Zhou Yu ordered the defense of the south bank and was preparing to divide his troops to search and occupy the island when he suddenly heard drums beating in the distance and bandits rushed out with swords, guns, sticks and clubs.
The first one had a dark complexion and a burly figure. He raised his sword and shouted, "Who is so bold as to dare to enter Cangwu Mountain?"
Xu Sheng held his sword across his chest, looking at the scattered bandits with a look of contempt, and said in a deep voice: "The Jiangdong navy has arrived here, and those who surrender will not be killed!"
"Wu soldiers?" The man was surprised. "Xuzhou has been occupied by the Eastern Wu?"
Xu Sheng stepped forward and asked, "Are you the leader of the bandits?"
The man was in a state of confusion and shouted, "I am Guan Cheng, the Yellow Turban warrior. I have always kept to myself with Jiangdong. Why are you here?"
"Guan Cheng?" Xu Sheng had heard of this man's name and advised, "You were a troublemaker in Qingzhou and were driven away by Cao's army. You didn't expect to escape here. If you can abandon evil and do good, and join us in defeating Cao, you still have a chance to make achievements. Don't miss it."
"Are you Guan Cheng?"
"Hahaha, what a joke!" Guan Cheng laughed up to the sky, "I am free and easy here, why should I let the dogs bully me?"
This Guan Cheng was none other than the son of Guan Hai, the former leader of the Yellow Turban Army. After Guan Hai was killed, he led the remaining troops to flee in the mountains of Qingzhou.
Later, Cao Cao destroyed the Yuan family and occupied Hebei. The remnants of the Yellow Turbans rebelled, and Cao Cao personally led an expedition to Qingzhou. Guan Cheng was defeated by Le Jin, and fled across the sea. He discovered Cangwu Mountain, where he gathered the remnants and proclaimed himself King of Donghai.
"How dare you establish yourself as the Evil King? You are truly unrepentant in your evil deeds!" Xu Sheng was furious, holding up his sword and shouting, "Come and die!"
"Boss, let me take care of him!" A thug next to him was eager to show off and pointed his gun at Xu Sheng.
Xu Sheng let out a low shout and swung his broadsword, cutting off the gun handle in the man's hand. Before the man could react, he backhandedly beheaded him with a single blow.
Xu Sheng stood proudly, blood dripping from the blade, and shouted, "Who else?"
"This is too much!" Guan Cheng was furious and waved his hand and shouted, "Brothers, attack together. Don't let them go back to report the news."
He thought that the Eastern Wu navy must have found this deep sea place by accident. They were few in number and had to wipe out the entire force. Otherwise, if some of the deserters returned, the Wu army would continue to attack and cause endless trouble.
The bandits also knew that the situation was critical, so they rushed forward. Xu Sheng held Guan Cheng back, and the Eastern Wu navy and the bandits engaged in a melee. The shouts of killing were deafening on the beach.
Zhou Yu stood on a reef with his sword in hand, watching the two armies fighting. The armor and weapons of the bandits were broken and incomplete, so they were no match at all. He couldn't even muster the interest to command them.
Guan Cheng had fought with officers and soldiers many times before and had some skills. But since he arrived on this isolated island, he had been resting on his laurels and had lived a life of luxury for many years. His martial arts skills had long been shrunken, so he was no match for Xu Sheng.
He barely managed to hold on for more than ten rounds before he could no longer hold out. Seeing the minions around him being killed and scattered, he suddenly became flustered and turned to leave, but was stuck in the mud and sand and fell.
Xu Sheng was quick and swift, swinging his sword across. Guan Cheng, who was sitting on the ground, tried to block it, but it was too late. He watched the cold light flash by and the scene in front of him began to spin.
Xu Sheng killed Guan Cheng with a single blow of his sword, and the bandit army was thrown into complete chaos, and they fled to the island. Wu's army followed closely behind them, and in a blink of an eye they rushed into the village like chopping melons and vegetables, killing the bandits so badly that they fled in panic, kneeling on the ground and begging for mercy.
In less than half an hour, Cangwu Mountain was occupied by Wu's army. They saw a large open space on the top of the island, and there were fields and salt fields under the northern cliff, but they had not been used for many years and had long been abandoned.
Looking at the dilapidated houses and dirty warehouses, Zhou Yu guessed that these were built by the Mi family to avoid the chaos. He ordered the soldiers to guard the prisoners and ask them to clean up the island and prepare to temporarily build a water fort here.
Xu Sheng was puzzled and asked, "Based on the terrain, this place can go straight into the heart of Xuzhou to the west and Qingzhou to the north. Why did the governor station troops here instead of taking the opportunity to advance?"
Zhou Yu smiled and said, "It is a taboo to march alone deep into the enemy's territory. If Cao's army had no navy, how could we dare to march north rashly? We are running low on food and grass, and the soldiers, ships and equipment of the three armies are in urgent need of rest and repair. It is safest to station troops here for the time being."
Cheng Ziyan said, "What the governor said is very true. We have come a long way across the sea, with no food or reinforcements. If we rashly go ashore, we will be isolated. I wonder what the governor is going to do next?"
Zhou Yu said: "The Marquis of Wu has already contacted Gongsun Kang of Liaodong. According to the itinerary, the Liaodong troops should have arrived in Qingzhou by now. We can send patrol boats to get information and contact them. The Liaodong army will attack Donglai from the north, and we will take Beihai from Langya to the east. The two armies will attack from the north and south, and Qingzhou will be easily captured."
"It turns out that the commander-in-chief is heading north, which will catch Cao's army off guard." Xu Sheng was extremely surprised. He didn't expect that Zhou Yu's long journey this time would go straight to Hebei.
Zhou Yu said, "Cao Cao is now marching north to attack the Xianbei, and the Marquis of Wu is fighting in Shouchun again. The main force of Cao's army must be in the Huai River area. Previously, the navy attacked the mouth of the Huai River by surprise. Although Cao's army strengthened coastal patrols, they never expected that we would take Qingzhou."
Cheng Zi nodded: "The governor's move is brilliant. The eastern part of Qingzhou extends to the sea. We can advance to Hebei and retreat to the sea. Cao's army can do nothing about it."
Zhou Yu ordered all camps to hide their boats, organize their equipment, and temporarily keep the fisherman on the island to prevent the news from leaking out. He also sent people to Langya to inquire about the situation in the Central Plains.
Half a month later, scouts reported that Sun Quan had divided his troops into three groups to fight against Cao's army at Feishui. As expected, Gongsun Kang sent troops to attack Donglai, hoping to restore the previously appointed Yingzhou governor.
The person leading the troops was none other than the former governor Liu Yi, who had been defeated by the great general Zhang Liao and was unwilling to give up, so he made a comeback. He had occupied the coastal area of Qingzhou and attacked Huangxian of Donglai.
In addition, the war in the Central Plains has also broken out. Guan Yu led 100,000 soldiers from Jingzhou to the north and fought against Zhang Liao in Kunyang. The two armies have been fighting, with both sides winning and losing, and are currently in a standoff.
Zhou Yu was very surprised: "This battle in the Central Plains is related to the victory or failure of Cao and Liu, and Liu Qi is not leading the troops?"
The scout replied, "I heard that Liu Qi went to Hanzhong to rescue Ma Chao and killed Han Sui in Longxi. I don't know where he is now."
"Oh?" Zhou Yu's eyes were slightly stern, and he said thoughtfully, "Liu Qi appointed Guan Yu as the general and Wolong as the military advisor. It seems that he trusts these two people very much and entrusts them with important matters in the Central Plains. His intention is to target Guanzhong."
Cheng Zi was overjoyed and said, "If Liu Qi can take Guanzhong, he can send troops from Chang'an to cooperate with Guan Yu from afar and attack the Central Plains together. The commander-in-chief sent a surprise attack to take Qingzhou. Cao's army will be attacked from all sides and will be overwhelmed. The situation will be over!"
Zhou Yu was worried and said, "Kong Ming has a great plan, and with Guan Yu's bravery, I'm afraid Zhang Liao will not be able to stop them. Once they break through Xuchang, the Central Plains will be in chaos. I wonder if the Marquis of Wu can break through Shouchun in time and seize Xuzhou to support us."
Xu Sheng smiled and said, "Huainan has 150,000 elite soldiers. Although the commander-in-chief cannot personally go to the battlefield, we have veteran generals like Huang Gai and Han Dang, as well as outstanding generals like Lu Meng and Lu Xun. All the heroes of Jiangdong have come out, which is more than enough to deal with Cao Ren and Xiahou Dun."
Zhou Yu said, "If it were just a general from the Cao clan, there would be no need to worry! But Cao Cao has just promoted Sima Yi as his military advisor. He is quite strategic. Ziming is just starting to learn the art of war, so I'm afraid he is no match for him. I wonder if Lu Boyan can compete with him."
Cheng Ziyan said, "Don't worry, Commander. The Marquis of Wu has studied the art of war hard over the past two years and is no longer the master he once was. Sima Yi is just a scholar and has just joined the army. How can he match the wisdom of these three people?"