Guan Yu, standing beside him, narrowed his eyes slightly, pondered for a moment, and then slowly spoke!
"Big Brother, I have a good strategy."
"First, observe for a few days to see if these Yellow Turbans will attack the city. If they do, they will surely suffer heavy losses, their morale will be low, and their army's heart unstable. We can then gather our army, directly sally forth, and annihilate them in one battle."
"If they do not attack the city but merely besiege it, we can delay for a few days, allowing these bandits to relax their vigilance. Then, under the cover of night, we can send a small, elite detachment to bypass the enemy's rear, set fire to their camp, and cause chaos."
"Using this opportunity, Big Brother can then lead all the troops within the city to charge towards the enemy, and we will achieve a great victory."
Upon hearing this, the Generals' eyes lit up; it was indeed a good strategy.
Even Liu Jin, after hearing this method, nodded his head, secretly praising it in his heart!
He truly lives up to being a man who studies the Spring and Autumn Annals; he understands a great deal about military law and strategy.
He immediately declared loudly!
"Good, we will follow Yun Chang's plan. We will delay for a few days, observe the situation, and then make a decision."
The Generals all nodded and then led their respective troops to begin strict vigilance on the city walls, to prevent these Yellow Turbans from suddenly attacking the city.
Outside the city, among the Yellow Turban Army, the leading man had a full beard and a rough face.
This man was a Taiping Dao believer named Deng Mao. He was the leader of this contingent, though not one of the thirty-six Qu Shuai.
However, he was also the Deputy General of Qu Shuai Cheng Yuanzhi, and in Zhuo Commandery, he held significant prestige, considered a second-in-command.
He was following Qu Shuai Cheng Yuanzhi's orders to incite the people of Yi County, break through the city before them, and occupy this place.
Afterwards, he was to rendezvous with Cheng Yuanzhi's forces to jointly attack Zhuo Commandery City. However, the plan failed; the soldiers at the city gate were killed, and they were blocked outside by the city before them.
Deng Mao rode a black horse, looking at the city before him. There were already quite a few Han Army soldiers patrolling the surroundings, clearly on high alert.
Although he had many men, he knew they were all a rabble.
They were originally ordinary farmers, incited by him to take up arms and rebel. Their combat effectiveness naturally could not compare to the Han Army.
Moreover, they had no siege weapons. Relying solely on a pile of human lives, it would probably be impossible to break through the city before them.
So, he did not plan to attack the city. He merely led the troops behind him to besiege Yi County and continued to incite the surrounding displaced people to join his Yellow Turban Army.
Once he had gathered thousands or tens of thousands, attacking the city then would definitely yield twice the results with half the effort. At that time, he would plunder all the money and goods in the city, continue to recruit people, and expand his army.
After understanding this, Deng Mao immediately waved his hand.
He ordered his army behind him to begin setting up camp outside the city, completely surrounding Yi County.
Afterward, he would have some Taiping Dao believers begin inciting the people in the surrounding villages to join the Yellow Turban Army.
Liu Jin, standing on the city wall, watched the Yellow Turbans retreat more than ten li away, and already had some suspicions in his heart.
This Yellow Turban leader before him indeed had some capability; he was not a brainless individual and knew to temporarily avoid the brunt of the attack.
However, he did not care; his vision was probably limited to just that.
Because the Yellow Turban Army did not have any outstanding Generals; they were basically ordinary people, and those who had studied military law and strategy were very few.
Otherwise, the million-strong Yellow Turban Army would not have been pacified by the imperial court in less than a year. This was precisely because their strength was too weak, and their commanding Generals were incompetent.
Coupled with the lack of unified command and fighting independently, the magnificent uprising was completely crushed.
Three days passed in a flash!
Liu Jin and the Generals stood on the city wall, looking at the Yellow Turban Army's camp before them. It was very loose, full of holes, and they didn't even know how to set up a simple camp.
Guan Yu stroked his beard and said with a smile!
"Big Brother, it seems my guess was correct. After a few days of peace, these Yellow Turbans have returned to calm, as if nothing has happened."
"Not only that, but the Yellow Turbans have also sent people to absorb the surrounding displaced people into their army, causing the camp to become even more chaotic and disorganized."
"The time has come. We can wait until nightfall, set fire to the camp, which will definitely cause great chaos. Then, we can send troops out of the city to annihilate them in one fell swoop and quell the Yellow Turban Rebellion before us."
Liu Jin nodded upon hearing this; what Guan Yu said was exactly what he was thinking.
This army before them was becoming increasingly chaotic, so they naturally could not be given a moment's respite.
After pondering for a moment, he looked at the Generals beside him and said loudly!
"Yun Chang, since you proposed the strategy, you shall lead a hundred men. At night, quietly leave the city, infiltrate the enemy's rear camp, and set fire to their encampment."
"I, on the other hand, will lead the remaining soldiers and wait in the city. As soon as the fire starts, we will directly sally forth and surround and kill the Yellow Turbans."
"Does anyone else have anything to add?"
The Generals beside him quickly shook their heads, feeling that the plan was already perfect and no one had anything to add.
Liu Jin nodded, and his voice came out!
"In that case, the plan is arranged. You all can now comfort the soldiers, ensure they are well-fed and rested, and await the great battle tonight."
The Generals bowed and said!
"We obey the Military Marquis's order."
They then went down to make arrangements, telling them to rest well and await nightfall.
Liu Jin stood on the city wall, looking at the Yellow Turbans in the camp before him, a cold light in his eyes. The path to his rise would begin with this battle.
He was not a soft-hearted person; since these people had turned bandit and rebelled, they could only be treated as Yellow Turbans.
Night quietly arrived!
A crescent moon hung in the sky, casting specks of light that illuminated the night sky.
Outside the East Gate of Yi County, with a creak, about a hundred figures slowly moved out, appearing very cautious.
The leader was Guan Yu, riding a black horse, holding a large saber. He led his contingent of soldiers, who had already left the city.
Under the cover of darkness, they stealthily approached the Yellow Turban camp outside the South Gate.
They did not encounter any enemy sentries along the way; after all, these Yellow Turbans were ordinary people and knew nothing of military maneuvers.
The few scouts they did have were patrolling outside the South Gate, which was already quite remarkable.
Thus, unimpeded, Guan Yu led over a hundred men, quietly making their way to the rear of the camp.
The night grew darker, and it was now the middle of the night, the most weary period.
Many soldiers in the camp were sound asleep, and there was no alert whatsoever in the rear camp.
Guan Yu was overjoyed to see the lax state before him. This way, he could enter the rear camp unimpeded and set fire to it.
Looking at the hundred or so soldiers behind him, he instructed!
"Once you enter the camp, do not engage with anyone. Directly set fire to the camp to create chaos. Remember to shout loudly, 'Han Army attacking the camp!'"
"If anyone dies in battle, my Military Marquis will issue a pension to take care of your wives, children, and elderly at home, so you need not worry."
