Chapter 1101: Vicious Words

"Haha, Gongjin, look, even that old fellow Huang Zu can't sit still anymore. It seems Gu Linzhi has no wings to fly today!" Sun Ce laughed and patted Zhou Yu on the shoulder, his eyes full of excitement and anticipation. "With our pincer attack, I wonder how much of Gu Yi’s ninety thousand troops will be left!"

Zhou Yu’s brows were locked, and the unease in his heart did not dissipate because of Sun Ce’s words. He looked toward the Jiangxia naval force that was rapidly approaching, calculating to himself: Although Huang Zu is brave, he lacks strategy. Why would he suddenly change his plan? Could it be...

"Bofu, there is something suspicious here. Huang Zu’s move is likely not voluntary; perhaps there is a scheme by Gu Yi behind it." Zhou Yu lowered his voice, trying to calm Sun Ce down.

Hearing this, Sun Ce’s smile faded slightly, but the confidence in his eyes remained undiminished: "Gongjin is overthinking it. Gu Yi is at the end of his rope now; where would he have the energy to set up such a complex trap? Huang Zu must have seen that we are sweeping through everything and wants to come and get a share of the spoils."

Zhou Yu shook his head, sticking to his opinion: "Bofu, on the battlefield, one must not underestimate the enemy. This Gu Yi is cunning and treacherous; we must act with caution."

Just as they were speaking, a scout ran over in a hurry, knelt on one knee, and reported: "My Lord, Commander Zhou Yu, Huang Zu’s fleet does not seem to be joining the battle directly, but is circling to our rear, seemingly intending to surround us!"

Once these words were spoken, the smile on Sun Ce’s face vanished completely, replaced by gravity: "What? Surround us? Is Huang Zu trying to betray the alliance?"

Zhou Yu’s heart sank; the thing he feared most seemed to be happening: "Bofu, I fear Gu Yi has already colluded with Huang Zu in secret. This battle is likely not as simple as it appears on the surface. We must immediately adjust our tactics to prevent being attacked from both front and rear."

Sun Ce clenched his fists, his gaze like a torch: "If that is truly the case, I, Sun Ce, swear to personally behead Huang Zu to uphold the name of the alliance!"

Immediately, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu discussed rapidly and decided to concentrate their strength to deal with Gu Yi’s frontal force, while simultaneously sending fast ships to contact Cheng Pu and other generals in the rear to be wary of Huang Zu’s surprise attack.

……

On Gu Yi’s warship, he stood at the bow, watching the movements of Sun Ce and Zhou Yu’s fleet in the distance, a faint smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

"Chancellor, Sun Ce seems to have noticed the abnormality with Huang Zu and is adjusting his deployment." The strategist at his side reported in a low voice.

Gu Yi nodded: "As I expected, Zhou Yu is a wise man after all and will not be easily fooled. However, this is exactly what I wanted—to let Sun Ce fall into a dilemma, caught between a rock and a hard place."

"Pass the order: Zhang Liao and Xu Huang are to lead the iron cavalry to wait in a hidden spot on the riverbank. When Sun Ce and Huang Zu clash, they are to attack from the flank and must disrupt their formation." Gu Yi gave the order calmly.

"Yes, Chancellor!" The messenger took the order and left.

At this time, Gan Ning and Gao Shun came before Gu Yi again, their expressions anxious: "Chancellor, let us attack. If this continues and Sun Ce notices something, the entire plan might change."

Gu Yi smiled slightly, his gaze profound: "Xingba, Boping, do not be impatient. The key to this battle lies in letting Sun Ce think he has victory in his grasp, only to deliver a fatal blow at the critical moment. You are my final trump card; unless absolutely necessary, do not reveal yourselves easily."

Gan Ning and Gao Shun looked at each other. Although they were unwilling, they understood the depth of Gu Yi’s strategy and had no choice but to accept the order and withdraw.

……

On Sun Ce’s warship, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense. Zhou Yu was directing the ships to adjust their formation to guard against a sudden attack from Huang Zu.

"Gongjin, what is Huang Zu’s intention with this move?" Sun Ce’s brows were tightly locked, his heart filled with confusion.

Zhou Yu pondered for a moment and said slowly: "Bofu, I suspect this might be Gu Yi’s strategy of sowing discord. He is using Huang Zu’s distrust of us, or perhaps promising him great benefits, to induce Huang Zu to betray the alliance. For now, we must remain calm, stabilize our position, and wait until we find out the truth before making further plans."

Sun Ce nodded. Although he was unwilling, he knew this was not the time to be impulsive. He took a deep breath and shouted loudly: "Men of the Sun Army, today’s battle concerns the safety of Jiangdong. We must work together to overcome these difficult times!"

Hearing this, the morale of the Sun Army soldiers was boosted, and they shouted in unison: "We swear to serve our Lord to the death and protect Jiangdong!"

Just as the two sides were in a tense standoff, a burst of urgent war drums suddenly sounded on the river. Immediately after, the iron cavalry led by Zhang Liao and Xu Huang appeared like ghosts on the riverbank, launching a fierce attack on the flank of Sun Ce’s army.

"Not good, it’s Gu Yi’s ambush!" Zhou Yu’s face changed drastically, and he hurriedly directed the ships to turn and deal with this sudden offensive.

Sun Ce was also startled, but he immediately calmed down, directing the forward ships to meet Zhang Liao and Xu Huang, while maintaining vigilance against Huang Zu’s fleet.

On the battlefield, the situation changed in an instant. Gu Yi’s strategy was like an invisible net, slowly tightening, trapping Sun Ce and Zhou Yu within. Sun Ce and Zhou Yu had to find a way to survive in this desperate situation and prove the bravery and wisdom of the men of Jiangdong.

……

The battle lasted for several hours, and both sides were exhausted. Sun Ce’s warship was covered in scars, but the fighting spirit of the Sun Army had not diminished in the slightest.

"Gongjin, this cannot go on. We must find a breakthrough." Sun Ce wiped the blood from his face, his gaze firm.

Zhou Yu pondered for a moment, and his eyes suddenly lit up: "Bofu, I remember there is a shallow water area not far ahead. If we can lure Gu Yi’s ships into it, we will surely be able to greatly weaken his combat effectiveness."

Hearing this, Sun Ce’s spirits lifted: "Good idea! But how do we get Gu Yi to take the bait?"

Zhou Yu smiled slightly, a plan forming: "We will pretend to retreat to lure Gu Yi into pursuing us. Once he enters the shallow water area, we will suddenly counterattack."

Sun Ce nodded in agreement and immediately ordered the ships to retreat slowly, while sending fast ships to deliver false information to Gu Yi, claiming that the Sun Army was being attacked from both front and rear and had decided to retreat temporarily.

Gu Yi received the message. Although he had doubts, seeing that Sun Ce’s ships were indeed retreating and that Huang Zu’s fleet was also restless, seemingly wanting to seize the opportunity to claim credit, he decided to pursue.

"Pass the order: Pursue at full speed! Today we must capture Sun Ce!" Gu Yi ordered.

However, when Gu Yi’s fleet reached the shallow water area, Sun Ce’s fleet suddenly stopped retreating and turned to launch a fierce counterattack. At the same time, Huang Zu’s fleet seemed to have received some signal, stopping their encirclement of Sun Ce and turning to attack the flank of Gu Yi’s fleet.

It turned out that Zhou Yu had already secretly reached an understanding with a certain general under Huang Zu, promising him heavy rewards to make him turn against Gu Yi at the critical moment.

Seeing this, Gu Yi cursed inwardly, but it was too late. His fleet’s movements were restricted in the shallow water, while the allied forces of Sun Ce and Huang Zu seized the opportunity to launch a full-scale attack.

For a time, the river was filled with the flames of war, and the sounds of battle shook the heavens. Gu Yi’s fleet fell into a bitter struggle and suffered heavy losses.

In the end, with the joint efforts of Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, Gu Yi was forced to retreat, and more than half of his ninety thousand troops were lost. Sun Ce and Zhou Yu proved their bravery and wisdom in this battle, and the fame of Jiangdong spread throughout the world from that day on. ===== CHAPTER 1797 =====