Complex sentence: Since Huang Zu did not expect such a small unit would engage his much larger force, he was not prepared for his opponent's storming strike, and before Huang Zu could react to the situation, Ling Cao had cleared a path to the front of him.
Split into simpler sentences: Since Huang Zu did not expect such a small unit to engage his larger force, he was unprepared for Ling Cao's attack. Before Huang Zu could react to the situation, Ling Cao had cleared a path in front of him.