According to their route, with Lu Su leaving Shu County to arrive in Gong’an, it would take him five days with his best efforts. Zhou Yu had sent out the letter three days in advance, and they’d spent two days on the road already. If Lu Su’s ships did not arrive at the port of Gong’an on time, the consequences would be unimaginable.
“Do you still remember?” Sun Ce suddenly asked.
“What?” Zhou Yu stared into Sun Ce’s eyes.
“Ever since we met,” Sun Ce said, “we’ve been on the run because I did not prepare well. I wanted you to come here and be a stylish, carefree jijiu,30 and we two would conquer the world, side by side. I didn’t think that every single time, I would be dragging you down, turning you into a ranging dog.”
Zhou Yu began to chuckle. “Being born into a turbulent world means one’s life is not one’s own. What does that have to do with you?”
“Has Zijing arrived?” Sun Ce asked.
“Not yet,” Zhou Yu replied. “At least, Fei Yu hasn’t come yet. I’m thinking about what we should do…”
They kept their voices low during this discussion. A guard came over, knocked gently on the bars of the prison carriage, and placed a small dagger on Zhou Yu’s leg before turning and leaving.
Liu Biao’s envoy had brought just under four hundred soldiers with him, and if they abruptly attacked in the dark night, they would be no match for their army. According to Zhou Yu’s plan, they were to kill all of the Jing Province soldiers here, then use the cover of night to flee out of Gong’an, arriving at the port as quickly as possible. They would board Lu Su’s ship, then head south along Chi Bi.
“Attack,” Sun Ce said.
“Wait,” Zhou Yu replied.
“Take a gamble!”
The moment, when it came, was quite unexpected. Sun Ce was the first to slice his ropes apart, and he rammed open the door of the prison carriage. The Changsha troops had slept in full armor tonight, having anxiously been awaiting Sun Ce’s orders this entire time. When they heard the whistle, they all grabbed their weapons and charged at the Jing Province troops.
Four hundred men without a chance to put up their guards were defeated in less than fifteen minutes, and corpses littered the ground. Cheng Pu dragged the envoy over, and Sun Ce beheaded him with a single swing of his sword.
He mounted a horse, shouting, “Go! To Gong’an!”
“Have the ships arrived?” Huang Gai asked in the darkness.
Zhou Yu didn’t know how to respond.
“Let’s get there first!” Sun Ce shouted back.
The large troop set off in the darkness, moving swiftly along side roads toward Gong’an. This place was not far from Xiakou, and if Xiangyang learned what happened, troops would be sent out tomorrow morning in pursuit.
“How many escaped?!” Sun Ce shouted.
“Quite a few!” Zhu Zhi replied distantly. “But there’s no time to chase them down! Tomorrow the pursuing troops from Xiangyang will definitely arrive! Are the ships already here?”
Everyone was asking, but Sun Ce didn’t even look at Zhou Yu before replying, “They will definitely come! Everyone, hurry!”