Guan Yu glanced at the sky, nodded, and agreed with Guo Jia's suggestion. He then ordered the scouts to spread out and made camp on the spot.
Meanwhile, Zhang Liao, after deciding to withdraw from Zhang Fei's position, intended to regroup with Lü Bu. He had full confidence that Lü Bu had already defeated the Hebei forces, as this was his belief in Lü Bu's strength.
"A force of about ten thousand troops ahead?" Zhang Liao looked at his scout in surprise. "Can you tell whose banner they are flying?"
"The distance was too great, and the enemy was extremely cautious, with scouts everywhere. Our men couldn't get close, but we could vaguely see a large banner with the character 'Guan' on it," the scout replied with his head lowered.
Guan Yu's scouts were spread far and wide, making it difficult for Zhang Liao's men to approach. However, thanks to Zhang Liao's familiarity with the terrain, he managed to get close enough to Guan Yu's camp to roughly estimate the number of soldiers it could hold.
"Guan? In that case, it must be Liu Xuande's second brother, Guan Yunchang," Zhang Liao muttered to himself, his expression turning serious.
Feeling a sense of unease, Zhang Liao looked toward the north and suddenly realized the possibility that Hebei's army and Liu Bei's forces might be acting in concert. This thought sent a chill down his spine.
Zhang Liao's eyes flickered as he pondered the situation. He had suspected that Chen Gong's strategy of playing both sides might be unreliable.
Zhang Liao's mind worked quickly. With the reality before him, he soon understood Chen Gong's intentions.
He sighed deeply, feeling the frustration of a weaker position. Even if one could win temporarily, in the end, they would still be forced to rely on stronger forces.
Compared to the other skilled generals under Lü Bu, Zhang Liao had a sharp mind, excelling in strategy, grand tactics, martial prowess, and intelligence. Upon realizing that the opponent was Guan Yu, he quickly grasped the implications.
"Zhang Xing, Zhang Yu, you two take a few men each and disguise yourselves as woodcutters or hunters. Carefully investigate Guan Yunchang's camp and try to memorize the layout of the entire encampment," Zhang Liao ordered decisively. Understanding Guan Yu's purpose, he prepared to strike a heavy blow, aiming for a surprise attack.
"Understood," Zhang Xing and Zhang Yu, two of Zhang Liao's personal guards from Yanmen, saluted and quickly selected a few lean-looking soldiers. They removed their armor, donned tattered clothes, and grabbed axes before boldly heading toward Guan Yu's camp.
"Everyone else, follow me. Hide the horses behind the hills so that Guan Yunchang's scouts don't spot us," Zhang Liao commanded after Zhang Xing and Zhang Yu had left. Leading the wolf riders, he found a shaded spot behind the hills, evading Guan Yu's scouts by leveraging his knowledge of the terrain. Of course, he also had to silently eliminate a few sharp-eyed scouts along the way.
"I wonder how Guan Yunchang has deployed his scouts. Killing over a dozen of them shouldn't attract too much attention," Zhang Liao muttered to himself, feeling a bit helpless. Guan Yu's scouts were well-trained and vigilant. Had Zhang Liao not possessed the strength of an internal energy expert, the scouts would have likely fired signal arrows.
"General, why don't we attack before midnight instead of waiting for a night raid?" a Sima suggested. Night raids were tricky for their elite troops, as the lack of visibility posed a significant challenge.
"A night raid would be difficult for us. When dusk falls, Guan Yunchang will surely prepare to cook dinner. We'll strike then, catching them off guard. We don't need to kill too many; we just need to break their morale," Zhang Liao replied with a smile. After all, who said night raids had to happen at midnight or during the hour of the ox? The purpose of a night raid was to surprise the enemy, and as long as that was achieved, the timing didn't matter.
Meanwhile, after separating, Zhang Xing and Zhang Yu each carried a large bundle of firewood and sang loudly, naturally attracting the attention of Guan Yu's scouts.
"Who are you?" A group of scouts quickly surrounded Zhang Xing and his fellow woodcutters.
"We're just locals from nearby villages, gathering firewood to prepare for winter. If we don't collect enough now, we won't survive the winter," Zhang Xing replied quickly, as if startled by the soldiers.
"Oh, our army's camp is ahead. You'd better take a detour or rest here for the night and head home tomorrow," the scout leader advised, trying to be somewhat considerate.
"But what should we do? Our homes are over there. If we take a detour and it gets dark, we might lose our way, and our families are waiting for us to return," Zhang Xing said anxiously.
The scouts exchanged glances. Being too harsh would seem unreasonable. After a brief discussion, they decided to escort the woodcutters through the area instead.
"Follow us and don't wander off. We serve Lord Xuande, and we won't trouble you, but if you cause any problems, we won't show mercy," the scout warned before leading Zhang Xing and his group across the front of the camp. Soon after, another group of scouts escorted Zhang Yu and his group through the rear of the camp.
By the time Zhang Yu and Zhang Xing returned with information about Guan Yu's camp, the sun had already dipped, leaving only a small crescent in the sky.
"So, that's how Guan Yunchang deploys his scouts," Zhang Liao listened to Zhang Yu and Zhang Xing's excited reports, noting their enthusiasm for the apparent foolishness of Guan Yu's scouts.
"Yes, those fools only checked our identities briefly and then let us pass. We easily observed the entire camp's outer defenses, and combined with what we saw earlier while gathering firewood, we now have a good grasp of the entire camp's layout," Zhang Xing and Zhang Yu reported excitedly.
They had disguised themselves as scouts many times before, but this had been the easiest. In the past, such tactics could have led to them being beheaded on the spot, but this time, the enemy hadn't investigated too thoroughly.
Gazing at the sky, Zhang Liao felt a slight tremor in his heart but quickly calmed himself. He knew this wasn't the time for second thoughts.