Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Huan Fan had a reason for selecting Sima Li Tong's troops from among his four thousand cavalry to do this.

Although they had discovered that Sun Quan was near Pengze Wharf, they didn't know whether he was on a ship or in his camp, and whether they could capture him was uncertain—it was practically a gamble. If they lost, there would be no major loss. But if they won, they could capture the Emperor of Wu, and Huan Fan would certainly be willing! Since it was a gamble, they had to choose the general with the best luck to carry it out.

Five years ago, in the mountains east of Xiangping in Liaodong, Li Tong, a 28-year-old clerk in the Ministry of Rites, brought back Gongsun Yuan's head. He was instantly promoted from a clerk to a commander of a thousand shi (a unit of grain), and also received the title of Marquis of Guannei.

After receiving instructions from Huan Fan, Li Tong immediately ordered his cavalry to make final preparations for the attack.

Among the generals of the Great Wei, Huan Fan's wisdom and strategy were considered top-notch, but he also had strong personality traits, being intense and somewhat stubborn in his actions. Leading more than 20,000 troops deep into enemy territory, a task that would make other generals hesitate, Huan Fan willingly took on and even enjoyed it.

Huan Fan ordered 1,000 cavalry to remain here, and another 1,000 to be stationed east of the mountain pass later. He himself led 1,000 cavalry to follow behind Li Tong. Due to the limited terrain, 2,000 cavalry, one in front and one behind, were sufficient for Li Tong and Huan Fan.

As the first rays of dawn appeared in the east, Li Tongbu made his move.

A thousand elite cavalrymen of the Left Guard of the Imperial Guards, in scattered formation, moved from west to east, like a curtain covering the earth, toward the Wu army camp that was still asleep.

Of the two li (approximately 1.5 kilometers) of the journey, the cavalry used their formation to accelerate for the first li, reaching full speed only in the second li. Even with their hooves covered, the sound of the cavalry was still unmistakable when they began their charge. After only a dozen breaths, the Wu army sentries reacted and alerted the camp with horns.

Sun Quan, still asleep in his tent, barely heard the faint sound of bugles, unaware of what was happening. The guard outside, disregarding the law forbidding unauthorized entry into the emperor's tent, lifted a corner of the tent flap and shouted:

"Your Majesty, enemy attack! Enemy cavalry attack!"

"Your Majesty, please rise immediately!"

Sun Quan suddenly sat up. He had been extremely tired lately and had been sleeping soundly. After a few moments, he came to his senses and was startled. His mind was filled with alarm signals. Without even putting on his shoes, he stood up and asked repeatedly, "Where did the enemy come from?"

"Your Majesty, the enemy is coming from the west! The bugle has just sounded the alarm!"

"How far is it from the camp?" Sun Quan asked again.

"Your Majesty, please do not ask!" the attendant replied loudly. "Your Majesty, I will assist you in putting on your shoes and robes, and we should proceed to the docks immediately!"

"Alright, alright, come in quickly." Sun Quan hurriedly put on his shoes, and with the help of his attendants, he put on his outer robe, ran out of the tent, mounted the horse that the attendants had hurriedly brought to the tent, and just as he rushed to the north entrance of the camp, Sun Quan involuntarily stopped.

This place is about a mile from the dock.

It wasn't that Sun Quan was unwilling to station troops near the dock; it was simply that the facilities in Pengze were extremely poor, and the area near the dock was cramped. Therefore, he chose a place that wasn't too far away and was flat enough to set up camp. But this distance of one li now seemed like an insurmountable chasm.

Sun Quan could already see the cavalry coming from the west from the north gate. In the moment of hesitation, Xu Xiang also rode his horse from the camp to Sun Quan's side. Compared to Sun Quan's swift movements, Xu Xiang was more flustered and didn't even put on his shoes.

"Your Majesty, we can't go any further from the dock!" Xu Xiang shouted, pointing to the west. "There are many enemies to the west. Your Majesty, ride east quickly! There are a hundred riders here to protect you. Don't hesitate, head east quickly! Head east quickly!"

"Alright! Head east!" Sun Quan no longer hesitated, turned his horse and rode off, with more than a hundred cavalrymen following him eastward.

As it was the central army of Wu, the remaining thousand or so infantrymen in the camp wanted to leave the camp to resist, but they were too late to stop it. Li Tong's thousand cavalrymen swept through the camp like a stream, half of them circling the camp shouting and demonstrating, while the other half advanced towards the dock. According to modern time calculations, it took less than three minutes from when Li Tong's troops began their acceleration to when they arrived at the Wu army camp. Objectively speaking, Sun Quan's troops were able to react so quickly, which was already a testament to their high level of vigilance.

"Sir!" Amidst the chaos of battle, a scout squad leader, following the flag, galloped to Li Tong's vicinity and exclaimed, "Sir, I saw what appeared to be a cavalry unit heading east from the north gate!"

"You saw it clearly?" Li Tong pressed.

"It's not very clear; we can only see that someone is heading east," the scout squad leader replied.

Li Tong thought for a moment, then made a decisive decision: "I will lead two hundred cavalry to pursue them! You go west to find General Huan now, and ask the general to follow me!"

"Yes, sir!" The scout clasped his hands and left.

Without hesitation, Li Tong immediately ordered the two nearest hundred-man squads to follow him eastward.

Sun Quan reacted quickly, but for the Wu army at the dock, this turn of events presented a difficult choice.

Gan Tong, who was on the boat, saw the Wei cavalry approaching the dock and hurriedly ordered the boat to cast off and enter the river. However, after maintaining distance from the dock, Gan Tong looked at the Wei cavalry reining in their horses beside the dock and, in his anxiety, his hands began to tremble.

The Wei cavalry are here, but where is Your Majesty?

Fortunately, there are always reasonable people. The military advisor beside him quickly advised, "General, don't forget that His Majesty has cavalry in his camp. The Wei army came from the west. His Majesty is either riding east or staying behind... His Majesty must have ridden east!"

"Yes!" Gan Tong hurriedly said, "Leave five ships here to patrol, and the remaining nine ships will quickly follow me eastward! Perhaps His Majesty has already headed east!"

That's how information is on the battlefield; no one can know or be omniscient. You can only make your decision based on the option with the highest probability.

Meanwhile, among the Wu cavalry rushing eastward, Sun Quan's thoughts gradually shifted from initial bewilderment and a desire to flee to panic and fear, and finally to deep-seated anger.

I only arrived in Pengze yesterday, and the Wei army is already planning a surprise attack before dawn today! Huan Fan is truly a madman!

Anger is anger, and curses are curses, but the road still has to be traveled.

After Sun Quan led his army at full speed for four or five miles, the horses and soldiers were exhausted. Helpless, Sun Quan had no choice but to order the cavalry to rest on the spot. But they had only stopped to catch their breath for a while, and before they could even drink a sip of water, Sun Quan heard that Wei cavalry were chasing after them from the west.

Sun Quan didn't even have time to say much; he simply waved his hand, and the Wu cavalry charged eastward once more. The cavalrymen followed suit; one abandoned his long weapon, and soon they all did so with remarkable coordination. Sun Quan witnessed this and was powerless to stop it. After the long weapons were discarded, they hastily donned their armor…

The horses' speed decreased significantly; they could run, but they could no longer maintain the pace of a charge. The Wei cavalry followed Sun Quan at a distance, seemingly in no hurry to catch up, yet like a persistent ghost that could not be shaken off.

In cavalry pursuit battles, the soldiers of the Left Guard of the Imperial Guard were undoubtedly experts, while Sun Quan's cavalry were like children. The pursuing side could maintain a steady pace; such precise control over their horses' stamina was something only highly experienced cavalrymen with a deep understanding of horse behavior could achieve. The fleeing side, on the other hand, would be swayed by anxiety and tension, causing their horses to spurt at inconsistent speeds, ultimately wasting their strength. (End of Chapter)