The stars and moon were obscured.

Even the watch fires at the Mingjin ferry crossing were barely visible.

After over a month of guarding, the patience of the Xiliang cavalry, who were accustomed to swift movements, had worn thin.

The garrison left on the city walls was exhausted.

They mechanically cast their eyes towards the direction of the boats.

Seeing no immediate action, they leaned on their spears and started to doze off.

At that moment, as the river’s mighty flow slowed down at Mingjin, the soldiers from Bingzhou, carrying their sheepskin bags, were pushed ashore by the current and quickly regrouped.

Some soldiers were still adjusting to moving in the water but had already formed pairs during previous training.

Those who were quicker in the water led smaller teams and disembarked first, organizing their troops.

Others who landed farther away had to run back quickly after reaching a closer point.

Despite these challenges, the action, which hadn’t been fully practiced beforehand, proceeded without any unexpected issues beyond what Qiao Yan had anticipated.

Instead of the romantic “waves carrying the moon away,” it was the waves bringing the soldiers in!

The black line Qiao Yan saw from her sheepskin raft, after connecting with the opposite bank, transformed into a well-formed battle line.

For these soldiers in leather armor, standing on the shore after adapting to the water wasn’t overly tiring, and the summer night wind wasn’t too cold.

They only listened to the sounds of the night, catching the noise of the sheepskin rafts cutting through the river.

In the next moment, over two thousand soldiers led by Zhang Liao charged towards the Mingjin Pass, ignoring those still disembarking.

With reinforcements approaching from behind, they had to launch a swift attack first!

It was indeed a surprising rapid assault!

An enemy force that had crossed a great river suddenly appeared in their camp, almost like divine soldiers descending from the heavens.

The garrison at Mingjin Pass was roused by the commotion and was struck in the throat by an arrow.

Soon after, several iron claws were set up on the city walls.

The main function of Mingjin Pass was to guard the Yellow River crossing, unlike typical city fortifications.

In fact, this fortress was designed to prevent enemies from crossing the river successfully, meaning it didn’t have very high walls.

With the aid of climbing equipment, the Bingzhou army was able to advance towards the city walls.

One soldier stationed at the edge of the wall finally snapped back to reality and shouted “Enemy attack!”

But—

During the day, Niu Fu tried to calm his subordinates’ frustration at not being able to plunder by buying a lot of fine wine from Luoyang.

He and his personal guards got drunk during the evening meal and were now deep in sleep, unable to be roused.

Niu Fu thought that the Yellow River outside the city was a natural barrier and that the checkpoint was a strong defense.

With the soldiers stationed in the camp below the city, he believed he was in a safe position.

He had no idea that the governor of Bingzhou, whom he considered too timid to attack, would launch a river crossing assault that very night.

If Qiao Yan had more boats on the river, it might have been more obvious, but the soldiers who landed first had blended almost seamlessly with the river water.

This made them an unstoppable landing assault force.

The soldiers who landed split into two columns.

From a high vantage point, one could see that only about a hundred of them were scaling the city walls.

For soldiers accustomed to the mountainous terrain of Bingzhou, the low city walls provided plenty of footholds even in the dark.

They quickly climbed up, seized the top of Mengjin Pass, and killed the startled defenders.

Then they opened the gates of Mengjin.

The additional 800 men who had been waiting outside immediately joined the hundred inside Mengjin Pass.

Another 2,000 soldiers advanced straight to the camp outside the city.

In the midst of the night, the Mingjin Pass was overrun by the Bingzhou forces, who had successfully crossed the river using sheepskin rafts and quickly established a strong foothold.

The defenders, numbering no more than a thousand, were in no position to resist, especially as they were caught off guard.

The fortifications of the earthen walls crumbled under the assault, and the defenders, whether drunk or asleep, were unprepared for the attack.

Niu Fu, finally roused from his slumber by his subordinates and with a disoriented mind, realized the gravity of the situation as he heard the sounds of battle outside. He immediately ordered, “Sound the alarm… and light the signal fires!”

Although the distance between the military camps and Luoyang city was nearly thirty miles, the distance between Mingjin Pass and Xiaopingjin Pass was only about eight miles.

With the watchtowers set up on Mount Mang, the message of an attack could be quickly relayed to the other location.

Niu Fu’s plan was to use reinforcements from Xiaopingjin Pass to turn the tide.

However, he was unaware that Qiao Yan had anticipated such a response.

Observing the chaotic battle and the distant fires on the city walls and mountain, Qiao Yan’s face revealed a dangerous smile as she glanced toward the unseen Xiaopingjin Pass in the darkness.

“Qu Yi!”

In the short time since disembarking, the four hundred heavily armored soldiers from the two large sheepskin rafts had formed ranks with shields and spears.

When Qiao Yan called his name, Qu Yi, who had been reassigned to the front lines, stepped forward.

Among these four hundred soldiers, three hundred were under his command, trained for rapid attacks and defenses.

Although Qu Yi didn’t know the specifics of their mission before, the alarm horns sounded in the enemy camp had given him an idea.

Sure enough, Qiao Yan instructed, “Take your men and set an ambush on the road. If Xiaopingjin Pass sends reinforcements, make sure to delay their infantry on the road!”

Three hundred men might not seem like a large force, but in the narrow riverbank area where it was unsuitable for a full-scale battle and with the muddy conditions due to recent rain, this number was sufficient.

The muddy terrain also provided an opportunity to create even greater chaos after the initial ambush.

In this way, Qiao Yan’s meticulous preparations ensured that the Bingzhou forces could maximize their advantage and disrupt the enemy’s reinforcements effectively.

Seeing Qu Yi take his orders and leave, Qiao Yan raised her hand.

Another hundred heavily armored soldiers, led by Dian Wei, joined the battle in the camp below the city.

In a flat ground battle, the advantage of heavily armored soldiers was undeniable.

The side with greater size and weight had a clear advantage in collisions, especially with Dian Wei leading these hundred heavy infantry.

The camp was illuminated by the lights of burning fires, allowing Qiao Yan to clearly see that as Dian Wei led his men forward, the enemy forces that had gathered in desperation were being torn apart like they had been struck by a sharp weapon.

Dian Wei led the charge with his heavy halberd.

Due to the strength of the raft and Dian Wei’s own power, he wore two sets of heavy armor.

If he had a larger custom-made set, Qiao Yan was certain he could wear a third set.

Fortunately, with Bingzhou’s ability to produce armor for border defense, the two sets of armor were enough to make Dian Wei nearly impervious to close combat attacks.

With the heavily armored soldiers leading the way, the team that had been at a disadvantage in the skirmish suddenly gained an overwhelming advantage.

But that wasn’t enough!

To ensure that Niu Fu’s troops could suppress the Bingzhou forces effectively, even with the notion of a half-crossing attack, there were still around four to five thousand soldiers stationed here.

After recovering from the initial ambush, these fierce Liangzhou troops began attempting a defensive counterattack.

If not for the narrow, waterlogged camp and Dian Wei’s heavily armored soldiers blocking their way, they might have already mounted up and charged.

But with Qiao Yan personally commanding the area, she wasn’t about to give them a chance to counterattack.