Liu Ce did not lack manpower, but it was difficult to make bricks without straw. He still had to leave more than ten people to guard the Liu Residence, and a few people were left in Hetou Village.
This means that his side had about fifty to sixty people in total.
The opponents in sight numbered thirty to forty, but they couldn't be sure about the situation inside the tents.
Liu Ce and Liu Tie's concerns were justified. In fact, the tents housed the personnel from the Lotus Sect.
The tents were erected because they were occupied by female disciples.
Any woman capable of being deployed on a mission was no ordinary person.
Liu Tie remained very cautious given the unknown enemy situation. Su Dan Novel Network.
He looked up at the sky.
Dawn was about half an hour away, and time was running out.
Liu Tie calmed himself and began to briefly gesture with Liu Ce behind a rock.
"When we used tents like these during our marches, ten people would be housed in each."
"There are five tents here. Let's assume fifty people are inside."
"This brings the total enemy force to nearly."
"Our ratio is almost one to two."
"Therefore, our action must be swift and sudden if we are to achieve victory."
Liu Ce nodded frequently after listening to Liu Tie's analysis. "Indeed, our first priority is to deal with the enemies in the woods and tents."
"There are only about a dozen people on the steep slope, and they have no strong defenses. Dealing with them last will be easier."
"Yes, we can just send a few people to hold them back."
"For those in the tents and the woods, we should try to kill them with repeating crossbows, ensuring success in one strike."
With their plan settled, they decided that Liu Ce would lead twenty men to deal with those in the woods. This was exactly what Liu Ce wanted, as they were the ones who had defeated them.
Liu Tie would lead twenty men to surround the tents and shoot any enemies who rushed out.
Another five men would be assigned to block the guards on the steep slope, preventing them from reinforcing.
Five more men would be left as reinforcements, ready to be deployed flexibly wherever needed.
After the assignments were complete, everyone immediately began their actions.
As Liu Tie had predicted.
In the woods, Zhang Yu had been on edge all night. Seeing that dawn was approaching, he relaxed his vigilance, closed his eyes, and prepared to get a good night's sleep.
The female disciples of the Lotus Sect in the tents slept even more soundly.
As for the dozen guards on the steep slope, perhaps due to the prolonged peace, they had become complacent. Coupled with the damp and cold weather as dawn approached, they huddled together, seeking the last vestiges of warmth to snatch a little more sleep.
Liu Ce led his men quietly towards the woods, completely unaware of the approaching threat.
Liu Tie, with both daring and meticulousness, had men hide behind a large rock and light several torches.
With a whistle, everyone began their operation.
Liu Tie directed his men to first throw the torches onto the tent tops.
The tents were made of flammable materials, and flames instantly surged skyward.
Zhang Yu in the woods was immediately alerted. But before he could even stand up, Liu Ce and his men had already charged in. More than twenty repeating crossbows unleashed a volley of shots.
In this era of cold weapons, a repeating crossbow was equivalent to a modern machine gun.
Such a dense attack at close range was impossible to resist.
After one volley, few of Zhang Yu's men could still stand.
Meanwhile, the female disciples of the Lotus Sect in the tents panicked as they saw the fires.
Those near the entrances rushed out as soon as they pulled aside the tent flaps, only to be shot down before they could even see the enemy.
The Lotus Sect disciples were well-trained. Sensing that something was wrong, they began to cut through the tent felt with their weapons and emerge.
However, they were met with a relentless barrage of fire.
Everything that happened here occurred in the blink of an eye.
Xiao Jiu was in charge of the guards on the steep slope.
Hearing the commotion, he opened his eyes and cried out, "My goodness, the fire is raging!"
He quickly stood up and shouted, "Quick, put out the fire!"
He had only taken a few steps when he felt a heat in his chest. Looking down, he saw two short bolts lodged there.
Xiao Jiu reacted quickly. He hunched his body, swiftly rolled sideways, and then rolled again, taking cover behind a rock.
His companions were not as fortunate. Two or three of them quickly fell, while the rest scrambled to find cover, no longer daring to step forward.
Xiao Jiu reached up and touched the two short bolts in his chest.
Fortunately, he was wearing body armor.
The short bolts had only penetrated about half an inch, not enough to be fatal.
He could hear the continuous screams, and although he couldn't distinguish who was screaming, he knew they were his comrades.
Especially the crisp cries, which were clearly from the female disciples of the Lotus Sect.
Xiao Jiu cautiously peeked his head out to observe.
All he could see were dark figures scurrying around, clearly the enemy.
Under such a sudden attack, even with superior numbers, they were clearly at a disadvantage and at risk of total annihilation.
Xiao Jiu immediately realized the gravity of the situation.
No, the message must be sent out.
There was only one way: he had to find the Lotus Sect Master as soon as possible.
He listened intently. Two crisp sounds indicated that two bolts had struck the rock next to him, followed by a scream as one of his comrades was hit.
Without delay, Xiao Jiu sprang back again.
He succeeded. This time, he retreated about five feet.
With precise judgment, he quickly made his way to the top of the steep slope.
He just needed to wait for a pause in the enemy's volley before he could descend using the rope.
Meanwhile, the fighting in the woods and at the tents was nearing its end.
Although Liu Ce's numbers were not advantageous, the element of surprise had been effective.
By now, only two men remained by Zhang Yu's side.
The three of them formed a triangular formation behind three trees, still resisting.
Liu Tie's situation, on the other hand, was much more optimistic.
The tents were already burning fiercely, offering no cover. Most of those who rushed out had been shot dead or wounded.
The remaining few surrendered their weapons in desperation.
Having dealt with this area, Liu Tie led his men to assist Liu Ce.
Liu Tie grabbed a female captive and shouted into the woods, "Zhang Yu, you are finished. Surrender now!"
Hearing his name, Zhang Yu knew the enemy had captured someone alive.
He cautiously glanced towards the tents, which were ablaze, but the sounds of fighting had ceased.
This indicated that the battle outside had ended, and perhaps only the three of them remained.
Zhang Yu looked at the other two men and sighed.
"You two surrender. Remember, you must stay alive."
With that, he raised his repeating crossbow to his own head and pulled the trigger.
A muffled thud. Zhang Yu slowly slumped to the ground.
Looking at Zhang Yu's unyielding eyes on the ground, Liu Ce couldn't help but admire him; he was a true warrior.