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

The sky was filled with flames and smoke.

Zhou Yu marched towards Luocheng with great ambition and high spirits. At that time, he was heroic and confident, determined to conquer this fortified city in one fell swoop.

However, the current situation is like a merciless blade, piercing his heart deeply.

The war had reached a stalemate. Although Zhou Yu was still gritting his teeth and persevering every day, continuing to command the battle, it was difficult for the soldiers to see any hope in him anymore.

Many people simply obeyed orders mechanically, and an atmosphere of resistance was gradually spreading in the military.

Zhou Yu's left shoulder did not receive timely treatment, and the wound would frequently reopen, oozing bright red blood.

The excruciating pain from the wound tormented Zhou Yu's body and mind constantly, but his eyes remained resolute, burning with an indomitable flame.

He was not one to give up easily. Having persisted for so long, Zhou Yu believed that once reinforcements arrived, things would definitely turn around.

On the other hand, although Liu Xun was young, he did not disappoint Liu Zhang or the people of Xichuan.

He fought alongside his soldiers, holding fast to the city wall every day, always maintaining a high level of vigilance. He possessed a tenacity and composure far beyond his years!
Zhou Yu waited and waited for reinforcements, but they never came. His battle was going poorly, and he was depressed. As a result, his arrow wound not only did not improve, but continued to worsen.

Liu Bei frequently visited Zhou Yu, inquiring about his injuries and even advising him to temporarily halt the attack.

But the more this happened, the more Zhou Yu's arrogance was aroused. Zhou Yu felt that Liu Bei was mocking him and ridiculing him for not being able to take Luocheng.

On that day, instead of reinforcements arriving, Zhou Tai brought a reply from Sun Quan.

Zhou Yu held the letter in his hand, and before even opening it, he had already guessed its contents.

If there had been reinforcements, it's impossible that only Zhou Tai returned.

Zhou Yu felt a sharp pain in his heart, and his arrow wound reopened. Many generals stared at Zhou Yu with wide eyes, and the atmosphere in the tent was very strange.

Upon opening the letter, Sun Quan's wording was tactful and polite, but Zhou Yu's handsome face grew increasingly grim.

My dear brother Gongjin:

Seeing words is like meeting.

Brother, your advance into Western Sichuan this time demonstrates your lofty ambitions, which I deeply admire.

However, war is unpredictable and the weather is ever-changing. The army you lead has faced numerous hardships and obstacles, and so far, its progress has not been as expected. I am deeply worried whenever I think of your hardships and difficulties on the front lines.

I know your wisdom and courage, and I believe you will do your best. However, the timing is not right, and it may be beyond human control.

The situation is complex now, and your forces have also suffered losses. If you insist on a strong attack, there may be even more unpredictable changes.

In my opinion, the best course of action is to temporarily withdraw our troops, conserve our strength, and wait for a better opportunity in the future.

My brother is my pillar of strength and the backbone of Jiangdong. My words stem from my concern for you and my long-term consideration for Jiangdong. I hope you can weigh the pros and cons and not put yourself and your soldiers in danger because of a momentary obsession.

When my brother returns, we will discuss our grand plans and strategies together.

Wishing you well, brother. Respectfully yours, Sun Quan.

This was the first time that Sun Quan, as a regional warlord, had acted like a younger brother towards his elder brother.

Sun Quan gave Zhou Yu a great deal of face; it could be said that no one else in Jiangdong would have received such treatment.

The reason was simple: Sun Quan knew Zhou Yu's temper well and had to coax him and persuade him to come back first.

Because Zhou Yu wasn't alone; he was also leading so many soldiers and generals from Jiangdong.

After reading the letter, Zhou Yu remained silent for a long time. Everyone was watching him, waiting for him to make a decision.

After a while, Zhou Yu looked up at Liu Bei and asked, "Xuande, the Marquis of Wu wants me to withdraw my troops. What do you think?"

Liu Bei nodded. "Lord Wu's insight is excellent and coincides with my own. Since we cannot take Luocheng, we should withdraw our troops as soon as possible to avoid any unforeseen complications."

Liu Bei's nonchalant remark displeased Zhou Yu, as if Liu Bei was convinced that Zhou Yu could not take Luocheng.

"It would be better to withdraw the troops as soon as possible to avoid any unforeseen complications."

Zhou Yu thought to himself, "Is Liu Bei cursing me? He's telling me to retreat quickly, implying that if I don't, I won't be able to leave. Is he cursing me to die in Xichuan?"

Suddenly, Zhou Yu's eyes lit up. He deliberately gritted his teeth, looking helpless and unwilling. In front of everyone, he sighed heavily, "It is fate. It seems that Xichuan will never belong to me. Issue my order: retreat!"

Zhou Yu's sudden decision to retreat surprised Liu Bei, while Zhou Tai and the others breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhou Yu was busy making preparations, while Liu Bei hesitated. He called Pang Tong over and said to him, "Shiyuan, should we write a letter to Liu Xun so that he can make preparations?"

Pang Tong was a strategist highly valued by Liu Bei, and Liu Bei did not hide his identity from him.

Pang Tong knew that he was on the side of the imperial court.

Pang Tong shook his head and advised, "My lord, you must not. First, we do not know the truth of the matter, and we have no idea what Zhou Yu is up to. Second, we must also consider your safety. Most of the soldiers around us are from Jiangdong. If he finds out, it may be detrimental to you."

"Ugh!"

Liu Bei sighed heavily. To be honest, he really couldn't figure out what Zhou Yu was thinking.

"Report, General, Zhou Yu has already withdrawn his troops outside the city."

Someone ran to report to Liu Xun, who was taken aback. He hurriedly climbed the city wall to look around and found that almost all the camps outside the city had disappeared overnight. There were a lot of armor and supplies scattered on the ground, which showed that Zhou Yu's army had left in a hurry and had no time to clean up.

"Has Zhou Yu really retreated?"

Liu Xun was unsure of the situation, while Ling Bao and Deng Xian were eager to try and requested to lead troops in pursuit.

Liu Xun did not stop them and gave them five thousand men. However, Zhou Yu set up an ambush on the way and ambushed Ling Bao and Deng Xian.

Ling Bao unfortunately lost his life, but Zhou Yu was well-prepared and captured Deng Xian alive, killing more than 2,000 enemies, which can be described as a great victory.

After the battle, Liu Bei looked at the corpses of the Western Sichuan soldiers lying all over the ground and frowned deeply. He really wanted to warn them about the ambush, but Zhou Yu was right beside him, and Liu Bei could only watch helplessly.

Having won a rare victory, the morale of the Jiangdong soldiers finally recovered somewhat.

Zhou Yu had Deng Xian brought before him, and Zhou Tai forcibly pressed him to the ground, shouting, "Kneel down!"

Deng Xian looked around and saw that the surrounding people were all Jiangdong soldiers, exuding a murderous aura. He knew better than to kneel down in front of Zhou Yu with a thud.

Zhou Yu nodded. "Deng Xian, do you want to live, or do you want to die?"

Liu Bei was also puzzled, wondering what Zhou Yu was planning.

Deng Xian lowered his head and sighed, "Grand Commander, spare my life! I don't want to die. If you spare my life, Deng Xian is willing to obey your orders."

Zhou Yu was very satisfied with Deng Xian's performance, but Zhou Tai, Dong Xi, and others scoffed at it and felt contempt for him.

Zhou Yu smiled and helped Deng Xian up from the ground. "General Deng, a wise man submits to circumstances. Now, a reward is laid out before you. It all depends on whether you are willing to help me capture Luocheng."

Deng Xian nodded. "I'm willing."

"Alright, just do as I say." Liu Bei was taken aback. Even at this point, Zhou Yu still hadn't retreated. Many people, especially Zhou Tai, didn't understand.

Zhou Tai couldn't help but speak up: "Grand Commander, the Lord has repeatedly instructed you to withdraw your troops immediately."

Zhou Yu waved his hand, "The reason why my lord wants me to retreat is because we have not captured Luocheng. As long as we take Luocheng, reinforcements will definitely come."

"This?" Zhou Yu's thought surprised everyone.

Even Pang Tong had to admit that he couldn't see through Zhou Yu at all; he was simply unconventional and didn't play by the rules.

Of course, you can also think of him as a madman, a crazy gambler!

Despite having limited troops, with only a few thousand men left, they still dared to take a risky gamble.

Although Zhou Yu's plan was risky, Pang Tong calmly thought about it and felt that it was quite feasible.

Zhou Yu selected some people, had them dress up as soldiers from Xichuan, and then had Deng Xian pretend to have escaped back to Luocheng with them.

Deng Xian did not disappoint Zhou Yu and readily agreed.

Zhou Yu immediately ordered preparations, but Liu Bei could no longer remain calm. If Zhou Yu's plan succeeded, wouldn't Luocheng be doomed?

Liu Bei wanted to send someone to deliver a message to Liu Xun, but Pang Tong stopped him once again.

Liu Bei was furious; he glared at Pang Tong.

Zhou Yu's troops had already begun their march. Seeing Liu Bei and Pang Tong whispering to each other in the distance, Zhou Yu waved to Liu Bei.

Zhou Yu was always wary of Liu Bei, and he kept a close eye on Liu Bei wherever he went.

Liu Bei had no choice but to follow, and Zhou Yu asked with a smile, "What were you talking about just now?"

Liu Bei shook his head. "It's nothing."

Pang Tong laughed and said, "We were just discussing your battle plan, which was truly unexpected and caught the enemy off guard. I reckon Liu Xun would never have anticipated such a move."

At this moment, Pang Tong's praise was entirely from the heart, truly a case of mutual appreciation.

Zhou Yu's strategies required more than just courage and boldness; he also needed to grasp the situation and the hearts of the people.

After Deng Xian was ambushed, he retreated back to Luocheng with his remaining troops. It would be difficult for anyone in his position to harbor any disloyal thoughts.

Moreover, Zhou Yu also chose the right time for Deng Xian, ensuring that he arrived in Luocheng neither too early nor too late, but only after dark.

After Ling Bao and Deng Xian left, Liu Xun waited for a long time without receiving any news. Just as it was getting dark, someone ran up to report, "Young master, General Deng Xian has returned."

"Deng Xian, how many men did he bring back?"

"There aren't many people, maybe one or two thousand."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xun's heart skipped a beat; it was likely that they had suffered a defeat.

Looking out from the city wall, Liu Xun saw that the men Deng Xian had brought back were in a sorry state, many of them covered in blood.

"Deng Xian, what happened? Where is Ling Bao? Why didn't he come back with you?"

Dong Xi and Zhou Tai disguised themselves as soldiers and stood behind Deng Xian. If Deng Xian misbehaved or said the wrong thing, they would kill him without hesitation.

This was something Zhou Yu had instructed him to do beforehand.

However, Liu Bei was not sent by Zhou Yu to carry out the mission; Zhou Yu kept Liu Bei by his side all along.

Deng Xian was almost crying. "Young Master, we have fallen into Zhou Yu's trap. Zhou Yu pretended to retreat, but he set up an ambush halfway. Ling Bao has already died in battle, and many of our soldiers have also died."

"How could this be?"

Liu Xun gritted his teeth; he found it hard to believe that it was true.

After glancing down at the city walls a few more times, Liu Xun waved his hand, "Open the city gates!"

The city gate creaked loudly, and Zhou Tai, Dong Xi, and the others stopped breathing.

Deng Xian was filled with guilt. To be honest, he didn't want to make this decision, but with swords at his side, he had no choice.

Zhou Tai nudged Deng Xian with his body, and Deng Xian snapped out of his thoughts and had no choice but to lead his men into the city.

Zhou Tai and his men hurriedly followed. Just as the Xichuan soldiers at the city gate were about to close the gate, Zhou Tai suddenly led his men to pounce on them. These fake Xichuan soldiers all revealed their bloodthirsty fangs.

"No, I fell into a trap!"

Liu Xun stomped his feet in anger and immediately led his men down the city wall. Zhang Ren, hearing the commotion, also led his men to join the battle.

Meanwhile, the Jiangdong soldiers outside the city quickly rushed into the city, and the two sides engaged in a fierce battle.

Zhou Yu, accompanied by Liu Bei, approached Luocheng, and a confident smile once again appeared on Zhou Yu's face.

The sounds of battle were deafening, and a fierce fighting was taking place in the city, but Zhou Yu was confident that after tonight, Luo City would be his.

He believed that once Luocheng was captured, Sun Quan would definitely send him reinforcements.

Liu Bei remained expressionless, but inwardly he was extremely anxious. What should he do? Had he become an accomplice?
Guan Yu, standing to the side, also darkened his face. He gripped his Green Dragon Crescent Blade tightly. Zhou Yu was not far from him, and Guan Yu really wanted to chop Zhou Yu in half with one stroke.

Liu Bei looked at Pang Tong, who shook his head at him. Liu Bei was undecided. He wanted to ask for clarification, but Zhou Yu was right next to him, along with many Jiangdong soldiers, so it was inconvenient for Liu Bei to question him directly.

Guan Yu's chest heaved violently a few times, and the veins on his arms bulged, but Liu Bei kept giving him meaningful glances, so Guan Yu had no choice but to suppress his anger.

Not to mention Zhou Yu, Guan Yu is now very dissatisfied with Pang Tong and also wants to kill him.

Guan Yu's stance was very firm; he was on the side of the imperial court.

Zhou Yu was indeed exceptionally intelligent, but he overlooked Liu Xun's determination.

Although it was a surprise attack and most of the troops had entered the city, Liu Xun and Zhang Ren led their men in a desperate battle. The morale of the originally panicked Xichuan soldiers was boosted, and everyone joined the battle. Under Liu Xun's leadership, they displayed a tenacious fighting spirit.

One hour, two hours passed. Originally, Zhou Yu was in a very relaxed and leisurely mood as he watched the battle, but the situation remained deadlocked, and Liu Xun was determined not to retreat.

This was completely beyond Zhou Yu's expectations. He never imagined that Liu Xun would be such a tough nut to crack.

"Kill!"

Liu Xun was covered in blood and wounds, but he was still full of fighting spirit, brandishing his spear and charging forward madly.

The bodies of Jiangdong soldiers lay scattered around him.

"Young master, we can't hold them off any longer, shall we retreat?" Lei Bu said as he rode up to Liu Xun.

Liu Xun glared at him and roared, "If you're scared, you can leave first. I've said it before, if Zhou Yu wants to take Luo City, he'll have to step over my dead body first!"

(End of this chapter)