After dark, Liu Zhu discussed with Xiahou Shang, "How confident are you, General, in raiding the camp tonight?"
Dai Ling said: "The Han army has come a long way and must be exhausted. After winning several battles in a row, they thought we dared not to attack and wanted to defend Qibu Cliff to the death. Sending troops now is just the right time to catch them by surprise."
Liu Zhu reminded: "That Yan Yan is indeed quite capable. Be careful when you go there and don't attack rashly."
Dai Ling had no choice at this point, so he clasped his fists and said, "I have my reasons. I will lead the troops to charge the camp tonight, and the general will follow later."
Liu Zhu was tempted and wanted to make a contribution as soon as possible, so he ordered his men to prepare, cooked at three o'clock in the morning, and rushed to the enemy camp at four o'clock.
Before they knew it, it was almost Mid-Autumn Festival. The bright moon was hanging in the sky like a jade plate. Dai Ling led the infantry in front, sneaking quietly in the valley, and there were scouts ahead to support them.
Near the entrance of Qinglongtan Valley, scouts reported that the Han army had reorganized and repaired the camp during the day, but Yan Yan had withdrawn his troops in the evening and returned to defend Hutiao Cliff.
"God is really helping me!" Dai Ling was overjoyed and led his troops closer to the Han army camp.
Looking from afar, there were indeed not many flames, just sparse ones. There were only three teams of soldiers patrolling, and the camp was still in the location where he had deployed it, with not much change.
After Liu Zhu's light cavalry caught up, he immediately led his troops into the camp in two groups. He knew the trenches, traps, passages and tents in the camp very well, and rushed straight to the central army tent.
The defenders were caught off guard and were killed in pieces by Cao's army. Many soldiers ran out of the tents, screaming and fleeing.
Dai Ling ordered his troops to set fire and led them to charge forward. The Han army had fled back the day before without even having time to put on their armor. Dai Ling's subordinates were extremely relieved and charged forward with all their might.
Fires were lit again by the Qinglong Pond, and people were shouting and horses were neighing. Liu Zhu saw this from behind and was afraid that Dai Ling would take all the credit, so he quickly urged his troops to chase after him.
Dai Ling was chasing the Han army when suddenly there was a loud drum sound in the valley ahead. Ambush troops appeared and countless arrows flew out, shooting down many of the pursuing soldiers.
"There is an ambush, retreat!" Dai Ling shouted hurriedly, calling on his men to stop and retreat back to the camp to put out the fire.
When Liu Zhu rushed to the camp, the Han army had already fled without a trace. He asked anxiously, "Why don't you chase them?"
Dai Ling looked at the rolling mountains under the moonlight, frowned and said, "Just now, arrows were shot out from the forest, I'm afraid there is an ambush ahead!"
"The enemy's defeat is just a bluff by the rearguard. We must not miss the opportunity." Seeing that Dai Ling had captured the camp, Liu Zhu was eager to make a contribution, so he led his troops in pursuit.
After rushing through the valley entrance, they found no one to stop them. They continued to pursue the enemy and called out to Dai Ling to follow.
Dai Ling hesitated for a moment, left 500 soldiers behind to put out the fire, sent someone to inform Xiahou Shang, and followed Liu Zhu in return for his kindness.
The two men crossed the valley overnight. The Han army fled in a panic without weapons in their hands. No one stopped them along the way, and they chased them to Tiger Leaping Cliff at dawn.
The deserters in front were running wildly and pouring into the camp from the hillside. The guards at the camp gate were still questioning them. They were crowded together at the camp gate, panicking and making a mess.
Liu Zhu saw this from the hillside and said happily, "The opportunity to make a contribution is just around the corner. Follow me!"
The cavalry rushed down the slope like a torrent, unstoppable, and rushed into the camp in an instant.
Most of the defenders were still asleep. When they heard the shouting and killing, they put up a hasty resistance, but it was too late. They could not stop the Cao army whose morale was high.
Liu Zhu was about to move forward with his sword, but was suddenly stopped by a general, who shouted, "How dare you, rebels, launch a surprise attack!"
"Haha, old man Yan Yan, today is the day you die!"
Liu Zhu cheered up and urged his horse forward to fight with Yan Yan. The morale of Cao's army also increased greatly, and they attacked the camp from all sides. Ju Fu and Zhang Yi mobilized their troops to resist, but they were defeated one after another.
At this time, Dai Ling also arrived with his troops. Seeing Liu Zhu charging into the camp, he was overjoyed and ordered his soldiers to charge up the hillside and attack.
"General Yan, hurry up!" Zhang Yi saw the reinforcements arriving and brandished his spear to knock down two Cao soldiers.
Ju Fu also stepped forward to stop Liu Zhu. The two generals protected Yan Yan and broke out of the encirclement and escaped from the front camp. Zhang Yi led the remaining soldiers to cover the rear. The three of them retreated in embarrassment.
Liu Zhu was so excited about the killing that he wanted to chase after them. Dai Ling tried to persuade him, "We have captured two camps in one night and avenged our previous defeat. There are reinforcements ahead at Qingsongyuan. We should stop chasing after them. Too much is as bad as too little."
Liu Zhu also took a camp, and seeing the two generals in front taking turns to provide cover, he had to stay regretfully. As the two were reorganizing their troops, Xiahou Shang also arrived with his troops and hurried forward to greet them.
Xiahou Shang smiled and said, "The two generals are indeed brave. They have recaptured two camps in one night. We have used their own tactics to counterattack them. This battle is exciting."
Liu Zhu sighed, "It's a pity that we were unable to kill old man Yan Yan, otherwise we could have taken Qingsongyuan directly."
"This battle has boosted morale, enough to fight Yan Yan!" Xiahou Shang was already satisfied, and said with a smile: "It was all thanks to the brilliant plan of General Dai. He knew shame and then became brave. Dai Ling should be credited with the first merit!"
Dai Ling apologized, "I lost the Qinglongtan and have made meritorious contributions. I have not yet redeemed myself, so how dare I accept the credit?"
Xiahou Shang laughed and said, "Don't worry, General. I think Yan Yan is just like that. We can take back Qingsongyuan soon."
Dai Ling saw Xiahou Shang coming in person and wanted to advance, so he hurriedly advised, "Yan Yan is quite knowledgeable in military tactics. Although he was defeated by my surprise attack, we should not underestimate the enemy."
Xiahou Shang was displeased when he heard this, thinking that Dai Ling took all the credit with just one sentence. You can defeat the enemy, but I can't
"The old thief killed two of my brothers, and Xiahoude is my own brother. Now that I have taken Tiger Leaping Cliff, I must also seize Qingsongyuan to avenge my brother."
Liu Zhu said: "The old villain Yan Yan has come from afar. He has been fighting for days, and his soldiers are exhausted. He is already showing signs of defeat. We should take advantage of the victory to pursue him."
Dai Ling advised again: "I have inquired these days. Although Yan Yan is old, he is a famous general in Sichuan. Liu Qi has sent reinforcements to Qingsongyuan. The general has been ordered to defend Baxiantai. This is a strategic place. Don't rush in and make a rash move. You will lose the big picture because of the small one."
Xiahou Shang was furious and said, "General Dai, don't think that you can give instructions on military affairs just because you won a battle by chance. You are so cowardly. You know my brother was defeated at Qingsongyuan. You just need to guard Tiger Leaping Cliff and watch me achieve merit and revenge."
Dai Ling had no choice but to retreat. Xiahou Shang said to Liu Zhu, "Dai Ling thought that he knew the art of war because he had followed the Prime Minister for two years. But he was just a frog in a well. I followed the Prime Minister to conquer Jizhou and Wuhuan. I listened to his instructions and participated in military affairs. I have already mastered many strategies!"
Liu Zhu praised: "The general is a rising star of the Xiahou clan, and is highly regarded by the Crown Prince. This time, he is recommended as the general of Guanzhong, and he will surely achieve great success and become famous."
Xiahou Shang was on good terms with Cao Pi, and he knew that Cao Pi recommended him to follow Xiahou Yuan with the intention of promoting him. As Cao Pi wanted to build up his power as a confidant, he naturally wanted to perform well.
After resting for an hour, he and Liu Zhu led troops to attack Qingsongyuan. Yan Yan retreated into the pass and did not fight. The morale of the Han army was low and they held their ground.
Liu Zhu said: "The old thief is afraid of the general's bravery and dare not go out to fight. He can only mobilize weapons and supplies to attack violently."
Xiahou Shang retreated back to Tiger Leaping Cliff. Dai Ling was diligently patrolling the camp gate himself, but he thought Xiahou Shang was mocking him deliberately, which made him unhappy, so he did not use the method of force to attack.
He pondered over a plan in his tent, called Liu Zhu and told him, "Tomorrow you challenge me to a fight, but pretend to be defeated and run away. Yan Yan will definitely chase you. I will ambush him in the mountains and intercept his way back. You can kill this old villain."