Chapter 298

In the small city of Xinye, Liu Bei's hands were shaking slightly.

Not because of fear, but because of excitement.

The Sky Screen told him he would join forces with Sun Quan and defeat Cao Cao.

800,000 people, defeated by him and Sun Quan together.

He went from a defeated general living under someone else's roof to one of the protagonists of the Three Kingdoms.

Zhang Fei had already jumped up: "Big Brother! Did you see it! We won! 800,000 people! We won!"

Guan Yu didn't jump, but his phoenix eyes were wider than usual.

Zhuge Liang shook his feather fan, his expression calm, but he was already calculating in his heart.

The Sky Screen didn't say exactly how it was fought, but revealed several key pieces of information—fire attack, southeast wind, feigned surrender.

These pieces of information were enough for him to deduce the direction of the entire battle.

"I understand," Zhuge Liang suddenly said.

Liu Bei turned to look at him: "What does the military advisor understand?"

Zhuge Liang smiled and didn't answer.

Some things, saying them now was useless.

But what should be prepared could be prepared.

In the Eastern Han court, Liu Bang stopped cracking peanuts.

He stared at the picture on the Sky Screen, his mouth slightly open, the peanut in his cheek, not chewing for a long time.

"Good guy," he said indistinctly, "This fire burned even more ruthlessly than when I burned Xiang Yu's supply line back then."

Ying Zheng looked at the sea of fire on the Sky Screen, his brows slightly furrowed.

He wasn't sighing at how beautifully this battle was fought; he was thinking—Cao Cao's 800,000 people were burned away by a fire.

What does this mean?

It means having more people isn't necessarily useful; it means if a fatal weakness is grasped, no matter how much troop strength there is, it's just for show.

Liu Che wrote a few notes in the booklet, looked up and asked Gu Shanhe:

"Immortal Master, what is the key to the Battle of Red Cliffs?"

Gu Shanhe said: "Southeast wind."

"Southeast wind?"

Liu Che didn't understand, "What's the key to the wind?"

Gu Shanhe drank tea: "The Cao army was in the north of the river, and the Sun-Liu coalition was in the south of the river."

"Fire attack must rely on wind power; if a northwest wind blows, the fire will burn south, burning the Sun-Liu coalition's own ships."

"On the day of the Battle of Red Cliffs, a southeast wind blew."

Liu Che understood: "So Heaven helped Zhou Yu?"

Gu Shanhe shook his head: "It wasn't Heaven helping him, it was him knowing how to wait."

"He had been waiting for the day the southeast wind appeared."

"When there was no wind, he didn't fight. When there was wind, he took action."

Liu Xiu added from the side: "Knowing how to wait is more important than knowing how to fight."

Ying Zheng glanced at Liu Xiu and nodded.

The commentaries of the emperors of various dynasties began to float across the Sky Screen.

Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng spoke first.

【Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng: This Cao Cao, I have watched a lot of him recently.

Can write poetry, can fight, can use people, can be considered a hero of an era.

But he made the same mistake as Fu Jian—too impatient.

At the time of the Battle of Red Cliffs, his north hadn't been fully digested, and he was in a hurry to go south.

Soldiers not used to water, epidemics, these were all signs of insufficient preparation.】

Han Gaozu Liu Bang followed closely.

【Han Gaozu Liu Bang: I fought Xiang Yu back then, also winning against the odds.

But I relied on Han Xin, not a fire.

Zhou Yu burned this fire well, cleverly, burning Cao Cao until he had no temper.

But I think the most powerful thing isn't the fire, it's Huang Gai's feigned surrender.

Cao Cao, such a smart person, why did he believe it?】

Han Emperor Wu Liu Che pondered for a moment and spoke.

【Han Emperor Wu Liu Che: The Battle of Red Cliffs, the starting point of the Three Kingdoms.

After this battle, Cao Cao couldn't unify the world.

It's not that he wasn't strong enough, it's that Sun Quan and Liu Bei weren't weak.

The pattern of the Three Kingdoms began with this fire.】

Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, stroked his beard and said slowly.

【Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian: The essence of the Battle of Red Cliffs is the confrontation between northern cavalry and southern naval forces.

Cao Cao's 800,000 people, less than half were truly capable of fighting.

Unaccustomed to water and soil, epidemics, these problems added together, he wasn't prepared at all.】

Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, sighed repeatedly.

【Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin: I read history books, and every time I read about the Battle of Red Cliffs, I feel it's a pity.

Cao Cao was almost unified.

If he had won at Red Cliffs, there wouldn't be the chaos of the Three Kingdoms.

But he lost, lost cleanly.

This battle fought out three countries.】

Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, nodded.

【Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin: Fire attack is the essence of naval warfare.

Zhou Yu burning Cao Cao, Zhu Yuanzhang burning Chen Youliang, are all the same path.

But the key to fire attack is not the fire, but the wind and feigned surrender.

Without wind, the fire can't burn; without feigned surrender, the fire can't burn.

Zhou Yu had both.】

Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang said straightforwardly.

【Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang: When I fought Chen Youliang, I learned this trick from Red Cliffs.

Fire attack, taking advantage of the wind, feigned surrender, three axes down, the opponent couldn't hold on.

This Zhou Yu, he is truly capable of fighting.

Pity he died early, gone in his thirties.】

Emperor Qianlong shook his folding fan and summarized slowly.

【Emperor Qianlong: The Battle of Red Cliffs is one of the most exciting naval battles in Chinese ancient military history.

Winning against the odds, breaking ships with fire, winning by feigned surrender, can be called a textbook battle case.

After this battle, the pattern of the Three Kingdoms was formed, affecting more than half a century.】

In the council hall in Jianye, Zhou Yu saw the commentaries of the emperors of various dynasties, his expression calm, but the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

These emperors—Ying Zheng, Liu Bang, Liu Che, Yang Jian, Li Shimin, Zhao Kuangyin, Zhu Yuanzhang, Qianlong—each was a great emperor through the ages.

They commented on the Battle of Red Cliffs, praising him, Zhou Yu.

"Gongjin," Sun Quan suddenly spoke, "These later emperors are all praising you."

Zhou Yu turned around and bowed: "My Lord, that is what the Sky Screen said, things that haven't happened yet. Zhou Yu dare not take credit."

Sun Quan waved his hand and smiled: "Things that haven't happened yet, might not necessarily not happen."

"Gongjin, just go ahead and prepare."

"If Cao Cao comes, you and I, monarch and subject, will burn him a big one at Red Cliffs."

Zhou Yu stood up straight, a flash of light in his eyes: "I obey."

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

He didn't get angry, didn't smash things, but walked to the huge map on the wall, his gaze falling on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River—the location of Red Cliffs.

"Gongjin, Huang Gai, southeast wind."

He muttered to himself, reading these three words again.

Guo Jia was gone.

If he were here, would he have seen through Huang Gai's feigned surrender?

Would he have reminded himself to guard against fire attacks?

Cao Cao didn't know.

But there was one thing he knew—the battle at Red Cliffs, it could not be fought.

The Sky Screen told him all the details: Huang Gai would feign surrender, would use fire attacks, would take advantage of the southeast wind.

He knew it now, so why fight?

When Huang Gai comes to surrender, he will just cut him down with a sword.

Xun Yu saw Cao Cao's thoughts and said softly: "My Lord, the Sky Screen exposed this battle. The Battle of Red Cliffs, perhaps it won't happen."

Cao Cao turned his head and glanced at him: "You mean, I can avoid this defeat?"

Xun Yu nodded: "My Lord knows the enemy's strategy, naturally you can take precautions early."

Cao Cao was silent for a while, then suddenly smiled.

That smile was very complicated.

"The Battle of Red Cliffs is a defeat, I don't want to fight it. But if there is no Battle of Red Cliffs, the pattern of the Three Kingdoms won't exist."

He looked at the fading picture on the Sky Screen and said softly.

"The Sky Screen wants to rank history. Not my future."

Xun Yu didn't respond.

History, this word is too heavy.

In the small city of Xinye.

Liu Bei stood in the courtyard, looking up at the last trace of golden light disappearing behind the clouds.

Zhuge Liang stood beside him.

"Kongming," Liu Bei suddenly asked, "In the Battle of Red Cliffs, how many people do I have?"

Zhuge Liang thought for a moment and said: "The Sky Screen didn't say the specific number, but the Sun-Liu coalition only had 30,000 to 50,000 people in total."

"I shouldn't have many."

Liu Bei nodded and asked again: "Then how many people does Cao Cao have?"

Zhuge Liang said: "Claiming 800,000, actually maybe 200,000 or so."

Liu Bei was silent for a while and said a sentence that even stunned Zhuge Liang.

"200,000 against 30,000 to 50,000, can also win. The Sky Screen says we can win, then we must be able to."

Zhuge Liang looked at Liu Bei, looked at this middle-aged man who had drifted for half his life and lost repeatedly, and suddenly smiled.

He remembered the words he said to Liu Bei in Longzhong back then—three parts of the world, standing like a tripod.

At that time, he thought it would take decades to achieve.

Now the Sky Screen told him that once the Battle of Red Cliffs was fought, the pattern of the Three Kingdoms would be formed.

Some things, it's not that they can't be done, it's that the time hasn't come.

The Sky Screen had completely dissipated.

In the Eastern Han court, Liu Bang stretched, and peanut shells fell all over the floor.

"The Battle of Red Cliffs is finished, I think Cao Cao is quite interesting. He can still smile after losing, much stronger than Fu Jian."

Ying Zheng glanced at him and said: "Cao Cao knows his defeat will be watched by later generations for a thousand years, of course he has to smile."

"He can't cry while being watched, right?"

Liu Bang was stunned for a moment, then laughed heartily:

"First Emperor, your mouth is even more poisonous than mine."

Liu Che looked at his ancestor and smiled helplessly.

In the distance, the last ray of golden light of the Sky Screen dissipated behind the clouds.

【Battle of Red Cliffs ranking finished, next ranking—Battle of Kunyang.】