My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 352 Gan Ning Challenges
Standing atop the city wall of Yuji County, Zhou Bin shouted to his men, "Immediately send men to the central army to report to General Zhao that our troops have captured Yuji and the city is now at peace. Our troops are in Yuji County, awaiting your next orders."

Zhou Bin's force numbered only a thousand men. He was sent as the vanguard to capture Yuji County, but unexpectedly, Yuji County had already been emptied out by Sun Ce, leaving only a hundred defenders.

When Zhou Bin's army arrived at the city gates, the local gentry and powerful families in Yuji County didn't even need to rebel; the hundred garrison soldiers simply opened the city gates to welcome the Southern Expeditionary Army.

It's no wonder that the hundred garrison soldiers defected. Anyone with a brain would have realized that Sun Ce was in deep trouble when they saw the large contingent of the Southern Expeditionary Army in Yuji County.

Moreover, these hundred garrison soldiers were not loyal followers of the Sun family, nor were they even soldiers from Wu Commandery. They were surrendered soldiers recruited by Sun Ce in Kuaiji, and their loyalty was already extremely low. How could they withstand such a test?

After Zhou Bin entered the city, he posted notices to reassure the people, sealed off various warehouses, and took inventory of the grain and fodder.

As a transit point in Shanyin, Yuji County also had a considerable amount of grain stored up, with 130,000 shi of grain in the government granaries, enough for Zhao Yun's army to use for half a year.

According to Zhou Bin's report, Zhao Yun's troops are heading towards the banks of the Qiantang River to block Sun Ce's retreat and completely annihilate Sun Ce on the banks of the Qiantang River.

Xu Huang led a thousand elite cavalrymen to clear the way, and specially selected one hundred elite scouts, providing them with two horses each, specifically tasked with capturing and killing Sun Ce's scouts.

The operation was a great success. When Zhao Yun's main force appeared behind Sun Ce and blocked the two best roads, Sun Ce had just learned that the Southern Expeditionary Army had appeared behind him.

"How can it be!?"

For the first time, Sun Ce's handsome face completely lost its composure. He stepped forward and actually lifted the scout kneeling in front of him with one hand.

"A large army has appeared behind us, and Yu Ji's whereabouts are unknown?"

"Yes...yes, General. The Southern Expeditionary Army has banners bearing the names of Zhao, Xu, Dong, and Gan, and its numbers range from at least eight thousand to over ten thousand."

The scout's face was deathly pale. Even after being dragged by Sun Ce, he still managed to recount the information he knew in fits and starts.

Sun Ce's face drained of color, and he turned to look at the front of the battlefield.

At this time, Taishi Ci had forced Cheng Pu to retreat and successfully established contact with Jia Kui's troops, echoing each other from afar. Meanwhile, Gao Shun's troops at the forefront remained like a hedgehog, unmoved by Sun Ce's army's onslaught.

If Sun Ce's army were to retreat now, they would inevitably be pursued relentlessly by the enemy, suffering heavy losses.

Meanwhile, on the opposite bank of the Qiantang River, a large number of soldiers of the Southern Expeditionary Army were hurrying to board ships. It was clear that the next wave of reinforcements would arrive on the south bank in no more than a quarter of an hour.

"What about Chadu Village? What about Gaoqian Village?"

Sun Ce gripped the scout's hand even tighter, making it difficult for the man to breathe, which showed how bad Sun Ce's mood was.

His officers, including Sun Jing, Chen Wu, and Yuan Xiong, were also pale-faced, their eyes fixed on the scout. They, too, wanted to know the answer.

The scout hesitated for a moment before replying, "We haven't received any news from Chadu Village or Gaoqian Village, nor have we seen any smoke signals rising."

Due to troop redeployment, both Chadu Village and Gaoqian Village only had 500 men each, making it virtually impossible for them to hold out against a large army attack.

However, Chadu Village and Gaoqian Village are both quite a distance from Yuji, and it would take at least a day of forced marching to reach them.

In this way, Sun Ce arranged these two beacon fires. If they encountered the enemy, they only needed to light the beacon fires and hold out until the beacon fires sent a message, then they could surrender and be rewarded without any punishment.

Sun Ce predicted that Liu Feng's most likely strategy would be to divide his forces and take the Chadu Ancient Road. As long as there were warning signals, they wouldn't have to worry about being surrounded.

Even though no signal fires were raised, Sun Ce still deployed a hundred cavalry sentries, both overt and covert, along the way, going to great lengths and trying every possible method.

This is to prevent such a desperate situation from happening again.

But now there are no warnings from Chadu Village and Gaoqian Village, and no warnings from the sentries along the way. It is likely that the Southern Expeditionary Army did not take the Chadu Ancient Road. Could it be that the enemy has wings and flew over here?

Suddenly, Sun Ce's face stiffened, and he asked in a hoarse voice, "Has there been any news from the scouts along the coast?"

The scout leader shook his head and asked doubtfully, "It's all mudflats and silt there. How can a large army land there?"

Sun Ce released his grip, throwing the man to the ground, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Fool! If we didn't land there, did you all grow wings and fly over here?!"

Sun Ce had figured it out: unless this sudden army that was conquering the south could fly, it could only have come from the sea. Although he didn't know what method they used, they must have successfully landed on the mudflats.

"Bo Fu, now is the time to make a decision."

Sun Jing, who had remained silent until now, spoke up: "The issue right now is not how the Southern Expeditionary Army got here, but what we should do."

Upon hearing this, Sun Ce looked up at the sky, then closed his eyes and pondered for a while before suddenly opening them.

"Uncle is absolutely right. We can no longer fight now."

Sun Ce immediately said, "Uncle, only if we join forces and defeat the enemy behind us can we have a chance of survival."

Now, Huang Gai, Song Qian, Rui Liang, and Yuan Xiong's troops are all tied down by Gao Shun and Jia Kui, while Zhu Zhi's right-wing army is already engaged in battle with Tai Shi Ci. They cannot retreat in time, and even if they do, they will likely lose morale.

Since that's the case, it's better to leave them at the front line to contain the Southern Expeditionary Army in the north, while I and Sun Jing join forces to fight against the Southern Expeditionary Army in the south.

If they can defeat the enemy and create an opening, the army can retreat towards Zhuji and then detour to Shanyin and Shangyu.

Otherwise, all 30,000 people will perish here, and not a single one will escape.

Sun Jing knew the situation was critical, and at the same time, she was secretly afraid.

If he had listened to his eldest son Sun Gao and deliberately delayed, he would probably have run into the main force of the Southern Expeditionary Army's sneak attack halfway there.

With an unprepared force of four thousand, they encountered a well-prepared army of ten thousand, including a thousand elite cavalry.

I'm afraid that in a single encounter, our side will be utterly defeated.

After Sun Jing accepted the order, he was about to leave when Sun Ce grabbed him.

Sun Jing looked over in surprise and saw that her nephew's handsome face was full of solemnity.

Meeting Sun Jing's eyes, Sun Ce said, word by word, "Uncle, we only have one chance. Success or failure hinges on this."

Sun Jing suddenly realized that Sun Ce's army was now surrounded by the Southern Expeditionary Army on this small plain at the mouth of the Qiantang River. If Sun Ce's counterattack failed, the entire army could collapse at any moment.

They truly only had this one chance. Sun Jing immediately replied, "I understand, I will do everything I can to help you!"

The bugle sounded loudly, and the officer shouted at the top of his lungs.

Sun Ce's force of 4,300 men (minus 2,000 men under Yuan Xiong), along with Sun Jing's 4,000 men and Han Dang's 700 men, totaling 9,000 men, began to turn and meet the enemy.

Among them, the strongest, best-equipped, and longest-rested troops were Sun Ce's personal guards.

Sun Jing's troops had only just arrived; otherwise, Sun Ce wouldn't have given them time to rest. But who could have imagined that they had barely begun to rest, barely had their seats warm, when the Southern Expeditionary Army was already chasing after them.

"Order Zhu Zhi, Huang Gai, and all other generals to strictly forbid any soldiers from looking back south. Anyone who does so will be executed!"

Before setting off, Sun Ce gave his final order to the northern army.

The prohibition against soldiers looking south was naturally intended to prevent them from being frightened by the predicament of being attacked from both the north and south.

Although this order may not have any effect, even if it has only a slight effect, it is good, because what Sun Ce needs most right now is time.

By the time Sun Ce's army had turned and formed ranks, Zhao Yun's Southern Expeditionary Army was already a mile away from Sun Ce's army, fully prepared to set off.

In terms of physical strength, Sun Ce's army had a slight advantage, but in terms of weaponry, Zhao Yun's troops undoubtedly had the advantage.

As the two armies faced each other, Sun Ce prepared to take direct action, but suddenly saw a rider gallop out from the enemy ranks.

Riding on this horse was a burly man in a brocade robe, wearing a silk scarf and a hat with carved bells; he was none other than the former Jinfan bandit.

Gan Ning rode his large horse triumphantly to the front of Sun Ce's formation and shouted loudly, "Sun Ce, you have fallen into my Southern Expedition's trap and are now surrounded by my Southern Expeditionary Army. My general has sent me to ask you whether you are willing to surrender!"

Gan Ning's actions made it seem as if he regarded Sun Ce's nearly ten thousand elite soldiers as nothing, and also pointed out the desperate situation of Sun Ce's army, dealing a heavy blow to their morale.

Sun Ce felt remorseful; he shouldn't have waited for the other to speak. So he immediately drew his bow and shot at Gan Ning.

Gan Ning easily dodged the attack and then calmly mocked Sun Ce: "Sun Ce, my lord only gave you this opportunity because he respects your father's past achievements in fighting Dong Zhuo. Otherwise, a traitor like you would have been reported to the court and punished according to the law."

"Don't be ungrateful!"

Gan Ning's words were righteous and stern. In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Sun Jian's reputation fluctuated like a roller coaster from the moment he rose to power.

It's red one moment and black the next, and it's always a deep red and a deep black.

His darkest moment was when he killed two officials of rank with a salary of 2,000 shi in Jingzhou, and even the governor of Jingzhou. At that time, most gentry regarded him as a second Dong Zhuo.

However, after Sun Jian achieved a great victory against Dong Zhuo's army with fewer troops and successfully recaptured Luoyang, his reputation undoubtedly soared again. In addition, Sun Jian died quite quickly afterward, passing away in a wasted effort within two years, so at this time, Sun Jian's reputation was mainly that of a meritorious official of the court.

So although Gan Ning's words were harsh and hurtful, they weren't really that wrong.

Gan Ning's words and actions infuriated Sun Ce, but in terms of archery skills, he was no match for Gan Ning.

If Sun Ce had Gan Ning's archery skills, he wouldn't have been injured by Xu Zhao and his two companions.

After dodging another arrow from Sun Ce, Gan Ning became even more enraged. He raised his whip and pointed it at Sun Ce, saying, "You stubborn little brat Sun Ce, I shall seize you alive and present you to the General of the South!"

Then, he shouted to the Sun family soldiers in front of him: "The Sun family is wicked and opposes the court. They are traitors and rebels. You should surrender now. The Southern Expeditionary Army will treat those who surrender well. If you are as stubborn as the Sun family brat, this place will be your burial ground!"

Enraged, Sun Ce threw down his bow and arrows, spurred his horse, brandished his spear, and charged straight at Gan Ning.

Gan Ning chuckled, turned his horse around, and galloped away. Before leaving, he called out to Sun Ce, "I am under orders and don't have time to play with you. I will come looking for you after I hand over my orders!"

Gan Ning's actions significantly dampened the morale of Sun Ce's army.

It wasn't that Gan Ning's actions were particularly miraculous; it was simply that he caught the opportune moment when Sun Ce's army was completely surrounded.

Sun Ce's army was already somewhat demoralized, and was only supported by Sun Ce's personal prestige and the old foundation of the Sun family army.

Gan Ning's performance was merely the final blow, amplifying the already significant unease and fear, which ultimately led to a blow to morale.

Regardless, this is ultimately a good thing, and it's enough to give Sun Ce a headache.

Sun Ce chased after him for more than twenty paces, but eventually calmed down and turned back.

Gan Ning felt a little regretful. If the other side had pursued him a little further, he would have slowed down his horse, closed the distance between them, and then launched a surprise attack.

He was confident he could hit Sun Ce with his arrow, and if he could knock him off his horse, he would be more than 60% sure he could catch him before reinforcements arrived.

It's pointless right now, firstly because we're close to the enemy's formation, and secondly because the distance is too great, so the chances of getting hit by an arrow are slim.

After Sun Ce returned, he did not rush into battle. Instead, he rode in front of the army and shouted to all his soldiers: "This scoundrel is cunning and cowardly, and only knows how to talk big. If the Southern Expeditionary Army has such a villain as its general, our army will surely defeat him today!"

"If we win this battle, every soldier will receive one mu of land and two mu of land. Merit will be awarded separately. Whoever captures the head of the enemy general will be granted two hundred mu of land and five hundred mu of land!"

"田" refers to paddy fields, which are natural paddy fields or fields with irrigation systems. They can be used to grow rice and are expensive, considered high-quality land. "地," on the other hand, refers to dry land, which is land without irrigation systems. It is not that there is no water at all, but water is scarce and requires labor. Naturally, it is much cheaper and cannot be used to grow crops like rice and wheat that require large amounts of water.

Sun Ce was desperate at this point and used almost all of his resources.

Sun Ce's army currently numbers nearly 30,000 men. The basic allowance for each man alone would be 30,000 mu of land, or 60,000 mu, totaling almost 100,000 mu. Then there are the rewards for military exploits. In a battle involving tens of thousands of men, the number of victories would be considerable. Such a generous reward would likely be no less than a regular reward.

However, he wasn't wrong. If he lost here, all the spoils would just be Liu Feng's.

Sun Ce's promise did have a significant effect, and the morale, which had just been suppressed by Gan Ning, recovered somewhat. However, overall, the morale of the army remained worrisome.

Sun Ce was renowned throughout the army for his bravery and skill in battle, with more victories than defeats.

But the battle had barely begun when Sun Ce's entire army was suddenly surrounded by the Southern Expeditionary Army. In modern terms, this dealt a severe blow to Sun Ce's reputation as a skilled warrior.

Sun Ce's army was still able to form ranks and fight at this time, which truly made them the elite troops of the era, and they lived up to the name of Sun Bofu.

(End of this chapter)