With Cao Cao by my side, what do I have to fear from the world?

Huang Gai successfully set fire to Cao Cao's naval camp, and countless warships were engulfed in flames. The fire continued to rise and spread rapidly, covering an increasingly larger area.

The wind helps the fire, and the fire uses the power of the wind!
The fire quickly spread out, like a giant fire dragon, its flames swirling and illuminating the night sky before engulfing Cao Cao's army camps on the north bank.

One after another, Cao Cao's soldiers cried out in despair and ran in panic.

One after another, Cao Cao's soldiers screamed and wailed in agony, some of them on fire, writhing in agony and shouting madly. Just one glance at this scene was enough to make one's scalp tingle and feel a deep sense of despair.

Cao's soldiers, their clothes on fire, rushed to jump into the water. This was a human instinct, because water could extinguish fire and jumping into the water could save their lives.

Those who were lucky jumped into the water as soon as their bodies caught fire; those who were unlucky were quickly engulfed by the flames and burned to ashes, leaving not even a trace of their bodies.

Many of Cao Cao's soldiers also chose to abandon their ships and go ashore. They quickly ran ashore like headless flies, disoriented and running in all directions.

Cao Cao stared at it expressionlessly, his face showing no emotion in the firelight.

Because of all this, he and Guo Jia had repeatedly deduced it many times, and the scene before them had already appeared in Cao Cao's mind.

After watching for a while, Cao Cao raised his hand and ordered his men to retreat quickly. The fire was getting bigger and bigger, and there was no safe place left on the shore.

Liu Bei quickly led his men over and saw that the north bank was a sea of ​​fire and Cao Cao's army was fleeing in panic. Liu Bei hurriedly ordered a pursuit.

Cao Cao deliberately retreated, moving a distance from the shore to ensure he wouldn't be affected by the fire. He then stopped and asked Xiahou Dun beside him, "Yuanrang, are the ambush troops ready?"

Xiahou Dun nodded vigorously. "My lord, everything is ready."

Most of the Cao soldiers who were fleeing in panic also followed. They ran and shouted, their helmets and armor askew, looking disheveled and miserable.

Xiahou Dun's face darkened, and he shouted, "Stop them! Don't let them rush over!"

Xiahou Dun wanted to stop these people from getting close, fearing that they would offend Cao Cao and scatter the people around him.

Cao Cao waved his hand, "Yuan Rang, do not stop him!"

Xiahou Dun was puzzled, but Guo Jia laughed, saying that this would only attract more pursuers.

Cao Cao intended to use these Cao soldiers, terrified by the fire, along with himself, as bait to lure his opponents into the ambush he had set up in advance.

The water fortress was engulfed in flames, and Cao Cao's army scrambled to escape to the shore. Liu Bei, of course, pursued them relentlessly, cutting through enemy lines until they reached the shore.

Zhou Yu followed closely behind, leading 50,000 troops in a crushing onslaught. The Cao soldiers on the river were no match for them; many were shot to death or fell into the water.

When Cao Cao discovered that the first person to pursue him was actually Liu Bei, he was both angry and annoyed, and couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed.

"How could it be him?" Cao Cao frowned, shaking his head in confusion.

Guo Jia was also somewhat surprised, "I thought that Zhou Yu would come after Huang Gai, but I didn't expect it to be Liu Bei."

"What should we do then?" Cao Cao asked hurriedly.

Guo Jia pondered for a moment, then replied, "This shows that Zhou Yu doesn't trust Liu Bei. In that case, let's add fuel to the fire..."

Cao Cao nodded after hearing this and continued to lead his men in retreat. When Liu Bei saw Cao Cao, he was filled with hatred and pursued him with all his might. Cao Cao fought and retreated, heading west.

Liu Bei, unsuspecting, led Guan Yu and Zhang Fei in pursuit. Meanwhile, Yu Jin and Yue Jin had already laid an ambush on the mountain path ahead. This place was called Hulukou, a valley between two mountains. Yu Jin and Yue Jin originally planned to ambush Liu Bei, but a messenger came with a message: "The Prime Minister has ordered that Liu Bei be allowed to pass, and that we should ambush Zhou Yu's troops with all our might."

Yu Jin and Yue Jin exchanged a glance and nodded simultaneously, "We will obey the Prime Minister's orders!"

Cao Cao ran ahead, and Liu Bei chased after him. Every now and then, Cao Cao's soldiers were caught up and killed by Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei. Cao Cao didn't care and just kept urging his horse forward.

It was nighttime, so visibility was somewhat impaired. Liu Bei only knew that Cao Cao was ahead of him, but he didn't realize that he had unknowingly fallen into Cao Cao's trap.

Not long after Liu Bei's troops passed, Jiang Qin led his men to catch up. Yu Jin and Yue Jin were secretly pleased and deliberately let some of the Jiangdong soldiers pass. Then, at a command, countless arrows rained down from the heights, mixed with some logs and stones.

Arrows are merciless, especially under the night sky. It all happened so suddenly that the Jiangdong soldiers had no chance to react and couldn't even see which direction the arrows came from.

Puff puff!
The Jiangdong soldiers were hit by arrows one after another, and screams rose and fell. Jiang Qin was also accidentally hit in the arm by an arrow. Jiang Qin instinctively swung his sword to block, and the incoming arrows made a clanging sound as he blocked them one after another.

How could there be an ambush here?

Jiang Qin clearly remembered that he was following behind Liu Bei.

Liu Bei was safe and sound, but Liu Bei himself was ambushed.

Jiang Qin, a seasoned veteran of many battles, realized the danger and hastily ordered, "Retreat immediately!"

Yu Jin stood on the high hillside and sneered, "This is not a place you can come and go as you please."

Le Jin laughed heartily, his hands itching, and he picked up a rock weighing over a hundred pounds and smashed it down from a height.

With a loud bang, the stone crashed into the crowd, exploding like a watermelon, splattering blood and brain matter everywhere—a gruesome scene.

Jiang Qin's army numbered around 10,000, but there were as many as 40,000 to 50,000 ambushes on both sides of the hillside. When Jiang Qin finally managed to turn around with his men, he found that the road had been blocked.

Yu Jin, wielding a long spear, and Yue Jin, brandishing a steel saber, charged down the hillside like tigers descending a mountain, heading straight for the Jiangdong soldiers.

With a powerful thrust of his spear, Yu Jin sent a Jiangdong soldier's captain flying into the air, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Kill them all!"

Tens of thousands of Cao soldiers, who were well-rested and ready, faced Jiang Qin's 10,000 troops. The outcome was a foregone conclusion; it was a one-sided massacre.

Although Yu Jin was not tall, he was extremely brave in battle, charging forward with his spear in hand.

The spear whistled through the air, and in Yu Jin's hands, it seemed to come alive, flying up and down, thrusting and stabbing. In just a short while, he had knocked down several Jiangdong soldiers.

Yu Jin grew more and more ferocious with each kill, his eyes wide open, radiating a terrifyingly fierce light.

Le Jin was also a fierce general, wielding his sword and slashing forward relentlessly, killing one person with every step, showing no mercy. The Cao soldiers behind them roared wildly, like wolves and tigers.

Zhou Yu ordered Jiang Qin to pursue along the way while he stayed behind to command. Zhou Tai was responsible for collecting supplies from Cao Cao's camp. In no time, Zhou Tai excitedly ran up to Zhou Yu.

"Commander, Cao Cao has so many supplies. There are hundreds of thousands of bushels of grain alone, and countless suits of armor and weapons."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yu's eyes lit up. Glancing at the ever-spreading fire, he hurriedly instructed Zhou Tai, "Try to salvage as much of the grain that hasn't been burned as possible." Hundreds of thousands of bushels of grain—that was no small amount. How could Zhou Yu not be tempted?
Zhou Tai acted hastily, leading his men to seize grain, but Zhou Yu was unaware that this was a scheme by Cao Cao.

Cao Cao deliberately piled up the grain behind the main camp, keeping it at a certain distance from the riverbank—neither too close nor too far.

With fires raging everywhere, the sudden discovery of so much grain was bound to tempt anyone.

The Jiangdong troops landed on the north bank with Zhou Yu, while Lu Su, who remained on the south bank, accompanied Sun Quan, standing on the riverbank and watching the north bank.

A gentle breeze blew across the river, creating shimmering waves and rippling spray. Sun Quan was in high spirits, chatting and laughing with Lu Su on the riverbank.

The Jiangdong soldiers on the high watchtower, leaning against it, gradually relaxed their vigilance.

Everyone was admiring the towering flames on the north bank, rejoicing at Zhou Yu's impending great victory. However, this joyous atmosphere was suddenly shattered by a cry of surprise.

"Oh no, a ship is approaching!"

Suddenly, a torch appeared upstream from Chibi, and soon after, other torches were lit, quickly illuminating the water on the south bank.

To Sun Quan's surprise, many boats had arrived at the riverbank, and he had no idea how they had gotten there.

There were countless boats, no less than a hundred. In the middle of the large boat, two large flags were flying, one with the character "Huang" on it and the other with the character "Wen".

Sun Quan had dealt with the people of Jingzhou quite a bit, and he quickly recognized them: "It's actually Huang Zu and Wen Ping."

Huang Zu was a burly man who carried a large sword. Although he was middle-aged, he was still a fierce and capable general. Standing next to him was Wen Ping.

Wen Ping held his gun in one hand, coldly watching the panicked Jiangdong soldiers on the south bank, and couldn't help but smile.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Cao Cao's army is coming!" The Jiangdong soldiers on the shore panicked.

"Quickly protect our lord!" A kind-hearted Jiangdong soldier rushed towards Sun Quan, but Lu Su was so angry that he wanted to curse.

The camp is now empty, and the troops are already few. If Sun Quan is targeted by someone, it will be troublesome.

However, Huang Zu still heard the shouts from the shore. He burst into excited laughter, "Hahaha, this is great! We were supposed to be raiding the enemy camp, but I didn't expect Sun Quan to be here too."

Huang Zu hurriedly ordered, "Move the ship closer and capture Sun Quan alive."

Cao Cao's soldiers shouted in unison, "Capture Sun Quan alive!"

"Grand Commander, look! Something terrible has happened on the south bank!" Lü Meng shouted, loudly alerting Zhou Yu.

Enemy activity was detected on the south bank; suddenly, so many torches and Cao Cao's ships appeared on the river, which Zhou Yu also noticed.

The usually composed and calm Zhou Yu could no longer remain calm in the face of this situation; his face was now filled with shock and disbelief.

As if a nightmare had descended, Zhou Yu gazed at the south bank and murmured, "How is this possible?" His lips trembled as he spoke.

Without a second thought, Zhou Yu hastily ordered, "The entire army must retreat and return to the south bank immediately."

The appearance of enemy activity on the south bank not only indicates that Sun Quan's situation is very dangerous, but also suggests that everything tonight was arranged in advance by Cao Cao.

Just as Zhou Yu gave the order to retreat, a Jiangdong soldier covered in blood stumbled and ran up to Zhou Yu.

"Report! Grand Commander, something terrible has happened!"

Zhou Yu's heart tightened, and he hurriedly asked, "What happened?"

The Jiangdong soldier almost cried as he replied, "Governor, I am a subordinate of General Jiang Qin. We are surrounded by the enemy. I have come to ask for reinforcements. Please send reinforcements immediately."

Zhou Yu's eyebrows shot up immediately. "How could this be? Weren't you following behind Liu Bei? Tell me quickly, what's the situation? What are our casualties?"

"Commander, we were indeed following behind Liu Bei, but Liu Bei's troops are unharmed, while our troops were ambushed at Hulu Pass. There were Cao Cao's troops everywhere, at least tens of thousands of them. We're all wiped out. All the brothers who tried to break through are dead. Now, I'm afraid we've suffered more than half casualties. Commander, please send reinforcements immediately to save General Jiang Qin."

Zhou Yu's face turned ashen. After a few seconds, he suddenly turned around, his eyes turning icy cold. He decisively ordered Lü Meng, "Lü Meng, you must immediately lead your men back to the south bank. You must protect our lord and hold the south bank."

Lu Meng paused for a moment, vaguely realizing something. "Commander, what about you?"

Zhou Yu didn't even have time to sigh. He said decisively, "I'm going to rescue Jiang Qin. You don't need to worry about me. Go quickly."

Lu Meng glanced at Zhou Yu, as if he wanted to say something, but it was as if something was stuck in his throat, and he couldn't say anything at this moment.

Lu Meng hurriedly led his men onto the ship and loudly ordered, "Return to the south bank at full speed!"

Zhou Yu led several thousand elite soldiers and rushed to Hulu Pass at top speed.

Unfortunately, Zhou Yu arrived too late. By the time he reached Hulu Pass, the battle there was already drawing to a close.

Jiang Qin was left with only a few hundred men, who were surrounded by Yu Jin and Yue Jin. The encirclement had shrunk to a very small size.

After Zhou Yu and his men appeared, they rushed towards this side.

Upon hearing the commotion, Yu Jin quickly turned around and said to Yue Jin beside him, "It's Zhou Yu. Wenqian, I'm giving you some men. Make sure you hold off Zhou Yu. After I deal with Jiang Qin, we'll work together to deal with Zhou Yu."

Le Jin patted his chest and said with great pride, "Don't worry, I've got it covered. Zhou Yu's idea of ​​saving people is wishful thinking!"

Le Jin was not tall, but he was a ruthless man who dared to fight to the death. He immediately led his men to turn around and charge at Zhou Yu, and the two groups soon clashed.

Yu Jin looked at Jiang Qin again. Jiang Qin had multiple injuries, and his armor and battle robe were stained with blood, as if he had just crawled out of a pool of blood.

Now that Zhou Yu had arrived, Yu Jin felt that a swift victory was necessary. He immediately grabbed his spear and rejoined the battle, charging straight at Jiang Qin.

Jiang Qin was trapped in a tight encirclement. Although reinforcements arrived, the encirclement was too tight, layer upon layer, and practically impenetrable.

Countless Cao soldiers brandished their spears, relentlessly advancing and frantically thrusting forward. The Jiangdong troops were in dire straits, and their morale had long since collapsed.

Although everyone would brandish their swords and spears to defend against Cao Cao's attacks, they simply couldn't hold out. Often, a Jiangdong soldier would be besieged by several or even a dozen Cao Cao soldiers at the same time. Cao Cao's soldiers were densely packed, one after another, there were just too many of them!
PS: I was hospitalized for four days and just got discharged today. I apologize for the few days of interruption. I'll resume updates soon, and thank you all for your support along the way! (End of Chapter)