The Three Kingdoms: Home Travel

Late at night.

Zhang Yan sat in her tent, tending a brazier, reading a book by the dim light.

After a long while, he stood up, stretched, walked out of the tent, and glanced in the direction of Xuzhou.

It was cold and quiet outside, with only the occasional cawing of crows that was quite annoying.

Most of the Yellow Turban soldiers had gone to sleep, and only those on night watch huddled around the campfire, pulling their thin clothes tighter and shivering.

Zhang Yan couldn't help but sigh sadly. Although the Yellow Turban Rebellion was powerful, the uprising was hasty, and many civilians joined the army. Some soldiers couldn't even get weapons, let alone anything else.

If we don't take Xuzhou, how will we survive this harsh winter?

Jiang Zhe? Who is this guy? How could he be valued by the Great Teacher of Virtue?

However, the Great Teacher is too absurd. It is obvious which is more important, a city or a person. For the sake of the soldiers below, I, Zhang Zian, must take Xuzhou. If Jiang Zhe unfortunately dies in the war, I will bear the responsibility!

"Young Marshal?" The Yellow Turban soldiers by the campfire saw Zhang Yan and stood up one after another.

Zhang Yan frowned slightly. What he disliked most was being called "Young Marshal." He believed that his military achievements were entirely genuine, earned through real battles, and he did not want to live in Zhang Niujiao's shadow.

Zhang Niujiao was one of the most trusted and skilled disciples of the Great Teacher Zhang Jiao.

"Please sit down!" Zhang Yan sat down with the Yellow Turban soldiers, smiling broadly, and said, "Are you confident about tomorrow's battle?"

"Of course!" Loud noises are not allowed at night to avoid misunderstandings and uncontrollable consequences (camp riots), but Zhang Yan could hear a strong sense of confidence in these low words.

Yes! How can those so-called government troops possibly stand up to my Yellow Turban elite troops? Tomorrow I will make Chen Deng see the military might of my Yellow Turban soldiers!

Just as they were about to speak, they suddenly heard a cannon blast outside the camp, followed by thunderous drumbeats and earth-shaking shouts.

Zhang Yan's expression changed drastically. He abruptly stood up, drew his sword, and roared, "How dare you raid our camp? Wake everyone up and come with me to meet the enemy!"

It cannot be said that Zhang Yan's military command ability was not high. In just a few dozen breaths, the Yellow Turban soldiers had all rushed out of their tents, holding their weapons and beginning to prepare.

Zhang Yan was the first to rush out of the camp.

Upon looking outside, he immediately realized he had been tricked; there wasn't a soul in sight.

"They ran fast!" Zhang Yan returned to camp angrily. "The people of Xuzhou are all rats!"

Since the Xuzhou soldiers seemed to have retreated, the Yellow Turbans returned to their camps to rest, and Zhang Yan sat by the campfire to warm himself.

Rubbing his hands together, Zhang Yan breathed out a sigh of relief and asked the Yellow Turban soldiers beside him, "After capturing Xuzhou this time..."

Before he could finish speaking, another cannon shot rang out outside the camp, followed by a cacophony of shouts and cries of battle.

"How dare you, you scoundrel!" Zhang Yan was furious. He grabbed his sword and charged out again, but there was no one in sight.

"You scoundrels!" Zhang Yan could only spit out a mouthful of saliva and turn around angrily. When he returned to the camp, he was stunned to see that many of the Yellow Turban soldiers who had been sleeping had gotten up again. His heart skipped a beat.

Could it be...

When the cannon fire came from outside for the third time, Zhang Yan was certain that this was a trick by the Xuzhou army!

A strategy to wear down the enemy!

On the fourth and fifth occasions, Zhang Yan, fearing unforeseen circumstances, left behind about two thousand soldiers on guard.

After more than ten rounds of back and forth, Zhang Yan finally realized that he had overestimated his opponent, and then ordered, "All troops, rest!"

Another cannon shot rang out outside. Zhang Yan glanced at Xuzhou City and threw a few pieces of firewood into the campfire.

Sure enough, the shouts outside subsided after a while.

Seeing that the Yellow Turban soldiers around her were still somewhat nervous, Zhang Yan frowned and looked at the horizon, fearing that it would be another two or three hours before sunrise.

So Zhang Yan, while warming himself by the campfire, ignored the noise outside and thought to himself, "After sunrise, I will flatten Xuzhou and see what other tricks you have up your sleeve."

Despite saying this, Zhang Yan felt uneasy, her hand never leaving the sword hilt. Only when a sliver of light appeared on the horizon did Zhang Yan breathe a sigh of relief.

The moment I finally let out a sigh of relief, I started to feel a bit tired. No wonder, I had been on guard all night.

Suddenly, another cannon shot rang out outside. As Zhang Yan squinted and sneered, she suddenly noticed a large number of dark figures approaching the camp.

Are they really coming to raid our camp? He suddenly stood up, but felt a wave of dizziness (this kid is probably anemic), and after swaying a few times, he finally straightened up with the help of the Yellow Turban soldiers beside him.

"Don't worry about me! Wake up the soldiers! Follow me to meet the enemy!"

How can we possibly make it in time?

The man who entered was Fang Yue, wielding a long spear, his eyes like cold stars. In an instant, he stabbed down several Yellow Turban guards on night watch, making Zhang Yan's eyes widen and her face turn red with anger.

After exchanging a few blows, Zhang Yan felt her body stiffen and her hands tremble.

Fang Yue seized the opportunity and thrust his spear at Zhang Yan. As Zhang Yan was startled, one of Zhang Yan's guards shielded him, gripping the spear tightly, leaving it embedded in his abdomen. The guard turned to Zhang Yan and said, "Young Marshal, retreat immediately!"

Zhang Yan wanted to step forward, but was held back by the guards. Fang Yue looked around and realized she was alone. Fearing she wouldn't get the better of them, she turned and ran off to another direction.

Nearly a thousand elite soldiers from Xuzhou were like tigers among sheep, their momentum unstoppable. Most of the Yellow Turban rebels who were killed awoke from their dreams, not even understanding what had happened, before becoming victims of their blades.

After fighting through the crowd for a while, Fang Yue suddenly spotted something, her face lighting up with joy. She shouted, "Burn this thing! Our mission will be accomplished!"

Oh no! Zhang Yan, who was being pulled away by the guards, suddenly realized that if they...

Before he could finish his thought, he saw flames shooting into the sky, and his heart sank; the grain supplies must have been burned...

Having stopped the guards, Zhang Yan still wanted to gather the Yellow Turban soldiers, both to repel the enemy and to save the supplies.

Unexpectedly, the Yellow Turban soldiers who ran out of their tents were in a panic, running back and forth, making a lot of noise. Zhang Yan's shout was quickly drowned out.

It must be Chen Yuanlong again! Zhang Yan slammed her helmet to the ground, grabbed her sword, drew a line in her palm, then clenched her fist and swore, "Chen Yuanlong, this is an irreconcilable feud! I will exterminate your entire clan!"

Meanwhile, Chen Deng, far away in Xuzhou, suddenly sneezed, but didn't seem to care. He continued to say to Jiang Zhe, "Teacher is truly a master strategist... but it's a pity for Brother Xuanyang and his two hundred retainers."

"It's not bitter, it's not bitter..." Sun Mao, shivering from the cold, said while drinking hot tea, "It's just that I was quite nervous the first time I went there..."

"They must have run off quite a while ago?" Chen Deng teased.

Sun Mao blushed and said defiantly, "I am neither a military general nor possess the wisdom of Shouyi... cough, nor Shouyi, how can I not be flustered? Seeing those Yellow Turban soldiers in broad daylight, their murderous aura was truly overwhelming!"

"Husband..." Xiu'er said with some confusion as she handed Jiang Zhe a hot towel (what is this called?). "I'm a little puzzled."

"What do you not understand?"

"If we want to raid their camp, we can just let Mr. Sun trick them a few times. Why wait until sunrise? If the Yellow Turban army gets up early, wouldn't that ruin our plans?"

When you're sound asleep around 5 or 6 AM, do you think of waking up? To exaggerate a bit, you wouldn't even be woken up by thunder.

Jiang Zhe shook his head and said with a smile, "This is when people are most sleepy, that's one reason. Secondly, if those Yellow Turban rebels are on guard, by then they will already be numb all over, how can they fight?"

Otherwise, why would they say that the darkest hour is before dawn?

"The teacher must have made up his mind long ago; otherwise, why would he have allowed Fang Yue's thousand soldiers to eat and drink their fill and wait in the Chen residence for several hours?"

"This victory was quite clever..." Xiu'er smiled slightly at Jiang Zhe, "My husband, you must not be careless in future battles..."

"Of course..." Jiang Zhe nodded, then said, "Xiuer, why don't we go back and rest for a while?"

"..."

In this battle, Fang Yue led a thousand troops, killing hundreds of enemies, losing dozens of soldiers, and burning countless grain supplies, achieving a great victory! Zhang Yan broke camp and retreated ten miles!

.