I, Zhou Cang, am the number one tank in the Three Kingdoms.

"My lord, board the ship quickly! Leave this to us!" Cheng Pu shouted to Sun Quan as Guan Yu's cavalry began slaughtering the unsuspecting Jiangdong army waiting to board.

"General Cheng must be exhausted from the battles of the past few days. I'll give him his head!" Pan Zhang shouted. Before Cheng Pu could react, he had already drawn his sword, mounted his horse, and galloped toward Guan Yu.

"Cheng Pu, Huang Gai!" Sun Quan shouted decisively.

"Your subordinate is here!" the two veterans replied hastily.

"You two, work with Master Zhuge to quickly bring the soldiers onto the warships!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Xu Sheng! Go quickly to assist Pan Zhang, and make sure nothing goes wrong!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Zhou Tai, Chen Wu!"

"exist!"

"You two must quickly head south and block the enemy's advance!"

"Yes, sir!"

"My lord, please board the ship quickly!" Seeing that their lord Sun Quan had already completed the troop deployment, Lü Fan and Zhuge Jin urged him again.

Sun Quan nodded helplessly, and then, surrounded by the remaining officers, returned to the warship, where he observed the battlefield situation while guiding the soldiers onto the ship.

"Don't be so arrogant, you scoundrel! I'll fight you!" Pan Zhang shouted as he charged towards Guan Yu.

Guan Yu had been waiting in Wancheng for a long time and was already seething with anger. When he heard that Zhou Cang and Liao Hua had made another great contribution, he couldn't help but feel anxious. So he used all his strength to slash at Pan Zhang, each blow aimed to kill.

Pan Zhang only lasted seven or eight rounds before he became exhausted and could only parry. He gradually started to panic.

Just then, Xu Sheng arrived and shouted, "Wen Gui, rest a bit, I'm here to help you!" He then picked up his spear and went into battle.

Guan Yu fought two opponents alone, wielding his Green Dragon Crescent Blade with dazzling skill, holding his own against the two.

"Who is this person?" Sun Quan asked the civil and military officials on both sides in surprise when he saw him on the warship.

"My lord, this man is Liu Bei's second brother, Guan Yu," Lü Fan replied.

"Could it be Guan Yu, who beheaded Yan Liang and Wen Chou?" Sun Quan asked, his eyes wide.

"Exactly."

"Truly unparalleled tiger generals... Quick! Beat the drums to cheer on Generals Pan and Xu! Quick!" Sun Quan hurriedly ordered his men.

"Boom boom boom boom!" The loud sound of war drums rang out from the warships and echoed across Chaohu Lake.

Hearing the enemy's war drums, Guan Yu became even more excited. Taking advantage of the moment when Xu Sheng's warhorses crossed paths, he swept his sword fiercely across Pan Zhang.

Pan Zhang hastily parried, but the force of the blow caused his hand to split open, and he nearly dropped his broadsword. He spurred his horse to turn and flee, but Guan Yu swiftly swung his sword to sweep it away.

"Crack!" Pan Zhang's back was slashed open by the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, and he felt a burning pain as he fell off his horse.

Just as Guan Yu was about to finish off Pan Zhang, Xu Sheng rushed back and used his steel spear to firmly block Guan Yu's broadsword, shouting, "Wen Gui, run!"

Just then, Guan Yu caught a glimpse of three riders galloping towards him from his flank. Leading them was Liao Hua. Liao Hua, clutching his arm, saw Guan Yu and cried out as if he were his savior, "General Guan, save me!"

Guan Yu glanced at Xu Sheng with his phoenix eyes, snorted coldly, and then sheathed his sword to rescue Liao Hua. Xu Sheng quickly dismounted and, while fending off the cavalrymen charging from Guan Yu's ranks, helped Pan Zhang onto his horse.

Seeing Guan Yu's appearance, Chen Wu realized he hadn't seen him in Hefei a few days ago and knew he must be a reinforcement from Wancheng. So he and Zhou Tai went to greet him together.

Guan Gong's Spring and Autumn Saber Technique is wide and sweeping. Once again, he fought two opponents at once, his slashes and parries were powerful and heavy. After five or six rounds, Chen Wu and Zhou Tai had not gained the slightest advantage.

Standing on the warship, Sun Quan saw that Guan Yu had not only fought against four of his generals single-handedly but had also gained the upper hand, which made him somewhat alarmed.

"Xu Sheng!" Sun Quan shouted to Xu Sheng, who was escorting Pan Zhang back.

"My lord!"

"Quick! Go back and help in the battle!" Sun Quan had completely lost his composure and only regretted that he had come in such a hurry and had not transferred Taishi Ci from Chaisang.

Upon hearing this, Xu Sheng gritted his teeth and turned back to fight Guan Yu again.

On the shallows of Chaohu Lake, Xu Sheng, Chen Wu, and Zhou Tai held Guan Yu back, wielding two long swords and a spear, each using their full strength. Guan Yu, full of vigor, blocked the three men's attacks seven or eight times in succession.

Upon seeing this scene, the Jiangdong officials on the ship all turned pale.

The four fought for another dozen rounds, but the three generals from Jiangdong could not find any opening. At this point, Sun Quan on the warship could no longer sit still and sent Lü Fan with three hundred archers to help.

After Huang Gai and Cheng Pu killed more than ten fleeing soldiers, the Jiangdong army gradually stabilized its position and began to launch a counterattack against Guan Yu's troops. After all, they had an absolute advantage in numbers and quickly drove both the cavalry and infantry out of the boarding area.

Seeing that the surprise attack had achieved its objective, Guan Yu made a feint slash at Xu Sheng, who quickly dodged. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Guan Yu spurred his horse, Red Hare, and with his sword dragging behind him, retreated back to his own lines. The three generals of Jiangdong dared not pursue and watched Guan Yu calmly retreat from the spot.

"Sound the retreat!" Guan Yu shouted, and the troops on the shallows and in the mountains quickly regrouped and withdrew.

At this moment, Lü Fan led his archers to the side of the three generals. Seeing that Guan Yu had begun to retreat, he said to the three generals, "Why don't we take advantage of the situation and launch a surprise attack?"

The three generals exchanged glances, all exhausted and unwilling to take the risk.

"Archers, get ready!" Lü Fan shouted.

Guan Yu, who was on the other side, had already led his troops to slowly retreat nearly a hundred paces when he heard Lü Fan's arrogance. He was furious, turned his horse around, drew his bow and arrow, and aimed at Lü Fan with a single shot!

"Whoosh!" Caught off guard, Lü Fan was shot in the abdomen by an arrow and fell off his horse.

"Retreat! Retreat! Retreat quickly!" The three generals shouted as they dismounted to check on Lü Fan's injuries, and then led all the troops back to the warship.

Half an hour had passed since Guan Yu's attack, and the sky was beginning to darken. By the time the number of casualties was counted, it was already dark.

This battle resulted in the loss of nearly two thousand more men.

Sun Quan stood on the warship, watching the wounded soldiers help each other board the ship in a line. He was filled with regret, wondering how he could have been so misled by Liu Ye and launched an attack to seize Hefei.

"How is Ziheng?" Having personally experienced fighting against Liu Bei's army for the first time, Sun Quan was still somewhat dazed and asked those around him about Lü Fan's injuries.

"My lord, do not worry, General Lü should be safe," Zhuge Jin replied.

"My lord, Guan Yu was originally in Wancheng, not Hefei. Now that he has appeared in Chaohu, it seems that Liu Bei's army has already sent reinforcements." Chen Wu hurriedly reported the situation he had discovered to Sun Quan.

"Really?!" Sun Quan's drowsy mind suddenly cleared.

"My lord, this place is too dangerous. We must not linger here. We need to board the ship quickly and leave Chaohu Lake tonight," Zhuge Jin advised.

"Okay, Tzuyu, go and get things done right away!"

"My lord, there is a city called Juchao between Chaohu and Ruxukou. This city guards the river mouth. I think it would be better to send a general to occupy this city first?" Cheng Pu said.

"Very well, as Master Cheng says, Zhou Tai!"

"exist!"

"You shall quickly lead a thousand soldiers ahead to occupy Juchao City at the mouth of the Ruxu River and cover the retreat of my main army!" Sun Quan belatedly realized that he had clearly seen Juchao City when he arrived, but had not thought of this matter.

"Yes, ma'am!" Zhou Tai left in a hurry.

The retreat of the 5,000 defeated soldiers by ship was not completed until dawn.

The lake was shrouded in fog in the early morning, and the fleet of boats moved slowly along the southern shore of Chaohu Lake.

After traveling for half an hour, a thunderous drumbeat suddenly sounded on the shore, and Sun Quan hurriedly led everyone out of the cabin to investigate.

As the fog gradually dissipated, Sun Quan looked in the direction of the sound and saw a huge flag planted on a hillside on the shore. The flag bore five large characters: General Liu Bei.

From afar, two people could be seen standing under the banner, looking at him. One was dressed in black with a gray cloak, and the other was dressed in plain clothes with a white cloak. The two seemed to have seen Sun Quan at the same time, and they bowed to him from afar.

Below the hillside in front of the two men, countless soldiers were waving flags and shouting at the fleet.

"Liu Bei... don't be so arrogant, I will definitely avenge this in the future!" Sun Quan said through gritted teeth.

"Pass down the order! The fog has lifted, accelerate forward!" Sun Quan said, then turned and left, returning to his cabin.

"My lord, this is a river mouth that connects to the Shu River. South of the river mouth is Shu City. Liu Bei must have come from this city," Zhuge Jin explained to Sun Quan.

At this moment, Sun Quan had no time to care about Shushui, Shucheng, or where Liu Bei came from. He simply closed his eyes and pondered, hoping only to return to Jiangdong as soon as possible.

The fleet sailed for another hour, and Sun Quan was starting to feel drowsy when suddenly a soldier rushed in from the deck, shouting, "My lord! My lord! Something terrible has happened!"

Everyone in the cabin was shocked upon hearing this. Huang Gai asked, "Why are you so panicked?!"

"My lord, General Zhou Tai has returned!" the soldier replied in a panic.

"What?!" Sun Quan was instantly wide awake and led his officers to the deck.

It turned out that Zhou Tai himself was standing on a warship, almost touching the main ship.

The ship quickly came to a stop, and ropes were lowered to allow Zhou Tai to board.

When Zhou Tai climbed up, he was covered in blood, clearly indicating that he was injured.

"Why does Youping look like this?!" Sun Quan quickly stepped forward to greet her.

"My lord! Chaohu Lake has been blockaded by the Jingzhou navy!" Zhou Tai replied in despair.

Sun Quan froze on the spot. Cheng Pu asked, "Tell me in detail!"

"My lord, when I reached the river mouth, I saw faint lights in the thick fog, so I went to the south bank of the river mouth to investigate."

"The river mouth had been completely blocked by the Jingzhou navy, which had connected the north and south banks with warships. Two rows of ships, totaling dozens, were positioned across the water, completely sealing off the river!"

"When I moved from the south bank to the north bank, I found that the Juchao ferry crossing had been demolished, and the city walls were brightly lit with countless soldiers patrolling back and forth."

"Just as we were about to return, we were spotted by the enemy and wounded by a hail of arrows and catapults, losing two hundred men, but we managed to escape..." Zhou Tai recounted his entire ordeal in one breath.

Sun Quan returned to the cabin with a livid face. He was surrounded by a variety of complex emotions and could hardly accept how he had gradually fallen into this trap.

"My lord, although the enemy has blockaded us with a chain of ships, our warships are sturdy and we may be able to break through the blockade and return to Jiangdong. There is no need to worry too much," Cheng Pu reassured him.

After all, Cheng Pu had experienced even more perilous situations. When Sun Ce attacked Zu Lang, he was surrounded by enemy troops. He had only Cheng Pu and another cavalryman by his side. The two of them rode their horses and took up their spears, and they managed to fight their way out of the encirclement with Sun Ce.

However, Sun Quan of today is far from possessing the courage and decisiveness of Sun Ce in his prime. He did not respond to Cheng Pu, but simply closed his eyes and remained silent.

Is it really possible to return to Jiangdong? I hope so.