“Are you a bit too excited?”
Qiao Yan glanced back at Tian Family Fortress, confirming that the other side showed no interest in checking on the folks outside. Only then did she start heading toward her planned rendezvous point.
As soon as she said that, the system suddenly realized it had maybe gone a bit overboard.
This was getting a little tricky.
It quickly justified to itself: [Sure, I said that, but don’t get too cocky. The Tians have no real talents here, and if those capable strategists show up, my plan might not pan out. Actually, I’m just—]
[Just trying to boost your confidence.]
Right! That’s it!
Strategist System 068 proudly thought to itself, insisting on maintaining its dignity.
It couldn’t exactly admit that it flunked the new recruit training three times before finally passing with outside help. Otherwise, why would it have come up with a way to hitch a ride on someone else’s coattails?
That’s why it felt so relieved by its host’s proactive and outstanding performance.
Qiao Yan merely smiled after hearing this.
Although she knew the system was getting a bit arrogant, she had no intention of calling it out; after all, the atmosphere it created was quite cute.
For her, alone in this chaotic late Han era, it was undoubtedly an oddly comforting presence.
“You’re right; this is just a warm-up.”
This was merely her first step.
While the conversation between the person and the system flowed harmoniously, Liang Zhongning, pretending to flee, and the pursuing soldiers from the fortress were also quite “harmonious.”
At this moment, Liang Zhongning’s heart was racing like a drum.
It wasn’t just because he saw Dian Wei, with the power of a tiger, charging forward, ready to chop him down with those twin halberds.
It was also because he was really leading them into a trap, feeling a thrill of excitement.
Yan Qiao had indeed not deceived him!
This was the moment her plan to open the fortress gates had finally worked.
Those lying dead outside the fortress were the weaker folks he had selected earlier, while the elite soldiers following him were a different story altogether.
Of course, there was some suspicion of tall-poppy syndrome among the shorter individuals.
But compared to the guards within the fortress, these Yellow Turban soldiers had lived through life-and-death struggles, and they certainly exhibited a desire to upend the Han dynasty.
If one side was inside the fortress and the other outside facing off, they might be at a disadvantage. But with both sides outside, it was a whole different ballgame.
Given his pre-arrangements, if he couldn’t win this battle, he might as well write his name backward!
Similarly, those chasing him felt they were in a winning position.
The unequal information gap meant these pursuers had no clue they hadn’t successfully gunned down their targets with two precise arrows, nor did they realize they weren’t walking over a pile of dead Yellow Turbans.
Even seeing their targets run toward the distant woods didn’t alarm them enough.
All they knew was that they were there to reap the rewards!
If not for Eldest Young Master Tian being assigned to the defense at the back of the fortress, he might have tagged along.
However, now, this squad of soldiers, led by Dian Wei, looked quite impressive charging out of the city to chase the Yellow Turban army.
Dian Wei took the lead, halberd raised, aimed for the last man in line, unleashing a flurry of wind that made it impossible for the guy to dodge before he was knocked flat.
With that, the Yellow Turbans ahead went from calm to chaos in an instant.
Before they had run a few hundred steps to haphazardly escape into the woods, the whole group had scattered like they were being chased by a beast.
To evade Dian Wei’s unstoppable dual halberds and the blade of the fortress defense troops alongside him, those Yellow Turban bandits split to the sides, even rolling on the ground to barely escape with their lives.
Once they found some cover, they swiftly hid behind the bushes and made a run for it.
The young men from the Tian Family Fortress laughed openly at their expense.
They could clearly see that as the bandits scattered in their frantic escape, the figure of Yellow Turban Commander Liang Zhongning was now clearly visible.
The commander, who had been so arrogant during the day, now lacked his previous bravado.
He had no thought for the safety of his men and only focused on riding away on his horse.
Unfortunately, that horse had been injured in the last attack on the fortress, and it was now limping along, moving no faster than the soldiers running beside it.
This made Liang Zhongning’s attempt to escape on horseback look downright ridiculous.
Dian Wei had already promised Eldest Young Master Tian he would take Liang Zhongning’s life, and now seeing the bandits scatter, with the target unable to escape effectively, he knew it was his time to act.
He let out a bellow, his heavy halberd spinning like a shooting star straight at Liang Zhongning’s back.
He then lunged forward, taking three strides to close the gap.
Liang Zhongning wasn’t exactly a fool either.
The whoosh of air from the incoming attack and his suddenly heightened sense of danger made him instinctively hunch down against his horse’s side just as the halberd whizzed right past him.
He couldn’t help but catch his breath.
If he had reacted just a moment slower, that would have been his ticket to the afterlife!
Fortunately, despite his heightened anxiety, he hadn’t forgotten to keep an eye on his surroundings and noticed the markers he’d set up earlier on a nearby tree—he knew they were about to hit their ambush point.
He turned to look back.
As he bent down to look, the distance between him and Dian Wei was quickly closing; he could even see the murderous intent on Dian Wei’s face, making his palms sweat as he gripped the reins.
This was a decisive moment!
He twisted his body and moved his horse along the path he had memorized, dodging the traps.
Dian Wei, on the other hand, had no reason to doubt him and followed right behind.
As Liang Zhongning turned back, Dian Wei only saw the fear that was hard to contain on his face, unaware that this Yellow Turban commander’s seemingly desperate flight was merely a bait.
And those who had been digging the traps earlier, while they couldn’t dig a tunnel to the fortress below, had no trouble making the pits deep and wide.
Among them were skilled farmers and hunters, which meant Qiao Yan had found the right tasks for their capabilities.
So now, those traps were about to meet their first official guests.
Dian Wei was entirely focused on the fleeing Liang Zhongning, inevitably neglecting what was beneath him.
Besides, he had walked this path previously when he was called in by the Tians for assistance.
He remembered that although there was a small patch of woods here, the path was surprisingly smooth.
However, following Liang Zhongning’s lead, he dodged the first two potholes quite well, but alas, he couldn’t escape the third one.
Just as he reached out to grab the tail of that lame horse, it suddenly leaped up, evading his hand.
He immediately leaned forward too quickly.
If it were flat ground ahead, that would be fine, but instead—
It was a pit large enough for him to plummet headfirst into.
In the dark of night, a heavy thud echoed.
It was Dian Wei crashing into a pit over two yards deep.
In a full sprint, he slammed into the inner wall of the pit, propelled by his own momentum.
Before he could gather his wits, dozens of bags filled with dirt came crashing down on him.
This deep pit was already a challenge to leap out of, especially with a bunch of heavy objects smashing down on him.
And then more weight piled on the bags above.
It was as if someone saw the bags were insufficient and decided to squat right on top of them.
Even with Dian Wei’s strength of a bull, in this unfavorable position, it was hard for him to muster any power. Instead, the pressure made him feel a tightness in his chest.
He could even hear the unmistakable clang of weapons clashing outside the pit.
“This is too much!” Dian Wei exclaimed in anger, pushing against the weight but only feeling two more people sitting on top of him.
This could be explained by him being outmatched, or perhaps he was just a bit careless right before what could have been a victory over the Yellow Turban Bandits, but the suffocating pressure left no room for a proper showdown!
Even without seeing what was happening outside, he could guess that he wasn’t the only one in a trap; everyone he had brought along had probably fallen into the Yellow Turban’s snare.
From the fact that the bags and people on him hadn’t been moved, he could surmise that the Yellow Turbans held the upper hand.
It was probably one-sided.
Otherwise, someone would have tried to rescue him, using his martial prowess to turn the tide.
In fact, Dian Wei’s guess was right on point.
This pit in the woods was just meant to trap him, and there were more traps than this.
The Yellow Turban soldiers he had chased off earlier regrouped quickly after scattering into the woods.
As they moved, lengths of rope resembling horse tripwires were pulled tight in the dark night, plus about twenty soldiers who hadn’t gone with Liang Zhongning to the fortress climbed trees early, each carrying a sack of dirt.
Almost simultaneously with Dian Wei’s fall into the pit, the sandbags from the trees and the tripwires sprang to life, targeting those who followed Dian Wei.
Those who stumbled fell, those who were blinded scrambled.
In the next moment, swords and spears attacked from all sides.
If it were the regular army stationed in Puyang City caught off guard in such an ambush, they’d probably struggle to react in time, let alone the fortress guard who were barely managing to hold their ground.
Adding to their panic was the fact that their leader, Dian Wei, had already fallen into the enemy trap and was missing in action.
Ironically, Liang Zhongning had a sudden spark of quick wit and promptly shouted, “Dian Wei is dead!”
Dian Wei was furious, but his voice was muffled by all the weight and couldn’t carry far.
And not long after, the sounds of battle died down.
Which side had emerged victorious was rather obvious.
By the time Qiao Yan arrived in the woods, it was clear that Liang Zhongning had effectively executed her order of “not letting a single pursuing soldier escape from the fortress.”
Those who were dead were dead, those who were wounded were wounded, and as long as anyone still had breath left, whether incapacitated or not, they were all tied up.
Especially Dian Wei.
Liang Zhongning had a lot of rope handy; when Qiao Yan asked him about it earlier, he candidly replied that it was for transporting grain after their victory, but now it turned out to be perfect for binding people.
The towering and imposing man, who had seemed so mighty before, was first knocked out by the heavy pressure and then wrapped up in who knows how many ropes, looking just like a bundle of goods.
Liang Zhongning thought that wasn’t enough and poured some water on the ropes to tighten them even more.
“…Channel Leader really handles matters with great care,” Qiao Yan said, trying not to laugh at the scene.
But Liang Zhongning’s approach was indeed appropriate.
While Qiao Yan was quite enamored with a warrior like Dian Wei, it didn’t mean she would offer him an escape at this point while both parties were still adversaries.
However, it was clear that Qiao Yan wasn’t the only one with an interest in Dian Wei.
Having won, Liang Zhongning totally forgot about how he had almost been wiped out by Dian Wei’s spear while acting as bait.
Instead of killing him outright, he had painstakingly pulled him from the pit and tied him up, partly due to Qiao Yan’s earlier arrangements, but also because…
“What a fierce warrior!” Liang Zhongning mused. “I wonder if capturing him will give me a chance to recruit him.”
In the dark night, Liang Zhongning, lacking a pair of searchlights for eyes, couldn’t see the brief look of disbelief that flashed across Qiao Yan’s face.
He continued, “It’s settled; we’ve gained the upper hand in Yanzhou, and I’m sure this brave man from Chenliu knows how to make the right choice.”
Liang Zhongning found it hard not to have thoughts about this fierce general.
If he wanted to gain the advantage over Bu Ji and Zhang Bo, the other leaders, it boiled down to battle achievements and manpower.
Battle achievements?
The vanguard of the court was still blocked by Bo Cai at Changshe. Just counting the achievements within Yanzhou, the three couldn’t discern any hierarchy.
Manpower?
What could be more convincing than having a general who towers above the rest?
Dian Wei was truly the most powerful warrior he had ever encountered.
If only he could recruit him…
“Channel Leader should take the Tian Family Fortress first,” Qiao Yan interrupted his daydream. “Now is not the time to dawdle; please proceed according to plan as soon as possible.”
“You’re absolutely right.” Liang Zhongning nodded.
Capturing a fierce general was still uncertain, but the food supplies in the Tian Family Fortress were tangible goods he could get his hands on.
Some things could wait until later.
He clapped his hands, and a burly man who had been hiding in the woods and hadn’t shown himself under the fortress earlier walked out.
This man had worked as a butcher before joining the Yellow Turban Army, fitting the general image of butchers Qiao Yan was familiar with.
Now, he donned clothes stripped from Dian Wei before he was tied up, and they somewhat resembled his size.
But that overpowering presence based on sheer strength wasn’t something that could easily be faked.
Fortunately… lack of charisma could be made up with props.
Qiao Yan pointed a finger in Liang Zhongning’s direction and said to the faux Dian Wei, “Carry him as a trophy.”
This guy had been shouting at the top of his lungs outside the Tian Family Fortress for so long that even in the pitch dark, the Tian family members would surely recognize him.
With this signature trophy, how could they fail to infiltrate successfully!
