Under Yang Zuo's command, Gongsun Zan's army was once again repelled from Eagle's Beak Pass, retreating back to their camp.
However, Gongsun Zan showed no intention of withdrawing, and as he continued to fortify his camp, Yang Zuo smirked disdainfully, "Hmph, just wait! When our king's reinforcements arrive tomorrow, I'll march out and take Gongsun Zan's head!"
At that moment, Gongsun Zan, mounted on his white steed and staring intently at Yang Zuo atop the city walls, declared fiercely, "Tomorrow will decide the victor!"
Both sides, confident in their positions, watched as the sun slowly set, and their troops seemed at ease, showing no signs of anxiety about the upcoming battle.
Yang Zuo was counting on the reinforcements already on their way. Meanwhile, Gongsun Du's reinforcements had set up camp just a few dozen miles from Eagle's Beak Pass.
Perhaps annoyed by Gongsun Zan's repeated assaults, Gongsun Du had initially sent his trusted general Liu Yi with 50,000 troops to defeat the enemy and then launch a counterattack on Beiping.
But then his son, Gongsun Kang, insisted on leading the army to experience the thrill of commanding troops. Gongsun Du reluctantly agreed.
So, Gongsun Kang led the 50,000-strong force with Liu Yi as his deputy, advancing from the direction of Xiangping.
Along the way, they received frequent reports of victories from Eagle's Beak Pass, indicating that the front line was holding strong. Relieved by the news, Gongsun Kang thought, "With everything going so smoothly, if we were to lose, it would defy all logic!"
"Why are we stopping?" In the midst of the 50,000 troops, Liu Yi led the vanguard, clearing the path ahead, while Gongsun Kang remained with the central army. But as dusk was still an hour away, the troops began to halt. Liu Yi had to ride back to find out why.
To his surprise, he found Gongsun Kang had already ordered the army to set up camp. Frowning, Liu Yi saluted and said, "Young Master, there is still an hour before sunset. We could advance another ten miles before setting up camp."
Gongsun Kang glanced at Liu Yi and grumbled, "I've been riding all day, and I'm uncomfortable. I don't want to go any further. Setting up camp early will allow the soldiers to rest well, and we can easily crush the enemy tomorrow."
"But..." Liu Yi hesitated, pointing to the wide open plains around them, "This area is so flat and undefended. Camping here is a major military blunder!"
"A blunder? Haha," Gongsun Kang scoffed, looking at Liu Yi with disdain. "General Liu, aren't you being overly cautious? We're still dozens of miles from Eagle's Beak Pass."
" Even if Gongsun Zan could fly, it would take him time to reach us. We're deep within our own territory—who could possibly raid our camp in the middle of the night?"
"I..."
"Enough!" Gongsun Kang, losing patience with Liu Yi's nagging, waved the victory report in his hand. "See this? A victory report! Yang Zuo already repelled Gongsun Zan's attack today, and our forces are triumphant. If you continue to speak ill omens and disrupt morale, I'll punish you!"
"Understood..." Liu Yi was at a loss for words and had to respectfully bow and remain silent. After all, Gongsun Kang was the young master, and offending him could be worse than offending his father.
Liu Yi left the tent and sighed, then instructed his deputy, "Tell the men to set up camp. Also, place scouts within a five-mile radius, and make sure the camp is guarded through the night. I have a bad feeling something is going to happen."
"Yes, sir!" The deputy saluted and left.
Victory at the front line was real, Gongsun Zan had not retreated, and Gongsun Du's reinforcements were indeed deep within their own territory.
Everything seemed to suggest that Gongsun Zan's assault would end in failure once again—unless there was an unexpected factor that could turn the tide... And that was—
"General! Scouts report back!" Behind Eagle's Beak Pass, a mountain range called Yiwulu stretched across Liaoxi and Liaodong. At that moment, a young general named Tian Yu, part of Gongsun Zan's forces, was leading his troops in ambush within the mountains.
"Report!" Tian Yu, clad in his armor, sat upright as he listened to the messenger. "Gongsun Du's reinforcements of over 50,000 have set up camp near Wulü, and they have left few sentries."
"Excellent!" Tian Yu was overjoyed. "Has the rear army arrived at the mountain?"
"General Dan Jing has also led his troops to the area and is currently regrouping." Dan Jing had maneuvered his forces around Eagle's Beak Pass to form a pincer with Tian Yu—everything was in place!
"Very well, give the order: the troops will rest for now. Once night falls, we will descend the mountain and annihilate Gongsun Du's reinforcements!"
"Yes, sir!"
As night fell, the 50,000 troops under Gongsun Kang's command, camped at Wulü, were conspicuously visible under the dark sky, their campfires burning brightly, seemingly as carefree as the name of the place suggested.
Inside his tent, Liu Yi couldn't shake his unease. Every time he closed his eyes, it seemed he could hear the distant sound of horses' hooves growing louder.
"Zhang Xuan!" Liu Yi called out, and his deputy quickly entered the tent. "General, is there something you need?"
"Any word from the scouts outside the camp?"
Zhang Xuan shook his head, then smiled, "Forgive me for saying so, General, but you might be worrying too much. I doubt Gongsun Zan has the capability to bypass Eagle's Beak Pass and attack us from behind. Unless..."
Zhang Xuan's eyes suddenly widened, and Liu Yi realized the same thing in a flash. They both exclaimed simultaneously, "Yiwulu Mountains!"
Just as the words left their mouths, a sudden clamor erupted outside the camp, "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
"Not good! Protect the young master!" Liu Yi shouted, cursing himself for not realizing sooner the vulnerability of Yiwulu.
Gongsun Zan's forces must have scouted the route, crossing the Yiwulu Mountains in several groups via narrow paths to set up an ambush. Today's large-scale attack by Gongsun Zan was merely a cover for them!
By now, it was too late to regret. As the sentries sounded the alarm with the beating of gongs, the soldiers in the camp were still scrambling to put on their armor. But Tian Yu's troops had already stormed into the camp.
"Set fire! The enemy has more men; use the flames to trap and destroy them!" At Tian Yu's command, several thousand cavalrymen nocked flaming arrows and launched a fiery barrage into Gongsun Kang's camp.
The tents quickly caught fire, and the camp of 50,000 soldiers turned into a sea of flames.
"Don't panic! Everyone retreat from the camp!" The situation was beyond Liu Yi's control, and the camp was in chaos. As the fire spread, and with Tian Yu's cavalry surrounding the camp and firing arrows, their casualties skyrocketed.
"Liu Yi! Quick! Do something to repel the enemy!" Gongsun Kang, rudely awakened from his sleep, rushed to Liu Yi's side, sobbing as he shouted.
Liu Yi gritted his teeth. "There's no other way. Gather all the remaining forces and break through the encirclement. The enemy intends to trap us in the flames and burn us alive!"
"Alright... alright, you take command!" Gongsun Kang, experiencing such a disaster in his first battle, was completely overwhelmed. Fortunately, Liu Yi remained clear-headed, so he had no choice but to let him take charge of the breakout.
"Zhang Xuan, take a group and protect the young master as he escapes. I'll lead the troops to distract the enemy. We'll regroup at Xuantu Commandery!"
The closest place to Wulü was Xuantu Commandery, which was clearly the best option.
Zhang Xuan nodded and drew his sword, "Take care, General!"
The two men led their forces in different directions. Liu Yi mounted his horse and led his troops through the flames, only to encounter Tian Yu head-on.
"Prepare to die, rebel general!" The firelight reflected off the enemy general's helmet from afar, making him an easy target for Liu Yi, who spurred his horse and charged with his spear.
Tian Yu was slightly surprised but then smiled, "Good, just as I hoped!" Wielding a steel-backed broadsword, Tian Yu met Liu Yi head-on, and the clash of sword and spear sent sparks flying.
The soldiers from both sides had no time to watch the duel and quickly joined the fray. Gongsun Zan had entrusted Tian Yu with his elite personal guards, a seasoned and battle-hardened unit.
Liu Yi's forces were no match, and within half an hour, the battle was heavily one-sided. Liu Yi, distracted, was slashed by Tian Yu. Seeing his soldiers dead or wounded, he found an opening and fled.
"General! Should we pursue?" As Liu Yi fled in disarray, Tian Yu reined in his horse, stopping in place. His deputy, puzzled, asked why.
Tian Yu looked in the direction Liu Yi had fled and smiled, "That direction leads to Xiangping. If they were to escape, their first choice would be Xuantu Commandery. They just want to draw us away to buy time for their main force."
Just as Tian Yu had predicted, a scout soon reported back, "General! General Dan Jing intercepted an enemy force near Xuantu Commandery. The commanding officer appears to be Gongsun Du's son!"
"Oh? Gongsun Du's son?" Tian Yu was both surprised and delighted, not expecting to capture such a valuable prize on this campaign.
The scout scratched his head, "But the enemy fought desperately to protect him, and he managed to escape into Xuantu. General Dan Jing had no choice but to withdraw."
"He escaped?" Tian Yu frowned, "Never mind. We've already completed our mission. Tell General Dan to proceed as planned!"
"Yes, sir!"
Tian Yu stretched his muscles, looking at the still-smoldering flames before him. Confidence surged within him. In this first battle, he had nearly wiped out Gongsun Du's 50,000 troops and almost captured his son. This victory would undoubtedly earn him great acclaim.
Several hours passed, and after a night of fierce fighting, dawn began to break. Back at Eagle's Beak Pass, Yang Zuo was abruptly awakened. Grabbing a blood-stained soldier in front of him, he roared, "What did you say? The 50,000 troops... gone?!"
"Gone... Last night, we were ambushed by enemy forces at Wulü. If General Liu hadn't fought desperately to break through, I wouldn't be alive to report this!" The messenger's voice trembled with tears.
His words struck Yang Zuo like a bolt of lightning, shattering his last hope. His legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the ground.
The most terrifying thing was that the ambushing force from last night was still unaccounted for, but their target was undoubtedly Eagle's Beak Pass.
"Report!" Before Yang Zuo could recover, another messenger staggered in, "General! Gongsun Zan! Gongsun Zan is attacking again!"
"It's happening. They're on the move." Gongsun Zan's actions signaled that the ambushing force was also about to strike. Yang Zuo steadied himself, grabbed his spear, and walked outside.
Sure enough, the drums were already pounding outside the pass, and the sounds of battle filled the air.
Gongsun Zan had deployed the same formation as the day before, with infantry and archers advancing together. The defenders on the walls began returning fire with their own arrows.
"Hold the line! We must hold the line!" Yang Zuo's presence among the troops provided some much-needed reassurance.
Suddenly, a faintly discordant sound reached Yang Zuo's ears from behind. He flinched and turned around, only to see a small stone land at his feet. Instinctively, Yang Zuo looked up at the cliff and paled.
"Enemy troops! There are enemy troops on the cliff!"