【Hmph, I knew you'd say that. I’ve been waiting for you to divide the forces like this. The soldiers of Yizhou are no easy opponents. If you don’t run into some serious trouble, how else will my talents be recognized?】 Liao Li's expression remained calm, but his mind was filled with cold sneers.

As expected, things unfolded just as Liao Li had predicted. Pang Tong indeed volunteered to head to Zhigui to deal with the Yizhou army.

"Shiyuan, you should not underestimate the generals of Yizhou. Yizhou has been relatively isolated, and we have not heard much about their capabilities as they march into Jingzhou," Gu Yong cautioned Pang Tong, worried that Pang Tong might underestimate Yizhou’s generals, which could lead to Sun Ce’s forces suffering losses. He stepped forward to offer his warning.

"I’ll be careful," Pang Tong nodded. He didn’t actually intend to underestimate his opponents; in fact, he knew full well that once he arrived on the battlefield, the enemy would likely mock him and Sun Ce as mere youngsters.

"You should also be cautious of Kuai Yue. He is well-versed in the art of sacrificing pawns. If necessary, he wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice even himself," Pang Tong advised Gu Yong, Yu Fan, and the others. After all, he had been born in Jingzhou and had a good understanding of Kuai Yue’s abilities.

"Since that’s the case, I will lead Liu Xun, Chen Lan, and Li Feng to Zhigui to intercept the Yizhou generals. Jiang Qin, you will serve as the vanguard. The rest will deal with Liu Biao of Jingzhou. We’ll split into two groups, and if one side finishes first, remember to divide your forces to assist the other," Sun Ce instructed after seeing that his subordinates had divided up the military tasks with much discussion.

"Shiyuan, you will accompany me on the march west. In the past, I may have neglected you, but from now on, you will serve as an advisor to the central command," Sun Ce turned to Pang Tong and said. The others congratulated Pang Tong, as although the position of central command advisor wasn’t particularly high-ranking, it granted considerable authority, especially given Sun Ce’s trust.

【Hmph, let’s see how long you’ll remain smug. Central command advisor, indeed!】 Liao Li feigned congratulations while inwardly sneering, 【The higher you climb, the harder you fall.】

As Sun Ce led Liu Xun and the others westward, with Jiang Qin as the vanguard, Zhang Ren had already marched out of Jiange, heading toward Hanzhong. Another force, led by Yan Yan, had successfully captured Zhigui and was preparing to seize Shangyong, launching simultaneous attacks on Hanzhong from two directions!

Pang Tong wasn’t naive; he had no intention of directly confronting the Yizhou army. Instead, he sent messages to Zhang Lu to forge an alliance while dispatching scouts to investigate Shangyong, planning to take the city and seal off Yan Yan’s northern route, thereby freeing Zhang Lu to deal with the other Yizhou force.

Initially, Pang Tong had considered using naval forces to move upstream and encircle and annihilate Yan Yan’s army. But when he arrived on the battlefield, he quickly abandoned that idea—not because he didn’t want to but because he didn’t dare!

The enemy, this so-called auxiliary force of the Shu army, boasted one army-wide ability and three spiritual abilities. Pang Tong instantly realized that the usual tactics against ordinary strategists would only result in a massacre against such formidable opponents.

"Shiyuan, you’ve looked rather gloomy since arriving at Zhigui," Sun Ce, seeing Pang Tong riding a white horse, teased.

"My lord, I fear that the force we face is not an auxiliary force of the Shu army but rather their main force. My spiritual ability allows me to sense others' spiritual abilities, as well as army-wide abilities. You are aware of this, correct?" Pang Tong said with a bitter smile. After confirming the enemy’s lineup, he couldn’t bring himself to smile anymore.

"Yes, I know. Gongjin once told me that all range-based spiritual abilities have the power to detect others with similar abilities, but if the other party fully suppresses their abilities, they can't be detected," Sun Ce nodded, licking his lips. "You’re saying there’s an internal energy expert on the other side?"

"No..." Pang Tong shook his head.

"Not an internal energy expert? Then it must be a spiritual ability. Shiyuan, you need to have the same confidence as Gongjin. What’s there to fear from a mere spiritual ability? You still have me!" Sun Ce laughed boisterously, trying to boost Pang Tong’s confidence.

Pang Tong rubbed his forehead, at a loss for words. Seeing Pang Tong’s lack of reaction to his laughter, Sun Ce stopped laughing, finding it pointless. He then spoke earnestly, "Tell me what’s on your mind so I can help. If you stay silent, I won’t know where to start."

"The enemy has one army-wide ability and three spiritual abilities. I’ve already tallied the numbers," Pang Tong said with a wry smile. "I refuse to believe that a mere auxiliary force could possess so many formidable individuals."

Sun Ce’s eyebrows began to twitch. He had only recently reached the level of an internal energy expert, having lost his internal energy once before and only now truly reaching the internal energy departure stage. But his army-wide ability hadn’t fully developed yet, and now, the enemy had three spiritual abilities and one army-wide ability? And this was supposed to be an auxiliary force?

"What should we do?" Sun Ce wasn’t foolish. Although he enjoyed defeating enemies, he knew to be cautious not to get crushed in return.

"What else can we do? I’ll first probe the enemy to determine the nature of their spiritual abilities. We’ll start by testing the waters," Pang Tong replied irritably. He hadn’t expected his first experience as a grand strategist would involve such a situation, but this only fueled his determination.

"Be careful. You strategists are often more frightening than we are on the battlefield. A single miscalculation could cost the entire army, so be cautious, Shiyuan," Sun Ce advised, looking at Pang Tong.

"Alright, I will be," Pang Tong nodded.

On the other side, Yan Yan and his men had already received intelligence of Sun Ce’s arrival. However, the situation was that there were three strategists in Yan Yan’s camp—Yizhou Prefect Zhang Song, Yizhou Deputy Zhang Du, and Liu Ba, who had fled to Yizhou due to the chaos of war.

Among these three, only Liu Ba’s rank was lower than Yan Yan’s; the other two held higher positions, though they only had advisory roles under Yan Yan’s command.

"With Sun Ce’s reinforcements arriving, the Jingzhou soldiers, hearing that reinforcements have come, will undoubtedly fight to the death. It might be wise to wait a few days, test the situation, and then make further plans," Liu Ba suggested after Yan Yan summoned the officers to a meeting. He was advocating a more conservative approach since they had yet to engage Sun Ce’s forces.

"I disagree. Our army has been victorious in every battle thus far, and our morale is high. If we retreat upon hearing of their arrival, it would make us appear cowardly. We should take advantage of their unstable footing and launch a decisive attack to defeat them," Zhang Du, full of vigor, countered.

"I believe our current objective is flawed. Our goal should be to capture Hanzhong, not to engage Sun Ce," Zhang Song said, clearly opposing Zhang Du’s suggestion. "If we are to fight Sun Ce, it should not be us leading the charge. We should coordinate with the forces from Taishan, forcing Sun Ce to fight on multiple fronts. That would be in our best interest."

"Our forces are formidable, and we have no established ties with the Taishan army. Given the distance, even if there is an intention to ally, it would take considerable time to finalize. Moreover, with the northern front still uncertain, Liu Xuande is nearly stretched to his limit," Liu Ba scoffed at Zhang Song’s proposal. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

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