Chapter 3 : Revelation and Ambush

When everyone returned to the city, a grand celebration was held. People partied for three consecutive nights. During this time, Lin secluded himself in his room. The three brothers frequently visited him, concerned about his well-being. At first, they thought Lin was disturbed because it was his first time seeing so many dead people. They tried to comfort him and give him time to recover. However, Lin had seen far worse during the wars he fought in the past. He continued to feel uneasy and tried to forget about it, but the feeling kept returning to him.It was only after a long night of reflection and restlessness that Lin finally understood the root of his discomfort.

He recalled an old mission in which he was ordered to kill a specific target in the midst of a battlefield. Using a sniper rifle, he managed to eliminate the target, believing him to be the enemy commander. However, Lin later discovered that the person he had killed was just an ordinary soldier dressed up to look like the commander. This realization shook him to his core, especially when he learned that the commander's death had been a ploy to boost his army's morale.

Lin rushed out of his room and warned Liu Bei about the possibility of a similar tactic being employed against them. Liu Bei quickly gathered his soldiers and called his brothers to action. However, it was too late. More than half of the troops were already drunk, and Zhang Fei was out of control, unable to even hold his spear.

Faced with this predicament, Lin remembered the Battle of Lacolle Mills, in which a small group of 180 soldiers had held out against an attacking force of 4000. Although they were unable to push back the enemy, they were able to hold a vital point and stall the enemy until reinforcements arrived.

With this in mind, Lin proposed a strategy to Liu Bei that involved fortifying a strategic location and holding out against the enemy until reinforcements could arrive. Liu Bei agreed, and the group quickly set to work preparing for the upcoming battle.

Upon discovering the potential ambush, Lin urgently requested Liu Bei and Guan Yu to gather their troops and anyone capable of walking, at the west gate. He urged them to bring as many torches as possible, as he sought to find a defensible point that could be held with a small number of soldiers. After scouting the area, he chose a small opening between two valleys, which was still an open road without any fortifications. Lin knew that they could be easily crushed, but he believed they could hold out until reinforcements arrived if they used their knowledge of the terrain to their advantage.

Before departing, Lin asked Liu Bei to inform Gongsun Zan about the potential ambush and request reinforcements from nearby forces. With everything in place, they assembled at the west gate. However, Lin was shocked to find that only 80 out of the 900+ soldiers who had survived the first war were still in fighting condition and able to make the journey. Despite the small number, Lin remained confident that they could hold the enemy off long enough for reinforcements to arrive.

Under the cover of night, they moved quickly and reached the valley in a single day. There, Lin's suspicions were confirmed as they saw an army of over 10,000 soldiers. Everyone was frightened, including Liu Bei and Guan Yu. However, Lin knew that the situation was even more dire than he had anticipated. He made the decision to let anyone who didn't want to participate in the battle go free. Guan Yu opposed this idea, arguing that reducing their numbers would be like cutting off their own legs. But Lin explained that this battle was going to be a deadly one and they needed people who understood commands and were willing to sacrifice their lives. Over 30 soldiers backed out, leaving only 46 soldiers, not including Lin, Liu Bei, and Guan Yu.

Despite the daunting odds, Liu Bei decided to put his trust in Lin's leadership. Meanwhile, Lin pondered how they could possibly survive this situation. Even in his worst days as a special ops soldier, he had never faced odds this unfavorable. He instructed the remaining soldiers to place torches along the path the enemy soldiers would take and gather as much dry grass as they could find. With everything in place, Lin could only hope that everything would proceed according to his plan, smiling grimly at the desperate situation they found themselves in.

Lin carefully arranged pots of water along the path and placed dry weeds and torches as well. He combined the water with dirt and dust from the valley to make it appear like oil. Liu Bei and Guan Yu were skeptical of the plan, but still followed Lin's commands. As the enemy approached, Lin ordered his soldiers to pick up bows and shoot arrows at the enemy on his command. He instructed them to target any soldier attempting to retreat. Lin then revealed the final step of his plan to Guan Yu, who stood beside him at the valley exit, while Liu Bei held a bow with a fire arrow further back.

Lin explained that the enemy would likely send around 1,000 soldiers to check the valley for ambushes. He predicted that upon seeing the torches and dry weeds along the way, some would split off from the main force to push forward and check for an ambush, while others would return to inform the main army of the potential threat. The vanguard, consisting of elite soldiers, would make the battle difficult. Lin and Guan Yu would need to kill and hold as many soldiers as possible without setting the valley on fire. Guan Yu asked why Lin didn't simply set a fire and scare the vanguard into believing there was an ambush ahead. Lin explained that the enemy was not afraid of the ambush itself, but rather the possibility of one. If they set the valley on fire immediately, the enemy would run away and inform the main army of the ambush. Instead, by holding off on the fire and setting up an ambush, they would cause conflicting reports to reach the main army. The split-off group would report a possible fire ambush, while the soldiers fighting them would report only 30 or so people holding the pass. This would make the main army unsure whether they were truly low in number or attempting to lure them into a trap. Liu Bei holding the fire arrow would serve as their insurance in case they were unable to hold the enemy. If he decided to shoot the fire arrow into the reeds, we would advance and turn the fake preparation into a real ambush causing as many damage as possible. Lin found the plan exciting and said, "Best-case scenario, we will cause confusion and delay them for more than five days. Worst case, we all die, and we only buy them one day worth of time." as he said his words, the sound of hoof can he heard