The next day.

Ye Shikai divided his troops into three groups, instructing four chiliarchs to lead their men along two separate routes from the left and right. Xue San, acting as the vanguard, led two thousand Iron Armor Army to clear the path, while Ye Shikai stayed with the main force at the rear. Additionally, Wan Qi Yuan’s two thousand cavalry sought to join the fray, but they were refused by Ye Shikai. This was a mountain path, unsuitable for cavalry charges, and the cavalry would become live targets.

Two hours later.

"Old Ye, once we pass through this forest, we’ll reach the mouth of the valley. According to the map sent back by the squad, this camp is located within the valley, with only one road for entry and exit."

"Old Ye, you surely didn’t expect Yan Yu to set up his camp in a desperate situation, did you?" Shangguan Jian teased.

"No, I had already suspected as much." Ye Shikai waved his hand. "I have studied his background carefully. When he was with the Wei Army, he was a risk-taker and skilled at deploying surprise troops, bold yet meticulous. So the strategies he used often left his opponents suffering. Such a general is a talent, though unfortunately, he can’t be used by us." Ye Shikai sighed. Yan Yu was a complete "gambler", yet also a rational person. If his plans succeeded, they would deliver a FATAL STRIKE to the enemy, but if they failed, it would mean total annihilation.

"Placing the camp in a desperate situation is an attempt to emulate Xiang Yu’s strategy of breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats." Ye Shikai murmured. According to the timeline, Xiang Yu has not yet risen in rebellion against Qin at this point, but in a few years, Xianyang City will be reduced to ashes by him. As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows. Military generals typically do not place themselves in desperate situations. Yet, Yan Yu’s ’gambling reverse thinking,’ in this scenario, is an effective strategy. The front of the camp is only a bit over fifty meters wide, meaning that soldiers attacking the camp head-on can only occupy those fifty meters, which are too narrow, making it easy to defend but hard to attack.

The troops advanced slowly into the forest, and soon, the outer walls of the camp and the watchtower became visible. Ye Shikai could even see the rebellion soldiers on the outer wall, who also noticed the Qin Army and began preparing to defend.

"Man Cang, are you ready?"

"Reporting, General, I am ready to attack the camp, please give the order." Man Cang knelt on one knee before Ye Shikai, his tone resolute. It was clear that this time, he aimed not only to capture the camp in front of him but also to combat the Heart Demon.

"Attack the camp."

"Yes."

After receiving the order, Man Cang immediately returned to the army, standing at the forefront of the troops.

"Soldiers, the mastermind who killed so many of our brothers is in this camp. Do you want to avenge them?" Man Cang shouted loudly in front of the army.

"Yes."

"Yes."

"Then, are you afraid of death?"

"No."

"No."

"Good." Man Cang roared, taking his sword and planting it into the ground.

"The troops will be divided into groups of five hundred, led by the Five Hundred Master as the attack camp troops, with another five hundred at the rear as the supervision team. The boundary will be marked by my sword. If any attacking soldiers retreat beyond the line, the supervision team will immediately execute them. Once the attacking soldiers fall, the supervision team will replace them and continue the attack. During the battle, if the Five Hundred Master falls, he will be replaced by a Hundred Generals, and if the Hundred Generals fall, they will be replaced by a village chief, and so on." After speaking, Man Cang dismounted, personally taking up a long spear and heading toward the camp.

"General..."

"Do not stop me. I am now an attacking soldier."

..................

Ye Shikai set up camp with his main force in the forest. Intense fighting was ongoing at the front. As the primary commander, he was naturally tense, yet Ye Shikai forced himself to sit on the chair. Injured soldiers from the front were continuously sent back for treatment.

"Shangguan, what is the situation at the front?" Ye Shikai asked.

"It’s intense. The outer wall of the camp has changed hands seven times, and we’ve sent several waves of troops. Man Cang is still fighting fiercely with the enemy." Shangguan Jian’s expression was grim. It seemed that no one anticipated the rebels’ resistance to be this tenacious. Two to three hours had passed, and nearly a hundred thousand arrows had been fired.

"Additionally, the left and right troop divisions have reached the forest, and several chiliarchs are awaiting orders."

"Send them to the front to follow Man Cang’s orders; he’s likely running low on troops after such extended fighting." Ye Shikai sighed. Once the battle began, thousands of soldiers on both sides would fall, and this was something no one could prevent.

"Yes."

Ye Shikai turned around, clenched his fist, and struck the table. If this terrain were flat, the stalemate wouldn’t have persisted like this. He could deploy trebuchets to break open the camp gates, but this was deep in the mountains where even cavalry struggled to maneuver, let alone cumbersome siege engines. They could only send soldiers for a frontal assault.

"By the way, have the members of the squad returned?" Ye Shikai inquired. According to the plan, the squad members should have already reached the cave area. He wondered whether they had found Xue San.

"Not yet, but since they haven’t returned, it indicates Xue San and his brothers are likely still alive." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Indeed, perhaps no news is the best news at this point." Ye Shikai nodded.

Suddenly, a blood-soaked officer hurriedly entered from outside. His uniform was stained crimson with blood and his face appeared as if painted red, creating a frightening sight. Yet Ye Shikai recognized him; he was a chiliarch under Commander Man, renowned for his courageousness and daredevil spirit.

"What’s happened to you? Are you injured?" Ye Shikai hurriedly asked.

"General, I’m fine. I came to relay a message; Commander Man is fighting on the outer wall, but our brothers have suffered heavy casualties and his personal guard has been completely wiped out. We urgently need reinforcements."

"What? How did it come to this?" Ye Shikai stood up abruptly, shouting.

"The enemy’s numbers exceeded our expectations. The commander led us to drive one wave back, only for another to surge forward, constantly."

"Damn it, everyone come with me, have my guard unit gather." Ye Shikai immediately ordered. He absolutely could not allow anything to happen to Man Cang again. On the battlefield, Man Cang was like a beast, and without an order to retreat, he’d fight till the last drop of blood, especially since this time he had declared a military warrant. With his personality, he wouldn’t retreat, regardless of the circumstances of the battle.

"Old Ye, wait a moment." Shangguan Jian suddenly grabbed Ye Shikai’s hand. "You are the commander-in-chief; you must stay to oversee the situation. Leave the frontline to me, I will ensure success."

"Alright then. Shangguan, the front is extremely dangerous, you must be careful."

"No problem." Shangguan Jian finished, then left the camp with the chiliarch to gather the guard unit and headed to the frontline to support Man Cang.