My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 154 Escape

After resting for seven or eight days, Yuan Shu's army in Jiangdu, under the close surveillance of the Xuzhou and Yangzhou armies, actually began to retreat.

The first to leave was Qiao Rui's unit, with the remaining five or six thousand men beginning their first wave of retreat, along with the wounded from various other units. The Xuzhou army was more polite, only sending cavalry to observe.

The Yangzhou army completely abandoned all pretense, with small boats following closely behind the fleet, and even occasionally daring to get close enough to observe the fleet's waterline and spy on the crew.

In the past, Yuan Shu's army would never have tolerated such humiliation.

However, the first batch of retreating Qiao Rui's troops had lost all morale and were lifeless, so they just let them go.

The Yangzhou army, never one to back down, became even more emboldened, rowing their small boats and following Qiao Rui's troops all the way to Liyang.

After that, Yuan Shu's army began to withdraw its troops continuously, each time withdrawing several thousand men.

Soon, only three or four thousand people remained in Jiangdu.

This figure was derived from analysis and estimation by the Xuzhou and Yangzhou armies, supplemented by intelligence, and is unlikely to be wrong.

Moreover, Jiangdu City is so small that it can't hold many troops.

Even if there are one or two thousand more people, what use will it be?

If 30,000 men can't defeat 10,000 Xuzhou troops, how can we expect 1,000 or 2,000 men to turn the tables and kill the Xuzhou troops? Isn't that just wishful thinking?
After seeing that Yuan Shu had indeed withdrawn his troops, peace returned to the Yangtze River region, and the focus shifted from the Jiangdu and Dantu line back to the Liyang and Niuzhu line.

On the advice of many strategists, Liu Yao also began to send the elite troops transferred from the front line back to the Niuzhu defense line to prevent Yuan Shu from launching a surprise attack on Niuzhu.

Just as Liu Yao and others had predicted, Yuan Shu's army in Liyang did not remain quiet for long. They secretly launched a large-scale offensive, mobilizing a full 20,000 men to raid Niuzhu.

Fortunately, the Niuzhu defense line remained strong, and generals such as Fan Neng and Zhang Ying did not become complacent, successfully repelling Yuan Shu's sneak attack.

Liu Yao was overjoyed and at the same time began to transfer troops from Dantu to reinforce Niuzhu. After all, the reinforcements on the other side of the river were likely to number between 25,000 and 35,000, while Niuzhu only had 10,000 men. The disparity in troop strength was so great that it was hard to feel at ease.

After the reinforcements arrived, the Niuzhu defense line stabilized. Seeing that the Niuzhu defense line was impregnable and there was no opportunity to attack, Yuan Shu's army on the opposite bank also quieted down again.

At first glance, it seems that the entire Jiangdong region has returned to peace, and all forces are now recuperating.

The Xuzhou army also held a meeting regarding the Jiangdu issue.

Should we use the secret passage to retake Jiangdu?

To be honest, even Liu Feng was still somewhat hesitant on this issue.

It seems that Yuan Shu's army intends to abandon Guangling; otherwise, they wouldn't have left only a few thousand men and sent the rest of the army home.

With only a few thousand people guarding Jiangdu, they can only be more cautious in their defense than proactive in their endeavors.

If there's no room for progress, what's the point of preserving this small town of Jiangdu?
The greatest role of Jiangdu was to serve as a foothold, to open a gap in Guangling, and then to plot against Guangling city, and even Guangling prefecture, or at least to stabilize the counties of Tangyi.

Now that Yuan Shu's army has retreated, counties such as Tangyi have sent congratulatory messages to the Xuzhou army, appearing to be loyal ministers and filial sons.

In the battle at Guangling, the Xuzhou army, outnumbered, launched a proactive attack with its back to the city, and the victory in defeating a part of Yuan Shu's army had already become widely known.

The news of Yuan Shu's main army withdrawing undoubtedly further confirms the authenticity of the previous news.

As a result, apart from Jiangdu, the three counties of Tangyi, Yuxian, and Hailing were in complete panic.

The more comfortable they felt while playing the fence, the more panicked they became at this moment, not to mention that they had leaned more towards Yuan Shu's army while playing the fence.

The three counties of Tangyi hurriedly sent envoys to Guangling County to sound out the Xuzhou army's intentions.

Liu Feng directly stated that he would not hold grudges. Although these counties had initially remained neutral and did not directly side with the Xuzhou army, Liu Feng said that this was understandable.

As long as they obey the state government and pay taxes honestly in the future, the Xuzhou army will forgive and forget their past transgressions.

So, these counties plundered their granaries, raising 110,000 coins, 600 shi of grain, and dozens of pigs and sheep, which were then sent to Guangling City, where Liu Feng distributed them all as rewards to the Xuzhou army.

Everyone wanted to reclaim Jiangdu, firstly to unify the state, and secondly to form a complete defensive depth.

Otherwise, Guangling is only twenty miles outside the city, which is enemy territory, and it doesn't seem safe at all.

But when it came to actually taking action, everyone was somewhat reluctant.

Yuan Shu's army has already withdrawn. If we attack Jiangdu now, the siege will be troublesome and dangerous. More importantly, it will easily attract Yuan Shu's army back, which would just be using it as a shield for the Yangzhou army.

More importantly, Yuan Shu's army only left behind two or three thousand men, which doesn't seem like a desperate defense of Jiangdu.

Perhaps after some time, the other party will even take the initiative to give up Jiangdu.

After all, for Yuan Shu's side, Jiangdu was an isolated city, surrounded by enemy forces.

If they had superior military strength, they would naturally be a bridgehead for expanding their territory. But now that they are being thoroughly defeated by the Xuzhou army, they have turned into a dead end where they are courting death.

After discussing it for a while, they decided to play it safe and not go to Jiangdu for the time being. Anyway, there was a secret passage, so they would wait for news from the north. They didn't know how their father was doing.

Moreover, Yuan Shu might actually abandon Jiangdu, and wouldn't the Xuzhou army benefit from that?
One night, just when everyone thought that all was well, the city gates of Jiangdu suddenly opened, and men with gags in their mouths and horses with their hooves wrapped in cloth were pushed out of the water gate in large numbers. Some rafts had warhorses standing on them, which were tied to small boats, while others had soldiers standing on them, who rowed themselves.

Several thousand people set off silently from Jiangdu and crossed the Yangtze River.

At the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), in Dantu City on the opposite bank, a group of chivalrous heroes gathered together, preparing to do something big.

These people were gathered in a house near the city gate of Dantu North Gate. They were all burly and fierce-looking, and were all local ruffians or wandering knights. They were gathered here by a burly man.

It was still far from dawn, but these heroes were already up, their expressions excited. They ate the leftover rice they had prepared the night before, while whispering amongst themselves. Beside them were their weapons, clearly indicating that the important matter they were about to undertake at daybreak was far from ordinary.

As the sky gradually brightened, the city gates of Dantu slowly opened.

People inside the city needed to go out to run errands, while farmers outside needed to come into the city to sell their vegetables and fruits.

This seemed like the start of a peaceful, ordinary day.

A caravan suddenly appeared in the distance, attracting the attention of the soldiers guarding the city.

However, these county soldiers were not on high alert; rather, their eyes lit up, as if they were seeing a good opportunity for a new life.

Unlike in later TV dramas, city gate checkpoints weren't simply placed at the city entrance. In case of an emergency, the city gates wouldn't have time to react.

After all, only important towns have suspended gates. Dantu, a small place, is near the sea but doesn't even have a moat, so it's impossible for it to have a suspended gate.

Therefore, the city gate checkpoint was set up 100 meters away from the city gate, and all personnel had to pass through this checkpoint before they could enter the city gate.

When the caravan approached, they obediently stopped and lined up.

The old soldier's eyes shone even brighter as he looked at the deep ruts.

Just as the caravan was approaching the checkpoint, the lead carriage suddenly went out of control. The horses went berserk and charged through the checkpoint, heading straight for the city gate.

The coachman on the carriage pulled on the reins and shouted for people to make way.

Upon seeing this, the caravan quickly dispatched two knights, one to the left and one to the right, to circle around the front of the carriage and help the driver control the mad horse.

The soldiers in front of the city gate immediately scattered and made way for both sides of the city gate.

With only one full meal a month, who would dare risk their life to stop the maddened carriages and horses?

Unexpectedly, the carriage stopped inside the city gate, and the two riders grabbed their bows and began shooting at the soldiers by the city gate.

Caught off guard, the soldiers inside the city gate were all struck by arrows and fell to the ground, utterly powerless to resist.

The soldiers on both sides of the city gate hurriedly sought cover while shouting warnings.

"Enemy attack! It's the enemy!"

"Close the city gates!"

The other soldiers of the Yangzhou army then realized that it was not a merchant caravan, but the enemy.

While shouting to warn their comrades, they tried to band together and escape back into the city to close the city gates.

As soon as the two knights attacked, attacks were launched simultaneously both inside and outside the city.

A cloud of dust rose in the distance, indicating that enemy reinforcements were coming. The caravan members drew their weapons from the carts, scattered the guards at the checkpoint, and rushed straight for the city gate.

Many county soldiers had poured out of the city to reinforce those outside and to remove the carriage from the city gate so that the gate could be closed.

Just then, fires broke out in various parts of the city, causing panic and confusion among the county soldiers, who thought the enemy had already entered the city. At the same time, dozens of chivalrous heroes suddenly appeared at the city gate. These people worked together from the inside and outside to welcome the merchant caravan outside the city. More than a hundred people defended the city gate, which was not something that a mere few hundred county soldiers could break through.

When the army arrived from afar, the county soldiers scattered in panic, and Dantu County was successfully captured.

Seeing that Dantu had been captured so easily, Sun Ce was overjoyed.

He shook off the frustration he had suffered in Guangling and said with great enthusiasm, "Send a letter to Li Yang and tell them to come and reinforce us immediately. I want to take Qu'a and capture Liu Yao alive."

"Yes, my lord!"

The generals around him responded in unison, and then each led their troops to clear the city walls.

Sun Ce then went to meet the heroes who had acted as his inside agents.

These heroes were all from Dantu County. They had previously gone to Liyang to join him. Because they were from Dantu, Sun Ce specially selected them, comforted them with kind words, and sent them back.

This time, they made a great contribution by suddenly launching an attack in the city, setting fire to houses, causing turmoil, and then cooperating with Sun Ce's vanguard to seize the city gate.

Sun Ce invited them to his presence and rewarded them handsomely on the spot.

The leading hero was named Sun Liang, a distant relative of Sun Ce. Upon seeing Sun Ce, he immediately bowed and paid his respects.

Sun Ce stepped forward and helped him up: "Brave warrior, you dared to risk your life to open the way and seize the gate for my army. You have made outstanding contributions and deserve more than just rewards. I intend to appoint you as the commander of Qujun. All the brave warriors who performed this righteous act today will be incorporated into the army and remain your subordinates. You may recommend officials based on their merits, and I will grant them all."

Sun Liang was overjoyed and quickly kowtowed to Sun Ce in gratitude: "Thank you, General! I will never forget your kindness and will serve you to the death!"

Sun Liang was just a decent man from a respectable family. Although he had some family property, he had no way to advance his career.

He had always idolized Sun Jian, which is why when Sun Ce raised the banner of the Sun family in Liyang, he abandoned his family and business and took his confidants to Liyang to join Sun Ce.

When Sun Ce comforted and persuaded him to return, although he followed Sun Ce's advice, he still felt somewhat awkward. Especially after returning, he had to restrain himself when faced with the well-intentioned or malicious inquiries from his fellow villagers and neighbors.

However, everything was reported at this moment.

General Sun actually appointed himself as the Marquis of Qu Army, which is a mid-level military officer position.

Sun Liang's best hope was to become a platoon leader, which would already be considered a promotion of three ranks for him. If he had stayed in Liyang instead of returning to Dantu, even with his strength and several trusted followers, he would have only ever been a squad leader.

Not to mention that General Sun also gave him the power to report his merits, so he could arrange official positions for his brothers and not worry about being sidelined by his subordinates once they were in the army.

This trip was definitely worth it!
After calming down Sun Liang and the others, Sun Ce entered Dantu.

The houses that had just been set on fire in the city have all been extinguished, and the people have all retreated back into their houses, too afraid to come out.

Sun Ce, however, looked relaxed and instructed the secretary beside him: "Quickly write a proclamation to reassure the people, informing them that the Sun family has returned and that we will not harm them in any way, so that they need not worry and can continue their business as usual."

Sun Ce's crossing of the river under the moonlight and capture of Dantu was like a bomb, blasting the recently pacified Jiangdong into a huge vortex once again.

Liu Yao, who was in Qu'a, was shocked and could hardly believe the reports from the scouts. He sent out several waves of cavalry, but the reports were all the same.

Dantu has fallen, and the city is flying Sun Ce's banner.

"How is this possible?"

Liu Yao truly lost his composure this time. Although his rational mind knew that these things were true, he couldn't convince himself to accept them emotionally.

Despite all our precautions, how did we manage to let that brat Sun Ce enter Jiangdong?

To make matters worse, Dantu is less than 20 li from Qu'a, even closer than Jiangdu is to Guangling.

Although Qu'a immediately closed its city gates and imposed martial law upon receiving the news, Xue Li and Zuo Rong, who were on swift cavalry from Moling, and the Niuzhu defense line were ordered to quickly recall their elite troops to block Sun Ce.

Qu'a currently only has two thousand men, which is enough to defend the city with the able-bodied men in the city. However, if they were to go out into the open to fight, it would be better to just surrender to Sun Ce.

"My lord, Qu'a is no longer a safe place; we cannot stay here for long."

Xu Shao was recuperating when he heard the news of the incident, and he had no choice but to get up and attend the court meeting. He and Liu Yao had originally planned to go to Xuzhou to talk to Liu Xuande and see if they could form an alliance.

Firstly, he was physically unable to set off, and secondly, he had heard that Liu Bei was not in Tancheng, so he delayed his departure and had not yet been able to set off. Now, he was caught in a sneak attack by Sun Ce.

Upon learning that Sun Ce had already occupied Dantu with no less than three thousand troops, he immediately urged Liu Yao to abandon the city and leave, or perhaps leave a general to defend it. In short, Liu Yao had to leave as soon as possible.

Otherwise, if Sun Ce were to surround Qu'a, things would be disastrous.

Xu Shao did not believe that a mere two thousand county soldiers could withstand Sun Ce's ferocious Sun Jian troops.

If Sun Ce dares to launch a reckless attack on Qu'a regardless of the cost, Liu Yao will only have two options: capture or suicide.

Although fleeing Qu'a would cause a major upheaval in the entire Wu County and have a devastating impact, there is still hope for a turnaround.

For now, we can only choose the lesser of two evils.

Although Liu Yao lost his composure, he was a man of strong character, and even though the person who persuaded him was Xu Shao, he was still somewhat unwilling to back down.

What difference is there between leaving Qu'a at this time and being a stray dog?

Xu Shao looked at Sun Shao and the others.

The latter all realized what was happening and rushed forward to offer their advice.

Sun Shao was the first to speak out, supporting Xu Shao: "My lord, a wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall. I think what you say is very true. For now, we should consider this carefully."

Teng Dan solemnly advised, "Indeed, my lord. Even for the sake of the people and officials of the six counties of Jiangdong, you should leave Qu'a. Sun Bofu is a wolf in sheep's clothing and the son of Sun Wentai. We must be wary of what happened to Wang Tongyao of Jingzhou and Zhang Ziyi of Nanyang in the past."

As soon as Teng Dan said this, everyone present was reminded of the glorious achievements of the butcher Sun Wentai.

Whether it was Wang Rui or Wang Tongyao, or Zhang Zi or Zhang Ziyi, which one of them wasn't a famous scholar known throughout the world?

But the butcher still chopped him down without hesitation.

Sun Bofu, that little beast, is only twenty years old, yet he has already forced the Lu family patriarch, Lu Kang, a famous scholar from Jiangdong, to his death in Lujiang. He is a living Sun Jian. Who would dare to bet that he wouldn't dare to harm Liu Yao?

Even if he didn't want to kill Liu Yao, Yuan Shu, who was behind him, had long wanted to put Liu Yao to death.

"My lord, we should hurry westward. Ze Rong and Xue Li are not on good terms. Without your mediation, how can we gather a large army, launch a counterattack on Dantu, and drive Sun Ce into the sea?"

Teng Zhou even used the bigger picture to persuade him.

At this moment, Liu Yao was actually quite flustered. Despite his strong character, who wouldn't value their life?
He looked up at the sky and sighed, "If that's the case, then I can only head west for now. But who should I entrust with guarding Qu'a?"

Everyone present avoided Liu Yao's gaze.

Liu Yao himself hoped that the virtuous and capable men present would step forward and volunteer to guard Qu'a, so that he could lead the reinforcements back.

The virtuous men present were virtuous because they were clearly self-aware, and they thought, "If you, Liu Yao, don't want to die, do we want to die?"
Of course, we should all go together.

Seeing that no one was willing to step forward, Liu Yao sighed inwardly, but he didn't blame anyone. He was just a little worried, though, as he couldn't just give up Qu'a directly.

At the critical moment, Xu Shao came to Liu Yao's rescue: "Zhao Fan, the Sima of Qu'a, is quite brave and strong, and can be used. Why not leave him to guard the city?"

After a moment's thought, Liu Yao nodded in agreement.

At noon that day, Liu Yao led 500 personal guards and troops out of Qu'a through the west gate, went to Jurong, headed to Moling, and joined Xue Li.

Meanwhile, Zhao Fan, the military commander, was left to lead 2,500 soldiers to guard the city.

Sun Ce did not know how many troops Qu'a had, so he dared not make any rash moves.

Having captured Dantu, victory was assured, so they simply dispatched scouts to investigate the surrounding area.

If Sun Ce had known that there were only three thousand men in Qu'a, including Liu Yao's troops, he probably would have besieged the city and trapped Liu Yao inside.

After Liu Yao fled, the news continued to spread and reached all corners of the country.

Guangling County has also received the news.

Upon hearing that Sun Ce had secretly crossed the Yangtze River and launched a surprise attack on Dantu, Liu Feng immediately realized that something was definitely wrong in Jiangdu. He hurriedly ordered scouts to be dispatched to Jiangdu to investigate.

At the same time, a meeting was held with all the generals to discuss the matter.

(End of this chapter)