Chapter 1717: The curtain is about to rise!

Zhou Yu furrowed his brows, staring at the map on the desk; the dense markings seemed to indicate the coming storm. "My lord, although Ling Tong is brave, I fear he is no match for Gan Ning. We must find a way to strengthen his power; at the same time, Taishi Ci also needs support."

Hearing this, Sun Ce's gaze was as sharp as a sword: "Gongjin, what do you say we should do?"

Zhou Yu took a deep breath and slowly unfolded his plan: "My lord, you can order Generals Han Dang and Huang Gai to each lead a force of elite troops to support Ling Tong and Taishi Ci respectively. At the same time, we will send out a surprise force to bypass the rear of Gu Yi's main army and harass his supply lines, so that Gu Yi cannot attend to both ends."

A flash of appreciation appeared in Sun Ce's eyes: "This plan is excellent! However, who is suitable to lead this surprise force?"

Zhou Yu smiled slightly, wisdom shining in his eyes: "My lord, this person needs to be both wise and brave, and must know the terrain of Jiangdong like the back of his hand. In my opinion, it must be General Cheng Pu."

"Good!" Sun Ce slapped his thigh and stood up. "Let's follow Gongjin's plan. General Cheng Pu, this heavy responsibility is handed to you!"

After receiving the order, Cheng Pu quickly assembled his troops and prepared to set off. He knew the importance of this trip; it not only concerned the survival of Jiangdong but was also a test of his years of fighting on the battlefield.

The night was like ink. The surprise force led by Cheng Pu moved through the mountains and forests like ghosts, approaching the rear of Gu Yi's main army silently.

At the same time, the confrontation between Ling Tong and Gan Ning had also entered a white-hot stage. Ling Tong, clad in heavy armor and holding a long spear, was like a god of war descending to earth, charging into the fray time and again, killing until Gan Ning's navy retreated step by step.

However, Gan Ning was, after all, a fierce general. He roared, slashed and killed several Jiangdong soldiers, and turned to charge at Ling Tong. The two fought for dozens of rounds, unable to determine a winner.

Just then, the reinforcements led by Han Dang arrived. Like fresh troops, they fiercely inserted themselves into the battlefield, fighting side by side with Ling Tong to confront Gan Ning.

Seeing this, Gan Ning felt a chill in his heart. He knew that if this continued, he would likely fall into a heavy encirclement. Thus, he shouted loudly, slashed a bloody path with his blade, and led his troops in a retreat.

Ling Tong and Han Dang pursued in victory, but when they chased to a dense forest, they suddenly stopped their steps. It turned out they discovered a large number of enemy troops lying in ambush in the forest.

"Not good, we've fallen into a trap!" Ling Tong's face changed drastically.

Just then, a cannon sounded, and the ambushers led by Huang Gai poured out from all directions, surrounding Gan Ning's remnants tightly. Gan Ning fought to the death to break out, but it was already too late to save the situation, and he was ultimately captured by the joint efforts of Ling Tong and Huang Gai.

On the other side, the fierce battle between Taishi Ci and Sun Ce had also entered a critical moment. Taishi Ci was brave and peerless, but Sun Ce was no weaker. The two went back and forth, fighting until they were evenly matched.

However, as time passed, Taishi Ci gradually felt his physical strength failing. He knew that if this continued, he would surely be defeated. Thus, he feinted with his spear and turned to flee.

How could Sun Ce let go of this opportunity? He shouted loudly and pursued relentlessly. The two, one after the other, ran into a dense forest.

Just then, a cold arrow suddenly shot out from the forest, heading straight for Sun Ce. Sun Ce reacted quickly and dodged to the side. But immediately after, more arrows flew over like raindrops.

It turned out this was an ambush force Taishi Ci had arranged beforehand. They used the terrain to their advantage to launch a surprise attack on Sun Ce.

Although Sun Ce was brave, facing the overwhelming rain of arrows, he had to retreat temporarily. Taishi Ci took the opportunity to escape, joined up with the ambush force, and retreated toward the hinterland of Jiangdong.

The surprise force led by Cheng Pu had by now bypassed the rear of Gu Yi's main army. Using the cover of night, they launched a fierce attack on Gu Yi's supply lines.

Gu Yi's supply lines were cut, grain and fodder were insufficient, and the morale of the army began to waver. Upon learning the news, Gu Yi was furious. He knew that if he couldn't resolve the Jiangdong army quickly, he would fall into a difficult situation.

Thus, Gu Yi decided to personally lead his army to reinforce Gan Ning, intending to crush the Jiangdong army in one stroke. However, he did not realize that this was exactly what Zhou Yu had been waiting for.

Zhou Yu and Sun Ce had long since laid out layers of defense within Yuzhang Commandery, waiting for Gu Yi's arrival. They knew that this battle concerned the survival of Jiangdong and they had to go all out.