Chapter 104: How Does the Chu Army Possess So Many Fierce Generals?

Blood dripped from the tip of the blade. Behind Sun Ce, his dozen or so generals all felt their pupils contract. Dead? Was he really dead? Lu Fan had just died like that? A single strike—a single blow to take Lu Fan’s head? Knowing that most of their own martial arts were on par with Lu Fan’s, those who had previously lamented missing the chance to fight were now overcome with cold dread. Had they been the ones to step out, they likely would not have escaped death either.

"Hmph, you vermin. You all boast of your superior strength, not realizing that my lord simply chooses not to stoop to your level!" Xu Chu snorted with disdain. He raised his heavy blade, pointing it toward the opposite side as he bellowed, "Who else is coming to meet their end?"

Hearing this, Sun Ce’s sword-like eyebrows arched in fury. Not only had his side failed to slay a Chu general, but Chu Feng had successfully taken one of theirs first. The arrogance of that fat man especially incensed him. He gripped his spear, his fighting spirit surging; he desperately wanted to charge over and strike the brute down, but his true target was Chu Feng.

Yu Fan frowned. How could Chu Feng’s camp possess such valiant warriors? If one counted Zhao Fan and Ji Ling, Chu Feng had no shortage of formidable generals. "General Cheng, General Han, our lord is focused on defeating Chu Feng. We cannot let this effort fall short. The two of you must join forces to engage Xu Chu and pin him down!" Yu Fan hurriedly turned and urged them.

Cheng Pu and Han Dang exchanged a glance, nodded in unison, and roared, "Do not be so arrogant, bandit general! We two shall meet you!"

With that, Cheng Pu and Han Dang rode out. Being seasoned warriors, they were cautious, immediately recognizing that Xu Chu’s strength lay in his raw power. They knew they had to maneuver and entangle him, avoiding a direct clash at all costs. Lu Fan had been slain precisely because he had tried to meet Xu Chu head-on and had fallen into his trap.

"Hmph, let me take your two dog heads!" Xu Chu spurred his horse and raised his blade, his fighting spirit rising even higher. In the blink of an eye, the three were locked in battle.

Although Cheng Pu and Han Dang each had a martial prowess rating just over ninety, they were battle-hardened and acted in perfect sync, making the fight incredibly frustrating for Xu Chu. He felt as though he couldn't unleash his full potential. It was an unfortunate reality: one plus one was far greater than two, unless one’s skill was truly peerless. Even so, Cheng Pu and Han Dang focused primarily on neutralizing Xu Chu’s offense. For instance, whenever Xu Chu slashed down, the other would flank him, forcing Xu Chu to withdraw his blade to defend.

Sun Ce and his generals watched the trio with solemn expressions, their eyes filled with worry. Sun Ce could see that Xu Chu’s valor was exceptional—far beyond that of his two men. Since Cheng Pu and Han Dang were veterans of high standing who had served under his father, he was naturally anxious that some misfortune might befall them.

Meanwhile, beside Chu Feng, Gan Ning was itching for action. With Zhao Fan and Xu Chu already in the fray, if he didn't show his face, how would he make a name for himself under heaven? Who would know the name Gan Xingba?

"My lord, this general also wishes to meet them!" Gan Ning bowed and requested to fight.

"Go. After today’s battle, it is time for the world to know your names!" Chu Feng nodded. The reason he hadn't rushed was precisely to build their prestige. His own reputation was of little consequence, but if his generals’ reputations were established, enemy commanders would tremble at the mere mention of them, much like Guan Yu and Zhang Liao in later times.

Gan Ning nodded and spurred his horse into the fray. Behind Chu Feng, only Li Feng remained. He pursed his lips, feeling utterly dejected. He shouldn't have been grouped with these monsters; it was too demoralizing. He was the only Chu general not to engage, and he knew his own limits—stepping out would be nothing more than offering himself up as a snack. He sighed, missing the days of Zhang Xun and Yue Jiu.

"My lord, this general shall go beat the drums to boost our morale!"

"Go ahead!" Chu Feng waved his hand.

"Bandit general, is there anyone here willing to die?" Gan Ning, naturally carefree, marched out with his blade resting on his shoulder, his smile filled with contempt. He did not hold the riffraff around Sun Ce in any regard.

"Hmph, how dare a mere water bandit clamor so loudly? Is the Chu army truly out of generals?" Ling Cao shouted in rage. It seemed anyone dared to be arrogant these days.

"Who are you calling a water bandit!" Gan Ning’s face turned icy in an instant, and he roared.

"You!" Ling Cao widened his eyes, refusing to back down.

"You seek death!" Gan Ning bellowed, charging forward with his blade raised.

"As if you are worthy!" Ling Cao, equally fierce, gripped a heavy short blade about five feet long, designed for either single-handed or dual-handed use.

Seeing this, Chu Feng frowned slightly. It was so hard to change a person's nature; Gan Ning was hot-tempered and bloodthirsty. Even though he had given instructions, it was impossible to change him in such a short time. For a general, such traits were the most taboo. However, in history, this Ling Cao was shot to death by Gan Ning. He was a brave warrior who was always the first to scale the walls, though he was still significantly inferior to Gan Ning.

In a flash, the two closed in. Gan Ning slashed down furiously. While he had great strength, he lacked Xu Chu’s innate, god-like power and could not easily kill an enemy in a single strike—unless they were on the river!

Ling Cao widened his eyes, gripping his blade with one hand while bracing the heavy spine of the weapon with the other to parry. *Clang!* The sound was piercing. Ling Cao felt a sharp pain in the web of his hand: *This fellow has immense strength!*

"You water bandit, is that all the strength you have?" Ling Cao jeered, his tone dripping with disdain. Gan Ning was so enraged his body trembled. Ling Cao seized the moment to push forward, sweeping his short blade horizontally, forcing Gan Ning to withdraw his weapon to defend. After several exchanges, Ling Cao laughed and rode his horse aside.

Gan Ning suppressed his rage. As they passed each other, he hung his blade and snatched the bow and arrow from his saddle. The movement was swift; he turned and drew the string to its limit. The action shocked all the Eastern Wu generals.

Ling Cao’s reaction was also swift, but as they were both turning their backs to one another, one held a bow to shoot while the other held a blade to defend. *Whoosh!* Gan Ning’s rhythm in drawing and releasing arrows was lightning-fast; he grabbed another arrow, preparing a triple-shot.

Seeing the incoming arrow, Ling Cao had no time to dodge and could only grit his teeth to parry. He was lucky enough to deflect the first arrow with his blade, but the second one followed immediately. Ling Cao felt his heart shatter. There was no time to deflect it, so he held the spine of his blade upright. *Clang!* The force of the arrow was immense, causing his entire hand to tremble. But just as he moved his blade aside, his pupils contracted sharply—another arrow was already before him! It was too fast, too late!

*Puchi!* The arrow struck him square in the chin. Ling Cao’s eyes bulged, blood slowly spilling out, and he collapsed from his horse.

"Bandit general, surrender your life!" He Qi rode out with his spear, followed closely by Chen Wu.

Gan Ning was startled, turning to loose an arrow at He Qi, but he missed. As he reached to discard his bow and grab his blade, He Qi had already charged, his spear sweeping toward Gan Ning with a roar. Unable to reach his blade, Gan Ning leaned back flat against his horse’s back, feeling the wind of the spear brush against his face. He rose immediately, only to be met by a violent thrust from Chen Wu.

Gan Ning felt a chill and quickly jerked his head to the side, the spear tip grazing his cheek—a dangerously close call. He grabbed his blade and wiped his cheek with his finger. He loved fine silks and took pride in his appearance; having his face cut by these bandits threw him into a rage! He turned and engaged the two of them. In fact, Gan Ning began to suppress and beat them both.

Sun Ce’s heart was bleeding. Another one! Damn it, another valiant general! How did Chu Feng deserve to have so many fierce warriors laying down their lives for him? The critical point was that not only had he failed to gain an advantage, but he had lost two top-tier generals. Even his own men, who were all exceptionally brave, were failing to prevail.

The generals of the Sun army were also solemn, the arrogance they had displayed earlier completely vanished. It seemed they had underestimated the people around Chu Feng. After all, Ji Ling hadn't even arrived yet!

As for the morale of Sun Ce’s army, it plummeted as the drums on the city walls thundered and the cheers grew deafening. The gods of war in their eyes were falling one by one, while the defenders they had deemed cowardly were now proving themselves fierce as gods. The sharp contrast was difficult for them to accept.

The only good news was that only one general remained by Chu Feng’s side, and he was someone they knew to be trash. Consequently, everyone turned their eyes toward Sun Ce, praying that he would slay Chu Feng and redeem their honor.