The sight deepened Ma Chao's sense of danger atop the gate tower.
Composed. They were far too composed.
The Han Army before him seemed so accustomed to enduring enemy arrow storms that almost no one broke formation beneath this barrage, even when they saw their comrades fall.
Whenever someone fell, another immediately filled the gap, the entire process coordinated with flawless precision.
"Prepare to advance!"
Once the rain of arrows ended, Zhang Liao immediately moved to order more soldiers to seize the opportunity to approach the walls and close the distance.
But Pang De spoke up. "Wait, Commander Zhang! This is merely Ma Chao's ploy to lure us in. He'll launch a second arrow barrage!"
"What?"
Zhang Liao was startled. Archers and crossbowmen needed to rotate and reload. His men had just weathered several volleys, so surely this was the moment to advance swiftly through the gap.
But before he could voice his question, he saw the defenders on the walls loose another great storm of arrows outside the city, just as Pang De had predicted!
Had the Han Army relaxed its guard and advanced in force just now, it would certainly have suffered considerable casualties. Pang De had anticipated the enemy's movements perfectly.
Seeing the astonished looks Zhang Liao and the other generals directed at him, Pang De said, "I know Ma Chao. This-this is a tactic he often uses."
"He used this tactic when attacking cities in the past, too. Once the enemy archers and crossbowmen had fired their arrows, he would enter the battlefield and have only half his archers and crossbowmen shoot."
"When the enemy archers and crossbowmen had reloaded and were preparing to return fire, his remaining half would judge the timing and unleash another volley while the enemy was unprepared."
Pang De paused before