Three Kingdoms: Daily settlement helps Liu Bei revive the Shu Han dynasty.

that night,

Sun Ce then mustered a thousand elite troops from Sun Jian's former forces.

Accompanied by Zhou Yu and more than ten followers, they arrived at the wild ravine west of Liyang under the last rays of daylight.

Fortunately, there was a vast expanse of reeds nearby.

Sun Ce dismounted and strode towards the reeds, reaching out to pluck a reed stalk.

He weighed the half-broken reed in his hand, turned to Zhou Yu, and smiled:

"Auntie is right. These reeds are hollow but sturdy. They can be tied together with hemp rope in rows, enough to carry people across the river."

finished,

Sun Ce threw the reed stalks to the ground and shouted:

"Brothers, let's move! I want to see enough rafts to carry a thousand people across the river before midnight!"

The thousand soldiers responded and dispersed into the reeds.

Zhou Yu approached Sun Ce and said, "Each raft can carry more than ten people; over a hundred large rafts are enough to cross the river!"

Sun Ce grinned as he watched his soldiers busily cutting reeds and building rafts:

"Liu Yao's men probably never dreamed that we would suddenly appear on the south bank."

Zhou Yu was silent for a moment, then said, "Bo Fu, if this plan succeeds, you will be able to defeat Liu Yao."

I'm going to Danyang to gather provisions for you, and while I'm at it, I'll see if I can intercept Liu Bei.

Sun Ce was taken aback by these words, then turned to look at Zhou Yu: "Intercept Liu Bei? What do you plan to do?"

Zhou Yu looked towards the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and said, "When Liu Bei crosses the river at Ruxukou, he will definitely land on the south bank at Dongguan."

To save energy, you'll definitely take a section of land route before turning onto the Shuiyang River to reach Wanling.

However, on that stretch of land, there is a narrow road called Qingshan Road, which is only wide enough for two vehicles to pass side by side at its widest point.

It is now late autumn, a time when the weather is dry and the air is crisp.

With 100,000 civilians, families and all, under Liu Bei's command, the army would undoubtedly be extremely long, providing the perfect opportunity for a fire attack.

Sun Ce was somewhat shocked and asked, "Should we burn the common people too?"

Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trivial matters.

Zhou Yu glanced at Sun Ce and replied:

"These 100,000 people are Liu Bei's foundation. If we can severely damage them, we can greatly delay the time it takes for Liu Bei to gain a foothold."

Sun Ce pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly.

He wasn't a soft-hearted person either.

He was willing to do this for the sake of his grand ambition.

…………

Ruxukou was bustling with noise.

More than 300 boats of various sizes shuttled back and forth on the river, transporting batches of people to the other side.

However, these people did not set off immediately; they needed Liu Bei's soldiers to protect and guide them.

therefore,

Lu Yong found Liu Bei and said, "After the people cross the river, a team needs to clear the way first. I suggest leading the new army across the river first to escort the people."

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were to protect the main force.

Jiang Qin wanted to assist in crossing the river.

Only Lu Yong and Xu Sheng's new army could cross the river first to clear the way for the people.

Liu Bei glanced at the faintly visible figures of civilians on the opposite bank, pondered for a moment, and then replied:

"That's fine."

You take all five thousand new soldiers with you, and I'll give you another two hundred cavalry.

Scatter scouts along the way and be sure to keep your own safety at all times.

Lu Yong smiled and said, "Don't worry, my lord. I'm just clearing the way and escorting the people; I'm not going to fight."

"Whether there's a war or not, you must protect yourself." Liu Bei's expression was very serious, and he didn't seem to be joking at all.

Seeing this, Lu Yong also stopped smiling, bowed and cupped his hands, saying, "If anything changes, I will send someone to report immediately."

Liu Bei nodded slightly and helped Lu Yong up.

After Lu Yong stood up, he walked towards Xu Sheng and instructed, "Wen Xiang, assemble the new army and follow me across the river to escort the people!"

"Here you are!" Xu Sheng turned and left.

Soon, the five thousand new soldiers and the two hundred cavalrymen dispatched by Liu Bei had been assembled.

Jiang Qin recalled all the ships, preparing to first send Lu Yong and his more than 5,000 soldiers to the south bank of the Yangtze River.

……

Just as Lu Yong was crossing the river,

Zhou Yu, accompanied by more than ten followers, had arrived at Wanling City, the seat of Danyang Commandery, by fast horse.

When Liu Yao drove away Wu Jing and Sun Ben, he appointed a new governor of Danyang to take over the prefecture.

This person happened to be Zhou Shang from the prominent Zhou family of Lujiang, who was Zhou Yu's uncle.

Zhou Shangcai had only been the governor of Danyang for a short time, and things inside and outside the city were not yet fully settled.

In the prefect's residence, Zhou Shang was engrossed in handling government affairs.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps approaching, so I looked up.

But then Zhou Yu walked in, covered in dust from his journey.

Upon entering, Zhou Yu disregarded pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Uncle, Liu Bei has begun crossing the river at Ruxu!"

"So fast?" Zhou Shang's expression changed slightly.

Although he was appointed by Liu Yao as the governor of Danyang,

But Zhou Yu's stance,

How could he, as the uncle, not know?

Sun Ce's nephew Zhou Yu was a sworn brother, so the Zhou family had actually been secretly siding with Sun Ce.

But neither Liu Yao nor Sun Ce would be happy to see Liu Bei's incursion into Jiangdong.

"What are your plans?" Zhou Shang asked.

"Liu Bei marched south with no more than 20,000 soldiers, but he brought with him 100,000 civilians."

Zhou Yu considered carefully before speaking:

"From Dangtu Wharf to the Shuiyang River Ferry, there is a land route of more than ten li, with mountains and forests on both sides, dense with vegetation. Now, in late autumn, the air is dry, making it the perfect place for a fire attack..."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Shang frowned immediately: "You're going to set fire to our place and ambush us on the way?"

A cold glint flashed in Zhou Yu's eyes. "Liu Bei is leading 100,000 civilians, so his march will be extremely slow."

His vanguard will surely lead the way and seize a foothold.

If this vanguard force could be crippled or even annihilated, Liu Bei would be as if he had lost a leg.

The panic among the people would inevitably lead to their disarray, which would greatly delay his crossing of the river.

This would also buy time for his uncle to gather troops and completely defeat Liu Bei.

Zhou Shang stood up, put his hands behind his back, and paced around the hall for a few steps.

Zhou Yu was known as a child prodigy from a young age, and at the age of fourteen or fifteen, he was able to plan important matters for his family. Naturally, he would not doubt Zhou Yu's judgment.

The problem is, he doesn't have many soldiers at his disposal right now.

"Gongjin, most of my soldiers have been transferred away by Liu Yao."

Currently, the garrison in Wanling numbers only a few thousand, and they need to be reserved to deal with Zulang and the Shanyue.

Even if they could temporarily stop Liu Bei, they probably wouldn't be able to defeat him.

Zhou Yu replied, "Uncle, you only need to give me three thousand soldiers."

"You should take all five thousand garrison troops with you," Zhou Shang said, shaking his head. "Lu Yong, Liu Bei's strategist, has gained quite a reputation lately. It would be safer for you to take more troops with you."

"Uncle, rest assured." Zhou Yu was proud and arrogant, and he would never be convinced by a scholar from a poor family.

He said with a hint of disdain, "Liu Bei defeated Cao Cao by relying on Lü Bu's attack on Yan Province, not Lu Yong's strategy."

He's just a poor boy who hasn't even properly studied the classics of the ancients; how could he possibly possess any real strategy?

Zhou Shang opened his mouth, but ultimately did not try to persuade him further.

He knew his nephew's personality all too well.

Under this sky,

There are very few people he can find acceptable.

The more he persuaded him, the more powerful he made Lu Yong sound, the more Zhou Yu would try to test his strength and resolve...

"When do you plan to set off?" Zhou Shang sighed and asked.

"There's no time to lose, I'll leave now." Zhou Yu turned and walked towards the door, but stopped at the threshold and turned back.

"Uncle, if things succeed, Liu Bei will be no threat."

If things don't go smoothly, you can put all the blame on me and say that I sent troops without authorization.

After that, you can continue to secretly maneuver against Liu Bei and buy time.

Zhou Shang had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Zhou Yu immediately mustered his troops and headed straight for Dangtu.