Chapter 109 The first confrontation between Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu!
The two armies fought.

The battlefield then gradually moved from the Changjiang River, a tributary of Poyang Lake, to the main river, and finally a series of naval battles broke out in Poyang Lake.

The "Jiangdong Navy" commanded by generals Zhou Yu, Cheng Pu and others was worthy of being derived from the "Huainan Navy", one of the two major navies of the Han Dynasty.

The naval forces of the coalition forces of Liu Yao, Zhu Hao, Wang Lang and Zhuge Xuan were simply vulnerable!
If they had not set up an ambush here, made adequate preparations in advance, and had not had a slight advantage in infantry, cavalry and land combat, they would have been defeated directly.

However, facing generals such as Zhou Yu and Cheng Pu, who led tens of thousands of troops advancing both by land and sea, the coalition forces of Liu Yao, Zhu Hao, Wang Lang and Zhuge Xuan still fell into a disadvantage.

In the melee, Sun Ce and other defeated soldiers escaped from danger!
"Bofu, are you okay?!"

Seeing Sun Ce returning covered in blood and wounds, Zhou Yu, Cheng Pu and other generals immediately came forward to meet him.

"I'm fine!"

Sun Ce patted his chest and said, then he looked at the enemy with murderous intent and said in a deep voice:
"Gongjin, General Cheng, let's launch a counterattack immediately!"

Zhou Yu advised:
"Bo Fu, this time we were mainly here to rescue you. Now that our goal has been achieved, we should withdraw immediately and regroup."

"I think what Gongjin said is more stable!" Cheng Pu and other veterans also agreed.

But Sun Ce didn't quite understand: "Why?! The enemy is at a disadvantage, we should take advantage of the victory and pursue them."

"Bofu, they are not the enemy, but the imperial officials, the imperial soldiers and generals. They are the king's army!"

Zhou Yu sighed and said helplessly: "Strictly speaking, we are the rebels!
"The reason why we are confronting and fighting with the imperial court is that we need to gain bargaining chips and resist the imperial court's land tax distribution!

"Instead of really getting into a life-and-death battle with the imperial court, to the point where the fight never ends!"

...

"But! If we retreat now, wouldn't that mean we are disregarding the thousands of brothers who died in the battle? Their blood feud has not yet been avenged!"

Sun Ce was unwilling to accept the result and said, "I have already embarked on this path of rebelling against the imperial court. Killing one is killing, and killing ten thousand is still killing!"

...

"Bofu, you should leave some hope for others. You shouldn't be too hostile to the imperial court. You need to leave some hope for survival."

Zhou Yu still had a sense of propriety. He looked around and saw that they were all family members. Then he said:
"Bofu, Yuan Shu's ambition to usurp the throne is growing, and he will definitely become emperor in the future!

"Then we can break away from him, and you can smoothly turn your back on Yuan Shu without having to bear the stigma of betrayal.

"You can even whitewash yourself by fighting back against Yuan Shu and other military exploits, and get the imperial court to recruit you. This is your way out!"

...

"Clear? Recruit?"

Sun Ce's expression darkened, and he said in a deep voice: "Gongjin, didn't all those soldiers die in vain? And... my father died at the hands of the court! He was indirectly killed by Your Majesty!!!"

...

Sun Ce values ​​friendship and loyalty, which is an advantage, but sometimes it is also a disadvantage.

Zhou Yu sighed, expressing deep helplessness.

Cheng Pu spoke up and said:

"Bofu, before Wen Tai died, he left a will asking you not to vent your anger on the court and His Majesty, and to find a way to betray Yuan Shu. Have you forgotten all that?!"

"I remember!"

Sun Ce looked at the two armies that were fighting and said murderously:

"But Dong Zhuo occupied the capital and arbitrarily deposed and enthroned the emperor. Later, the Yuan family usurped the Han Dynasty. These events, one after another, also made me see that the Han Dynasty was in decline and many heroes were vying for supremacy!

"My father was loyal to the Han Dynasty. When the princes were purging the emperor, he was the one who made great military achievements. But in the end, my father ended up with his head and body separated.

"I can't accept it!!! Why?!

"Does this world have to have the surname Liu?!"

Boom——

It was like a bolt from the blue, causing Zhou Yu, Cheng Pu and other generals to be frightened!
They immediately looked around. They were clearly surrounded by their own people and the sounds of fighting were clearly heard not far away, but they were still worried, fearing that the walls might have ears, and they immediately became alert in all directions!

What Sun Ce said was really outrageous!
Because this is an expression of ambition and arrogance to establish himself as king!

Although Sun Ce did not attempt to become emperor like Yuan Shu and said it without reservation, his ambition was already obvious!
As Sun Ce's power grows, his position becomes more stable, and his territory becomes more vast, his ambition will also grow!

In the future, there may be people who want to become emperor like Yuan Shu!
but!

This would not only offend the imperial court, but also offend Yuan Shu!

Zhou Yu advised: "Bofu, be careful with your words!"

"Bo Fu..."

Cheng Pu opened his mouth, but was interrupted by Sun Ce:
"Gongjin, General Cheng, you don't need to persuade me anymore! I know what I want and what I want to do!
"Now, I just want to avenge my brothers who died in the battle, and I want to defeat the imperial coalition forces in an upright manner!

"Are you willing to fight alongside me, or evacuate first?! No matter what you choose, I won't blame you!"

After saying this, Sun Ce left Zhou Yu and Cheng Pu and directly left the central army. Without even bandaging himself, he walked towards the front line with blood all over his body and wounds all over.

Sun Ce just changed his weapon. His weapon had already been bent when he was surrounded.

Then he jumped on his horse, looked at the soldiers around him, and shouted: "Men of Jiangdong, follow me and kill!!!"

The soldiers were a little hesitant, but Sun Ce's prestige was obviously very high, so they just shouted "Kill!!!" and followed Sun Ce into the melee.

"Ugh--"

Zhou Yu sighed, and Cheng Pu was helpless.

But Zhou Yu was Sun Ce's best friend, and Cheng Pu and other generals were Sun Jian's former subordinates. They couldn't break with Sun Ce!
In this case, there is no choice but to keep trying until we hit the wall!
Zhou Yu, Cheng Pu and other generals immediately ordered to intensify the offensive. Their main purpose just now was to rescue Sun Ce, and they were even a little cautious.

At this time, Sun Ce was rescued and thrown into the fierce battle again. They didn't have to worry about anything and attacked fiercely!

Under the fierce attack of Sun Ce's army by land and sea, Liu Yao and other imperial coalition forces were defeated!

Especially the naval forces of the two armies.

A series of naval battles broke out in Poyang Lake, and the imperial coalition forces of Liu Yao, Zhu Hao, Wang Lang and Zhuge Xuan were directly defeated!

After this battle, the Allied Navy, which was not strong to begin with, was directly destroyed!

The allied forces of Liu Yao, Zhu Hao, Wang Lang and Zhuge Xuan were forced to retreat to Nanchang, the capital of Yuzhang County.

Sun Ce refused to give in and pursued the enemy, approaching the city!

Nanchang has been a water city since ancient times. With the natural terrain of "west mountain and east water", it is a veritable oriental water city. The city was developed because of water and prospered because of water. An ancient folk proverb about Nanchang City says "Seven gates, nine states, eighteen slopes, three lakes and nine ports connect Gan and Po".

Nanchang has a dense water network, with the Ganjiang River, Fuhe River, Yudai River, Jinjiang River and Laohe River crisscrossing the territory. There are also numerous lakes, including Qinglan Lake, Junshan Lake, Jinxi Lake, Yao Lake, Baisha Lake, Nantang Lake and hundreds of other large and small lakes.

This is the core area of ​​water transportation!
But after losing the navy, Nanchang was directly surrounded by Sun Ce's "Jiangdong Navy"!
The fleets of the Jiangdong Navy patrolled around the city of Nanchang, while Liu Yao, Zhu Hao, Wang Lang, Zhuge Xuan and others watched from the top of the city.

It's like a person stranded on an isolated island in the sea, being coveted by sharks, making people tremble and panic!
"I didn't expect that the 'Jiangdong Navy' that Sun Ce had been building for several months would be so powerful that our navy was almost completely annihilated!"

Liu Yao said in a deep voice.

In fact, this has already saved his face. It is more than just "almost", in fact, he has been completely defeated!
You can only escape with the wreckage of a broken ship. You can catch fish after repairing it, but it is wishful thinking to want to take part in a naval battle!
"How much food is left in the city? How long can we hold out?" Zhuge Xuan asked.

Although he had once governed Nanchang in Yuzhang County, he was later driven out of Nanchang by Zhu Hao and Liu Yao.

Moreover, as the two armies fought later, food and fodder were obviously consumed at a great cost, and past statistical data can no longer be used to measure the current situation.

"I have ordered people to work as fast as possible to count the numbers!" Zhu Hao said in a deep voice.

As he finished speaking, his personal soldiers returned with a solemn look on their faces: "Your Excellency, there are now more than 500,000 civilians and tens of thousands of troops in Nanchang City. The food and grass can only support them for more than a month at most!"

"I know, you go down first."

"promise!!!"

After sending everyone away, Zhu Hao said in a deep voice:

"We must find a way out! Otherwise, even if Nanchang City has strong walls and can stop the attack of Sun Ce's troops, we will still be trapped to death and famine will break out!

"We don't even have to wait until famine breaks out. Once the food shortage crisis occurs, Sun Ce's army only needs to use a little trick to incite civil unrest in Nanchang!"

Hearing this, everyone nodded solemnly!

"Da da da--"

At this time, Wang Lang and Zhuge Liang returned. After they fled back to the city, they divided the work and cooperated with each other. Liu Yao, Zhu Hao and Zhuge Xuan deployed their troops on the city wall, strengthened their vigilance, and guarded against Sun Ce's army's strong attack, while also observing the enemy.

Wang Lang went to comfort the defeated soldiers, either by making big promises or boosting morale, which stabilized the morale of the defeated army.

Zhuge Liang assisted Wang Lang, putting his theoretical knowledge into practice and gradually becoming a future military strategist.

"Kong Ming is indeed a young hero. With his help, I quickly stabilized the army's morale, counted the number of defeated soldiers, the number of casualties, and solved problems such as food and fodder logistics."

Wang Lang praised Zhuge Liang highly.

If Wang Lang knew that in the original history, he was scolded to death by Zhuge Liang, what would he feel?
However, the arrangement of fate is really dramatic. They have become comrades-in-arms now, and their relationship may even be further developed in the future!
Because, we are all fighting side by side for the Han Dynasty!
"Kong Ming is indeed a young hero!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yao's heavy face rarely showed a smile: "Thanks to Kong Ming's deployment of troops, we can retreat calmly!"

"It's a pity that our navy is too weak, otherwise, we might have a chance to defeat the Jiangdong navy!" Zhu Hao also sighed: "Kong Ming is so young, but he already has the style of Liu Hou!"

"More than that! Liu Hou, Xiao Xiang, plus Han Xin, this is the future of Kong Ming!" Wang Lang praised.

Zhuge Xuan didn't want to interrupt, but his expression softened.

However, Zhuge Liang did not become complacent or proud because of the flattery from these bigwigs.

Zhuge Liang looked at the rivers outside the city of Nanchang from afar. The Jiangdong navy was patrolling on the rivers. This was the dilemma faced by Sun Ce's army surrounding Nanchang.

Although they retreated to Nanchang, they also suffered heavy casualties, and now that the city was under siege, there was also a food crisis.

Zhuge Liang asked, "Liu Shijun, I saw you all looked worried just now. Is it because of the enemy's siege and the food problem?"

"Kong Ming is indeed smart."

Liu Yao sighed, his expression solemn again, and told the grain and grass data he had just counted, and then asked: "I wonder if Kong Ming has any other opinions? Does he have any plan to break the deadlock?"

Zhu Hao, Wang Lang, and Zhuge Xuan all had hope in their eyes, and they could see light in their eyes. They wanted to hear Zhuge Liang's unique insights and solutions to the problem!

Pool your wisdom and work together!
"We might as well ask for help from Jingzhou!" Zhuge Liang said.

The light in the eyes of Liu Yao and others gradually disappeared.

Liu Yao smiled bitterly and said:
"Has Kong Ming forgotten? Liu Jingsheng is seriously ill, and the power of Jingzhou is controlled by his wife's family, the Cai family. How can they rescue us?

"It would be great if we could just sit back and watch. I'm afraid they will secretly join forces with Yuan Shu and take advantage of our misfortune!"

...

"I know."

Zhuge Liang nodded and expressed his thoughts: "But this move will let the world see Jingzhou's rebellious behavior!
"The imperial court issued an edict to attack Yuan Shu who was trying to claim the throne, but Jingzhou remained unmoved! The imperial court issued an edict to Jingzhou to send troops to Jiangdong, but Jingzhou remained unmoved!
"Jingzhou Governor Liu Biao suddenly fell seriously ill. His wife's family, the Cai family, controlled the power of Jingzhou. Facing the imperial officials' request for help, the enemy army acted recklessly and approached the city... If he still remained unmoved!
"Then at this time, the loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty will be angry and united in hatred of the enemy. They will criticize and attack Jingzhou. The court will also have a legitimate reason to send troops to Jingzhou!"

...

"This... this plan is brilliant!"

After hearing this, the eyes of Liu Yao and others lit up again.

The imperial court sent troops to Jingzhou, tying up Jingzhou's troops. This could prevent Jingzhou from adding insult to injury and making them vulnerable to attack from both sides.

Moreover, Jingzhou's actions will anger the loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty, and they will attack it together, which will also share their pressure!
Maybe reinforcements will arrive and join forces with them to attack the Jiangdong navy.

Even more, if the imperial court, after this incident, speeds up the pace of sending troops south to confront Yuan Shu in Huainan.

If Yuan Shu in Huainan can't hold on, he might call back Sun Ce and ask him to come to his aid.

If Sun Ce responded to the imperial edict and rushed to help Yuan Shu, their predicament in the siege of Nanchang would immediately disappear.

If Sun Ce pretended to obey but actually disobeyed Yuan Shu, it might lead to a civil war between Yuan Shu and Sun Ce.

It can also share their pressure!
This is a strategy that kills two birds with one stone!

...

"Kong Ming is a great talent!"

"If it weren't for Kong Ming, we might not only lose this battle, but also be routed and completely annihilated!"

"With Kong Ming, we are like a tiger with wings. What's there to fear about the danger of the siege of Nanchang?!"

"..."

After hearing this, Liu Yao, Zhu Hao, Wang Lang and others immediately began to flatter Zhuge Liang!
Zhuge Xuan's face was also filled with satisfaction, and he also wanted to praise him, but after all, they were uncle and nephew, and it would seem like he was bragging about himself.

But after hearing this, Zhuge Liang did not show any intention. Instead, he sighed and said:
"My Lords, thank you for your praise! If I were really that powerful, our army would not have been defeated.

"From the prisoners, we learned that Sun Ce was able to reach this point thanks to Zhou Yu, who was behind the scenes giving him advice.

"Comparing the two, I'm still a little inferior to others!"

This was the first time Zhuge Liang met Zhou Yu, and they met when the two armies were at war.

Zhuge Liang provided advice to the coalition forces of Liu Yao, Zhu Hao, Wang Lang and Zhuge Xuan, while Zhou Yu planned and strategized for Sun Ce's army.

This is also a confrontation between two military strategists!
But the first confrontation between Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu ended with Zhuge Liang's defeat!
This dealt a blow to Zhuge Liang's ambitions!
Die before leaving the teacher, it will make the hero burst into tears!
"Kong Ming, you are only in your teens, while Zhou Yu is already in his early twenties. Whether in age, experience, or actual combat experience, he is more experienced than you."

Liu Yao consoled him:

“And this battle was not a problem of Kong Ming’s strategy, but the fact that our army was inferior to Sun Ce in terms of manpower.

"Our army does not have a general as brave and skilled in fighting as Sun Ce. You must know that it is easy to get thousands of soldiers but difficult to find a good general.

"Our army does not have a strong navy like the Jiangdong Navy. Jiangdong has a dense network of waterways. Without a navy, we are undoubtedly walking on one leg and will surely be crushed to pieces.

"Under such a disadvantage, our army has been able to achieve this point, and has been defeated without being crushed. This is already commendable, thanks to Kong Ming's brilliant strategy and planning!
"This is a great achievement!"

...

Zhu Hao, Wang Lang and others also advised, and Zhuge Xuan also echoed this time. Let Zhuge Liang not mind, the defeat in this battle is not the fault of war!

Zhuge Liang was a man of great ambition, both civil and military skills, and had lofty aspirations. According to original history, when he was living in seclusion in Longzhong, he compared himself to Guan Zhong and Yue Yi.

But Zhuge Liang was only in his early teens after all. The defeat in the first battle still made him feel that there were so many heroes in the world and they should not be underestimated. He still needed to continue learning and further his studies.

Regarding Zhou Yu, his opponent, he felt a sense of regret: "Since Liang was born, why was Yu born?"

However, Zhuge Liang did not complain about himself or lose heart. Instead, he fought more and more bravely and his fighting spirit was high!

It is just like in the original history, when Zhuge Liang came out to assist Liu Bei, and burned Cao's camp with three fires, rendering the army in disarray.

However, due to the huge disparity in military strength, he had to retreat to Xinye and fled to Jingzhou with Liu Bei.

But this was not because Zhuge Liang was inferior in skills, but because his military strength was inferior to that of the enemy, the gap was too huge.

Just like now.

It’s not that Zhuge Liang is inferior to Zhou Yu, but that the coalition forces’ military strength, especially the navy, is inferior to Sun Ce’s Jiangdong navy.

This will not only not make Zhuge Liang less worried, but will make him even more motivated!

"Thank you all for your kind words of advice. Liang is deeply touched!"

Zhuge Liang thanked Liu Yao, Zhu Hao, Wang Lang, and Zhuge Xuan one by one, and then said:
“But the danger of the siege of Nanchang and the food crisis have not been completely alleviated.

"The imperial court sent troops to Huainan and Jingzhou to tie down their troops, but after all, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. We need to find another way!
“Even the news that our navy was completely annihilated in the battle at Poyang Lake might damage the prestige of the imperial court!

“If Sun Ce and Yuan Shu use this to deceive the people and stir up trouble, it will make people all over the world worry about the court, and it will also undermine the morale of the court’s soldiers and the loyal officials of the Han Dynasty!
“They may even question your majesty’s decision to send troops south.

“People all over the world would think that it is difficult for us, the imperial officials, to defeat Yuan Shu’s general Sun Ce’s Jiangdong navy, so can the imperial court defeat Yuan Shu’s Huainan navy?

"The imperial court lacks naval forces, and the Huainan navy is the best in the world in naval warfare. This is the consensus of everyone!
"Our battle has affected the imperial court's strategy of sending troops southward!"

...

Hearing this, everyone looked solemn!
Their naval battle in Poyang Lake not only affected the allied forces but also caused them to be surrounded by Sun Ce's troops and besieged the city.

It also affected the prestige of the court and the confidence of the people in the court. After all, the court lacked naval forces, and this was a consensus!

This also affected the court's decision to send troops south, and a single move would affect the entire body!

In this battle, they deserve to die!!!

With this in mind, they immediately began to work together and brainstorm to find a solution.

The desire to make up for the disadvantage through a victory also helps boost the confidence and morale of the imperial court in sending troops south!
……

(End of this chapter)