Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 204 I told you not to be so reckless

Xu Kun was Sun Jian's nephew. He had followed Sun Jian since the campaign against Dong Zhuo and held a position in the Sun clan that was second only to Sun Jing, Wu Jing, and Sun Ben.

When Sun Ce was young, he often followed Xu Kun around, riding bamboo horses and playing the role of a general. The two had a very close relationship.

Witnessing the death of Xu Kun, who had left a vivid mark on his life, was like a blow to the head, jolting him from his last shred of hope. He realized they were now in dire straits, and if they couldn't find a way out, everyone would die here.

Sun Ce roared, his voice filled with regret and pain. His blade became even more ferocious with the roar, instantly killing two more assassins. Taking advantage of the moment when the other assassins were dodging the blade, he quickly glanced at both ends of the valley.

Mingling Valley is nestled between two steep mountains: Cangqiu Peak to the east and Tieji Mountain to the west. The two mountains are as if they were cleaved by an axe, standing three to four hundred meters high with nearly vertical cliffs. It is obviously impossible to escape from the rock walls on either side of the valley.

The northern end of the valley was covered with barbed wire, covering an area of ​​three or four zhang (approximately 10-13 meters). The retreat route at the southern end of the valley had been blocked by pursuers. The entire valley was like a net, leaving no sign of life.

Moreover, these assassins were extremely experienced; some of them even left a few men on the outermost perimeter, with bows drawn and arrows ready to be shot at any opportunity.

Sun Ce had witnessed the archery skills of these men; of the thirty close followers he brought, at least ten had died from their arrows.

Their current predicament is truly a dead end.

A sense of impending doom washed over Sun Ce, and he hastily averted his gaze, resuming his fight with the assassins. A thought suddenly crossed his mind: 'Could it be that I, Sun Ce, am destined to die here today?'

"Bo Fu, head north. Use the protruding rocks on the cliff face; you might be able to get over that thicket of thorns!" Chen Wu shouted in my ear.

"Save Boyang first!"

Sun Ce subconsciously replied, then formed a small formation with Chen Wu, Sun He, and eight close followers, and headed south to try to rescue Sun Ben, who had been scattered.

Unexpectedly, after only a few steps, Sun Ben was slashed to the ground and disappeared from their sight in an instant.

"Boyang!"

Sun Ce's eyes were bloodshot, and he looked like a mad tiger. He lashed out and beheaded an assassin next to him.

"Bo Fu, run!"

Sun He suddenly pulled Sun Ce, swung his sword to force back several assassins, and guarded him from behind.

Despite their grief, the group charged northward, their emotions running high, and they unleashed unprecedented fighting power, rushing forward twenty or thirty steps in one breath to escape the assassins' encirclement.

Whizzing!

More than ten arrows suddenly shot from the front, most of them aimed at Sun Ce.

Chen Wu reacted extremely quickly, immediately standing in front of Sun Ce, slashing away several arrows with his sword, and then using his body to block two more arrows. His burly body swayed a few times, and blood gushed from his mouth.

Sun Ce roared, picked up an assassin's corpse from the ground, held it in front of him, and charged towards the archers.

Whizzing!

The arrows came again, but Sun Ce, wielding the corpse, blocked them. However, one arrow still pierced his right leg.

Sun Ce seemed oblivious, channeling his strength into his left arm, he hurled the corpse forward, drew his sword, and charged forward.

Amidst the howling wind, two archers who couldn't dodge in time were knocked to the ground by the corpses.

Seeing Sun Ce charging towards them, the other archers were terrified and dropped their longbows, reaching for the hilts of their swords at their waists.

But before they could draw their swords, a sharp flash of light swept towards them, and their consciousness was plunged into endless darkness.

Having broken free of the encirclement, Sun Ce had room to maneuver and immediately displayed his unparalleled courage and martial skills. His long sword was used to slash fiercely, slice swiftly, and sweep wildly, and in an instant, he had killed more than ten archers.

Before them lay a gleaming expanse of caltrops, and behind them, pursuers drew ever closer.

"Bo Fu, don't worry about us, let's go!"

Chen Wu and his men desperately intercepted the pursuers in a narrow valley, slashing with knives, throwing stones, and using their own bodies to block them, doing everything they could to buy Sun Ce time to escape.

"Bo Fu."

Sun He fell heavily to the ground, struggling to lift his head amidst the crowd, casting one last glance at Sun Ce's retreating figure.

puff!
A long sword suddenly pierced his back, the immense force causing the tip to penetrate his entire body and sink into the ground.

Hearing the screams behind him, Sun Ce felt as if his heart was bleeding, and tears blurred his vision.

He dared not look back, hastily grabbing corpses from the ground and throwing them forcefully into the thicket of thorns ahead, forming a ladder of corpses that carried the hope of escape.

Is that Sun Bofu ahead?

Just as Sun Ce was about to step onto the corpse ladder, a strange shout and a series of rapid footsteps suddenly came from the misty valley ahead.

Judging from the footsteps, there were at least thirty to fifty people.

'If the attackers are enemies, I will die regardless of whether I respond or not, so I might as well respond.'

Sun Ce's mind raced. He gritted his teeth, grabbed a sword in one hand and a corpse in the other, and stepped onto the corpse ladder: "I am Sun Ce!"

"It really is Bo Fu!"

Accompanied by a slightly surprised voice, a tall figure emerged from the thin mist.

The newcomer was over eight feet tall, with a thin face and slightly weathered cheeks. He wore trousers and a soft armor overcoat, with a sword hanging at his waist and a silver spear in his hand. He was extraordinary and very imposing.

"Bo Fu, do not be alarmed. I am Song Ziwei, Song Qian from Guangde. I have come to rescue you after hearing that some of my clan members intend to harm you!"

Song Qian shouted loudly, and fifty or sixty people walked out from behind him. They were all wearing a ruyi (a type of traditional Chinese dress) under a leather armor, and carrying all kinds of weapons, exuding a fierce aura.

Before Song Qian could give any instructions, a group of these men quickly separated and began skillfully clearing away the caltrops on the ground, while the rest took longbows from their backs, nocked arrows, and pointed them at Sun Ce's back.

Sun Ce's eyes widened, a hint of wild joy appearing on his face. He recalled that his uncle, Sun Jing, had written to him a few days ago, instructing him to personally recruit a local hero named Song Qian after arriving in Guangde. He never expected to meet him here.

"Quickly! Shoot and kill Sun Ce!"

A loud shout came from behind, the voice containing both a hint of surprise and boundless killing intent.

Sun Ce was startled upon hearing this and quickly threw the corpse in his hand forward.

boom!
The corpses fell more than two zhang away, forming the last ladder of corpses, only a few steps away from the edge of the caltrops.

Even as the corpses were still in mid-air, Sun Ce had already stepped over the corpses on the ground and was running forward at full speed.

The sound of something cutting through the air came from behind.

Sun Ce had just stepped onto a corpse and hadn't even stood up properly when a sharp pain shot through his back.

He groaned, his body swayed, and he almost fell. After barely regaining his balance, he dared not linger for a moment. Enduring the excruciating pain, he staggered forward and finally reached the last section of the corpse ladder.

"Bo Fu!"

Song Qian then stepped forward, stood in the bramble bushes, opened his arms, and shouted at him.

Sun Ce mustered his strength, leaped, and landed in front of Song Qian.

Song Qian stretched out his strong arms and hugged him tightly, carefully retreating from the thicket of thorns.

Sun Ce stared at the dense array of iron caltrops before him, his face still showing shock, unable to believe that he had actually escaped.

"Save Zilie and the others!" he cried weakly, clutching Song Qian's robe.

Song Qian gripped his iron spear tightly with his left hand, deflecting the incoming arrows, and wrapped his right arm around Sun Ce's chest, retreating swiftly: "It's too late, they're already dead!"

More than ten burly men rushed forward, blocking the arrows that were being fired. From time to time, muffled groans and screams of pain echoed from the deep valley. Sun Ce, feeling utterly exhausted, let Song Qian drag him away, his heart filled with sorrow and his eyes revealing deep regret.

If he hadn't insisted on personally going to the front lines to scout the terrain, Sun Ben and the others wouldn't have lost their lives there.

Cheng Pu had already warned him, so why did he refuse to listen?

Ah!
A heart-wrenching cry echoed through the valley.

Song Qian sensed the pain in Sun Ce's heart and couldn't help but sigh slightly, turning his gaze away from the assassin who was clearing away the caltrops.

Knowing that the crisis was not yet completely over, he immediately carried Sun Ce with another burly man and ran towards the valley entrance.

A moment later, everyone rushed out of the valley and breathed a sigh of relief as they looked at the vast world before them.

Sun Ce was covered in wounds and blood, and had only managed to hold on until now thanks to his strong physique and unwavering will. He struggled to lift his heavy eyelids, looked around, and thinking he was out of danger, his tense nerves relaxed instantly. His head lolled to the side, and he fainted.

Song Qian quickly treated his wounds and instructed those around him, "We shouldn't stay here any longer, quickly help him onto the horse!"

"Third Uncle, where are we going now?" a burly man asked.

Song Qian replied without hesitation, "Go to the Sun family's camp. The messenger should have arrived by now, and someone should be coming to meet us soon."

The two burly men nodded, carefully lifted Sun Ce, and walked towards the horses not far away. They had only taken two steps when their expressions suddenly changed.

Boom! Rat-a-tat-tat!

The earth trembled slightly, initially with a muffled thunderous roar, which quickly turned into a pattering sound like a torrential rain.

Song Qian suddenly stood up, looking around anxiously.

The rapid sound of horses' hooves grew closer, coming from two different directions.

"Sun Ce, don't run away!"

"Where is Bo Fu? Cheng Pu is here!"

Suddenly, a heavily armored cavalry force charged out from the west side of the valley and surrounded Song Qian and his men.

Immediately afterwards, a cavalry force rushed out from the north side of the valley. The leading cavalry general was a burly man with a weathered face; he was none other than Cheng Pu.

Xu Sheng reined in his horse in front of Song Qian, his sharp eyes fixed on the unconscious Sun Ce. A look of great joy flashed across his face as he loudly ordered, "Zhao Cuo, you lead five hundred cavalry and bring Sun Ce back to Guangde immediately! Zhou Yu and Chen Xian, follow me to intercept the enemy!"

"Here!"

Zhao Cuo jumped off his horse impatiently, his hands trembling slightly as he picked up Sun Ce. Together with another cavalryman, they helped Sun Ce's robust body onto the horse.

This is Sun Ce, the Sun Ce that the young lord has been longing for!
Zhao Cuo screamed inwardly, still in a dream.

He had been following Yan Yi for some time and knew well how much Yan Yi feared and valued Sun Ce. He never expected that this legendary figure would become a prisoner of his own army right before his eyes.

Song Qian stood there with a bitter expression, not daring to put up any resistance, and could only watch helplessly as Zhao Cuo and the others took Sun Ce away.

"Just one step away, just one step away! The Sun family is finished!"

He felt both sighs and regrets. He had just made the decision to serve Sun Ce when Sun Ce met with an accident, which put him and his clan in grave danger. What the hell was going on?
The world is truly unpredictable and ever-changing, beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

At this moment, Chen Xian, who was staring blankly at Sun Ce, was also deeply troubled.

Although Chen Xian had already pledged allegiance to Yan Yi, it was a choice made out of sheer desperation. Now, seeing the very person he once served reduced to a prisoner, the feelings in his heart were truly indescribable.

"Wenxiang, what should we do with these people?" Zhou Yu pointed at Song Qian and the others.

A cold glint flashed in Xu Sheng's eyes, and he said without hesitation, "Kill him!"

"Wait!" Song Qian trembled and shouted, "I am Song Qian from Guangde. I have no connection with the Sun family. My act of saving people today was unintentional. I am willing to lead my clan to serve the young lord!"

It has to be said that having some fame is useful; it can save your life in a critical moment.

If it were any other unknown person, they would surely be dead by now. However, Song Qian's name was widely known in Guangde, and Xu Sheng had also heard of him. After a moment's thought, he changed his mind: "Take this person to Guangde as well, and await the young lord's judgment!"

The unlucky Song Qian breathed a sigh of relief, threw away his weapon, and offered his hands, allowing two cavalrymen to tie him up and carry him onto their horses.

drive!
Zhao Cuo whipped his horse and led five hundred cavalrymen to surround Sun Ce tightly in the center, as if protecting a priceless treasure, and galloped back towards Guangde City along the way they had come.

"Bo Fu!"

When Cheng Pu saw Sun Ce being taken away from afar, his heart seemed to stop beating, and his whole body felt ice-cold, chilling him to the bone.

Sun Ce is the banner and soul of the Sun family. If Sun Ce is lost, how can I explain to the Sun family and to Sun Jian?

"Come with me to save Bo Fu!"

Cheng Pu roared, gripped his spear, and led a thousand cavalrymen in a frenzied charge towards Zhao Cuo's rapidly receding troops.

Xu Sheng sneered, slowly raised the serpent spear in his hand, and led the six hundred cavalrymen who had already formed ranks to charge towards Cheng Pu's troops.

The two cavalry forces collided with a thunderous crash!
The terrain outside the valley was not open, making it difficult for the cavalry to launch an effective charge. The two sides quickly went from a well-organized charge to a melee.

Without a doubt, Cheng Pu, like Xu Kun, also fell into Yuan Shu's hands.

Although Cheng Pu's troops had slightly better equipment and horses than Xu Kun's troops, they were still significantly inferior to Xu Sheng's troops.

Sun Ce also fell into Yuan Shu's hands. If Yuan Shu hadn't been so wary of the Sun family and deliberately reduced the supply of weapons and horses to them, Yan Yi's army would have suffered even heavier casualties in the Battle of Guzhang. Cheng Pu might have had a chance to save Sun Ce today.

But there are no "what ifs" in this world. The Sun family ultimately lost the key figure on which they rose to power by a hair's breadth: the just-emerging Sun Ce.

Cheng Pu was wounded in several places and fought to the point of exhaustion. He chased after Zhao Cuo several times, but was repelled by Xu Sheng and Zhao Cuo. Even though most of his troops were lost, he was unable to save Sun Ce.

Due to the narrow terrain, it was difficult to take advantage of the horsepower to charge. Xu Sheng's troops also suffered heavy casualties. Seeing that Zhao Cuo had gone far away, he led the remaining troops to slowly withdraw from the battlefield.

"Bo Fu, Bo Fu! How am I supposed to explain this to Wen Tai?!"

On the way back to the camp, Cheng Pu sighed deeply, tears streaming down his face, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

"What happened today is strictly forbidden to be revealed to anyone. Anyone who disobeys will be executed without mercy!"

In a state of utter confusion, Cheng Pu, with the last shred of clarity remaining in his mind, issued a silencing order to his subordinates.

Although Sun Ce was captured, he was not dead yet. The Sun family cannot fall; there is still hope for the Sun family!

The most urgent task at hand is to block the news so that the Sun family can take countermeasures and control the situation that is about to spiral out of control before the news leaks out.

Cheng Pu used his seasoned experience to buy the Sun family several days to take control of the situation.

When the news of Sun Ce's capture and the deaths of Sun Ben and others reached the Sun family, the entire Sun family was thrown into a state of panic and chaos, as if the sky had fallen.

Such panic and chaos had not occurred for several years. The last time it happened was when Sun Jian died in battle.

It wasn't until a day later, with the assistance of veteran officials and generals such as Cheng Pu and Han Dang, that the chaos within the Sun family gradually subsided.

Upon receiving the news, Sun Jing from Fuchun disregarded the fact that it was already late at night and rushed to the Guangde camp to take charge of the overall situation.

Sun Ce's younger brother, Sun Quan, who was about to turn thirteen, was urgently summoned to Guangde.

Even Wu Jing, who was far away in Shouchun, rushed to Guangde without hesitation after receiving this devastating news.

During this most difficult time, the Sun family demonstrated a terrifying family cohesion, with everyone setting aside past grievances and uniting together.

The Sun family is still around; the Sun family has not fallen!
(End of this chapter)