Chapter 42: Confronting Xiao Bao Wang

  Because Tao Ying's army was reluctant to take on the expensive Junzi Army and the cheap Yuan Shu infantry, despite having a numerical advantage, they still failed to seize the opportunity to annihilate Huang Yi's 500-strong force. In the end, dozens of Yuan Shu's cavalrymen broke through the encirclement, using the forest and hills as cover to shake off the Junzi Army's pursuit, disappearing into the depths of the mountains. The Junzi Army's movements and general situation also faced the danger of being exposed to the enemy's main force.

  It doesn't matter, however. Tao Ying had already made preparations to expose his tracks before deciding to fight this battle - it's too difficult to annihilate the enemy without close combat while trying to avoid it as much as possible, and annihilating these over 500 Yuan Shu soldiers at all costs would definitely bring unnecessary casualties to the Junzi Army. Therefore, Tao Ying had planned the follow-up action long ago: after severely damaging this branch of Yuan Shu's army, immediately sweep the battlefield and find a guide, then quickly retreat, using those escaped Yuan Shu soldiers to send warnings to Sun Ce, forcing him to slow down his marching speed and disperse his forces to respond to the threat of the Junzi Army.

  The plan changed due to the arrival of Lu Su, and after inflicting heavy casualties on Huang Yi's army led by Yuan Shu, at the cost of injuring eight men and consuming a large number of arrows, the Junzi Army soldiers were busy collecting all usable materials from the battlefield. Meanwhile, they also had to help Lu Su and the villagers of Lujia City move their valuables and grains. What made Tao Ying secretly admire was that Lu Su actually took out his own land deed, distributed it to the villagers of Lujia City without compensation, and then opened his two personal private granaries, allowing the villagers to take as much grain as they could carry.

  The Lao family was indeed very rich, with two granaries filled to the brim with 6,000 dan of rice, equivalent to 96,000 kilograms of grain. The more than 300 villagers in Lujiazhen couldn't even carry away a third of it if they all worked together. So Lu Su found Tao Ying again and directly told him: "Sir, please let the Junzi army soldiers also go in and take some grain, as much as they can carry. Also, please give an order to set up a pile of firewood outside my granary, and then set it on fire, burning all the remaining grain."

  "Are you going to burn it all away?!" Tao Ji exclaimed, "Mr. Zi Jing, isn't that a waste? This is 6,000 dan of rice, can you bear to burn it all with one fire?"

  "Wealth is but a fleeting thing, what's the point of leaving it behind?" Lu Su replied calmly: "Besides, Yuan Shu's army will be back soon, and we can't take all this grain with us. If we don't burn it all, are we going to leave it for Sun Ce's army rations?"

  Although he thought that Lu Su's words were reasonable, Tao Ji still shook his head and sighed at Lu Su's bold style, admiring yet regretful - after all, this was the chaotic era of the Three Kingdoms, where food was more precious than life. Beside him, Tao Ying looked at Lu Su with admiration, then turned to scold Tao Ji: "Third brother, didn't you hear the military advisor's words? Hurry up and execute them! Bring as much grain as possible, let the war horses eat their fill first, then set fire and burn everything. And from now on, do not call him Mr. Zi Jing, but address him respectfully as Military Advisor."

  "Yes." Tao Qian honestly answered with a fist and followed the order to command the Junzi army. Then, Tao Ying turned to Lu Su and said sincerely: "Letting the military advisor lose his family and business is my fault, please don't worry, Military Advisor. One day when I am successful, I will definitely repay you a hundred times."

  "Gentlemen, don't mention repayment. I'm grateful that you trust me so much and entrust such an important task to me." Lu Su bowed his hands in return and continued, "Sir, as you said earlier, our army doesn't plan to engage Sun Ce's forces head-on, but only aims to hold them back and slow down their advance. If that's the case, I suggest we quickly move around to the rear of Sun Ce's main force, making him realize his supply lines are in danger, forcing him to slow down or even stop advancing, and then turn back to engage our army."

  "I also have this intention, but I don't know what the terrain is like behind Sun Ce's troops." Tao replied: "If the terrain behind Sun Ce's troops is open and suitable for cavalry to rush and move, then our army can safely detour. But if the terrain is unfavorable, with dense mountains, forests, and rivers, then even if our army detours, it won't have much effect."

  "Gentlemen, please be at ease. The terrain in that area is very advantageous to our army." Lu Su smiled and took out a scroll, unfolding it to reveal a detailed map of the area, saying: "I'm not afraid to say this, but I've been reckless since childhood, not managing household affairs, only enjoying sword fighting, horse riding, and traveling. I've become familiar with the mountains, rivers, and streams around Dongcheng. Moreover, I have a wild and arrogant nature, whenever I arrive at a place, I like to study where troops can be stationed, where camps can be set up. In my free time, I drew the geography of the area on this map, hoping that one day it would come in handy. Today, I present it to you, gentlemen, which is also fulfilling my long-held wish."

  Tao Yong took the map and saw that Lu Su had drawn all the geographical features of the eastern part of Jiujiang Prefecture, including detailed notes on the route, distance, width, mountains, rivers, and streams. Tao Yong was overjoyed and exclaimed: "With this map, I can win without using 3,000 scouts! With you, Lu Su, I can win with just one tenth of a million troops!" Lu Su smiled and repeatedly expressed his humility.

  At this time, the villagers of Lu's Castle had already packed up their gold, silver and valuables in preparation for evacuation. Lu Su came before the villagers and explained the danger that Lu's Castle was about to face, urging them to evacuate as quickly as possible and go as far away as they could, until the war was over and they could return home. Tao Ying also stepped forward to apologize to the villagers and invited them to move to Guangling, promising to treat them well. The villagers knew that Yuan Shu's army would not spare Lu's Castle, so most of them bid a tearful farewell to Lu Su, Tao Ying and others, and fled to distant lands. However, there were still 30 or 40 young men who refused to leave, asking to join the Junzi Army and continue fighting alongside their idolized brother Lu Su. Tao Ying did not refuse, and took all these people in.

  He took away all the grain and weapons that could be taken, Ruzi himself led a horse, carrying a bow, a sword and a package of books, and personally ignited the raging fire to burn down the city of Luzhou. He resolutely joined the Junzi Army without hesitation, officially becoming a member of the Junzi Army. Seeing the flames rising from the fortifications of Luzhou City, and seeing Ruzi leading his horse alone with an air of ease, everyone in the Junzi Army admired him greatly, and sincerely accepted this new comrade who was generous and carefree.

  With the guidance of the outstanding leader Lu Su, the gentleman's army, which was unfamiliar with the terrain in this area, finally showed its long-distance running skills. On the same day, in just one hour, the gentleman's army rushed for more than 20 miles, completely shaking off the pursuit of Sun Ce's army, and circled back to the southwest of Dongcheng, leaving behind a ruined Lujiacheng fortress, which made Sun Ce's army, who had arrived after hearing the news, clench their fists in frustration.

  They rested overnight in the southwestern part of Dongcheng and turned northward the next morning. On that afternoon, they took the official road from Jiujiang to Guangling and inquired about Sun Ce's military movements from the peasants along the way. They learned that Sun Ce's main force had passed through this place yesterday afternoon, and it was likely that he had arrived at Dongcheng last night. Having figured out this point, Tao Ying immediately convened a battle conference with Lu Su, Tao Ji, and others to discuss the next step of the battle plan on the spot.

  "Second brother, I think our army should temporarily suspend fighting with the enemy." Tao Ji spoke up first: "From the map drawn by Military Advisor himself, the area of Dongcheng near the border between Jiujiang and Guangling is quite complex, with many mountains and forests, which is not conducive to our army's rapid warfare. Therefore, it's better for us not to disturb Sun Ce's little boy for the time being, but quietly follow him, wait until his main force passes by Gutang, then we'll catch up and harass them. The terrain in that area is open, and we can continuously raid and move, Sun Ce's little boy won't even think of chasing us."

  "It's too close." Tao Ying shook his head and opposed, "Gutang is only 300 miles away from Guangling. We wait for Sun Ce's troops to pass Gutang and launch a guerrilla attack. Although the terrain is favorable to us, after Sun Ce's troops have been at a disadvantage, they may not pay attention to our harassment and lead their army to rush straight to Guangling. After three days of rapid march, they can reach Guangling City, and it will not take much time for General Zhang to respond."

  "The young master's words are reasonable. In my humble opinion, the area east of Dongcheng is more suitable for guerrilla warfare than Gutang in the east." Lu Su echoed: "The terrain in the eastern part of the city is relatively complex, which is not conducive to our army's rapid battle, but the mountainous and forested terrain can easily allow our army to shake off the enemy's pursuit and find a place to hide. It can also conserve the physical strength of war horses and soldiers. The terrain east of Gutang is open, but our army can only rely on long-distance transfer to shake off the enemy's pursuit. If this is repeated many times, the war horses will easily become exhausted."

  "This is nothing to be afraid of, our war horses are the most endurance in the world." Tao Ji became proud, "And our Junzi army's generals, have all undergone rigorous endurance training, with astonishing endurance."

  "Why not save energy if you can? Do you think this battle will be won in just three or two days?" Tao Ying slapped the back of his third brother's head and scolded, "Don't you see the situation in Guangling clearly? Without ten days or half a month, can the city defense be perfected? Can all the people around be transferred to the city to clear the wild?"

  Taoyi was scolded by Taoying and didn't dare to speak, while on the other side, Ruzi said: "Young master, if you can devise a plan to infuriate Sun Ce, that would be great. I have long heard of Sun Ce's name and know that he is brave and good at fighting, but his only shortcoming is that he has a violent temper. Once enraged, he becomes uncontrollable. If our army can thoroughly enrage Sun Ce and then harass him in the complex terrain around Dongcheng, Sun Ce will inevitably pursue us recklessly, thus slowing down his advance speed and giving our Guangling garrison time to prepare."

  "Enrage Sun Ce?" Tao Ying immediately thought of the story of Little Overlord beheading Yu Ji and someone else provoking Zhou Gongjin, and also immediately decided: "This is a good idea, it's settled, the whole army will advance to the east city and lure out Sun Ce's little general!"

  "Does the young master intend to provoke Sun Ce on the battlefield? How will he act?" Lu Su asked curiously.

  "It's easy to infuriate Sun Ce on the battlefield!" Tao Qian hastily replied, and he couldn't help but laugh lewdly as he said to Lu Su, "General, you can rest assured, our Junzi army has several soldiers who are specially trained to provoke the enemy, today is a good opportunity for you to witness it."

  "Are there also specially trained officers to provoke the enemy?" Lu Su asked in surprise: "Sir, is this really true?"

  "It's true." Tao Ying nodded in agreement, and smiled: "I heard that Sun Ce's son particularly likes to take the field himself, and fight against the enemy generals. If he takes the field himself this time, it would be great... Hehe."

  With a sly smile, Tao Yi immediately ordered the Junzi Army to advance towards the East City along the official road, making a big show of going to find Sun Ce for battle. On this wide and flat official road, the speed advantage of the Junzi Army was immediately brought into full play, and in less than an hour, they approached within ten miles of the west gate of the East City, killing several of Sun Ce's army off guard and capturing a few scouts who were unable to escape. In order to infuriate and lure Sun Ce out for battle, Tao Yi ordered that these scouts have their ears and noses cut off and be sent back to the East City to report to Sun Ce.

  The temper of Little Overlord was indeed as violent as the legend, and after waiting for a while in the open area convenient for escape, the east city gate opened immediately, and about 4,000 troops of Sun Ce's army rushed out of the city. Among them, a large flag with a huge "Sun" character written on it. At the same time, Tao Ying also discovered through binoculars that Sun Ce's army was quite majestic, especially the more than 1,000 people in the central army surrounding Sun Ce, who were all extraordinary and well-trained. Even in the midst of rushing and running, they could still maintain their formation intact. It seemed to be the more than 1,000 Jiangdong elite left by Sun Jian to Sun Ce.

  "That's great, only 4,000 people." Tao Qi whispered excitedly on the side: "It's best if Sun Ce's little son is like a mad dog, and after being provoked by us, he will chase and kill all the way. Maybe we can recreate the miracle of the Guangling War."

  "It's not that easy, let's not say Sun Ce is not a fool, even if he was young and impulsive, Cheng Pu, Han Dang and Huang Gai would have held him back. Tao Ying shook his head and instructed Tao Ji: "Third brother, get the soldiers ready, you will personally lead the light cavalry in a surprise attack later. Sun Ce is no ordinary person, we may only have one chance to launch a surprise attack, so be sure to seize it! Also, apply horse dung to the arrowheads!"

  Tao Ying led the troops to arrange, letting the Junzi army generals carefully inspect their weapons and equipment. At the same time, he commanded the Junzi army generals to recite the first chapter of "The Analects" in unison, using complex slogans to help calm the minds of the Junzi army generals. Meanwhile, Sun Ce's army was not moving quickly, and by the time they finished reciting the first chapter of "The Analects" twice, Sun Ce's main force had just arrived nearby. According to the rules of engagement at that time, Tao Ying sent a foot archer to shoot arrows at the enemy formation. Fortunately, Sun Ce also sent out a foot archer to shoot back. The two foot archers stood back-to-back and shot arrows in the direction of their own army, accurately falling in front of their own troops. Then, the two foot archers quickly retreated back to their respective formations, and the main generals of both sides came out to exchange words.

  To reflect the position of military advisor, Tao Ying brought Ru Suo to meet Sun Ce this time. The lineup on Sun Ce's side was even more exaggerated, with a total of four people coming out. The first person was about twenty years old and seemed younger than Tao Ying. He had a strong back and waist, long arms and legs, and a hard-lined face. It was likely that he was the young warlord of Jiangdong, Sun Ce, also known as Sun Bofu. Another person was around the same age as Sun Ce, with beautiful eyebrows and eyes, and a lovely appearance. He was probably Zhou Yu, Sun Ce's close friend. The other two generals had white hair and beards, and were likely to be two of the three old generals of Jiangdong, Cheng Pu, Han Dang, or Huang Gai.

  "Taoying Xiaoer, it's really you!" Sun Ce stood far away, laughing loudly and saying: "Yesterday our defeated soldiers came to report that they encountered an enemy army specializing in bows and arrows. I guessed it was you, and indeed I wasn't wrong!"

  "It's an insult to your noble name, I am Tao Ying." Tao Ying bowed with his fists clasped together on horseback, and said even more politely: "May I ask if you are the famous Sun Ce, also known as Sun Bofu?"

  "I am Sun Ce." Sun Ce replied with a smile, and was quite pleased with Tao Ying's polite demeanor.

  "I have long admired General's great name, today I am fortunate to see you. It is my honor for three lifetimes." Tao Ying politely nodded and pointed at the three men beside Sun Ce, asking: "Who are these three generals?"

  "This is my young friend, Zhou Yu Zhou Gongjin." Sun Ce pointed to the handsome young man, then pointed to the two old generals beside him and introduced them: "This is General Han Dang, this is General Huang Gai, both are old generals of my father's."

  "I have long admired, I have long admired your great name." Tao Ying was slightly disappointed to find that Huang Gai was not a muscular man holding a large iron whip. After silently scolding the little devil for deceiving him, Tao Ying cupped his hands and said to Han Dang and Huang Gai: "The two old generals' great names, I have truly admired them for a long time. At the Battle of Xiakou, even the bravest like Hua Xiong were repeatedly defeated and retreated, closing the gates and refusing to come out! Moreover, the two old generals are loyal and unwavering, raising troops to discuss Dong Zhuo for the sake of national affairs, repaying their lord's kindness and assisting General Cao. They do not leave or abandon each other, truly a great loyalty and righteousness. I admire them deeply."

  Tao Ying's mouth was as sweet as honey, constantly flattering, Han Dang and Huang Gai were not deceived, but also had a good impression of Tao Ying, and they both bowed their fists in humility. Sun Ce on the side also laughed loudly and said: "Young Master Tao, this gentleman beside you should be Mr. Lu Su, Zi Jing from Lujia City?"

  "That's right, Mr. Meng Zi Jing was wronged, and I have already appointed Mr. Zi Jing as the military advisor of the Junzi Army." Tao Ying replied calmly.

  "I don't dare." Lu Su also made a fist and said: "I didn't expect that the famous General Sun Ce would know about me, I'm honored to the extreme."

  "Isn't it just that I've heard of the name of Ruzi Jing, who is generous with his wealth? Sun Ce pointed to Zhou Yu beside him and laughed: "My good brother Zhou Gongjin has repeatedly mentioned your great name in front of me. Yesterday, I heard that Huang Gai's little son tried to plunder the city of Lu, forcing Mr. Zi Jing to shoot arrows in retaliation. Gongjin was so angry that he cut down the tooth gate general who instigated Huang Gai to loot the city of Lu on the spot! He also sighed and said that a great talent had gone! Indeed, sir, you have changed your ways and immediately became a famous military advisor of the Junzi Army, and Tao Gongzi really has a good eye for people!"

  "Master Zijing, I am Zhou Yu. I once held the position of Governor of Chao Lake and consider myself half a fellow townsman with you. I have long heard of your great reputation." Zhou Yu also made a fist to Ru Su and said sincerely: "Master Zijing, please forgive me. Yesterday's incident was our fault for not being strict in governing the army and offending your esteemed self. I do not dare ask Master Zijing to forgive me, but only hope that you understand one thing - Huang Yi is a trusted follower of Yuan Yin, who has always been arrogant and is not on the same path as Bo Fu's brother. The order to loot was also unrelated to us. Moreover, Bo Fu's brother has ordered his soldiers not to pursue and kill the civilians in Lu's city, allowing them to move freely."

  "Thank you, thank you." Lu Su returned the courtesy even more politely and said: "Actually, General Cao's great name has been heard by me for a long time. Today I get to see him, it is truly my good fortune in three lifetimes."

  Taoying and the enemy chatted warmly like old friends for a moment, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu exchanged a glance, seeing Zhou Yu nodding, Sun Ce said loudly: "Tao Gongzi, Zi Jingxian, let's not talk nonsense. You two have been circling around to my rear, your purpose is very clear, you are aiming at my grain route, but I'm afraid you will be disappointed. This time I brought enough military rations for three months, and the weapons and equipment are also very sufficient. Within three months, there is no need to ask Shouchun for a single grain of rice or millet. So, you two have come all this way in vain."

  "Oh." Tao Qian was taken aback for a moment, then bowed his hands and asked Sun Ce: "Thank you, General Bofu, for your teachings, but what do you mean by this?"

  "Taogongzi, how about we make a deal?" Sun Ce smiled and said: "You let me have Guangling Commandery, I'll let this army of yours leave peacefully. Then, you and I will draw the Huai River as our boundary and never invade each other again!"

  "General Bohu, are you joking?" Tao Ying also laughed and said politely: "General Bohu, if I agree to this condition, won't you be taking advantage of me too much?"

  "Taogongzi, you have no choice." Sun Ce said with a confident smile: "Do you know what your biggest mistake is? Your biggest mistake was that you shouldn't have circled back to my rear. Now that you're in this position, the east side has my main army, and the west side has General Yuan Huan's main force. Your cavalry has little room for maneuvering. As for the south and north sides, the south is mountainous and has the Yangtze River, while the north has many mountains and forests. Your cavalry will be slowed down in this terrain, unable to keep up with my infantry. You're essentially surrounded on all sides with no food or reinforcements. If you don't accept my conditions, I just need to wave my flag, and immediately your 800 knights will be trampled into dust!"

  "Tao Gongzi, if you accept the conditions of Bo Fu brother, it would actually be a good thing for your father Tao Fugong." Zhou Yu also spoke up: "Xuzhou is a place of four battles, and your father has repeatedly taken the wrong position, offending Cao Cao and Yuan Shao and other warlords, angering General Yuan Tuo and Wu Gong, the governor of Danyang. It can be said that he has made enemies everywhere and has no friends. If you, young master, can make a decision for your father, and resolutely give up Guangling to Bo Fu general, then our army will definitely form an alliance with your army. In the future, whether it is Yuan Shao or Cao Cao who comes to attack, Tao Fugong will not need to seek help from all directions. Bo Fu general will certainly lead his troops north and fight side by side with Tao Fugong against strong enemies."

  "When that time comes." With that, Zhou Yu paused for a moment and smiled: "When that time comes, there will be no need for the young master to enter Cao's camp again to send messages, or to jump into the cauldron in public once more."

  "Lord Tao, our young master is kind-hearted." Han Dang also advised: "Our young master was ordered to attack Guangling, but in fact he has no intention of being an enemy of yours. That's why our young master kindly advised you to hand over the city and promised not to harm a single soldier or civilian in the city, allowing your entire army to withdraw from Guangling."

  "Taogongzi, I heard that you defeated the tens of thousands of troops of Meng Huo with just 800 gentlemen. That's truly impressive." Huang Gai also said: "But I can guarantee that our army is absolutely different from the rabble of Meng Huo's bandits."

  When Tao Ying and Lu Su heard these words from Sun Ce and his followers, they looked at each other in dismay, thinking to themselves: "Can't this young man be still half asleep? Does he really think that with just a few flowery words, we will surrender the Guangling Commandery? Does he take us for bookworms who have read ourselves silly, or spendthrifts who are generous to the point of foolishness?"

  "Gentlemen, Mr. Zijun, you can take your time to consider it carefully, we're not in a hurry." Zhou Yu laughed loudly again: "Actually, General Bofu's proposal is not impossible to discuss the details, what conditions do you have, sir? You can talk freely, General Bofu and I are both very sincere."

  "Pfft! You're still Zhou Yu, Zhou Gongjin, and you really think I'm a bookworm?!" Tao Ying quietly spat out a mouthful of saliva, but as soon as she finished spitting, Tao Ying's heart suddenly shook violently. She thought to herself: "No way! What kind of person is Zhou Yu? In the Three Kingdoms era, wasn't his intelligence over 90?! How could he possibly think that using this little bit of clever language would deceive me into handing over Guangling City?! Besides, even if I was once a famous bookworm in the world, but after the Battle of Guangling where I defeated 10,000 with just 800 troops, who dares to call me a bookworm now?! Lin Qing that stupid girl is already gone, and Zhou Yu, whose intelligence is only slightly lower than Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi's, would he be even more foolish than Lin Qing?!

  "Sir, that's not right." At this time, Lu Su on the side also discovered that something was wrong and hurriedly said in a low voice: "Sir, Sun Bofu and Zhou Gongjin seem to be intentionally delaying time, seemingly with ulterior motives."

  "He must have an ulterior motive." Tao Ying replied in a low voice: "Zi Jing, we just overlooked one person. That person should be going to cut off our retreat."

  "Cheng Pu!" Lu Su's reaction was also quick, his face expressionless, but he said in a low voice: "Young master, you are right. Our army is good at swift and surprise attacks. Sun Ce and Zhou Yu not only have heard of this, but also experienced it personally yesterday. Today we take the initiative to send ourselves to their doorsteps. In order to avoid us being like a festering sore that clings to them, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu will certainly want to wipe us out completely."

  "The mountains in the south are densely forested, which is conducive to hiding and maneuvering troops. The terrain in the north is relatively open, making it difficult to conceal soldiers. It's likely that Cheng Pu will come from the south with 80 or 90 percent certainty. Please trouble the military officers to pass on the order, we'll break out of the encirclement from the north."

  Tao Ying quietly instructed Lu Su in a low voice, then Tao Ying spurred his horse forward two steps and pointed at Sun Ce with his whip from afar, loudly cursing: "Sun Ce, you little boy! You unprincipled, unfilial, treacherous dog! How dare you still have the face to speak eloquently here, deceiving people!"