Mythical Three Kingdoms

”Bofu, when the time comes, don’t make the first move. Let Gong Yi intercept Yan Yan, and then you lead your trusted aides to deliver the final blow. Yan Yan’s Legion Talent is too unpredictable. Neither you nor Gong Yi can be sure to knock him down within three to five moves,” Pang Tong said after gulping down several mouthfuls of water. His eyes returned to their usual luster as he looked at Sun Ce, coughed lightly, and proceeded to caution him.

”I understand,” Sun Ce tightened his grip on the Long Spear, then gradually relaxed it. Pang Tong was right; even with Jiang Qin joining him, they would be unlikely to take down the opponent within three to five moves.

”What you need to do is lead your trusted aides to scatter Yan Yan’s vanguard. No matter how strange Yan Yan’s Legion Talent may be, it has an absolute limit. You must break through in one go. We only get one chance!” Pang Tong handed the water skin to a soldier beside him and spoke with a serious expression.

”Alright, I know. I can definitely do it!” Sun Ce replied gravely, his fury already kindling within. Having been on the run, his strategist had also been injured. Had he not known what he was responsible for, Sun Ce would have already turned around to confront Yan Yan.

”Hmm, let’s retreat. Those four guys have already closed in to within ten miles. It’s time for us to leave,” Pang Tong said, a sly smile appearing on his face.

Pang Tong’s Spiritual Talent was sufficient to sense people like Yan Yan and Zheng Du who did not hide their abilities, from thirty miles away. Of course, if they were too close, he could not be certain, but from a distance, they were as clear as torches in the night.

”All troops, retreat!” Sun Ce bellowed, then led his men to withdraw without regard to the wails of the County Soldiers left behind. From the original seventeen thousand County Soldiers, now only eight to nine hundred remained following Sun Ce.

”Let’s go!” Zhang Xun, Li Feng, Lejiu, Yang Xun, Li Xinn, and Liang Gang shook their heads. At this time, they could no longer concern themselves with these County Soldiers.

Several people stood up and continued to follow Sun Ce in the retreat. Although they did not believe Pang Tong could come up with a strategy to defeat Yan Yan in pursuit, since the leaders Zhang Xun and Li Feng had resolved to protect Sun Ce at all costs, the rest had nothing to say, considering it an explanation to Yuan Shu.

In silence, Pang Tong glanced back at several of Yuan Shu’s generals. Frankly speaking, he was very curious how, under these circumstances, they could still remain loyal. Throughout the escape, many of Yuan Shu’s officers who disapproved of Sun Ce had abandoned him, with even major generals like Lebo and Chen Jian defecting to the Yizhou Army.

For this reason, Pang Tong was extremely curious about what the remaining six military generals thought. Knowing that while on the run, the officers who remained were mostly mid to high-ranking officers from Yizhou, who Pang Tong had decided would lead the counter-offensive. This was done to weed out those with less resolute minds.

”Shiyuan, what are you looking at?” Sun Ce turned his head to see Zhang Xun and the others, and casually asked.

”They will be the cornerstone of the future army. Aren’t you curious why I initially used the pretext of rotation to exchange the soldiers under my command?” Pang Tong said calmly. ”I knew that there would be officers defecting to the Yizhou Army from the start. Those who remained after a series of defeats will be the core.”

[Of course, after this, none of the officers under my command will have Private Troops anymore!] Pang Tong silently added to himself.

”Lebo, Chen Jian...” Sun Ce gritted his teeth, his eyes nearly igniting with golden flames. They not only fled, but turned against him!

[”Maintain that current spirit, for this is the stage I prepared for you, Bofu. Your strength has reached the mark, as has your ability to command troops, but you still lack a Legion Talent. Your will is just a step away from resonating with your soldiers. Fall to the trough and then ascend to the peak, and it is in that moment between victory and defeat that you will create your glory!”]

Pang Tong glanced at Sun Ce, understanding what a Legion Talent was long ago. Sun Ce already met all the criteria, so why didn’t he possess a Legion Talent? Wondering what he was missing, Pang Tong thought hard and in the end, concluded it could only be Willpower. As long as Sun Ce’s will resonated with his subordinates, he would possess the Legion Talent!

[”Whether it’s victory or failure, it’s the highly unified belief, combined with Bofu’s actions. If you can spear Yan Yan from his horse with one thrust, I think in the next moment you will understand the Legion Talent. But alas.” Pang Tong turned his head, no longer dwelling on these thoughts. Triple-planning was his habit, he just wasn’t certain if the last step would be successful, but it was related to his campaign in Yizhou!]

”Pursue!” Yan Yan bellowed, and his soldiers echoed in response, then chased forward. Zheng Du, Zhang Song, and Liu Ba were all worn out but their eyes shone with fierce light.

The Yizhou Army, with merely thirty thousand men, seemed to grow stronger as they fought, and were essentially capturing prisoners all along the way. Even Liu Ba didn’t believe the enemy could have any combat power left.

”Pursue, conclude the battle in a single fight, even if we have to cross Yiling, we must eradicate them!” Yan Yan roared, his cheeks flushed with a red glow.

Yan Yan’s momentum was incredibly formidable. His string of victories had brought his prestige to the peak; by his presence alone, the cities in the area were ready to surrender. At last, he truly understood what it meant to be a great general!

”General, the military adviser has sent word. Our lord will enter the vicinity of Yiling in another thirty li, and the military adviser advises us to be prepared. The terrain here is treacherous, we need to break the enemy from the very beginning to the very end in one go!” reported a soldier to Jiang Qin.

”Understood.” Jiang Qin took a deep breath and ordered the soldiers behind him, saying that the troops ambushed in this area of Yiling were not too numerous, just over three thousand spread across six locations. The remaining tens of thousands, according to Pang Tong’s instructions, had been dispersed elsewhere, seemingly aimed at capturing enemy officers after a crushing victory.

”At last!” A cold smile crossed Pang Tong’s lips as he looked at the treacherous valleys of Yiling. He had already tried before; even with his spiritual capacity, if he set fire, it would be extinguished by the rain summoned by the trio on the opposite side. Hence, the long and winding path was to stretch out the enemy’s legion thin.

”Honorable generals, be ready, it now depends on you.” Pang Tong turned to look at the remaining dozen or so commanding officers—some originally belonged to Sun Ce, while others were Yuan Shu’s.

The group of generals didn’t respond at all. The constant fleeing had reduced their recognition and respect for Pang Tong to an all-time low, utterly disregarding him. Of course, Pang Tong was completely unconcerned about this attitude.

”Everyone, follow Shiyuan’s plans!” Sun Ce swept a furious gaze over the gathered officers.

”We’ve been on the run, suffering losses and diminished forces, how could we have the strength to confront the tens of thousands of enemy troops behind us?” Li Feng spoke with frustration.

”Who said we’re out of soldiers?” Jiang Qin appeared at this moment, ”I have already brought the large army. Over ten thousand elite soldiers were with me when we deployed. As for the soldiers aside from your personal troops, they were just county soldiers.” (To be continued. If you enjoy this novel, we welcome you to vote for it at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)