Chu Army, Camp.

"Report, Wang Li has started to attack fiercely again."

"Old Ye, you sit here and hold the fort. I’ll take some men to meet the enemy," Shangguan Jian volunteered.

"Alright, be extra careful."

The entire afternoon, the Qin Army had been quiet; Ye Shikai was also anxious, thinking today would pass smoothly. Unexpectedly, the Qin Army launched an attack as dusk approached.

"General, it is less than an hour until dark now. The Qin Army is attacking at this time to catch us by surprise," Man Cang said angrily.

"Wait, how long until it gets dark now?"

"According to the season, it should be dark in less than an hour, maybe in just thirty minutes," Man Cang replied.

"Could it be... the Qin Army wants a night battle with our forces," Ye Shikai murmured. The Qin Army fought for over three hours during the day and couldn’t breach the camp, let alone in just an hour. However, in a night battle, it’s hard to distinguish friend from foe, especially as the attackers in pitch darkness. It’s impossible to attack the camp; even with torches illuminating the way, it would be of little help. The Qin Army isn’t incapable of attacking, but if they attack the camp at night, the casualties would be several times higher. Wang Li, a seasoned war veteran, couldn’t possibly be unaware of this common knowledge.

Could it be a feigned attack to harass and deplete the Chu Army’s energy? That’s also unlikely; the Chu Army is defending, resting while waiting for work. If the Qin Army did this, they would be exhausted before the Chu Army’s morale even weakened. Besides, according to the front line’s report, the Qin Army still uses scouts for "Path Opening," and all those deployed are Wang Li’s elite troops, not just a feigned attack.

"Something’s wrong." Ye Shikai immediately sensed the anomaly. Wang Li isn’t simply attacking the camp.

"What’s wrong, General?" Man Cang inquired.

"We’ve concentrated our main forces in the various camps, leaving the rear naturally empty. I feel uneasy," Ye Shikai said, looking at the map.

"Couldn’t be, General. We’ve positioned the camps around Wan City, like stars surrounding the moon. There’s a large river at the rear, with a rapid flow. Without ferries, it’s difficult to cross. Besides attacking the camp, what else could the Qin Army try?"

"If the Qin Army crosses the river and turns around to raid Wan City, that would be dangerous," Ye Shikai murmured.

"That shouldn’t happen; Wan City’s garrison is twenty thousand strong. If the Qin Army raids, they would need tens of thousands of troops. How many ferries would they need for that? At least a thousand. How could they move the ferries to the riverbank?" Man Cang analyzed. Indeed, ferries are large and extraordinarily heavy, and it’s impossible for the army to carry the vessels needed to ferry tens of thousands of troops unless they were built locally or at nearby water fortresses and then transported forward.

"The Qin Army couldn’t cross the river unless..."

"Report." Suddenly, a soldier rushed in, looking anxious and nearly stumbling to the ground.

"What’s the matter, rushing about in such a state?"

"The patrol riders... The patrol riders report, in the afternoon, the Qin Army suddenly attacked our water fortress and... occupied the riverbank ferry crossing."

"What did you say?" Ye Shikai shouted loudly.

"The ferry crossing, the ferry crossing... is gone."

"Oh no." Ye Shikai’s body weakened, nearly collapsing, and Man Cang hurriedly supported him.

Raid the ferry crossing, seize the ferries; this was exactly Ye Shikai’s tactic against Zheng Lang, eerily similar. The riverbank ferry crossing had enough vessels for fifty thousand troops to cross. Before the battle, Ye Shikai had paid attention to the ferry crossing’s problem, but it was deep within the Chu Army’s territory. The Qin Army could bypass it indeed, but not escape the Chu Army’s investigation, yet unexpectedly, the problem was reported only after the Qin Army occupied the ferry crossing.

"What’s going on, why didn’t anyone report earlier?"

"The Qin Army disguised some as merchants, killing the patrol teams along the way, with no soldiers reporting back until they conquered the water fortress and ferry crossing. Only then did fleeing soldiers come back to report," the patrol rider explained.

"When did this happen?"

"The Qin Army conquered the ferry crossing two hours ago and should be almost completely across the river by now."

"Damn it." Ye Shikai stomped anxiously and repeatedly inquired, "How many Qin troops are there?"

"This... About tens of thousands. They arrived so fast that the ferry crossing fell in the blink of an eye; the specific number is really unknown."

"Useless, get out."

Ye Shikai truly hadn’t anticipated that Wang Li would dispatch troops to raid the ferry crossing and kill the patrol teams first.

"General, what should we do now? If the Qin Army really circles around and raids Wan City, it will be a disaster. If Wan City falls, the food and supplies for seventy to eighty thousand troops outside would be lost."

"Not only that, if Wan City falls, the army’s retreat route is gone. Being attacked from both front and back, with no food and supplies, they’re bound to fail," Ye Shikai forced himself to maintain composure. It’s a critical moment. He can’t let the soldiers in the camp know this; otherwise, if the morale is unstable, the situation will become even harder to control.

"Order passed down, block this information. No one else must know; otherwise... execute without mercy."

"Yes."

"Man Cang, you lead twenty thousand troops plus the Iron Armor Army immediately to Wan City. Inform Huo Ziqing of the situation and prepare to defend the city quickly. You also stay to help him defend the city. Remember, with Wan City’s high walls and deep moats, leading twenty thousand troops back to defend along with Wan City’s garrison, it won’t be difficult to hold. But you must act promptly. The Qin Army should have crossed the river already; they’ll attack quickly, by surprise. The forward camp is a hundred miles from Wan City. You must reach before the Qin Army attacks. The lives of the soldiers are in your hands," Ye Shikai had no choice but to pin his hopes on Man Cang. If only Xue San was here, the Qin Army might not easily penetrate the Chu Army’s territory nor raid the ferry crossing.

"Don’t worry, General. With me here, Wan City will be safe. However... if I move twenty thousand troops, that’s half the men at the forward camp; if Wang Li attacks the camp with full force, General, what will you do?"

"As long as I’m here, Wang Li won’t easily conquer this place. You must march swiftly, do not delay," Ye Shikai ordered.

"Understood, General, take care."

Ye Shikai stayed alone in his tent, analyzing the Qin Army’s situation on the sand table. Wang Li was personally conducting a feigned attack on the forward camp to "draw fire" for the raiding troops aimed at Wan City, which only deepened Ye Shikai’s concerns.

"Old Ye, the Qin Army is fiercely attacking the forward camp; why did you let Man Cang lead so many troops to retreat?" Not long after, Shangguan Jian returned to the camp, his body still stained with blood.

"We just received intelligence that the Qin Army has driven straight in, raiding our ferry crossing, seizing the ferries, and their target is Wan City."