Huang Zhong was surprised that Zhao Yun had arrived so quickly; Zhao Yun, meanwhile, was surprised that Huang Zhong had set up camp to rest as soon as he emerged from the valley. Each silently praised the other for not being rash.
Guanzhong was, after all, Cao Wei territory. If Huang Zhong had rashly pursued through the night, he might well have stumbled into Zhang He's encirclement.
Having lived to such an age, Huang Zhong was especially skilled at judging the times and weighing the situation. He had never competed with Guan Yu or Zhang Fei for credit. The only reason he often vied with Zhao Yun for the vanguard was that Zhao Yun was easygoing.
The next morning, Zhao Yun ordered his men to set up the cooking pots and prepare breakfast. Huang Zhong found him and offered a suggestion. "Why make them go to the trouble of lighting fires, Zilong? Wouldn't it be simpler and faster to eat compressed rations directly? Wang Sheng got away with several hundred defeated soldiers yesterday. If we push harder today and catch up, we might still reach them. If we can mingle with the routed troops and enter the city, wouldn't Chencang fall without effort?"
Huang Zhong's idea came from the battle to retake Jiangling. Back then, Lan Tian had used this very method, having Hu Ke and Song Chen disguise scouts as defeated soldiers and slip into the city. Together with Xu Shuang, they opened Jiangling's gates, forcing the defending general Cao Ren to flee in panic toward Jiangling's North Gate. Huang Zhong believed such a scheme of fishing in troubled waters was highly practical.
Zhao Yun said gravely, "I accompanied the Chancellor to observe the making of compressed rations. They must be steamed and cooked several times, and the process