People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 508 Virtual and Real
The arrival of a new day may also mean the arrival of a new war. Last night's naval battle ended in the fire, but after a night, waves arose on the Yangtze River again.

The Yellow Turbans' huge navy was advancing upstream. Although their speed was slow, their momentum was steady. Led by the giant warships of a hundred meters in front, they were like moving mountains. It was amazing to see from a distance and shocking to see from close up.

"They are coming!" Liu Bei leaned on the railing and looked over, feeling extremely heavy in his heart.

Sun Quan's face also became solemn, and he could only grit his teeth and said, "I have already ordered the navy upstream to intercept them last night. We will have to fight with them on the water, but I am afraid it will not have any optimistic results."

Liu Bei shook his head and sighed. He knew that this was not because Sun Quan wanted to boost others' morale, but because the reality was too helpless.

Whenever he thought of the horrible artillery shells of the Yellow Turbans during yesterday's battle, he couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart. With such powerful weapons, it was hard to say how much confidence this side had in repelling the Yellow Turban navy.

Of course, even if we put aside those terrible weapons and only consider the current naval strength of both sides on paper, the Wu and Shu navy cannot withstand the Yellow Turban navy.

After thinking about it, Liu Bei gave Sun Quan a rational advice: "Don't force it. Now the Xuanxia navy is in full swing and has powerful weapons in hand. It is difficult for us to block it by force. It is better to face the reality and give in for the time being. It is wise to give up this waterway and save strength for later!"

Although Liu Bei's words were unpleasant to hear, they were indeed the most realistic advice.

Soon, Lu Su and others began to persuade Sun Quan that it was not appropriate to do something knowing that it was impossible. If the already vulnerable Wu Shu navy suffered another heavy blow, there would be no hope in the future.

Sun Quan's face was uncertain, and he finally grabbed the railing angrily: "But, seeing the Yellow Turbans being so arrogant, I really can't swallow this breath!"

Everyone present was silent. In fact, they were all angry in their hearts, but facing an opponent like Xu Chen, all they could do was grit their teeth and endure it. They really couldn't beat him.

Liu Bei sighed slightly, took a step forward, and patted Sun Quan on the shoulder: "A real man is born in heaven and earth. How can he be angry because of a temporary setback? Being arrogant just because of success is nothing. Only those who can endure failure and bear pain are true heroes."

Sun Quan was stunned for a moment, staring at the Xuanxia navy in the river for a long time, and finally sighed: "Forget it, there is still a long way to go!"

In the end, Sun Quan accepted his fate and compromised. He no longer insisted on stopping the Yellow Turbans by force. Yesterday's battle had frightened everyone in Wu and Shu, and they really didn't dare to confront the Yellow Turbans head-on.

After all, after yesterday's great battle, Wu and Shu's only remaining navy became extremely important and could no longer be lost.

Preserving your strength and waiting for the critical moment to play your role is the truly wise choice.

Sun Quan accepted Liu Bei's advice and endured the failure and pain, but he hoped that the failure and pain would end there. If it continued, he felt he would collapse.

If you can endure it for a while, you are a hero; but if all you can endure is failure and pain, then you are a loser.

Of course, Sun Quan and Liu Bei were unwilling to be the unlucky ones. Even though they had suffered a crushing defeat at the beginning of the war, it was not enough to make them completely accept their fate.

After quickly adjusting their mindset, they regrouped and led their army to follow the Xuanxia navy.

As Lu Su had said before, if the Yellow Turbans wanted to cross the river on a large scale, they would have to rely on the navy's warships to transport troops. As long as they kept a close eye on the movements of the Xuanxia navy, they would not have made too much error in judging the route of Xuanxia's main attack. This was the last hope of the Wu-Shu coalition.

The south bank is heavily defended with troops deployed on the shore. If the Yellow Turbans on the north bank try to cross the river and force their way in, there will definitely be no good results. This will be no less difficult than the Yellow Turban navy's charge yesterday.

Yesterday, the Yellow Turbans still had the help of weapons to reverse the destiny, and they accepted this, considering that Xu Chen, the sorcerer, was capable.

But when it comes to crossing the river later, they really don’t believe what tricks the Yellow Turbans can use!
After all, the Yellow Turban navy was going upstream and at a very slow speed, which gave the Wu-Shu coalition forces on the south bank ample time to react. They also faithfully implemented the strategy of keeping a close eye on the Yellow Turban navy, following it at an unhurried pace all the way. No matter when the Yellow Turbans chose to suddenly cross the river, they would be able to react at the first moment.

If such a situation really occurred, the Wu-Shu coalition forces could attack the Yellow Turbans halfway across the river and perhaps turn the tables in one fell swoop.

How could the Yellow Turbans on the other side not understand the plan of the Wu-Shu coalition? After only two days of marching, the Wu-Shu coalition on the south bank discovered that the Yellow Turbans on the north bank were making movements.

When the army was resting, Lu Su stood on a high place and observed the opposite bank with a telescope. He soon saw some not-so-good signs. After confirming the situation, he hurried down to look for Sun Quan.

Arriving at the king's tent in the middle of the camp, Lu Su was brought in after the eunuch informed him. He saw Sun Quan and Zhou Yu, who looked unhappy, sitting opposite each other in the tent, and they seemed to have been talking for a long time.

Lu Su hurried forward to report the situation: "Your Majesty, I just checked the situation on the other side and found that the Yellow Turbans have all withdrawn from the shore. In this case, it will be difficult for our army to spy on the enemy's movements."

Sun Quan frowned and subconsciously looked at Zhou Yu opposite him.

When it comes to military and national affairs, Sun Quan believed that he was not as good as Zhou Yu. Otherwise, he would not have dragged Zhou Yu over to discuss important matters when Zhou Yu had not yet fully recovered.

It can only be said that when luck is bad, everything seems to be terrible. Now, I have to take Xuan Xia's every move seriously, which is actually very tiring. Fortunately, Sun Quan is an emperor and can order his ministers around.

"This is not good. The Yellow Turbans are hiding their tracks. If they are plotting something behind the scenes, it will be difficult for us to detect it. What should we do?" As he spoke, Sun Quan's eyes fell on Zhou Yu.

Of course Zhou Yu understood Sun Quan's meaning. Fortunately, after two days of rest, although his health did not improve, he regained some energy.

After pondering for a while, Zhou Yu said, "Your Majesty, don't worry too much. No matter what the Yellow Turbans plan, they will eventually need to use their navy to cross the river. The key is still their navy. As long as our army keeps a close eye on the Yellow Turbans' navy, there won't be too many unexpected changes."

Sun Quan's brows relaxed slightly when he heard this, but he still had some doubts in his heart: "Is it all right just like this? I just don't think the Yellow Turbans would hide their whereabouts for no reason. I don't know the reason, and I always feel uneasy."

Zhou Yu nodded and said with a smile: "Your Majesty is more thoughtful than me. In this case, maybe we can send a small boat to secretly cross the river at night to spy on the other side. I think we can get something."

"That's great!" Sun Quan laughed, then looked at Lu Su and said, "I'll leave this matter to Zi Jing. We must find out the Yellow Turbans' movements!"

(End of this chapter)