Chapter 92: Sun Ce Seizes His Chance and Lands Ashore — Please Subscribe

Outside the stockade.

Sun Ce’s army had been encamped for miles. The fort had long since been sealed so tightly that not even a drop of water could seep through, and after so many days of assault, the defenders’ will had already withered.

If not for Ji Ling forcing himself to hold the line, the garrison would have fallen apart long ago.

Sun Ce rode at the forefront with spear in hand, personally overseeing the assault. Under his command, every soldier fought as though staking his life on it, their spirit blazing high. By contrast, the defenders inside the stockade were dwindling fast, perhaps not even a thousand remained.

And among them, the wounded made up nearly a third.

“Hold it! Hold the line no matter what! Reinforcements from our lord are on the north bank of the river; they will arrive before long!” Ji Ling shouted, veins bulging at his temples as he gripped his sword.

As he spoke, he kicked aside one man who had rushed him, then thrust his blade forward. Blood burst through the air. His armor was already streaked with grime and blood, long since dried black.

But he had already said these words for the sixth time. The armored men had heard enough. At first they had pinned their hopes on relief; now they had sunk into utter despair.

If reinforcements could cross the river, they would already be here.

If not for the personal guard trailing behind Ji Ling, these soldiers would likely have abandoned the fight altogether.

At a distance, Sun Ce watched his men repeatedly surging up onto the ramparts, and he laughed heartily. “Hmph. This stockade is finished.”

“My lord, Chu Feng stands on the riverbank yet dares not cross. He is nothing but a coward. If he did cross, I would make him pay dearly,” Sun Ben said with a teasing smile, spear lifted.

“It seems Chu Feng lacks the nerve to cross and has chosen to abandon Ji Ling. A pity, though. We made full preparations along the riverbank; if he had come across, we could have struck him hard,” Yu Fan said, stroking his chin and shaking his head.

“Chu Feng is nothing more than a petty thief. I saw through his trick long ago, and breaking it now is as easy as lifting a hand. Once the stockade falls, I will divide our forces and seize Yuzhang,” Sun Ce said coldly, the corner of his mouth curling.

“My lord, a scout sent by Governor Zhou has brought urgent news!” A mounted courier from Spring Valley presented a letter.

“Gongjin?” Sun Ce said in surprise. He took the letter and read it. A moment later he burst out laughing. “Ha! That little thief Chu Feng sent Gan Ning to land at Wuhu, but Gongjin saw through it in time. Gan Ning fled in panic; his schemes are exhausted now!”

“My lord, Chu Feng is cunning and treacherous. If not for Gongjin’s careful planning, a flanking attack by Gan Ning would have been disastrous. Now that Gan Ning has been blocked, there is no way he can cross the river to provide aid,” Yu Fan said solemnly.

“Pass down the order to all three armies. Chu Feng’s plot has come to nothing. Keep up the assault on the stockade day and night. I want Ji Ling’s head to honor the spirits of our fallen, and one day I will surely kill Chu Feng myself!” Sun Ce raised his spear and shouted.

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Dantu, in later times called Zhenjiang in Yangzhou.

The city stood close against the Yangtze. From a high vantage point one could take in the river in a single sweep of the eye. Along the Dantu riverbank there were many gentle shoals. Though there was no large dockyard, small craft could still be beached there.

On ordinary days the place was used mostly by fishermen.

But at this moment, the river was crowded with warships of every size, more than a hundred of them. They had dropped anchor and were preparing to land on the shoals. To come ashore under the eyes of the defenders was unavoidable now.

The main reason was that the banks of the Yangtze were lined with dense woods, hills, and valleys, making landing difficult. Only here was there a gentle beach and a pier. Besides, this battle depended on surprise, so there was no time to worry about the rest.

By then Zhao Fan had already led the special assault troops ashore in fast boats. With them guarding the shoreline, the rest of the infantry would race across in waves until the entire army had landed.

Landing was a tedious business. Each boat could carry only a handful of men, at most a dozen or so, and the landing area was limited. Often only a little over a hundred could come ashore in a quarter of an hour.

For a full army to cross, if there were no pontoon bridge, it could take several days.

If baggage trains were included, it would take even longer. This was precisely why, in ancient times, commanders feared being attacked while half the army had crossed. Transportation was simply maddeningly slow.

And after crossing, if there was not enough timber to raise defenses at once, the troops could only hold by relying on manpower alone. If the enemy struck with full momentum, most soldiers would panic and throw their ranks into chaos, only to drown in the river.

“Quickly, faster!” Zhao Fan was the first ashore, shouting with urgency for them to land at once. Every second mattered now. They had to build a defensive line immediately.

Inside Dantu City,

the sound of gongs and drums was already deafening.

The county commander rushed straight to the county magistrate’s residence and cried out, “Sir, disaster has struck!”

“What is all this shouting about? You’ve disturbed my sleep!” The county magistrate yawned, clearly having been awakened.

“Sir, Chu Feng has come. He is leading the Chu army in landing on the shoals right now. If we let them ashore, Dantu will be lost!” the county commander said in a trembling voice.

“What did you say? Chu Feng is here? But wasn’t he fighting Sun Ce at Spring Valley? How could he possibly be here?” The county magistrate’s face was filled with shock.

“I don’t know,” the county commander said, equally bewildered. How could he possibly know Chu Feng would come here?

“Then why are you still standing there? Hurry and assemble the troops to join me in attacking them. If the Chu army gets ashore, both you and I will be beyond saving!” the magistrate barked urgently.

Dantu was one of the major strongholds along the river and had over a thousand county troops. That was enough. Above all, they had to hold Dantu. If Dantu were lost, then their wives and children in Wu Commandery would surely be executed.

“Yes, sir!” The county commander hurriedly nodded.

“Damn it all, why has Chu Feng, that wretched star of disaster, come to my doorstep? No, I have to inform Zhu Zhi at once, or even Wu Commandery itself will be lost!” the magistrate muttered.

At once he summoned several men and sent them galloping with a message to Zhu Zhi, praying that it would not be too late.

---

After a long while, at the shoals.

Zhao Fan had already formed his battle camp in array, organized in groups of five, layered with defenses and standing at the ready. They were shielding the army as it came ashore. With the repeating crossbows in their hands, it would be hard for any force to break through unless it came in overwhelming numbers.

At that moment, the county magistrate, clad in armor, led seven hundred men out together with the county commander. Seeing several hundred men already ashore in the distance, the magistrate shouted, “Today is the day we win glory and make our names. Kill them!”

There was no need for many words. They met and fought immediately. The magistrate knew full well that the main army had been sent by Sun Ce to fight the decisive battle, and Dantu’s defenders were limited. Passive defense would mean certain defeat.

And the force on the shore was only one or two hundred strong. If they could charge with all their might and drive these men back into the water, it would be a great victory. Then promotions and rewards would surely follow.

Under his command, seven hundred infantrymen surged forward in a bloody clash.

“Fighting retreat! Do not cling to the battle!” Zhao Fan said gravely as he watched the hundreds charging toward them.

He had placed his forward line at the very front precisely so that his own men would have room to make full use of their strength, relying on the rapid fire of the repeating crossbows to wear down the attackers.

In the blink of an eye, those infantrymen had entered the killing range. At once, in groups of five, the soldiers began shooting from every angle, and within moments dozens of enemies had fallen.

Those seven hundred county troops had never seen anything like it. Their advance faltered. Even the magistrate behind them was struck with alarm. Those repeating crossbows were no joke.

“Charge! Push through with everything you have!” he shouted, refusing to let them lose heart.

But no matter how fiercely they advanced, the distance between them and their opponents was always held at around eighty paces. Some men covered the retreat while others pulled back in good order.

Their level of discipline was far beyond what these rabble soldiers could match. In just a few exchanges, the attackers were shot down until they had no spirit left to fight. Fear spread across every face.

“Sir, we can’t win. Let’s pull back!” The county commander swallowed hard. He had thought this might be a chance to win merit and rise in rank, but this mob was no match for those men. They were being cut down as if by ghosts’ cries and wolves’ howls.

The magistrate pressed his lips together, his mind in turmoil. In the end he had no choice but to flee in defeat, only hoping that reinforcements from Wu Commandery would hurry. Otherwise Dantu would surely be lost.

Seeing the enemy withdraw, Zhao Fan frowned. This was a golden opportunity.

After a brief thought, he immediately led several dozen men in hot pursuit, while ordering his deputy commander to take the rest and continue covering the landing of the main force.