Mythical Three Kingdoms-Chapter 1730 - 1639: Calculating for the Worst-case Scenario
After receiving the order from Zhou Yu, Wen Pin led over a hundred cavalrymen southward, galloping at full speed. Unfortunately, they brushed past Zhao Yun. Luckily, all the riders each had three horses, so they moved quickly. Although they missed Zhao Yun, they soon encountered Zhang Xiu and his group.
"Hey, that seems to be Zhongye!" Sun Ce, with his astonishing eyesight, spotted from afar that Wen Pin was leading the group, and immediately he spurred his horse forward, halting Wen Pin and his men.
"Greetings, my lord." Wen Pin was initially stunned upon seeing Sun Ce, but then overjoyed, as all the soldiers under Sun Ce knew that the combined power of Zhou Yu and Sun Ce far surpassed their individual capabilities.
"What are you doing here, and where is Gongjin? I remember Gongjin loves having you as an escort," Sun Ce curiously inquired, not realizing that this remark seriously hurt Wen Pin’s confidence.
Wen Pin, who always believed himself to have the potential of a great general, suddenly realized, under this remark, that he seemed to have always been doing escort work. Reflecting on his Legion Talent, Wen Pin felt somewhat saddened. It seemed being sent as an escort was not unreasonable, as he was entirely unsuited for attacks.
"General Zhou and Marquis Chen are both in the north. The two of them had previously destroyed the Northern Huns’ rear and are now being pursued. General Zhou sent me ahead to seek assistance from the south, to prevent the escort arranged by Marquis Chen earlier from brushing past them," Wen Pin quickly explained, which left Sun Ce momentarily stunned.
Sun Ce stroked his chin, trying to appear mature, then felt it wasn’t quite right and coughed twice.
"So, are Gongjin and the others in dire straits?" Sun Ce coughed twice to adjust his mood, quickly realizing this was not the time to mull over such matters.
"General Zhou told me before he left, if we can be fast, be fast; if not, turn back. Their safety is not an issue; the greatest loss would be the soldiers," Wen Pin respectfully replied to Sun Ce. Although he had witnessed many of Sun Ce’s silly antics over the years, Wen Pin was still amazed by Sun Ce’s beast-like intuition.
"If you can be fast, be fast; if not, turn back," Sun Ce and Ma Chao exchanged confused glances. In a rescue mission akin to a fire rescue, this kind of statement implied that, according to Zhou Yu, there was no real safety concern for themselves.
"General Zhou mentioned that no matter how secretly your rescue comes, there’s no way to deceive the informers of the Northern Huns; thus, they must have already been alerted, maybe still inactive, but will surely appear," Wen Pin explained Zhou Yu’s reasoning to Sun Ce and Ma Chao, leaving them utterly bewildered.
"Oh, then I’ll go rescue Gongjin," Sun Ce decisively ordered, as if he hadn’t heard Wen Pin’s advice at all.
Zhang Xiu and Zhang He couldn’t help but twitch their eyes at Sun Ce’s disposition, either ignoring or not hearing the other’s suggestions; Sun Ce’s personality was truly something else.
"General Zhou said if my lord still wishes to proceed with the rescue after hearing this, please activate your Legion Talent with full force and head north," Wen Pin reiterated Zhou Yu’s words to Sun Ce without any change in expression, as if the previous words had become air.
"Activate the Legion Talent, charge ahead, save Gongjin!" Sun Ce shouted twice, then squeezed his horse’s belly and charged forward; following his lead, all the cavalry surged ahead with him.
Sun Ce was the first to charge out, with a golden radiance enveloping Zhang Xiu, Zhang He, Ma Chao, and others. The three also activated their Spiritual Talents, covering all the cavalry with radiant glows. Under the double stimulation of the Legion Talent and Sun Ce’s Monarch Talent, the speed of the three main cavalry units suddenly increased significantly.
Meanwhile, when Sun Ce and others rushed out northward, the Northern Huns stationed in the northern part of Youzhou and confronting the Han Army reacted just as Zhou Yu had predicted.
Though Zhao Yun’s endeavor to rescue Chen Xi was a sudden event in this battlefield, such a large-scale operation was not lost on the Northern Huns’ Scout Cavalry, who naturally saw it.
On the battlefield, preventing the enemy from achieving their objectives is itself the highest form of strategy. Therefore, seeing Zhao Yun leading the White Horse Soldiers charging out, Qiu Linbei didn’t think twice before retreating to the Rear Camp to regroup and prepare for pursuit.
However, by the time Qiu Linbei had gathered his troops and was ready to head out, the horizon already rolled with the forces of Sun Ce, Zhang Xiu, and others, causing Qiu Linbei some worry. Though he feared none of the Han generals individually, wars aren’t decided by personal strength.
Having learned of the exploits of Zhang Xiu, Ma Chao, and Sun Ce from the retreating miscellaneous Hun forces, he knew these three were formidable opponents. Chasing them down alone would be futile and risking an ambush meant he might escape, but his clansmen would be lost.
This made Qiu Linbei hesitate. As for seeking out Xubo Cheng, Chouhun, and others, the thought crossed his mind briefly, for Huyan Chu also needed protection, and the Chanyu was the constant faith of the Northern Huns.
But just as Qiu Linbei hesitated, Lan Clan appeared before him with a thousand Northern Huns Guards.
"Qiu Lin, the Chanyu sent me with a thousand guards to assist you. You are not required to engage in heavy assaults; strike if you can, retreat if you must," Lan Clan said, handing over the thousand Northern Huns Guards to Qiu Linbei.
"I shall not disappoint the Chanyu’s expectations," Qiu Linbei solemnly declared, then he led six thousand Hun Elite Cavalry together with Lan Clan in pursuit of Sun Ce and the others, deciding whether to strike once they catch up.
