Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 854 Zhou Yu Accepts the Challenge
"General Yan..."

Sun Ce cried out in surprise, then rolled over and stood up again. In the process, he swung the spear in his hand violently, hitting the front leg of the warhorse under Huang Zhong's crotch.

"Sorry..."

The warhorse let out a mournful cry and fell down immediately. Huang Zhong leaped forward and landed safely.

"Good job Sun Ce, you have some skills."

Sun Ce was not moved at all by his "praise", his eyes were filled with anger.

"Old thief, I swear to kill you. All soldiers, listen to my order, kill them!"

After Sun Ce gave the order, he shook the Overlord Spear and attacked Huang Zhong again.

"Kill..."

Eight thousand soldiers, like jackals, tigers and leopards, attacked the city gate with murderous intent.

"Quick, shoot the arrows..."

Han Xuan was so frightened that the drumstick in his hand fell to the ground.

At night, in a wilderness dozens of miles east of Changsha, stood a military camp.

"Report..."

A soldier ran into Sun Jian's tent. Sun Jian immediately recognized the man as a scout in his son's army and was delighted.

"How is the battle going, my son? Has he captured Changsha and is ready to welcome my army into the city?"

The generals around him echoed: "The young general always fights bravely and is very loved by the soldiers. Changsha is nothing to worry about."

Unexpectedly, the soldier said, "My lord, the young general's attack on the city today was unsuccessful. Not only did he lose more than 2,000 soldiers, but his deputy was killed in the battle, and even the young general himself was wounded in three places. Now our army has retreated to a place 50 miles ahead to set up camp and rest."

Sun Jian was shocked when he heard this: "What? How could this be? Han Xuan is just an incompetent man, how could he kill my son?"

"My lord, there is an old general in the city, named Huang Zhong, also known as Hansheng. He is extremely brave and has the skill of shooting an arrow through a target from a hundred paces away. The young general was no match for him and was defeated."

Sun Jian was surprised when he heard the soldier's report. He looked at the generals around him and asked, "How can an old general have such martial arts skills? Does anyone know this Huang Zhong?"

A general stepped forward and said, "My lord, I know this man."

Sun Jian looked at the general, who turned out to be Huang Gai, one of his own generals. He immediately asked, "Do you know anything about this man?"

Huang Gai replied, "This Huang Zhong, whose name is Han Sheng, is from Nanyang. I am from Lingling. We both belong to Jingzhou, so we are from the same hometown. I heard that he was born into a family of military generals. His father was a county commander, and his grandfather was a military commander. He practiced martial arts since he was young and was skilled in archery and horse riding. He was quite famous in the Jingzhou army. I heard that Liu Biao transferred him to Changsha to quell the rebellion of mountain bandits. After that, there was little news. I thought he might have died in battle, but I didn't expect that he is still serving under the command of the Changsha governor."

Sun Jian frowned and asked: "How brave and courageous is this man?"

Huang Gai said, "I dare not deceive you, my lord. Although I have never fought with him, he can draw a three-stone bow and shoot arrows without missing a target. He also has a phoenix-beaked sword in his hand. He has no rival in Jingzhou. If you can meet this man, Changsha will be difficult to capture."

"Is it really so difficult?" Sun Jian was a little bit unbelievable.

"My lord, you must not be careless. Although Changsha only has 20,000 defenders and the governor Han Xuan is not a concern, Huang Zhongshi is a formidable enemy of our army. I believe that only if my lord personally leads the army to attack the border can we win. The young general alone has no chance of winning."

Huang Gai's words made Sun Jian fall into a brief contemplation. After a moment, he slammed the table.

"Order the entire army to prepare food at 5 a.m., and then send troops to attack Changsha."

"Here!"

Only about ten miles outside Chaisang City is the vast and misty Pengli Lake. A handsome man with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, wearing armor and a long sword at his waist, is patrolling the lakeside. It is Zhou Yu.

Han Dang followed him, looking very puzzled. "General Zhou, now the lord and the junior general are leading the army to attack Jingzhou, and Cao Cao is leading most of the troops of Jingzhou to Yuzhou. Our Jiangdong area is as stable as Mount Tai. Why do you have to patrol the lake day and night? You and the young master Sun Ce are newlyweds, why do you have to work so hard? It's better for you to go back to the city and rest. I will take care of the military affairs here."

Zhou Yu raised his lips slightly: "General Han is from Liaoxi. Although he is brave and good at fighting, and is famous throughout the country, he is a little unaware of the beauty of naval warfare."

Han Dang seemed to understand: "Gongjin, is it possible that the navy of Jingzhou will attack our city in the future?" Zhou Yu looked into the distance and said: "What kind of person is Cao Cao? He is scheming and has the world in his heart. He can be called a treacherous hero. He knows that his own strength is not as good as that of the court in Luoyang, but he dares to be enemies with the court, Liu Bei, and Yangzhou at the same time. Such a stupid thing, how can such a hero do it?"

Han Dang narrowed his eyes slightly. "Well, I am also very confused about this. With the troops of Jing and Yu, it is already difficult for him to deal with the two generals Zhang Yong and Gao Shun, who have a total of 200,000 troops. Such an action is tantamount to seeking death. I really don't understand what Cao Cao is planning."

Zhou Yu smiled mysteriously: "Everyone thinks Cao Cao is stupid, but they don't know that this is exactly his brilliance. Everyone believes that Cao Cao will lose, so underestimating the enemy is Cao Cao's best chance to defeat him, isn't it?"

Although Han Dang did not have Zhou Yu's wisdom, he was also a general who had experienced many battles. After hearing what Zhou Yu said, he immediately understood.

"Ah... I understand. When Liu Bei invaded Yuzhou, he won many battles and naturally developed a contemptuous heart, so he was easily cut off by Cao's army. Cao Ren and others also led a large army to attack Donghai County. If Liu Bei could be cautious and advance step by step, Cao's army would naturally find it difficult to succeed. Now that Xuzhou's troops are trapped, Cao's army is naturally free from the danger of being attacked by Liu Bei and Liu He. If Cao Ren can succeed, he can even go around Gao Shun and attack him from both sides. It is really a brilliant move."

"Haha, General Han is indeed quick-witted and resourceful. I admire him."

Zhou Yu's praise made Han Dang blush. "No, no, I am more than ten years older than you, but I am not as clear-sighted as Gongjin. I am really living a dog's life. If Gongjin hadn't anticipated the enemy's moves, once the navy of Jingzhou came to attack, our Chaisang would have been difficult to deal with. Then the foundation of the city that the lord had worked so hard to build would be destroyed. Wouldn't I be a sinner?"

"Haha, General..."

Zhou Yu was about to say something when he was interrupted by the shout of a soldier.

"Report... Generals, Cai Mao of Jingzhou has led 15,000 naval forces down the river and has already reached Xiazhi."

"So fast? Xiazhi County is only half a day's journey away from here." Han Dang was slightly surprised.

Zhou Yu raised his lips and said, "As expected, come here, pass the orders to all places to act according to the plan."

It was only mid-February at this time, and the surface of the river was covered with mist. Cai Mao was well versed in naval warfare, so he would not march rashly in such weather. It was not until the sun was high in the sky and the fog gradually dissipated that he allowed the fleet to raise anchor and set sail.

Cai Mao stood at the bow of the largest warship, holding the railing with one hand and holding his sword with the other. He seemed calm and composed, but the smug look between his eyebrows had already been revealed.

A general came over and said, "General, we are less than thirty miles away from Pengli Lake."

Cai Mao glanced at the man and said, "It's Ji Ming. How do you think our army will win or lose in this battle?"

The man said without hesitation: "General, your question is too easy. Although Zhang Yun is not talented, I know that although Sun Jian is a fierce tiger in Jiangdong, he is not good at naval warfare. Only a few months ago, a boy named Zhou Yu began to train the navy on Pengli Lake. How can he be a match for you, General Cai? I think the general is too cautious and insisted that we lead 15,000 naval forces to attack Chaisang. In my opinion, 3,000 men and horses are enough to pacify Yangzhou."

"Hahaha...well said." Cai Mao was very happy to hear that, and all the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were squeezed together.

"Report... more than ten miles ahead, dozens of Zou Ke were spotted marching towards our army. On each Zou Ke, there were more than ten soldiers with flags bearing the word 'Zhou'."

Cai Mao and Zhang Yun were both stunned when they heard this, and then they burst into laughter.

"Haha... This Zhou Yu is such an ignorant fool. He dares to attack my mighty army with only a hundred men. Isn't he courting death?"

"General, I think this guy must be timid in his heart. Send someone to investigate a little to find out the strength of our army. I am willing to lead the troops to kill these more than a hundred people on the river surface, so as to teach Zhou Yu a blind rat."

Zhang Yun clasped his fists and asked for a fight.

"Why use a butcher knife to kill a chicken?"

Cai Mao pressed his hands down and said to the generals behind him, "Who among you is willing to take the first place?"

A general stepped forward and said, "I am willing to go."

"Okay, this general and your three hundred men must annihilate the enemy army. If one of them escapes, I will beat you with twenty military sticks."

"General, rest assured. The Jiangdong rats are nothing to worry about. If I cannot kill all of these 100 people, there is no need for you to torture them. I will jump into the river and feed the fish and shrimps, so as to avoid embarrassment in the future."

When the general said this, Cai Mao praised him highly.

"Well, the general is indeed loyal and brave. I have prepared a merit book and await your return."

"The last general takes orders."

The general, along with two hundred soldiers, jumped from the warship onto dozens of boats, and rushed forward rapidly along the river like dozens of sharp arrows.

(End of this chapter)