Chapter 1654: A Long Run

Gan Ning's eyes were firm; she knew that there could be no retreat at this moment, "Pass the order down, let the soldiers disperse and retreat; save as many as you can! Even if I, Gan Ning, die, I will never let Lord Gu's plan fail!"

Hearing Gan Ning's words, the soldiers of the Bashu naval troops dispersed and retreated one after another, attempting to escape the pursuit of the Jiangdong soldiers. However, the Jiangdong soldiers did not let them go because of this and still pursued relentlessly.

Just at this moment, a sound of hurried horse hooves came. Gan Ning and the soldiers of the Bashu naval troops looked over one after another, only to see a cavalry team galloping towards them. On the banner, the word "Gu" was clearly written.

"It's Lord Gu's reinforcements!" The soldiers of the Bashu naval troops exclaimed, hope appearing on their faces.

Looking at the approaching cavalry team, Gan Ning also breathed a sigh of relief in her heart. She knew that with these reinforcements, they might be able to escape Jiangdong's pursuit.

The cavalry team soon arrived at Gan Ning's side; the leader was a general wearing armor, who was the general sent by Gu Yi to support—Li Dian.

"Lord Gan Ning, the subordinate is ordered by Lord Gu to come and support. Please follow us to retreat; we will definitely be able to escort you to safety." Li Dian looked at Gan Ning and said respectfully.

Gan Ning nodded, her heart filled with gratitude. She knew that this was not the time to be polite; only by retreating as soon as possible could they save their lives and have the opportunity to fight Jiangdong again.

"Pass the order down, let the soldiers follow General Li to retreat. We will definitely be able to escape Jiangdong's pursuit!" Gan Ning shouted loudly, and then led the remaining soldiers to retreat following Li Dian's cavalry team.

Under Li Dian's escort, Gan Ning and the remaining soldiers of the Bashu naval troops finally escaped Jiangdong's pursuit. They retreated all the way until they were far away from Jiangdong's territory before finally breathing a sigh of relief.

Looking at the soldiers beside her, Gan Ning's heart was filled with emotion. She knew that in this battle, the Bashu naval troops suffered heavy losses, but she also knew deeply that as long as there was still a breath left, they must never give up.

"Pass the order down, let the soldiers rest for a while. Although we were defeated, we must never be discouraged because of this. As long as we unite as one, we will definitely be able to fight Jiangdong again!" Gan Ning shouted loudly, her voice firm and powerful, as if it could pierce through the haze in the soldiers' hearts and bring them endless hope.

At the same time, in the council hall of Jiangdong, Liu Bei and the heads of the Jiangdong aristocratic families were also discussing the next plan.

"Although we won a great victory in this battle, the Bashu naval troops still have considerable combat effectiveness. We must not lower our guard and must continue to strengthen the defense line to prevent them from attacking again." Liu Bei looked at the scholars, his expression solemn.

The scholars nodded in agreement one after another, "The Lord is right. We must remain vigilant at all times and must not give the Bashu naval troops any chance to take advantage."

"At the same time," Liu Bei continued, "we must also strengthen contact with other warlords to strive for more support. Only in this way can we better resist Gu Yi's army."

"Obey!" The scholars responded in unison and immediately began to discuss specific plans.

In the following days, Jiangdong was busy from top to bottom. Under the command of the generals, the soldiers continued to reinforce the defense line, repair warships, and prepare sufficient grain, fodder, and weapons. And Liu Bei and the heads of the Jiangdong aristocratic families discussed battle strategies in the council hall every day to ensure that every link was foolproof.

However, just when Jiangdong was preparing intensively, a sudden piece of news broke the calm. A scout rushed into the council hall, his expression panicked as he shouted, "Lord, it's not good! Gu Yi is personally leading an army and is pressing towards Jiangdong!"

Previous Chapter Review: (The previous chapter tells the story of the protagonist Lin Qian, who by chance obtained a mysterious ancient book and thus embarked on a journey to explore the secrets of the ancient book. During the journey, he met the scholar Su Wan, who was also interested in the ancient book, and the two decided to join hands to uncover the mystery of the ancient book. They experienced various difficulties, including cracking complex puzzles, avoiding sinister pursuers, and in an accident, Lin Qian was injured, and Su Wan took care of him without leaving him, and their relationship became deeper because of this.)

As night fell, Lin Qian and Su Wan found a hidden cave as a temporary shelter. Outside the cave, the moonlight shone through the sparse treetops, casting mottled light and shadows, adding a bit of mystery to this quiet night. Inside the cave, the fire jumped, reflecting their focused faces; they were sitting around a campfire, continuing to study the ancient book.

"Lin Qian, look at this page," Su Wan gently turned the page and pointed to a passage written in ancient characters, "This description seems to be related to the environment we are in."

Lin Qian leaned in to look closely, his brows locked: "'Under the moonlight, in the secluded valley, a door appears by itself, leading to a secret realm.' Could this secret realm be the one we have been looking for?"

Su Wan pondered for a moment: "This possibility cannot be ruled out. But the records in ancient books are often obscure and difficult to understand, and are full of symbols and metaphors. We may need to find more clues to determine the true meaning."

Just at this moment, a sound of hurried footsteps broke the silence of the cave. Lin Qian quickly extinguished the campfire and hid in the dark part of the cave with Su Wan. Before long, several black shadows appeared at the entrance of the cave; they were holding torches and talking in low voices, as if looking for something.

"It seems we have been caught up again." Lin Qian said to Su Wan in a low voice, a flash of resoluteness in his eyes.

Su Wan held his hand tightly: "Don't be afraid, we will face it together."

Just as they were preparing to fight to the death, a chaos suddenly came from outside the cave; it seemed that a conflict had occurred between those pursuers. Lin Qian and Su Wan took the opportunity to quietly slip out of the cave and, under the cover of the night, quickly moved away from that dangerous place.

"It seems that we are not of one mind internally." Lin Qian analyzed while running, "Perhaps we can use this to divide their power."

Su Wan nodded in agreement: "Indeed, but we must first figure out why they are chasing us and who is behind them."

The two fled all the way until the sky turned white with the belly of a fish before they dared to stop. They found an abandoned farmhouse and settled down temporarily. Su Wan took out dry food and water from the package, the two ate simply, and then began to plan the next action. ===== CHAPTER 1655 =====