Chapter Forty-Five: Another Cunning Plan

  Sun Ce's army, of course, cannot compete with Tao Ying's. The Junzi Army was originally created for field battles and had extremely low logistical requirements except for bows and arrows. Even if they ran out of food, they could drink horse milk, which was nutritious but not tasty, making them almost invincible in prolonged consumption wars. On the other hand, Sun Ce's army needed military rations, war horses needed high-quality fodder, and they consumed a large amount of grain every day without logistical support. How could they possibly compete with the Junzi Army, whose war horses even produced milk?

  After several days of hard fighting, Sun Ce's army was getting restless. The cunning Junzi Army did not launch a direct surprise attack this time, but instead used flags, slogans, and war drums to harass them indirectly. This not only conserved precious arrows but also forced Sun Ce's army to slow down their pace, wasting a large amount of food and grass in the process. After three days, they had still not marched more than 150 miles. The anxious generals of Sun Ce's army repeatedly requested permission to pursue, but Sun Ce and Zhou Yu were afraid of Junzi Army's terrifying mobility and refused to agree, continuing their slow march with a stiff upper lip. Fortunately, Junzi Army was also afraid of Sun Ce's strong crossbow formation and did not dare to get close and shoot arrows, so the casualties of Sun Ce's army did not continue to increase.

  Apart from the huge consumption of grain and fodder, what worried Sun Ce and Zhou Yu even more was the poisonous arrows of the Junzi Army. It was unknown what kind of evil poison the Junzi Army had applied to the arrowheads. Three or four days after being injured, nearly 20% of the wounded soldiers' conditions began to deteriorate, with their wounds festering and refusing to heal, accompanied by constant fever and convulsions in their limbs, leading to a miserable and painful death. The army's medical officers were at a loss, and even Sun Ce's wound showed signs of deterioration, with a penetrating wound on his left leg discharging pus. Although Sun Ce was afraid of affecting the morale of his troops and did not dare to speak out, there was still panic among the soldiers, with rumors spreading and morale plummeting. They were all afraid of engaging in battle with the Junzi Army, and even more afraid of their terrifying poisonous arrows.

  Facing such a terrible situation, Sun Ce's mouth was as hard as ever, but in his heart he regretted choosing Tao Ying's Junzi Army as the opponent of his first independent battle. This was not a team of moral gentlemen at all! It was simply a group of wolves more cunning than foxes, a nest of poisonous snakes that made people defend themselves in vain. If they were not careful, they might be bitten by them and left with fatal injuries! The plan to abandon the attack on Guangling and withdraw back to Shouchun for reorganization also began to take shape in Sun Ce's mind.

  If it weren't for what happened later, Sun Ce, who was in a difficult situation, might have already ordered the withdrawal of troops, but...

  On the seventh day of September, when Sun Ce's army approached Dangyi and officially entered the territory of Guangling Prefecture, Sun Ce's army, which had just been harassed by a group of gentlemanly soldiers, suddenly rushed to the rear with a team of light cavalry. The leader was none other than Yuan Shu's trusted advisor and cousin, Yuan Yin. As soon as they met, Yuan Yin took out Yuan Shu's handwritten order and bluntly told Sun Ce: "General Bofu, my lord has ordered you to immediately return to Shouchun with your army, there are important matters to discuss."

  "Has the Lord ordered me to return? Why?" Sun Ce was extremely surprised, and Zhou Yu, Cheng Pu, and Huang Gai on the side were also looking at each other in dismay, thinking that our predicament has been known by Yuan Shu, so he declared us to retreat?

  "It's a big deal." Yuan Yue's expression seemed somewhat tense, constantly glancing around nervously, as if afraid that Sun Ce would suddenly become violent. He urged: "General Bofu, please don't ask any more questions. The lord has no ill intentions, but feels that attacking Guangling at this time is like taking advantage of a fire to loot, and will be ridiculed by the world. So he ordered you to retreat your troops, and for now, put off the attack on Guangling."

  Yuan Yin didn't say that, it would be better. Sun Ce, who was already confused by the rogue tactics of the Junzi Army, might have really retreated. But Yuan Yin said something like Yuan Shu is afraid of being ridiculed by people all over the world, and Sun Ce and Zhou Yu are not suspicious at all. They thought that Yuan Shu also knew what courtesy, righteousness, integrity, and shame were, and was afraid of being ridiculed by others for taking advantage of the fire? His moral character is probably only slightly better than Tao Ying's, who has a mouth full of benevolence, righteousness, and morality, but a belly full of thievery.

  Under the suspicious gaze, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu exchanged a glance. Sun Ce bowed to Yuan Yin and said: "General Yuan, please wait for a moment, let me discuss with everyone, and then we will negotiate with you about the retreat. Come on, stop the army from advancing, prepare wine and dishes for General Yuan, and ask General Yuan to go down and rest."

  Sun Ce's personal soldiers responded and came to invite Yuan Yu to have a meal in the chariot team. Yuan Yu saw Sun Ce's attitude was gentle, and also saw that Sun Ce's army had no signs of preparing for battle, so he put down his guard and followed Sun Ce's personal soldiers to have a meal in the chariot team. As soon as Yuan Yu walked away, Zhou Yu immediately lowered his voice and reminded Sun Ce: "Bo Fu, something is not right, Yuan Yu seems to have come with ill intentions, and he keeps glancing around, seemingly very cautious of us."

  "I also noticed that." Sun Ce nodded and asked in puzzlement: "What exactly happened at Shouchun? Why did Yuan Shu suddenly order me to withdraw my troops?"

  "I don't know." Zhou Yu shook his head, gritted his teeth and said: "But I can see that this time Yuan Shu summoned you back to the army, he definitely didn't have any good intentions. I'm afraid when you withdraw from Shouchun, it will be the moment of your great disaster."

  Sun Ce's heart skipped a beat, and he also felt that Zhou Yu's words were reasonable. Although he had good relations with Qiao Rui, Zhang Yun and others under Yuan Shu's command, and had the secret support of Lu Fan, one of Yuan Shu's strategists, he was not on good terms with many of Yuan Shu's military officers, including Ji Ling, Yang Hong and Yuan Yin. Especially Chen Ji and Liu Xun, two of Yuan Shu's most trusted advisors, who were also his sworn enemies due to the dispute over the positions of Jiujiang and Lujiang governors. Now that Yuan Shu had suddenly summoned him back without reason, it was clear that he had already become suspicious of him. If he withdrew his troops now, he feared that disaster would strike soon.

  "Bo Fu, just like you said that night, now that we've come this far, thinking of turning back is a dead end." Zhou Yu, indeed the chief strategist of Sun Wu's early days, saw through the current situation at a glance and whispered to Sun Ce: "The only way out is to continue forward, take down Guangling as a foothold, and then plan for greater things!"

  "Shall we proceed?" Sun Ce hesitated a little.

  "Gong Jin, are you not being too reckless by letting the young general do this?" Opposed to this, Cheng Pu said: "Yuan Shu has suddenly ordered our army to retreat, although it's unexpected, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's malicious. If the young general disobeys orders and insists on advancing, but can't take Guangling, then what will happen to him in the future?"

  "If Yuan Shu has no ill intentions, then it's not a problem." Zhou Yu said calmly: "Bo Fu can tell Yuan Yin that the army will not accept certain orders from outside, and now our army is less than 200 miles away from Guangling. It would be a pity to give up at this point. Please ask Yuan Yin to reply to Yuan Shu that military affairs are urgent and cannot be delayed, and please forgive us for disobeying the order. In this way, if Yuan Shu has no ill intentions, it will be an explanation to him. If Yuan Shu has malicious intentions or is already suspicious of Bo Fu, then he must make a move. At that time, Bo Fu can respond accordingly and also guard against any unexpected events, avoiding the situation where we retreat and fall into his trap."

  "This is a good idea, let's do it this way." Sun Ce immediately agreed with Zhou Yu's suggestion. He led Zhou Yu and Huang Gai to the chariot team, found Yuan Yin who had come to deliver the order, explained the reason in person, and said that since the army was less than 200 miles away from Guangling, it would be a pity to withdraw the troops and return to the camp. He refused to withdraw the troops on the grounds that he could not accept the order of the lord while he was outside, and asked Yuan Yin to explain and apologize to Yuan Shu.

  Contrary to the expectations of Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, after hearing Sun Ce's reply, Yuan Yin not only did not get angry because of Sun Ce's disobedience but also readily agreed to plead for Sun Ce in front of Yuan Shu. He immediately asked to take his leave, and although Sun Ce tried to persuade him to stay, Yuan Yin refused to delay any further. Without even finishing his wine and food, he led over a dozen attendants and hastily set off on the road back to Shouchun to report the news.

  It wasn't until he saw Yuan Yin off that Sun Ce finally came to his senses, exclaiming in a loud voice: "This is bad! Yuan Shu must have already suspected me, otherwise why would Yuan Yin, who disobeyed my orders and was at odds with me, be so willing to part ways? He agreed to my request without hesitation and hastily took his leave, he must be afraid that I will harm him and is being extremely cautious around me."

  "It's reasonable, it seems that there are some petty people who have slandered Yuan Shu." Zhou Yu echoed and suggested: "Bo Fu, the matter should not be delayed. We must advance immediately. The earlier we arrive at Guangling, the better. Tao Ying's child is so anxious to delay our army's progress, it's likely that his defense in Guangling is not yet complete. The earlier our army arrives at Guangling, the greater the chance of capturing Guangling."

  "It can only be so." Sun Ce made a decisive decision and turned to the generals, ordering: "Pass on the order to the whole army, speed up the advance, soldiers cannot stop their feet, horses cannot stop their hooves, hurry to Guangling at full speed!"

  The generals all promised, and Sun Ce again instructed Cheng Pu: "General Cheng, from now on, I will give you all 900 cavalrymen. If Tao Ying's little brat comes to harass us again, you will immediately lead the army out to pursue and attack him, using strong crossbows to suppress his bows and arrows, and drive him away. But remember, do not pursue for more than ten miles; after ten miles, immediately return to the army. As long as you can hold back Tao Ying's elite troops, our infantry will be able to advance!" Cheng Pu clasped his fist and loudly promised.

  The order was passed down, and Sun Ce's army finally abandoned the tightly guarded turtle formation, advancing eastward with added urgency. The news was fed back to Tao Ying by the scouts of the Junzi Army, who was overjoyed, knowing that Sun Ce had finally lost his patience and was advancing at full speed without regard for cost. He immediately led the Junzi Army in a counterattack, once again striking at the flank of Sun Ce's army and causing chaos. The cavalry of Sun Ce's army, which had been waiting in ambush, also launched a swift counterattack under the command of Cheng Pu, engaging in a massive cavalry battle on the open plains of western Guangling - or rather, a cavalry battle that transcended this era. There were no duels between generals, nor was there a chaotic melee of clashing horses and slashing blades; instead, there were only volleys of arrows and bolts, with each side constantly circling and probing for an opening in the mobile warfare.

  The gentleman's army, which was trained to fight this kind of cavalry battle from the day it was formed, had a great advantage. Although Sun Ce's army's strong crossbows had a longer range than the gentleman's army's bows and arrows and could shoot with one hand holding the reins and the other lifting the crossbow, the shooting frequency of the strong crossbows was too slow. They had to hold the war horse with both hands to load the arrow and tighten the crossbow, which was far less flexible than the gentleman's army's bows and arrows. Therefore, as long as the gentleman's army dodged the first wave of Sun Ce's army's strong crossbow shooting, they could safely approach and shoot people with their bows and arrows. In the first cavalry battle, Sun Ce's army paid a price of nearly 100 riders to drive the gentleman's army out of ten miles, but the gentleman's army also lost ten precious generals worth more than gold.

  The difference in the range of bows and crossbows had already cost them once, so Deputy Director Tao would not be fooled again. When he launched another cavalry battle, Deputy Director Tao divided his troops into two routes. First, let one team of Junzi army attract Cheng Pu's cavalry, and then lure Cheng Pu away with a clever trick. Meanwhile, the other team took advantage of the situation to launch a surprise attack on Sun Ce's infantry, shooting and killing Sun Ce's infantry bit by bit while slowing down Sun Ce's advance speed, forcing Sun Ce's army to stop advancing and form an array to counterattack. At the same time, the plan to equip some Junzi army with strong crossbows to make up for the insufficient range of horse bows also began to appear in Tao Ying's consideration plan.

  After two days of such a tug-of-war, both sides suffered casualties. After Sun Ce's army entered the territory of Yuyao County, all the feathered arrow reserves of the Junzi Army were also exhausted and this not-so-successful guerrilla campaign was forced to end. They shook off Cheng Pu's pursuit and rushed back to Guangling City to preside over the defense of Guangling.

  Why is it said that the battle of Junzi Army was not very successful? Because the goal of Junzi Army was to hold off Sun Ce's army for ten days or half a month, but they were forced to return to Guangling on September 9th. Although Sun Ce's army would still need at least one more day to reach Guangling, they only managed to hold them off for about ten days, barely completing their mission. At the same time, they paid the price of over sixty precious lives of Junzi Army officers and soldiers, which can be said to be a loss-making deal - at least the elimination of Sun Ce's old general Han Dang and nearly a thousand of Sun Ce's army made Tao, the deputy commander, feel that he had suffered a great loss.

  Relying on the Mongolian horse's abnormal endurance, Junzi Army returned to Guangling City on the night of September 9th. What made Tao Ying heave a sigh of relief was that Junzi Army's hard work over the past few days wasn't in vain. The people from neighboring Youguo and Jiangdu counties had all retreated into Guangling City, taking with them all the grain from the two county towns, leaving not a single grain or rice for Sun Ce's army, successfully completing the task of clearing the countryside. At the same time, the city defense of Guangling City was greatly improved, with all necessary fortifications and deep trenches dug, and water from the Zhongdu River was diverted to fill the moat, making it difficult for Sun Ce's siege engines and cloud ladders to approach directly.

  After entering Guangling City, Tao Yingxu first arranged for the injured Junzi Army officers and war horses to receive treatment from doctors and veterinarians. He then instructed the Xuzhou generals to prepare high-protein and vitamin-rich food for the Junzi Army officers. Only after that did he lead Ru Su to follow Zhang Yi back to the Guangling Governor's Mansion to discuss the next military situation. Upon returning to the governor's mansion, Tao, who was affectionate and kind-hearted, couldn't help but ask Zhang Yi about someone's situation: "General Zhang, why didn't Lin Qing's little girl come to welcome me back from my triumphant return?"

  "She originally came. Zhang Mou smiled and said: 'When she saw you safe and sound on the city tower, she went back to rest and said that as long as you didn't die, it would be fine, and she wouldn't have to worry about the trouble of collecting your body.'"

  "This little girl, really doesn't talk auspiciously." Tao Ying sighed with a bitter smile, having no way to deal with this arrogant girl, and temporarily put her matter aside, pulling Lu Su to introduce him to Zhang Yi. Lu Su and Zhang Yi exchanged polite greetings, formally becoming partners in crime.

  "Prince, how is it?" After exchanging pleasantries with Lu Su, Zhang Yu asked eagerly: "This time out on expedition, what were the results of the battle?"

  "Han Dang, one of Sun Jian's old subordinates, was killed. Sun Ce's army probably killed around 800 to 900 thousand people." Tao Ying replied lightly.

  "Killed Han Dang?" Zhang Fei exclaimed, "The Han Dang who accompanied Sun Jian in his great defeat of Dong Zhuo's army was killed by you, young master?"

  Tao Ying nodded, and then said seriously: "General Zhang, the outcome of the Junzi Army's battle is not important. What determines the defense of Guangling is still the six thousand infantry under your command. The upcoming city defense war will depend on you."

  "This you can be assured of, young master." Zhang Liao replied confidently: "The officers and men under my command may not be a match for Sun Ce's veterans in a field battle, but when it comes to defending a city, I have the confidence to take on Sun Ce himself."

  "General Zhang, forgive me for speaking bluntly, I dare not be careless." Tao Ying shook his head and said in a low voice: "The combat effectiveness and organizational ability of Sun Ce's army have been witnessed by me over the past few days. Honestly, it is far superior to our ordinary troops in Xuzhou. To put it bluntly, one soldier from Sun Ce's army can match three of our soldiers from Xuzhou in a field battle, and two of our soldiers in a siege! And when it comes to formation battles, 300 veteran soldiers from Sun Ce's army are enough to defeat our thousands of troops from Xuzhou!"

  "Is Sun Ce's young son really that formidable? Has the young master exaggerated?" Zhang Zhao asked with some surprise.

  "There is not a single exaggeration." Tao Ying shook his head and said seriously: "It's not that I'm boasting, but the fact that our army can remain calm and composed in the face of constant harassment and surprise attacks by the enemy, and still manage to adapt and respond accordingly, is truly rare in this world. Sun Ce's troops have not only achieved this, but they can also use the terrain to their advantage, launch counterattacks, and even create a new type of cavalry archer unit that can counter our own elite troops. Such an army and such a commander are truly one-of-a-kind. Our undisciplined and depleted Xu state army is really no match for them."

  Zhang Yu was still somewhat unconvinced, but considering that the main force of Xuzhou's army had been lost and two-thirds of the garrison in Guangling were surrendered soldiers from the rebel forces of Taishi Ci, both overall combat effectiveness and individual combat effectiveness would definitely not be comparable to Sun Ce's veteran troops. In the end, he reluctantly agreed with Tao Ying's point of view. Zhang Yu asked again: "Young Master, what do you think we should do in the defense of Guangling?"

  "The junior has been thinking deeply for several days, and after careful discussion with General Lu Su, we have decided to adjust the battle strategy of the Guangling defense war." Tao replied: "Firstly, the gentleman's army will change its original plan and temporarily not leave the city to entangle Sun Ce's forces, but instead stay in Guangling City to help the old general defend the city. Secondly, we will first win a small victory with certainty in the Guangling defense war, boost morale, and then devise a strategy to break through the city."

  "Win a small victory with certainty?" Zhang Yi was somewhat bewildered and couldn't help but say: "Young master, you're not being book-smart again, are you? Where in the world is there a battle that's guaranteed to be won? Moreover, as you've said yourself, Sun Ce's veteran troops of a hundred battles far surpass our Xuzhou army. To think we can definitely defeat them, isn't that even more difficult?"

  "Yes." Tao Ying smiled and said: "I and the military advisor have come up with a plan, which can definitely defeat Sun Ce, and also severely damage the veteran soldiers under his command."

  "What clever plan does the young master have? Can you enlighten me?" Zhang You asked curiously.

  "It's very simple." Tao Ying laughed and said: "Please ask General Zhang to send someone to secretly meet with Sun Ce, saying that you have been bullied by your juniors and are willing to surrender Guangling City to Sun Ce. Then, on a certain night, quietly open the north gate of Guangling and welcome Sun Ce's army into the city. Once Sun Ce's army enters the north gate of Guangling, we will immediately drop the thousand-jin iron gate and trap Sun Ce's vanguard inside the gate. We can then set fire to it and burn all of Sun Ce's troops to death."

  "Is Lord Sun going to pretend to surrender?" Zhang Zhao's eyes lit up, and he anxiously said: "Sun Ce is no ordinary person, can he easily believe that I will pretend to surrender?"

  "It's definitely possible!" Tao Ying waved his hand and said resolutely: "Firstly, Sun Ce has limited food and grass for his troops, and he has been delayed on the road for over ten days. He must be eager to capture Guangling City. If you pretend to surrender and offer the city, Sun Ce will surely be tempted! Secondly, you are an old general from Xuzhou, it's normal that you don't submit to a young newcomer like him. Your pretended surrender is reasonable, even if Sun Ce doesn't fully believe it, he'll think it's normal."

  "As for the third...". Saying this, Tao Ying smiled slightly and said: "I've also prepared something for General Cao to help you gain Sun Ce's trust. No matter how cunning and suspicious Sun Ce is, as long as he receives what you send him, he'll definitely believe that you're sincere in surrendering the city!"