"Good. Since you dared to make a military pledge, take your company of soldiers and move one hundred meters closer to the enemy camp."
Seeing Sheng Huai'an's resolve, Captain Li did not waste words and directly agreed to his request.
He wanted to see what this man favored by the General Who Pacifies the North was capable of.
Having achieved his goal, Sheng Huai'an returned and gathered the soldiers under his command.
"Follow me. We'll creep closer. In a while, we'll clear the way for the army's attack," Sheng Huai'an told the soldiers.
"Captain, at this distance, if we go any farther, the enemy will easily spot us," Tang Yunshan said.
"Just follow me. I have a way to keep you from being discovered," Sheng Huai'an said.
He realized that the armies of this world did not even know how to crawl forward, let alone understand ambushes.
Tang Yunshan opened his mouth, wanting to dissuade him. This was sending them to their deaths. But Sheng Huai'an had issued a military order, so no amount of words would help.
"Everyone, follow me. Do exactly as I do. You are not allowed to make the slightest sound," Huai'an said.
The two Sergeants and all the Platoon Leaders muttered to themselves. Not make a single sound? Was that even possible?
Sheng Huai'an bent low and moved forward in a crouch. The soldiers behind him copied him and followed.
After crouching forward fifty meters, Sheng Huai'an dropped onto the ground.
"Get down! Follow me!"
Seeing Sheng Huai'an lying on the ground, the soldiers could only copy him and lie down as well.
Once on the ground, Sheng Huai'an began crawling forward slowly to avoid making any noise.
Watching Sheng Huai'an wriggle forward like a maggot, Tang Yunshan and the others also began crawling slowly across the ground.
The soldiers behind them followed suit and crawled forward slowly.
Fortunately, the ground was covered in sand and dirt. The sound of their iron armor scraping against it was faint, and they were moving slowly.
Watching Sheng Huai'an and the others vanish into the night, Captain Li was somewhat curious. How had that fellow made his entire unit disappear?
Half an hour passed without the slightest movement. At last, one Captain could not help speaking.
"Battalion Commander, that fellow didn't take his unit and run away, did he?!"
"Shut up!"
Captain Li glared at that Captain. If it were not for the special circumstances, he would have slapped him several times.
He never hoped for anything good, yet he was quite skilled at sowing discord.
After Captain Li glared at him, that Captain shrank back and said no more.
Time passed, and the night grew deeper and heavier.
Within the Xiongnu army, the patrolling soldiers gradually lowered their guard.
An hour later, Sheng Huai'an led his soldiers to within one hundred meters of the Xiongnu camp.
Over a mere four hundred meters, Sheng Huai'an and his hundred soldiers had crawled for a full hour.
First, they wore armor. Second, these soldiers had never crawled forward like this before and had no experience.
Afraid that moving too fast would make noise, Sheng Huai'an had crawled especially slowly.
"What time is it now?" Sheng Huai'an asked Tang Yunshan behind him.
"It is six quarters into the Hour of the Ox. There are still two quarters until the Hour of the Tiger," Tang Yunshan answered.
Sheng Huai'an nodded. Two quarters until the Hour of the Tiger meant thirty more minutes.
One quarter was fifteen minutes, while the Hour of the Tiger was three in the morning.
This was when people were most likely to grow sleepy, and also the best time to launch a night raid.
"Get ready. In a while, charge with me," Sheng Huai'an ordered.
"Yes, Captain!"
Tang Yunshan and Hai Dahe answered. The two of them were the Sergeants in the unit.
"Once we enter the enemy camp, Hai Dahe, take one squad of soldiers and set fire to the enemy camp."
"Tang Yunshan, take one squad of soldiers and kill the enemies that surround us. Do you understand?!" Sheng Huai'an continued in a low voice.
"Understood!!"
Time ticked away second by second. The time to raid the camp drew closer, and the warriors inevitably grew tense.
"Crackle..."
From a hundred meters away, they could faintly hear the sound of firewood burning in the Xiongnu camp.
At this hour, the firelight within the Xiongnu army camp had gradually weakened as well.
Tonight's moon had slipped behind the clouds, while the wind beyond the northern frontier howled, as though Heaven itself were helping them.
"Captain, the time is almost here," Tang Yunshan reminded him.
Sheng Huai'an took the bow from his back and nocked an arrow.
"Archers, prepare yourselves. Quickly shoot down the patrolling soldiers," Sheng Huai'an said, rising into a half-crouch.
The archers in the unit also rose into half-crouches and nocked their arrows.
"Fire!"
Sheng Huai'an loosed an arrow and directly took down a Xiongnu patrol soldier.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Ten arrows flew out, killing seven Xiongnu enemies.
"Enemy attack!"
The remaining two Xiongnu soldiers saw their comrades fall and had that thought flash through their minds. They were just about to shout.
Whoosh! Whoosh!!
Sheng Huai'an loosed two arrows at once, killing the last two Xiongnu soldiers.
"Soldiers, charge with me!" Sheng Huai'an sprang to his feet and charged.
The other soldiers also scrambled up, drew their sabers, and charged after Sheng Huai'an.
They crossed the hundred-meter distance and stormed into the enemy camp in less than ten seconds.
By the time another Xiongnu patrol heard the noise and reacted, Sheng Huai'an and his men had already rushed upon them.
"Brothers, kill with me!"
Sheng Huai'an rapidly nocked and drew his bow. Enemy after enemy who charged at him fell beneath his arrows.
Tang Yunshan led fifty soldiers forward as well, cutting down Xiongnu enemies.
Hai Dahe led fifty soldiers, lit torches, and began setting fire to the Xiongnu army's tents.
"Battalion Commander, look!"
From the first sound to Sheng Huai'an and his men charging into the enemy camp, only ten seconds had passed.
Captain Li, who had been watching closely all along, was utterly stunned.
That camp raid had been far too fast. Not only had the Xiongnu enemies failed to react—even they had not reacted in time.
Only when he saw the enemy camp already ablaze did Captain Li come back to his senses.
"Brothers, charge with me! Kill the Xiongnu invaders!" Captain Li shouted as he sprang up and charged.
After rapidly firing all thirty arrows, Sheng Huai'an finally drew his saber and rushed forward to kill the Xiongnu enemies.
The Xiongnu soldiers in the surrounding tents were roused by the commotion and hurriedly came out to fight.
Sheng Huai'an charged at the very front, cutting down Xiongnu soldiers blocking his path without cease.
Hai Dahe led his soldiers in continually setting tents alight. Some deeply sleeping Xiongnu soldiers were burned alive.
Many Xiongnu soldiers were completely dumbfounded. Who could have expected the defenders of Anning Pass to send soldiers to raid their camp at such an hour?
By the time Captain Li led his soldiers into the enemy camp, it was already a sea of flames.
"Fire! Fire!"
"Put it out! Hurry and put it out!"
"Enemies! The enemy is raiding the camp! Stop them!"
The Xiongnu camp descended into chaos—some fought the fire, some searched for the enemy, while others stood dazed and at a complete loss.
"Some of you help set the fires. The rest, kill with me!" Captain Li shouted.
By then, Sheng Huai'an and his men, who had entered the enemy camp, were still charging deeper inside.
On Sheng Huai'an's side, they had broken into the Xiongnu enemy camp.
On the left, Soldier Commandant and martial commandant at the rear of the Xiongnu army also launched their camp raids at the Hour of the Tiger.
"Do not get bogged down in battle! Do not stop! Charge with me!" Sheng Huai'an shouted.
More and more Xiongnu soldiers were being awakened.
"Damned Wei men, you dare raid our camp? Kill them all!" a Xiongnu commander of a thousand roared.
"Surround them! Cut down these Wei men! We cannot let them keep attacking the camp!" the Xiongnu shouted, staring anxiously at the rising flames.
More and more Xiongnu soldiers came forward to encircle and kill them. If they stopped and became entangled in battle, this was the Xiongnu camp—its army could trample them to death underfoot.
Their only option was to keep charging forward and throw the enemy camp into disarray.
The right-side Xiongnu camp was lit by flames that shot into the heavens. With the wind feeding them, the blaze burned fiercely.
On the walls of Anning Pass, the defenders saw the firelight in the distance beyond the city.
"It's burning! The Xiongnu camp is on fire!" The Colonel defending the city that night hurried to report at the gate tower.
"General, it's burning! The Xiongnu enemy camp is on fire!"
General Who Breaks the Barbarians Sun Hao laughed. "I see it! Hahaha, they succeeded! Open the city gates at once and let the cavalry charge!"
"Yes, General!" The Colonel hurried to give the order to open the gates.
The Anning Cavalry, already assembled and waiting, charged out of the city the instant the gates opened.
The Anning Cavalry numbered only two thousand, led out to battle by General Polu Zhao Yong'an.
At that moment, Sheng Huai'an led his unit onward in an unceasing charge, killing and setting fires, turning the right sector of the Xiongnu camp upside down.
"What is happening?"
The disturbance was so great that the Left Virtuous King in the central army was awakened. He demanded an answer in fury.
"Reporting to the Left Virtuous King, the Wei army has taken advantage of the night to raid the camp," a Xiongnu general answered, cold sweat pouring down his back.
"Damn it! Do you not have even this much vigilance? You actually allowed the Wei men to raid the camp!" The Left Virtuous King was beside himself with rage.
Inside the command tent, the Xiongnu generals did not dare breathe loudly.
Who could have imagined that the crafty Wei men would raid the camp at this very hour tonight?
"What are you standing around for? Send out the troops at once! Kill every Wei man raiding the camp!" the Left Virtuous King roared.
"Yes!"
The generals in the command tent hurried out, swearing to slaughter every Wei man raiding the camp.
Thud, thud, thud!!
The sound of hooves came crashing through, shattering the clamor of the night.
"What is that sound?!"
"Fool, you cannot even recognize hoofbeats? The Wei cavalry is here."
The Xiongnu soldiers were seized with panic, and many lost all sense of direction.
"Brothers, kill a bloody path out with me!" Sheng Huai'an still charged at the front.
Every Xiongnu soldier standing in his way was cut down by him.
His battle robe and armor had already been dyed red with blood. The soldiers he led followed him in the slaughter, setting fires wherever they charged.
They moved too fast for the Xiongnu soldiers to organize a proper encirclement, pursuit, or blockade.
In the Xiongnu camp where flames soared into the sky, some fought fires, some burned to death, and some were trampled to death amid the chaos.
In short, it was complete chaos. In some places, friend and foe could not be distinguished, and confused fighting broke out.
Flames soared into the sky and thick smoke billowed. Sheng Huai'an and his men had turned the right camp completely upside down.
"Help! Save me!"
"Ah... it hurts! Save me! I don't want to die!"
Xiongnu soldiers engulfed in flames screamed as they ran toward those around them, begging for rescue.
Captain Li led four hundred men, charging and killing behind Sheng Huai'an's group. Yet as they charged on, they no longer knew which direction Sheng Huai'an and his men had gone.
Before you continue