One hundred and twenty-three.

As luck would have it, Xiahou Dun’s remark was overheard by a woodcutter, who interjected, "What do you mean, 'only one path'? Mount Tianzhu has a rear approach that can also be climbed!"

"What?" Xiahou Dun was overjoyed and questioned the man eagerly. Since the details were difficult to explain in a moment, Xiahou Dun obtained the old man’s consent to stay temporarily at the military camp to provide a full account.

"The reason Mount Tianzhu is called... a pillar, is because it is so high and steep. But aside from the road at the main gate, there is indeed a path on the back of the mountain. I used to chop wood there when I was young; I tried climbing it once, but I fell. However... although that place can be climbed, it is very treacherous! You have to scale a great height."

The old man, fearing that these military officers might be dissatisfied, seemed still somewhat intimidated, his speech hesitant.

"Old man, you need not be afraid. You said you fell, so how do you know it can be ascended?" Li Dian, noticing the old man's embarrassment, comforted him.

"It is like this: I have never made it up, but a hunter from our village has, so that place must be climbable!" The old man spoke with much more conviction.

"Old man, wait a moment, will you accompany us to take a look? Rest assured, the reward will not be lacking, and as soon as we finish our inspection, we will send you home!"

Xiahou Dun, wearing his single eye patch, tried his best to appear approachable, which only terrified the old man, who hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes! Of course."

"Then, old man, go down first; we will come to find you shortly." Xiahou Dun dismissed him.

"Well?" Xiahou Dun turned to Man Chong and asked, ignoring the stunned expressions of those around them.

"An ambush on Mount Tianzhu, tonight!" Man Chong said with a trembling voice, his joy evident.

After the consultation, the group, led by the old man, arrived at a cliff on the southern side of Mount Tianzhu. Under the old man’s careful guidance, they finally located the path, and it was only then that everyone understood why the old man had not died when he fell.

The lower section of the cliff lacked any handholds; one had to rely on body balance and strength, clinging to the protruding rock face like a gecko. Only after climbing several yards could one find vines to use for leverage. It was likely that the old man had fallen from that lower section years ago. It would have been a miracle if he had died from such a fall.

It was a very hidden route, likely discovered by the hunter and the old man by chance. With the path confirmed, Xiahou Dun sent a soldier to escort the old man home, rewarding him with a generous sum of money. While the Cao army could not be considered saints toward the common people, they were certainly not villains either.

The route was set, but the next challenge was how to transport the troops up the mountain. Although there was a path made of vines, the lower section of several yards required manual climbing with no equipment, and it was unclear how much weight the vines above could bear.

"Boning, what do you think?" Xiahou Dun stared intensely at Man Chong; though he had but one eye, it shone with brilliance. Cao Cao had not kicked Man Chong over to Xiahou Dun’s command for nothing; these less flexible generals were expected to tap into his intellect. This also showed the high regard Cao Cao held for Man Chong—among his thousands of advisors, only a select few were his confidants, and those second-tier advisors sent out were considered by Cao Cao to be of great talent.

Attacking a mountain from the rear was not an unprecedented tactic, but its success relied on a surprise assault—something akin to the Blitzkrieg of the Second World War, albeit on a much lower scale.

Man Chong naturally knew what to do. He immediately had an idea and said, "General, the goal of attacking the mountain is not to conquer Mount Tianzhu itself. The most important thing is to create chaos and then open the gates for our main force. Therefore, a large number of troops is not appropriate. Moreover, the terrain is treacherous; if we are discovered by the enemy after ascending, our efforts will be in vain."

"In my view, quality is better than quantity. Two or three hundred soldiers will suffice. These men do not need to fight indefinitely; they only need to burn the granary on the rear side and create confusion amidst the flames."

"The cliff we found fits these requirements perfectly. The path up is too narrow for troops to advance side-by-side, so numbers must be limited. Once on top, we will not be at the granary itself, which avoids our soldiers being blocked by the guards. We can set fires throughout the mountain once the granary is ablaze, then use the chaos to open the gates! Our main force will then charge in. If we are lucky, we can win in one stroke; if it proves difficult, the enemy troops will be without supplies and will surely be defeated within three days!" Man Chong stated confidently.

"Boning’s words are excellent," Xiahou Dun laughed heartily, as if he could already see the victory he would claim.

"Advance under the cover of darkness; that is most advantageous. Create chaos tonight, and with optimism, we can settle the fate of the mountain in one battle," Man Chong added.

"Ha! That is only natural. In that case, choose two generals to lead three hundred soldiers to attack the mountain." Xiahou Dun’s expression turned solemn.

"Where is Xu Huang? Where is Li Dian?"

***

Xiahou Dun was the commander-in-chief. Upon hearing their names, Xu Huang and Li Dian immediately knelt and replied, "Here!"

"Gongming, Mancheng, I entrust this vital mission to you both. Gongming, you lead the team; Mancheng, you provide support. Choose three hundred sturdy soldiers and climb the mountain tonight!"

Xiahou Dun possessed the air of a great general; he gave orders without hesitation, and his authority was absolute. Upon hearing his command, the two bowed.

"Yes, General! We shall not fail our mission; we will take Mount Tianzhu!"

"Generals, remember: once you are up the mountain, you must burn the granaries first—this is the top priority! Once the grain is destroyed, our army is guaranteed victory!" Man Chong added. If the grain were burned, Chen Lan would be furious, and opening the gates amidst the chaos would simply be the icing on the cake.

"Rest assured, Advisor Man, we shall keep it in mind!" the two generals replied in unison.

...

Under the selection of Xu Huang and Li Dian, they gathered three hundred sturdy and agile soldiers. Carrying bundles of hemp rope, they arrived at the path pointed out by the old man.

The night was bleak. The cold autumn wind bit at the skin, and within the mountain, the chill added a sense of somber silence to the troops.

"Remember, once we are up, our first objective is to burn the granary on the south side of Mount Tianzhu. You must be quick and decisive; do not give the bandits time to react and put out the fire." As the leader of the mission, Xu Huang offered a final reminder. He dared not speak loudly for fear of being heard by the sentries above.

"Maintain complete darkness throughout. Once up, burn the grain first, then shoot the surrounding enemy troops in the ensuing chaos!" Xu Huang stated solemnly.

"Yes, General." The selected soldiers understood the principle of a surprise attack and replied in hushed tones, fearing they might wake the bandits above.

"When we climb, everyone help each other. We must all make it to the top. It is honorable to die at the hands of the enemy, but it would be a shame to fall to our deaths!" Li Dian, who was well-liked by the soldiers, joked to lighten the mood.

"Ha!" some soldiers chuckled softly.

Under the cover of darkness, the selected soldiers began their climb toward the cliff top. The steep rock and the cold mountain wind made the Cao army’s surprise attack significantly more difficult. Nearly a dozen men nearly fell to their deaths before the eyes of their comrades, but fortunately, they were saved by ropes held by others. Because the soldiers were tethered to one another, they were able to pull those who lost their balance back to safety, preventing further falls.

As the night grew darker, the last figure vanished into the gloom. A messenger returned to report to Xiahou Dun.

"The main army is to carry no torches, the horses are to be kept silent, and no one is to make a sound. Advance toward Mount Tianzhu!" Upon hearing the report, Xiahou Dun issued his orders. Thirty thousand Cao soldiers crept through the night toward the gates of Mount Tianzhu. When they reached a point where they could be seen by the guards on the gate, Xiahou Dun ordered a halt, waiting for the chaos to erupt on the mountain.

Climbing the cliff was arduous, but thanks to the rigorous training of the chosen soldiers, they pushed on. Although vines were available after the first few yards, the demand on stamina and endurance was immense. After about an hour of climbing, Xu Huang was the first to reach the cliff top. He scanned the area; seeing it was clear, he pulled himself up.

Li Dian, worthy of his reputation as a great general, followed closely behind.

Once everyone had ascended, Xu Huang counted heads and found no one had fallen behind. Glancing at the camp nearby, he whispered, "Chen Lan is truly cautious. He actually built a camp in such an inaccessible place!"

Li Dian followed Xu Huang’s gaze and saw the camp standing near the granary. It was difficult to see how many guards were present, but there were only about ten torches scattered around the perimeter. The guard seemed sparse, yet Li Dian dared not be careless.

"The presence of a camp shows that Chen Lan is defending this area tightly. Although there are few torches, it does not necessarily work in our favor. We must infiltrate the perimeter to truly burn the grain, which means we will inevitably have to clash with these guards," Li Dian said.

"In that case, send two men to scout and determine the strength of the enemy," Xu Huang said, showing his wisdom by not charging in blindly.

"Scout first, then decide." Li Dian agreed, dispatching a few men while the rest remained in place, holding their breath.

Before long, the report came back. Chen Lan was either too confident or too cautious; the guard force at the granary, judging by the number of tents, consisted of no more than three hundred men. After all, Chen Lan could never have imagined that anyone would scale the cliffs. The sentries were also pitifully few.

"Excellent," Li Dian said with delight upon hearing the report. "Gongming, we don't need to hide our presence anymore. Once we burn the grain, the guards will be forced to fight the fire. Whether we eliminate these three hundred men or use the chaos to enter Mount Tianzhu, it is all good!"

Xu Huang was equally pleased. "Truly, Heaven is helping us!"

The two agreed on a plan. They sent men back down to inform Xiahou Dun, then led the remaining soldiers to surround the camp and launched their assault. Xu Huang and two soldiers headed straight for the main gate of the camp.

As luck would have it, Chen Lan sent men to inspect the granary daily, and the guards never dreamed anyone would come up the cliff. Mistaking Xu Huang for a general from Mount Tianzhu, they were off-guard, and one even prepared to flatter him as he approached. They had lived too comfortably; since the bandits of Mount Tianzhu had remained on the defensive for days, they felt the granary was safe as long as the mountain itself held.

The guard saluted Xu Huang, but before he could speak, a flash of cold steel severed his throat.

Xu Huang did not exchange pleasantries. With his great axe in hand, he struck like a bolt of lightning, claiming the lives of the nearby guards in an instant.

Li Dian and the soldiers were amazed. As a former general under Yang Feng, Xu Huang’s martial prowess was undeniable; he wielded his heavy axe with a mastery that none of them could hope to replicate.

From a distance, arrows could not ignite the grain, but now that they had surrounded the granary, that was no longer an issue.

"Everyone, prepare! Once the fire arrows fly, the enemy will be alerted. Follow my signal and be swift!" Xu Huang ordered. He and the others drew their bows, aiming at the hundred thousand piculs of grain inside.

"Fire!" As Xu Huang gave the signal, the guards finally realized something was amiss. The sentries they had killed earlier had been the only line of defense, and the remaining troops were caught off guard.

In an instant, fire arrows rained down, setting the entire grain storage ablaze. With the autumn wind, the fire spread rapidly.

"Enemies!" a guard screamed, waking his comrades.

"Defend! Everyone, resist!" When a commanding officer saw that there were only two or three hundred enemies, he shouted, hoping to trap Xu Huang and his men on the mountain.

"Resist your mother's—" another officer kicked him. "Send someone down the mountain to inform the Great Chief! Get men to put out the fire!"

Seeing the sky-high flames, the officer turned pale, breaking into a cold sweat despite the heat. "Yes, yes! Put out the fire!"

However, he knew that regardless of whether they could extinguish the blaze, they were doomed. He hurried down the mountain. While the guards were distracted by the fire, Xu Huang and his men continued their assault.

"Mancheng, they have surely gone to organize reinforcements. I will lead men into their camp to set more fires and create chaos. You take one hundred soldiers, disguise yourselves as the enemy, and open the main gates of Mount Tianzhu!"

"Understood!" Li Dian replied.

The two acted according to the plan. At Chen Lan’s headquarters, the guard officer rushed in to report the loss of the granary. His guards saw the inferno atop the mountain and turned ashen.