It's over! Everything is completely over!

Cao Cao was a man of great efficiency. The very next day after making his decision, he mobilized his troops.

More than ten thousand infantrymen set out from Henei, ostensibly to suppress nearby bandits, but their actual target was Luxian County.

To prevent Dian Wei from discovering the move, Cao Cao purposely had Cao Hong stay behind to drink with Dian Wei.

As long as Dian Wei was made thoroughly drunk and prevented from moving his two thousand soldiers in unison, Cao Cao had nothing to worry about.

Fierce and brave though Dian Wei was, he was ultimately a rough and straightforward man who would never dream that Cao Cao would make a move against Luxian County at this juncture.

By the time Dian Wei sobered up and realized something was amiss, Cao Cao would likely have already taken Luxian County.

Such was Cao Cao’s self-confidence.

He was no longer the reckless greenhorn of the previous year who had led a few thousand soldiers to the alliance at Suanzao, rushing forward blindly on a surge of youthful passion.

He had tasted the bitter flavor of failure and accumulated a wealth of experience in troop command. Leading ten thousand infantrymen this time was still well within his mastery.

There was some distance between Henei and Luxian County, and they certainly could not reach it in a single day. According to Cao Cao’s plan, they would press on with their marching during the first few days to get near Luxian County as quickly as possible, and then slow their pace to let the soldiers recover their strength and prepare for the assault on the county.

One thing Cao Cao found deeply regrettable was the lack of sufficient cavalry under his command. If he had cavalry—if he could let the brothers Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan lead three thousand... no! Just one thousand cavalrymen on a lightning raid over a thousand *li*, they could seize the city gates before Lu Chuan even had time to react, or perhaps even breach the Luxian County government office in a single stroke!

No matter how formidable Lu Chuan was alone, could he possibly withstand the charge of a thousand cavalrymen?

Alas, Cao Cao had no cavalry.

Primarily, he lacked warhorses.

Warhorses were truly precious commodities; sometimes, not even a mountain of wealth could buy them.

As evening approached, Xiahou Dun rode up to Cao Cao.

"Mengde, it is growing late. We might as well pitch camp right here. If we delay further, the soldiers will hardly be able to see a thing."

Cao Cao nodded. In this era, soldiers who could see clearly in the dark were exceedingly rare.

Although the distance covered on the first day left Cao Cao somewhat dissatisfied, considering that the vast majority of these soldiers were newly recruited and lacked complete training, achieving this much was already quite commendable. Therefore, he did not say much more, merely instructing Xiahou Dun and the others to keep a close eye on the new recruits' movements and ensure that no mutinies broke out.

"Very well! Pitch camp here and send out scouts to reconnoiter the surrounding area!"

Although Cao Cao did not believe anyone would dare to target him at a time like this—not even the local bandits would dare provoke him—ever since his defeat at Xingyang, he had grown much more cautious. Even if there appeared to be no danger, he had to dispatch scouts to survey the terrain.

Of course, this was a good habit.

The army of ten thousand halted, pitched camp on the spot, and set up cauldrons to cook their meals.

Standing upon a small earthen mound, Cao Cao looked out over the dense sea of soldiers, a deep sense of pride swelling in his chest.

"Yuanrang, tell me, if Lu Chuan were to see that I have now raised ten thousand elite troops, what do you suppose he would think?"

Xiahou Dun sneered, "If that Lu Chuan learns that we possess ten thousand elite soldiers, he will likely be frightened to tears. Hahaha!"

Cao Cao chuckled as well. "That Lu Chuan is certainly capable, but unfortunately, he refuses to listen to reason! If he were willing to submit to me, I would never fail him!"

Xiahou Dun replied, "He is simply ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth. This time, as we lead ten thousand troops to lay siege to the city, what can Lu Chuan possibly use to resist? The day the city falls will be the day Lu Chuan is captured! I refuse to believe that when that time comes, he will still stubbornly refuse to surrender!"

Cao Cao nodded. He too could not fathom what qualifications Lu Chuan currently possessed to resist the onslaught of ten thousand soldiers, especially given the near-surprise-attack nature of their campaign.

He had dispatched his forces without giving Lu Chuan any warning; the core strategy was utter unpredictability.

Though the walls of Luxian County were tall and sturdy, once the city gates were taken, everything else would fall into place effortlessly!

"Pass down the order: extra rations during the march to ensure everyone eats their fill, so that they will possess even greater combat strength by the time we reach Luxian County!"

Cao Cao was brimming with ambition and satisfaction, and Xiahou Dun wore an equally smug expression.

As the sky gradually darkened, the scouts sent out earlier returned, reporting that no abnormal conditions had been found in the vicinity. Cao Cao felt not the least bit surprised, for there naturally shouldn't have been anything unusual.

Afterward, Cao Cao personally arranged the night sentries and the secret passwords, knowing well that vigilance could never be relaxed at any time.

Even knowing the surroundings were safe, he demanded strict adherence to military discipline from himself and his men.

Having seen to all these matters, Cao Cao finally returned to his tent, drank a little wine, read for a short while, and then lay down on his couch to sleep.

The guards outside the tent were diligent indeed; even though the sound of Cao Cao’s snoring could be heard from within, they stood rigidly by the entrance without a moment's relaxation.

Deep into the night, the surroundings were deathly still. Nothing could be heard except the measured footsteps of the soldiers patrolling the main camp on schedule.

Suddenly, however, the expressions of the two guards shifted drastically, and they turned their heads toward the south in unison.

There was no other reason—they both felt the earth trembling.

Those chosen to stand guard outside Cao Cao’s tent were invariably veteran soldiers deeply trusted by him, men who had followed him into the campaign against Dong Zhuo and endured defeats at his side. They possessed absolute and seasoned experience.

Through the tremors of the ground, the two men instantly deduced that a large-scale cavalry force was approaching!

They had encountered a similar situation when they suffered defeat at Xingyang, though the vibrations of the earth now were somewhat lesser than those back at Xingyang, indicating that while cavalry had appeared nearby, their numbers had not yet reached a terrifying scale.

Even so, it was not something they could withstand.

Six thousand newly recruited soldiers who had yet to complete their training, coupled with four thousand troops who had never seen real combat—what would be the outcome if they were ambushed by cavalry in the dead of night?

There was no need to speak further; anyone with even a shred of common sense knew what would happen.

Daring not to hesitate for a fraction of a second, both guards lunged simultaneously into Cao Cao’s tent.

"General! General! Bad news! Enemy attack! There is cavalry!"

Cao Cao had been somewhat drowsy, but upon hearing the words "enemy attack" and "cavalry," he sprang upright in an instant.

"What enemy attack?"

"General, look! The ground is shaking; there must be cavalry nearby! Their numbers are at least a thousand!"

This time, Cao Cao felt it clearly himself. He hastily scrambled out of bed and, without needing further confirmation, felt the violent vibration of the earth beneath his feet.

"Damn it! Pass down the order! Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!"

However, it was already too late.

Before Cao Cao even had time to properly don his armor, just as he stepped out of his tent to assess the situation, he saw countless torches flying through the darkness, tracing glowing parabolas across the night sky before plunging directly down into his encampment...

At that moment, only a single thought echoed in Cao Cao's mind: *It’s over! Everything is over!*