The Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Tan, intercepted Guo Jia's...

Chapter 106 Surprise Attack on Moling

A hint of resentment flashed across Li Cheng's face:

"General Yan, you are unaware of this. Although Sun Ce is brave, he committed many killings and conquests when he took Jiangdong. My lord was appointed by the court as the governor of Wu Commandery, but he was forced into a corner by him, and his old troops were scattered. This is an irreconcilable enmity!"

Many of the powerful families in the city, fearing Sun Ce's military might, dared not speak out against him. Moreover, Sun Ce and his generals were all away, and the current garrison commander of Moling was only a Lieutenant General with fewer than a thousand soldiers, all of whom were newly recruited.

"As long as the general acts swiftly and decisively, like a thunderbolt, we will surely capture the city in one fell swoop! At that time, with the fortified city as our stronghold, even if Sun Ce returns with his army, it will be difficult to breach our defenses!"

Yan Liang asked no further questions; the military order he received was to launch a surprise attack on Jiangdong.

Whether Xu Gong genuinely pledged allegiance or had ulterior motives was irrelevant in the face of absolute power and established facts.

The fleet passed the last beacon tower without raising any alarm.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, the fleet of merchant ships slowly approached a relatively secluded dock in the southwest of Moling City.

Dozens of men dressed in short blue shirts were already waiting on the dock. Upon seeing the agreed-upon flag signal displayed on the boat, they immediately stepped forward to assist.

"Quickly! Unload!"

Yan Liang's bodyguard, disguised as a caravan manager, whispered a command.

The burlap sack was quickly moved aside, revealing gleaming swords, spears, crossbows, and neatly stacked light armor hidden underneath!

The sailors on the ship moved with incredible speed, silently donning their armor and taking up their weapons, quickly lining up on the dock in complete silence.

In less than a quarter of an hour, three thousand elite Qingzhou infantrymen were fully armed and in formation!

His murderous aura was completely different from his previous merchant demeanor.

Xu Gong's men on the dock were terrified, and only then did they realize what a formidable army the northern lands were like.

Yan Liang picked up the heavy brow-tipped sword, mounted the warhorse brought by his personal guard, and said to Li Cheng:

"Lead the way! Take straight to the four gates of Moling!"

"General, follow me!" Li Cheng's spirits lifted, and he quickly led the way.

Three thousand armored infantrymen, led by Xu Gong's inside man, encountered almost no decent resistance and quickly crossed the dock area, heading straight for Moling City!

Occasionally, patrolling soldiers or watchmen would be caught off guard and disarmed or killed before they could react.

It wasn't until they approached the inner city area that they encountered a small garrison that had hastily assembled.

……

Jiang Qin held out for a while longer at Yingchoujian, but the soldiers' morale had been completely exhausted.

After all, with so many stones falling on you, even if you were made of iron, you'd be scared out of your wits.

Seeing this situation, Jiang Qin knew that there was no point in continuing to defend, so he led his soldiers to retreat as they went.

"Don't panic! Stay calm! Now follow me out of Eagle's Sorrow Gorge. Once we're out of this canyon, the boulders will no longer be a threat to us."

But the soldiers didn't care about that. Seeing that the general had ordered a retreat, they suddenly scattered in a panic.

Behind them, Sun Ce, who was marching at full speed, suddenly saw a scout reporting:

"Report! My lord! General Jiang Qin in the rear could not withstand the enemy's attack and has already fled."

Sun Ce was startled upon hearing this, clearly not expecting Yuan Tan to arrive so quickly.

He immediately gave the order:

"The entire army should advance at full speed. Once we reach Ruxukou, we can rest there and defend against the enemy."

After traveling for a while, a personal guard suddenly pointed ahead and said:

"My lord! There's a grove of trees ahead!"

Everyone looked up and saw a dense forest appearing on one side of the road ahead.

The trees are towering, their branches and leaves intertwined, and vines entwine. The light in the forest is dim, and the terrain seems to undulate slightly.

Veteran Cheng Pu's eyes lit up, and he said urgently:

"My lord! The pursuers are overwhelming, and our army is exhausted. If we continue to flee, the journey to Ruxu Port is still long, and we fear they will overwhelm us! It would be better to set up an ambush in this dense forest! Yuan Tan's arrogant troops will surely pursue us. If his vanguard rashly enters the forest, we can strike them suddenly. We don't need to annihilate them completely, but we can blunt their momentum, gain some breathing room, reorganize our troops, and then retreat!"

Before Sun Ce could answer, Huang Gai stepped forward to object:

"An ambush? We are a defeated and demoralized force, our armor is incomplete, how can we set up an ambush? Once our plan is discovered, we will be doomed! We should concentrate our remaining strength and rush to the riverbank to board a boat—that is our only way to survive!"

Cheng Pu said urgently:

"Gongfu! If we simply flee now, our army will have no will to fight and will be nothing but a rabble! If we are pressed even slightly, they will surely collapse! Only by counterattacking, letting our soldiers bleed, and letting the pursuers know that the men of Jiangdong are not to be easily humiliated, can we regain our morale and retreat in an orderly manner! This dense forest can perfectly conceal our strength and weaknesses!"

Zhou Tai, covered in blood and leaning on his knife, gasped for breath:

"What Lord Cheng says makes sense! This humble general is willing to lead his brave men to ambush us in the forest!"

Sun Ce reined in his horse, glanced at the soldiers around him, and then looked towards the direction of the pursuing troops whose dust was faintly rising behind him.

Cheng Pu's words awakened him: fleeing would only hasten death, while a desperate counterattack might offer a glimmer of hope.

More importantly, Jiang Qin and so many brothers cannot have died in vain! Yuan Tan must pay the price!

"Hahaha, let's do as Master Cheng says!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Ce's spirits lifted, and he laughed heartily.

"Not just for survival, but also for revenge! Huang Gai and Han Dang, lead the wounded brothers and the remaining supplies forward, feigning a hasty retreat! Cheng Pu and Zhou Tai, with me, select the remaining fighters and immediately ambush them in the forest! Remember, don't aim for many kills, just strike and run!"

"promise!"

Seeing that Sun Ce had regained his decisiveness, the generals were somewhat encouraged.

However, this scene was completely observed by Jia Xu, who was hidden in the forest.

However, the other side was lucky, as they also planned to ambush here. As a result, Jia Xu's ambush plan failed to achieve its full potential.

"Mr. Wenhe, the enemy is catching up and is about to reach our ambush site."

Gan Ning, who was standing beside Jia Xu, saw him staring blankly at Sun Ce's troops and gave him a reminder.

"Okay, I understand. The enemy won't go any further into the forest. I'll try to hold off Sun Ce. You have the men lying in ambush in the rear quickly move up."

Immediately, Jia Xu shot an arrow from a hidden spot.

"Whoosh!"

A piercing scream pierced the tree trunk in front of Sun Ce!

This arrow didn't come from behind, but from the flank, which proves that there were already men lying in ambush in the forest!

Sun Ce and all his men froze instantly, a chill running from their tailbone straight to the top of their heads.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

A burst of laughter followed, then the sound of footsteps.

Squads of archers in black armor emerged from behind the trees like ghosts, densely packed and silent, already surrounding the area they were in!

The bows were drawn, the crossbows were strung, and they were aimed at the terrified Jiangdong soldiers in the center.

The leader slowly walked out.

With a lean face, three long strands of beard, and calm, unwavering eyes, he was none other than Jia Xu, Jia Wenhe.

"The general who quelled the rebellion was indeed decisive in his military tactics. Even in defeat, he remained composed and was able to launch a counterattack, which is admirable. It's just a pity..."

Jia Xu raised his eyelids and grinned:

"You're too late. My lord ordered me and General Xingba to reserve this forest and this ambush spot three hours ago."

He raised his voice slightly:

"In everything, there must be a first-come, first-served order, right? Oh! General Sun may not recognize me yet. Let me introduce myself. I am Jia Xu, Jia Wenhe, the Prefect of Qingzhou. I have been waiting for you here for a long time on the orders of my lord."