In the vast, open plains, such encounters would be sudden for either side.

For Qiao Yan’s side, acclimatizing to the environment posed a disadvantage, negating any significant advantage.

The best strategy to minimize their own losses was a surprise attack—a shocking surprise that the enemy would never anticipate!

Even though the Xianbei royal court had moved south to the southern bank of the Duluo River due to Qiao Bingzhou’s defeat of the Xiutu branch of the Xiongnu, they would never expect that during the critical spring planting season, she would risk getting lost far beyond the border.

Starting from Mount Sain, she marched for seven days to arrive near the royal court.

The nomadic lifestyle of following water and grass meant that most grazing activities were to the north, resulting in a lack of herdsmen to detect the movement of her troops and sound an alarm.

They believed that under Fuluohan’s command, the southern defenses were impenetrable.

Ironically, this nomadic survival method made Qiao Yan’s advance remarkably smooth and seemingly too good to be true.

Marching through the final leg at night, they could see the camp in the distance by dawn.

The waning moon had long set by midnight.

With the first hint of daylight, even the stars appeared dim.

The fog from the distant Duluo River crept in, shrouding the settlement.

The few sounds in the camp were the footsteps of patrolling soldiers and the snoring of those sleeping.

At the shift change, the guards were lax.

The most dangerous time on the plains, the night, had passed.

Dawn was breaking—what danger could there be?

But the unexpected struck at that very moment!

Horses, initially moving quietly through the grass, suddenly charged forward, their hooves thundering as they closed in.

A guard, dozing off, jolted awake.

Before he could comprehend the situation, an arrow whistled through the air, piercing his throat.

As he fell, he saw a sky filled with fire.

The remaining charcoal Qiao Yan had carried for the soldiers to boil water was now tied to arrows.

Lit and airborne, they rained down on the camp.

Tan Shihuai learned a lot from “interactions” with the Han borderlands, and this knowledge was reflected in the royal court established by his successors.

The tents were not packed tightly together; paths were left open for cavalry to move through.

However, under the onslaught of flaming arrows, the burning tents were enough to throw the Xianbei into panic.

“Zhang Liao, go find the livestock pens and horse corrals. Destroy them, then head north without stopping.”

Hearing Qiao Yan’s command, Zhang Liao immediately set off.

With their limited numbers, they couldn’t rely solely on their weapons to slaughter all the Xianbei here.

But having come this far, they had to inflict enough damage!

In the chaos, trampling by panicked cattle and sheep would also cause casualties.

Qiao Yan’s eyes focused on the chaotic scene before her, and she decisively issued a second order, “Zhang Yang, follow me.”

She turned her horse and looped around to the west, with Zhang Yang following closely behind.

As for Lu Bu?

This guy needed no further instructions from Qiao Yan.

The recent arrangement for his future post had him almost dreaming about it during the march.

This anticipation and excitement had stirred his fighting spirit, and his eyes were already fixed on the most prominent tent in the Xianbei camp.

With the camp ablaze, the Xianbei were retreating toward a specific area, making the leader’s location even more apparent.

He immediately spurred his horse forward, sweeping aside the barricades with his halberd, and led his cavalry charge in that direction.

While Zhang Liao’s chaos had not yet fully spread through the camp, Lu Bu and his thousand men charged into the camp like a sharp, newly unsheathed sword.

What a sharp sword indeed!

He had heard Qiao Yan’s instructions to Zhang Liao and knew that time was limited.

His experiences living on the border made it clear how to protect himself and the people he led among the chaos of cattle and horses in the camp, which housed at least thirty to forty thousand people.

He had only one chance: to charge in from one side and cut his way out, causing enough damage.

Ideally, he could capture a leader from the Xianbei tribe while deep in the camp and then escape immediately.

This task was clearly assigned to him by Qiao Yan, and he needed to execute it perfectly!

Just yesterday, Qiao Yan had mentioned that if they couldn’t kill their target, they should drive their prey eastward, towards the Xianbei faction.

Lu Bu focused his mind entirely on the attack.

The resistance he felt when his weapon clashed with the enemy was not an obstacle for him.

With his spear, there was only one outcome: destruction.

The Xianbei warriors, caught off guard, saw him as a god of death rather than a mere human.

Behind him, the cavalry charging alongside was anything but ordinary.

Each warrior felt the weight of the responsibility placed on them by Qiao Yan, driving them forward into battle.

From the perspective of the Xianbei leader, this group of cavalry looked like a fierce flame ready to burn him alive, igniting a terrifying battle spirit in their eyes.

The dust kicked up by the released cattle made it hard to tell how many cavalrymen were actually there.

Initially, he was ready to fight, but now—

All he could think about was escaping!

He didn’t even have time to put on his helmet as he fled.

Suddenly, he heard a rush of wind behind him.

He quickly dodged to the side, passing through a tent, and caught a glimpse of something terrifying.

The warrior wielding the spear had thrown it, sending a deadly silver flash towards him, nearly piercing him through.

He was terrified.

Run!

Run as fast as possible!

As he rushed through the camp, he saw the warrior pulling the spear out of the ground, continuing to chase after him.

At this moment, the leader could think of nothing else but to flee towards Lu Bu, pulling Qian Man along with him.

More guards joined in, forming a barrier to block Lu Bu.

If someone were watching from above, they would see a clear path sliced through the camp by a sharp blade.

Wherever the sharp sword passed, it either ended lives or forced leaders like the chief to run for their lives.

It was both ridiculous and satisfying to witness!

This sword might seem like just a weapon, but under such deadly pressure, he had no chance to think about turning the situation around.

All he could do was run.

In contrast, his third brother was calmer. Not being targeted by Lu Bu.

Bu Dugen tried to gather everyone while also escaping the chaos.

However, he quickly realized that gathering everyone was not easy at all.

The stampede of cattle, spreading fires, and the increasingly panicked Xianbei crowd drowned out his commands.

Looking around, Bu Dugen knew he needed to escape the raging fire first.

Fortunately, the Han army couldn’t possibly send a large force to attack, nor could they fight a prolonged battle here.

Once the fire died down, the thousands of Xianbei could regroup and form a strong force on the grasslands.

But where to escape?

The fire was coming from the south, making it risky to go that way.

The north was swampy and more suitable for fleeing, but not for gathering his people.

The east was where Lu Bu was chasing the chieftain and Qian Man, so heading that way could lead to disaster.

So, he had to go west!

He was decisive.

Having made the decision, he quickly grabbed a horse and gathered his guards to head in that direction.

However, as he rode, he suddenly heard hoofbeats that didn’t belong just to his followers.

The sound grew louder, indicating a cavalry unit was encircling him.

The enemy’s horses were fast, and just as he hesitated to determine their approach, the cavalry was closing in.

And it wasn’t just cavalry coming after him.

Dozens of arrows flew toward him, landing in the ground ahead and creating a deadly threat.

“Phew—”

Bu Dugen quickly tightened the reins and looked warily at the approaching figures.

He knew that if he took another step forward, it would only lead to his doom.

Even though the people quickly surrounded him, preparing for capture or negotiation, it didn’t ease the tension on his brow.

Becoming a prisoner or dying here didn’t seem too different.

But right now, he had no choice.

In the next moment, he noticed a gap in the blockade ahead, and through that gap, a person slowly rode out.

Bu Dugen’s eyes widened in shock.

At that moment, he recognized a very distinctive leader! It was a girl who looked no older than fourteen or fifteen.

In the northern region, there was no one else who matched her appearance except for the young governor of Bingzhou!

Even though she shouldn’t be here, it didn’t stop Bu Dugen from recognizing her.

The dawn light from the east illuminated her face, highlighting her calm and confident expression, creating a powerful aura of victory.

She snapped her riding whip in her hand and laughed aloud, “So, you’ve come out of this little hole! Are you Bu Dugen or Kui Tou?”

Before Bu Dugen could respond, she continued, “It doesn’t really matter who you are. I’ve heard so much about you, and now we finally meet—”

“It’s the perfect time.”