Chapter 153 The Battle of Red Cliffs (Part 2)

The next morning, I boarded the ship with Zhou Yu.

All that could be heard was the thunderous sound of war drums and deafening shouts from the river ahead.

"Commander, our army has won its first battle! Cao's army has been defeated and is stationed north of the river!" A short while later, someone came to report.

Zhou Yu nodded and smiled, "Very good, pass down the order that our army will be stationed on the south bank."

The man accepted the order and left.

As I looked at the young governor before me, the image of a valiant and scholarly general, etched in history, leapt vividly before my eyes.

"Cao Cao has suffered his first defeat," Zhou Yu said, looking at me with a smile.

I remained indifferent. "What does it have to do with me?"

"I believe there were two main reasons for Cao Cao's initial defeat," Zhou Yu asked with a smile. "Would you like to know?"

"Say what you want to say."

"Cao Cao's army has just arrived in Jiangnan and is not used to the climate, that's one reason; the commander-in-chief is preoccupied and his mind is unsettled, that's the second reason." Zhou Yu smiled slightly. If an outsider did not know the content of the conversation, they might think that a romantic scholar was talking about love and romance.

"What do you mean?" I narrowed my eyes slightly, somewhat displeased.

"Cao Cao should have received news of your disappearance by now."

I scoffed, "Isn't this the effect you wanted? An unfair victory."

"No, this is simply a matter of deception in war." Zhou Yu smiled as harmlessly as a gentle breeze.

That evening, Zhou Yu and his generals celebrated their initial victory.

"My husband is alive, and I have achieved fame and glory. Fame and glory will bring me comfort in this life. I will get drunk when I am comforted, and when I am drunk, I will sing wildly..."

Zhou Yu danced with his sword and sang, displaying extraordinary heroism.

The soldiers cheered in unison, their faces showing admiration.

I sat to the side, watching indifferently. Their joy was theirs, it had nothing to do with me.

"Is Madam unhappy?" Zhou Yu picked up a wine pot and sat down beside me.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Have you ever seen a happy bait?"

A smile appeared in Zhou Yu's dark eyes as he poured me a glass of wine. "Why not get drunk?"

"I'm afraid we won't even know how we died." I continued to roll my eyes at him.

Zhou Yu burst out laughing, drawing sidelong glances from the crowd.

A few days later, new news came that most of Cao Cao's soldiers were from the north and were not used to water. In order to overcome this weakness, Cao Cao ordered that the battle ropes be locked together with iron chains, and that wooden planks be laid on top to form a floating camp, so that people could walk on it as if on flat ground. This was called the "linked boats".

When I first heard the news, I was speechless. Was I about to witness the infamous burning of the chained ships?

As dusk fell and darkness settled, I sat back in my tent, hugging my knees, gazing up at the fiery sunset clouds. Ahead lay a shimmering river, the water reflecting the fiery sunset as if ablaze. The colors were so beautiful; the Red Cliffs were so close, yet I couldn't cross them—they were now a battlefield…

Meanwhile, Cao Cao, on the other side of the river, awaited a war. That man with the world in his heart, now without his strategist in blue robes by his side—could he get used to it?

Historically, Cao Cao was destined to lose to Zhou Yu in this battle.

Cao Cao and the allied forces of Sun Quan and Liu Bei were about to clash at the Battle of Red Cliffs.

The Battle of Red Cliffs, that endless fire...

Cao Cao suffered his first defeat and had to halt his campaign to unify the country, leaving Cao Ren to defend Jiangling alone before finally retreating north in disappointment.

The Battle of Red Cliffs halted Cao Cao's path to unifying the country, laid the foundation for the Three Kingdoms period, and made that young commander famous throughout the land.

The Battle of Red Cliffs... made a name for that young commander who was about to become famous throughout the world.

Was Cao Cao truly thrown into disarray by learning of my departure? I lowered my eyes slightly, not believing I would have any impact on him, after all… he was so indifferent to Baozi's death.

After all... for the sake of his empire, he personally ordered Zhou Buyi's death by giving him poisoned wine.

After all... he was a hero whose name will be etched in history.

After all... he was Cao Cao.

Five armored guards patrolled back and forth around them.

Can I go back? Or... will I die in this war?

A red light suddenly flashed before my eyes, and some warm liquid stained my cheek. I was stunned for a moment, then looked up.

There was a young boy, wielding a long sword, flying through the blood-red sky.

The speed was so fast it was dazzling.

As the last guard, with a roar still escaping his lips, fell toward me with wide eyes, the young man sheathed his sword, leaped forward, and kicked the guard away.

The guard was kicked away, landed heavily, and died with his head tilted to the side.

"Sister, were you scared?" The boy bent down to look at me, raised his sleeve, and wiped away the blood splattered on my face.

I blinked and saw the boy standing in front of me clearly.

"Zhao'er?"

When did that child become so skilled in the art of killing? Under Sima Yi's tutelage, he began to radiate a unique brilliance belonging to this era.

"Let's go, sister." Zhao'er pulled me up.

"How did you know I was here?" I asked, coming back to my senses.

“I have spies in Zhou Yu’s camp.”

I was stunned. They say that a person should be looked at with new eyes after three days of separation. Zhao'er at this time was truly no longer the Zhao'er of the past.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded ahead. I quickly pulled Zhao'er back a step and hid behind the tent.

"Brother Wu, where are you going?" Voices came from ahead.

"The governor sent me to invite you, Madam, saying that General Huang is here to offer a plan and that you should come and listen in."

You've come looking for me?

I glanced at Zhao'er. He was gripping the hilt of his sword tightly, exuding a dangerous aura, like a leopard poised to pounce.

There's a Chinese proverb that goes, "Zhou Yu beats Huang Gai"—one is willing to hit, and the other is willing to be hit.

Huang Gai offered his advice according to historical precedent, but Zhou Yu actually wanted to drag me along to listen in.

"Zhao'er, I'll lure them away. You wait for me in the camp on the left. I'll come find you after I've escaped. Remember not to make any rash moves," I whispered in Zhao'er's ear.

Zhao'er hesitated for a moment.

"Go quickly."

Nodding, Zhao'er finally left.

I glanced at the several corpses lying haphazardly on the ground, thought for a moment, picked up the gleaming broadsword from the ground, and prepared to steel myself and make a cut on my arm, so that if I was ever asked about these corpses, I could at least deny everything.

"Madam Pei! What happened?!" I held the knife in my hand, but before I could bring it down, soldiers rushed over.

I froze slightly, then a sudden inspiration struck me. I shook my head and coldly tossed down the broadsword in my hand. “Please convey this to Governor Zhou, asking him to properly discipline his men. Although I am now a prisoner, I am not a girl who sells smiles and drinks. If anyone dares to be insolent again, I will risk my life, even if it means mutual destruction.”

The leading general's expression turned slightly unpleasant, and he immediately knelt on one knee.

I raised my eyebrows. What kind of show is this now?

"Please forgive me, Madam Pei. I failed to properly command my troops. I apologize to you." The leading general clasped his hands in a fist salute and said.

I stepped forward, took his arm and helped him up. "General, you flatter me. I have always been grateful for your care. Since I am one of your people, let's just let this matter go."

"As for the Governor..."

I've been waiting for you to say that.

"Of course I won't say anything to the Governor." I was secretly delighted, but I didn't show it on my face. If Zhou Gongjin knew about this, even if that fox didn't say anything without evidence, he would definitely suspect that someone had come to rescue me. He might even launch a large-scale search of the camp. At that time, no matter how powerful Zhao'er was, she would be no match for the overwhelming force.

"Thank you for your mercy, Madam." The general stood up and said, "The Commander-in-Chief is in the camp and wishes to see you."

I nodded, knowing he was referring to the story I had just heard about Huang Gai offering his advice and Zhou Yu asking me to listen in.

Upon entering the camp, they saw an old general with white hair and beard speaking eloquently; this man must be Huang Gai.

"Currently, Cao Cao's army is numerous, while our forces are few and far between, making it difficult to sustain a prolonged campaign. However, based on my observation, Cao Cao's warships are linked end to end; if we launch a fire attack, we can defeat them..."

When the old general saw me come in, he stroked his beard, looked at me with some wariness, and remained silent.

"Madam Pei, come and meet General Huang." Zhou Yu looked at me and smiled.

"Greetings, General Huang." I nodded.

Zhou Yu pondered for a moment, then looked at Huang Gai and asked, "The plan is good, but how do we get close to Cao Cao's warships?"

The old General Huang glanced at me.

"It's alright," Zhou Yu said with a smile.

"I can use the self-inflicted injury ruse, feigning surrender to Cao Cao. Cao Cao will surely be caught off guard, and then we can launch a fire attack," Huang Gai had no choice but to say.

Zhou Yu laughed and said, "This plan is excellent."

They immediately selected dozens of warships, filled them with firewood and straw, poured oil on them, wrapped them with tents, and planted flags on them, preparing for a fire attack.