Chapter 258: The Bait

Following Wei Yan's instructions, Guan Ping set up camp, and soon a camp that appeared riddled with flaws was constructed under his hands.

"How does this look, Wen Chang?" Guan Ping asked enthusiastically after finishing. For the young Guan Ping, his father was a figure of immense admiration, and he found his battle companion, who bore such a strong resemblance to his father, to be very trustworthy.

"Tan Zhi, even when laying bait, there needs to be a limit," Wei Yan said helplessly, as if he were advising a younger brother. "Look at how you've set up this camp. As long as the enemy has a functioning brain, they'll know something's wrong. We can make some mistakes, sure, but we can't make them all, right?"

Guan Ping scratched his head and let out an awkward laugh before heading back to rework the camp setup. This time, he took a bit longer, and while the flaws weren't immediately obvious to Wei Yan, after closely observing the camp for a while, he did find some. It looked more like the work of a rookie who wasn't too familiar with setting up camp, with some areas even redundantly reinforced.

"How about now?" Guan Ping asked again after making the adjustments.

"It's better, but I'm worried the enemy won't notice the flaws. I had to really look to find them. If they don't spot them, then it's all for nothing," Wei Yan said with concern. He feared the enemy might not be sharp enough to catch on. It was like using an empty fortress strategy on Lü Bu; someone like him would just charge in without a second thought.

"Huh? Should I change it again?" Guan Ping asked with a wry smile, knowing that growing up in difficult conditions had taught him to be cautious.

"No need!" Wei Yan waved his hand. "If they can't spot the flaws and don't come for a night raid, then they're just trash anyway."

Guan Ping nodded repeatedly. If the enemy couldn't spot the intentional weaknesses, then they were indeed trash. However, he didn't realize the implication in Wei Yan's words—that even if the enemy spotted the flaws and came for a night raid, Wei Yan would still consider them trash. He was that confident and proud.

"Report! General, enemy General Zhang He is leading two thousand infantry and cavalry for a challenge," a messenger reported as the two were preparing to eat and inspect the camp before heading out for their own challenge.

"Hmph, this guy isn't lacking in courage," Wei Yan remarked, dismissing the messenger with a wave of his hand.

"I suppose he's just here to test us," Guan Ping said as he wiped his large blade with a cloth. "How about I go and take him down?"

"Alright, I'll cover you!" Wei Yan thought for a moment. Although Guan Ping wasn't as strong as himself, his skills were solid. Zhang He, he'd heard, was only at the peak of the Qi Refining level, so even if Guan Ping lost, Wei Yan could ensure his safety.

Zhang He sat atop his horse, surveying the camp that Guan Ping had set up. Honestly, Zhang He thought it was a decent effort. Apart from a few over-reinforced areas and some weak points, he hadn't noticed any glaring flaws at first glance. If it weren't for his own extensive battlefield experience, he might have overlooked those mistakes due to inexperience.

As he silently assessed the camp, he thought to himself, Not bad, but still too green.

"How dare you spy on our camp, enemy general!" Guan Ping roared as he charged out on his green steed.

"Hmph!" Zhang He smirked, pleased by Guan Ping's apparent rashness, which reassured him.

Clang! Blade and spear clashed as Zhang He deftly parried, quickly assessing Guan Ping's strength before maneuvering his horse to face him directly.

"Zhang Junyi! Remember that it's Guan Tan Zhi, son of Guan Yu, who will kill you!" Guan Ping shouted as he turned his horse and charged.

Zhang He sneered. If Guan Yu had said those words, he would have turned and left without hesitation, but coming from Guan Ping? Hmph.

Zhang He skillfully wielded his spear, engaging in battle with Guan Ping. Although Guan Ping initially fought bravely, Zhang He's fierce and powerful strikes soon began to overpower him.

"Central Plains sure is full of strong warriors!" Wei Yan watched Zhang He with fiery eyes, realizing that they were evenly matched—both at the peak of Qi Refining, yet unsure how to break through.

Guan Ping continued to launch frenzied attacks against Zhang He, but each strike failed to land effectively. Instead, Zhang He seized on Guan Ping's weaknesses, delivering several fierce blows that put Guan Ping on the defensive. Lacking the experience to handle such a situation, Guan Ping started to panic.

Despite his panic, Guan Ping tried to fend off Zhang He while gathering his internal energy. However, Zhang He noticed his efforts.

"Die!" Guan Ping yelled, imitating his father by channeling all his energy and spirit into a single strike, charging at Zhang He with an unstoppable force.

Zhang He, who had anticipated this move, remained calm. Though the approaching strike sent chills down his spine, his battle spirit only heightened.

"Come on then!" Zhang He roared, dodging Guan Ping's attack. Though he narrowly avoided it, a portion of his arm was grazed, sending a chunk of muscle flying. Blood spurted from the wound, but Zhang He quickly staunched the flow before thrusting his spear at Guan Ping.

Exhausted from his all-out attack, Guan Ping was sluggish and couldn't fully evade the strike. With a sickening squelch, the spear tore into his right shoulder, ripping out a chunk of flesh. Unlike Zhang He, Guan Ping couldn't stop the bleeding, and blood poured from the wound.

"Charge! Save the general!" Zhang He's soldiers rushed forward to protect him, while Wei Yan didn't hesitate to lead his own troops into the fray. Both sides clashed in a chaotic melee, with hundreds of bodies left behind before the skirmish ended.

Back at Le Ling, Zhang He casually bandaged his wound and felt relieved. He could have avoided the injury, but he had taken the hit on purpose to make Guan Ping's forces think he wouldn't launch a night raid. After all, losing a chunk of flesh from his arm wasn't a big deal—he'd be fine in three to five days.

Meanwhile, Guan Ping sat in his camp, feeling downcast. His injury wouldn't heal for at least half a month, but the battle with Zhang He had revealed his flaws. Still, he wondered if the enemy would dare attempt a night raid, given that both sides' generals were now injured.

"Junyi, you're hurt?" Gao Lan asked in surprise. "I didn't think the opponent would be that formidable."

"If they were that strong, going out alone would've been suicide!" Zhang He replied, exasperated. "I let myself get hurt on purpose, so both sides' generals are injured. You get what that means."

"Well done!" Gao Lan immediately understood Zhang He's reasoning. Before, they might have worried about a night raid, but now that both generals were injured, the chances of such an attack were greatly reduced.

"I've already spotted the weaknesses in their camp. I'll sketch them out, and we'll find the best route for a nighttime assault to teach them a lesson," Zhang He said, smiling as he finished bandaging his arm.

"Hahaha, Junyi, you're impressive, managing all that in such a short time," Gao Lan praised.

"Wen Chang, do you think they'll still raid us tonight, even with their general injured? Sigh, I still have to recover," Guan Ping remarked, feeling less worried about a potential raid.

"They'll come," Wei Yan stated calmly. Though he wasn't entirely sure, he maintained a confident demeanor.

"Alright then, the main camp is yours tonight. I'll take the outer position!" Guan Ping said after the medics bandaged his wound and he drank a ginseng tonic to restore his energy. He tried to move his right arm, but it was still weak.

"You stay in the central camp. I'll take the outer position. It's late autumn, and the nights are cold. If you hadn't been injured, it'd be fine, but with your wound, it's better not to risk exposure to the cold dew," Wei Yan insisted, eyeing Guan Ping's injured shoulder.