Chapter Forty-Three: Luring the Snake Out of Its Den

Inside the main camp, once his wounds had been stabilized, the assembled generals took their leave of Sun Ce, and the army physicians departed as well.

Sun Ce’s face was pale as he drank several large gulps of wine. A soldier entered to report, “Reporting to the Commander, our casualties number over four thousand, we have lost more than two thousand horses, and over forty thousand shi of provisions have been destroyed.”

Sun Ce remained silent. Zhou Yu, standing nearby, waved the soldier away and said, “You may go.”

Sun Ce lifted the wine jar from the ground once more, but Zhou Yu snatched it away, rebuking him sternly. “Though Liu Yao’s troops may be mediocre, they are not mere animals to be slaughtered at will. Even a commoner has his wits, and you are the commander of an army. If a single defeat leaves you in such a state, how could you ever aspire to be a grand general?”

Sun Ce’s gaze flickered. He spoke, “It was my decision that led to the deaths of thousands of soldiers. If we continue to attack the city in this manner, more lives will be lost.”

“If it is only the matter of attacking the city…” Jiang Wen stepped forward and bowed. “I have a plan that can lure the enemy outside their walls.”

……

“One!”

“Heave!”

“Two!”

“Heave!”

Gan Ning looked down at the soldiers below as they drilled in formation. Having just suffered defeat, their morale was easy to imagine. If they did not recover quickly, the situation would become truly dire.

“Urgent report! Urgent report!”

Gan Ning glanced at the soldier who burst into his presence. “What is it?”

“The Commander has passed away!”

“What?!”

“Heave!”

The sudden shout startled the nearby soldiers into echoing the cry, but they paused in confusion—how exactly were they supposed to respond to a shout of ‘what’? With puzzled glances cast at Gan Ning, they saw that he had already vanished.

“Advisor! Advisor!” Gan Ning rushed frantically into Jiang Wen’s tent, only to find Jiang Wen already dressed in mourning white. In disbelief, he asked, “The Commander… has truly died?!”

Jiang Wen bowed to Gan Ning. “Please, General, remain here and await the others.”

“Await what? The Commander is dead—what’s the point of waiting?” Gan Ning’s eyes darted with panic as he paced back and forth in the tent. Seeing Jiang Wen’s unhurried demeanor, he grew suspicious. “Advisor, have you devised another plan?”

“Why was such an earth-shattering event as the Commander’s death only reported to us now?” The tent flap lifted and in came Generals Jiang Qin, Zhou Tai, and others, all wearing grave expressions.

In a clash between two armies, the death of a commander was tantamount to defeat; a retreat was imperative.

Jiang Wen bowed to the assembled generals and said, “Please do not panic. This is a ruse I devised together with the Commander. When you return to your camps, display as much grief as possible. Only the few of us may know the truth—do not let word spread beyond this room!”

Zhu Rong held the military report in trembling hands, excitement making him shake. “Sun Ce is truly dead?!”

“I saw it with my own eyes,” reported the subordinate. “Captured prisoners say Sun Ce was wounded by an arrow, and after the crushing defeat, his heart and lungs failed him. Now his camp is draped in white, and they are preparing to withdraw.”

“Send more scouts to verify!” Zhu Rong ordered the nearby soldiers.

When the scouts returned, Zhu Rong anxiously asked, “What is the situation?”

“Reporting, General. Sun Ce’s camp is covered with white cloth, the troops are idle, not drilling, and many are already dismantling their tents.”

“So Sun Ce is really dead? Ha! Ha ha!” Zhu Rong stood and laughed aloud. “The Tiger and Lion of the East? The Little Conqueror? In the end, he died at my hand!”

“We, your humble subordinates Taishi Ci, Zhang Ying, and Yu Mi, salute General Zhu Rong!”

Once his other lieutenants had arrived in his tent, Zhu Rong tossed the letter to a nearby soldier with satisfaction. “Read it aloud.”

Taishi Ci and the others exchanged incredulous glances as the contents of the letter were read. “Sun Ce… has actually died?!”

Zhu Rong saw the disbelief in their eyes. He remembered how stupefied he himself had been when he first read the report.

He shook his head and smiled. “I understand your doubts, but this is solid military intelligence: Sun Ce is dead! His army is already preparing to retreat. This is our chance to destroy them in one decisive blow! I order Taishi Ci to lead four thousand elite cavalry as the vanguard; all others, follow me in immediate pursuit!”

Taishi Ci and the others shouted in unison, “Yes, sir!”

Hoofbeats thundered like waves devouring the land. Dust rose beneath iron hooves, and gleaming armor and weapons radiated a chilling menace.

“Hyah!” On his jolting steed, Taishi Ci urged his horse on. “Ahead lies Sun Ce’s main camp! Follow me—charge!”

“Kill!!”

On a distant hilltop, Jiang Wen and Zhou Yu looked down as thousands of enemy soldiers stormed into the camp. Flames erupted instantly, sweeping through the encampment and consuming the tents in a raging inferno that twisted the air with its heat.

A mass of soldiers fled in panic from the burning tents, Gan Xingba among them, as the army scattered desperately.

“The plan has worked,” Zhou Yu said with a faint smile, bowing to Jiang Wen. “Changsu, I’ll go after Ziming now. You and Bofu—take care.”

“Take care.”

Jiang Wen found a smooth rock and sat down, watching as, at the foot of the hill, Taishi Ci—lured by Gan Ning—was drawn step by step into peril. Zhu Rong, following behind, suspected nothing.

“Kill!” The earth-shattering cry echoed through the mountains. Suddenly, from the tall grass and trees emerged soldiers clad in red scarves. Ropes sprang up from the dust, tripping horses and men alike.

Taishi Ci’s horse was snared and thrown, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Leaves rustled overhead. Sweat beaded on Zhu Rong’s forehead as enemy soldiers appeared all around. Panic gripped his heart. “How can this be? Wasn’t Sun Ce dead?!”

“Kill!” Sun Ce’s troops roared as they charged, their weapons shattering armor and slicing into flesh and bone.

Blood splattered. “Gan Xingba is here! Zhu Rong, prepare to die!” Zhu Rong knocked aside a spear with his blade, only to see a great general wielding two crescent-bladed halberds appear—Gan Xingba, roaring as he brought his halberd crashing down like a falling boulder, splitting the skull of the soldier before him.

This single display struck terror into Zhu Rong’s heart. Dread overcame him; he dared not stand and fight. Leaping onto his horse, he fled at full speed. “Whoever kills the man in front of me will receive a hundred gold taels!”

The surrounding soldiers’ eyes blazed red, their veins bulging as Gan Xingba hacked and slashed with his twin halberds, each blow claiming a life.

Blood sprayed behind him as Zhu Rong’s brow beaded with sweat, and he spurred his horse faster, desperate to fly away.

More and more soldiers swarmed forward, slowing Gan Xingba’s pursuit. Just as Zhu Rong breathed a sigh of relief, a new force appeared ahead, blocking his path.

“The Little Conqueror, Sun Bofu, is here! Zhu Rong, surrender now and I’ll spare your life!”