Although Sun Ce had not yet reached the peak of his power, he was still a prodigy. On the other hand, Yan Yan, while experienced, was not like Huang Zhong, who grew fiercer with age. Thus, although Yan Yan could suppress Sun Ce in terms of raw strength, it wasn’t easy to claim an outright victory.

At the beginning of their battle, Sun Ce struggled against Yan Yan’s powerful spear techniques, but as the fight dragged on, Sun Ce seemed to grow stronger, gradually turning the tide in his favor.

The two fought fiercely, with their respective armies clashing in the background. After switching horses and continuing the battle, Yan Yan, realizing that age was catching up with him, eventually ordered his troops to advance, leading to a chaotic skirmish that left over a hundred bodies on the battlefield before both sides withdrew.

"Clang!" Sun Ce slammed his helmet down onto the table and then grabbed a large bowl of wine, downing it in a few gulps.

"That old general is truly formidable!" Sun Ce exclaimed with admiration after setting the bowl down. "In the heat of battle, he was actually stronger than me by a few notches at first, but unfortunately, his age is starting to show—his recovery isn’t what it used to be."

"You're focusing on the wrong thing," Pang Tong said with a frown. "Relying on brute strength in the heat of the moment is not a good habit. Didn't you notice that the enemy activated their army's special ability just now?"

"What's the big deal? Even after they activated it, they only managed to stabilize their situation. Their soldiers are far inferior!" Sun Ce laughed loudly, slapping the table. "But I have to admit, the enemy's general is incredibly strong."

"Indeed, the soldiers under his command are not his personal guards. You can see subtle differences if you look closely, and your troops were just ordinary frontline soldiers. In that sense, they were evenly matched," Pang Tong said, still frowning.

"Huh, how can you tell they weren't his personal guards? Their armor and equipment looked just as good as any elite unit’s. How could they not be his personal troops?" Sun Ce asked, puzzled.

Pang Tong rolled his eyes, too tired to explain in detail. If the soldiers that Yan Yan led in this fight were his personal guards, they wouldn’t have hesitated during the battle. Nor would they have shown signs of faltering, even as Yan Yan himself hadn’t ordered a retreat.

Sun Ce noticed Pang Tong’s eye roll but didn’t take offense. He trusted Pang Tong because he was recommended by Zhou Yu, whom Sun Ce deeply respected. If Pang Tong didn’t want to explain, Sun Ce wouldn’t press the issue.

"Hmm, I think I’ve got a good idea," Pang Tong mused, recalling the relatively low combat strength of Yan Yan’s troops compared to those of the Central Plains, and a plan began to form in his mind.

"Bo Fu, when the enemy activated their special ability earlier, did you notice any significant changes in their soldiers' combat effectiveness?" Although Pang Tong had observed the battle himself, he wanted to confirm his thoughts with Sun Ce.

"It felt like they became more resilient, harder to break through," Sun Ce replied, stroking his chin. "Yeah, that’s it—they became tougher and more difficult to defeat once they activated their ability, almost as if they were becoming stronger with age."

"Just as I thought," Pang Tong nodded.

"Earlier, I was close to defeating him, but after they activated their special ability, it felt like his strength didn’t increase much, but his endurance did. It became much harder to push him back," Sun Ce added, recalling the battle.

"Exactly," Pang Tong said with a smile. "They were testing our strength."

"Testing us?" Sun Ce’s face darkened. "Does that mean I gave myself away by charging out with the vanguard? My personal guards were still in the central camp!"

"On the contrary, you did well," Pang Tong said, shaking his finger. "Didn’t you notice that the soldiers you brought from Shouchun are far more elite and better equipped than the ones here?"

"Now that you mention it, you're right. By the way, Shiyuan, just call me Bo Fu. I'm not used to you addressing me so formally," Sun Ce replied, not fully grasping what Pang Tong was implying.

Pang Tong fell silent for a moment, finally understanding why Zhou Yu often used his spiritual ability when talking to Sun Ce. Sun Ce just didn’t seem to grasp what was being said. "Alright..."

"By the way, what did you mean earlier?" Sun Ce asked, finally circling back to Pang Tong’s earlier comments.

"I mean that I know how to defeat them," Pang Tong replied, rubbing his forehead with a look of resignation. "You did well earlier—leave the rest to me. This time, even if we can’t completely crush the Yizhou army, we’ll scare them senseless!"

"Hah, I knew you could do it!" Sun Ce slapped Pang Tong on the shoulder, grinning widely. "But didn’t you say they have three spiritual ability users? Are you sure you can handle it?"

"It won’t be a problem," Pang Tong nodded. "Sometimes, those who are highly intelligent become too confident in their judgments, and that’s the limitation of any strategist’s vision. That’s the key to defeating them."

"Hahaha, I’ll leave it to you! But remember to set up a rematch between me and that old general—I’m sure I can beat him next time!" Sun Ce said, patting Pang Tong on the shoulder again.

"Don’t worry, I’ll pick a good time for you to fight him again," Pang Tong replied with a slight smile. If his estimation was correct, the enemy would likely mistake the soldiers Sun Ce had led in the previous battle for his personal guards.

[This will work well—now, to implement a plan to exploit their arrogance... No, that would be too obvious. Instead, we’ll play it straight and use the local troops as bait. If we truly lose, no one will suspect it was a trap.] Pang Tong continued to plan, mindful of the three enemy strategists. But more than anything, he wanted to trap all three in one fell swoop.

[However, if this strategy allows the Yizhou army to gain momentum, it could become difficult to manage. No, I have to let them build momentum. That way, even if they suspect something, they won’t back down. We’ll leave a lasting shadow over the Yizhou army.] Pang Tong finally made up his mind. Yizhou, a region that was already part of his and Zhou Yu’s plans, needed to be kept in check.

Having confirmed that the enemy had indeed come to test their strength, Pang Tong devised a plan to thoroughly entrap them.

As for the risks involved, Pang Tong decided to gamble. If successful, he would eliminate all three enemy strategists at once, securing Yizhou’s future. But if he failed and couldn’t stifle the Yizhou army’s momentum, he’d be in serious trouble as well.

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