Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 111 Westward Advance
Although Zhu Zhi was misled by Zhu Hai's false information and turned eastward to pursue, which delayed him for more than half an hour, it was only four quarters past noon, or eight o'clock in the morning, when he saw through Xu Sheng's deception plan.

Therefore, Zhu Zhi believed that there was still plenty of time. Even if he could not find Chen Gan's troops, he would still defeat Yan Yu's troops!

The 7,000-strong army went on the expedition with the intention of capturing Rencheng. Now that Rencheng has been lost, they have lost face and their morale has been crushed. They must find an opportunity to annihilate part of the enemy to restore momentum for the subsequent coalition operations.

You must know that the best strategy is to attack the enemy's plans, the next best is to attack their alliances, and the last is to attack their troops and cities.

Although the Zhu-Wu coalition was powerful, it was just a dragon crossing the river and had no deep roots in Jiangdong. It was only because of its great reputation and powerful military that it intimidated neutral factions such as Wang Lang, Xu Zhao, and Zu Lang.

If a good battlefield situation cannot be created and sufficient deterrence cannot be maintained, given the relationship between Wang Lang, Xu Zhao and others and the Yan family, these neutral factions may turn against them at any time.

Therefore, Zhu Zhi had to gain some victory to eliminate the negative impact of the defeat in the battle for Rencheng.

After making the decision, he immediately ordered Zhu Hai to lead his troops to meet up at Shishan.

More than half an hour later, the two armies arrived at Lion Mountain one after another and occupied the enemy's camp which had not yet been repaired.

Afterwards, traces of Chen Gan's troops were discovered at the junction of the camp and Shishan Mountain.

Zhu Zhi immediately ordered his commander Tao Qian to lead 500 infantrymen and a team of scouts to search for Chen Gan's troops. Zhu Zhi personally led the main force along the official road on the northern foot of Shishan Mountain and took the initiative to approach Yan Yu's troops.

During this process, Xu Sheng's troops were like a piece of plaster, sticking to him from a distance and not too close, and he couldn't get rid of them no matter how hard he tried.

Chen Xian asked to fight twice, but was rejected by Zhu Zhi both times.

Zhu Zhi also wanted to drive away Xu Sheng's annoying fly, but he only had 500 cavalrymen under his command, so he was unable to do so.

Most of the war horses of these 500 cavalrymen were inferior horses provided by Yuan Shu, and a small number were obtained from various tribes in Qiantang.

No matter the horsepower or equipment, they were inferior to the 500 elite cavalry under Xu Sheng's command, and they could neither defeat nor catch up.
It was precisely because of the presence of Xu Sheng's troops that Zhu Zhi had to temporarily abandon the important Shishan Pass. If he left too few troops, they would be easily defeated by Xu Sheng's troops, and if he left too many, it would weaken the combat effectiveness of his central army.

If you want to follow me, then follow me. When I deal with Yan Yu’s tribe, you will naturally come to me.

Zhu Zhi sneered in his heart. He was extremely sure that as long as he launched an attack on Yan Yu's tribe, Xu Sheng's tribe would definitely join the battle. Even Chen Gan's tribe, which had already disappeared, would surely show up on its own initiative.

Before Yan Yi's army arrived, he would look for opportunities to defeat these three enemy forces one by one.

Zhu Zhi's blood was boiling in his chest. His confidence came from Chen Xian's military report. Although Yan Yu's army had nearly 3,000 soldiers, their combat effectiveness was not very good and was not a concern.

At this time, Yan Yu's troops also discovered the existence of Zhu Zhi's army. Both armies were eager to fight and advanced towards each other quickly.

On the periphery of these two armies were the troops of Xu Sheng, Chen Gan and Tao Qian, and further away were the troops of Sun Yu, Fan Yan, Wang Chao and Yan Yi.

The nearly 20,000 troops on both sides were like being pulled by an invisible thread, moving towards the decisive battle site, either actively or passively.

However, communication was difficult in that era, and military orders could not be effectively transmitted. The outcome of a war often depended on the on-the-spot decisions of the generals.

Just as Xu Sheng was debating whether to reunite with Yan Yu's troops first or fight alongside Zhu Zhi, he received a military order from Yan Yi, delivered by the Procuratorate. The order anxiously inquired about his current situation, then detailed the movements of both his own and enemy forces, as well as the subsequent deployment arrangements and campaign objectives.

This military order was extremely crucial, allowing Xu Sheng to become the first person to grasp the overall dynamics of the two armies and understand Yan Yi's determination.

Yan Yi's attitude was very clear. As long as he could keep Zhu Zhijun forever, he could accept more casualties than the enemy.

Xu Sheng is on the front line, so he needs to perfect the subsequent combat plans, so he can act according to his convenience.

Xu Sheng felt an extraordinary determination and a fierce murderous intent between the lines of the military order. While his expression was solemn, he couldn't help but feel a little sad. A kind person cannot command an army, and it seemed that the young prince was born to be a leader.

He read the military order several times with a focused expression, began to weigh every detail, and adjusted and improved the battle plan according to Yan Yi's will.

Soon, more than ten messenger cavalrymen left the formation and galloped towards the three armies of Yan Yu, Fan Yan and Chen Gan.

At the same time, Zhu Zhi also received military reports one after another.

There is no trace of enemy troops in Shishan
There were no traces of enemy troops at Yuequantan.
Rencheng has been captured by Yan Yi's army.
Enemy reinforcements appeared at Maozhu Mountain. Sun Yu was defeated and began to retreat with his troops. He asked where he should retreat to.
Chen Gan's troops were discovered on Jiming Mountain, where the enemy was building fortifications based on the mountain's terrain.
Zhu Zhi looked at the military reports one after another, his face showing a look of worry and joy at times.

What worried him was that Yan Yi captured Rencheng so quickly, which was beyond his expectations. According to this calculation, his troops would be able to arrive at the front line to reinforce by noon at the latest, leaving him with little time.

The good news is that traces of Chen Gan’s troops were discovered.

Zhu Zhi was not clear about the terrain of Jiming Mountain, so he asked the generals.

Chen Xian, the military commander, immediately said, "Captain, I've been to Jiming Mountain. It's a steep mountain, with cliffs on the north and west sides, and only thorny paths leading up the mountain on the east and south sides. As long as the enemy holds the key roads, it will be difficult for our army to capture it in a short time."

Zhu Zhi frowned slightly: "Can we use fire attack?"

Chen Xian shook his head and said, "The trees are sparse, making it difficult to attack with fire."

Zhu Zhi sighed slightly, a glint of admiration flashing in his eyes. "Although Xu Sheng is young, he is decisive and adaptable in battle. Given time, he will become a great talent. He is truly a young talent! Alas, it's a pity that he has already been used by the enemy!"

What he didn't know was that when Xu Sheng first joined the army in history, he served under him, but now he was poached by Yan Yi in advance.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Hai blushed and said in shame, "I am incompetent and have let my father down. I am willing to accept the punishment!"

"The merits and demerits will be determined after the battle." Zhu Zhi snorted and muttered, "Now it seems that we can only attack Yan Yu's tribe."

He thought for a moment and gave the order, "Have Tao Qian and Sun Yu's troops rush to join me, and withdraw most of the scouts heading towards Jiming Mountain. Zhang Gong, lead 500 elite troops to Yushan and set up an ambush. When Chen Gan leads his troops to rescue Yan Yu, join us in attacking from both sides!"

Zhang Gong clasped his fists and left after receiving the order.

Zhu Zhi then said, "The entire army must accelerate and advance. We must reach Shanyin Pavilion before Yan Yu's troops and occupy the important roads and mountain passes of the pavilion!"

Shanyin Pavilion was the place he carefully selected to defeat the enemy. As long as he occupied the official roads and mountain passes around the pavilion first, he could temporarily isolate the three armies of Yan Yu, Xu Sheng and Chen Gan. He could then rely on the well-connected roads to quickly and flexibly mobilize his troops and calmly choose the most advantageous target of attack based on the enemy situation.

(End of this chapter)