The soldiers inside the pass had been tormented badly. Things were manageable during the day, but at night they could barely sleep. Dark circles had appeared under every eye, and their spirits were flagging.
"General, this can't go on," Deputy General Li said worriedly. "Yesterday, a soldier actually fell asleep standing up. If the Jin soldiers really come, I'm afraid we won't be able to hold them off."
Lin Taichu was anxious as well. He knew this was the Jin soldiers' tactic to wear them down, yet he had no way to break it.
If they went out to fight, they would have no justification and might even walk into an ambush. If they stayed put, the soldiers would sooner or later break under this torment.
He wrote to Gao Yang again, explaining the situation here. Gao Yang quickly replied that Juyong Pass was no different. The Jin soldiers provoked them before the pass every day without actually fighting, leaving the soldiers unsettled and on edge.
"Gao Yang said he plans to send out a small squad to harass them and let the Jin soldiers have a taste of sleepless nights." Lin Taichu handed the letter to Sun Yong. "What do you think?"
Sun Yong considered it. "It's worth trying, but we need to be careful. Governor Wu must have anticipated this. He may have set an ambush outside."
Lin Taichu nodded. "That was my thought too. So we can't send too many. We'll pick fifty elites, slip over in the night, set a fire, and come back. No need to fight them head-on."
That night, fifty soldiers changed into black clothes. Led by Sun Yong, they quietly left Yanmen Pass and crept toward the Jin soldiers' camp. Moving lightly beneath the cover of darkness, they soon reached the outside