"What, only over a hundred people?" Ye Shikai and Shangguan Jian exchanged glances, both shocked upon hearing this news. The Eagle Ridge camp was the gateway to the entire Beast Mountain, with steep terrain that was easy to defend and hard to attack. If Ye Shikai were Yan Yu, he would have stationed at least two thousand men there. With proper command, it could be held for over half a month. Yet, Yan Yu had only stationed just over a hundred men, leaving it as an almost empty camp.

"Yes, and most of the enemy troops guarding the camp are the old, weak, sick, and disabled. They collapsed at the first touch. General Man has now taken control of the entire camp and is preparing to send someone to notify you."

"Let’s go in and have a look." Ye Shikai rode directly into the camp. As the soldier at the gate had said, there were indeed no signs of battle here. A squad of the Qin Army was escorting prisoners. Ye Shikai went forward for a closer look, and sure enough, the youngest of these prisoners were about fourteen years old, and some were skinny as skeletons, as if they hadn’t had a full meal in ages, practically a group of refugees.

"Are these the prisoners of war?" Shangguan Jian dismounted and carefully observed each person. Their hands were on their heads, faces full of fear, nothing like warriors.

"Reporting to Military Marquis Shangguan, yes, they are. They surrendered as soon as we entered, so we didn’t kill them."

"Alright, take them away." Shangguan Jian nodded and ordered the soldiers to guard them strictly.

"Old Ye, it seems our first step has been successful. With Eagle Ridge camp in our hands, they’ve lost the high ground. We can use this as our base, attacking from above, defending when necessary, and taking the initiative on the battlefield," Shangguan Jian said as he turned his head, letting out a long sigh of relief. He had expected a bloody battle tonight but was surprised by the ease of their success.

"Something’s not right. Why are there so few soldiers guarding it?" Ye Shikai was still puzzled. Yan Yu was once a General of the Wei State; he shouldn’t be this stupid, right?

"Old Ye, could it be that Yan Yu heard we were coming and decided to conserve his strength, avoiding a direct confrontation, so he’s already withdrawn from Beast Mountain?" Shangguan Jian speculated.

"Impossible. Fearing before battle is a major taboo for strategists. If I were Yan Yu, and I wanted to conserve strength and leave Beast Mountain, I would station heavy troops to hold Eagle Ridge camp. First, defending it could delay us, giving him time to evacuate; second, it would confuse us, making us think they haven’t left Beast Mountain," Ye Shikai analyzed. In sum, Yan Yu had almost no reason to abandon the camp voluntarily.

The two continued inward with their guards when suddenly a faint pungent smell came from the air.

"Shangguan, do you smell something?" Ye Shikai’s face darkened as he spoke coldly. Shangguan Jian took a deep breath.

"It seems... like oil."

"What, not good." Ye Shikai suddenly shouted, entering a nearby warehouse. Opening the door, he went straight in. Inside the room, the smell of oil was very obvious.

Ye Shikai drew his sword, slashing at the beam of the warehouse with force, causing many black solids to fall from above.

"What’s this?" Ye Shikai asked, and a guard stepped forward, took a piece of the solid, and examined it by the firelight.

"Sir, it’s charcoal."

"Damn." Ye Shikai looked up to see the beam above was filled with black charcoal, and the walls were splattered with oil.

"All troops retreat from the camp, now." Ye Shikai rushed outside, shouting loudly. At first, the troops didn’t react, but not far away, Man Cang heard the shout and immediately ran over.

"Sir, what happened?"

"The camp is filled with flammable materials. The enemy wants to lure us in and then set the camp on fire. Quickly, have all the soldiers retreat at once," Ye Shikai shouted urgently.

"What? But many soldiers have already set up camp here."

"Stop talking and retreat quickly." Ye Shikai was so anxious that he kicked Man Cang to the ground, shouting hoarsely.

"Understood."

The entire army, upon receiving the order, began to flee the camp, but with 3,000 troops to evacuate, the camp’s location was treacherous, and the paths were narrow.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Suddenly, countless flaming arrows rose from the woods outside the camp, falling into the camp like meteors.

Ah, ah, ah.

As the flaming arrows struck the roof, they quickly ignited the charcoal laid upon it. In an instant, the fire engulfed the buildings, and countless arrows rained down. Soon, the entire camp was in flames, with many soldiers who hadn’t escaped surrounded by fire. The flames clung to their bodies, causing excruciating pain, making them roll on the ground.

"Quick, take off your burning clothes," Ye Shikai shouted. The camp was filled with incendiary materials; besides charcoal, there was barrel after barrel of fuel. The slightest spark caused them to explode, and the burning fuel spilled onto the soldiers’ bodies, the flames clinging to their clothes were deadly.

"Sir, watch out." Man Cang picked up a shield, covering Ye Shikai’s head. They had not yet left the camp, also exposed to the range of the enemy’s arrows. The soldiers, having removed their armor, had no protection, and one by one, they were struck down by arrows.

"Hurry, leave the camp now," Ye Shikai pushed Man Cang aside, shouting loudly. The 3,000 troops faced a deadly attack, their morale shattered. The orderly evacuation turned into a hasty rout, and in the chaos, there were countless casualties.

Whoosh.

An arrow fell from the sky, striking Ye Shikai’s left arm. A sharp pain jolted through him, making him realize he was hit.

"Sir," Man Cang saw this and immediately rushed to assist Ye Shikai. "Shieldbearers, protect the general."

A group of guards lifted their shields, forming a Shield Formation in front of Ye Shikai. Despite the pain, Ye Shikai gritted his teeth, held his breath, and pulled the arrow from his arm. Fresh blood immediately poured down, flowing from his elbow to his palm.

"Old Ye, it’s too dangerous here. We must withdraw," Shangguan Jian urged.

"I can’t. Many brothers haven’t made it out. I have to stay here and direct them," Ye Shikai answered firmly.

"Old Ye, leave the command to me. Man Cang, get the General out of here," Shangguan Jian shouted.

"Understood, sir, let’s go." Man Cang forcefully dragged Ye Shikai away. Under the protection of guards, they evacuated the camp.

Two hours later.

"Medic, is there poison on the arrowhead?"

"Fortunately, the arrowhead is not poisoned, and it hasn’t damaged the General’s bones—just a flesh wound. Half a month of rest is enough," the medic reassured in the barracks while treating Ye Shikai’s wounds. On the tray lay an iron-tipped arrowhead stained with blood. Ye Shikai looked worried. The pain of the arrow wound was less than a tenth of the pain in his heart. The troops suffered heavy losses from the fire attack, and casualties were still not fully accounted for.