Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

When Huan Jie arrived back at Sun Ce's tent, exhausted, it was already dusk. The setting sun shone through the cracks in the tent, casting streaks of golden light. Sun Ce was sitting with Zhou Yu and the others, seemingly anxiously awaiting his return.

Seeing Huan Jie walk in, Sun Ce immediately stood up and walked quickly towards him, his eyes filled with anxiety. "Huan Jie, how is Wang Lang doing? Are you willing to cooperate with us?"

Huan Jie bowed slightly, his expression slightly solemn. He said, "General, Wang Lang has firmly rejected our proposal for cooperation. He believes that we have gained a large amount of territory since the Xu Gong incident, and he is worried that cooperation with us will only benefit us even more. He also said that the Shanyue have invited Tao Qian of Xuzhou to send reinforcements and will be defeated soon, so there is no need for us to worry. Furthermore, he claims that he has no desire to covet Xu Gong's territory, using Wu County as the boundary, but he also demands that we strictly adhere to the border and not trespass into his territory."

When Sun Ce heard Huan Jie's report, the expression on his face instantly turned gloomy, his eyes burning with anger, and he said angrily: "Huh, this old man is really a cautious guy. He doesn't want to cooperate with us easily. If I had known he was so stubborn, I shouldn't have had too high expectations of him. If he doesn't cooperate, then the strategy we carefully planned before will be difficult to implement." After that, he paced back and forth in the tent, his face full of impatience, and his fists clenched unconsciously.

Upon seeing this, Ma Chao hurriedly stepped forward and said gently: "Huan Jie has been traveling all the way and must be very tired. Go back and rest first. We will discuss this matter later." Huan Jie nodded slightly, bowed, and then took his leave.

After Huan Jie left, Ma Chao turned to Sun Ce and said soothingly, "Bofu, don't worry. Things in this world can never go as smoothly as we expect. When an enemy comes, we will meet him with our troops; when a flood comes, we will block it with earth. If we discuss it carefully, we will always be able to come up with a plan to deal with it."

At this time, Shamoke's rough voice rang out. He waved his hand proudly and shouted, "Why should we be afraid of him? Let's not bother with the show anymore. General Sun and I will join forces and push straight through. How can that old man Wang Lang's troops withstand our attack? In a few days, we will surely defeat him!"

Ma Chao quickly waved his hands, a look of helplessness on his face. He said, "Brother, please don't be so impatient. If we fight head-on, even if we can win, we will suffer heavy casualties. Then, it will be our soldiers who will lose, and the people who will suffer. This is not the original intention of our uprising. We must minimize casualties and exchange the smallest cost for the greatest victory."

Zhou Yu had been listening quietly to the conversation, his brow furrowed slightly as he fell into deep thought. After a moment, he slowly spoke, "Since Wang Lang refuses to cooperate with us, we must find a way to force him to beg for it. We might as well add fuel to the fire and turn the situation in our favor."

When Sun Ce heard Zhou Yu's words, his eyes suddenly lit up. He eagerly grabbed Zhou Yu's arm and said, "Oh? Gongjin, do you have any good ideas? Tell us quickly, don't keep us in suspense." The atmosphere in the entire tent instantly became tense and full of expectation. Everyone turned their eyes to Zhou Yu, waiting for him to come up with the good plan to turn the situation around.

Zhou Yu frowned slightly, lost in thought. The air in the tent seemed to freeze, and everyone held their breath, awaiting his words. After a long pause, he slowly spoke, "The reason this old man, Wang Lang, is so stubbornly refusing to cooperate with us is because he's relying on the reinforcements sent by Tao Qian from Xuzhou and his delusion that the Shanyue have been completely defeated."

With a glint of wisdom in his eyes, he continued, "We might as well take advantage of Wang Lang's strategy. Publishedly, we'll adhere to Wang Lang's agreement to use Wu County as the boundary and remain silent. This will lead him to mistakenly believe we've truly given up on further action, allowing him to lower his guard. Meanwhile, we'll secretly observe the situation and wait for the right opportunity."

"Although the Shanyue appear to have suffered a heavy defeat from us, that's all an illusion. We can support General Shamoke in his battle against Wang Lang. Wang Lang now fully believes that with Tao Qian's elite Danyang troops supporting him, he can rest easy. Little does he know, we have many powerful generals who can easily disguise themselves as Shanyue soldiers and launch a surprise attack in Linshui County against the Zuo Rong army Wang Lang is sending to counterattack."

"First, concentrate our forces to stabilize the situation in Linshui County and inflict a crushing defeat on Wang Lang's army. Let him see that even with Tao Qian's support, he's not invincible. After this defeat, all he'll have left to rely on is Tao Qian's Danyang troops. Then, we'll look for an opportunity to defeat them."

"By then, Wang Lang's power will be greatly weakened, and he will be isolated and helpless. In this case, he will be forced to lower his status and beg for cooperation with us. We can also take the initiative in this game and gain greater benefits."

Sun Ce listened to Zhou Yu's plan, and excitement gradually appeared in his eyes. He couldn't help but applaud, "Brilliant, Gongjin, this is a brilliant plan! Just do as you say, and see how stubborn old Wang Lang can be!"

Ma Chao smiled admiringly at Zhou Yu and said, "Gongjin, you're incredibly quick-witted. You came up with such a clever plan in such a short time. I'm truly impressed. With such a brilliant plan, we can surely accomplish great things."

Zhou Yu smiled modestly and waved his hand. "Brother, you are too kind. The situation is urgent now, so I can only come up with this expedient plan. I need everyone's concerted efforts to make this plan a success."

Ma Chao continued, "In that case, I'll have to trouble Brother Shamoke to continue his journey to Linshui County and put on another show for old Wang Lang. Brother Shamoke, with you on board, Wang Lang will surely be convinced."

Shamoke laughed heartily and patted his chest. "It's not that difficult! I've been feeling really anxious for a long time and was just looking for a chance to teach that old man Wang Lang a lesson. As long as I can help, I'll do anything!"

Zhou Yu nodded slightly and said seriously, "Not only must Brother Shamoke make the difficult journey, but we must also send a general from our army to impersonate the Shanyue and pretend to reinforce Wujun. We must show Wang Lang that the Shanyue have not suffered significant damage and are still capable of fighting him. Only in this way can we put pressure on him and disrupt his plans."

Ma Chao smiled and said, "That's not difficult. All my generals are at Gongjin's disposal."

Sun Ce also said excitedly, "Yes, all our generals will disguise themselves as Shanyue people and reinforce Linshui County, giving old Wang Lang a surprise attack. When the time comes, he will definitely be caught off guard and defeated!"

After saying this, everyone looked at each other and burst into laughter. The laughter echoed in the tent, full of anticipation and confidence for the upcoming action. In this cheerful atmosphere, they seemed to have already seen the scene where Wang Lang was defeated by their strategy and was finally forced to bow his head and seek peace.

Here, after careful planning, Sun Ce dispatched Huan Jie once again to Wang Lang's camp. Huan Jie rode at top speed, pondering the key to this mission: how to convey Sun Ce's intentions accurately without leaving any evidence behind.

Arriving at Wang Lang's tent, Huan Jie walked in steadily after the guard announced. Wang Lang was sitting in the main seat, his expression calm, but a hint of vigilance was faintly revealed in his eyes. Seeing Huan Jie coming, he raised his chin slightly, indicating that he should speak.

Huan Jie bowed respectfully and spoke in a composed manner, "Sir Wang, upon learning of your refusal to cooperate, my General Sun, though somewhat disappointed, also understands the greater good. He believes that since you are unwilling to cooperate, there is no need to damage the relationship. Therefore, he has decided to follow your advice and use Wu County as the boundary, with no further aggression between the two sides."

Wang Lang raised his eyebrows slightly, a subtle flicker of satisfaction in his eyes, but he didn't rush to respond. Huan Jie, observing this, continued, "General Sun also told me to convey to you, Your Excellency, his sincere wishes for a successful campaign and a successful pacification of the Shanyue. The Shanyue bandits have always been a scourge to the region. If you can eliminate them, it will truly be a blessing for the people of Wu County. My General Sun also hopes that everything goes smoothly for you in this campaign. Perhaps there will be opportunities for cooperation between our two sides."

Wang Lang snorted softly, a faint smile on his face. He said, "Since your General Sun is so understanding, then let's do as you say. Go back and tell your General Sun that as long as he sticks to his duties and doesn't act rashly, I won't make things difficult for him. As for annihilating the Shanyue, that's a matter of time, so there's no need for him to say more."

Huan Jie saluted again and said, "Thank you, sir. I will convey your words faithfully to General Sun. With that, I will take my leave." With that, Huan Jie turned and walked out of the tent with steady steps. He mounted his horse and galloped towards Sun Ce's camp. Wang Lang, meanwhile, remained in the tent, lost in thought about the future battle, unaware that a carefully planned crisis was quietly approaching him.

True to their agreement with Wang Lang, Sun Ce's forces remained firmly within their boundaries, using Wu County as their boundary. Within the camp, the soldiers ceased pursuing the Shanyue and instead focused on rectifying their internal affairs. Sun Ce, Zhou Yu, Ma Chao, and others frequently gathered in their tents to discuss the reorganization and development of the army, meticulously examining every detail, from troop training to the storage of rations. The soldiers diligently drilled daily, honing their martial arts and combat prowess. Outwardly, they appeared peaceful, as if the Shanyue incident had truly been forgotten.

On the other side of Linshui County, however, a completely different scene unfolded. Shamoke, mounted on a dark-coated warhorse, shouted commands to his troops. His gruff voice echoed across the air above Linshui County, "Hurry up! Don't dawdle!" Countless ships, each laden with troops and supplies, surged toward Linshui County. The soldiers, dressed in Shanyue clothing, were high-spirited. They shouted slogans and moved supplies in unison, creating a spectacular and intimidating spectacle.

Wang Lang's scouts carefully observed all this from a distance, recording everything they saw in detail, not wanting to miss a single detail. Then, these scouts galloped their horses and quickly relayed the intelligence to Zuo Rong. Upon receiving the news, Zuo Rong's face instantly grew grave. He knew this matter was of grave importance, and without delay, he hurriedly reported the situation to Wang Lang.