Chapter 94: A Son Should Be Like Sun Zhongmou

In the room, Lady Xie sat sobbing softly.

Tears shimmered in her beautiful eyes, and her exquisite face was streaked with sorrow. This battle was fraught with danger; Chu Feng commanded stout troops and formidable generals, while Sun Quan had too few men and too little strength. How could he possibly win?

She did not want to become a widow right after marriage!

Sun Quan was sorting through his armor and sword, and had also taken down a stout bow. Though he had not yet come of age, he possessed both courage and strategic insight, and drew the heavy bow to full draw with ease.

With a faint smile, Sun Quan caught sight of Lady Xie weeping from the corner of his eye and said at once, “My lady, do not worry. This trip is only to garrison Piling and wait for my elder brother and Gongjin to return.”

“Besides, Chu Feng is nothing but a sly, insignificant creature. To me he is no more than a dog or a pig. Crushing him will be as easy as lifting a hand, so there is no need for concern. Please, my lady, do not worry any longer.”

Lady Xie choked back a sob and lowered her head in silence.

War had always been the most perilous of places. How could she not worry?

She only hoped everything would go smoothly, and that Sun Ce and Zhou Yu would hurry back to relieve the front and drive Chu Feng out of Wu Commandery.

—

The latter part of the second month in the third year of Jian'an.

Sun Quan, leading He Qi, Pan Zhang, and Zhu Ran with eight thousand troops, claimed to command thirty thousand elite soldiers and entered Piling, which was enough to give the fearful city of Piling a welcome sense of relief.

As for Wuxian, Zhu Zhi kept the various clans in check, while Sun Jian's third son, Sun Yi, led troops to conduct strict inspections and hold the city firmly, and Madame Wu, Sun Jian's wife, soothed the great households one by one. At last, the unrest in Wuxian was calmed.

—

At this moment, outside Piling City.

Chu Feng was encamped with seven thousand infantry, while Chen Ji and Liang Gang had set up separate camps to the left, the right, and to the southwest and northwest, clearly to guard against Zhou Yu's approaching forces.

On the city wall, Sun Quan stood with a hand on his sword, gazing at the busy Chu army outside the city, his face clouded with worry. He was not particularly skilled at warfare; instead, Madame Wu had trained him well in the art of weighing advantages and disadvantages.

His purpose in holding Piling this time was chiefly to steady morale.

“My lord, the Chu army has not even taken proper precautions. Why not let this humble general lead the troops out and first crush their arrogance?” Pan Zhang said, pounding his chest.

“Absolutely not. In this battle our army will be defending. We must never take the initiative. Besides, Chu Feng is cunning. Now that he is already at the gates and still so careless, there must be a trap within!” Sun Quan said in a grave voice.

He had heard of Chu Feng's valor. Since holding Piling would prevent Chu Feng from attacking Wuxian, why take the risk of a sortie and gamble on enemy heads?

“Ah, what a splendid opportunity!” Pan Zhang muttered, sounding rather regretful.

At that moment, a bright voice rang out.

“Second Brother, a commander must learn to judge the situation. Right now Chu Feng's discipline is lax; he has clearly captured several counties in succession, and the armored men under him have become arrogant troops.”

As the saying goes: arrogant troops are bound to be defeated!

At this moment, if a swift general is sent to strike them suddenly, we will surely blunt their edge and smash their camp as well. That would also make the defense of the city easier.”

Sun Shangxiang strode up with a sword at her waist.

She was dressed in the armor of an ordinary soldier, and several attendants followed behind her. A closer look revealed that they were all women.

“Youngest sister? Why are you here? Who allowed you to come? He Qi, send someone at once to escort her back to Wuxian,” Sun Quan frowned, flicked his sleeve, and scolded her.

“I dare him to try!” Sun Shangxiang snapped.

He Qi hesitated inwardly. This little lady was no easy soul to deal with, and she was quite skilled in martial arts, bearing the same bold spirit as her father and brothers.

“Younger sister, military affairs are no child's play. Listen to your brother and go back at once,” Sun Quan said gently, seeing her temper rise.

“I practice martial arts precisely to defend the realm and bring peace to the people. What of it if I die on the battlefield?” Sun Shangxiang said with knitted brows and imposing force.

“Alas,” Sun Quan said helplessly.

He turned to Zhu Ran with a sweep of his sleeve and said sharply, “Zhu Ran, I leave her to you. Do not leave her side for even a moment. Keep her safe at all costs. If anything happens to her, come to me with your head in your hands!”

“Yes!” Zhu Ran replied, nodding.

“He Qi, guard the city gate. Without my order, no one is to leave the city on their own. Anyone who disobeys shall be executed!” Sun Quan then said to He Qi in a deep voice.

After speaking, Sun Quan strode down from the wall.

To leave the city and fight Chu Feng head-on would be foolish. Better to defend steadily and wait for Zhou Yu's reinforcements. After all, Zhou Yu was stationed at Niuzhu, only four to five hundred li away.

Counting the messenger's travel time, they should arrive in half a month.

By then, joining forces with Zhou Yu and striking Chu Feng from both sides would make great success within reach. At the very least, they could wait for Sun Ce to return with his army and drive Chu Feng out of Wu Commandery in one stroke.

—

Night fell.

Outside the city, several camps rose from the ground.

They still needed repair and reinforcement, but deer-anticlers and similar defenses had already been laid thickly inside and out, all to prevent the enemy from launching a night attack.

Inside the camp, at the commander’s tent.

Zhao Fan sighed and said, “My lord, this Sun Quan does have some strategy. Even when our army looked so lax in the daytime, he still did not fall for it. He clearly saw through our ambush.”

At those words, the generals all nodded repeatedly.

This Sun Jian really knew how to produce sons. Sun Ce was fierce enough already, and now Sun Quan was also so adept at military matters. I'm afraid this battle will not be easy to settle quickly.

Chu Feng studied the map and considered his options, then said slowly without looking up, “Sun Quan is not truly skilled in the art of war. He is simply timid.”

“Timid?” the others asked in surprise.

“This man is the exact opposite of his elder brother, Sun Ce. His brother was unmatched in valor and famed for his chivalry, while Sun Quan is good at power balancing and maneuvering, but he does not understand warfare.”

Chu Feng's fingers moved over the map as he spoke to himself.

Of course, calling Sun Quan ignorant of warfare was only to boost morale and exaggerate things. In later generations, Sun Quan would go on to shower countless fiefs on Cao Wei's generals, and even elevate Man Chong to the rank of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households. He was certainly not ignorant of war. It was just that, compared with his brother, he fell far short, never once able to cross that threshold at Hefei in his entire life.

“Why does my lord say that?” Liu Ye asked with a frown.

“Only something I have heard in passing,” Chu Feng said with a light smile, then frowned again. “In this battle, we must take Piling. Otherwise, if we circle around through Yangxian and Wucheng, the road will be too long, and we will be too deeply isolated.”

Liu Ye nodded. “Indeed. A detour to strike from the rear would take more than half a month. By then Zhou Yu at Niuzhu will certainly lead troops back to defend, and our isolated force will be in danger.”

“However, Piling City has several thousand defenders, about equal to our own strength. As the military treatise says: with ten times the enemy's numbers, surround them; with five times, attack them; with double, divide them; if the forces are equal, then you may fight them.

“Now Sun Quan is determined to hold the city and refuses to come out. With no baiting of the enemy, this will be difficult to break,” Liu Ye said with a helpless expression. After all, the two armies were nearly equal in strength, and victory would not come easily.

Unless they fought in the open, or cut off the enemy's supply routes.

“When will reinforcements arrive?” Chu Feng frowned. He did not think Sun Quan would dare come out and face him in open battle, so he would have to devise a plan and request more troops.

The safest course would be to plant roots in Wu Commandery and let Sun Ce and Zhou Yu fight him at their own doorstep. A greedier path would be to seize Wu Commandery itself; even if it were difficult, it was still worth trying.

That was exactly what Chu Feng intended to attempt now.

If it failed, he could simply fall back to Qu'e.

“Zi Jing has already sent Gan Ning with eight thousand elite troops to reinforce us. They should arrive in a little over ten days,” Liu Ye said solemnly with clasped hands.

“Eight thousand were detached?” Chu Feng frowned. “Tell Lu Su that Niuzhu is now lightly held. He must guard it well and never fall for a trick.”

“Yes!” Liu Ye nodded.

“Chen Ji, Liang Gang, the two of you must fortify your camps for me. Lay down more deer-anticlers, and do not be careless,” Chu Feng added specifically.

Those two camps were there precisely to guard against Zhou Yu.

“Very well, all of you may withdraw,” he said with a wave of his hand.

Once the tent had emptied, only Chu Feng remained. He studied the map once more and reread the deployments, trying to find a way to defeat the enemy.

If all goes well, there may still be five updates today.