Although Xu Sheng didn't quite understand what Gan Ning said, he knew it was not a good thing. Just as he was about to argue, Zhou Yu arrived by boat and ordered the fleet to retreat.
Before we knew it, the sun had set and the sky and earth had become dark. Torches were lit on the boats, illuminating the river, creating another magnificent scene.
Liu Qi stepped forward to greet him, clasped his fists and said with a smile: "The Grand Commander has arrived at the right time. The enemy army has been wiped out. There is no need to worry anymore!"
Zhou Yu returned the greeting and said, "It was only because you tried to defeat the enemy that we were able to achieve great success. However, this villain has committed many evil deeds. Can you let me deal with him?"
Liu Qi looked back at the panicked bandits and said with a smile, "Since they have surrendered to me, they are the people of Jingzhou. Please show mercy, Governor, and let me take them back to Jingzhou. They will not endanger Jiangdong."
"That's fine!" Zhou Yu had no choice but to agree.
The two sides had previously agreed to destroy the rebel army and keep the seized supplies to their respective owners. Unexpectedly, Liu Qi was forced by the Wu army to persuade the rebel army to surrender, thus gaining another advantage.
Liu Qi said, "I heard that the governor was not feeling well the day before yesterday when we met. I wonder how he is doing?"
"Thank you for your concern, General. It's all right!" Zhou Yu smiled faintly, and suddenly sighed, "After today's separation, I don't know when we will meet again. If there is anything you have not finished in Jiangdong, I am willing to serve you."
Liu Qi smiled and said, "This trip to Jiangdong was a great success. As long as you and I work together to defeat Cao, we can meet in the Central Plains one day and see each other again."
Zhou Yu sighed inwardly and was about to test the waters again when Xu Sheng approached him in his boat and said, "General, there is a fleet approaching from upstream. I don't know who they are."
Zhou Yu was shocked and quickly ordered his troops to form a battle array to resist the enemy. Gan Ning also deployed his fleet and concentrated all the captured bandits onto two large ships and drove them to the rear to prevent them from taking the opportunity to cause chaos.
As the battle array was being formed, drums sounded on the river and countless torches lit up, covering the entire surface of the river. Looking around, there were more than a thousand warships of varying sizes, attacking like ferocious beasts.
Zhou Yu had a solemn expression on his face. He saw that the fleet moved freely and advanced and retreated in an orderly manner. If this was the main force of the bandits in Poyang Lake, it would surely be a fierce battle.
The two sides lined up at the mouth of Poyang Lake. The originally wide river surface seemed crowded. On a tall fighting ship, a man stood tall, holding a big knife, with a three-foot long beard fluttering in the wind.
"It's Yunchang!" Zhao Yun screamed when he saw the outline of the figure.
Liu Qi also vaguely recognized that it was Guan Yu. With that demeanor and aura, as well as the Green Dragon Sword under the firelight, who else could have done that except the Second Master
The two sides stared at each other across the firelight. A ship came over through the waves. A young general on the bow said loudly: "I am Guan Ping under the command of Left General Guan Yu. Release General Liu as soon as possible, otherwise we will kill him in Jiangdong and leave no one alive!"
When Zhou Yu heard that it was the Jiangxia navy, his brows slightly frowned. Looking at the situation, the strength of the Jingzhou navy should not be underestimated. The battleship that Guan Yu was riding was more powerful than Sun Quan's Qinglong battleship.
Looking at the ships that Gan Ning brought, they were so dilapidated and shabby. Everyone initially laughed at the Jingzhou navy for being vulnerable, but now it seems that they were deliberately hiding their weaknesses.
"Guan Yu is so arrogant, he's going too far..." Xu Sheng was young and hot-tempered after all, and when he saw Guan Yu and his son talking like that, he wanted to step forward to argue.
Zhou Yu shook his head slightly. He saw Liu Qi's ship slowly coming out of the fleet behind him. He smiled at Guan Ping and said, "Brother Guan, don't worry. We are safe and sound."
Guan Ping was pleasantly surprised and said, "My Lord, it's great that you are here!"
Liu Qi said with emotion: "Second Uncle, he really took action!"
No one expected Guan Yu to come so quickly. It seemed that they had been monitoring the movements of the Eastern Wu. When they heard the fighting, they thought they were being blocked and immediately sent troops to fight.
Guan Ping sounded the fire signal and Liu Pan also came over in a boat. He saw that the two sides did not fight, so it was really a false alarm.
Liu Qi called Gan Ning to lead his troops back to the team, and approached Zhou Yu to say goodbye: "General, we are ahead of Qichun. We are leaving now, so please don't see us off!"
Zhou Yu's eyes were slightly stern, and he said calmly: "General, you are supporting Jiangdong, but I am afraid you are not doing your best?"
Liu Qi laughed and said, "How can you help someone and still sacrifice your family fortune? I know that the Jiangdong navy is strong, so why should I make a fool of myself? This is like showing off your sword in front of Guan Gong!"
"Showing off one's sword in front of Guan Yu's door?" Zhou Yu was startled, shook his head and laughed, thinking that Guan Yu's swordsmanship was indeed unrivaled in the world.
Although what Liu Qi said was blunt, it did make sense. The two families had no relationship before, and were even enemies, so it was good enough that they could come to help.
If Liu Qi had not stayed behind to guard the camp, the Battle of Ruxu would have fallen into Cao Cao's trap and almost ruined his reputation.
The only regret is that Liu Qi never wanted to tell the secret. While he was distracted, the navy of Jingzhou had sailed away.
Xu Sheng was also stunned, and said with emotion: "I didn't expect Guan Yu to be able to train naval forces. Compared with the time of Huang Zu, they are several times stronger."
Zhou Yu looked at the thousands of lights on the river, the dense warships in the distance, and the laughter and joy. With such an army, it would be extremely difficult to capture Jiangxia.
Xu Sheng was just ordering the fleet to withdraw when Zhou Yu suddenly shuddered and shouted, "Bring the speedboats quickly."
Before Xu Sheng could turn around to ask more questions, Zhou Yu got off the boat and boarded a small boat, which was rowed by two of his trusted men, in pursuit of the Jingzhou fleet.
At this time, Liu Qi was meeting Guan Yu. As expected, they had been monitoring the river day and night and learned that the fleet was about to reach the border. They were preparing to welcome Liu Qi, but found themselves besieged by the Eastern Wu fleet. They immediately informed Guan Yu to come and rescue them. Their reaction was extremely fast.
Guan Ping reported: "Master, Zhou Yu is chasing us!"
Liu Qi came to the bow and saw Zhou Yu coming alone in a speedboat. He recalled his previous attempts to test him. Could it be that he had found out that Sun Ce was murdered and was afraid, so he wanted to go back to Jingzhou with him
Just as I was daydreaming, I heard Zhou Yu calling out, "I have some clothes to give to my elder sister. I forgot to tell her during the battle. Can I ask Zilong to come and get them?"
"Oh!" Liu Qi was very disappointed. He asked Zhao Yun to get it. It would not be appropriate to send someone else since Zhou Yu would deliver it personally.
Zhao Yun got down the ladder and boarded the boat. When they reached the middle of the river, Zhou Yu took him on board and took out a package: "This is the clothes Xiao Qiao specially made for me. Give it to my elder sister and tell her not to worry about it when she gets to Jingzhou. If she has time... she can visit me in Chaisang."
Zhao Yun took it with both hands: "Thank you!"
Zhou Yu glanced around and said, "On this boat, besides my family's trusted generals, there are only you and me. I wonder if you have any words to say to me, elder sister?"
Zhao Yun shook his head and said, "No."
Zhou Yu took a deep breath and said, "If we talk about family affection, I should call you brother-in-law. As the saying goes, a family is close behind closed doors. If you have any difficulties or unfulfilled wishes, please tell me. I will do my best to help you."
Zhao Yun shook his head again and said, "Madam has not told you."
Zhou Yu was so anxious that his blood boiled. He forced a smile and said, "That day when we met at Ganlu Temple, Xiao Qiao saw that your eyes were red, as if you were worried about something. If Zilong knows something, can you tell me? If you are still worried about something in Jiangdong after going to Jingzhou, wouldn't you feel uneasy?"
Zhao Yun looked at Zhou Yu's anxious gaze, his eyes deep and calm, and he pursed his lips and shook his head again.
Zhou Yu realized that Zhao Yun would never tell him this privately, and felt very disappointed. He looked up to the sky and sighed, then ordered his men to drive the boat back and send Zhao Yun away.
Watching the Jingzhou fleet sail away and the flames slowly disappearing into the night, it was as if the fire in my heart was also extinguished. I felt bloating and pain in my chest and abdomen, and I lay on the side of the boat vomiting.