SFS Chapter 778 Deliberate Provocation and Hateful Pursuit
Chapter 778 Deliberate Provocation and Hateful Pursuit
Upon hearing this, the Jiangdong soldiers erupted in deafening laughter. The clash of swords and spears echoed in the battle formation, mingling with the cries of "rat" and "lunatic," causing the ice on the river to tremble slightly. Sun Ce gripped his sword hilt tightly, his knuckles turning white from the pressure—this time, he would make Huang Zu pay a heavy price for his outrageous words.
Huang Zu's face flushed purple at Sun Ce's taunts, his steel teeth chattering as he roared, shaking the snow off his helmet: "Stop your rhetoric, you brat! Show us your true power with your fists!" He swung his banner violently, and the drums of war in the Jingzhou army roared like thunder. Thirty thousand soldiers surged across the frozen riverbank like a tide, their spears forming a forest, crushing the frost on the ground.
Sun Ce clapped his hands and laughed heartily, his ancient ingot blade slashing with a sharp arc of light. "You're trying to hit a rock with an egg. You're overestimating your own strength! Who will help me take down this beast?" Before he had finished speaking, Lü Meng, Chen Wu, and other fierce generals roared in unison, charging forward with the clashing of armor. The Jiangdong battle formation instantly transformed into a roaring torrent of steel. Thousands of powerful crossbows tore through the cold wind, and arrows rained down on the enemy. Iron cavalrymen flanked on both sides, their hooves shattering the ice, stirring up strings of blood-red crystals.
Huang Zu gave his horse a shove, and the bay steed neighed as it charged into the chaotic enemy lines. His nine-ring broadsword, wielding a fierce force, slashed through several Jiangdong soldiers, the blood splattering across his face like dark red ice. "Drown them with a sea of men!" The Jingzhou army, fearless and reckless, advanced over the corpses of their comrades, their spears and shields clashing with a deafening roar. Lü Meng's longsword flew, its edge chipped, yet he refused to retreat. Chen Wu's twin halberds danced wildly, their tips slicing off enemy heads, blood forming icy ridges along the shafts.
The area outside Jiangxia City instantly transformed into a battlefield. Broken limbs and tattered military flags covered the snowy ground, and uncured blood seeped through the ice, staining the battlefield an eerie crimson purple. Huang Zu gazed at the Jiangdong soldiers, their eyes bloodshot with killing intent, and sneered inwardly—this brutal fight was merely a bait to lure the enemy deeper; the true killer move was yet to come.
Amidst the chaos, Sun Ce wiped the blood from his face, his gaze fixed on Huang Zu through the smoke. The veteran commander, shouting and slashing with his sword, watched his horse hover a hundred paces behind the formation. He waved his command flag with ferocity, but a flicker of uncertainty lingered in his eyes. As the Jiangdong army tore through the Jingzhou defenses like a tiger among a flock of sheep, Huang Zu feinted, turning his horse and retreating three steps.
"Sure enough, a paper tiger!" Sun Ce sneered, and with a fierce slash of his ancient ingot blade, he severed the last enemy soldier's shield in two. He gazed at the fallen bodies scattered across the ground, listened to the wailing cries of the Jingzhou troops, and suddenly thought of the peace treaty Zhang Hong had mentioned yesterday. At that moment, the distant gong sounded, signaling a retreat. It was Huang Zu who signaled the withdrawal. The remnants of the army retreated like a tide towards the Jiangxia city walls, their rising dust mingling with broken weapons and scattered banners.
"Pass the order, stop the pursuit!" Sun Ce plunged the blood-stained blade into the snow, the cold light picking up a few strands of snow. He turned to look at Lü Meng, who was also covered in blood, and said in a deep voice: "Liu Biao has already agreed to let us pass through. Forcing Huang Zu to death will only ruin the overall situation."
The setting sun shone like blood, stained the corpses on the ground with an even more sinister look. Sun Ce rode forward, the blood stains on his silver armor turning a dark purple in the twilight. He pointed at Huang Zu, who was retreating behind the formation, and sneered, "Old Huang Zu, you have the title of a great general, but you don't care about the lives of your men, hiding in the shadows and trying to survive! Considering that your lord, Liu Biao, has just made peace with me, I will spare your life for now. If you continue to be stubborn and rebellious..." Before he finished speaking, the ancient ingot sword was already unsheathed three inches, and the cold light distorted Huang Zu's face.
"Hahahaha!" Huang Zu suddenly raised his head and laughed wildly, shaking the battle flags on the city wall. "Sun Ce, what's the difference between you and that man Ma Chao? He's just a reckless man who relies on brute force to commit crimes! I'm the commander of an army. How could I fight with you like scoundrels in front of the battle line? If you want to fight, then fight. Don't make a fuss!"
"Shut up!" Sun Ce's pupils constricted, and his warhorse pawed the frozen ground restlessly. Ma Chao's name pierced his heart like a sharp blade, and the tragic scene of his brother's untimely death in Chang'an flashed before his eyes. His knuckles whitened as he gripped the reins, and his joints crackled.
Huang Zu laughed even more wildly when he saw this: "What? Did I hit a sore spot? Ma Chao had nothing but martial arts skills, but he still ended up being killed by the emperor! You two brothers are just brave but foolish men..."
"Old scoundrel!" Sun Ce roared, his voice like thunder. His eyes instantly bloodshot, and the ancient ingot knife clanged out of its sheath, its cold light piercing the twilight: "I swear I won't be a human being if I don't chop off your dog's head today!" Seeing their lord's anger, the Jiangdong soldiers erupted in earth-shattering roars, drums beating, and the cries of killing rose again. But Huang Zu's lips curled into a subtle sneer—he desired this raging rage.
Sun Ce's eyes were bloodshot, his ancient ingot blade slashing a crimson afterimage in the twilight. His black horse, like an arrow from a bow, charged at Huang Zu. "Old wretch, give me your life!" His voice, laced with murderous intent, sent shivers trembling through the Jingzhou soldiers on the battlefield. Huang Zu's expression suddenly changed, and he frantically raised his blade to block. But Sun Ce's thunderous blow numbed his knuckles, sending his horse reeling back three steps.
"Protect the master!" The pupils of Zhou Tai, the commander of the personal guards, suddenly shrank. His eight-foot-long iron halberd swept across the path, sending blood and flesh flying everywhere he went. He followed Sun Ce like a killer god, blood splattering between the cracks in his armor and forming ice crystals in the cold wind. Lü Meng, Lü Dai, and the others, waking from a dream, exchanged glances and shouted in unison: "Follow our lord and kill the enemy!" The Jiangdong battlefield suddenly transformed into a boiling furnace. Thirty thousand cavalrymen charged forward, treading on the shattered ice. The sound of their hooves rolled like thunder across the snowy plains.
Outside Jiangxia City, the sound of slaughter reverberated. Sun Ce hacked left and right, severing limbs wherever his blade touched. A Jingzhou general attempted a flank attack, but Zhou Tai's halberd pierced his chest, his body crushed to a pulp before it even hit the ground. Huang Zu, watching the Jiangdong army surge forward like a tide, felt both secretly delighted and apprehensive. Though he intended to provoke Sun Ce, he hadn't anticipated the Jiangdong bully's fierceness.
"Retreat! Retreat in the designated direction!" Huang Zu feinted his sword, turning his horse's head and blending into the fleeing army. The Jingzhou army abandoned their armor and weapons, suffering heavy casualties as the Jiangdong cavalry pursued them. The fallen bodies gradually piled up on the snowy ground, their uncured blood seeping into the frozen soil, staining the battlefield an eerie dark purple. Sun Ce, blinded by his rage, relentlessly pursued them, completely unaware that behind this rout lay a deadly trap.
As dusk fell, Huang Zu's defeated army, like frightened birds, abandoned Jiangxia and fled towards Fancheng. The rising dust was mingled with scattered banners and wailing cries. Sun Ce, his armor stained crimson with killing, held on tight, his ancient ingot blade slashing away the last enemy soldier who stood in his way: "Don't run!" The sound of horses' hooves crunching the frozen earth startled jackdaws, whose dark wings swept across the blood-red setting sun.
"Brother! Don't chase a desperate enemy!" Sun Quan galloped from the rear, his shouts shredded by the howling north wind. Anxiously, he shoved his horse's horn. Just as he was about to catch up with his brother, he felt his wrist tighten—Zhang Hong had reined in his horse and swayed across his body, his bony fingers gripping the reins tightly.
"Mr. Zigang?!" Sun Quan was filled with shock and anger, but he saw the unfathomable gaze behind Zhang Hong's glasses. The old strategist slowly raised his hand, his wide sleeves sweeping across the distant direction where Huang Zu was retreating. A meaningful smile curled his lips: "Second Young Master."
Sun Quan was extremely anxious, with beads of sweat on his forehead. He didn't bother to wipe them off and said to Zhang Hong anxiously, "It's getting dark now. Brother, you are leading people to pursue the remaining troops deep into enemy territory. It will be extremely dangerous!" His voice trembled slightly with anxiety, and his eyes were full of worry about his brother's safety.
Zhang Hong narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze flickered, and a faint smile appeared on his face. He said slowly: "My lord, you are extremely brave. How can Huang Zu and the Jingzhou army stop you? But you, second young master, are so eager to stop us. Could it be that..." He deliberately dragged out the last word, looking at Sun Quan meaningfully, with an intriguing smile on the corner of his mouth.
Sun Quan's heart trembled, feeling somewhat uncomfortable under Zhang Hong's gaze. He sensed a hidden meaning in Zhang Hong's words. Suppressing his dissatisfaction and doubt, he bowed and said, "Mr. Zigang, I'm simply concerned for your brother's safety. The situation is unclear. Although Huang Zu has been defeated, there's no guarantee he won't have a backup plan. I hope you'll prioritize the greater good and help me persuade your brother to return!" Sun Quan spoke earnestly, his gaze fixed on Zhang Hong, trying to discern any clues from his expression.
Zhang Hong nodded slightly, but didn't immediately respond to Sun Quan's request. Instead, he gazed off into the darkness, toward where Sun Ce was pursuing. His eyes were deep, making it impossible to fathom his thoughts. After a moment, he sighed softly and said, "Since that's the case, Second Young Master, let's go together. But don't panic, lest you disrupt the morale of the army." With that, he gently waved his whip, urging his horse forward. Sun Quan didn't dare delay and hurried to follow, but a faint unease still lingered within him. He felt that all this was not so simple, that a greater crisis might be quietly approaching...
The night was as dark as ink, a thick darkness wrapped in a biting cold wind, completely swallowing up the last remaining rays of light on the battlefield. Zhou Tai, covered in blood, spurred his horse to catch up with Sun Ce, blood dripping from the cracks in his armor. "My lord! It's dusk!" He grabbed his lord's reins and pointed at the winding path ahead. "Huang Zu didn't flee to Jiangxia, but headed towards Fancheng. There must be something fishy going on!"
Sun Ce wiped the blood from his face, his gaze fixed fiercely on the fleeing Huang Zu. The veteran general's crimson cape flickered in and out of view, the dust kicked up by his horse's hooves blending with the night sky, making him appear even more eerie. Behind Sun Ce, Lü Meng, Lü Dai, and others, leading the elite troops of Jiangdong, were in hot pursuit. The clash of weapons and the clatter of horses' hooves echoed in the silent night sky.
"It's okay!" Sun Ce suddenly pulled away the reins that Zhou Tai was holding. The ancient ingot knife shone coldly in the moonlight. "We are waiting for the army to attack. Even if there is an ambush, what's the harm?" He turned his head to look at the Jiangdong soldiers who were gradually gathering behind him, his eyes full of fighting spirit. "Today, I must kill that old bastard Huang Zu!"
Sun Ce continued to ride in pursuit. Zhou Tai, worried about his danger, led his personal guards in hot pursuit.
Behind them, Lü Meng, Lü Dai, and other generals made puzzling moves. They reined in their horses, slowing their pursuit, their faces etched with hesitation. Though they shouted, "Lord, it is dusk, do not pursue this desperate enemy!" Their voices sounded more like a calculated performance. Their cries echoed across the empty plains, clearly heard by the surrounding Jiangdong soldiers, yet drifted in all directions on the wind, never reaching Sun Ce. The distant mountains lay dormant in the night like a giant beast, waiting for its prey to step into a long-laid trap.