The boundless Han River flowed day and night, flowing ceaselessly like a giant dragon crawling on the land of the south. Every time the surging river made a sharp turn, waves splashed.
On both sides of the river were crisscrossed, and the weeds were withered and yellow. It was rare to see a farmer, looking bleak.
The Cloud Dream Swamp in the east was a thousand miles of fertile land, lush with water and grass, but it was also dead silent in the middle of winter. In the withered yellow weeds that were half a man's height, there were wolves and eagles hovering high in the sky.
In the cold winter, even the strongest jackals and wolves would be hungry.
Hunger was the main theme in the last years of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
A harsh government was fiercer than a tiger. Even people were like this, let alone jackals and wolves.
In the strong cold wind, the ocean fleet, which stretched for hundreds of meters, moved with the wind. The white sails rustled in the cold wind, pushing the giant warships forward.
On the deck of the Dragon Head, Ouyang Shuo frowned.
Four days!
The ocean fleet had traveled day and night for four days and four nights, but there was not even a shadow on the river, except for one or two fishing boats that occasionally floated by.
Lu Su's army seemed to have disappeared into thin air.
"It doesn't make sense!" Ouyang Shuo muttered to himself.
With the speed of the ocean fleet, they had traveled thousands of miles in four days and four nights, almost reaching the mouth of the Yangtze River. Even so, they still couldn't catch up with Lu Su's army.
"Wait patiently. They can't be so fast," Jia Xu comforted him.
After a few days, Jia Xu's impression of Ouyang Shuo had changed. This young man was not ordinary. Whether it was knowledge, broad-mindedness, or the art of command, he had his merits.
Many times, Jia Xu couldn't help but compare him with his master, Cao Cao.
Jia Xu knew that this was a dangerous way of thinking.
"Sir is right. This is a competition of willpower. We can't give up."
Ouyang Shuo looked ahead, his eyes firm.
…
On the fifth day of the battle, the scouts finally sent news.
"Reporting to Marquis, a hundred miles ahead, traces of enemy ships have been found, and they are retreating," the scout reported.
"A hundred miles, that is to say, the enemy is about to enter the Yangtze River?"
"Yes."
Ouyang Shuo made a prompt decision and turned around to instruct Zheng He, "Order the fleet to speed up. Don't let them escape." Once they entered the Yangtze River, it was possible that they would lose them completely.
Who knew if Lu Su's army would go upstream or downstream? If they split up and set up a diversion, the situation would be even worse.
Ouyang Shuo was thinking of capturing them all in one fell swoop.
"Yes, sir!"
Zheng He also realized the urgency of the situation and immediately began to mobilize the fleet.
At the same time, the order to fight was issued.
The soldiers entered the first level of combat readiness, and the cannoneers began to adjust the cannons in preparation for the big battle. During the rapid march, the formation of the entire fleet was also quietly changing.
Such skill and execution could only be achieved by an ocean fleet. The biggest gain from this voyage was to cultivate a group of experienced sailors and navy officers.
The ocean-going fleet was like a sharp arrow, breaking through the waves.
At around three o 'clock in the afternoon, the enemy's fleet finally appeared on the empty river.
"Beat the drums!" Zheng He ordered.
"Boom! Boom! Boom boom! "
The rhythmic sound of war drums echoed across the Han River.
With the sound of the war drums, the morale of the soldiers was gradually building up.
The formation of the ocean-going fleet had been completely changed.
The vanguard was led by 20 giant fortress ships, moving side by side. Their task was to break through the enemy's formation in one fell swoop with the hard and sharp huge ram on the bow.
Then came the three sail battleships, moving in a line. The three battleships were the killers of the river. Once they went all out, no one would be able to resist them.
After the battleships, there were 20 giant fortress ships to cover the battleships and provide fire support. Finally, there were countless Taowu fighting ships and red horse boats.
Their task was to clean up the battlefield and wipe out the remaining forces.
The river was narrow. Zheng He thought for a few days before coming up with such a practical formation.
…
On the river not far away, Lu Su stood on the deck with a solemn expression.
As the second in command of the River East Army, the real Lu Su in history was ambitious, far-sighted, wise, and brave. He was not an honest man as described in the historical novels.
In the year 200, Lu Su analyzed the situation of the world to Sun Quan and put forward a proposal, which was known as the "Longzhong Confrontation" in the River East, pointing out the strategic direction for the regime in the River East.
In the Battle of Chibi, Lu Su was a key figure and played a greater role than Zhuge Liang.
At that time, Lu Su was the first to stand out and suggest that Sun Quan join forces with Liu Bei to resist Cao Cao. Lu Su was the first to stand out and suggest that Sun Quan immediately recall Zhou Yu to discuss important matters.
At that time, the River East was strong, while Liu Bei was weak. The River East was the leader, while Liu Bei was the follower. Needless to say, Zhuge Liang was just a young man who had just come out of seclusion. He had neither fame nor status.
Therefore, Zhuge Liang's main role in the Battle of Chibi was to facilitate the alliance between Sun Quan and Liu Bei. This contribution was still worthy of recognition.
As for the specific battle, it was the contributions of Zhou Yu, Huang Gai, and others, and basically had nothing to do with Zhuge Liang.
In the year 210, before Zhou Yu died, he wrote a letter to Sun Quan recommending Lu Su. "Lu Su is loyal and cautious. He can be loyal on behalf of Zhou Yu. If the general can accept my sincere advice, he can die in peace."
Therefore, Sun Quan appointed Lu Su to lead the army on behalf of Zhou Yu.
This showed that Lu Su was really a great talent and was not as unbearable as described in the historical novels.
…
"They finally caught up!"
As soon as he received Zhou Yu's urgent report, Lu Su ordered the fleet to turn around and hurriedly return to the Chibi, preparing to join the Mutant Army stationed at the Chibi to resist the enemy together.
He didn't expect that he would still be a step too late in the end.
"Commander, what should we do now?" Lu Meng asked.
Lu Meng, who asked the question, was also a core figure in the River East Group. At the end of the Battle of Chibi, Zhou Yu recommended Lu Meng to Sun Quan to lead the navy to pursue the Cao army by water.
However, Lu Meng politely declined, saying that he did not dare to steal Lu Su's credit.
Thus, the two of them led the army together.
When it came to Lu Meng, everyone was most familiar with the story of "Amon of Wu".
A scholar who has been away for three days must be looked at in a new light.
This story was related to Lu Meng. From Lü Meng's biography, we can see his growth. We can see how an illiterate youth became a famous general of Dong Yue Wu.
After Lu Su's death, Lu Meng took over his position.
One of Lu Meng's most famous achievements was crossing the river in white, taking control of the Jing Province, and indirectly killing Guan Yu.
Apart from that, Lu Meng had a discerning eye for talent.
Gan Ning, Lu Xun, and Zhu Ran had all been recommended by Lu Meng.
Lu Xun, in particular, had become the backbone of Wu in the later years and was even more powerful than Zhou Yu.
It could be said that Wu was full of talents.
If one really wanted to compare, among the three states, only Shu Han's regime was the most lacking in talents. One had to admit that Zhuge Liang was one of them.
…
"What else can we do?" Lu Su frowned. "The enemy can catch up to us from so far away. We can't escape even if we want to. Moreover, the river is narrow and we have nowhere to run. We have no choice but to fight. "
"Understood!" Lu Meng nodded solemnly, his expression resolute.
A moment later, Lu Su's army also began to beat drums.
Unfortunately, because Lu Su's army was the one being chased, they had left their backs open to the ocean fleet. The river was narrow, so it was too late to turn around.
If they turned around in a hurry, they would only throw themselves into disarray.
Therefore, under the command of Lu Meng, Ling Tong, and the other generals, the army simply stopped on the river and waited for the enemy to attack. It was like waiting for the enemy to exhaust themselves.
In the eyes of Ling Tong, Gan Ning, and the other generals, a naval battle could only be fought with arrows. If arrows couldn't solve the problem, then they could just get close and fight with weapons.
Therefore, it didn't matter which direction the warships were facing.
As the strongest navy of the three kingdoms, they had never been afraid of anyone. Moreover, they had the prestige of the Battle of Chibi. Even though Governor Zhou Yu had described the enemy's strength in his letter, they didn't believe it.
"No matter how strong they are, what can they do?" Gan Ning's words represented the thoughts of all the generals.
They were looking at the sky from the bottom of a well!
Among the generals, only Lu Su and Lu Meng looked grim. On one hand, they trusted Governor Zhou Yu. They knew that he was always practical and wouldn't speak without thinking.
If Zhou Yu said they were strong, then they were.
But as for how strong the enemy was, even Zhou Yu himself would not be able to tell.
Only when they encountered them head-on would they be able to feel it.
Not to mention anything else, at the very least, the speed of the enemy fleet was far faster than theirs, and not just by a little bit, but more than twice as fast.
Lu Su and Lu Meng couldn't relax after thinking about this.
Moreover, they didn't have the upper hand in numbers. If they really fought, their chances of winning were slim.
They had no other choice now that they were cornered.
… …
About twenty minutes later, the vanguard of the ocean fleet entered Lu Su's army's field of vision.
Giant five-story ships lined up on the river, which shocked the soldiers of Lu Su's army.
Before they even got close, they felt a strong sense of oppression.
"Heavens, there's such a huge warship in the world!" The soldiers gaped.
Their morale was inevitably affected.
"Fire!"
Gan Ning and the other valiant generals weren't afraid. They attacked first.
They were answered by the rumbling of cannons.
"Boom!"
Cannonballs exploded on the river, blowing up the warships of Lu Su's army into pieces.
"What's going on?"
Gan Ning's eyes widened. He didn't know what kind of weapon the enemy was using. He was answered by a series of increasingly rapid cannons.
This was exactly what Su Shi had said about Zhou Yu: "While chatting and laughing, the sails and oars were annihilated."
"We're done for!"
Lu Su closed his eyes in pain. He couldn't bear to watch the scene unfold before him.
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