Chapter 297

【Ranking Top Ten Ancient Battles · Part Four】

【Battle of Red Cliffs】

【Time: 208 AD】

【Location: Red Cliffs (now Red Cliffs, Hubei)】

【Opposing sides: Sun-Liu coalition vs Cao Cao】

【Overview: Cao Cao went south after unifying the north.

The Sun-Liu coalition took advantage of the Cao army's lack of naval warfare experience and the prevalence of epidemics,

Zhou Yu adopted Huang Gai's "fire attack" plan, feigned surrender, and burned Cao Cao's chain of warships, and Cao Cao was defeated and returned north.】

【Why famous: "Burning Red Cliffs" laid the foundation for the Three Kingdoms.】

【This battle stopped Cao Cao's pace of unifying China and is the climax of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms."】

When the Sky Screen lit up, the entire Three Kingdoms went quiet.

Not because of the pressure of the golden light—after these few days, everyone was used to the Sky Screen.

What really made everyone shut up were the four characters "Battle of Red Cliffs."

Cao Cao sat in the Prime Minister's office in Xudu, holding a bowl of hot soup, about to drink, when he saw the four characters "Battle of Red Cliffs," his hand paused, and a few drops of soup spilled on his sleeve.

He didn't wipe it, his eyes staring dead at the Sky Screen.

Red Cliffs.

He hadn't fought the Battle of Red Cliffs.

Because this battle hadn't been fought yet.

But the Sky Screen said he would fight it in the future, and he would lose.

Xiahou Dun, who was beside him, was the first to speak: "My Lord, this..."

Cao Cao raised his hand to interrupt him. He wanted to watch.

Liu Bei was in Chengdu—no, Liu Bei didn't have Chengdu yet.

He was holed up in Xinye, a tiny county town.

And he only had a few thousand troops in his hands, living under someone else's roof, relying on Liu Biao to give him a piece of land to survive.

When the Sky Screen lit up, Liu Bei was discussing matters with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei in the courtyard.

Hearing the four characters "Battle of Red Cliffs," he put down the bamboo slips in his hand and walked into the courtyard.

Guan Yu stroked his long beard, his phoenix eyes slightly narrowed: "Red Cliffs? Sun-Liu coalition? Liu... is it the Lord?"

Liu Bei didn't speak, but his eyes were already bright.

Sun Quan was in Jiangdong, sitting in the council hall in Jianye.

He was only twenty-six years old this year, having taken over his father and brother's foundation for only a few years, and the old ministers under him were not very convinced by him.

When the Sky Screen lit up, Zhou Yu happened to be there too.

Sun Quan saw the four characters "Sun-Liu coalition," and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

Coalition, meaning he, Sun Quan, was one of the protagonists.

Zhou Yu shook his feather fan, his gaze calm, but there was light in the bottom of his eyes.

Yuan Shao was in Yecheng, his face ashen.

He hadn't slept well for a long time.

When the Sky Screen ranked last time, he knew the outcome of his Battle of Guandu—miserable defeat, vomiting blood and dying.

Now the Sky Screen was here again, ranking not him, but he still wanted to watch.

Because he wanted to know what this world would become.

In the Eastern Han court, Ying Zheng, Liu Bang, Liu Che, and Liu Xiu, the four emperors, sat in a row, waiting for the Sky Screen to continue.

Liu Bang changed to a plate of peanuts today, cracking them loudly.

【Detailed progress of the battle】

【In 208 AD, Cao Cao led his army south, and Liu Biao's son, Liu Cong, surrendered without a fight.

Liu Bei retreated from Fancheng and was defeated by the Cao army at Changban Slope in Dangyang.

Zhao Yun saved the Lord alone, Zhang Fei broke the bridge at the water, and Liu Bei was able to escape to Xiakou.】

Cao Cao saw the six characters "Liu Cong surrendered without a fight," and the corners of his mouth curled up.

After Liu Biao died, he was indeed planning for Jingzhou.

The Sky Screen saying this meant he succeeded—without spending a single soldier, he took Jingzhou.

But the smile at the corner of his mouth soon disappeared because of the words "defeated at Changban Slope in Dangyang."

Because the Sky Screen immediately mentioned Zhao Yun saving the Lord alone, Zhang Fei breaking the bridge at the water.

Cao Cao's face darkened.

He remembered that the last time the Sky Screen ranked Zhao Yun, he went in and out of Changban Slope seven times, killing fifty of his generals.

At that time, he thought the Sky Screen was exaggerating, but now it seemed this was true.

Liu Bei's breathing paused when he saw the four characters "Changban Slope in Dangyang."

He hadn't experienced all that yet, but just listening to the Sky Screen's description, he could imagine the tragic situation at that time.

Zhang Fei's eyes widened: "Big Brother, can I block the Cao army?"

Guan Yu glanced at him: "What the Sky Screen says should be true."

Zhang Fei laughed: "Then I'm quite fierce."

Liu Bei didn't laugh.

He was thinking, Zhao Yun saved the Lord alone—who did he save?

His family.

The Sky Screen didn't go into detail, but he understood.

On Sun Quan's side, Zhou Yu heard "Liu Bei escaped to Xiakou" and said softly to Sun Quan: "My Lord, Xiakou is Liu Qi's territory."

"Liu Bei escaped there, which means he has a backup plan."

Sun Quan nodded without speaking.

【Cao Cao wrote to Sun Quan: "Now I have 800,000 naval troops, and I will hunt with the General in Wu."】

【Sun Quan summoned his ministers to discuss, Zhang Zhao and others advocated surrender, Zhou Yu and Lu Su advocated fighting.

Sun Quan decided to resist Cao, ordered Zhou Yu and Cheng Pu to be the left and right commanders, and led 30,000 naval troops to meet with Liu Bei.】

In the Prime Minister's office in Xudu, Cao Cao smiled.

"800,000 troops."

He read these words, his tone full of satisfaction.

Xun Yu stood to the side and said softly: "My Lord, this should be an imaginary number."

Cao Cao waved his hand: "Imaginary or not doesn't matter. What matters is that Sun Quan received this letter."

What he didn't say was—when Sun Quan saw this letter, what would he think?

800,000 people, anyone would have to weigh it.

In the council hall in Jianye, Sun Quan's face didn't look good.

Not because of Cao Cao's 800,000 people, but because the Sky Screen mentioned "Zhang Zhao and others advocated surrender."

He turned his head and glanced at Zhang Zhao, who was sitting in the lower seat.

Zhang Zhao's face didn't look good either.

He hadn't said the words of surrender yet, but the Sky Screen said he "advocated surrender," meaning he would say so in the future.

He opened his mouth to explain, but Sun Quan raised his hand to stop him: "Zibu, don't rush, keep watching."

Zhou Yu stood to the side, his expression calm.

The Sky Screen said he "advocated fighting," which was correct.

He had never thought about surrendering.

【The two sides met at Red Cliffs.

The Cao army soldiers were not used to naval warfare, so they connected the warships head to tail to reduce shaking.

Zhou Yu's general Huang Gai offered a plan: "Now the enemy is many and we are few, it is difficult to last long."

"The Cao army's ships are connected, they can be burned and driven away."】

【Huang Gai wrote to Cao Cao, feigning surrender.

Cao Cao believed it was true.

Huang Gai led dozens of small warships filled with firewood and grease, taking advantage of the urgent southeast wind, and sailed toward the Cao army's ship formation.

More than two li away from the Cao army, they lit the fire at the same time.】

【The fire was fierce and the wind was strong, the ships flew like arrows.

The Cao army's ship formation was burned into a sea of fire, and the fire spread to the camps on the shore.

Cao Cao was defeated and retreated from Huarong Road.

The Sun-Liu coalition advanced by water and land, chasing to Nanjun.

The Cao army suffered more than half casualties and had no strength to fight again.】

A picture appeared on the Sky Screen, flames shooting into the sky.

On the river, the Cao army's warships were connected, like a city floating on the water.

The ships were connected by iron chains, with wooden boards laid on top, and warhorses could run on them.

This design was originally to solve the problem of northern soldiers not being used to sitting on boats—connecting the boats together made them stable.

But now, this design became their coffin.

The fire ships sailed from the south bank, taking advantage of the southeast wind, their speed surprisingly fast.

The Cao army's sentries saw them, but they thought it was Huang Gai's fleet coming to surrender.

By the time they discovered the ships were filled not with soldiers but with firewood, it was too late.

The first fire ship hit the outer Cao army warships.

With a "boom," fire oil spilled all over the ground, the firewood burned, and the flames shot several zhang high.

Then the second, third, fourth...

The fire borrowed the wind's power, and the wind helped the fire's might.

The Cao army's ship formation was connected together; one caught fire, the surrounding ships couldn't run, and they burned too.

In less than an hour, the entire river surface became a sea of fire.

Cao army soldiers jumped into the river one after another.

But the river water was cold, the armor on their bodies was heavy, and of the ten who jumped, eight couldn't come up.

Cao Cao was carried to the shore by his personal guards, looked back at the sea of fire, his face pale.

In the Prime Minister's office in Xudu, there was dead silence.

Cao Cao sat in the chair, the soup by his hand had gone cold.

He didn't drink it, nor did he move.

The pictures on the Sky Screen flashed before his eyes frame by frame—flames, thick smoke, warships burned to charcoal, soldiers struggling in the river water.

Xiahou Dun opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't.

Xun Yu closed his eyes.

He was thinking about a question—the Sky Screen exposed all this in advance, so would the Battle of Red Cliffs still happen?

Cao Cao suddenly spoke, his voice very calm, not like him at all: "Huang Gai feigned surrender, fire attack, southeast wind."

He read these three words, then smiled.

That smile was good-looking, but no one felt it was good-looking.

"I have remembered it."

In the council hall in Jianye, Zhou Yu's eyes were as bright as two lamps.

Fire attack.

This was the strategy he thought of.

Huang Gai proposed it, and the Sky Screen said it all.

Sun Quan turned to look at Zhou Yu: "Gongjin, fire attack?"

Zhou Yu nodded, his tone steady but with a hint of excitement:

"My Lord, in naval warfare on the river, fire attack is the first sharp weapon. If the Cao army really connects their ships, this plan is feasible."

Huang Gai stood in the line of generals and grinned.

He hadn't thought of this strategy yet, but the Sky Screen told him he would.

"General, what are you laughing at?" Cheng Pu asked beside him.

Huang Gai touched his beard: "Laughing that old Huang Gai can still show this hand."

Sun Quan was not in Jianye; he was in his own camp by the river.

When the Sky Screen lit up, he walked out of the tent and watched with his arms crossed.

Seeing the four characters "Sun-Liu coalition," he turned to Zhou Tai beside him and asked:

"In this coalition, is there me?"

Zhou Tai shook his head: "My Lord, it says Sun Quan."

Sun Ce's face sank.

Sun Quan, not Sun Ce.

This meant that when the Battle of Red Cliffs happened, he would no longer be there.

He didn't ask why, but he probably guessed it.