Chapter 340

Chapter 340

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 10: The World in Chaos, the Time to Hunt Chapter 340: Straight to Wu County

But by the time he realized his judgment was wrong, it was already too late.

If he had understood this earlier, perhaps he could have let his subordinates escape from the other side of the hill, temporarily abandoning the encirclement of “Sun Ce” and his troops.

But now they were all in the midst of a fierce battle in the valley, and the only way out of this predicament was to completely defeat the opponent!

The burning village was just a stone’s throw away, but it was clearly no longer a trap to bind his opponent.

In this all-around fight, Zu Lang couldn’t see any advantage on his side.

An absolutely elite cavalry!

With an inexplicable sense of tragic heroism!

Even this fake Sun Ce was not the weak link, but rather the sharpest blade.

In the close combat, this long spear, wielded by its owner with unwavering focus, swept away the darts thrown by his subordinates and clashed with his blade again.

This strike did not succeed, as Zu Lang instinctively intercepted it.

But almost immediately after the clashing sound, she pulled out the latter half of the three-section spear, sending the short spear flying.

The sharp long spear pierced through the head of a cavalryman behind, and was pulled out by another hand.

“My lord! Don’t steal kills like that. Catch!”

In Zu Lang’s frustration from being pushed back by the spear, the deadly half-spear returned to her hand, even twirling a spear flower, sweeping past another’s throat as she maneuvered her horse.

Zu Lang’s face was instantly splattered with blood.

At the same time, the burly man who had scolded Qiao Yan for stealing kills swung his hand halberd, hacking another mountain Yue cavalryman off his horse.

This series of actions could not be described as smooth, and Zu Lang had no time to ponder whether “my lord” referred to Grand Marshal Qiao Yan herself, as the two-section spear reunited seamlessly between the horses, delivering a direct stab to the back.

Zu Lang dared not delay.

He had clearly realized from the brief exchange that he was no match for Qiao Yan, and neither were his troops a match for the cavalry she brought!

The mountain Yue’s habit of retreating into the mountains when surrounded took over.

He was not thinking of continuing to fight Qiao Yan until being struck down, but of fleeing first, hiding in the western Yi Mountains, hoping to reclaim Jing County someday.

The chaotic cavalry battle should have been a good opportunity for him to escape through the crowd.

But as soon as he made his choice, the long spear followed like a shadow.

Zhu Tan hadn’t had such a chance to shine on the battlefield for years, and even during the surprise attack on Chengdu, it was only used for its speed. Now, with this opportunity to show off, it was far more excited than usual.

How could Zu Lang’s Yangzhou mountain horse outrun Zhu Tan, the famous Bingzhou steed?

Fast horse, fast spear!

Zu Lang hastily leaned on his horse, letting the spear sweep over his head, not piercing him through, but as the spear retracted, its sharp end knocked down Zu Lang’s confidant who came to aid.

But his luck and having subordinates die for him ended here.

Retrieving the spear and taking a life seemed to cost Qiao Yan no time, and the surrounding chaos did not affect her determination to kill. As Zu Lang rose to turn and evade, the spear’s tip, glowing red from the firelight, reached him in an unbelievable way.

This time, his blade couldn’t block the spear in time, and under Qiao Yan’s fierce attack, he had no chance to counterattack.

The next moment, the spear pierced through his thin armor, through his abdomen, and with a brutal force, knocked him off his horse.

Zu Lang’s face turned pale instantly, no less than Qiao Yan’s feigned illness.

In such a cavalry battle, falling off the horse meant certain death, even if she didn’t cut off his head.

The instinct to survive made him grab the spear that had just left his waist, dragged by Qiao Yan’s Zhu Tan horse, barely avoiding trampling hooves.

But before his last struggle lasted long, he was flung by the spear’s force, crashing into a stone pillar behind.

Intense pain and dizziness struck him, almost knocking him out.

But then the sounds of blades and halberds returned to his ears, along with the collapse of a wooden house in the fire, making him realize he was still alive.

A cold touch pressed against his forehead, and he struggled to see the scene before him: the female general’s spear was right in front of him.

She sat on her horse, paying no attention to the chaos behind.

But for some reason, Zu Lang had a strange intuition: while she focused on her prey, nothing around her escaped her notice.

This居高临下的 attitude was even more confident than when she watched from the sidelines.

It made Zu Lang admit a fact.

He lost, and lost badly.

In a situation where he had the advantage, he let the hunter and prey switch roles!

But what use was it to lament his decision now, as he heard shouts from the hilltop: more Yangzhou troops climbed up from behind, launching an encirclement against his last group of men.

That was his last backup.

Apart from the scattered village garrisons in the Yi Mountains, this was his strongest group of fighters, but in this leaderless battle, they had no chance to resist.

He no longer needed to ask why they were so sure he would fall into this trap; the facts were before him.

He mustered his strength to ask, “Why not kill me?”

Just a slight push of her spear, and his head would be split open.

Then she could shout “Zu Lang is dead,” and the mountain Yue forces would lose all courage to fight, making her cleanup easier.

Why not?

But the deadly weapon remained suspended, as if the surrounding battle had paused.

The bleeding wound made Zu Lang’s breath weaker, but it didn’t affect his hearing.

He clearly heard Qiao Yan reply, “I need an answer from you.”

An answer about the actions against the Wu County noble families!

In Sun Ce’s death, it wasn’t just her who stirred the pot; even Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting only rescued Huang She, Huang Zu’s son, from outside Nanchang.

The real culprits pushing Huang She and Zu Lang to ally, causing Sun Ce’s death in the mountain Yue encirclement, were the Wu County noble families!

When Sun Ce was here, they could still cling to their Yangzhou noble arrogance, trying to remove their superior and restore their original status.

But with Yangzhou about to be taken over by her, they would have no such chance!

So she had to use Sun Ce’s death as an excuse, personally leading the campaign against Zu Lang to directly target the Wu County noble families, leaving no room for future troubles.

Her implied meaning made Zu Lang catch a hint, and he gasped, clutching his wound, “But why should I answer your question?”

“Because your answer determines my future attitude towards the mountain Yue.”

These words almost drowned in the fading sounds of battle, but each word exploded in his mind.

Before him, figures fell one by one, never to rise again, and these people had once shared drinks and dreams with him in this encirclement.





After Yan Baihu’s death, most of his generals in the northern part of Wu Commandery either fled or were recruited by other forces, while the rest were brutally killed in the encirclement by Sun Ce’s troops.

Yan Baihu met such a fate, and Zu Lang was no exception.

The annihilation of his elite troops meant that the remaining forces hidden in the Yishan Mountains would also face total destruction.

However, in Qiao Yan’s words, he seemed to hear another path—a path to survival.

If the title “Junhou” he had just heard was not mistaken, and the person pretending to be Sun Ce before him was indeed Qiao Yan, then the other Shanyue people might truly have a chance to live.

Although she had led a northern expedition against the Xianbei, resulting in the killing of their chieftain at the time, the current Xianbei chieftain, Budugen, was rumored to have a good relationship with her.

She had once slaughtered the Zhongqiang tribe in Gaoping City in Liangzhou, but she also turned the Huangzhong Valley and Jincheng Commandery into a refuge for the Qiang people, even appointing a Qiang woman as the Middle General for Protecting the Qiang and Man tribes.

The latter news, when it reached Yang Province, had caused no small amount of envy among the Shanyue.

If Zu Lang was already doomed to die but could bring a new life to others who were still alive, then why not say a few more words, especially when he was already likely to die from blood loss?

He looked up at Qiao Yan.

Although her disguise still obscured part of her true appearance, the aura emanating from her unadorned eyes was one that inspired admiration and submission.

She had no reason to deceive him.

He slowly opened his mouth and asked, “Are you Grand Marshal Qiao Yeshu?”

“Is there a second person in the world who would appear here at this moment?”

Qiao Yan’s retort made Zu Lang laugh twice, his laughter carrying a hint of wildness.

“To have the Grand Marshal personally come to take my life… I can die without regrets.”

“Ask whatever you want to know.”

In Wu Commandery, Zhu Huan suddenly felt a tightness in his heart.

As a member of the four great families of Wu Commandery, he knew much about his father’s schemes against Sun Ce and their secret alliance with Zu Lang. Although the younger generation, like him, who were about to enter official service, had advised against completely breaking ties with Sun Ce, at least maintaining a facade of civility, their elders had refused to listen.

In their view, a brute was a brute. If they made any concessions, Sun Ce would only take advantage and think that slaughtering noble families and harming scholars was something the Governor of Yang Province could do without consequence.

Rather than letting Sun Ce take full control of Yang Province, quell the Shanyue rebellion, and then target the Wu Commandery families to consolidate his power, it was better for them to strike first and eliminate Sun Ce!

“It’s too dangerous… If Sun Ce successfully suppresses the Shanyue and finds the letters and supplies we promised to aid Zu Lang, especially if he discovers the guests of Prefect Xu, it will bring us great trouble!”

Zhu Huan, who was known for his boldness and love of befriending wandering knights in Wu Commandery, felt that their current attitude toward Sun Ce would eventually lead to disaster.

After all, in these times, those with military power held the real authority.

No matter how lowly Sun Ce’s origins might be, as long as he had veteran generals and soldiers under his command, along with the title of Governor of Yang Province, there was no disputing who was in charge.

“Why worry? Once Sun Ce is dead, Yang Province will return to its fragmented state. Even if the court sends a new governor, they will still need our support to reestablish themselves in Yang Province. If Zhou Gongjin takes over, that would be even better. Although the Zhou family of Lujiang and the four families of Wu Commandery are not in the same place, we should still be considered closely connected…”

Zhu Huan turned to see his younger cousin, who was only a couple of years younger, casually reply, clearly showing no concern about the matter.

“If Sun Zhongmou replaces his brother to maintain the local army, there’s even less to worry about. What can a thirteen-year-old brat do? He’ll be at our mercy.”

Zhu Huan couldn’t help but ask, “Are you so sure Sun Bofu is dead?”

“Come on, it’s possible to hide the situation in Danyang Commandery from others, but not from us. So many famous doctors were summoned and detained, and even Madam Wu was invited. If it weren’t for a fatal illness, such a situation would never have occurred.”

“If not in the next few days, it will be within ten days to half a month. We’ve endured Sun Ce’s dominance for three or four years; waiting a few more days isn’t a big deal.”

Zhu Huan looked at his cousin’s arrogant expression and felt his earlier ominous premonition grow stronger.

But before he could speak, someone burst through the door with a loud noise. The two looked up to see Gu Yong, the current magistrate of Qu’a County.

“Yuantan, what’s happened?” Zhu Huan quickly rose from his seat.

Gu Yong, though a member of the four great families of Wu Commandery, was not someone who limited his vision to just one commandery or province.

He had lived in the north with his great-grandfather in his early years, studying under Cai Yong and learning the arts of music and calligraphy. The character “Yong” in his name was a gift from Cai Yong. He later returned to Yang Province to serve as a county official.

Unlike his teacher’s low political acumen, Gu Yong had achieved governance successes in Hefei, Lou County, and now Qu’a. Given his family background, if Sun Ce were to entrust important positions to members of the four families, Gu Yong would undoubtedly be among them.

Zhu Huan had always respected him and knew he was a composed person who would not act rashly without reason.

Seeing his current demeanor, Zhu Huan felt that something major must have happened.

“Take a few people and come with me. I’ve received news that the ships in Tongguan have moved. We need to see where they’re heading. If they’re not going to Hailing but to Wu Commandery…” Gu Yong took a deep breath, “We’re in big trouble.”

Zhu Huan threw on his outer robe and followed Gu Yong out. “Why not inform the elders at home?”

“If it’s the Jing Province or Yizhou navy heading to Hailing to support the situation in Xuzhou, overreacting would only cause trouble,” Gu Yong replied urgently. “Have the wandering knights keep watch along the river. Once they land, report immediately.”

“Alright! I’ll arrange it right away.”

The fleet stationed in Tongguan would pass through Niuzhu, Liyang, Jiangcheng, and Dantu on its way down the Yangtze River to Hailing. If their target was indeed Hailing in Xuzhou, they would not stop at these places but head straight to their destination.

However, given Sun Ce’s uncertain condition, no one would think this fleet’s movement was normal.

To the surprise of Zhu Huan’s men, the fleet did not stop at any of the river ports in the aforementioned cities, nor did it head to Hailing. Instead, it sailed eastward out to sea.

Gu Yong and Zhu Huan, who had traveled north from Qu’a to Dantu, exchanged glances, both seeing confusion in each other’s eyes.

“Could I have been wrong? Is this fleet planning to land directly in northern Xuzhou to support the battle along the Huai River?” Gu Yong muttered.

But what he never expected was that while the fleet did not stop at the river ports, it sailed along the coast and headed straight for Lou County.

With the support of insiders in Wu County, the over ten thousand troops on board entered the city overnight, surrounding the ancestral homes of the four great families without giving anyone a chance to react.

Had the fleet landed at Dantu or Jiangcheng and traveled overland to Wu County, it would have taken a day or two, giving them some buffer time, as Gu Yong had instructed Zhu Huan to watch for.

But when the fleet abandoned their ships and entered the city in a surprise attack, the elders of the four great families of Wu Commandery were all dragged out of their beds.

The brightly lit prefectural office, accompanied by orderly armored guards, made these nobles, who were used to being treated with respect, almost think they were still dreaming.

But the gleaming weapons and the pain of being restrained confirmed that this was no dream.

What further confirmed that this was not a dream was the person sitting at the head of the room.

If this were their dream, the person flanked by Huang Gai and Cheng Pu should have been Sun Ce, not a woman in dark robes with a golden seal and purple ribbon!

The emblem of a marquis made it easy for them to guess her identity, even if they had never seen her before—

Grand Marshal Qiao Yan!

“Liu Biao’s ships are quite sturdy, but let’s not praise him too much now. Let’s talk about our business.”

Qiao Yan looked at the dozens of people brought before her and slowly asked, “Do you know Zu Lang?”

“He said—you still owe him a payment.”