Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Became the Eldest Son of Sun Ce - Chapter 195



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Episode 195. The First Northern Expedition (5)

Yeju Yeongcheon-gun Heo Hyeon.

Cao Cao’s territory stretched from left to right, starting from the Central Plains.

To the west of Guanzhong (Chang’an direction), it bordered the Liangzhou forces, and to the northeast of Guanzhong, it was also adjacent to Bingzhou, so it was safe.

Although Byungju’s company was semi-independent from the original price, it was still the original price. Above all, it could not easily ignore the powerful force of Byungju’s cavalry.

Right now, even in the northern part of Giju, they were losing their karma and were fiercely fighting with Wonsang, so I didn’t know what moves Byeongju would make.

In other words, Cao Cao’s army had many enemies, befitting its vast territory. No wonder Cao Cao’s army was happy when Sun Ce’s army was quiet.

But the world’s political situation always changes rapidly.

After Sun Ce’s death, the area of ​​Yuzhou, which had been relatively quiet compared to the northern part of Jizhou, became noisy as if it were a lie.

Xiahou Dun gritted his teeth and shouted.

“You are the worst bastard in the world! Jang-su, you bastard! You should have known when you killed Ja-su (Jo-ang)! I will definitely not let you off easy!”

For Xiahou Dun, who was tied down in Xu County by Zhang Liu’s sharp offensive, it was a justified anger.

At present, Heo Hyeon’s Cao Cao army did not have the capacity to defend Yeongcheon and Chohyeon at the same time. This was because there was a high chance that they would get hurt if they moved carelessly.

The bookworm, Jeong-wook, spoke with a profound look in his eyes.

“…There’s nothing we can do. Heo Hyeon is the political base of our lord. If we give him up so easily, it will backfire.”

Jeong-wook was right.

Sun Zhao forced Cao Cao’s army to choose between the two territories: Chu Xuan and Xu Xuan.

Chohyeon was the territory and spiritual foundation of Cao Cao’s forces, and Xuhyeon was the territory that contained Cao Cao’s political base.

It was just a situation where he had to choose one of the two. As a practical person, Cao Cao chose Xu Xian.

Cao Cao, who had lost his powerful reputation as a supporter of the heavens by being deprived of the emperor, desperately needed the support of his political allies, so he could not easily abandon the local aristocrats of Yeongcheon.

Xiahou Dun bit his lips and said.

“Since the supply line was cut off a long time ago, Chohyun will be defeated. We need to boost our troops’ morale before Chohyun’s troops arrive….”

As Xiahou Dun knew well the importance of distribution, this was a natural prediction.

Jeong-wook also agreed with this.

“What can we do? From the moment that general attacked Yeongcheon County, supply has been difficult. How can we supply our troops when he appears like a ghost and attacks our supply unit?

And that’s not all? Even if he were to ravage Yeongcheon, he would do it very well. Since he was born that way, he’s also quite good at using cavalry. However… ”

Jeong-wook, his eyes shining with age, mentioned the plan.

“According to reports, unlike his cautious movements in the beginning, Jangsu-gun is now coming and going from Yeongcheon as if it were his own home.

Judging from this, their carelessness must have reached its peak. If our forces let the Kwak family’s defenses down, they will rush in! Let’s take advantage of that opportunity and pay them back several times over. Of course, we must evacuate the Kwak family’s blood relatives.”

Then Xiahou Dun looked at Zheng Yu with a worried expression.

“But Chohyun’s allies will surely be defeated… What are you planning to do about that?”

It was natural that Heo Hyeon’s defenses would be weakened if Heo Hyeon’s forces were concentrated in Yangchaek-hyeon.

What if Son So-gun intervenes in the meantime?

For Cao Cao’s army, it was nothing short of a terrible nightmare.

When Xiahou Dun pointed this out, Jeong Yu closed his eyes. Xiahou Dun’s point was valid.

But even if they cowered in fear, the morale of the cowardly troops would not improve.

Heo Hyeon’s troops were already in a state of strain due to the cavalry of Jangsu-gun.

He had to turn the tide of battle at all costs and boost Heo Hyeon’s morale. Otherwise, he would be defeated by the arrogant Son So-gun at any moment.

“…Trust the generals your lord has appointed. When have they ever disappointed you? Is General Seo (Seo Hwang) a general who would retreat without strength?”

Cao Cao’s army, stationed at Xuhyeon, began to secretly station troops in the direction of Yangcheok County.

***

Meanwhile, as Cho-Hyeon’s troops retreated like a flood tide, the friendly generals raised their voices in unison.

“According to the art of war, it is said that pursuing a fleeing enemy is of great advantage!”

“If they reach Heohyeon like that, Heohyeon’s defenses will become even stronger. Right now, immediately, give the order to pursue!”

While all the allied generals were discussing the pursuit, I turned my gaze to look at Gahu.

“Master Ga, I understand that you have experience fighting Cao Cao’s army before. What do you think?”

As attention was focused on him again, Gahu lowered his head and spoke cautiously.

“…In my memory, in the past, Cao Cao used a similar strategy against Wan Seon.

At that time, we repelled the pursuing friendly forces and retreated. I think the enemy commander may have also used this strategy.”

The generals’ faces were filled with discontent at Gahu’s remarks. It seemed that they were not satisfied with Gahu’s advice, which was always reprimanding them on every little thing…

‘If it weren’t for Nana Gahu, those guys would have been destroyed long ago, but they only have strong pride… .’

When it seemed that arrows might be aimed at Gahu, I calmed the generals down.

“It’s not that we won’t pursue them. We’re just going to make a surprise attack when they’re retreating and most at ease.”

Then, Han Dang narrowed his eyes slightly and asked.

“That means….”

“Since we don’t know when our forces will make a surprise attack, the enemy’s attention will be focused on the surrounding area. However, how long will the fleeing troops remain focused?

“As we get closer to Xu Xian, Cao Cao’s army will feel more at ease, so let’s launch a surprise attack when they are relaxed.”

The morale of the retreating soldiers could not have been high. The morale of Cao Cao’s army, which was starving, would have been severely broken.

No matter how much the generals encouraged their soldiers, there was a limit. Furthermore, as they got closer to their destination, Xu Xian, Cao Cao’s army would lose focus.

Only when I explained this did the generals’ faces brighten.

A little while later, I untied the leashes of the friendly generals I had been holding onto.

***

Cao Cao’s army stationed at Chu Xian began to retreat. However, contrary to initial concerns, there was no pursuit by Sun Zhao’s army.

Perhaps because they arrived at Yeju Jinguk in a state of tension, Cao Cao’s forces were completely relaxed.

But Seo Hwang, who was displeased with this, raised his voice.

“Can’t you come to your senses? Heo Hyeon is right in front of you, so how can you just lie around like this? Come to your senses before I punish you with military law!”

The flight lasted several days. This completely sapped the stamina of Cao Cao’s already exhausted army.

Cao Cao’s army was starving because supplies were not adequate.

In the early stages of retreat, even though he shined brightly, he eventually reached his physical limits.

Perhaps because Heo Hyeon was right in front of them, the soldiers’ concentration was incredibly poor compared to the beginning of the retreat.

As the march continued, the soldiers’ physical strength deteriorated, and the generals, including Seo Hwang, gritted their teeth.

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‘This is a big deal, so that’s why there was no pursuit of Son So-gun in the beginning! To slowly tie up our troops!’

And, as expected,

At the border between Yeongcheon and Jin, Sun Zhao’s aggressive pursuit began. It was a fierce surprise attack, taking advantage of the moment when Cao Cao’s forces were losing strength.

The generals of Sun Zhao’s army, who had taken advantage of the darkness to launch a surprise attack, killed Cao Cao’s troops as if burning away their patience that had been endured for so long.

“Hahahaha! Where do you guys dare to run away to!”

“Where is the enemy commander! Will he not receive the spear from me and this body?”

Cao Cao’s soldiers, exhausted from fatigue, were swept away like reeds.

Meanwhile, Seo Hwang, who was resting in the barracks and then realized the commotion outside, ended up becoming very indignant.

How persistently had Son So-gun been attacking only his weak points? Even the most serious Seo Hwang would have grown annoyed at this point.

“Oh yeah, Seogongmyeong is here! Since I fell for your poor tricks, I guess I’ll have to cut off your heads!”

Seo Hwang showed off his natural martial arts skills while tightly holding the pole that was as good as his own limbs. However, the generals of Sun So-gun were not the ones to just sit back and watch that happen.

Those who face Seo Hwang are also known as fierce generals in Son So-gun.

Moreover, Son So-gun was in excellent physical condition because he had been eating well and getting plenty of rest.

The Seo Hwang Army, starving, exhausted, and dispirited, had no choice but to retreat.

Meanwhile, the generals of the Son So Army were troubled by the enemy’s weaker momentum than expected.

As expected by Gahu, the Western Emperor’s army fled without being able to catch up and achieved great results.

But that was the problem. Since the achievement was made thanks to Gahu’s advice, the generals were secretly uncomfortable.

Since I was pursuing them like this, I wanted to achieve even greater results.

“What should we do? If we pursue them any further, we’ll end up in Heo Hyeon. Isn’t there an enemy ambush?”

“…No, my lord said that he had released the Liangju cavalry in Yeongcheon-gun. With them here, there would be no spirit to ambush near Heo-hyeon.”

“then….”

“Let’s pursue further. If it’s dangerous, we can retreat then, right?”

The generals of Son So-gun did not miss the enemy fleeing towards Heo Hyeon and pursued them.

***

Jin-guk Son So-gun Jinyeong.

Meanwhile, I, who was organizing Jin-guk and Yang-guk, blinked my eyes at the unexpected report. For a moment, I was dumbfounded, then I laughed in vain and asked.

“…Our forces pursuing Cao Cao’s army advanced all the way to Yeongcheon?”

Then the messenger who was reporting lowered his gaze to the floor and said.

“…Yes, that’s right. The enemy’s morale is lower than expected… and there are also reports that Yeongcheon is in shambles, so it seems they are trying to significantly reduce the enemy’s numbers this time.”

I couldn’t help but frown at the generals’ ambiguous excesses of authority.

But it was a bit much to blame them, because this was a judgment made by generals who had experienced the battlefield firsthand. It was impossible to reprimand them so rashly.

Besides, weren’t they generals who had been listening to me? They wouldn’t have wanted to take credit unless they suddenly went crazy. After all, there must have been something that shook their minds.

As I was thinking about it in my head, I sighed softly when the thought of Gahu came to mind.

“It seems that our generals have a subtle rivalry with you. They plan to pursue you further.”

Then Gahu opened his mouth with a troubled expression.

“…How can the officials comment on this? However, the generals’ judgments also have their own logic, so please do not criticize them too much.”

I nodded my head, pondering the tone that seemed to be secretly helping the generals.

It was just as Gahu had said.

At present, Yeongcheon County must have been reduced to rubble to some extent by Jangsu’s Liangju cavalry.

When you think about it, the pursuit force’s intervention in Yeongcheon wasn’t completely unreasonable.

“…But we can’t just wait here. Just in case, we should leave Jin-guk and Yang-guk to General Jin (Jin-mu) and General Dong (Dong-seup) and go after the pursuers.”

Then Gahu answered with his head bowed with his usual expression.

“If your lord wishes, then so be it.”

So I led the army and quickly advanced towards Heohyeon.

***

Heo Hyeon direction.

The generals of Son So-gun pursued him all the way to the vicinity of Heo Hyeon.

They were lost in memories of the past.

For those who had been scouring this region with Sun Ce ten years ago, memories of the past came back vividly.

Then, as they got closer and closer to Heohyeon, the generals came to their senses.

“…Stop, stop advancing. If you keep going like this, I’ll chase you all the way to Heohyeon.”

At that moment, Han Dang narrowed his eyes and stared at Heo Hyeon.

He opened his mouth questioningly.

“I wonder, why does Heo Hyeon’s force seem so small?”

Then, Hwang Gae, who had been chasing along with Han Dang, frowned and said.

“Yi-gong (Handang), what does that mean? Xu-hyeon was chosen as a rear base for this war, and it was also the base of Cao Cao’s army. How could Xu-hyeon’s forces be small?”

“No, it’s not my eyes that are blurry… The number of troops on the walls… They’re not that many. I don’t know about the number of troops inside the castle, but the number of troops stationed on the walls certainly looks small.”

“…Is that true?”

Then, Yeomong, who had been listening, opened his mouth.

“…Then how about we attack once and then retreat? The soldiers still have some stamina left and their morale is high from the pursuit, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to try it once.

Besides, the generals didn’t bring their army all the way here just to fill up these records, did they?”

Yeomong’s sharp remarks accurately captured the generals’ wishes.

What was the reason the generals pursued them all the way to Heohyeon?

In fact, it wasn’t because they didn’t like the sight of Son So and Hang Jang being a good match, but up until this point, all of these two’s judgments had been correct.

So, for generals who were hungry for Sonso’s favor, greater achievements were needed.

It was a feat that was enough to turn Sonso’s attention to them. The generals who went out in pursuit were all in similar situations.

The generals of Son So-gun, who had fallen for Yeo-mong’s plausible persuasion, nodded their heads.

“Ahem, if that’s what you mean….”

And then, Son So-gun’s unexpected offensive began.

An attack that would have been unthinkable under normal circumstances.

However, the timing of the offensive was strange. Because of the check on Jangsu-gun, most of the troops stationed in Heo-hyeon were heading to Yangchaek-hyeon.

In other words, for Xu Xuan, it was no different from the past, when Sun Ce’s surprise attack had come back.

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