C338

When the Hu clansmen of the north of the city charged, in order to move more quickly and quickly, they often didn't even bring a tent with them. When camping at night, they would only use their warhorses to form a few laps around the perimeter.

Gongsun Zan had lived in the Youzhou for a long time, and had fought with the Hu people throughout the years, so he naturally knew about this method. The only difference was that there were layers of deer skin and fences around this huge temporary campsite. Inside, there was a Youzhou Army Soldiers hiding in the dark every ten meters or so to ensure that they wouldn't be attacked by the Xuzhou Army.

In the grass several tens of meters away from the temporary campsite, a few Xuzhou Army scouts in black clothes and black pants were quietly lying on the ground, staring at the campsite in front of them without moving. Not long after dark, these people were sent out to monitor the movements of the enemy forces. It had been more than two hours, but there was no movement from the other side.

Unknowingly, a drizzle began to fall from the sky. The rain during early summer wasn't too cold on their bodies, but the clothes and boots of these scouts were quickly soaked through. In addition, the grass beneath their feet had also become wet. The frontmost scout felt an itch on his chest, as if some worms had gotten inside his clothes. He quickly stretched out his hand, preparing to touch it.

At this moment, the sound of light footsteps came from the camp in front of them. If they hadn't been lying on the ground, and if the surroundings hadn't been quiet, they probably wouldn't have heard it. The scout quickly retracted his hand and lightly wiped the rain from his eyes. He rested his hand on his forehead and looked forward.

The others followed suit, their eyes wide open as they stared in the direction of the footsteps.

The distance between them was quite far, and the light from the rainy night was very dim. Their eyes were almost wide open, but they could only see the shadows of people moving about within the camp. However, they could not see what they were doing.

One of the scouts behind him whispered, "Captain Huo, do you want to go back and report?"

"Report my ass!" Captain Huo reprimanded him in a low voice. Then, his voice was like a mosquito's. "You didn't see anything and you went back to report. Do you want to be whipped?"

The person who asked the question smiled in embarrassment and just laid there without saying anything.

After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, a group of people and horses swarmed out of the camp in the direction of the scouts. At this time, they were still three miles away from their home camp. Once the enemy discovered them, it would be impossible for them to escape, but they did not dare to flee ahead of time. If they did not investigate the enemy's movements, then they would run back without permission.

The other party's footsteps were light, but as they got closer, the originally light footsteps sounded like thunder to the few Xuzhou Army scouts, causing them to become more and more nervous. They even had thoughts of running away. Tens of breaths later, that troop was only about twenty steps away from these scouts. At this moment, being relatively close to them, the frontmost Superintendent Huo could not help but think to himself. From the human figure of the opposing party, he estimated that there were about five hundred people, and unless there was an accident, the other party would definitely pass by them! He gritted his teeth and prepared to give the order to flee. Even if he were to return, he would be severely punished by martial law, or even beheaded.

At this moment, the tall man at the front of the line raised his right hand, and the rustling footsteps suddenly stopped.

The few scouts in the bushes felt their hearts beating rapidly. They thought that the other party had already discovered them. They were mentally prepared. Once the other party rushed over, they would immediately get up and flee. The strict military law could not be taken care of for the time being. However, the expected turn of events did not happen. The tall figure who was leading the group turned around to their left and walked towards the forest on the left side of the camp. The other few hundred soldiers also followed quickly. Aside from the light footsteps, there was no other sound that could be heard. If these scouts hadn't personally witnessed the enemy coming out of the camp, they might have thought it was a group of specters in the night.

The sound of the spring silkworms rustling like mulberry leaves gradually receded into the distance. Finally, they completely disappeared into the forest.

After a long while, the leader of the group, Captain Huo, raised his trembling right hand and wiped his forehead. It was unknown whether it was rain or cold sweat, but his entire palm felt wet and slippery. He tried to order them back to the camp, but his teeth chattered and he let out a meaningless whimper.

A person behind him asked in a low, quivering voice, "Captain Huo, do you want to go back and report this?"

"Everyone get up! "Hurry up and go back!"

A few scouts stood up one after another, their bodies bent over as they walked towards their own camp with stiff, numb steps.

At this time, in the forest to the left of the Xuzhou Army camp, Gongsun Zan was quietly asking the guard who was leading the way: "Is there anything abnormal happening?"

"Reporting to the marquis, the enemy camp is very quiet. There are only a few people guarding the rear of the camp, and they seem to be very relaxed!"

"Lead the way!" Keep your steps down! " Gongsun Zan ordered in a low voice.

The guard who had reported this just now walked to the front of the group once more and stealthily led five hundred men forward through the woods.

When he arrived at the center of the Xuzhou Army's camp, Gongsun Zan looked down. There were not many torches lit in the camp, but the eyes of the people near the gates and fences, were obviously used for defense. Gongsun Zan heaved a sigh of relief, the unease in his heart had lessened greatly, Liu Bei had set up a large number of sentries in the camp. From this, it could be seen that Liu Bei did not know of his own movements, otherwise, he would have taken appropriate action.

In order to reduce the noise, the group of people moved extremely slowly, almost as if they were moving. After a full hour, the group of five hundred people finally arrived at the back of Xuzhou Army's camp. At this point, Gongsun Zan's heart tensed up again. If Liu Bei was aware of this, he would definitely set up an ambush here. Just in case, he had sent dozens of people to scout ahead while he and the rest waited quietly in the forest.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the pathfinders came back to report that there were more than a hundred people guarding the back gate of the camp. There were no other people around, so everything seemed normal.

Gongsun Zan's final worries vanished as he quickly gave the order to continue forward.

After a while, they successfully arrived at the forest on the left side of the back door of the Xuzhou Army Camp. Gongsun Zan looked down with widened eyes, and just as the guards had reported, there were several large bonfires lit behind the main door, with around a hundred Xuzhou Army soldiers dozing around the bonfire. Their weapons were all placed at the side, if they rushed down now, they would only be lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

Gongsun Zan suddenly hesitated. The enemy's defenses at the back of the camp were so lax, if they were properly arranged, it might be possible for them to destroy the camp! While he was seriously considering whether this idea was feasible or not, a large group of Xuzhou Army soldiers patrolling the area with torches interrupted his train of thought. There were around 200 of them, and they had gathered near the bonfire to chat and laugh with the guards at the back door.

Gongsun Zan sighed, and led the group to continue walking forward through the forest, preparing to leave the enemy camp before going down the forest.

Gongsun Zan calculated that he was already three kilometers away from the Xuzhou Army's camp and should already be at a safe zone. He gave the order to descend from the forest to the road, with Zhao An leading the way, they followed the road towards the mountain behind Eagle's Castle.

At this time, in the Xuzhou Army's camp, a few scouts were kneeling in the tent, reporting what they had seen and heard to Liu Bei.

A Academy Officer called Liu Zhen asked doubtfully: "Master, since we knew that Gongsun Zan would circle around the mountain, why didn't we set up an ambush ahead of time?"

"I am not completely sure whether or not Gongsun Zan is personally bringing his men to the back mountain of Eagle's Castle, nor can I be certain of the exact time of their departure, not to mention the thousands of The Steel Cavalry of Youzhou s are not too far away. If they were to attack near here, even if Gongsun Zan were to personally lead the group, it is extremely likely that he would escape back to the group! Therefore, I decided to test it out first! Liu Zhen, since you asked, then you will handle this matter! Then, you can observe the performance of the enemy. If they appear to be very chaotic, it means that Gongsun Zan has most likely left with his own troops, so you should change your attack to an official attack. I will also immediately dispatch my army to provide support, and try to break through the enemy's camp in one go! "

"Here!" Liu Zhen cupped his fist and said: "My lord, please be at ease. If there is really an opportunity, I will definitely slaughter the enemy camp to the very end!"

Liu Bei laughed and waved his hand: "Go! After this is done, I will appoint you as partial general! "

Liu Zhen was overjoyed, and immediately bowed: "Thank you for your guidance, Master!"

partial general was a random general, but to be able to lead an army on his own, the difference between Academy Officer and him was like heaven and earth.

The other Academy Officer s looked at Liu Zhen with envious eyes, they were regretful that they did not speak out just now, because if they did, this beauty would very likely be dead by now.

Liu Zhen turned around and walked away complacently.

Liu Bei cleared his throat and started to plan his next step.