But lately, he had found Sun Quan much harder to deal with. Not only had Sun Quan seen through his plans in several battles, he had even lost a city-something that had never happened before.
"General, our previous offensives were too rushed. We might as well slow down a little now. There is no harm in drawing up a detailed plan before attacking again."
"The Sun Thief's strength cannot be underestimated. The generals under his command are also quite fierce in battle. We ought to proceed more cautiously."
Standing nearby, Taishi Ci offered his advice.
Ever since they had entered Xu Province, the war against Sun Quan had been smooth sailing, with one victory after another. He distinctly felt that their pace had become too fast, making it easy to expose weaknesses.
"We have no choice but to hurry."
Zhang Liao shook his head and pointed at another battle report on the table. "That fellow Fengxian has already taken Yan Province and brought his army to Guandu. He is moving much faster than we are."
"If he takes Yu Province before I take Xu Province, he will mock me mercilessly. I will never be able to hold my head high in front of him again."
Although he had also heard that Lü Bu had occupied Yan Province so quickly because the Cao Army had offered no resistance, Lü Bu was still taking cities and territory faster than he was.
He himself had only retaken half of Xu Province.
Setting those thoughts aside, Zhang Liao asked Taishi Ci, "Ziyi, has the Sun Thief made any moves in the past few days?"
Taishi Ci thought for a moment before answering, "Nothing major, but according to reports from the scouts at the front, they are pulling their troops back toward the rear."
"Hmm?"