Chapter 121: It's Over, I've Fallen for It Again! [Subscription Requested]

Outside the city of Piling.

Sun Ce’s various army units arrived in dense throngs, numbering over twenty camps. As they set up, the encampments stretched for more than ten miles. These twenty thousand armored soldiers had regained their former sharpness, their momentum immense and imposing.

Sun Ce, accompanied by his subordinate commanders, rode up to the city walls. Gazing at the defending general atop the ramparts, Sun Ce raised the corner of his mouth, spurred his horse forward, and bellowed, "Liang Gang, do you recognize me?"

Liang Gang rested his hand on his sword and laughed heartily. "Of course I do!"

"Since you know my name, why not open the gates and surrender? Do you truly wish for me to breach the city and slaughter you?" Sun Ce pointed his long spear from afar and rebuked him.

"Heh, surrender? Why should I? Are you that formidable? You were but a single-strike opponent to my lord. Do you really think you deserve for me to open the gates? How laughable!"

Having said this, Liang Gang let out a loud, mocking laugh.

"You—" Sun Ce’s tiger-like eyes widened in fury, his chest heaving with suppressed rage. It was said that one should not strike a man in the face, yet this person was slapping his face with everything he had.

Could he not act like a decent human being?

Just answer that—could he?

The thought left Sun Ce feeling deeply frustrated. In the past, whenever he announced his name, enemy generals would tremble. Now, however, the mere mention of his name drew nothing but ridicule. He owed this entirely to Chu Feng.

"Hmph, Cao Cao is invading Shouchun; the rebel Chu will surely perish. Why do you insist on throwing your life away for him?" Sun Ce frowned, suppressing his anger as he attempted to persuade him.

"Heh, my lord is a master of strategy, the bravest among all armies. His return to Shouchun is merely to repel Cao Cao; he will naturally return to occupy Wu Commandery soon enough. Just you wait and see." Liang Gang sneered, showing no regard for Sun Ce.

"Hmph, you are courting death. Since you seek your own end, do not blame me for not giving you a chance!" Sun Ce said, wheeling his horse around to leave.

The generals behind him remained silent. In truth, they were awestruck by Chu Feng’s power. He was simply too strong; perhaps even the world’s greatest warrior, Lu Bu, might not be his match.

On the way back to camp, Sun Ce commanded furiously, "Once the units return, have them craft siege equipment through the night. In three days, we launch a full-scale assault. Once the city falls, I will execute Liang Gang with my own hands."

"Understood!" the commanders responded in unison.

Zhou Yu frowned slightly, then spoke up, "My lord, military strategy dictates: the best warfare is to attack the enemy’s strategy, next is to disrupt their alliances, next is to attack their soldiers, and the last resort is to attack their cities. Siege warfare is a measure of desperation."

"With Shouchun under attack, the Chu army is already fearful. Why bother with a siege? Does it not merely add to our own casualties?"

"Then what is your suggestion, Gongjin?" Sun Ce asked with a furrowed brow.

"My lord, the art of war says to surround them if we are ten times stronger, attack if we are five, and fight if we are double. We currently have nearly ten times the troops of Liang Gang. We need only surround three sides and leave one open, while shouting daily that Shouchun has fallen and no reinforcements are coming. We can win without a fight."

Zhou Yu advised in a low, steady voice. After several confrontations, Sun Ce’s army had already suffered significant losses. If they were to deplete their soldiers further in a siege, would it not be a net loss?

"That may be true, but that wretched scoundrel Liang Gang is devious; how could he ever surrender?" Sun Ce was still incensed, but acknowledging the wisdom in Zhou Yu’s words, he added, "Fine, we shall surround the city for five days. If Liang Gang does not surrender, we will launch a full assault."

"But..."

"Enough, my mind is made up. This battle must demonstrate the spirit of our Jiangdong soldiers. I want Chu Feng to know that our land is not a place he can come and go as he pleases!" Sun Ce shouted.

The reason he insisted on a direct assault was to vent his frustration and show Chu Feng a thing or two. He intended to send Liang Gang’s head to Shouchun to strike terror throughout the Jianghuai region.

***

In the blink of an eye, several days passed.

Liang Gang did not surrender; instead, he grew even more arrogant. Having learned that Sun Ce’s time was limited, he had no intention of submitting, knowing that if he withstood this wave, the rewards would be immense.

At this moment, Sun Ce’s army was in the midst of the siege.

Looking down from the city walls, the dense mass of armored soldiers resembled ants, carrying scaling ladders, battering rams, and other crude siege engines.

Clang!

Drawing his blade, Liang Gang shouted, "Soldiers! Our lord will return soon. We shall defend Piling to the death and perish with the city! Charge!"

Siege warfare was a measure of necessity, truly the lowest of strategies.

After a full day of fierce fighting, Sun Ce’s units had all suffered losses. As dusk fell, the retreat was signaled, and the soldiers finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Watching the armored troops recede like a tide, Sun Ce clenched his fists. It was normal not to take the city on the first day, but Liang Gang’s determination to hold out baffled him.

Why? In his memory, Liang Gang was not a man who feared death, but he was certainly not one to sacrifice his life for a cause. It gave him a splitting headache.

"Tomorrow, commanders, wear double armor and prepare to personally lead the charge. Cut down their generals and seize their banners! How can a mere city like Piling stop our great army?"

"Within ten days, I must have Piling. Spread the news of this disaster to Shouchun; let Chu Feng know that every one of my Jiangdong men is a warrior." Sun Ce glared at his commanders as he issued his orders.

"Understood!" they replied in unison.

They understood that Sun Ce was truly enraged. However, they were accustomed to personally leading charges to earn merit and expand their own followings.

***

Wu Commandery, Wu County.

Not far outside the city, where there had been nothing the night before, a massive camp had sprouted from the earth. Chu Feng, personally leading an army of eight thousand, had arranged his troops into eight dense, perfectly aligned formations.

They had effectively surrounded Wu County.

Crucially, this force of nearly ten thousand men had appeared as if out of thin air, catching everyone in Wu County completely off guard and sending them into a panic.

At the military headquarters within the city, a lieutenant ran in frantically: "General! A disaster! A disaster! The Chu army, the Chu army is here!"

Inside the headquarters, Zhu Zhi was reviewing documents. Hearing this, he frowned instantly and rebuked, "Where would the Chu army come from? If you are spreading rumors, you shall be executed."

"General, the Chu army is truly here!"

"Overnight, countless Chu soldiers appeared outside the walls. Their standard bears the character 'Chu'. It—it seems to be Chu Feng himself leading the army." The lieutenant swallowed hard as he defended his report.

Honestly, he had woken up to find a sea of Chu troops and was just as bewildered as anyone else.

"Chu Feng? Hmph, nonsense. Chu Feng is currently on his way back to Shouchun; how could he be in Wu Commandery? Unless he can divide himself into two?"

Zhu Zhi scolded, but in the next second, his heart turned cold. Thinking of something, he immediately stood up. "Come, follow me to see what is going on!"

A moment later, on the city walls.

Zhu Zhi heard the guards whispering about the situation; the morale was clearly crumbling.

Zhu Zhi looked out. The man leading the force was young, yet possessed a heroic and spirited aura. It was indeed Chu Feng.

Zhu Zhi frowned. Chu Feng had actually arrived? Did that not mean he had never returned to Shouchun to reinforce it? Instead, he had secretly bypassed them to strike Wu County, catching them completely off guard?

He recalled that Sun Ce had already led his forces to attack Piling.

It was over. They had fallen for another trap!

"Devious and cunning, as expected!"

"Quick! Dispatch fast riders out of the city! Ride to Piling and report this immediately. Tell my lord to turn back and reinforce us at once, or Wu County will be lost!" Zhu Zhi’s voice trembled.

With the elite troops taken by Sun Ce, he only had three thousand infantry in Wu County, and they were not even considered elites. How were they to withstand Chu Feng?