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Chapter 697: The Vigilantly Guarded Yizhou Army
🕑 Added 2024-10-04 05:09:14 +0000 UTC"Our army is clearly blocked now, and as for whether the strategic objective has become problematic, that's not important. We've already occupied a considerable amount of territory—are you suggesting we just abandon it?" Zheng Du retorted discontentedly.
"Our goal should be to take Hanzhong, not to dawdle here!" Zhang Song argued, glaring at Zheng Du. "Moreover, if we ally with Xuande Gong to destroy Yuan Shu, we can reestablish the trend of the Three Shepherds guarding the Yangtze River. This way, as long as the three of us stand together, the Han dynasty will not fall!"
Zheng Du was taken aback, feeling the urge to curse. He had never cared much for the Han dynasty, serving only as a minister to Liu Zhang to further his interests. Who cared about the fate of the Han? And as for Zhang Song's talk of mutual defense and preserving the Han dynasty—who believed that nonsense?
Zheng Du's spiritual ability, in essence, was a keen understanding of reason. This ability was incredibly powerful in that it allowed him to see through the essence of things. Simply put, it let Zheng Du perceive situations clearly without the influence of human emotions, making him exceptionally adept at pinpointing key strategies.
Of course, speaking of Zheng Du’s spiritual ability, one must also mention Fa Zheng’s. Fa Zheng’s ability was to understand human hearts. If these two ever faced off, Zheng Du, even with his "golden finger," would be thoroughly outmatched—simply because Fa Zheng’s ability perfectly countered Zheng Du’s.
With such a spiritual ability, Zheng Du knew well that at this point, the priority was not capturing Hanzhong; the real concern was the territory they had already seized. Some things, once touched, cannot be easily abandoned.
Zhang Song noticed Zheng Du’s twitching expression and felt a bit embarrassed. The rhetoric he was using was the same stuff he usually used to placate Liu Zhang, and now, saying it in front of these three, even though Yan Yan might not notice, there was no way Zheng Du and Liu Ba would buy into it.
After that exchange, Zhang Song, Zheng Du, and Liu Ba all fell silent. Yan Yan, sensing an opportunity, cleared his throat. "Ahem, well, I think we’ve come too far to turn back now. Zhang Biejia has made some good points, and so has Zichu. Why don't we observe the situation first and try to make contact with potential allies?"
Yan Yan was clearly trying to smooth things over. There wasn’t much else he could do—these three weren’t easy to deal with. The fact that their advance had been so smooth so far was not only due to Yan Yan’s own formidable strength but also because these three strategists were all highly capable.
"Alright, I’ll go see if I can talk to the local tribes and perhaps borrow some troops," Liu Ba conceded. He had noticed that, among the three of them, his presence was the weakest—probably because his spiritual ability was better suited for internal development rather than strategy.
"Fine. Zichu, you take charge of the battle. I’ll see if I can connect with Xuande Gong and arrange for a three-way alliance to destroy Yuan Shu," Zhang Song grumbled. He was realizing that in terms of warfare, he was no match for the ruthless Zheng Du. His spiritual ability was more focused on strategic planning, not on the direct confrontation that Zheng Du thrived in.
Once the two somewhat frustrated individuals left, Zheng Du began discussing how to deal with Sun Ce with Yan Yan. Compared to Liu Ba’s cautious approach, Zheng Du’s strategy was much bolder, relying on their high morale to propose a direct confrontation to blunt Sun Ce’s advance.
"A head-on clash?" Yan Yan frowned after hearing Zheng Du’s proposal. This hardly seemed like a strategy at all. Despite their string of victories, Yan Yan didn’t underestimate the enemy in the slightest—his decades of experience as a general made him far more cautious than younger commanders.
"We should engage them to gauge the difference between this force and the ones we've faced before. If they're similar, a decisive battle could settle it. But if they're stronger, we'll need to be prepared," Zheng Du explained seriously.
Upon learning that this force was led by Sun Ce, Zheng Du knew they were dealing with a formidable opponent. After all, Sun Ce was Yuan Shu’s appointed heir—losing another one due to inadequate protection would be unthinkable.
Zheng Du wanted to test Sun Ce’s forces first, to see just how strong they were before committing to a full strategy. Without understanding the enemy’s strength, he felt uneasy proceeding.
"But we can’t just rush into a night attack, right?" Zheng Du sighed, deliberately baiting Yan Yan into a trap.
"Actually, that’s not a bad idea. Even if it doesn’t yield a significant victory, it would give them a strong warning," Yan Yan responded decisively.
"Their defenses will be tight. After all, this is Yuan Shu’s heir we’re talking about—their precautions will be far more stringent than those of the forces we've faced before," Zheng Du shook his head. "But since you’re against it, maybe we should focus on capturing Badong and wait for them to come to us."
Following Zheng Du’s suggestion, Yan Yan moved to capture Badong, quickly taking control. By the time Sun Ce’s forces arrived in the area, Yan Yan had already secured the mountain passes and choke points, ready to observe Sun Ce’s military capabilities up close.
Faced with the stubborn tactics of the Yizhou army, Pang Tong was at a loss. The enemy not only had the advantage in numbers but was also fully committed to a defensive strategy, showing none of the arrogance typical of victors.
"Report! The Yizhou army is challenging us to battle, and General Sun has already ridden out!" A messenger rushed into Pang Tong’s tent, shouting.
"What?" Pang Tong was startled and quickly mounted his horse, fearing that Sun Ce might have walked into an ambush.
To his relief, when he arrived, he saw that Sun Ce had not pursued the enemy with his full force. Instead, he was engaged in a fierce duel with an older general, who looked to be around fifty. The two fought with great vigor, their weapons clashing in a display of raw power. However, it was clear that Sun Ce, due to his youth, was at a slight disadvantage in terms of strength.
[That must be the enemy’s commander, Yan Yan. His strength is indeed formidable. Among my lord’s generals, the only one who could surely defeat him is Zhou Yu, who is currently in Shouchun. This man commands his troops with strict discipline, is cautious in battle, and is supported by three capable strategists—truly a troublesome foe!] Pang Tong thought, frowning as he watched Yan Yan.
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