was born and raised by the Ru River. I often went fishing and hunting with my father, so I am quick on my feet. I would not dare to deceive the General!" The official no longer blushed and answered loudly, with a hint of dissatisfaction on his face.

Hey bastard! I don't mind if you question my character as a bully who picks on the weak, but you can't slander me by saying I'm incapable of deceiving you...

"Oh? That's quite interesting." Zhou Cang looked at the supervisor's dissatisfied expression, his tone calm, but he was secretly delighted.

"Alright, you ten men, sneak across to the other side. Do not follow me to attack the watchtower. Wait until the camp is in chaos, then go straight to the camp gate from the dock and lower the drawbridge!" Zhou Cang conveyed the order to the men who stepped forward.

"Whoever lowers the drawbridge will be richly rewarded!" Zhou Cang said, his eyes fixed on the supervising official.

You've been given a chance to make a great contribution, whether you succeed or not is up to you.

Although I don't know what I'll be rewarded with yet, I'll draw a picture of a cake first...

"Understood!" The crowd that stepped forward was greatly encouraged.

After nightfall, all the soldiers had a hearty meal and began their preparations.

At the hour of You (5-7 PM), Guan Yu led his large army to the upper reaches of the Yu River, selected a suitable location for the army to cross the river, and built wooden rafts and bamboo rafts.

At 9:00 PM, Liao Hua led two hundred men to head south towards the wild ferry crossing.

At midnight, Zhou Cang led thirty-three "divers" dressed in short clothes with their hair tied up, carrying short blades, on foot to the shore of the Yu River.

When they could see the towering watchtower and the wide expanse of water on the opposite bank under the moonlight, some members of the group began to feel uneasy.

Torches were lit on all three floors, and four or five figures could be vaguely seen on each floor. After all, the light was limited, and it was basically pitch black outside the water gate.

Zhou Cang, of course, had no idea what the others were thinking, but he instinctively felt he needed to explain again, so he secretly gathered everyone around him in the dark.

"The enemy is already in sight. If anyone is too afraid to cross the river, come to me and let me know, and I will let you return to camp."

Although he couldn't see clearly, Zhou Cang could sense that no one was making any rash moves.

"In that case, I will assume that none of you are afraid. If anyone hesitates or falters along the way, I will punish them according to military law."

Seeing that no one moved, Zhou Cang called out softly again, "Where is the supervisor?"

"I am here!" the inspector replied softly and walked up to Zhou Cang.

"Hold this rope in your hand. When I dive down, slowly loosen it. When the rope does not move, pull it three times. If I respond, tie it to a tree and lead everyone to dive down into the river along this rope to find me."

The supervising officer took the rope and whispered, "Yes, sir!"

"Wait until everyone has crossed the river before you go into the water." Zhou Cang glanced at the supervisor one last time, took the rope, and decisively waded into the river.

The supervisor immediately felt a great sense of responsibility, and a feeling of pride in being trusted swept away all the resentment he had felt a few days ago when he was scolded harshly.

After all, Zhou Cang had essentially handed over his life entirely to him.

After Zhou Cang entered the water, the officials and others kept a close eye on the river surface.

Actually, everyone was a little worried that with such a rapid current, what if the rope kept moving and wouldn't stop...

After Zhou Cang entered the water, he remained motionless, with only the rope in his hand being pulled rapidly.

The inspector was wondering why Zhou Cang hadn't surfaced for air when he suddenly noticed that the rope in his hand was moving differently.

Unlike the rhythmic twitching before, the current movement was more like being swept away by the current, so I quickly pulled hard three times.

The other end of the rope quickly responded with three tugs, and the supervisor hurriedly tied the rope to a thick tree trunk.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the inspector's actions.

"General Zhou is in position! Everyone, let's move out!" Under the cover of the sound of water, the supervisor shouted to the crowd.

Led by the most daring among them, the twenty-three men who were to attack the watchtower first waded into the water by feeling for the ropes, and then those who wanted to take advantage of the chaos to open the gate also dived down one after another.

As he saw the ripples in the water slowly dissipate from the last person in front of him, the inspector took a deep breath and decisively plunged into the cold, dark water.