My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 351 Deadlock
Sun Ce frowned as he looked at the Grand Historian banner fluttering high on the banks of the Qiantang River.

After leading the main force to the battlefield, he immediately took over command and reorganized an offensive, but still failed to achieve any success. What frustrated Sun Ce even more was that Gao Shun's troops had already suffered 35% casualties, but their combat strength had not decreased much.

The main reason was that Gao Shun's troops were extremely well-equipped, with three hundred sets of iron armor alone, as well as a large number of tower shields and halberds, coupled with powerful bows and crossbows. Although they suffered more than a thousand casualties, only more than three hundred died in battle. Among the remaining men, apart from more than four hundred seriously wounded, the lightly wounded were still able to help transport supplies, help load the bows and crossbows, and take care of the wounded.

In the most critical moment, even these hundreds of lightly wounded soldiers can don their armor and fight desperately.

Although Jia Kui's troops were not as strong as Gao Shun's troops, which had been reinforced with better weaponry, they had the advantage of having 50% more men. Despite suffering more casualties, Jia Kui was good at training his troops, and Liu Bei and his son used a combination of kindness and strictness, so they were able to hold on.

Sun Ce's army failed to break through after a long siege, and its own casualties were also considerable. Song Qian's troops, which were sent out as the main force, had already lost 30% of their strength, making them the most severely damaged of the three initial forces.

Huang Gai's and Rui Liang's units fared slightly better, but Huang Gai's unit still suffered nearly 20% casualties. On the contrary, Rui Liang's unit, which was the weakest in terms of combat strength, suffered the least losses, with only slightly more than 10% casualties. The reason for this was naturally that their fighting spirit was the weakest among the three units.

Although they didn't exactly flee in the face of battle, the casualties clearly speak volumes; they undoubtedly put the least pressure on the Southern Expeditionary Army.

Sun Ce regretted it somewhat. He should not have let Rui Liang go. If he had replaced him with Zhu Zhi, Sun Jing's troops would have had a good chance of achieving some success.

Even if he only severely injures Gao Shun, the situation he faces now will be much easier.

As Taishi Ci's troops continued to land, the Southern Expeditionary Army had a strength of 16,000 men, and even after deducting casualties, it still had at least 14,000 men.

Given the fighting strength of the Southern Expeditionary Army, it was clearly wishful thinking for him to defeat the enemy within an hour.

In the current situation, Sun Ce has the tactical advantage. In any case, he currently has 26,000 men (after deducting the more than 3,000 casualties), which is almost twice the size of the Southern Expeditionary Army's landing force.

Strategically, however, Sun Ce was already at a disadvantage.

In order to inflict heavy losses on the Southern Expeditionary Army on the banks of the Qiantang River, he even emptied the troops from Guling and Chaduzhai.

Although it's not yet a matter of life or death if they fail, if they do fail, Sun Ce's army will inevitably fall into a disadvantageous position, and may even be defeated in one fell swoop by the Southern Expeditionary Army, destroying the Qiantang defense line.

If Sun Ce had simply held the Qiantang defense line, it would have been a form of slow suicide, but he could have held it for more than six months.

This involves a geographical issue.

The battle between Sun Ce and Liu Feng actually took place near the mouth of the Qiantang River, not far from the sea, with some areas only a dozen miles away, including large areas of mudflats that become the ocean after high tide.

Even in the farthest places, it's only twenty or thirty miles away. But about twenty miles from the estuary, the Qiantang River suddenly turns downwards at an angle of almost 120 degrees, forming a small alluvial plain with an inward angle.

The main battlefield for the two armies was located in this small alluvial plain in the inner corner, which can be described as being surrounded by water on three sides.

Therefore, the entire battlefield was only a few miles wide, and the closer it got to the estuary, the muddier the land became, making it less and less suitable for combat.

From Sun Ce's perspective, the right side was the sea, the north side was the mouth of the Qiantang River, the west side was the Qiantang River making a sharp bend, and only the southeast side was land. The county seat of Yuji County was located about seventeen or eighteen li away.

If Sun Ce holds firm on the Qiantang River defense line, he will certainly not be able to withdraw troops from Guling, Chaduzhai, Gaoqiantun, and Yuji County.

In this way, Liu Feng's landing plan would have a failure rate of at least several times higher.

Not only would they be extremely easy to be discovered by Sun Ce's army, but after landing, they would also face multiple threats from Sun Ce's army. The garrison troops in Yuji County and Gaoqian Village could launch a surprise attack on them at any time, forcing them to deploy their forces on the mudflats and putting them in a dilemma.

This is the fundamental reason why Liu Feng insisted on luring Sun Ce into a decisive battle.

Now Sun Ce's entire army is focused on a decisive battle. Although Liu Feng's troops crossing the river have faced great risks and suffered considerable casualties, Sun Ce's forces are now engaged in a decisive battle.

The success rate of the troops that could bypass the enemy by sea was greatly increased, and they could easily occupy Yuji County, blocking the main route for Sun Ce's retreat. If they were bolder, they could even advance to the bend of the Qiantang River and completely cut off the retreat route of Sun Ce's army.

Now, Yuji County, Gaoqiantun, and Chaduzhai are all empty, and Zhao Yun's troops, who have circled around, pose almost no threat and can easily complete their mission.

If we can successfully surround Sun Ce's main force and win in one battle, the casualties in crossing the river to draw Sun Ce's main force will be negligible.

"Send word to my uncle, telling him to speed up and be on the battlefield by noon."

Sun Ce first issued an order urging Sun Jing behind him to speed up the march, and then said to Zhu Zhi, "Uncle, I intend to divide the army into two routes, left and right. I would like to trouble you to command the right route and transfer the three divisions of Han Dang, Han Yan, and Sun Xiu to you for command. I wonder if you would be willing to share the burden with me?"

Zhu Zhi held a very high position during Sun Jian's time, after all, his background was far superior to that of Cheng Pu and Han Dang.

In order to get Zhu Zhi to serve him, Sun Jian even used his precious quota of filial piety and incorruptibility on him without hesitation. Zhu Zhi did not disappoint Sun Jian and soon became one of Sun Jian's deputies.

During Sun Jian's reign, Zhu Zhi became a powerful figure in Sun Jian's army, capable of leading an army independently and going out to fight. This was much earlier than Sun Ben and Wu Jing, not to mention Xu Kun and Sun Xiang. As for Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and Han Dang, they were far behind.

After Sun Jian entered Luoyang, Tao Qian was still an ally of Yuan Shu. The million-strong Yellow Turban army in Qingzhou launched a massive invasion of Hebei, Yanzhou, and Xuzhou in three routes.

After receiving Tao Qian's request for help, Sun Jian dispatched Zhu Zhi as acting military commander, granting him special permission to lead infantry and cavalry to Xuzhou to assist in the battle.

This is a true veteran, and the opponent is the Xiliang army.

At present, Sun Ce only has two people he can appoint as his deputy: Zhu Zhi and Sun Jing.

After careful consideration, Sun Ce decided to send Zhu Zhi with fresh troops to the right flank. After all, Sun Jing had not yet arrived at the battlefield, and perhaps only by personally keeping him in check could Sun Jing and the Fuchun tribe soldiers give their all.

Sun Ce was worried that Sun Jing wouldn't be able to do his best, while Sun Jing was scolding her eldest son, Sun Gao.

The reason is simple: Sun Gao wants to betray them.

Sun Jian left his hometown very early, and thanks to his military achievements, he was appointed to a high-ranking official position with a salary of 2,000 shi (a unit of grain measure). Although he received much support from his hometown and family, he didn't have much affection for them.

Sun Ce never stayed in his hometown from childhood. He either followed Sun Jian in Changsha, or stayed in Yuzhou, and even spent several years in Shucheng, Lujiang. He also visited Jiangdu County in Guangling County, Xuzhou, but he never returned to his hometown.

Therefore, although he and Sun Gao were very close, they actually had no real feelings for each other.

Sun Gao wasn't stupid. He originally supported Sun Ce in the hope that Sun Ce could establish himself in Jiangdong. Now, even Wu Commandery has been lost, and Sun Ce is carrying out a massacre in Kuaiji. His actions and behavior made Sun Gao's heart tremble.

If Sun Ce had remained strong, perhaps these issues would have faded away with time. But now Sun Ce is clearly out of favor; Liu Zheng from the north is terrifyingly powerful, having conquered the entire Wu Commandery in just four months. Although Fuchun County remains unconquered, it's clear to everyone that Liu Feng doesn't want it, not that he can't obtain it.

Sun Gao was quite agitated. While traveling, he quietly approached his father, Sun Jing, wanting to persuade him to make more preparations.

Sun Jing was taken aback at first, then flew into a rage.

Sun Jing did not vehemently criticize Sun Gao because he was loyal to Sun Ce; in fact, Sun Jing's attitude had always been that of a fence-sitter.

In the original timeline, Sun Ce stationed his troops north of the Qiantang River for a full six months, launching numerous attacks, all of which were repelled by the Kuaiji army.

At this time, Sun Jing left the mountain and went to Qiantang to tell Sun Ce the secret of the Chadu Ancient Road.

It is evident that the relationship between Sun Jing and Sun Ce was actually quite delicate.

The nephew arrived at the north bank of the Qiantang River, only a little over a hundred li from Fuchun, and fought fiercely for half a year without ever returning home. The uncle, who clearly had a winning strategy, watched his nephew waste resources and cause soldiers to die in vain on the north bank of the Qiantang River, without even going to find his nephew.

Furthermore, after Sun Ce's death, Sun Gao immediately wanted to establish himself, which shows that Sun Jing's lineage was quite ambitious. Moreover, in the beginning, they also regarded Sun Ce as a platform for their rise to power and were waiting for a good price to sell him.

Sun Jing's harsh criticism of Sun Gao stemmed from her disappointment in her eldest son's abilities.

At this time, how could they be so fickle? It was the Fuchun Sun family who took the initiative to come and join Sun Ce. If they ran away now, the Sun Jing lineage would have no reputation left. To betray such a close branch of the family so easily, in the Eastern Han Dynasty, an era that placed great importance on reputation, was tantamount to social suicide.

Sun Jing was furious that Sun Gao's view of the problem was so short-sighted.

Sun Jing had considered contingency plans, but definitely not now, nor could she consider them now.

In this battle, Sun Jing not only had to fight, but he had to devote all his strength to fighting for Sun Ce.

Only in this way, regardless of the outcome of this battle, will Sun Jing have the right to prepare a backup plan.

"Stop talking nonsense, you will be the vanguard in this battle."

Seeing the dejected Sun Gao, Sun Jing's heart softened, and she explained to him, "We have only been under Bo Fu's command for a little over a month, and we are relatives. Bo Fu has never mistreated us. If we rebel now, we will immediately be disloyal, unfilial, and unjust. At that time, how many of the Fuchun clan soldiers do you think will still follow you and my son?"

Sun Gao was startled, realizing that he had been too simplistic in his thinking and hadn't even noticed this point.

All he could think about was that by betraying them now, he could save the Fuchun tribe soldiers. In that case, wouldn't he be their savior?
Now, after hearing what Sun Jingyi said, he suddenly realized that what his father said was probably the real reality.

Overwhelmed with shame, Sun Gao said, "Father, your son..."

"Alright, let's not talk about it anymore. Let's just leave it at that."

Sun Jing stopped the other party and then comforted him, saying, "You will be the first to fight for my unit in this battle. Do your best and don't disappoint your father."

Listening to his father's earnest teachings, Sun Gao's eyes reddened, and he replied in a hoarse voice, "Yes!"

Sun Ce's army numbered nearly 30,000 men, and their marching column could stretch for 30 to 50 li (approximately 15-25 kilometers). Even if they marched in two columns, they could still stretch for more than 10 li (approximately 5 kilometers).

As the rearguard, Sun Jing was naturally the last to set off, and at this time she was still more than a mile away from the battlefield.

Soon, Sun Ce's cavalry arrived and were ordered to quickly insert themselves into the right flank of Sun Ce's main force, under Sun Ce's personal command.

At this moment, fierce fighting broke out again on the front lines.

Sun Ce changed his tactics, no longer launching a full-scale attack. He used Huang Gai, Song Qian, and Cheng Pu's troops, which had retreated some distance due to Taishi Ci's landing, to hold back Jia Kui's troops. Then, he added fresh troops to the battlefield, joined forces with Rui Liang's troops, and first launched a full-scale attack on Gao Shun.

Ideally, Gao Shun should be defeated directly. If that's not possible, it's hoped that Gao Shun can be forced to retreat, thus reducing the overall space of the Southern Expeditionary Army.

The Kuaiji army was able to repel Sun Ce several times by relying on this tactic, along with threatening the enemy's retreat route with their navy.

Although Sun Ce no longer has a navy to threaten the retreat route of the Southern Expeditionary Army, as long as the enemy's space is compressed, the situation will not get worse, because after Taishi Ci landed, he has almost occupied the best terrain.

If the Southern Expeditionary Army were to continue landing and reinforcing its troops, the only available areas would be the land near the sea. Although this land was not a mudflat, it was clearly too loose, with small pits under every step, increasing the chance of slipping.

Taishi Ci could not stand idly by and watch Gao Shun be besieged, so he immediately ordered Jia Kui to do everything in his power to protect Gao Shun's troops.

At the same time, he boldly dispatched a thousand elite men, equipped with large shields, long halberds, and crossbows, to press towards Cheng Pu.

At this time, the battle took place in the central area, 300 meters to the right of Gao Shun's troops, which is the bend of the Qiantang River.

Cheng Pu still rushed in through this passage, threatening Jia Kui's side and back.

If it weren't for Cheng Pu's presence, which tied up a lot of Jia Kui's energy and manpower, Jia Kui's support for Gao Shun could have been even stronger.

At this point, Taishi Ci's priority was to help Jia Kui remove this obstacle.

Taishi Ci's surprise attack immediately put Cheng Pu in a very difficult position.

His orders were to continue to hold Jia Kui back, but Taishi Ci's surprise troops could arrive in less than a quarter of an hour. With cavalry against halberds, and the enemy also having large shields and powerful bows and crossbows, even if Cheng Pu risked his life, he might not be able to win. Moreover, cavalry was precious and could not be wasted here at any time.

Therefore, Cheng Pu had no choice but to order a retreat.

Currently, neither Gao Shun nor Jia Kui are able to block the river passage, which allows Cheng Pu to come and go freely.

Once Gao Shun and Jia Kui make their move, the riverside passage will be blocked. At that point, if Cheng Pu wants to retreat, he will have to pass between Taishi Ci and Jia Kui's formations and detour around to the west of the formation to return.

Putting aside how much wasted horsepower it is to take such a long detour, the dangers involved are terrifyingly high.

(End of this chapter)