Chapter 154 The Battle of Red Cliffs (Part 2)
That night, Zhou Yu observed the celestial phenomena and foresaw that a southeast wind would blow three days later. He then sent Huang Gai to deliver a message to Cao Cao, expressing his intention to surrender and specifying the day of battle three days later, with Huang Gai as the vanguard. He would then lead his army to surrender to Cao Cao.
"Could I take a look?" I suddenly asked, looking at the letter in Zhou Yu's hand.
Zhou Yu glanced at me sideways, "What tricks are you up to now?"
I curled my lip. "What can I do? I'm a prisoner now."
I took the letter from Zhou Yu and glanced at it briefly.
Zhou Yu raised an eyebrow. "You're holding it upside down."
I said "Oh," straightened up, and laughed, "Actually, I can't read."
Zhou Yu was somewhat surprised, then smiled and said, "Madam, do you also think this plan is brilliant?"
I snorted and turned to leave.
Carefully avoiding being seen, I headed straight for a tent on the left, a small tent that Zhou Yu had temporarily given me.
As soon as I entered the tent, I felt a cold, sharp longsword pressed against my neck.
"Who goes there?" Zhao'er's voice carried a chilling aura.
"Zhao'er, it's me."
Zhao'er quickly put down the sword in her hand. "Sister, may I leave with you?"
I shook my head. "The security outside is tight. It would be dangerous if you took me with you."
As I spoke, I turned around and sat down, quickly ground the ink, grabbed a brush, and began to scribble.
It was really hard to hold... because I had absolutely no idea how to hold a calligraphy brush...
As I drew on the bamboo slips with a brush, I closed my eyes and recalled the strange characters I had just seen. After a long and difficult time, I finally finished, blew the ink dry, and handed the letter to Zhao'er.
"Sister?" Zhao'er asked, puzzled.
"Take this letter and go see Cao Cao immediately. Give the letter to him, and he will understand everything. Also, tell him that the disadvantages of the chained ships outweigh the advantages."
"Sister...why are you still helping him?" Zhao'er gritted her teeth slightly as she looked at me.
"Go ahead, I'm begging you, sister." I patted his head.
I don't know why I helped him.
I don't know either……
Zhao'er gritted her teeth, "Then you must wait safely for me to come and pick you up."
"Okay, I'll wait for Zhao'er to come and pick me up." I nodded with a smile.
Three days later, Huang Gai led dozens of warships towards Cao Cao's camp with the wind at his back. Each warship, loaded with firewood and grease, was secretly followed by a small boat, which was prepared for use when setting fire to retreat.
While they were drinking on the ship, a battle report suddenly arrived from the front.
"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, Cao Cao suddenly launched an attack on General Huang's fleet, which was on its way to feign surrender. Dozens of warships have sunk into the river, and General Huang has been captured alive by Cao Cao..."
Upon hearing this news, my teacup tilted slightly, and the tea spilled out.
"What tricks did you use?" Zhou Yu looked at me and asked calmly.
I looked completely innocent.
"What did you do to that letter?"
"Reporting to the Commander... Cao Cao also made a statement... saying..." the messenger continued, slightly hesitant.
"say what?"
"They said they would exchange General Huang for someone else."
"Oh?" Zhou Yu raised an eyebrow. "You don't mean you're going to exchange for his Lady Huan, do you?"
"Exactly."
Zhou Yu looked at me and suddenly smiled, "It seems that Gongjin underestimated the lady's methods."
I knew I couldn't avoid it, so I simply admitted it frankly: "Now that I'm your prisoner, do you expect me to uphold the duties of a prisoner?"
"What did you do to that letter?" Zhou Yu asked again.
"I simply had someone send an identical letter to Cao Cao beforehand, and then told him that if anyone came with this letter, it was a trap."
I couldn't bear to see Cao Cao defeated, but Cao Cao was suspicious. Without solid evidence, he would not believe Zhao'er's one-sided story. That's why I copied the letter and had Zhao'er deliver it to Cao Cao before Huang Gai.
"You're lying to me?" Zhou Yu raised an eyebrow slightly. "You said you can read."
“I can’t read, but I remember what every character looks like.” I smiled slyly.
"You have a photographic memory?" Zhou Yu was slightly surprised.
I nodded and smiled, finally managing to turn the tables on a bit, it was so satisfying...
"General, Liu Bei's army has come to our aid, led by Zhuge Liang," someone reported.
Has Zhuge Liang arrived?
I was overjoyed; this time, there was hope...
"Someone, bring Lady Huan onto the ship." Zhou Yu responded, looked at me, and suddenly spoke.
I was dumbfounded.
Kongming, save me...
With my hands bound, I was taken onto the boat before I even saw Zhuge Liang.
The warship cut through the waves, and the river wind made it hard for me to open my eyes.
"Lady Huan is here!" Zhou Yu pulled me onto the bow of the boat and shouted loudly.
I was somewhat alarmed to discover that a warship was following behind me; clearly, Zhou Yu had not abandoned his plan to use fire.
"Burn the chained ships! Retreat quickly!" I don't know where the strength came from, but I suddenly shouted at the river.
Zhou Yu, dressed in an embroidered white robe, stood at the bow of the boat, looking at me with a smile, "I bet he won't retreat, do you believe me?"
"I don't believe it." I said through gritted teeth, emphasizing each word.
Through the mist on the river, I could clearly make out that the figure in bright purple standing on the opposite boat was Cao Cao. He stood at the bow of the boat, his clothes fluttering in the wind.
Through the hazy mist, I couldn't see his expression, but he showed no sign of backing down.
Zhou Yu's ships drew closer and closer, but Cao Cao showed no intention of attacking.
Behind Cao Cao, on both sides, were densely packed soldiers, each with a bow drawn and arrow nocked, waiting for the order to fire me into a haystack.
The two sides remained deadlocked.
Not long after, someone pushed a man forward from behind Cao Cao.
It was Huang Gai who was captured alive by Cao Cao.
"How is the lady?" Cao Cao's voice rose through the fog, and whether it was my imagination or not, I could hear a hidden concern in those four words.
"None of your business!" I gritted my teeth and shouted, "Get out of here!"
Alas, being a hero is no easy task. Heaven knows how terrified I am right now, fearing that Zhou Yu might just casually push me into the river with a smile.
Both sides tacitly agreed to make a substitution; Zhou Yu wanted to use me to exchange for Huang Gai.
As I walked to the bow of the boat, before I could even stand firmly, my foot suddenly slipped. I turned around in alarm and saw Zhou Yu smiling at me.
He just smiled slightly, raised his hand, and pushed me into the water...
Zhou Yu, you were truly outstanding...
I didn't even have the strength to scream before the icy river water washed over me.
Beneath me was icy, bone-chilling water... But as I fell into that river, I felt like a little mermaid, as if I had turned into sea foam, unable to feel any weight at all...
"Xiaoxiao!" A heart-wrenching cry rang in my ears.
That voice... was it Cao Cao?
That man who was always so confident, that man who seemed to have everything in the world at his fingertips... I had never seen him so out of control.
In a daze... I even seemed to see fear in his eyes...
What are you so afraid of?
Am I leaving?
That man who never loved me, that man who only wanted to imprison me... why does he look so... heartbroken?
A bright purple flashed before his eyes, and Cao Cao jumped into the water. "My lady, don't be afraid!"
"Light the fire!" The young commander in the embroidered white robe shouted the order, and in the midst of his laughter, the warships of Cao Cao's camp, linked together by iron chains, turned into a sea of fire.
The southeast wind, carrying the raging flames, swept straight towards Cao Cao's camp, and in an instant, it became a sea of fire. Amidst the raging flames, Cao Cao's army was thrown into chaos.
Cao Cao carried me, and the two of us, soaking wet, went ashore.
Across the river, Zhou Yu drew his bow and aimed directly at Cao Cao.
"Xiaoxiao!" On the opposite bank, Zhuge Liang's warships had come to assist Zhou Yu, but when he saw me, Zhuge Liang's expression changed slightly.
I instinctively blocked Cao Cao's path.
Zhou Yu drew his bow slightly, aiming it at my left wrist.
"Sister..." Zhao'er's voice was so sharp it startled me.
"Madam!" came Cao Cao's voice.
With a clang, the arrow shot straight at me, shattering the clasp on my wrist...
I turned around and looked at Cao Cao, feeling myself gradually disappearing.
This time, I will go to a place you can never reach... But why do I feel no joy at all?
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