Jia Xu spoke calmly, then made his assessment, “Now, these emissaries from Bingzhou proposing a meeting with you and Dong Zhuo at Sunset Pavilion in five days is undoubtedly Li Ru’s strategy of deceit. Your judgment is astute, Lord Qiao.”

With Jia Xu’s supporting analysis, Qiao Yan gained even more confidence and smiled, “Dong Zhuo tried to deceived me because of my youth, and this strategy shows it. But he won’t have such luck again in the future.”

Jia Xu nodded, “Lord Qiao only needs to adapt to the circumstances of the battle. As for future events, there will be strategies for them. This is also an opportunity to let the world know that Marquis Qiao should have been on equal footing with them long ago and dared not to treat me with deceit like a child.”

“Mr. Xu is right.” Qiao Yan’s gaze shifted back to Red Hare, and she suddenly had a somewhat cunning idea, immediately giving orders.

Guo Jia, who overheard Qiao Yan’s plan, couldn’t help but smile.

Seeing Qiao Yan look at him, he quickly adjusted his expression and replied, “If Lord Qiao’s plan is followed, I’m afraid it won’t allow Lu Bu to act. Let Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao handle this ambush.”

Unfazed by Dong Zhuo’s petty gifts and negotiations, fully prepared in camp defense, Li Su reported back on Qiao Yan’s performance, greatly pleasing Dong Zhuo, who immediately ordered Niu Fu and Guo Si to march out together.

Li Ru reiterated his instructions to them: they must arrive near Qiao Yan’s camp by nightfall on the third day and must not march too quickly.

He said that if they saw Marquis Qiao selecting people for the Evening Sun Pavilion gathering, they should not stop but advance immediately under cover of night.

If it was difficult to observe the enemy’s actions, they should launch their attack on the night of the fourth day when their defenses were most lax.

Niu Fu and Guo Si accepted the orders and departed.

Although they had been rampaging through Luoyang these past few days without restraint, since the strategist showed caution towards Qiao Yan, they dared not underestimate him.

Fortunately, Qiao Yan was still young and perhaps genuinely believed the Evening Sun Pavilion gathering was a straightforward invitation!

Reports from Niu Fu’s scouts indicated that while the enemy’s camp defenses were not negligent, they would not withstand an assault by the cavalry of the Western Liang.

Especially towards the south, a separate unit was being organized, likely preparing for tomorrow’s departure.

This arrangement left both the eastern and western sides relatively vulnerable.

Great news!

Niu Fu immediately ordered a surprise attack tonight at midnight, intending to deal a severe blow to the troops from Bingzhou.

If he could capture Qiao Yan in the chaos, he would earn significant merit in the eyes of the Prime Minister.

Then, no one could say he rose to power through connection!

With these lofty dreams in mind, in the dead of night, he launched a sudden attack from the west, filling the camp with the clamor of cavalry charging forward.

As a general from Western Liang, he led the charge, spear in hand, striking down soldiers who had fallen due to fatigue on the side.

His cavalry followed closely behind, rushing deeper into the camp.

At this moment, Niu Fu suddenly felt something wrong with the sensation of the spear piercing his hand.

It made him uneasy because there were far too few patrol soldiers in this camp!

This couldn’t be explained away by assuming the enemy had become lax!

His instincts told him something was amiss.

Just as Guo Si shouted “withdraw” faster than him, it was Zhao Yun, who had set up the western encirclement, who reacted even quicker than both of them.

From the direction where Niu Fu and Guo Si charged in, soldiers from both north and south had already arrived, blocking their retreat.

The young general in white robes and silver spear led his elite cavalry from the north in a swift charge.

Every tripwire and deer-horn barrier in this camp was set up by Zhao Yun himself, ensuring no mistakes could be made even in this dark night.

Since arriving in Bingzhou five years ago, Zhao Yun had handled tasks ranging from county magistrate duties to maintaining security in the province, battling the Black Mountain bandits and Hedong Bandits, guarding the Shuofang commandery, and even fighting the Xianbei and Xiongnu beyond the frontier under Qiao Yan.

He had a rare talent for command and strategy.

How could he possibly falter now when the advantage was clearly on his side?

From Niu Fu’s perspective, they had fallen into Bingzhou’s trap, and the sight of this young general with a spear was more intimidating than the expert archer who once shot an arrow outside the northern city.

The young general and his cavalry charged from the north like a fierce storm, catching them off guard.

Before they could recover from the shock of being trapped, the clash between the rear guard and Bingzhou soldiers echoed loudly.

Now their leader faced such a formidable opponent.

Niu Fu quickly turned his horse, trying to rally his cavalry around him and retreat from the enemy’s camp as fast as possible.

But in the chaos, turning back was not so simple.

The vanguard, rushing too hastily, fell into the trenches ahead, stabbed through by soldiers with spears lying in ambush.

Those rallying towards Niu Fu were tripped by tripwires appearing out of nowhere and fell to the ground.

From the north and south, shield and sword soldiers shouted as they closed in, trapping them between front and rear barriers.

Niu Fu’s mind was in turmoil, but he saw Zhao Yun’s silver spear, like a dragon emerging from the sea, approaching him.

He quickly raised his long spear to defend himself.

However, Zhao Yun, who usually sparred with colleagues like Zhang Liao and Lu Bu, was more refined in his techniques.

Niu Fu, relying on his unique position in Dong Zhuo’s army, hadn’t honed his skills to such a level and almost fell under Zhao Yun’s swift attacks in just a few rounds.

Luckily, Zhao Yun was a junior officer and lacked sustained strength.

With the support of his personal guards, Niu Fu managed to fend off Zhao Yun.

Guo Si rushed in on his fast horse, pulling Niu Fu onto his own horse.

While sweeping away arrows aimed at them, they broke through a weak spot in the encirclement.

Though they escaped through this gap, more than a thousand cavalry who had followed them were reduced to just over a hundred at this moment.

They had lost ninety percent of their forces!

Qiao Yan’s Bingzhou troops had not all arrived at Hedong yet.

In theory, launching a nighttime attack with over a thousand cavalry should have been more than sufficient.

However, they had instead fallen into a trap where they, the attackers, became the prey.

What shocked Niu Fu even more was that he hadn’t gone far before hearing the enemy’s synchronized battle cry clearly in his ears.

They shouted:

“Dong Zhuo’s deception at Evening Sun Pavilion, losing the Red Hare and losing troops!”

This was indeed a true reflection of their current situation.

Hearing this made Niu Fu feel like he wanted to vomit blood.

If he reported this to the Prime Minister, he didn’t know what kind of reaction he would receive.

At this moment, all he could do was continue fleeing south with Guo Si, fearing the enemy might change their minds and trap them again.

Qiao Yan watched the chaotic scene of their retreat with cold eyes, a smile slowly spreading across her face.

In response to the commotion caused by the attack, she swiftly dressed and gathered her generals around her.

Looking at the scene of Niu Fu’s defeat, she pointed south with two broken spear shafts in her hand and said firmly, “After this defeat, Dong Zhuo will not dare to underestimate us again. He will send even more troops, but my determination to capture Luoyang remains unchanged. I hope you will join me in defeating the enemy!”

She continued in the same resolute tone, “Whoever enters Luoyang first and brings me Dong Zhuo’s head will receive the Red Hare as their reward!”

Since the moment Red Hare had been presented to Qiao Yan, Lu Bu had set his sights on this extraordinary horse.

Now hearing that Qiao Yan intended to use it as a reward for Dong Zhuo’s head, Lu Bu eagerly prepared himself.

However, mindful of their hierarchical relationship, he asked, “Will you not keep Red Hare for yourself, Lord Qiao?”

In Lu Bu’s eyes, despite the rushed movements, Qiao Yan showed no signs of fatigue, exuding the same sharpness as ever.

She laughed loudly in response, saying, “Even without Red Hare, can I not enter Luoyang?”