Zhang Hong didn't sleep all night, and in the early morning he received the news sent by Sun Ce on a fast horse, and when he learned that the attack was successful, a big stone in his heart finally fell to the ground. But he didn't take it lightly, there was no real safety until Sun Ce returned to the camp. In order to deal with Sun Ce and contain Yuan Tan's attention as much as possible, he settled the affairs of the camp, instructed Gong Du to guard the camp, not to act rashly, and rushed to Zhu Jun's camp in person with some guards.

Zhu Jun didn't sleep well either, worried about Sun Ce's safety. If something happens to Sun Ce, not only will the situation be difficult, but he will not be able to face Sun Jian in the future. When he saw Zhang Hong and learned that Sun Ce had annihilated Liu Bei's department, he pulled his beard and grinned.

"This little shaft, I knew he could do it."

Taking advantage of Zhu Jun's happiness, Zhang Hong suggested launching an attack to contain Yuan Tan's forces and create conditions for Sun Ce's safe return. Zhu Jun agreed, and sent someone to send an order to Cao Bao and Xu Wei, Sun Ce has already made a sneak attack on Liu Bei and made the first contribution, now it's up to you, break through the chasm, attack the city, cut off Zhu Ling's retreat, and take the Montenegrin army out of the city.

At the same time, he left 5,000 people to guard the camp, and personally led more than 10,000 people out of the camp, forcing Zhu Ling's camp and putting on a decisive battle posture.

Zhang Hong also returned to the camp and opened the posture of crossing the river.

For a time, the war drums thundered on the east, west and south sides of Junyi City, echoing each other, and the wind and rain were coming.

Faced with the imminent battle, Yuan Tan wavered. Although Sun Ce is important, after all, it is far away thirty miles away, Liu Bei and Jiang Qi have a total of 15,000 people, three times more than Sun Ce, the advantage is obvious, and there is almost no doubt about winning, the difference is only whether Sun Ce can be severely damaged. Even if he rushed over, he could only scare Sun Ce away, but it was not so easy to kill Sun Ce. The strength of the two sides under Junyi City is equal, and if you take into account the 20,000 Black Mountain troops in the city, he actually has no advantage. If Zhu Ling's entire army was wiped out because of his departure, the loss would be far more serious than the loss of Liu Bei.

After Yuan Tan weighed it repeatedly, he still gave up Cheng Yu's suggestion and adopted a compromise plan, deciding to intercept Sun Ce near Junyi City instead of rushing over. This may make Jiang Qi rush a little more, but it can be a good idea to take care of both sides.

——

Sun Ce and Guo Jia looked at each other and laughed in unison.

"Bonghyo, what are your clever plans?"

"Return to Canggaki Castle." Guo Jia shook the feather fan and said faintly: "Try this Jiang Qi's color." ”

"You know him?"

"A little bit of it. He is a native of Runan, followed the Yuan family very early, and is regarded as a former official of the Yuan family, loyal and filial piety, and deeply trusted by Yuan Shao. The ability to use troops is probably comparable to Zhu Ling, but it is not much stronger. The reason why he can sit in Liyang is because of his hometown. The Liyang garrison is mainly composed of knights from the three states of Youji and Hebei, with more than a thousand people, and they are the real elite, but those knights are now following Yuan Shao to fight, and it is unlikely that they will appear here, and Jiang Qi's leadership should still be dominated by newly recruited foot soldiers. It is still possible to defeat him with the ability of a general, only the losses may be greater. ”

Chen Wang asked, "Mr. only considered Jiang Qi, what if Yuan Tan also sent someone else?" ”

Pang Tong also objected. "Even if you defeat Jiang Qi, if you suffer heavy losses, how can you win when you face Yuan Tan?"

Guo Jia nodded and said, "That's right, that's where the risk lies." It's my responsibility to think it through. Yuan Shao actually sent Jiang Qi to help, which was indeed not what I expected. ”

Sun Ce said: "You made the suggestion, but it was me who made the decision, and it was my responsibility to talk about responsibility first." But now is not the time to share the responsibility, you first talk about why you are returning to Cangyuan City, instead of hurrying back to Junyi. He knew that Guo Jia had Liyang and Xizuo, but Liyang and Baima were across the river, and the pontoon bridge was controlled by Yuan Shao, since Jiang Qi led the army to reinforce Yuan Tan, he would definitely strengthen the blockade, and it was normal for Xizuo to cross the river from elsewhere and delay it for two or three days, and it could not be regarded as Guo Jia's responsibility.

Guo Jia nodded. Actually, the reason is very simple. Back to Junyi, we walked in the same direction as Jiang Qi, got in touch earlier, and got closer to Yuan Tan. Once entangled, Yuan Tan is very convenient for reinforcements. Returning to Cangyuan City is not the case, we can return slowly, and defend the city, but Jiang Qi has to walk twenty or thirty miles more, and his physical strength is more consumed. Far away from Junyi City, it is even less likely that Yuan Tan will send reinforcements, we only need to deal with Jiang Qi with our hearts. The only problem now is the lack of armament and provisions, and it is necessary to be careful in calculating, otherwise it will not last long. ”

At the mention of supplies and ordnance, King Chen frowned again. When fighting against an opponent with twice the strength of his troops, the strong crossbowmen he led must be the main force, but if there are not enough arrows, his 3,000 men will not only not be able to help, but will become a burden. The price of the crossbowmen's outstanding marksmanship is that their other martial arts skills are very average, and they are no better than ordinary soldiers in battle. Without arrows, they would have at most thirty percent of their combat power left.

And grain. They didn't bring baggage, only three days of dry food, and now they have robbed Liu Bei's baggage and added some, but it is still limited and can't last long. Without food, the morale of the army will be chaotic.

Sun Ce pulled over the map, glanced around Cangyuan City, and suddenly said, "We won't go to Cangyuan City, we'll go to Xiaohuang." Since he wants to escape, he simply flees farther, maybe Jiang Qi will not chase when he is tired of running. ”

Chen Wang couldn't help but laugh out loud. Guo Jia and Pang Tong also smiled and nodded in agreement. Escaping is of course just a joke by Sun Ce, and it is indeed advantageous to go to Xiaohuang than to Cangyuan City. Cangyuan Castle has been abandoned for a long time, and it is already an empty city, barely able to be used as a fortress, but there are no households. Xiao Huang is different, Xiao Huang has food, and it is worth running an extra twenty or thirty miles.

Seeing that everyone had no opinions, Sun Ce made a decision: go to Xiaohuang first, see Jiang Qi's pursuit speed and then make adjustments. If Jiang Qi chases quickly, then enter Xiaohuangcheng to defend it, solve the crisis of food shortage first, and then make the next step. If Jiang Qi is chasing slowly, he can consider training for a longer distance and looking for fighters in motion.

In order to ensure the speed of action, Sun Ce decided to release the prisoners. These people have just surrendered, and their loyalty is not guaranteed, and they can be crushed with a single blow if they barely go into battle, but they will consume a lot of food. Let them leave is not only to let them live, but also to lighten the burden and travel lightly.

Sun Ce gave an order, and thousands of Dongjun soldiers scattered in a hurry, except for the two hundred people selected by Liu Bei, there was not a single one left.

Sun Ce discussed with King Chen again, gathered most of the arrows, and gave priority to the supply of the top 100 crossbowmen with the most skilled archery, and after following him, the others followed King Chen, and Guo Jun led the personal guard battalion to protect and seize Xiao Huang.

King Chen hesitated for a while, but finally agreed. This top 100 crossbowman followed Sun Ce, and it would be difficult to come back. But now, he has been tied to Sun Ce, and he can't watch Sun Ce be frustrated.

"General, these people are the hard work of lonely people for decades, you must cherish them."

Sun Ce arched his hand. "Please rest assured, I will protect them like my own eyes, and I will never sacrifice a person in vain." He smiled and said, "Even if the king is willing, I can't give it up." ”