Tiger Guards

Chapter 741 Flexible Approaches
At the foot of Mount Daxian, there is a road running north-south.

Nearby is also the ancient Qi State pass, which is considered one of the strategic passes between Qi and Langya.

Inside the military camp, Sun Ce lay prone on a couch, while the military doctor carefully cleaned the wound on his back.

After taking the anesthetic powder, Sun Ce's pain was no longer so intense.

But drowsiness comes like a tide, one wave stronger than the next.

He forced himself to stay awake. Not far away, Zhou Yu and Sun Ben sat facing each other, while the officers who had come to hear the news could only stand outside and wait.

Jiang Qin, who had captured the three murderers, was also outside the tent. At that moment, he and Song Qian were detaining and guarding the three trembling mountain people who were waiting for interrogation.

He also harbored resentment towards the Marquis of Qi, who, as a supreme ruler, rode alone through the mountains and wilderness. Wasn't he deliberately trying to provoke them into attacking?
A troop of knights, carrying wooden halberds, led the way and charged straight into Sun Ce's central army gate. The gatekeepers and soldiers stood at attention, watching Sun Quan and Sun Yi, who were being escorted by the cavalry.

Sun Yi had a majestic appearance. Although his face was not as handsome and heroic as Sun Ce's, his physique was strong and resembled his father, Sun Jian.

At this time, Sun Quan did not yet have a beard, and his blue eyes were quite prominent. He appeared very tall on horseback. If viewed from the side, one could see that Sun Quan had a long torso and short legs, making his leg-to-body ratio quite disproportionate.

Sun Yi was an excellent horseman. He galloped into the commander's tent and pulled hard on the reins. As his horse slowed down and turned, Sun Yi jumped off without waiting for Sun Quan who was following behind.

He went straight into the main tent, first looking around at the people inside. Seeing that there were only a few people, he immediately adjusted the hilt of his sword at his waist, stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said in a trembling voice, "Elder brother."

"Don't worry, it's just a superficial injury."

Seeing that Sun Yi's eyes were moist, Sun Ce said, "Now that a formidable enemy is before us, our army may appear to be in a strong position in the east, but in reality, it is as precarious as a pile of eggs. In such a critical moment of life and death, why act like a child?"

"It was my brother who lost his composure."

Sun Yi knelt on one knee at the head of the bed and asked, "Why did you summon me so urgently, elder brother?"

"We intend to divide our forces to attack the traitors Zang Ba and Zhang Zhao'er."

Sun Ce turned his head to look at Zhou Yu, his gaze sweeping directly across Sun Ben's face. Sun Ben noticed Sun Ce's gaze and secretly clenched his fist.

Zhou Yu rose and said to Sun Yi and Sun Quan, who had just entered with a calm expression, "Now we are allied with Yuan Shao of Hebei. This is both a matter of public duty and a matter of private interest. The Zhao traitor has returned to Jinyang and will soon send a large army to harass You and Yan. If our army stands by and watches, Yuan Shao of Hebei will lose power. If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. How can we survive alone?"

Sun Ben remained silent. Sun Quan's expression changed upon hearing this, but he restrained himself. Sun Yi spoke directly: "Now that my elder brother has been attacked and wounded, the morale of our officers and soldiers is wavering. If we still insist on attacking Zang Ba and Zhang Zhao, and the two traitors Lü and Zhao send troops towards Qing and Xu, even if our army manages to defeat Zang Ba and Zhang Zhao, we can turn around and retreat quickly back to Jinan and Dongping. How can our exhausted army possibly withstand the elite forces of Lü and Zhao?"

At this moment, Sun Quan noticed that Zhou Yu and Sun Ce were looking at him, so he said, "My two elder brothers, what I am worried about is that the troops in Hebei are avoiding battle. Our army is taking a risk to attack the bandits in Langya in order to eliminate the hidden dangers on our flank, so that we can take Xuzhou completely and look forward to the Jianghuai region in the future. At the same time, it can also attract the Zhao bandits, forcing them to slow down their offensive in Youyan, indirectly helping Hebei, so that Lord Yuan can unify Yan and Zhao."

Zhou Yu nodded: "That's right. When Yuan Shu's power is strong and he occupies two provinces, he will naturally be unable to defeat Lü and Zhao. Only at this moment can our army advance into the Huai River region and quell the remnants of Yuan Shu's forces."

The Jianghuai region was basically occupied by the Liu clan, who were supported by Zhao Ji.

When Zhao Ji and Yuan Shao are locked in a stalemate, with neither able to gain the upper hand across the Taihang Mountains, then the Sun family will have a chance.

The reputation and experience of Liu Ai, the governor of Yangzhou, are too strong to fight for the time being; however, the brothers Liu Xun and Liu Xie are both former subordinates of Yuan Shu, and they are both from Langya, so there is no obstacle to fighting Liu Xun and Liu Xie.

The strategic plan is fine; survival should be the primary objective.

After Yuan Shao grew stronger, he could barely protect himself in the face of the even stronger Zhao Ji. Under these circumstances, Yuan Shao had neither the resources nor the external environment to advance into Yanzhou and Qingzhou. He could only do his best to support the Sun family and make them stronger.

The stronger the Sun family became, the more strategically they could support Hebei, thus improving the overall situation in Hebei.

This was a strategic plan devised by Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, and it was also the result of communication with Yuan Shao's side.

Yuan Shao, the adoptive father, cannot be called that for nothing.

Being Yuan Shao's adopted son isn't easy. He must now step forward to draw Zhao Ji's hatred and create an opportunity for his good adoptive father.

Sun Quan had only been holding the position of a county magistrate during this period and was unaware of the contents of the higher-level military discussions. He nodded slowly, pondering and wondering, "My two elder brothers, if Lord Yuan disregards the alliance and withdraws his troops from Yi River to avoid the Zhao bandits' sharp edge... wouldn't our army's strong attack on Langya be met with a fierce counterattack from the Zhao bandits?"

Zhou Yu frowned, and Sun Yi was slightly displeased: "Lord Yuan is a role model for the world. How can he face the world if he avoids the enemy's sharp edge like this?"

Sun Quan glanced sideways at Sun Yi: "Shubi has also seen the Zhao traitor, and Lord Yuan has also faced the Zhao traitor several times, but each time they were locked in a stalemate and refused to fight. In the end, isn't it because they cherish their own followers and are unwilling to fight to the death?"

Sun Yi fell silent; Zhao Ji was a nightmare he didn't want to recall.

If nothing unexpected had happened, he should have gone to Zhao Ji's army as a hostage, but Zhao Ji didn't think much of him and sent him back to Sun Ce's army.

He even suspected that Zhao Ji wanted to exterminate the entire Sun family.

But then he felt that this speculation was unreasonable. If he went to be a hostage, Sun Ce would participate in the coup, and Zhao Ji could kill him and then kill Sun Ce, which could achieve a similar effect.

The most likely truth is that Zhao Ji was certain that Sun Ce would participate in the coup, but disdained to take his life.

If given a choice, the fierce-tempered Sun Yi would not want to confront Zhao Ji.

As a violent person, Sun Yi was acutely aware of the differences between people.

His ferocity was utterly ineffective against Zhao Ji, let alone intimidate or deter him.

On the contrary, when Zhao Ji tried to kill him with his sword or shoot him with his bow, Sun Yi felt that he could not lift his shield or hold his sword steady.

Sun Yi's silence was tantamount to acknowledging Sun Quan's guess that his adoptive father, Yuan Gong of Hebei, might rally his troops and hold firm, refusing to compete with Zhao Ji for Youzhou... and might even cooperate with Zhao Ji to eliminate Gongsun Zan.

Gongsun Zan was a potential source of uncontrollable trouble for Zhao Ji. As long as Gongsun Zan remained in Youzhou, the state would always be in danger of instability.

Therefore, there is a possibility that the battle between Youyan will develop into a conflict between Zhao Ji and Zhao Ji, and between Yuan Shao and Yuan Shao, and then both sides will withdraw their troops and fight again next year after making more thorough preparations.

As long as the main force is not damaged, the army will only get smoother and smoother when fighting in foreign lands.

The unfortunate ones are the powerful clans of Youzhou. Whether they choose Zhao Ji or Yuan Shao, they will suffer attacks and ravages from the other side. If they insist on remaining impartial, they will be even more unlucky and will be attacked by both sides in turn.

How much could Yuan Gong of Hebei really sacrifice for the great cause he held in his heart?

Sun Quan was a gloomy person. He distrusted Yuan Shao and did not believe that Yuan Shao was worth sacrificing for his side.

Otherwise, if they were to incur a beating from Zhao Ji, and Yuan Shao were to rally his troops and hold firm, engaging in a stalemate with Zhao Ji's detachment... Would that be fair to his own side?

In the silence, Zhou Yu and Sun Ce exchanged a glance. Sun Ce slowly nodded, and then Zhou Yu said, "Since Zhongmou thinks it is not advisable, would you be willing to go on a mission to Jinyang?"

Sun Quan was taken aback upon hearing this, and turned to look at Sun Ce. Sun Ce's voice was weak: "Zhang Zibu and I have a bond after all. I will allow Zhang Zibu to lead his people to migrate to Xizhou. Leaving a good relationship will make things easier in the future."

Release Zhang Zhao and the people of Langya and the four tribes of Qingzhou, and capture Zang Ba, Sun Guan and other refugee leaders and beat them to death until the land passage between Jianghuai is opened!

It's impossible to attract Zhao Ji by fighting Zang Ba and his men.

What about Yuan Gong of Hebei? He's no longer that important. The most important thing now is to fight back to Jiangdong, to unite Xuzhou and Yangzhou, and to completely sever the southeast.

If this goal is achieved, retreating means holding onto one's territory, and surrendering would still grant one the status of a duke or marquis; while advancing means waiting for the changes in the world, hoping for an opportunity to turn things around and prove oneself to the world!

Strategic methods should be flexible, as long as the ultimate goal remains unchanged.

(End of this chapter)