Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1152: Han Army Retreats
Sun Ce and Zhou Yu led less than 3,000 remaining soldiers, almost all of whom were injured. After barely breaking through, they were almost exhausted.

They fled along the mountain road and passed through Xi County. Fortunately, although there were still several thousand Han troops in the city, Zhang Liao's injuries had not healed and it was difficult for him to fight, so only a few mid-level generals went out of the city to chase after him symbolically.

After a horrific escape that left hundreds of lives behind, the Jiangdong Army finally escaped from the sphere of influence controlled by the Han Army. Two days later, Sun Ce and his companions, who were so tired that they could hardly stand, finally returned to Shangyong City.

After resting for more than ten days, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu's injuries finally stabilized and their spirits were basically recovered.

"How despicable! Tens of thousands of troops were almost wiped out. In this battle alone, nearly 30% of the elite veterans left by my father were lost. How can I face the elders of Jiangdong?"

Sun Ce was filled with righteous indignation and was furious.

Zhou Yu, who had always been a gentleman, was extremely ashamed and angry this time.

"Liu Zheng and Kong Ming's tactics are so despicable. It's really annoying!"

Lu Su consoled them, "My Lord and Gongjin, calm down. Our army has already established a firm foothold in Shangyong. Shangyong is a big city. As long as we dig deep trenches, strengthen the city defenses, and store food and grass, we will be able to resist the attack from Yizhou. My Lord can rest in peace in Jing and Yang, and gather strength again for another battle."

"We are not afraid of the Hanzhong front." Veteran Cheng Pu took over the topic and analyzed it.

"But in the northern Yuzhou and Xuzhou, there are still hundreds of thousands of troops of the false emperor Liu He. Guan Yu, Gao Shun, Zhang Yong, and the three Liu Bei brothers are not easy to deal with. Now that our army has just been defeated, if the enemy takes the opportunity to march south, it will be a serious threat and we must guard against it."

After hearing Cheng Pu's words, Sun Ce finally came to his senses from his anger.

"I have the natural barrier of the Yangtze River. The Northern Army is not good at naval warfare. What is there to be afraid of?"

Zhou Yu shook his head. "Although the Northern Army is not good at naval warfare, their warships are more than ten times more powerful than ours. Last year in Wu County, we all saw how powerful their warships were. On the river, they were almost as stable as the ground. Even people who were not familiar with water would not get seasick due to the shaking. They are truly the best weapon for naval warfare."

"Besides, Jiang Huan has been fighting pirates in Qingxu for many years and is familiar with naval warfare. Even if his navy is not as good as our Jiangdong navy, we may not be able to gain an advantage with such warships. If Pang Shiyuan had not poisoned us in the initial battle, I'm afraid Wujun would have been occupied by the enemy. Therefore, we must not underestimate the enemy."

Sun Ce suddenly fell into deep thought.

Although he was always confident, he was not conceited. At present, he only controlled Yangzhou and Jingzhou. As for Jiaozhou, although Sima Yi was winning victory after victory, it would take a long time for him to digest the fruits of victory. Even if he did, the power of the three states was far inferior to that of Liu He who occupied ten states.

At this time, Lu Su seemed more confident than anyone else.

"Don't worry, my lord. Su Tan heard that after Buyeo and Goryeo surrendered last year, they ceded large tracts of land and cities. Liu He decided to build two new counties, one is Tongbei County and the other is Heishui County. Many cities, roads, and water conservancy projects will cost countless money, grain, and manpower. In addition, Yumen Pass and Yangguan Pass, which are now being rebuilt, and the two related highways leading to the Western Regions, Liu He's treasury will certainly not be able to support large-scale battles with hundreds of thousands of troops in the next three to five years."

Sun Ce's eyes lit up: "Zi Jing, is this news true?"

Lu Su smiled and said, "Although Liu He has not officially issued an order to build two new counties because he is still on his way to Mount Tai, it is not a secret in his pseudo-court. My lord also knows that before Su came to join my lord, he was a knight-errant and had made many friends. Some of them have now joined the army in the north or worked as clerks in county governments. Although their friendship does not allow them to risk being held accountable by the court to do anything for Su, it is not difficult for them to just find out some information."

"The areas where these two counties are located are mostly barren swamps, jungles, and mountains. To build city roads and water conservancy projects, it would cost more than 10 billion silver. Over the past few months, the pseudo-imperial court in the north has mobilized hundreds of thousands of laborers and tens of thousands of craftsmen to Liaodong, and countless caravans have followed them, trying to get a piece of the pie as soon as possible. Youzhou Governor Zhao Jin has also gathered laborers and craftsmen locally, so it must be true."

Sun Ce's brows lit up with joy and he stood up clapping his hands.

"Okay, okay, this way, we don't have to worry too much about Zhang Yong, Gao Shun, Xu Huang and others' troops heading south."

But then jealousy appeared on his face again: "Alas, although Liu He is hateful, he is worthy of being a great leader. In the past ten years, he has expanded the territory for the Han Dynasty. In addition to the newly built Yunhai County in Bingzhou, there are now three counties. Even though I have a blood feud with him, I, Sun Ce, have to admire him. Even if this man is really defeated by me in the future, he will be recorded in history and his name will be passed down through the ages. It's a pity that such an achievement was not created by me, Sun Ce."

The old general Cheng Pu said earnestly: "My lord, why should you worry? After we help you unify the world, why worry about not having a good opportunity to make achievements?"

Sun Ce quickly recovered from his jealousy.

"Although Liu He's pseudo-court will no longer completely rely on merchants as it did when building Yunhai County, it will certainly not completely abandon the financial and human resources that merchants can contribute. I think it will take about three to four years to complete the construction of the city walls, main roads, government offices and water conservancy projects in these two counties. By then, he will be able to free up financial resources for military expenses. Therefore, within three years, our army must have the strength to compete with Liu He."

"To achieve this, in addition to Jiaozhou, which Zhongda is attacking, our army must also obtain Yizhou, so as to completely control the Yangtze River waters and prevent the Northern Army's heavy armored infantry and cavalry from marching eastward into Jingzhou by land." The most troublesome forces in the Northern Army were the Jinlongqi and the Hanwuzu.

This kind of heavily armored infantry and cavalry were extremely powerful. Their commanders, Guan Yu and Gao Shun, were famous generals of the time, and there were almost no flaws in their command. Apart from the siege and fire attack that Zhou Yu used to deal with the Jinlongqi, it was difficult to come up with any good strategy.

However, the fire attack strategy had been defeated by Liu He before, and it would be difficult to fool them again, so naturally these two armies became the enemies that Sun Ce was most reluctant to face.

As long as Yizhou was captured and the enemy's way to Jingzhou through Hanzhong was blocked, it would become much more difficult for the two armies to cross the Yangtze River by ship and come to Jiangdong to fight. This was also the military reason why Sun Ce and Zhou Yu were so determined to capture Hanzhong.

Sun Ce looked determined as he turned and looked at the sand table.

"How can we take Nanzheng? How can you teach me?"

Zhou Yu, Lu Su and Cheng Pu all fell into deep thought.

Nanzheng City was not easy to attack in the first place, not to mention that our side had suffered heavy casualties and morale had plummeted, while the enemy's morale was at its peak. Moreover, Wu Yi also led his troops to be stationed in Nanzheng. The troops in the city had exceeded the troops deployed in Shangyong. Even if they went out in full force, they would hardly have a chance of winning.

Seeing that they were silent, Sun Ce became a little annoyed.

"How hateful! Wei Yan said that he would take Langzhong in half a month, but now more than a month and a half has passed and there is still no news. He is really more of a hindrance than a success!"

Lu Su advised, "The path is difficult to travel, not to mention the Sichuan area, where there are often clouds and fog in the mountains, making it difficult to travel. It would be difficult to travel through it in a month, let alone half a month. Langzhong is a small city with no defenses. As long as Wen Chang's troops arrive, I think they will succeed. But it is not easy to send a message back due to the mountains and rivers. My lord, don't worry."

Zhou Yu also said: "It would be great if this could be accomplished. If it fails, our army should also be prepared. We cannot rely entirely on Wen Chang alone. Even if he can really capture Langzhong, Chengdu is a strong city. I think it is beyond the reach of his thousands of troops. The lord must come in person. Otherwise, if he really takes Chengdu, the great achievement of entering Sichuan will be monopolized by him alone, which will surely make it difficult for the various tribes in Jingzhou to suppress it, which will also be disadvantageous to the lord."

"Well, Gongjin is right." Sun Ce nodded slightly.

"In Gongjin's opinion, if Wei Yan fails, how should our army capture Nanzheng City?"

Zhou Yu pointed to the mountains south of Chengdu on the sand table.

"My lord, have you forgotten that our army has an ally who can serve as a surprise force?"

Sun Ce was startled, then said cheerfully: "Not bad, not bad, I indeed forgot about the Barbarian King Meng Huo. Calculating the time, he should have set off many days ago, but I wonder how is the progress?"

While a few people were discussing, someone came to report from outside.

"My lord, a scout has returned."

"Oh? Is it Wei Wenchang or the Barbarian King Meng Huo who has sent news, or is there any movement in Nanzheng? Send the scouts in."

The scout walked in quickly and knelt down to report: "My lord, the Han army is withdrawing. Now the Han army in Xicheng and Xixian has withdrawn completely, and Wu Yi has also personally led his troops to leave Nanzheng and rush to Shuzhong overnight."

Several people seemed very surprised when they heard this.

"Why did Wu Yi withdraw his troops for no reason? He has only been in Nanzheng for a few days, why is he so anxious?"

Sun Ce suddenly thought of something and his face became overjoyed.

"Wen Chang succeeded!"

(End of this chapter)