Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Candlelight flickered in the tents as everyone gathered around, discussing their next strategy. Lü Meng gestured with his hands and declared, "Let's attack directly. Take advantage of the enemy's low morale and capture them in one fell swoop!" Lü Dai, however, shook his head and retorted, "No! The enemy camp is well-fortified. A strong attack will only result in casualties." Quan Cong and Xue Zong also argued, each holding their own opinion.

Sun Ce remained silent, listening to everyone's speeches, his fingers tapping lightly on the table. After a pause, he stood up, his gaze piercing, and spoke slowly, "Everyone's saying is valid, but after careful consideration, I believe a forced attack is not the best strategy. We have already captured all of southern Yuzhang, and Huang Zu only has Yuzhang County City standing between us. This is his last stand. If he doesn't return to the county city, how can he mobilize his troops and put up a last-ditch resistance? Therefore, he will definitely flee to the county city."

Everyone was stunned upon hearing this, then a thoughtful expression crossed their faces. Seeing this, Sun Ce continued, "I intend to employ a strategy of surrounding Huang Zu on three sides and leaving one vulnerable. I intend to deliberately give Huang Zu a chance to escape. Killing Huang Zu won't significantly benefit the overall situation, and may even provoke the enemy's desperate resolve. Allowing him to escape will surely send him fleeing for the county seat. We'll seize the opportunity while he's back there and capture Yuzhang County."

A hint of doubt flashed in Lü Meng's eyes, and he asked, "My lord, if Huang Zu doesn't flee towards the county town, but instead seeks another route, what should we do?"

Sun Ce smiled faintly and said confidently, "Don't worry, Ziming. We now control the area south of Yuzhang County. Huang Zu knows that only by returning to the county city, relying on its sturdy walls and the city's food reserves, can he organize an effective resistance. Therefore, he will definitely not seek another way."

Then, Sun Ce began to arrange the tasks in an orderly manner: "Ziming, you lead a group of troops to ambush the enemy on the road they must take to escape to the county city. When the enemy passes by, cut off their rear guard and make sure to delay their time to return to the city. Dinggong, you and Ziming will coordinate with each other, act according to the situation, and be responsible for disrupting the enemy's marching formation." Lu Meng and Lu Dai accepted the order and withdrew.

"Zihuang and Jingwen, you two will lead the elite troops. Once Huang Zu's army flees out of the city, you will immediately launch a fierce attack on the enemy camp. You must win the battle quickly and capture the camp." Quan Cong and Xue Zong accepted the order with a bow.

"Wen Chang, you will lead the central army with me, command the battle, and be ready to respond to any emergency." Wei Yan clasped his fists and replied, "I obey your orders!"

"The rest of the departments should perform their duties, pay close attention to the battlefield situation, and follow my orders. This operation is of great importance, and you must all go all out to capture Yuzhang County in one fell swoop!" Sun Ce looked at everyone with a firm gaze.

"We will follow the orders of our lord!" Everyone responded in unison, and the sound echoed throughout the tent. A carefully planned battle was about to begin.

Although the smoke of gunpowder had cleared from the battlefield, a heavy, oppressive atmosphere still hung over Huang Zu's camp like a gloomy haze. Although Huang Zu and his men had managed to unite their forces and repel Sun Ce's attack, they had also suffered heavy casualties and were severely damaged.

Huang Zu sat in his tent, his face etched with fatigue from the battle, yet his relief at having survived was hard to conceal. He lifted his wine glass, took a long gulp, and said to Kuai Liang and Su Fei beside him, "This time, thanks to Chen Ju and Zhang Shuo's timely arrival, we were able to defeat Sun Ce. With their troops back, we'll have the confidence to continue the fight against Sun Ce. Even if we can't defeat him right away, retreating to the county capital will always be a problem."

Su Fei nodded in agreement. Huang Zu continued, "We'll return to the county seat, where we can defend it. If that proves to be a problem, we'll ask the lord for reinforcements. Once we've recovered from this, we'll definitely have to deal with that brat, Sun Ce!"

At that moment, a commotion erupted outside the tent. Chen Jue and Zhang Shuo, pale-faced and unsteady, entered. After exchanging a glance, they both knelt before Huang Zu with a thump, their heads bowed, not daring to meet his gaze.

Chen Jue's voice trembled as he cried, "General, I am guilty..."

Zhang Shuo immediately kowtowed to the ground, making it thud loudly. "We deserve death a thousand times. We have no face to face the general!"

Huang Zu's smile froze instantly, and the wine glass in his hand fell to the ground with a clang, splashing the wine everywhere. His eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief, and he shouted angrily, "What are you doing? What happened?"

Chen Jue's voice trembled as he cried, "General, we deserve death! On our way back to rejoin you, we encountered an ambush by Sun Ce. We fought desperately, but we still suffered heavy casualties. Now we have only a few soldiers left. I cannot face you!"

Zhang Shuo also lowered his head, filled with regret: "General, this is all our fault. We have betrayed your trust. I am willing to accept the punishment!"

When Huang Zu heard this, his originally gloomy face turned red in an instant, and the veins on his forehead popped out. He stood up with a "swoosh", kicked over the table in front of him, and roared angrily: "You still have the nerve to come back! I sent a letter saying it so clearly before, we were defeated by Sun Ce, the situation is critical, and I asked you to come to our rescue quickly, and I also specifically reminded you to be careful! You have followed me for many years, and you don’t even have this little bit of thinking? As a result, all the troops were defeated, what on earth are you doing!" He became more and more excited as he spoke, his chest heaving violently, and his eyes were wide open, as if they were about to spit fire.

In a rage, Huang Zu suddenly drew the sword from his waist. With a flash of cold light, the blade pointed directly at Chen Ju and Zhang Shuo, and roared: "Come here! Drag these two trash out and behead them to uphold military law!" With Huang Zu's order, the soldiers outside the tent rushed in quickly, and carried Chen Ju and Zhang Shuo like wolves and tigers.

Chen Ju and Zhang Shuo were so frightened that their faces turned pale, their legs weak, and they could barely stand. Chen Ju struggled desperately, crying out, "General, spare my life! I am willing to redeem myself and make meritorious contributions. Please give us another chance!" Zhang Shuo also burst into tears, his voice trembling, "General, we know we were wrong. Please have mercy!" Their pleas for mercy echoed throughout the tent, but Huang Zu, filled with anger, remained unmoved.

Just as the soldiers were dragging the two men out of the tent, Kuai Liang quickly stepped forward, grabbed Huang Zu's sword-grip, and urgently urged, "General, calm down! Now is the time to use our men. Although Chen Jiu and Zhang Shuo have committed grave offenses, they have served you for many years, are loyal, and are familiar with military affairs. Executing them now would not only chill the hearts of the soldiers, but would also weaken our strength. Please reconsider!"

Huang Zu gripped his sword tightly, his arm trembling slightly. The rage in his eyes had not yet subsided. He gritted his teeth and said, "They have caused great harm to me. If I don't kill them, how can I appease the public anger? How can I explain to my dead brothers?"

Kuai Liang said earnestly, "General, even if we kill them, we won't be able to recover the losses. What we need to do now is to unite as one."

Huang Zu's chest heaved violently, and he gasped for breath. His face was filled with resentment and resentment. He stared intently at Chen Ju and Zhang Shuo, who knelt on the ground, his sword hilt clenched until it turned pale. After a long pause, he suddenly sheathed his sword and shouted, "Get out! I'll let you go this time, but if it happens again, don't blame me for being ruthless!" Chen Ju and Zhang Shuo retreated to the side, tumbling and scrambling, not daring to breathe.

Huang Zu sank down on his chair and turned to look at Kuai Liang, his face full of anxiety and helplessness. He asked, "Mr. Kuai, given the current situation, let alone repelling Sun Ce, it's difficult to even fight him. In your opinion, can we still escape back to Yuzhang County?"

Kuai Liang frowned, his expression solemn. He paced back and forth in the tent. After a moment, he sighed and said, "General, our troops are severely depleted and morale is low. We have no chance of winning against Sun Ce head-on. In my opinion, we must make a decisive move. Even if it means losing many soldiers and generals, we must find a way to return to the county city and make further plans."

Huang Zu's heart moved, and he hurriedly asked, "What is your opinion, sir?"

Kuai Liang paused, his gaze determined. "Leave one group behind to confront Sun Ce's army head-on, providing cover. We will lead the main force, lightly equipped, and quickly retreat." A flicker of pity crossed Kuai Liang's face as he added, "But if we do that, those who remain behind will most likely die."

Huang Zu was lost in thought when a sinister smile suddenly appeared on his face. He said, "In that case, the task of covering the rear will be handed over to Liu Yao."

Upon hearing this, Kuai Liang's face changed slightly, and he quickly tried to dissuade him: "How could Liu Yao be willing to do this? Moreover, he is a relative of the Han Dynasty after all. I'm afraid it would be inappropriate to leave him behind to cover our retreat."

Huang Zu curled his lips in disdain. "It's already this late, and you're still bothering me! Doesn't Liu Yao value his life? As long as we promise to let Liu Yao and Xu Shao accompany us with a small number of troops and spare him his life, why would he refuse? Besides, if he hadn't asked me for troops before, he'd probably still be all alone. How could he refuse?"

The atmosphere in the tent was oppressive and suffocating. Huang Zu weighed the pros and cons in his mind, unwilling to risk all his years of accumulated wealth on a battlefield where life and death were at stake. He looked at Kuai Liang with a look that held no room for rejection. Since the plan had been proposed by Kuai Liang, he felt somewhat helpless but could only nod in agreement. In reality, Kuai Liang didn't hold Liu Yao in high regard; he had only chosen him out of necessity.

Huang Zu then ordered someone to summon Liu Yao. Soon, Liu Yao, led by a soldier, entered the tent. As soon as he entered, he keenly sensed the unusual atmosphere within. He calmly bowed and asked, "General Huang, what is the purpose of summoning me?"

Huang Zu forced a smile and said, "Mr. Liu, the situation is critical. Mr. Kuai and I have discussed this for a long time and have come up with a solution. I would like to invite you to come and discuss it with us."

Huang Zu then laid out his plan to leave a rearguard as a cover while the main force retreated. He concluded by emphasizing, "Lord Liu, your men are valiant. If you can shoulder this responsibility, you will surely buy us enough time to retreat. Once we return to Yuzhang County, we can discuss a long-term plan and jointly confront Sun Ce."

Liu Yao's face darkened after hearing this. He had never imagined that Huang Zu would actually intend for him to be the scapegoat. Suppressing his anger, Liu Yao said coldly, "General Huang, this plan is brilliant, but why did I have to stay behind to cover the retreat? I'm not going to die in vain."

The atmosphere in the tent was as tense as a drawn bowstring. Huang Zu and Liu Yao locked horns, their gazes etched with sparks. Huang Zu's lips drooped, his eyes fierce, his demeanor emphasizing the irrefutable nature of his proposal. Liu Yao, on the other hand, was livid, his fists clenched until his knuckles turned white, his whole body radiating anger and resentment.