The Three Kingdoms: Rise to Power Starting with Intercepting Liu Bei

Since Liu Bowen had given such instructions, Cai Mao had no choice but to comply, even though he had many doubts.

Huang Yi, needless to say, was not the supreme commander of the Jingzhou army and had no right to refute.

Upon receiving the order, the soldiers of Jingzhou acted in an orderly manner without any apparent abnormality. The soldiers defending Yingpu City also showed no sign of anything amiss, remaining on high alert and awaiting a bloody battle with the enemy.

Time passed slowly, and as the white light faded and night fell, the soldiers sent out to monitor the situation finally reported something unusual.

"General, it seems the enemy is retreating; their soldiers defending the city walls are being frequently moved around!"

"What?"

Cai Mao was overjoyed. The news was like a thunderbolt to his ears. He had thought he might need to observe for a few more days, but he hadn't expected the other side to reveal their true colors so quickly.

The soldiers' report and Cai Mao's reaction left Huang Yi in the tent somewhat bewildered. It was just a change of troop strength, wasn't it? Was it really worth making such a fuss about?

Liu Bowen noticed the confusion in Huang Yi's eyes and explained:

"There are usually strict time regulations for troop rotations, and soldiers will not rotate together in a short period of time. This can also prevent the enemy from launching a sudden attack during the rotation, which could lead to a complete collapse of the line."

"The rapid and frequent troop rotations indicate that the enemy is about to retreat, and those defenders are probably just civilians temporarily conscripted to fill the ranks!"

After listening, Huang Yi nodded vigorously. He had been in the army for quite some time, but he was not cut out for it and knew nothing about some common sense.

He was a notorious good-for-nothing playboy in the Jingzhou army, and his stable high position in the army was only due to his status as a member of the Huang family.

"Hmph, someone like you dares to command troops in battle? You might as well go back to your life of debauchery!"

Cai Mao didn't forget to make sarcastic remarks, not missing any opportunity to attack his opponent.

"You~~~~"

Huang Yi blushed and pointed at Cai Mao, his finger trembling uncontrollably, clearly having been hit where it hurt.

Seeing that the two were about to argue again, Liu Bowen stepped in to interrupt:

"Generals, immediately issue the orders: all troops must prepare for a full-scale attack at midnight to annihilate them!"

"Here you go!"

·······

The latter half of the night is the coldest time of winter.

Liu Bowen, dressed in a cotton robe, stood in the center of the Jingzhou army camp, riding a tall, black warhorse, with dozens of Snow Dragon Riders dressed as Jingzhou soldiers guarding him on either side.

The vast camp was silent. Through the dim torchlight, countless infantrymen, dressed in only thin clothing, stood shivering in the cold wind, enduring the biting chill, but none dared to utter a sound in the face of their superiors' stern orders.

"General Cai, when are we going to attack? It's so cold outside!"

Wearing a fine, warm fur coat and armor, Huang Yi's mouth was trembling from the cold; he was clearly used to a life of luxury and had never experienced anything like this before.

Cai Mao, who was also trembling slightly, did not reply. Instead, he looked at Liu Bowen beside him. When to attack was up to Liu Bowen; he was only responsible for carrying out the orders.

Liu Bowen was also waiting, waiting for the signal from the Snow Dragon Riders he had sent out to conduct close reconnaissance.

Suddenly!

A bright flame suddenly shot out from the pitch-black night sky directly in front of the Jingzhou army camp, so conspicuous.

"attack!"

Liu Bowen gave the instructions.

Cai Mao suddenly drew his sword, the resounding sound echoing in the quiet night sky:

"Soldiers, the time has come to make our mark! Charge!"

As soon as he finished speaking, countless torches suddenly lit up, illuminating the entire night sky.

The soldiers pushed battering rams and carried siege ladders to launch an attack on Yingpu, which was not far away.

········

When Sun Quan's army retreated ten miles south of Yingpu City, everyone saw that burst of firelight soaring into the sky.

Sun Quan and Zhou Yu, who were directing the army's retreat, suddenly felt a chill in their hearts. After exchanging a glance, they both saw the lingering fear hidden in each other's hearts.

They were just one step away from being unable to withdraw. The Jingzhou army was clearly determined to decide the outcome in one battle. If they were any later, they would be finished.

"The entire army must accelerate its retreat!"

This place is not safe to stay for long; Yingpu City cannot hold out for much longer.

Cai Mao led his army and captured Yingpu in less than half an hour. The news he received after leading his troops in enraged him.

Sun Quan and Zhou Yu had already led their main forces away, leaving only the elderly, the weak, the sick, the disabled, and the temporarily conscripted civilians to defend the city.

According to the prisoners captured, Liu Bowen learned that Sun Quan, Zhou Yu and others had mobilized most of their troops for this battle, and they were all infantry, with only a small number of cavalry that posed no threat. They should not have gone far.

Liu Bowen immediately instructed Cai Mao to continue the pursuit, as this was the best opportunity to eliminate the two men.

Cai Mao naturally wouldn't let this opportunity pass. He immediately left a small force to maintain order in the city's defenses and personally led the main force to continue the pursuit.

Because Sun Quan's main force left the city early and lost all their supplies, Cai Mao only managed to catch up with them with his main force when it was just getting light.

Xie Mu region of Jiaozhou Prefecture.

Sun Quan's army retreated along the river to this place, and after several hours of hurried travel, they rested briefly here.

The soldiers fetched water from the river to prepare a fire to boil the water and keep warm.

Zhou Yu and Sun Quan stood on the rocks by the river, gnawing on hard, dry bread, their hearts filled with bitterness.

They couldn't understand why they had suffered such a crushing defeat. It was one thing to be unable to defeat Qin Xuan, but now they couldn't even defeat the Jingzhou army, which was truly perplexing.

"Damn Shito! If it weren't for him, how could we have lost so inexplicably?"

"The Jiaozhou army is a complete bunch of useless trash!"

Zhou Yu took a bite of the hard, flatbread, his eyes filled with malice as he cursed the useless Jiaozhou army.

If they hadn't collapsed at the first sign of trouble, how could the entire front have crumbled?

It's all about shirking responsibility to make yourself feel better.

"Sigh~~~!" Listening to Zhou Yu's complaints and curses, Sun Quan just sighed softly. What's the use of saying these things now that things have developed to this point?

"Choo~~Choo~~~Choo!"

Suddenly, a series of sharp whooshing sounds came from afar, followed by a sharp-eyed soldier shouting:

"Get out of the way! It's an archer attack!"

This shout immediately threw Sun Quan's soldiers, who were resting by the river, into a panic, leaving them flustered and at a loss.

Then a horrifying scene unfolded: many Jingzhou soldiers appeared in the distance, charging towards the resting soldiers like hungry wolves, while unexpected rain of arrows rained down from the sky from time to time.

"Zhongmou, I'm afraid we can't escape this calamity."

Zhou Yu's eyes were filled with bitterness, and the knuckles of his hand gripping his sword suddenly turned white. In the end, the Jingzhou army was determined to be wiped out completely.

On one side was a defeated and exhausted army, and on the other side was a fierce and powerful force pressing its advantage. The outcome was predictable.

Zhou Yu and Sun Quan were already covered in blood and surrounded by the Jingzhou army. They had fewer than ten bodyguards left, and their weapons were broken and had several nicks.

Cai Mao, Liu Bowen, and Huang Yi dismounted and pushed through the surrounding soldiers to stand before the two men.

The moment the two sides met, Sun Quan and Zhou Yu stared wide-eyed as if they had seen a ghost. Sun Quan even shouted angrily:

"It's you, Liu Bowen! How did you end up with Liu Biao? Has the Qin and Liu factions formed an alliance?"

Both of them had met Liu Bowen in Runan, so they were quite surprised by his appearance. At the same time, they felt somewhat relieved, knowing who had defeated them.

Liu Bowen didn't speak, but instead stretched out his hand from under his cotton robe and gave a concealed gesture to the Snow Dragon Riders behind him.

The next second, an accident happened.

Unaware of the situation, Huang Yi heard the name Liu Bowen and was about to turn his head to glance at the registrar when he suddenly felt a piercing pain in his chest, his throat tighten, and then his consciousness slowly faded away.

A knife tip appeared on his chest without him noticing.

"Thump!"

Huang Yi collapsed and died, filled with doubts, a scene that caught everyone off guard.

"Release the arrows!"

Liu Bowen issued another order, and the Snow Dragon Riders following him drew their bows and arrows and aimed them at Sun Quan, Zhou Yu, and the others.

"Choo~~Choo~~~Choo!"