Chapter Thirty-Nine: Setting Out Once More

  "Nine hundred longbows of Xuanmu wood, three hundred and twenty horn bows, two hundred and six shortbows of the Xiongnu, ninety-one jiang bows, one hundred and ten carved bows, eleven million six thousand one hundred and twenty-five arrows. Three hundred and fifty crossbows, with over fourteen thousand specialized crossbow arrows. Not bad, not bad, just enough to use."

  He let out a soft sigh after muttering to himself the statistics of the stored weapons and arrows in Guangling, thinking that all these years of swindling in Xia Pi and Guangling hadn't been for nothing, at least he had left himself a decent stockpile of weapons, especially the most important feathered arrows, which were stored in abundance - before the invention of standardized wind-resistant arrows, ordinary feathered arrows made with bird feathers glued on were not cheap at all, that's why Tao Ying would still be furious at his troops for using an average of thirty-five arrows to kill one enemy even after winning a battle.

  Don't worry, considering the productivity of this era, Tao Ying still instructed Chapter Zhang to the side: "General Zhang, please send a supporting army immediately to the battlefield where I fought against the rebel army with Rong Yu a few days ago. Carefully sweep the battlefield and collect the broken arrows, especially remove all the feathers on them and bring them back to Guangling City. Also, send someone to collect and purchase materials for making arrows, such as bamboo, willow, and fish glue, cowhide glue, and bone glue. Hurry up and collect as much as possible."

  "No, young master, please be at ease, I will immediately dispatch someone to take care of it." Zhang Yi responded and promptly arranged for two deputies to go and handle the matter separately. Then Zhang Yi turned to Tao Ying and asked: "Young master, regarding Yuan Shu's sending Sun Ce to attack Guangling, do you have a decision? Will Guangling be defended or abandoned?"

  "If we're going to abandon Guangling, what's the point of collecting materials for making arrows?" Tao Ying smiled and said: "Besides, after finally recovering the important town of Guangling, can't just give it up like this, isn't that a waste?"

  "But can we hold on?" Zhang Yi was somewhat worried, "Sun Ce's young general has always been known for his bravery and good fighting skills. In the past, Lu Xun, the governor of Lujiang, was brave and strategic, with a small number of troops defeating a large number of 100,000 Yellow Turbans, shaking the four sides, and being awarded by the court as a loyal and righteous general, ranking second in the Han Dynasty. However, such a famous general who is both brave and strategic, when encountering Sun Ce's young general, was defeated and retreated repeatedly, and could only close the city and defend it to the death. In the end, he was also easily captured by Sun Ce's young general, and died of illness and frustration. Sun Ce's young general is so fierce and powerful, even if we stubbornly defend Guangling, I'm afraid our chances are not great."

  "I certainly know that Sun Ce can fight, but I will not give up Guangling City." Tao Ying said calmly: "Although Guangling was severely damaged in the Yellow Turban Rebellion, its population and economic foundation are still there, and it is easy to recover. At the latest by next year, we can transport a large amount of money and grain to Xuzhou. Such an important town, how can I give up easily? Moreover, the city walls of Guangling are quite solid, and it's not impossible to hold out."

  "Gongzi insists on defending, then I will take the lead. Zhang Yi had no choice but to say: "I have two suggestions. First, please give up Tangyi, Yunguo and Jiangdu three counties, concentrate manpower and resources in Guangling, and defend Guangling city alone. Second, please send a messenger north to Xuzhou to ask for help from the master, and ask the master to send reinforcements south to rescue."

  "The first suggestion is a good idea, but Dangyin is too far away, and it's not possible to transfer the population and grain in time. Fortunately, Dangyin is just a small city with few people and little grain, so let's leave it for Sun Ce's children. We can transfer the population and grain of Xuyi and Jiangdu counties to Guangling instead." Tao Ying had an expression of being fully prepared, and continued: "As for the second suggestion, forget about it. General Zhang, you're not unaware of the current situation of the Xu state army. Can my father still send troops to support us?"

  "Prince, are you going to make our army fight alone again?" Zhang You asked in surprise.

  "Mistake! We should divide our troops to fight!" Tao Ying said coldly: "General Zhang, you stay and guard Guangling City, I'll lead the Junzi Army out of the city to engage in a field battle with Sun Ce's little brat."

  "Are you kidding me?" Zhang Fei jumped up, "You're going to lead the 800 gentlemen's army to fight against Sun Ce's troops again? Sun Ce is not like Liu Feng, if Liu Feng's troops are a mob, then Sun Ce's troops are a fierce and powerful force! Moreover, Sun Ce has both bravery and strategy, he won't make the same mistakes as Liu Feng!"

  "General Zhang, you misunderstood me. I didn't say to engage in a fierce battle with Sun Ce's troops, but rather to dance around him!" Tao Ying smiled and said: "From Guangling to Shouchun is over 700 miles, without any water route to rely on. Sun Ce's land supply line also stretches for over 700 miles. General Zhang, as long as you hold out in the city of Guangling for a while, when Sun Ce's troops are forced to retreat and seek supplies, that will be his death sentence."

  "Gongzi wants to cut off Sun Ce's grain supply?" Zhang Yi's eyes lit up, and he finally understood Tao Ying's true intentions.

  "Not bad." Tao Ying nodded and smiled: "As the old general said, Sun Ce is a young man with both bravery and strategy, and his subordinates are mostly veteran generals who are good at fighting. In a head-on confrontation, our army will never be able to defeat Sun Ce's troops. Even if we adopt a defensive strategy and passively guard the isolated city, it will only lead to the eventual depletion of food supplies and the fall of the city. Therefore, our army's only chance to turn defeat into victory is to target Sun Ce's grain supply route of over 700 miles."

  "Cut off the enemy's grain road, this is a good idea." Zhang Yi was somewhat moved, and hesitated: "But Sun Ce is accustomed to using troops, how can he not guard against our army cutting off his grain road? Although the Junzi Army is good at long-distance raids, once Sun Ce surrounds Guangling, the Junzi Army may find it difficult to even break out of the city."

  "I've said it before, I won't be passively defending Guangling City to the death." Tao Ying smiled even more relaxedly and said: "I want to lure the Junzi Army out of the city, and engage in mobile warfare with Sun Ce's troops in the wild. At the same time, we can also share the pressure of defending the city with you, so that Sun Ce's troops won't dare to attack the city with all their might, and they won't even dare to sleep soundly."

  "Sir, are you again talking about military tactics on paper?" Zhang Yu smiled wryly. "With the mobility of your army, it's not difficult to deal with Sun Ce's small troops, and I do believe in that. However, when it comes to guerrilla warfare in the wilderness, how will you replenish your food, fodder, and arrows? If you bring too little, you won't be able to last for long; if you bring too much, sir, how can you take advantage of your long-distance raids?"

  "Don't worry, my troops have low requirements for military rations and fodder. As long as we have a little replenishment, we can hold out for a very long time." Tao Ying laughed happily and said: "Moreover, I plan to secretly build two grain and fodder supply points in the mountains and forests outside, storing a batch of grain and fodder and weapons, ensuring that we can roam and fight for more than 50 days."

  "Really?" Zhang Mou was somewhat skeptical.

  "General, please be at ease. I'm still young and not ready to die yet, so I won't joke about my own life." Tao Yingxiao said with a smile: "Moreover, there's another point. Using infantry to defend the city and using the Junzi Army to harass and disrupt the enemy's supply lines is also part of the plan for defending Xuzhou that I thought of when I decided to form the Junzi Army. At the same time, this will be the best way for the infantry and the Junzi Army to work together in battle. This is a rare opportunity to train our troops, so please don't try to persuade me again, General. My mind is made up, and I don't want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance."

  "In that case, I'll take the order then." Zhang couldn't argue with Tao Ying anymore and knew that the gentleman's army was the best at escaping, so he said: "But General has one thing to ask Master to remember, if the battle is unfavorable, Master doesn't have to worry about General, can retreat first, General although not talented, not afraid of the cost of breaking through and retreating, this point is still graspable, Master doesn't have to worry about General."

  "Alright, I promise you." Tao Ying made a solemn vow. Then Tao Ying instructed Zhang Zhao: "General, Sun Ce's young general is indeed brave and skilled in battle, and has both bravery and strategy, making him very dangerous. As you are besieged in Guangling, please be extra cautious. I have a plan that can help General defend the city, please accept it."

  "What plan does the young master have? I will listen with an open mind." Zhang Yi asked curiously.

  "My father and Sun Jian were originally on good terms." Tao Qian recalled, "But after Sun Jian's death, when Sun Ce was living in Xuchang Jiangdu, under my father's jurisdiction, he secretly gathered talented individuals and won over people's hearts, which enraged my father. My father, in anger, expelled him from Jiangdu and chased him back to Qu'a, thus starting a feud between the two families. Later on, my father also fell out with Sun Ce's maternal uncle Wu Jing, making their grudge even deeper. Furthermore, when Sun Ce sent his father's former subordinate Lu Fan to Xuchang to escort his mother, he took advantage of the opportunity to spy on our military situation in Xuzhou, which once again enraged my father. My father ordered Lu Fan's arrest and subjected him to severe torture. Although Lu Fan was eventually rescued by his followers, our army in Xuzhou also bore a deep grudge against Sun Ce."

  Here is the translation:

  Now, Tao Ying finally revealed his hypocritical nature and sneered: "So, General, you can spread these old stories in Guangling City, then spread rumors that Sun Ce's son has sworn to emulate Cao Cao's massacre and avenge himself. Once we break through Guangling, every single citizen and soldier will be killed! This way, the people of Guangling won't even dare to fully support our army in defending the city."

  "The young master's plan is brilliant, I understand now." Zhang Yi laughed even more wickedly and lowered his voice to say: "Please rest assured, young master. When the people of Xuyi and Jiangdu have moved to Guangling, I will immediately send someone to spread these rumors and force these people to help me defend the city."

  Tao Ying secretly smiled, and at the same time, Tao Ying also had some doubts in his heart. He thought to himself: "This time Sun Ce led the army to attack Guangling, was it really just to help Yuan Shu take advantage of the fire? Calculating the time, this little devil's counter-bone has grown, and there is also Lü Fan, who presented a plan to Yuan Shu to send Sun Ce to attack Guangling. Could he be trying to let Sun Ce take the opportunity to become independent? No, Sun Ce is a poisonous snake, can't let him grow up, must pull out his poisonous fangs as soon as possible!"

  ……………

  Although Tao Ying's abacus calculation is good, it's a pity that things are easy to say but difficult to do. The Xu state army, which had just recovered Guangling, was not yet stable, and they had to comfort the residents in the city, search for and kill the remnants of the evil Lu Rong party, and at the same time, they had to hurry up and reorganize the surrendered troops, repair the city defenses, prepare defensive weapons, and also transfer the people from nearby Yangguo and Jiangdu to clear the walls. Moreover, under extremely confidential circumstances, two secret supply points had to be built, and various tasks were complicated, how could it be done in just a few days?

  After a busy day, on the second morning, also the thirtieth day of August in the first year of Xingping, Tao Ying made a tactical adjustment and decided to lead the Junzi army out of the city ahead of schedule. He actively went west to meet Sun Ce's invading army, using guerrilla tactics to slow down the advance of Sun Ce's army, buying time for Zhang Yi's Xu state troops to prepare for war. Zhang Yi also knew that time was precious and did not object, only reminding Tao Ying to be careful before agreeing to let him lead the Junzi army out of the city to battle Sun Ce. Lin Qing, on the other hand, caused some trouble for Tao Ying, insisting on going with him, but Tao Ying refused to give in this time and even scolded Lin Qing harshly.

  "You think I'm going on a picnic, or to go hunting?" Tao Ying yelled at Lin Qing, "You're already seventeen years old, and you still don't understand? I'm going out of the city to fight a battle, to slow down Sun Ce's army's advance speed. Who is Sun Ce? A fierce general who can be counted on one hand! I'm going to engage in combat with him, and even I myself am not confident, let alone bringing you along, this burden, wouldn't we just end up dying more miserably?! Besides, have you undergone wilderness survival training? Can you drink horse milk to fill your belly? Can you cut open a warhorse's blood vessel to drink its blood to save your life and then sew the blood vessel back up? Can you eat raw snake meat, mouse meat, and ants without even blinking an eye? If you haven't mastered these skills, how dare you join my noble army in guerrilla warfare?"

  For the first time, Lin Qing was scolded by Tao Ying so badly that she was on the verge of tears. She was dragged away by Zhang Yi with great grievance. Tao Ying glared at her again and then turned his gaze to Xu Sheng beside him, saying: "Wen Xiang, this time I don't plan to take you either. It's not that I don't believe you can't bear hardships, but I have a more important task for you."

  "I will understand, please instruct me, young master." Xu Sheng replied respectfully, who had been promoted to the position of Ya Men Jiang by Tao Ying Hua for his merit in beheading eleven people in the battle against Meng Huo.

  "Do you still remember the Macedonian phalanx I taught you last night?" Tao Ying asked, seeing Xu Sheng nodding, Tao Ying continued: "You go to the surrendered army and select 200 suitable soldiers, hurry up and teach them this phalanx tactic, and urgently train them. Although this phalanx tactic has many weaknesses and has long been eliminated in the Western world thousands of miles away, it has never appeared on the land of Huaxia before. If we suddenly use it, even Sun Ce's children would be caught off guard, and it can be used as our infantry's trump card."

  "I will obey orders." Xu Sheng bowed his fist in response, and continued: "Actually, I think this tactic still has room for improvement. For example, the weakness of close combat can be compensated by equipping soldiers with short-range weapons..."

  "Suit yourself." Tao Ying waved his hand to interrupt, saying: "To be honest, I also learned this Western tactic from a book, and I don't understand much about it. I just think that this tactic can be used for sudden attacks, the effect should not be bad, and it is easy to train and equip. If you have any good ideas, feel free to do so, don't worry about failure. You and I are still young, we have plenty of time and opportunities to summarize our experiences, and make the most of our strengths while avoiding our weaknesses."

  "Thanks to the young master for his trust, the young master's kindness is as heavy as Mount Tai, even if Xu Sheng were to be torn apart and crushed into powder, it would still be difficult to repay a thousandth of it!" Xu Sheng was truly moved, but he couldn't understand why Tao Ying trusted him so much, and used this newly surrendered subordinate in such an important way, it was almost unbelievable.

  Overcome with emotion, Xu Sheng suddenly remembered something and hastily turned to Tao Ying, bowing his hands as he spoke: "Young Master, regarding the Guangling battle situation, I have a suggestion - would you be willing to adopt it?"

  "Let's just say it, if it's good, I'll definitely listen and follow." Tao replied.

  "Gongzi, why don't you ask for help from General Zang Ba?" Xu Sheng advised: "Gongzi doesn't want to ask for help from the lord because he considers the lord's military strength insufficient. If a large number of troops are suddenly mobilized, it will inevitably cause chaos and disrupt the defense of the five counties in Xuzhou. But General Zang Ba's military strength is very abundant, his combat effectiveness is not weak, and Gongzi has already beheaded Qiu Rong's head, fulfilling his promise to General Zang Ba. General Zang Ba should also keep his promise and accept Gongzi's command. Moreover, from what I have seen and heard in Langya, I feel that General Zang Ba is a man who keeps his word."

  "Good idea." Tao Ying nodded and said: "Now that the autumn harvest has just ended, Zang Ba's military rations should also be very sufficient, and he should have the strength to send troops south. As for whether it will succeed or not, it depends on whether Zang Ba keeps his promise or not. It's settled then, I'll write a letter to Zang Ba immediately and send someone to deliver the head to Kaiyang by fast horse."

  After a tense preparation, with half a month's worth of dry rations, at noon that day, Tao Ying once again led the 800-strong Junzi Army out of the city alone, heading west to actively engage Sun Ce and slow down the advance of his army. This time, the Junzi Army soldiers finally had the rotating war horses that Tao Ying had longed for, with each soldier equipped with two war horses, further increasing their already formidable mobility in this era.

  Zhang led the Xu state troops to the west gate of Guangling to see off Junzi's army. After bidding farewell to the Xu state generals, who had clearly changed their attitude, Tao was about to give the order to set out when a clear and shrill cry came from the top of the city wall above: "Bookworm, be careful!"

  Tao Ying and Tao Ji looked up to see a beautiful young girl standing on the top of the heavily guarded city wall of Guangling West Gate in Xuzhou. She was wearing green clothes and had a slender figure, with her eyebrows curved like spring mountains and her eyes shining like autumn water. Her nose was small and delicate, and her lips were cherry-red. She was truly a heavenly beauty, enough to make fish sink and birds fall from the sky. When she saw Tao Ying looking up at her, the girl raised her small fist again and shouted loudly: "Bookworm, if you don't come back properly, see how I'll deal with you!"

  "Beautiful woman! What a stunning beauty!" Tao Jixing exclaimed, "How can there be such an absolute beauty in Guangling City? I've been in Guangling for several days, how come I haven't seen her before? Regretful, regretful!"

  "She's your future second sister-in-law, don't get any ideas!" Tao Ying gave Tao Ji a loud slap on the head and couldn't help but take a few more glances at the young girl, thinking to himself: "Damn little girl, wearing women's clothes makes her look so beautiful, she's even prettier than my own wife, Mei Zhen."

  After shouting two sentences, the girl turned and ran up to the west gate tower, but when she was on the stairs, the girl raised her hand to wipe away tears, obviously having cried. Tao Ji pounded his chest and stamped his feet, pulling Tao Ying's sleeve and scolding, "Second brother, when did you get to know this beauty? Why didn't you tell me before? Quickly say, what's her name? Does she have any sisters?"

  "You've seen it before, what's wrong with your eyes?" Tao Ying muttered to herself, and then she shook off Tao Ji's grasp again, shouting: "We're leaving right away, what are you still thinking about?!"

  Tao Ji retired, Tao Ying got on his horse and under the big flag of Junzi, he raised his whip and shouted: "Depart! Guan Guan Ju Jiu——!"

  "Guān guān yú jiū, zài hé zhī zhōu, yǎo yǎo shū nǚ, jūn zǐ hào jiāo! Guān guān yú jiū, zài hé zhī zhōu, yǎo yǎo shū nǚ, jūn zǐ hào jiāo. Jūn zǐ hào jiāo ō, ā jūn zǐ hào jiāo, yǎo yǎo shū nǚ, jūn zǐ hào jiāo, jūn zǐ hào jiāo——!"

  Translation:

  "Coiling, coiling, the kingfisher on the river isle, a beautiful and virtuous maiden, a gentleman's delight! Coiling, coiling, the kingfisher on the river isle, a beautiful and virtuous maiden, a gentleman's delight. A gentleman's delight indeed, ah, a gentleman's delight, a beautiful and virtuous maiden, a gentleman's delight, a gentleman's delight——!"

  In the midst of a military song filled with evil humor, the eight hundred gentlemen soldiers followed behind Tao Ying's body, holding high the gentleman's great flag that fluttered in the wind, with the secondary flags of benevolence, righteousness, etiquette, wisdom, and sincerity on both sides, they galloped away, leaving behind a cloud of dust. After the gentleman's great flag disappeared into the dusty smoke, the girl in the city tower finally couldn't help but burst into tears...