Sun Ce camped on the west bank of Chaohu Lake that night.

The main reason for the slow march, in addition to the limited walking speed, is that it takes time to set up camp. It takes more than an hour to pack up at sunrise in the morning, and then start to pull out the camp, and walk for two hours at most, and in the afternoon the sun is just setting west, and you have to stop and set up camp, so that you can get to the camp before dark, make dinner in time, and avoid the soldiers sleeping in the open and suffering from cold and hunger.

This is especially true in winter, when there is no hot food to eat and hot water to drink, the average person can't stand it. Therefore, the normal marching speed is thirty or forty miles a day, and if it rains or snows, unless there are special circumstances, the generals will choose to garrison the camp, so as not to be too tired.

With Sun Ce's current position, at this rate of marching, it would take at least three to four days to reach Runan. However, it was possible for the cavalry to arrive in half a day and appear in front of him at any time, so Sun Ce did not dare to be careless.

Chaohu Lake to the north for another day is Hefei, the place where soldiers must fight. The reason why Hefei became the Jianghuai defense line, in addition to its special terrain, the most important point is that the location is moderate. South to the Yangtze River, north to Huaishui, about 500 miles, to the south there is water through Chaohu Lake into the Yangtze River, to the north there is fertilizer water through Shaobi into Huaishui, baggage transport is very convenient. Whoever occupies Hefei will control the initiative in the Jianghuai defense line. If the southern regime loses Hefei, it can only defend the river. When the northern regime lost Hefei, it could only retreat to Shouchun, and basically reached the Huaishui side.

Sun Ce only knew that Hefei was very important before, but he still gained a lot from a trip in person. For the general to know astronomy and geography, this is not just talking, any action is inseparable from the objective environment, just like although he now wants to annihilate the three thousand Wuhuan cavalry in one battle, he has to think about whether he will be attacked by the other party. Sun Quan's 100,000 army was slaughtered by Zhang Liao's 800 cavalry, and he was now facing 3,000 cavalry. The slightest carelessness could lead to a complete defeat or even the annihilation of the entire army.

Swords and guns have no eyes, and the other party doesn't recognize you as a traverser.

Sun Ce put his hands behind his back, looked at the lake water illuminated by the setting sun, and calculated the advantages and disadvantages of the two schemes. He rejected the more prudent approach and decided to take the initiative, which was only considered from the perspective of political correctness and long-term interests. As Guo Jia said, the strong show weakness, and the weak show strength, the reason why he wants to be so strong is because he is weak, and he is afraid that Yuan Shao will see his weakness, so he deliberately shows strength.

Sheqiang is not really strong, and how to defeat these 3,000 cavalry has become a problem that he must solve.

The best way, of course, is to prepare and use a large array of infantry to meet the cavalry. With the strength of the more than 10,000 elite infantry under his command, enough to inflict heavy damage on the 3,000 cavalry, and then attack with his personal guard cavalry, he was sure of victory and minimized his losses. But the other side is not stupid, and without complete certainty, it is unlikely that they will use cavalry to clash with infantry formations. In the case that the other party is not fooled, he can only take it step by step, first be invincible, and then think about how to drive the other party out of Yuzhou.

If you want to fight for speed with the opponent, you can only use cavalry against cavalry. But he only has a thousand horsemen, and in a head-to-head confrontation, he is bound to lose. Even if he had three thousand horsemen, he couldn't do that. Yuan Shao's loss of these 3,000 horsemen will not hurt his muscles and bones, and it will be difficult for him to replenish the whole after he loses 3,000 horses.

Besides, he didn't have three thousand horsemen at all.

Chen Wu walked over and bowed to Sun Ce. "General, you're too close to the lake."

Sun Ce looked up, only to find that he had unconsciously walked to the water's edge. Yan Xing wasn't worried that he would slide down, but that there were assassins in the water. Guo Jia had a rule that except in his own big tent, Sun Ce could not be left alone at any time, could not get too close to unfamiliar waters, and could not have a commanding height for crossbowmen to ambush within a hundred steps. Chen Wu has just joined the company, and he is very dedicated to his duties and never forgets to remind him.

Sun Ce took a few steps back. "Zilie, are you still used to life in the army?"

Chen Wu smiled sheepishly. "It's okay, it's harder than expected." After a pause, he said, "It's just lively." ”

Sun Ce glanced at him with a smile. "They didn't bully you?"

Chen Wu shook his head, but did not speak.

"Who's the best for you?"

"Ziwei." Chen Wu thought for a while, and then said, "Duwei Xu also takes care of me. ”

"Who bullied you the hardest?"

Chen Wu didn't speak. Sun Ce knows that these martial artists under his command, the one who likes to bully newcomers the most is Xie Guanglong, don't look at his martial arts is not the best, but he has been mixed in the Yellow Turban Army for a few years, and all kinds of methods are better than anyone else, and the whole person is full of tricks, and it is too late for you to be fooled.

But Sun Ce generally doesn't care about this. There are many reckless men in the army, and they can't eat the gentle and elegant set, and it is even more humiliating to rely on people to protect them. suffered a loss, and had to get the field back by himself, it was useless to find someone to help, and it was even more shameful to find an official to make a small report. With Chen Wu's talent, with a good brother like Guo Wu, he will become a real master sooner or later, and no one will dare to bully him at that time.

The sound of horses' hooves sounded, and several soldiers in the distance made a noise, and the scouts who inquired about the news returned. Sun Ce patted Chen Wu on the shoulder and sat down on the Hu bed. The scout threw the war horse to the righteous servant, walked quickly to Guo Jia, said a few words, and hurried away again.

Guo Jia walked over. "General, Chen Zizheng is sending news that the thieves are moving and may attack the camp."

"When's the news?"

"Evening."

Sun Ce thought for a moment. Chen Duan only received the news in the evening, the other party had just set out, and unless he marched in a hurry, he would not be able to get here tonight. Don't be afraid to arrive, the camp is almost ready, and he just guards the camp.

"Do you know who's in charge?"

"It's not clear now, it may not be known until tomorrow." Guo Jia raised his head and looked at Sun Ce. "General, are you still thinking about plan A and B?"

Sun Ce rolled his eyelids and looked at Guo Jia, not knowing what to say for a while. Guo Jia smiled. "General, now that you have made a decision, don't think too much about it, or think about how you can win. Soldiers are impermanent, they are never foolproof, we can only prepare for the worst, and prepare for the best. ”

Sun Ce bowed slightly. In the face of these specific decisions, in the face of wise people like Guo Jia and Xun You, he sometimes has no bottom in his heart, so he can only compensate with redoubled efforts.

Guo Jia hugged his legs, swayed his body back and forth, and looked at Sun Ce with a smile. "General, has anyone ever said you're weird?"

"How weird?"

"Well, when you plan big things, you are like a saint, and when you plan small things, you are like a contemptible."

Sun Ce thought about it and couldn't help laughing: "So, I'm indeed a little weird. Who said that? ”

Guo Jia avoided talking about it. "Has the general ever wondered why?"

"Why?"

"Because you have a heart disease."

"Heart disease?" Sun Ce couldn't help but laugh. "What can I do?"

Guo Jia stared at Sun Ce's eyes, and there was no smile on his face. "You always feel that you can have today because of what you got in your dreams, and your real ability is not as good as that of a middle-of-the-road, for fear that if you say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing, others will see through your secret."