Mythical Three Kingdoms

After Zhang He spent a few days idling with the Cao Army, he understood the current situation and couldn't help but feel a bit depressed. He had come to take advantage, but in this scenario, it was impossible. Still, just showing up and leaving upon finding no benefit seemed too much.

Therefore, Zhang He could only grit his teeth and continue idling with the Cao Army. On the other hand, Ma Teng and Han Sui felt quite relieved with this arrangement. They had no desire to fight desperately with the Xianbei, and this situation of leading their subordinates to follow and earn credit was perfect.

On this day, Zhang He, as usual, found a high slope to chat idly with the Xiahou Brothers. As an outside general with no conflict on either side, and having intentionally made connections, he quickly became familiar with the Cao Army.

It can be said that now most of the time, the Xiahou Brothers didn't avoid Zhang He; the few had formed a fairly close relationship, as they shared many common topics.

"Hey, what's that?" Zhang He frowned, looking at the distant Xianbei forces.

"What's wrong, Jun Yi?" Xiahou Yuan asked with a smile.

"The Xianbei seem to be in some disorder." Due to the thin fog of winter and the distance, Zhang He couldn't see very clearly.

"Disorder?" The Xiahou Brothers immediately got up, staring in that direction.

"It seems to be true!" Xiahou Yuan murmured to himself.

"Let's go, return to the camp quickly!" Xiahou Dun shouted and leapt down the slope, racing towards the military camp.

By the time the three returned, a palpable tension had already arisen in the Cao camp.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Three drumbeats sounded. The three exchanged glances and rushed to the main tent, arriving almost simultaneously with everyone else.

"Gentlemen, the Xianbei formation is in chaos. How should we act?" Cao Ren immediately addressed the key issue; nothing was more important now.

"Deploy the troops!" "Deploy the troops!" "Deploy the troops!" Xun You, Cheng Yu, and Du Xi chimed in rapidly. With the situation at this point, the opportunity would slip away in an instant.

This time there was almost no discussion; the three of them directly gave the same suggestion. Although they had other hesitations, this was the only big chance to defeat the Xianbei.

"Zhang Xiu, as the vanguard, how long will it take to breach the first line of the Xianbei?" Cao Ren shouted without hesitation.

"Within a quarter hour, our forces can penetrate the Xianbei formation. However, the vanguard will be detached from the rear army and fall into an isolated deep strike scenario!" Zhang Xiu responded almost reflexively.

"General Cao, since General Zhang is the front runner, let me be the central guard!" Zhang He suddenly stepped forward to speak.

Everyone present was stunned. They had already planned how to deal with Zhang He; as an ally, especially an important one, staying in the rear was the best strategy.

"You primarily use infantry. Once the Xiliang Iron Cavalry accelerates, they are powerful but lack flexibility. Once they charge in, they can't turn back unless they punch through directly. If I follow along, I can just prevent the possibility of a Xianbei encirclement from the rear." Zhang He explained simply.

"In that case, General Zhang, please do your best!" There was no time to delay; Cao Ren immediately gave the order.

"Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, lead the left and right wings to follow!" Cao Ren quickly ordered.

"Understood!" The Xiahou Brothers shouted loudly.

"The rest of you, flank the central army and charge into the enemy!" Cao Ren quickly issued commands, "Messengers, immediately notify General Ma!"

On the other side, Zhong Yao was too far away to see what was happening inside the Xianbei formation, but following Cao Ren's orders, there was some change in the Xianbei facing the Qiang and Hu.

[What's this situation?] Accompanied by Pang De inspecting the troops under his command, he saw from a distance that there was back-and-forth dispatching in the Xianbei opposite.

"Ling Ming, your eyes are sharp. Check if there is a large-scale movement in the Xianbei forces?" Zhong Yao immediately asked.

Pang De hadn't noticed these changes yet, but when prompted, he immediately looked towards the Xianbei army and nodded, "Indeed, why are the Xianbei mobilizing at this time? Could they be planning to break camp and retreat?"

"No, we return to camp!" Zhong Yao couldn't discern the overall situation from this tiny change, but even with no guesses, he made a decision.

Soon the drumbeats sounded among the Qiang Cavalry, and both Han Sui and Ma Teng were startled, quickly hurrying over, and their subordinate officers also rushed over swiftly.

"Yuanchang, why have you urgently summoned us here?" Ma Teng asked anxiously.

"I intend to launch the entire army to attack the Xianbei; success or failure depends on this!" Zhong Yao declared immediately, "The Xianbei's sudden movements already indicate their situation — panic leads to chaos. Previously, the Xianbei were stable and steady; even in retreat, such a scenario wouldn't occur."

"The Xianbei forces are enormous. If we charge now, won't victory be difficult?" Ma Teng was taken aback by Zhong Yao's words.

"Minister Zhong, we collaborating with General Cao, suddenly raising troops now, even if we can easily defeat the Xianbei, it would be hard to account to General Cao." Han Sui also replied in persuasion.

"The Cao Army must have already acted. However, due to our distance, sending news would not be possible in the short term. Our swift mobilization and coordination with the Cao Army is the best strategy. If the Xianbei collapse and we gain nothing, how shall we explain to the Emperor?" A glimmer appeared in Zhong Yao's eyes as he replied.

"The Cao Army has acted?" Ma Teng frowned.

"If I can see it, Xun Gongda and others certainly won't miss it. Therefore, the Cao Army must have deployed!" Zhong Yao explained quickly.

Before Han Sui could speak again, Zhong Yao continued, "If the Cao Army has already acted and wins a great victory while we sit by, we will surely offend Cao Sikong. If the Cao Army is defeated and we watch idly, the Emperor will surely be displeased. Moreover, the Qiang have only recently pledged allegiance; it's all just empty promises!"

Zhong Yao's words left Ma Teng and Han Sui both stunned. They exchanged glances, realizing the reasoning might indeed be sound. The Qiang had only verbally pledged, without any true allegiance!

"Yuanchang, what are the chances of winning this battle?" Ma Teng inquired, and this question implied that deployment was already decided.

"It depends on how much the General invests. If you go all out, victory in this battle is assured!" Zhong Yao squinted his eyes at Ma Teng, deflecting responsibility. He did not believe Ma Teng could lead the Qiang to fight wholeheartedly. If they lost, it wouldn't be his fault.

"Pang De, I appoint you as the vanguard. Lead my elite cavalry and your unit to attack Xianbei. The rest lead your forces to assemble and follow my central army into the fray!" Upon hearing that victory was assured, Ma Teng immediately made a decision. Zhong Yao had always hit the mark; his words were indeed trustworthy!

"Understood!" Pang De shouted loudly, immediately received the general's order, and rushed outside. At this moment, there was no room for delay; speed was of the essence! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with your recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)