“Father… Father…”
Huang Bing gazed at the burning warships of Jiangdong, at his father consumed by the inferno.
He roared, his voice tearing through the air.
Hahahahaha…
In contrast, Cao Cao laughed heartily.
He hadn’t had Huang Bing taken away because… seeing this pair of father and son, who had “schemed to the very end,” finally perish in flames, filled him with a unique sense of delight.
“Huang Bing, Huang Bing, your father and son’s chain stratagem, flesh-and-blood stratagem, and fire attack stratagem were all seen through by Nan Shou Hou Lu Zi Yu long ago.”
“He used only one stratagem, turning the enemy’s plan to his own advantage… Twenty days ago, as Nan Shou Hou instructed, I had obstacles laid at the bottom of the river before our Wulin water fort. Even with the strongest east wind, Huang Gai would never have been able to approach this Great Wei water fort with these obstructions!”
“Moreover, early this morning, I sent people to scatter countless oil jars onto the river. A small flame would be enough to engulf this entire stretch of water!”
Seeing Huang Bing like this… Cao Cao squatted down, looking at him with amusement.
Logically, he shouldn’t be treating such a minor figure with such attention.
But… to Cao Cao, Huang Bing before him was like the succulent meat of “Jiangdong.” With the fire ignited and flames raging… the six commanderies of Jiangdong were now within his grasp!
“Haha…” Cao Cao was still laughing, an extremely triumphant laugh. “Following Huang Gai’s ships, most likely came Jiangdong’s main fleet, right? They’ve finally mobilized!”
“Huang Bing, Huang Bing, without your assistance, Lu Zi Yu’s series of plans would never have gone so smoothly. I must thank you on his behalf! Ah… hahaha!”
Killing… and then striking at the heart!
As soon as Cao Cao finished speaking.
“Report… King Wei, General Wen Pin has led the Dragon Soaring Camp navy to infiltrate the enemy ships’ rear, cutting off their retreat!”
“Report, King Wei, the Splendid Sail fleet led by General Gan Ning is submerging, ready to breach the enemy’s hulls at any moment.”
“Report, King Wei, Generals Cai Mao and Zhang Yun are leading the Jingzhou navy, poised for action, and the Xuanwu Pond navy is also sharpening its blades, waiting only for Grand Governor Lu’s order to release the iron chains and deliver a fatal blow to the Jiangdong navy?”
Each report…
Sent ripples of emotion through Cao Cao!
This battle was truly satisfying to watch.
“Hahaha…” Cao Cao revealed a contented smile, like that of a proud father.
Nothing was more satisfying than a father watching his son orchestrate such a magnificent gambit, or watching his son make the final “closing of the net”!
Of course, if one had to add an even “more satisfying” moment!
It would certainly be for Cao Cao, the father, to “reap the benefits” effortlessly!
In contrast, Huang Bing…
He no longer needed to be escorted by the Tiger Guards.
He slumped to the ground like a puddle of mud, his eyes hollow and lifeless…
He wished Cao Cao would kill him, to end it all. It would be better than witnessing his father’s tragic death… and the fall of Jiangdong.
Lu Zi Yu… was too cunning!
Even though Governor Zhou had foreseen everything, he still… still couldn’t fathom his intentions.
He was too skilled at attacking the mind… He had almost completely predicted Governor Zhou’s predictions!
Others kill…
But he… strikes at the heart!
“Wuwuwuwu…”
Just then…
The sound of a horn suddenly blared, signaling that Lu Yu had given the order for a general assault!
Immediately, messengers on horseback galloped through the military camp, shouting:
“Governor Lu has ordered: Release the iron chains and annihilate the Jiangdong navy!”
“Governor Lu has ordered: Release the iron chains and annihilate the Jiangdong navy!”
The voices were deafeningly loud…
As battle flags fluttered, the iron chains on each warship were triggered… and instantly released.
“Kaka…”
The sound of breaking iron chains was incessant… The navy soldiers didn’t understand this craftsmanship, but if it came from the workshops within the Dragon Soaring Camp… then it all made sense.
“Wuwu…”
The horn sounded once more…
This time, countless fire balloons rose into the sky simultaneously. They were the best guides… enabling them to clearly see the enemy’s weaknesses and movements in the naval battle!
“Dong dong dong…”
“Dong dong dong…”
Elated, Cao Cao took the drumsticks and personally beat the drums to cheer on the “conclusion of the Battle of Chibi”!
…
…
On the river, an unfair naval battle was unfolding fiercely.
Zhou Yu could never have dreamed.
As he led countless ships, intending to take advantage of the fire… and win the Battle of Chibi.
Suddenly… his fleet stopped moving…
There seemed to be some large pillars at the bottom of the river obstructing the fleet’s progress.
He initially thought they were “underwater reefs,” but in reality… how could there be so many “reefs” that could block hundreds of ships…
In an instant, the Jiangdong ships were crowded together!
Large and small ships jostled against each other, scraping from time to time. The ships on the water were already unstable, and with so many vessels scraping, their hulls swayed even more violently…
Even among the Jiangdong navy, many lost their balance and fell directly into the water.
Initially, others intended to rescue them.
But… in reality, there was no time to save them. Bloodstains floated around the ships…
Clearly, those who had just fallen into the river were throats slit by someone!
“Not good… there are people beneath the ships!”
Some navy soldiers realized this and shouted urgently.
Zhou Yu’s brows furrowed, and he murmured…
“There’s an ambush…”
This was beyond his expectations…
Clearly, clearly there was fire ahead, and clearly, under that towering inferno… and the Great Wei water fort with its connected iron chains, shouldn’t there be chaos everywhere?
How could they… still have the capacity to set up an ambush in the river?
This… was too strange!
As Zhou Yu was filled with confusion…
Before them, Jingzhou fleets came sailing forward, their formations orderly… They released their iron chains!
And… their ships showed no signs of being burned!
In an instant…
Zhou Yu realized that he might have… might have fallen into a trap!
Huang Gai’s feigned surrender had been seen through!
Retreat…
The priority now was to retreat!
The thought instinctively arose in Zhou Yu’s mind.
“Report… Governor Zhou, the enemy is underwater, breaching our military ships’ hulls…”
“Report, Governor Zhou… the enemy Xuanwu Pond navy is attacking from the flank.”
“Report, Governor Zhou… Governor Zhou… the Dragon Soaring Camp’s fleet has appeared behind our fleet!”
This…
Zhou Yu shivered all over, his legs staggered involuntarily. If Ding Feng beside him hadn’t supported him, he would have almost fallen to the ground.
This was no longer a matter of… the flesh-and-blood stratagem and chain stratagem being seen through…
But rather… rather, his meticulously laid plans were used by Lu Yu to turn the tables…
And keep him, Zhou Yu, completely in the dark!
This was a trap within a trap. Zhou Yu thought he was the strategist, but in the end… he was merely a pawn!
Boom!
Boom!
Huge roars followed one after another.
The river waves lapped around the Jiangdong navy. The currents were swift, and waves surged out, striking the decks. The ships carrying this proud Jiangdong navy began to shake violently.
And these rushing currents were all caused by the warships approaching from all sides…!
Zhou Yu, Cheng Pu, Han Dang, Ding Feng… all were shaken by this dramatic scene.
With enemy ships closing in from all directions, the Yangtze River seemed to turn against them, unleashing such terrifying power that human strength was no match for it.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh…
Countless giant crossbow bolts flew out… countless ships were pierced, and the outermost ships were riddled with holes. They collapsed, sank, as if the entire river surface had emptied, multi-zhang-high楼船 (loú chuán - storied warships) plunged to the riverbed, and thousands of soldiers were buried by the river water!
This was never a fair contest…
And as the Jiangdong楼船 toppled, the enemy’s encirclement tightened… until the opposing fleets collided…
The archery battle of before now turned into a hundred-man melee on the decks!
And this… gave the Great Wei navy an even greater advantage!
“Raise the iron chains…”
Wen Pin roared his command.
All the warships crowded together in the river, and at such times, the connected iron chains ensured that all the ship decks were as flat as walking on solid ground!
This allowed the Xuanwu Pond navy to unleash its full fighting strength.
Not to mention the Jingzhou navy… and the Dragon Soaring Camp navy!
With the iron chains connected!
With a “whoosh,” Wen Pin drew his saber, the time was ripe.
“Build achievements and establish reputation today! Follow me and kill!”
At this…
The Great Wei navy soldiers’ eyes gleamed with a fierce light as they swarmed onto the enemy ship decks.
They were like tigers released from their cages, stepping onto these “flat” decks, launching the fiercest charge against the Jiangdong navy.
“Form ranks… meet the enemy! Meet the enemy!”
Zhou Yu was worthy of being the Right Governor of the Jiangdong forces. Even in such an unfavorable situation, he quickly regained his composure.
He swiftly organized a counterattack!
It was now a close-quarters combat… If they lost their ships, they would be captured, but if they won… they could also capture the enemy’s warships.
And Zhou Yu keenly noticed that the enemy’s largest hundred warships were at the rear. This meant that if he concentrated his forces and captured the Dragon Soaring Camp navy’s warships, he could make a strategic withdrawal!
This was the last hope in their desperate situation.
“Whoever captures the leader of the Dragon Soaring Camp fleet will be rewarded with a thousand gold!”
Zhou Yu shouted…
This caused the previously panicked Jiangdong navy to rally together. Men die for wealth and birds die for food; even at this moment… the allure of a thousand gold was still immense.
“Kill…”
The Jiangdong navy swarmed towards the Dragon Soaring Camp navy.
However… Wen Pin led the charge, standing like a mountain on the deck, preventing any Jiangdong soldier from daring to cross the line.
Zhou Yu also noticed something was wrong.
“Whoever can take the head of the Dragon Soaring Camp navy commander will be enfeoffed as a Thousand-Household Marquis!”
This declaration…
“I will!”
A clear voice rang out. It was the young general Ding Feng.
According to later historical records, this man’s most glorious feat was a great battle known as “Dashing into the Enemy Camp in the Snow.”
In that battle…
Ding Feng led a suicide squad, charging into the enemy camp bare-chested in the heavy snow. The Wei troops thought these unclothed Wu soldiers were cannon fodder…
Unexpectedly, they were elites… they broke through the Wei formation, inflicting heavy casualties.
This also shows the fierceness of Ding Feng…
“Hmph…”
At this time, Ding Feng was still a young general, just venturing out.
Naturally… facing the Dragon Soaring Camp, he was like a “newly-born calf unafraid of a tiger.” He looked at Wen Pin’s heavy armor and shouted, “Such armor? How can it be used in naval warfare? Behold my lightly armored short blades, I shall take your life!”
As he spoke…
Ding Feng roared, and under the cover of the Jiangdong navy, he leaped from the deck, swinging his short blade towards Wen Pin.
He was known as the “Number One Close-Combat Expert of Jiangdong”… His mastery of using broken blades was almost at the peak.
At a glance… he saw Wen Pin’s weakness.
That is, under the heavy armor, the waist and ribs were protected only by a thin layer of light armor.
“Hmph…”
Ding Feng gripped his blade with both hands and charged forward.
In a flash of lightning and thunder…
The two were only a short distance apart!
Wen Pin noticed him and immediately swung his saber to meet him…
In contrast, Ding Feng’s eyes flashed with a cold gleam… a smug smile played on his lips.
He moved like a startled rabbit, his white blade swift as lightning, piercing through… directly at the weak point of his ribs!
Hmm…
Wen Pin had clearly noticed this, and a flicker of panic flashed in his eyes.
But…
At such close range, it was impossible to block!
He could only exert all his strength, attempting to crush the opponent…
Normally…
Both Ding Feng and Wen Pin had made good choices. The final result might have been… the blade penetrating, Wen Pin’s body falling on top, resulting in mutual destruction…
Of course, Wen Pin’s injuries would have been more severe.
But… an accident occurred.
Because… with a “clang,” Ding Feng’s “white blade” could not penetrate Wen Pin’s armor at all, not even this thin layer; he… he couldn’t break through the defense!
This…
This was too unexpected.
Ding Feng froze, wanting to retreat… but Wen Pin gave him no such time.
Puff…
Puff…
Blood sprayed from Ding Feng’s mouth.
Being hit by Wen Pin’s heavy armor, Ding Feng felt as if all the bones in his chest, ribs, and shoulders… had shattered, with “crackling” sounds echoing from his bones.
The pain of these broken bones… was truly heart-wrenching!
How could the finely forged steel of the Xuanjia (mysterious armor) be breached by a mere “white blade”?
Instead, Wen Pin’s weight, combined with his steel armor, meant that without even needing to strike, just by colliding with the enemy, he was like a human tank!
Of course…
Not every soldier in the Dragon Soaring Camp wore heavy armor, but as the commander… Wen Pin’s heavy armor was personally donned by Lu Yu.
In naval warfare, it was essential to ensure the commander’s… absolute safety!
“Puff…”
Before Ding Feng could react, a steel saber had already pierced his vital organs.
Why?
Why?
Ding Feng… couldn’t understand why his white blade, which had already entered the enemy’s soft spot, still… still couldn’t break through the defense?
What… what had he been practicing all these years?
Hmm…
With another stab aimed at his heart, Ding Feng let out a groan of pain and then… closed his eyes.
A rising star of Jiangdong, thus… died prematurely!
“Hmph…”
Wen Pin kicked Ding Feng away.
He shook his head slightly and sighed, “After all, he’s still young. Do they not do their homework when fighting the Dragon Soaring Camp?”
Yes…
When fighting the Dragon Soaring Camp, even with light armor, how could it be so easily breached?
One had to aim for the face…
The face, the neck… these areas not covered by armor were the true weak points of the Dragon Soaring Camp.
Unfortunately… this “young calf” before him was too proud. Without doing his homework… he dared to challenge the Dragon Soaring Camp, seeking his own demise!
And after killing Ding Feng…
Wen Pin gazed at the close-quarters combat on the deck!
The iron chains were connected, making the decks as flat as solid ground…
Attacking from three sides, the Great Wei navy… was like wolves entering a flock of sheep against the Jiangdong navy. They had gone mad… they were completely on a killing spree!
…
…
North of the river, Lu Yu held his “thousand-mile eye” and watched the naval battle in the river.
“It’s over…”
He murmured…
Under such a battle situation, even if Zhou Yu’s title were to have “God” added before it, becoming “God Zhou Yu,” it would still be futile.
“Let’s go!”
“Where is Young Master going?”
“Chibi has been won, and now, all that is needed is the most suitable negotiator!”
Just as Lu Yu turned to leave…
Several more Jiangdong ships hoisted the banner of the “Dragon Soaring Camp”…
The fierce river wind made the military banner bearing the word “Dragon Soaring” flutter and snap…
…
…