Chapter 1652: Plunged into Chaos

"We aristocratic families will definitely go all out to jointly resist the Gu traitor!"

An old man of about fifty, dressed in gorgeous clothing, stood out; he was the head of the Lu family, one of the four great aristocratic families of Jiangdong, Lu Kang.

Lu Kang's expression was solemn, his eyes revealing unquestionable firmness, "My Lu family is willing to provide 5,000 elite troops and 100,000 shi of grain to assist the lord in defending Jiangdong."

With Lu Kang taking the lead, other aristocratic families also expressed their positions one after another.

"My Zhang family is willing to provide 3,000 elite troops and 100 ships to support the lord." The head of the Zhang family, Zhang Zhao, followed closely, his tone carrying a resoluteness that could not be refused.

"The Gu family will not lag behind others either, providing 4,000 troops, plus 100,000 arrows." The head of the Gu family, Gu Yong, said in a deep voice; although he was old, his voice was full of energy, revealing his extraordinary demeanor as a family head.

"The Zhu family is willing to provide..."

For a time, the heads of the major aristocratic families of Jiangdong in the council hall generously offered their support, promising to provide troops and grain to jointly resist Gu Yi's army.

Looking at this scene, Liu Bei nodded secretly in his heart. Although these aristocratic families acted independently on weekdays, they could still unite at critical moments. As long as they could sincerely unite, it was not impossible to resist Gu Yi.

"Good! With everyone's all-out help, what does Liu Bei have to fear from Gu Yi!" Liu Bei stood up and said passionately, "I will immediately order the army to prepare for battle, and at the same time strengthen the defensive fortifications along the Yangtze River to ensure nothing goes wrong."

Just as Liu Bei and the Jiangdong aristocratic families were discussing countermeasures, a sound of hurried footsteps interrupted their discussion.

"Report! Lord, there is urgent military intelligence!" A messenger rushed into the council hall, holding a secret letter tightly in his hand.

Liu Bei's heart tightened; he hurriedly took the secret letter, opened it, and his face instantly became extremely gloomy.

"What's wrong, Lord?" Seeing this, the scholars gathered around, their hearts filled with doubt.

Liu Bei took a deep breath and handed the secret letter to Lu Kang, who was closest to him, "Old Lu, take a look."

Lu Kang took the secret letter, scanned it quickly, and his face also became solemn. He then passed the secret letter to others; for a time, the council hall fell into dead silence.

The secret letter clearly wrote: Gu Yi has ordered the great general Gan Ning to be the commander, leading 50,000 Bashu naval troops, sailing down the Yangtze River, directly pressing towards Jiangdong!

"What!?" Everyone exclaimed, their faces filled with disbelief.

"This... how is this possible?" Zhang Zhao's hands trembled, his voice even changing tone, "Bashu naval troops? How could they reach the Yangtze River so quickly?"

"This Gu Yi is truly cunning to the extreme!" Gu Yong gritted his teeth and said, "He actually deceived all of us and secretly mobilized the Bashu naval troops!"

Liu Bei took a deep breath, trying to calm the shock in his heart, "Now is not the time to pursue responsibility; we must act immediately to meet Gu Yi's army."

"The Lord is right." Lu Kang said in a deep voice, "We must integrate our forces as soon as possible and strengthen the defense along the Yangtze River. At the same time, send envoys to other warlords to seek help and jointly resist Gu Yi."

Liu Bei nodded in agreement and immediately began to assign tasks, "Old Lu, you are responsible for allocating grain and fodder; Zhang Zhao, you are responsible for reorganizing the army; Gu Yong, you are responsible for reinforcing the defense line; as for other aristocratic families, you are each responsible for providing materials and support. We must go all out to overcome the difficulties together!"

"Obey!" The scholars responded in unison and left to carry out their orders.

The council hall returned to being busy; Liu Bei stood in place, looking into the distance with deep eyes. He knew that this battle would determine the future of Jiangdong and also determine his own destiny.

At the same time, Gu Yi's army was already sailing down the Yangtze River under the command of Gan Ning, with an imposing momentum like a rainbow. The warships of the Bashu naval troops were lined up on the river, banners fluttering, war drums thundering, as if they wanted to shake the entire Yangtze River.

"Lord, ahead is the territory of Jiangdong." A deputy general walked to Gan Ning's side and pointed ahead.

Gan Ning stood at the bow of the ship, her eyes like torches, "Pass the order down, full speed ahead! We must break through Jiangdong's defense line at the fastest speed and catch them off guard!"

"Yes!" The deputy general responded and immediately ordered the whole army to accelerate.

Under her command, the Bashu naval troops galloped across the Yangtze River like a giant dragon; wherever they passed, the water rippled, as if even the sky was awed by their momentum.

However, just as Gu Yi's army was about to arrive in Jiangdong, a sudden storm broke the calm. A gale blew on the river, giant waves surged to the sky, warships were tottering in the wind and waves, and the soldiers were panicked.

"Not good! It's a storm!" Gan Ning's face changed greatly; she knew the danger of encountering a storm on the Yangtze River, "Quick! Quick, find a place to take shelter from the wind!"

However, in this vast river, where could there be a place to take shelter from the wind? The Bashu naval troops could only bite the bullet and face the baptism of the storm. For a time, warships capsized, soldiers fell into the water, and the entire river was plunged into chaos.

The storm raged for a whole night; when the first ray of dawn pierced through the clouds and illuminated the river, the Bashu naval troops were already in a mess. Warships were sunk or damaged, soldiers were dead or injured, and the army that originally had the momentum of a rainbow now appeared particularly desolate.

Gan Ning stood on a warship that was barely intact, looking ahead with firm eyes. Her clothes were torn to pieces by the wind and rain, but there was no retreat or fear in her eyes.

"Lord, we have suffered heavy losses; do we need to retreat temporarily to reorganize the troops?" A deputy general asked cautiously.

Gan Ning pondered for a moment and shook her head, "No, we cannot retreat. Lord Gu entrusted such an important task to me; I must not fail his expectations. Moreover, retreating at this moment will only boost the morale of the Jiangdong army and be even more disadvantageous to us."

"But..." The deputy general wanted to persuade her again, but was interrupted by Gan Ning.

"There is no 'but'; pass the order down, reorganize the remaining troops, and continue to advance. We must break through Jiangdong's defense line in the shortest possible time, otherwise, everything will be abandoned." Gan Ning's voice was firm and powerful, as if it could pierce through the storm and reach the heart of every soldier.

Under Gan Ning's encouragement, the soldiers of the Bashu naval troops cheered up again; they began to repair warships, treat the wounded, organize their gear, and prepare to set off again. Although they suffered heavy losses, their belief was firmer, and their will was more tenacious.

At the same time, Jiangdong's defense line was also being prepared intensively. Liu Bei and the heads of the Jiangdong aristocratic families did not sleep all night; they had been discussing strategies to resist Gu Yi's army. When they learned that the Bashu naval troops were severely damaged in the storm, they could not help but feel secretly lucky in their hearts.

"It seems that even heaven does not help Gu Yi." Zhang Zhao said with a smile, a relaxed look appearing on his face. ===== CHAPTER 1653 =====