Chapter 12 - Godspeed, wreaking havoc in the enemy's camp
"Alright, since you dare to make a military pledge, take your squad and advance a hundred meters towards the enemy camp."
Tribuni Li saw Oliver Sheng's determination and agreed without further ado. He was curious to see what skills this man, favored by the General Who Pacifies the North, possessed.
Having achieved his goal, Oliver returned and gathered his squad.
"Follow me, advance quietly, and pave the way for the main army's attack," Oliver instructed his soldiers.
"Sergeant, at this distance, we'll easily be spotted by the enemy," Hunter Tang voiced his concern.
"Just follow me. I have a way to keep us hidden," Oliver assured.
He realized that the armies of this world didn't even know how to crawl stealthily or conduct proper ambushes.
Hunter opened his mouth to argue, feeling this was a suicide mission, but seeing Oliver's resolute command, he knew further words were useless.
"Everyone, follow my lead. Do exactly as I do, and don't make a sound," Oliver ordered.
The corporals and platoon leaders were skeptical. Not making a sound? Was that even possible?
Oliver crouched low and advanced, with the soldiers mimicking his movements. After fifty meters, he dropped to the ground.
"Get down, follow me!"
Seeing Oliver lie flat, the soldiers followed suit, lying on the ground. To avoid making noise, Oliver began to crawl slowly.
Watching Oliver wriggle like a worm, Hunter and the others followed, crawling slowly on the ground. The soldiers behind them did the same.
Fortunately, the ground was sandy, and the sound of their armor scraping was minimal. They moved slowly.
As Oliver and his men disappeared into the night, Tribuni Li grew curious about how they vanished so quietly.
Half an hour passed without any movement. A sergeant couldn't help but speak up.
"Tribuni, could they have fled?"
"Shut up!"
Tribuni Li glared at the sergeant. If it weren't for the current situation, he would have slapped him.
Time passed, and the night deepened. The Huns' patrols grew less vigilant.
An hour later, Oliver and his soldiers were a hundred meters from the Huns' camp.
It took them an hour to crawl just four hundred meters, partly due to their armor and partly because it was their first time crawling stealthily.
Oliver feared making noise, so they moved extra slowly.
"What time is it?" Oliver asked Hunter behind him.
"It's six quarters past midnight, two quarters until the third watch," Hunter replied.
Oliver nodded. They had thirty minutes until the third watch, the best time for a night raid when people were most likely to be drowsy.
"Get ready to charge with me," Oliver ordered.
"Yes, Sergeant!" Hunter and Owen Hai responded. They were the corporals in the squad.
"Once we break into the camp, Owen, take your squad and set the camp on fire. Hunter, take your squad and kill the surrounding enemies. Understood?" Oliver whispered.
"Understood!"
As the seconds ticked by, the soldiers grew increasingly tense.
"Crack…"
From a hundred meters away, they could faintly hear the crackling of the Huns' campfires.
The moon was hidden behind clouds, and the Northern Frontier wind howled, as if the heavens were aiding them.
"Sergeant, it's almost time," Hunter reminded.
Oliver took his bow and nocked an arrow.
"Archers, prepare to take out the patrols," Oliver half-crouched and ordered.
The archers in the squad also half-crouched, readying their bows.
"Fire!"
Oliver's arrow flew, taking down a Hun patrol.
"Whoosh, whoosh!"
Ten arrows flew, killing seven Huns.
"Enemy attack!"
The remaining two Huns, seeing their comrades fall, were about to shout.
"Whoosh, whoosh!"
Oliver shot two arrows, killing the last two Huns.
"Charge!" Oliver stood and led the charge.
The soldiers drew their swords and followed Oliver into the enemy camp.
In less than ten seconds, they were inside the camp.
The next patrol of Huns, hearing the commotion, turned to see Oliver and his men already upon them.
"Brothers, kill with me!" Oliver quickly nocked and fired arrows, dropping enemies as they approached.
Hunter led fifty soldiers, cutting down Huns. Owen led fifty soldiers, lighting torches and setting the camp ablaze.
"Tribuni, look!"
From the moment of the commotion to Oliver's entry into the camp, only ten seconds had passed.
Tribuni Li, who had been watching, was astonished.
The speed of the raid was incredible. Even the Huns couldn't react in time.
Seeing the enemy camp on fire, Tribuni Li snapped back to reality.
"Brothers, charge with me! Kill the Huns!" Tribuni Li shouted, leading the charge.
Oliver quickly used up his thirty arrows, then drew his sword and joined the melee.
The Huns, awakened by the noise, rushed out to fight.
Oliver led the charge, cutting down any Huns in his path.
Owen and his men continued setting tents on fire, burning some Huns alive in their sleep.
Many Huns were bewildered, unable to believe the garrison from Peace Pass would raid their camp at this hour.
As Tribuni Li and his men charged in, the camp was already ablaze.
"Fire! Fire!"
"Put out the fire, quickly!"
"Enemies! We're under attack! Stop them!"
The Hun camp was in chaos, with some trying to extinguish the fire, others searching for enemies, and many in a state of confusion.
"Some of you help set fires, the rest follow me and kill!" Tribuni Li shouted.
Meanwhile, Oliver and his men continued pushing deeper into the camp.
At the same time, Tribuni Tu and the Martial Colonel at the rear of the Hun army also launched their attacks.
"Don't linger, keep moving forward!" Oliver shouted.
More and more Huns were waking up.
"Damn Wei soldiers, how dare they raid us! Kill them!" a Hun tribuni roared.
"Surround them! Don't let them attack the camp!" the Huns shouted, panicking at the sight of the flames.
More Huns rushed to surround and kill them. If they stopped to fight, they would be overwhelmed by the sheer number of Huns.
Their only option was to keep charging, disrupting the enemy camp.
The right side of the Hun camp was engulfed in flames, the wind fanning the fire.
From the walls of Peace Pass, the garrison saw the distant flames.
"Fire! The Hun camp is on fire!" The colonel on night watch rushed to the tower.
"General, the Hun camp is on fire!"
General Who Defeats the Huns, Elliott Sun, laughed, "I see it! They've succeeded! Open the gates and let the cavalry charge!"
"Yes, General!" The colonel hurried to order the gates opened.
The Peace cavalry, two thousand strong, led by General Edward Zhao, charged out as soon as the gates opened.
Oliver, leading his men, continued to kill and set fires, causing havoc in the right section of the Hun camp.
"What's happening?"
The commotion woke the Left Wise King, who angrily demanded an explanation.
"My lord, the Wei army is raiding us under the cover of night," a Hun general reported, sweating profusely.
"Damn it! How could you be so negligent? How did you let the Wei soldiers raid us?" the Left Wise King fumed.
In the command tent, the Hun generals dared not breathe loudly.
Who could have expected the cunning Wei soldiers to raid them tonight?
"What are you waiting for? Deploy the troops and kill the raiders!" the Left Wise King roared.
"Yes, sir!"
The generals hurried out, vowing to kill all the raiders.
"Thud, thud, thud!"
The sound of hooves broke the night's silence.
"What's that noise?"
"Fool, can't you recognize the sound of hooves? The Wei cavalry is here."
The Hun soldiers panicked, many losing their composure.
"Brothers, let's carve a bloody path out!" Oliver continued to lead the charge.
He cut down any Hun in his way, his armor and robe soaked in blood. His soldiers followed, setting fires and killing as they went.
Their speed prevented the Huns from organizing a proper defense.
The Hun camp was a scene of chaos, with fires burning, soldiers being trampled, and confusion everywhere.
In short, it was utter chaos, with some areas so confused that friendly fire occurred.
The right side of the Hun camp was in flames, smoke billowing, turned upside down by Oliver and his men.
"Help! Save me!"
"Ah… it hurts! Save me, I don't want to die."
Huns burned by the fire screamed for help, running towards others.
Tribuni Li, with four hundred men, followed Oliver's path of destruction, but soon lost sight of him in the chaos.