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“Here we go,” Sun Jian sighed as he moved alongside Zhou Shen.
“Suggestions…?” Zhou Shen prompted.
“Of course, there is the rule regarding the pursuit of an enemy force in
retreat,” Sun Jian proposed. “In some cases, it is unwise, but it depends on
how well organised the army is, and what sort of leaders it has.”
“…I’m aware of it,” Zhou Shen retorted. “What do you think…?”
“…I think that this is an army led by Han officials, not barbarian
chieftains or Han generals, so their response will be manageable,” Sun Jian
replied. “If they turn about and attack, we can rout them again; but we might
sustain losses in the process if we’re not immediately ready for it. We should
move carefully, and be cautious.”
“…Fine,” Zhou Shen said with disappointment. “Not at all what I
expected, however, given your reputation; did Dong Zhuo ‘move carefully’…?”
“Initially, yes,” Sun Jian
muttered.
The rebels turned about and fought after hours of continual retreat, but
their attack was anticipated and countered; they fled, resoundingly defeated
once again.
“We must pursue!” Zhou Shen
declared over the noise of battle.
“Before we do anything,” Sun
Jian said, “we need to cut their supply
routes.”
Zhou Shen was silent.
“If we do not cut their supply
route, they will be able to hold out indefinitely, and we have limited
supplies,” Sun Jian protested. “In
fact, that leads to a second thought; we must double the guard on our own
supply train as we move. They will doubtless try and attack it, knowing that we
will be left with no choice but to retreat if-”
“You presume a lot of these
fools!” Zhou Shen chortled. “Would
we win now, and so terribly easily, if they had brains in their heads?”
“What do
they know of sabotaging our supply line? We need our forces in the front,
taking enemy heads, not lounging about near the food!”
“…At least ensure that their
supply line is cut, General Zhou,” Sun Jian pleaded.
“We will hit them so hard that
they will have no need for food, only coffins,” Zhou Shen retorted. “I’m surprised, Mister Sun Jian; I had heard
that you were a ‘man of action’, and yet you come to me with these women’s
plans of cutting supply lines and holding back! Perhaps the tales of your bold
and courageous charges against your enemies are nothing more than that… tales.”
Sun Jian bowed slightly and said, “You
have no need for me, it seems. I shall offer no further advice to you, General,
and I will instead do all I can to assist your attack.”
Zhou Shen sneered, and said, “Perhaps
that would be for the best, Mister Sun.”
Dong Zhuo advanced directly west and crossed the Wei River to reach Wang
Plains, which were northwest of the important city of Tianshui.
“…I don’t like this,” the adviser Li Ru said worriedly.
Dong Zhuo’s army had lost sight of the enemy forces some time before; it
was now daylight, and the main Han army was some distance behind them now.
“Don’t panic,” the adviser Jia Xu pleaded. “First, we must know where we
are.”