"Have Wang Wu and Wang Heng not returned yet? How many of the other scouts have made it back so far?" the scout commander asked the squad leader who was tallying the returns. Although the commander was also keeping track of the returning scouts, he needed a second confirmation.
"Wang Wu and Wang Heng have not returned yet, likely because they were conducting a thorough investigation. Out of the 273 scout teams we deployed, 264 have returned. We are still missing nine teams," the squad leader replied as he continued his tally. It was already late, and soon it would be time to start cooking dinner.
"Whoa!" A sound of horses reining in could be heard in the distance. Both the scout commander and the squad leader turned to see that two more scouts had returned.
"That makes 265 teams returned, with eight still missing. No special military information reported," the squad leader informed.
"Good. Continue monitoring the returns. I'll go report to the general and the strategist," the scout commander said after glancing at the two newly returned scouts. He wasn't overly concerned about the eight missing teams.
"Report!" Guo Jia and Guan Yu were sitting inside the command tent, discussing their march plans after linking up with Zhang Fei. Although they had reviewed the strategy multiple times, Guo Jia would often bring it up for discussion when they had nothing else to do.
"Speak!" Guan Yu glanced at the scout commander and uttered a single word. The scout commander immediately felt an overwhelming aura of majesty and coldness. Despite having reported to Guan Yu many times before, each time he saw the imposing figure stroking his long beard and gazing at him with slightly opened eyes, the scout commander couldn't help but feel the weight of Guan Yu's imposing presence—majestic and aloof. It was a testament to how one's image could be built over time.
Lowering his head, the scout commander recounted all the information he had gathered. After confirming he had not missed anything, he stood by, awaiting Guan Yu's orders.
"Out of 273 teams, 265 have returned, with eight still missing?" Guo Jia muttered as he mentally calculated. Satisfied that this was within normal expectations, he nodded toward Guan Yu.
"Present the information on the missing scouts and you may leave," Guan Yu's deep voice commanded.
The scout commander quickly handed over the prepared bamboo slip. Guo Jia glanced at it and hesitated. He set down the wine cup he had just picked up and carefully examined the slip, his expression turning somber.
"Is there a problem?" Guan Yu, who had worked with Guo Jia for a long time, immediately noticed the shift in Guo Jia's demeanor. He knew there was trouble when Guo Jia didn't drink and instead focused on the bamboo slip. Guan Yu asked directly.
"I suspect there may be an ambush nearby," Guo Jia sighed. Having seven or eight scout teams fail to return was common. After all, scouts often ventured deep into enemy territory, and delays were not unusual. With two or three hundred two-man teams, having seven or eight go missing wasn't out of the ordinary.
"The enemy's numbers won't be large. They'll likely be positioned to our west, with no more than a thousand men. They're probably well-hidden, and an attack is possible. The leader is likely at the level of an internal energy expert," Guo Jia continued, though he framed it as speculation. Yet, just from examining the bamboo slip, he had deduced much of the situation.
"Very well, we shall prepare accordingly!" Guan Yu didn't doubt Guo Jia's judgment. Having worked together for so long, Guan Yu knew that Guo Jia's predictions were rarely wrong. The fact that Guo Jia could deduce so much from a single bamboo slip was impressive, but Guan Yu had absolute trust in him.
Guo Jia sighed. He enjoyed explaining his reasoning, but after working with Guan Yu for so long, Guan Yu no longer questioned him as much as before.
"Show me the map. Let's pinpoint their location and identify their troops. If we can, we should ambush them instead," Guo Jia said, feeling a bit bored.
Guan Yu rummaged through his belongings and handed Guo Jia a leather map. Guo Jia used his finger to measure distances on the map, then sighed, "I underestimated them."
"What's this? Even you can make mistakes, Fengxiao?" Guan Yu teased, stroking his beard. He was always interested when Guo Jia faced challenges.
"It's not exactly a mistake. It's just that they're farther away than expected, and all of them are cavalry. There are probably about a thousand of them, hiding in the northwest hills. They've been marching parallel to us, and their target is indeed us," Guo Jia marveled, impressed by the enemy's audacity.
"You can even estimate the troop type now?" Guan Yu was surprised.
"They're far away, but they plan to charge and attack us. If the scouts don't return, we'll grow suspicious, so they can't afford delays. Our numbers give us a strong advantage, so even in a night raid, they'll focus on demoralizing us rather than fighting to the death. Given their audacity and meticulousness, a quick strike and retreat would be their best strategy," Guo Jia explained calmly, and Guan Yu understood.
"So, they're all cavalry. If it's cavalry in this area, it must be Lü Bu's forces. That means it's the wolf riders. Given their advantage in terrain, if they don't fall into our trap, they'll likely succeed in escaping," Guan Yu concluded.
"I'm curious which of Lü Bu's generals has such courage and caution," Guo Jia mused. "It's a shame that with our recent focus on the north and the battles in Hebei, we haven't had much time to gather intelligence from across the land. Otherwise, we might have guessed who it is."
"But this much is enough!" Guan Yu's eyes gleamed coldly. "I'll order the men to increase their vigilance."
Guo Jia said nothing further. He was deeply curious about a top-tier general who could silently kill two scouts from a distance, giving them no chance to react, and who still planned an ambush knowing that the opponent was Guan Yu—yet was leading only a thousand men!
Guo Jia carefully reviewed the directions in which the eight missing scout teams had been dispatched and concluded that the enemy had indeed killed one team and was marching parallel to them.
Guo Jia silently evaluated the situation. For someone he had yet to meet, he was giving Zhang Liao extremely high marks from this first encounter.
Guo Jia smirked to himself.
Little did Zhang Liao know that even before making a move, Guo Jia had already deduced his plan, laying bare his strategy.