He originally intended to surrender to Wei, so why did he end up restoring Han?

Chapter 117 (Not good, recommended to skip) Taishi Ci defeats three generals single-handedly, Hua Ziyu sighs with regret.

Sun Ce's officers kept trying to regroup, hoping to get the disorganized soldiers to attack again: "Don't panic, don't be hasty, follow the enemy's lead—uh!!!"

Taishi Ci stood on high ground, drew his bow, and fired three arrows in quick succession, each piercing the throat of the squad leader overseeing the battle behind the wall of fire: "This road is blocked! Let's see if you dare to come any closer!"

Sun Ce's army, startled by the flames and the incredible archery skills, realized they were in trouble and immediately retreated and reported the situation to their superiors.

Sun Ce was at the water gate, ensuring it wouldn't be recaptured by the defenders. Upon hearing that his vanguard had been stalled, and then examining the arrows in the bodies of his fallen comrades, he immediately knew it was the work of his old rival. Enraged, he roared, "Taishi Ci is hateful! A mere strategist, how dare he defy me! Watch me rout him!"

Sun Ce then personally led Cheng Pu and Huang Gai in a fierce attack on the South Street. As soon as Sun Ce took action, Taishi Ci's troops felt the pressure of the battle increase dramatically.

Taishi Ci gritted his teeth. Seeing that Sun Ce's army was too powerful, holding out here was no longer the best option. So he suddenly sounded the retreat and led his personal guards to retreat north of the city, deliberately abandoning armor and banners along the way, pretending to be in complete disarray.

"The thief has escaped!" Sun Ce's soldiers cheered and gave chase. Judging from the current situation, the army in front of them seemed to be the last defensive force of Nanchang City. As long as this group of people was eliminated, the battle of Nanchang would be over.

Little did they know that Taishi Ci had already set a trap at the granary north of the city. It turned out that Taishi Ci knew that it would be very difficult to drive Sun Ce's army out of this battle, and since his forces were scattered, he could only do his best to inflict casualties on Sun Ce's army.

He had already ordered his men to dig some pits between the granaries, not very deep, just up to waist height, and to cover them loosely with wooden planks. He also laid out tripwires between the granaries.

When the dozens of Sun Ce soldiers who had been pursuing them rushed into the granary, the wooden planks under their feet suddenly broke, and dozens of men fell into a three-foot-deep pit. Archers on both sides of the granary fired arrows at the same time, while the personal guards behind the granary threw out sharp javelins, and Sun Ce's soldiers fell to the ground.

Taishi Ci leaped out from behind the grain bin, wielding his double halberds like wheels, sweeping away all of Sun Ce's soldiers who were trying to climb out of the pit.

Before long, Cheng Pu arrived wielding his spear and engaged Taishi Ci in battle. Taishi Ci blocked Cheng Pu's weapon with his double halberds. Just as the two were grappling, a great fire broke out outside the granary!

It turned out that Zhou Yu had led a group of men around to the north side of the warehouse and was using fire to burn down the fence surrounding the granary.

Although Taishi Ci's wit could temporarily halt the enemy's advance, the advantage of fighting on home ground was ultimately unavoidable, as the disparity in troop strength between the two sides was simply too great. Moreover, the opposing side possessed both formidable generals and strategists, making their current hold-up performance quite remarkable.

Zhou Yu and his men, who were attacking the governor's mansion, realized that their ally forces were not cooperating with them. They immediately realized that something must have gone wrong. In order to ensure the smooth progress of the operation, he immediately changed the marching direction and decided to help his ally remove the obstacles first.

Zhou Yu arrived at the scene without much trouble. Seeing the two sides locked in battle, Zhou Yu quickly surveyed the surroundings for any usable area. He glanced around and saw a large amount of debris scattered on the open ground. It turned out that Taishi Ci's soldiers had left all the debris they had cleared while setting up traps.

Originally, it didn't matter, but Zhou Yu seized the opportunity immediately.

Zhou Yu's first thought was to set fire to the turtle shell. The power of the flames was enough to instill fear in any creature, making it the best way to deal with the turtle shell.

The supplies here are extremely important, as they are crucial to the subsequent strategy, so Zhou Yu only set fires on the periphery and dared not actually let the flames spread.

The flames themselves weren't a big deal, but the soldiers under Taishi Ci's command were already on high alert. When they saw the faint light of fire appearing around them, they immediately panicked and lost their composure.

"Fire! How could this happen?!"

"hateful----"

Seeing his soldiers begin to cower and want to retreat, a sense of powerlessness welled up in Taishi Ci's heart. He had done everything he should have done, but the situation was still deteriorating uncontrollably. Was there really no way out?

The only option now is to retreat temporarily and ensure Prefect Hua's safe arrival in Chaisang.

"withdraw!"

Taishi Ci stopped trying to stop the enemy and ordered his soldiers to retreat immediately. He himself pushed Cheng Pu back with all his might and followed at the rear of the column.

Behind him, Cheng Pu led the charge, relentlessly pursuing him, his eyes blazing with fury. The old general, who had fought for half his life, was now being held back by Taishi Ci single-handedly, and his heart was filled with indignation; he vowed to capture and kill him.

"They're really pressing hard—this is troublesome."

Seeing this, Taishi Ci had no choice but to fight Cheng Pu again, retreating as he fought, trying to bring more soldiers out of the encirclement.

"Taishi Ci, don't run away!"

The veteran general Huang Gai suddenly plunged into the battle like a raging fire, his twin iron halberds striking Taishi Ci from both the left and right. Taishi Ci seemed to have eyes in the back of his head as he heard the sound of the wind. He swung back with one hand, accurately parrying the heavy halberd from the upper path. At the same time, he twisted his waist sharply, causing the halberd from the lower path to barely graz his armor, leaving a trail of sparks.

"Huang Gongfu! You've come to die too!" His voice was hoarse with the urge to fight, but his heroic spirit remained undiminished. Seeing that he was now facing two opponents, Taishi Ci also became fierce and fought the two of them with a desperate stance. His halberd's power surged again, enveloping the two veteran generals in a cold light, forcing them to defend for the time being.

This struggle gave Taishi Ci a brief respite, but only a brief one.

"Duh!"

A cold shout rang out, accompanied by a sharp, piercing glint of light aimed straight for Taishi Ci's ribs! It was Chen Wu, Sun Ce's personal bodyguard. He seized the opportunity, his spear darting out like a venomous snake, silent yet deadly.

At the critical moment! Taishi Ci's old strength had just been exhausted, and new strength had not yet been generated. But he suddenly inhaled and used the iron-armored bracers on his left arm to fiercely meet the spear tip!

A sharp, screeching sound of sparks flew as the spear tip ripped a deep gash into his wrist guard. In that split second, his right-hand halberd lashed out from under his armpit like a living thing! It was faster than Chen Wu could react, heading straight for his face.

"Wow!"

Chen Wu was shocked and awkwardly leaned back to dodge, but still suffered a long bloody gash on his chin. His helmet also fell to the ground because the straps had been cut, leaving him drenched in a cold sweat.

If that blow had hit, Taishi Ci would have ripped off his entire jaw.

"You scoundrel, how dare you launch a sneak attack?!" Taishi Ci roared, his voice echoing across the land.

After a series of fierce battles, he had already fought three generals! His breathing was already labored. Sweat and blood mingled and streamed down his forehead, blurring his vision. His armor was covered with marks from swords and spears, and the wound under his left wrist was throbbing with pain.

He knew this couldn't go on; he had to withdraw before his strength was completely exhausted. He hurled his hand halberd at Cheng and Huang, then spurred his horse and fled towards the prefect's residence.

The three men, not wanting to see him retreat from the battle, spurred their horses and gave chase, shouting as they pursued, "Taishi Ci, don't run! Today we'll see you dead!"

Taishi Ci remained silent, only quickening his pace.

Just as the group was about to catch up with Taishi Ci, and Cheng Pu's spear tip was almost touching the hind hoof of Taishi Ci's warhorse, an unexpected change occurred.

Taishi Ci, fleeing ahead, was like a nimble snake, suddenly twisting and turning on the swaying back of his horse!

His body twisted at an almost unbelievable angle, his powerful core strength stabilizing him. Before anyone knew it, the precious carved bow was in his hand, an armor-piercing arrow with a gleaming arrowhead nocked on the string. The entire movement was fluid and swift, faster than lightning!

There were no shouts, no warnings.

Only one bowstring twanged, clear and resonant like thunder!

"Boom——!"

A streak of dark light tore through the air, heading straight for Cheng Pu behind him!

Cheng Pu never expected that Taishi Ci could still use such a masterful backflip shooting technique while fleeing for his life! His pupils shrank sharply, and he tried his best to dodge to the side, but he was a second too slow.

"Pfft!"

The arrow was originally aimed at Cheng Pu's chest, but due to his dodging movement, it accidentally pierced his right shoulder! At such close range, almost to his face, the armor-piercing arrow struck him, making his armor as hard as paper. A piercing pain instantly gripped Cheng Pu.

"Ugh!" he groaned, his body swaying violently, nearly falling from his horse. His grip on the spear suddenly went limp, and the weapon almost slipped from his hand. The charge came to an abrupt halt.

Upon seeing his old comrade wounded, Huang Gai's eyes widened in fury, and he shouted, "You treacherous general, stop firing!"

However, Taishi Ci would not leave after firing just one arrow. Instead, he fired several more, forcing Huang Gai and the others to dodge constantly. One arrow even blew off the plume on Huang Gai's helmet, forcing them to stop their pursuit and check on Cheng Pu's injuries.

Seeing that the others had stopped pursuing him, Taishi Ci let out a long sigh of relief. Looking at his right hand, which was trembling from exhaustion, he knew that his strength was completely depleted. If another fierce general came, Taishi Ci would definitely not be able to defeat him.

After glancing at Cheng Pu and the others who were standing in the distance, Taishi Ci hurriedly led his last troops to the prefect's mansion.

The situation here is also not optimistic. A large circle of Sun Ce's soldiers has surrounded the main gate. These people have even taken down someone's roof beam and are using a long log as a battering ram to ram the gate of the prefect's mansion.

Taishi Ci spurred his warhorse once more and charged fiercely towards the enemy. He had switched to his spare double halberds and his stamina had recovered to about 20-30%, making it the perfect time for battle.

The soldiers of Sun Ce's army who were breaking down the door had no idea that a group of enemy troops would suddenly appear from behind them. Hearing the noise, they thought it was reinforcements from the young general and continued to ram the door without turning their heads until the sound of horses' hooves became too loud to ignore, at which point some soldiers turned their heads to take a look.

This sight startled everyone, who cried out in alarm. A tall figure covered in blood was charging towards them with all his might, followed by a group of soldiers, and arrived in front of them in an instant.

His twin halberds danced no longer as a contest of skill, but as a pure storm of slaughter. Each strike carried a piercing shriek that tore through the air, leaving men and horses in its wake, carving a bloody path through the dense crowd!

"It's Taishi Ci! Everyone, back off!"

Panic, like the deadliest plague, swept through the entire attacking force in an instant, mediated by the wide-eyed, distorted expressions of the front-line soldiers.

Those in the front row tried to turn and face the enemy, but were blocked by their comrades in the middle who were unaware of what was happening; those in the middle heard the screams and tried to retreat, but were blocked by those still pushing forward from behind. The entire formation was thrown into chaos, turning them into huddled, live targets.

Taishi Ci's target was crystal clear: the burly men carrying timber who were breaking down the door. He didn't even need to swing his halberd; simply charging forward on his horse, the immense impact sent one of them flying backward, his bones broken. The others were terrified and, before they could even raise their weapons, were hacked down by Taishi Ci's personal guards who followed.

"Mother! Run!"

"Our army has been defeated! Our army has been defeated!"

At that moment, no one thought of military orders or battle merits. The instinct for survival drove them to drop their weapons and scatter like headless flies, wishing they had two more legs. They pushed and trampled each other, just to escape the killing range of that fierce general.

Just moments before, the prefect's mansion was filled with murderous intent; in the blink of an eye, only a mess of corpses, discarded weapons, and pools of shocking blood remained.

Behind the door, those who had been desperately blocking the entrance to prevent the enemy from breaking in were astonished to find the dull thuds of impacts gone and the shouts and curses outside replaced by wails and screams. One of the bolder soldiers climbed the wall, saw the view outside, and was overjoyed. He turned around and shouted, "It's General Taishi! General Taishi has brought reinforcements to rescue us!"

"Yay!"

The guards erupted in cheers of relief and joyfully welcomed Taishi Ci and his entourage through the gate.

When Taishi Ci led his remaining troops to retreat to the prefect's mansion, he had fewer than a hundred men left. Upon entering, Taishi Ci saw Hua Xin slumped in the hall, clutching the imperial seal, lost in thought. Seeing Taishi Ci, Hua Xin finally perked up: "How is it? Is there any hope for Nanchang City?"

Taishi Ci shook his head.

Hua Xin immediately burst into tears, shaking her head and sighing, "Ziyi, I regret not listening to you. If only we had moved to Chaisang sooner—"

Taishi Ci had long sensed that Nanchang City was not easy to defend. Hua Xin was now a vassal of Liu Biao, and at the very least, he had to ensure that his administrative center was within the reach of Liu Biao's navy.

Moreover, militarily, stationing troops in Nanchang meant that there were no strategic advantages around the city, leaving Taishi Ci with no choice but to passively defend it.

If located in Chaisang, it would be backed by Mount Lu, face the Yangtze River, and control the entrance to Poyang Lake. Possessing a natural naval port, it would be a powerful river defense fortress. It could rely on the mountains and rivers to construct a three-dimensional defense line and send naval forces to patrol the Yangtze River, blocking the enemy on the north bank.

If Sun Ce were to attempt a surprise attack on Chaisang as he did today, Taishi Ci could immediately have his navy cut off Sun Ce's retreat and then urgently request reinforcements from Liu Biao. At that point, unless Sun Ce could fly, he would likely die there.

However, Hua Xin considered himself a subject of the Han dynasty, and Nanchang City, as the seat of Yuzhang Commandery for hundreds of years, was a legacy left by their ancestors; how could it be moved so easily? In the end, he only appeased Taishi Ci, believing that Taishi Ci was skilled in military affairs but lacked political acumen, and did not heed his advice.

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