The soldiers followed out in an orderly fashion. After all the cavalry had exited under cover of night, only then did Zhao Ju lead his troops out.

They would set an ambush along the route to support Zhao Hanzhang, primarily with infantry.

This commotion naturally couldn’t be hidden from certain people in the city. Xun Xiu sat on his bed hugging his quilt, taking a long while to fully wake from his dreams. “What audacity, daring to launch a night raid on Liu Cong. Does she truly have ability, or is she purely arrogant? Didn’t the Governor stop her?”

“He did not.”

Xun Xiu frowned. “The Governor wouldn’t be unaware, would he?”

“There are lights in the Governor’s courtyard.”

So he knew. Xun Xiu raised his eyebrows. “The Governor actually has such confidence in her. It seems she really does have some ability.”

“Liu Jing died at her hands, and I’ve heard she even repelled Shi Le.”

Xun Xiu’s expression became more serious as he said gravely, “The former has proof and evidence, but isn’t the latter a legend—that the Zhao family was building momentum for her and attributed Zhao Ming’s achievement to her?”

The advisor said nothing.

At the time, after all, only Zhao family people were present. No one knew what actually happened, so one could only judge according to one’s own perspective.

Previously, both he and Xun Xiu had thought the same—that it was probably the Zhao family building momentum for Zhao Hanzhang.

Xun Xiu couldn’t sleep anymore. He threw off his quilt and got up. “Where are Yu Sheng and General Gao and the others?”

The advisor looked outside. “Before I came, Yu Sheng should have been with the Governor. As for General Gao and the others… I’ll immediately have someone climb up high to see if their courtyards have lights.”

Xun Xiu nodded.

The advisor immediately went out and found a guard, having him climb onto the roof to see how many people’s courtyards had lights on.

While officials and generals at the Governor’s Office were beginning to take Zhao Hanzhang seriously, she had already led her men in a circuitous route to approach their target for the night raid.

Zhao Erlang was doing this for the first time. Both excited and nervous, Zhao Hanzhang was also doing it for the first time, yet her heart was very calm—like getting up in the middle of the night for a drink of water, her mind was completely undisturbed. She led her men up a small low slope from which they could see most of the enemy camp’s situation.

Zhao Hanzhang scanned with her eyes, committing what she saw to memory. There were scattered lights there, but the vast majority was hidden in darkness. However, the fire columns had a pattern, so naturally the camp tents were also laid out with a pattern.

Just by looking at where the fires burned, one could roughly calculate where the camp tents were, as well as… the location of the central tent and the grain supplies.

Zhao Hanzhang’s eyes gleamed as she stared at a large pitch-black area, beckoning Ji Ping and Li Tianhe over and saying in a low voice, “You each take a squad. Ji Ping, you circle around from there to their northwest side. See those three fire columns with that pitch-black area behind them?”

Ji Ping squinted for a while before nodding.

“That’s most likely where the grain supplies are. Go investigate, and if confirmed, set fire to their grain. Once you succeed, immediately withdraw back to the city.”

Ji Ping acknowledged the order.

Zhao Hanzhang gave Li Tianhe his orders. “You circle around from this side to the north. Act as circumstances permit and support Ji Ping. As soon as he succeeds, immediately draw their forces over there. Just hold them for a quarter-hour.”

Zhao Hanzhang asked Ji Ping, “A quarter-hour should be enough for you to get away, right?”

For cavalry, a quarter-hour was sufficient.

Ji Ping nodded solemnly in acknowledgment.

Zhao Hanzhang was satisfied. “If you confirm it’s grain but can’t destroy it all, signal Li Tianhe to have him support you with fire arrows. You must burn their grain supplies.”

“Yes!”

Zhao Hanzhang had the two lead their squads away. She estimated the time, feeling it was about right, then shook the long spear in her hand. After everyone looked over, she called out, “My brave men, let’s go!”

Saying this, she kicked her horse’s belly and charged downward. Zhao Erlang grew excited but remembered his sister’s words from before they left—to be quiet and not make any loud noises except her commands. So he suppressed his excitement and kicked his horse to follow closely behind his sister. The eight hundred soldiers behind them also charged down with gleaming eyes!

The thundering of hooves created a tremendous sound. Soldiers in the camp who heard the hoofbeats transmitted through the ground leaped up from the ground, grabbed their weapons, and rushed outside. “Wake up, wake up! It seems we’re under attack!”

Soldiers who hadn’t had their ears to the ground turned over, somewhat displeased. “In the middle of the night, where would an enemy attack come from? The Jin people have all been frightened—how would they dare come raid us?”

No one answered his question, because the soldier who rushed out of the tent looked up just in time to meet the charging Zhao Hanzhang face-to-face. Without blinking, Zhao Hanzhang swept her long spear across. The soldier’s pupils contracted as his vision filled with red. He belatedly realized what was happening and reached up to clutch his neck. A stream of fresh blood spurted out. Before he could speak, he collapsed to the ground with a thud…

Zhao Hanzhang didn’t pause, quickly passing by him on horseback. As she passed a fire column, her spear swept through it, sending the torch flying to land directly on a tent…

The camp instantly descended into chaos. Some shouted, some rushed from their tents, only to be met by the blades and spears of the Zhao family army.

Zhao Hanzhang continuously killed those running from the tents while sweeping torches from fire columns onto the tents. The soldiers behind her followed suit, killing while spreading the flames.

After Zhao Hanzhang cleared an area of tents, her eyes gleamed as she stared at the Xiongnu army, which was beginning to form up in an orderly manner. She loudly commanded, “Divide forces!”

Each squad leader immediately led their cavalry in different directions as Zhao Hanzhang had instructed earlier, weaving and interspersing. The barbarian soldiers, who had just begun to form up in an orderly manner, were cut off again and descended into complete chaos.

Killing and fire were everywhere. Many barbarian soldiers were burned by fire, running around covered in flames. Everyone’s hearts filled with panic, and even when officers came forward, it was difficult to calm them down again.

Zhao Hanzhang led the hundred men behind her as if entering an uninhabited realm, killing their way in and out.

This was the terrifying nature of cavalry—they were equivalent to tanks. Against infantry, especially a group of infantrymen who had just been awakened from sleep and couldn’t even grab their weapons properly, it was simply one-sided slaughter.

Zhao Erlang killed with abandon. Without realizing it, he had strayed far from Zhao Hanzhang, specifically charging toward areas with many people.

And the barbarian soldiers were all instinctively running toward the central tent.

Liu Cong emerged from the central tent carrying his large blade, his face dark as iron as he watched the chaotic camp. He grabbed someone and ordered, “Blow the horn! Everyone converge on the central tent! Where are my cavalry? Where are my cavalry? Have them mount up!”

To dare raid his camp, to dare compete with them in cavalry—Liu Cong’s eyes filled with ruthlessness as he decided to let the Jin people reap what they sowed!

After weaving through and killing her way out, Zhao Hanzhang turned her horse around to kill back when she spotted their stables. Her eyes lit up as she immediately led her men to charge over, unhorsing those rushing to mount, piercing them with her spear. She looked left and right, chose a direction, and tossed a torch from a fire column into the stables…

The horses’ tails caught fire and they immediately panicked. Combined with the flames shooting up into the sky here, they reared up on their hind legs, whinnied, and charged toward the depths of the camp.