My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Chapter 112: Liu Bei eats well while I starve to death? Sun Quan: I will lose my wife and my army?

Is Liu Bei crazy?
After Sun Quan and Zhou Yu exclaimed, they suddenly looked at each other and the same thought popped into their minds.

On the Ba Qiu side, there were more than 20,000 Jingnan coalition troops in the south, and Cai Mao's 30,000 elite Jiangling navy in the west.

Being attacked from both land and sea, the pressure is enormous.

At such a critical moment, you, Liu Bei, actually dared to transfer all of Guan Yu’s main naval forces back to Xiakou?

Bachu, you don't want it anymore?

If Ba Qiu falls, the 50,000-strong naval and land forces led by Cai Mao will go downstream eastward and join forces with their Jiangdong army at the foot of Xiakou City!

With nearly 100,000 troops surrounding us, are you still willing to risk your life to defend Xiakou?

"Gongjin, how did the big-eared thief get the confidence to send Guan Yu back?"

Sun Quan, who had recovered from his shock, asked anxiously.

Zhou Yu, who was leaning on a crutch, had his thoughts racing, and suddenly he shuddered all over.

"According to common sense, even if Liu Bei sent his navy back for reinforcements, he wouldn't have the courage to send back his entire main force, unless..."

Zhou Yu thought of something and shook his head again:

"That's unlikely. Cai Mao is mediocre in foot combat, but he's quite capable in naval warfare. The Jiangling navy under his command is the most elite navy in Jingzhou. It shouldn't be..."

Sun Quan was confused and said anxiously:

"Gongjin, what on earth are you talking about? What's impossible?"

Zhou Yu was about to speak.

A patrol boat came speeding over and approached the flagship, delivering the latest intelligence from Bachu.

"My Lord, the Baqiu spies have urgent news."

"A few days ago, Liu Bei lured Huang Zhong into surrender, beheaded Han Xuan, Liu Du, and Jin Xuan, captured Zhao Fan alive, and severely defeated the Jingnan coalition forces."

"Guan Yu subsequently defeated the Jingzhou navy at Jianli and captured Cai Mao alive. Liu Bei has already beheaded him!"

Even though the water route was cut off, the two pieces of information were finally delivered to Xiakou by land at full speed.

There was an uproar on the boat.

Zhou Yu staggered back half a step, holding on to his crutches tightly with both hands, and finally managed to steady himself.

Sun Quan's eyes widened, his mouth dropped open, his face frozen in shock.

"I don't believe it—"

Sun Quan suddenly shouted, snatched the silk book, and held it in front of his eyes with trembling hands, reporting urgently.

Every word was cold and cruel, piercing Sun Quan's heart like a sword.

Sun Quan took a deep breath, raised his head tremblingly, and looked at Zhou Yu in disbelief.

"Gongjin, this, this..."

Zhou Yu staggered forward, snatched the secret report from Sun Quan's hand, and looked at it in a panic.

His hands began to tremble like Sun Quan's, his eyes gradually widened, and his face began to distort.

"Twenty thousand Jingnan coalition forces collapsed overnight?"

"The 30,000-strong Jingzhou navy was actually defeated by Guan Yu in one battle?"

"Liu Bei, he..."

Zhou Yu's voice gradually became hoarse, and his eyes changed from shock to deep confusion.

After a long time, the confusion finally turned into helplessness.

"The situation is hopeless, my lord. While Guan Yu is blocking the way with the iron chains, quickly withdraw your troops eastward."

Zhou Yu threw the silk book to the ground, his face showing a loss of confidence, and his tone revealed a hint of powerlessness.

Sun Quan felt as if his heart was hit by a heavy hammer, and he felt a dull pain.

Cai Mao was defeated, the Jingnan coalition forces were defeated, and Lu Meng's strategy of attacking from the east and west was declared completely bankrupt.

If he continued to attack, it would be equivalent to him fighting to the death with Liu Bei with the strength of Jiangdong alone.

Given Liu Bei's current military might, do they still have a chance of winning?
What's more, Guan Yu has already led the main force of the navy to fight back. What can you do even if you break through the water camp?
Then the only wise option left is to withdraw the troops back to the east and retreat with the entire division.

"I attacked Jingzhou three times, but gained nothing. Instead, I watched as that big-eared thief conquered cities and plundered land, growing stronger and stronger!"

"I'm not willing to accept this, I'm not willing to accept this~~"

Sun Quan gritted his teeth and pounded the ship's wall with his fists.

For a moment, Sun Quan was indecisive.

At this moment, in the water camp on the north bank, the Liu army soldiers who were fighting hard and holding on were cheering thunderously.

"General Guan is back!"

"My lord has already defeated the Jiangling navy upstream. Our army has already won a great victory!"

Wei Yan had received the victory report from upstream. He waved the bloody knife in his hand and shouted excitedly to the soldiers.

The morale of Liu's army, which was already shaky and on the verge of collapse, suddenly soared and its morale was greatly boosted.

The Jiangdong army, which was attacking fiercely, suffered a severe blow to its morale and its offensive momentum suddenly decreased.

Upstream of Xiakou.

More than 500 warships of Liu’s army are approaching the Xiakou River area in a mighty manner.

On the flagship.

Guan Yu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he saw that Xiakou was still there.

"Military Advisor Bo Wen, this Wei Wenchang you recommended is truly a talented general!"

Guan Yu was full of praise and admired Wei Yan very much.

Then he gave the order for the warships to land west of Xiakou Water Camp, and for all the troops to disembark and go ashore to the water camp to provide assistance.

"General Yunchang, this is our golden opportunity to sail down the river and defeat the Jiangdong army. Why bother landing?"

Xiao He stopped Guan Yu.

Guan Yu was startled and glanced at the iron chain array on the surface of the river.

The iron chains blocking the river not only stopped the Jiangdong navy, but also stopped their own warships. How could they defeat the enemy downstream?

Xiao He did not explain much and just said a few words to Deng Ai.

Deng Ai immediately summoned his soldiers and lit a signal smoke pot on the flagship.

A column of black smoke rose into the sky, and both sides of the river were clearly visible.

Just as Guan Yu was puzzled, the iron chain that was originally across the river slowly sank.

Guan Yu was surprised at first, and then he suddenly realized.

This must be because when Xiao He designed the iron lock formation, he designed the rope bases on both sides to be non-permanently fixed. When the wolf beacon signal was sent, Wei Yan on the shore released the locks, allowing the iron locks blocking the river to sink to the bottom of the river, opening a passage to the east for them.

"Military Advisor Bowen, it turns out you've already made these arrangements in anticipation of my return battle today!"

Guan Yu was amazed, then waved his hand and shouted:
"Pass on my order, the ships do not need to slow down, and we must defeat the Jiangdong army in one go!" The order was passed down and the sound of war drums rang out.

More than 500 warships set sail downstream and rushed towards the Jiangdong navy.

"This time, we must recapture Fankou, Xise, Qichun, and other Jiangxia cities in one fell swoop and completely drive Sun Quan's forces out of Jingzhou."

"In this way, my lord can be free from worries and focus on besieging Jiangling and taking over the entire Jingzhou."

"Ah-"

Xiao Heyao pointed ahead and outlined a strategy, but he couldn't help sneezing, and then coughed a few times.

Guan Yu suddenly became nervous and asked:

"Military Advisor Bowen, you look like you're not feeling well."

As soon as he finished speaking, Guan Yinping took off his cloak and considerately draped it over Xiao He's shoulders.

"I think I fell asleep outside the tent that day and caught a cold."

Guan Yinping explained while tying his cloak tightly for him, with an expression of heartache that she couldn't hide.

Guan Yu frowned and shouted:

"Come here, quickly send someone to Baqiu to fetch Divine Doctor Hua to treat the military advisor!"

Just because I sneezed, I had to summon Hua Tuo from afar. This is really an exaggeration...

So Xiao He smiled:
"It's just a minor cold, nothing serious. General Yunchang, there's no need to invite Doctor Hua."

"cold?"

Guan Yu looked confused, but then said seriously:

"Military Advisor Bo Wen, you are a member of the nation. Your little affairs are the great affairs of the nation. How can you treat them lightly?"

Xiao He was speechless.

Guan Yinping also looked nervous and persuaded:
"Father is right. Don't be stubborn. Let's ask Dr. Hua to come and check on you."

Xiao He was deeply touched by the care and concern from Guan's father and daughter. He didn't want to let them down, so he said nothing more.

The sound of drums shook the sky, and countless warships were attacking.

The Jiangdong army, which was attacking Xiakou on the shore, saw the iron chain sinking into the river and Liu's warships coming unhindered. Their morale immediately collapsed and they retreated to the warships on the riverside.

On the flagship.

Zhou Yu couldn't help but recall the scene when he was defeated miserably by Guan Yu during the second attack on Xiakou, and fear suddenly appeared on his face.

"My lord, the enemy was able to sink the iron chain into the river. This must be Xiao He's plan!"

"Guan Yu's navy can no longer stop us. We must withdraw immediately. If we don't leave now, we will repeat the mistakes we made during the second attack on Xiakou—"

Zhou Yu suddenly grabbed Sun Quan and shouted excitedly.

Sun Quan's remaining unwillingness collapsed in an instant and shattered into pieces.

"Retreat, pass on my military order, the entire army quickly retreats to Fankou——"

The horn finally sounded, and the signal to retreat was issued.

Forced by the warships on the river, they immediately turned around and fled downstream.

The Jiangdong soldiers on the shore scrambled to board the warships and fled downstream.

It's still too slow after all.

When half of the troops had just retreated onto the boats, Guan Yu's navy rushed down the river and cut off the remaining troops' way into the river.

The tragic scene during the second attack on Xiakou was repeated.

The Jiangdong army, which was cut off on the shore, was attacked by Liu's army from both land and sea, and was killed until blood flowed like a river.

Countless people died and countless surrendered!
The river water was dyed red!
The Jiangdong soldiers who escaped onto the ship did not care about the lives of their comrades and fled like frightened birds.

This time, Guan Yu did not choose to quit while he was ahead.

After leaving 5,000 naval troops to intercept the enemy on the shore, Guan Yu personally led the main force and continued to pursue Sun Quan downstream.

A day later, the Jiangdong navy retreated to the Fankou River Basin.

Fankou is the mouth of Fanxi River where it flows into the Yangtze River. It already has a water camp fortress, and to the east of it there is a city that is almost completed, named Wuchang City.

Sun Quan originally planned to lead his army to retreat to Fankou, relying on the Shuiying Fortress and Wuchang City to gather the defeated troops and resist Guan Yu's pursuit.

The defeated soldiers who followed brought back two pieces of bad news to Sun Quan:

Cousin Sun Ben did not have time to retreat to the ship and was captured alive by Wei Yan!
Guan Yu's naval vanguard was already three miles away and would reach Fankou in half an hour at most.

"Boyang didn't even retreat aboard?"

"Damn~~"

Sun Quan clenched his fist and hit the wall of the ship hard.

Sun Ben, his cousin!
Although his qualifications and prestige are not as good as Cheng Pu's, his status and position are far beyond Cheng Pu's reach.

That’s a member of his Sun clan!

The three attacks on Xiakou yielded no harvest, and not only did they lose many soldiers and generals, but they also lost a member of the royal family!
This battle can no longer be described as a disastrous defeat.

"My lord, the situation has come to this point, and there is no turning back. Guan Yu's pursuers are too aggressive, and we cannot enter Fankou. Let's continue to retreat eastward."

Zhou Yu beside him had a bitter look on his face and tried to persuade him helplessly.

Sun Quan had no choice but to swallow the bitter pill and waved his hands weakly:
"Let's do as Gongjin says, abandon Fankou and continue our retreat eastward."

Upon receiving the order, the Jiangdong warships did not enter Fankou and continued to flee eastward.

The Fankou Fortress gradually receded into the distance, and the unfinished Wuchang City also gradually receded into the distance.

"My lord, Governor Bu is still overseeing the construction of Wuchang City. Should we stay a while to take him aboard and retreat eastward together?"

Zhou Tai, the trusted general behind him, came forward and reminded him.

The Prefect Bu he mentioned was named Bu Zhi, the Prefect of Jiangxia whom he had recently appointed.

Previously, in order to consolidate his rule over the occupied area in the eastern part of Jiangxia, he, at the suggestion of Zhou Yu, established another Jiangxia County with the five eastern counties, appointed Bu Zhi as the prefect of Jiangxia, and built the new city of Wuchang in Fankou as the seat of Jiangxia County.

At this moment, Bu Zhi was still building a new city, so he naturally didn't know that his army upstream had suffered a great defeat.

Sun Quan hesitated for a moment and sighed:

"Guan Yu is chasing too fast. I'm afraid it's too late to send ships ashore. Seeing that the situation is not good, Bu Zishan will probably retreat eastward by land."

The subtext of this sentence is naturally to give up on supporting Bu Zhi and let him fend for himself.

Zhou Tai paused, and couldn't help but remind him:
"My lord, Miss Bu is also in Wuchang New City. I remember that my lord intends to take her as his concubine."

"I am a little worried. If Governor Bu fails to retreat in time, Miss Bu might fall into..."

The words are not finished yet.

Sun Quan's expression suddenly changed in shock, and he shouted:
"Youping, quickly take a team ashore and head to Wuchang New City. Be sure to bring Bu Zishan's brother and sister out to me!"

(End of this chapter)