The Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Tan, intercepted Guo Jia's...

Chapter 129 No! Commander! We've been ambushed!

Midnight, west side of Wei Xu's camp.

Zang Ba lay prone in the grass, staring at the outline of the camp not far away.

Torches lit up the gate of the village, and several sentries walked back and forth while the watchman struck a clapper.

He had led two thousand Taishan soldiers, taking advantage of the cover of night, and stealthily made his way here.

After waiting for several quarters of an hour, Zang Ba suddenly felt a bit angry.

Why aren't these patrolmen getting sleepy?

This is a little different from what I expected.

Did the previous strategy of exhausting the troops fail to work?

"Patrol team, one patrol every fifteen minutes."

The scout beside him whispered.

"That's enough." Zang Ba decided he couldn't wait any longer, so he waved to the person behind him.

A hundred skilled crossbowmen crawled forward, and the crossbow bolts were silently nocked.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—"

A slight whooshing sound rang out, and the sentry and watchman at the camp gate almost simultaneously groaned and fell to the ground.

"superior!"

Dozens of dark figures darted out like raccoons, quickly clearing the roadblocks and pushing open the half-closed gate of the village.

"Brothers! We've been paid for this for so long, it's time to prove ourselves. Tonight, everyone show your strength and don't let anyone underestimate the Taishan Army! Kill!"

With a wave of his hand, Zang Ba sent two thousand Taishan soldiers surging into the camp like a burst dam. They then dispersed into groups of two or three, according to the pre-assigned areas, and rushed toward the nearest tents, haystacks, and supply wagons.

A tinderbox was lit, and the oil-soaked strips of cloth were set ablaze, then thrown at anything flammable.

Almost in the blink of an eye, fires broke out in several places in the forward camp, and the fires spread rapidly with the help of the wind.

Exclamations, screams, and shouts of distress echoed throughout the camp.

"General! General! Enemy attack! Fire has broken out in the camp!"

Wei Xu was shaken awake from his sleep by his personal guards and said irritably:

"What's the rush? I'll send troops to support Sun Bofu right away."

The guard quickly added, "No, Commander! We've been ambushed!"

"Huh? What?"

Wei Xu was startled and almost thought he had misheard.

But it wasn't until he heard the thunderous shouts of battle outside that he was fully awakened.

He quickly donned his armor and rushed out of the tent.

The sight before him made him gasp: many tents were engulfed in flames, figures were running around in chaos amidst the firelight, and shouts and the clash of weapons came from ahead.

"Don't panic! Captains of each battalion, gather your troops and move towards me!" Wei Xu drew his sword and shouted sharply, trying to quell the chaos. "Send a team to put out the fire, especially the supplies and provisions! Quickly!"

He seized a panicked lieutenant:

"Go immediately to Sun Ce's camp in the east and ask him to send reinforcements! Go now!"

In the chaos, several thousand soldiers, barely able to muster their strength, formed a loose circle under the commands of Wei Xu and his officers, and fought against the enemy troops who were constantly setting fires in the camp.

The enemy seemed to be few in number, but they moved swiftly and were fearless, targeting areas with large numbers of people and supplies to attack and set fires.

"They're bandits from Mount Tai! Zang Ba's men!"

Military academy students recognized the opponent's armor and tactics.

Wei Xu felt a chill run down his spine. It was Zhao Yun!

He did come out, but not to fight Sun Ce; he came for me!

Damn it! They're treating me like an easy target!

……

To the east, Sun Ce's main camp.

"Report! General, a fire has broken out at General Wei Xu's camp to the west, and the shouts of battle are deafening. It seems to be under enemy attack! General Wei has sent a messenger to request reinforcements!"

Sun Ce and Cheng Pu had already been awakened and climbed to the high platform in the camp to look out. They saw the western night sky lit up red by firelight, and could vaguely hear a commotion.

"That's Zhao Zilong!" Sun Ce gritted his teeth. "After exhausting the enemy for days, their ultimate target is here! Let's hurry and rescue our commander!"

Cheng Pu, however, pulled the other person back, shook his head, and said:

"My lord! Isn't this exactly the situation we wanted to see?"

Sun Ce paused for a moment, then looked into the other person's eyes and said:

"you mean?"

Cheng Pu squinted at the firelight in the west and whispered:

"My lord, Wei Xu underestimated the enemy and neglected defenses, which led to this defeat. If our army rushes to our aid now, firstly, we will be easily ambushed at night, and secondly... even if we defeat Zang Ba, Wei Xu may not be grateful and will only blame our army for the failure to provide adequate reinforcements."

He paused, his voice growing even colder.

"Perhaps... we should postpone our attack. Wait until they are exhausted before our army 'fights' to their rescue. At that time, Wei Xu will have suffered heavy losses and will be inescapably punished. How will he face Marquis Wen? Meanwhile, our lord will lead the army in a 'bloody battle' to rescue them, which is both morally and logically advantageous. Furthermore, this defeat will surely damage Wei Xu's prestige within the army, and our lord might be able to..."

Sun Ce's eyes flickered as he looked at Cheng Pu and slowly nodded:

"De Mou's words...are very much to my liking. Issue the order to assemble the troops and prepare for battle, but...do not leave the camp for the time being. We will make further plans after the fighting in the west has subsided."

……

The chaos in Wei Xu's camp continues.

Zang Ba's men did not engage in direct combat, but instead continuously set fires to create chaos. Although Wei Xu's army was large, it was divided and unable to organize an effective counterattack.

Heh heh! I, Old Zang, have not accomplished a single merit since I joined my lord.

I never expected to find such a great bargain today!

From now on, I, Zang Ba, will surely become famous throughout the world.

My lord will surely bestow upon me even greater rewards!

I never imagined that I, a lowly bandit, would have a chance to rise in status.

But his cool demeanor lasted only three seconds before soldiers immediately reported:

"General! The enemy is locked in a fierce resistance; we simply cannot break through!"

Hmm, why does the script never go as planned?

Zang Ba glanced at Wei Xu, who was still putting up a stubborn resistance, and thought to himself,

If Wei Xu continues like this, I'm afraid I'll be surrounded and killed once their reinforcements arrive!

Where is the Gan Ning we were promised, a man with exceptional initiative?

They've already fought like this, why aren't you making a move?

Just then, even more intense shouts and cries of alarm suddenly erupted from the rear of the camp, which bordered the river!

"The granary is on fire!"

"Water fortress! Enemy troops are coming from the river!"

Wei Xu turned around in horror and saw flames shooting into the sky from the rear camp where grain and fodder were stored, the fire even more intense than that of the front camp.

On the river, the silhouettes of several warships appeared in the firelight, arrows rained down on the camp, and fireballs were even thrown in.

They're Gan Ning's trolls!

"Report—General! The rear granary has been attacked by the enemy navy. The soldiers guarding the granary have suffered heavy casualties, and most of the grain...most of the grain has been burned!"

A lieutenant, covered in blood, crawled over, crying out...

"It's over! It's all over!"

Wei Xu was struck dumb, and everything went black before his eyes.

With our supplies burned, how can we continue fighting?

The morale of the troops will collapse in an instant!

Seeing this, Zang Ba also breathed a sigh of relief.

Good guy!

Gan Ning has finally arrived.

This guy is really fierce!

Don't let him steal the credit!

Wei Xu shouldn't be able to beat me, right?

Upon realizing this, Zang Ba shouted:

"Wei Xu! Prepare to die!"

With Zang Ba charging ahead and Gan Ning harassing from behind, news of the burning of supplies spread like wildfire through the army.

Wei Xujun's last will to resist crumbled instantly.

Wei Xu, the son of a wealthy family, would naturally not be foolish enough to challenge Zang Ba to a duel.

What's my status? I'm the brother-in-law of Marquis Wen!

Fighting a bandit like you one-on-one would be beneath my dignity!

"Retreat! Break through! Head east, towards General Sun Ce's camp!"

At this moment, all he wanted was to preserve his last remaining troops and reunite with Sun Ce.

The remaining Wei Xu army was completely disorganized, abandoning their flags and supplies. Like headless flies, they fled desperately to the east, where the firelight was weaker, driven by their generals.

Zang Ba's troops seized the opportunity to pursue and kill, while Gan Ning's navy also used crossbows to fire upon them from the riverbank.

Under the desperate protection of his personal guards, Wei Xu stumbled out of the inferno. Looking back, he saw that his painstakingly built camp was completely engulfed in flames, all the food and supplies were burned, and his soldiers had scattered.

Meanwhile, from the direction of Sun Ce's camp in the east, the faint sounds of drums and torches could be heard, slowly moving in this direction.

Wei Xu felt a chill in his heart, mixed with boundless resentment and fear. Supported by his personal guards, he disappeared into the dark wilderness.