Chapter 1720: Completely unable to find a breakthrough

With the growing prosperity of Jiangdong, Zhou Yu and Sun Ce began to plan for a more ambitious strategy. They knew that to truly stabilize Jiangdong's status, they could not just be satisfied with the status quo; they had to expand outward, unify more territory, and let the prestige of Jiangdong spread throughout the world.

This day, Zhou Yu and Sun Ce had a secret talk in the study until late at night. A map was spread out on the desk, both of them furrowing their brows, their gazes sweeping across the map, looking for the next target.

"Gongjin, look at this land of Jingzhou, rich in products and with an extremely important geographical location. If it can be incorporated into the Jiangdong territory, it will be of great benefit to the development of our Jiangdong." Sun Ce pointed at Jingzhou on the map, greed shining in his eyes.

Hearing this, Zhou Yu nodded slightly: "My lord's words are very true. Jingzhou is indeed a piece of fat meat, but wanting to swallow it is not easy. Although Liu Biao is old, he has many capable people under his command, and Jingzhou's army is strong and well-equipped; we cannot underestimate the enemy."

Sun Ce was startled, then laughed: "With Gongjin here, what do I have to fear? Your wisdom is unparalleled, and you will surely be able to help me take Jingzhou."

Zhou Yu waved his hand modestly: "My lord is too kind. However, to attack Jingzhou, we do need to plan carefully. First, we have to understand the internal situation of Jingzhou, find its weak points, and then we can formulate corresponding strategies."

Thus, the two began to discuss the plan to attack Jingzhou in detail. Zhou Yu proposed that they could first send secret agents to infiltrate Jingzhou, spy on military intelligence, and understand the movements of Liu Biao and his subordinates. At the same time, they could also unite with other factions that coveted Jingzhou to resist Liu Biao together.

Hearing this, Sun Ce was overjoyed: "Gongjin's plan is excellent! In this way, we can not only reduce our own losses but also borrow the power of others to deal with Liu Biao together."

In the following days, Zhou Yu and Sun Ce acted according to the plan. They sent capable secret agents to infiltrate Jingzhou and collected a large amount of intelligence. At the same time, they also actively contacted other factions, seeking opportunities for cooperation.

Finally, on a dark and windy night, Zhou Yu and Sun Ce led the Jiangdong massive army and quietly set off toward Jingzhou. They chose a place where Liu Biao's defense was relatively weak as a breakthrough point and launched a fierce attack.

The Jingzhou army was caught off guard and was beaten back by the Jiangdong army. Hearing the news, Liu Biao was shocked and hurriedly mobilized his massive army to meet the enemy. However, because they had not made sufficient preparations beforehand, the Jingzhou army's morale was low, and their combat effectiveness was greatly reduced.

Under the command of Zhou Yu and Sun Ce, the Jiangdong army was like a hot knife through butter, and they soon occupied a large area of Jingzhou's territory. Liu Biao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, spinning in circles, but was at a loss for what to do.

Just then, Zhou Yu put forward a bold suggestion: "My lord, why don't we attack Jingzhou City directly and capture Liu Biao in one stroke? In this way, Jingzhou will completely fall into our hands."

Hearing this, Sun Ce's eyes flashed with hesitation: "Attack Jingzhou City? Is this risk too great? What if..."

Zhou Yu, however, shook his head firmly: "My lord, in war, speed is of the essence. Now that the Jingzhou army's morale is low, it is the best time for us to attack Jingzhou City. If we hesitate, once Liu Biao recovers, it will be difficult to take Jingzhou City again."

Under Zhou Yu's persuasion, Sun Ce finally made up his mind. They led the Jiangdong massive army and launched a fierce attack on Jingzhou City. Under the powerful offensive of the Jiangdong army, Jingzhou City was soon broken.

Liu Biao was captured in the chaotic army, and Jingzhou completely fell into the hands of Jiangdong. This battle brought Jiangdong's prestige to an unprecedented height. And the fame of Zhou Yu and Sun Ce also spread throughout the world.

At the victory banquet in Jingzhou, Sun Ce raised his cup to toast Zhou Yu: "Gongjin, you deserve the credit for successfully taking Jingzhou this time. Come, I toast you a cup!"

Zhou Yu smiled and took the wine cup, drinking it in one gulp: "My lord is too polite. This is the result of our joint efforts. Come, let us toast to the future of Jiangdong together!"

The two looked at each other and smiled, raising their wine cups together. Amidst the laughter and joy, they seemed to have already seen the even more brilliant future of Jiangdong.

However, just when they were immersed in the joy of victory, a crisis was quietly approaching them. It turned out that during the process of Jiangdong attacking Jingzhou, Cao Cao in the north was also secretly observing Jiangdong's movements. Seeing Jiangdong's power growing daily, he couldn't help but feel threatened.

"This Sun Ce and Zhou Yu of Jiangdong are both rare military talents. If they are allowed to continue developing, they will sooner or later become my heart-and-gut trouble." Cao Cao paced back and forth in the study, his brows furrowed.

The strategist Guo Jia, seeing this, smiled slightly: "Prime Minister, there is no need to worry. Although Jiangdong is strong, it is not without weaknesses. As long as we find their flaws, we can defeat them in one stroke."

Hearing this, Cao Cao's eyes lit up: "Oh? Tell me, what flaws does Jiangdong have?"

Guo Jia gently shook his feather fan and slowly said: "Although Jiangdong has vast territory, it has a large population and limited resources. To expand its territory, it must constantly fight wars. And fighting wars requires consuming a large amount of grain, fodder, and military equipment; these are Jiangdong's soft ribs. As long as we can cut off their supply lines, we can make Jiangdong fall into a difficult situation."

Hearing this, Cao Cao was overjoyed: "This plan is excellent! You go and arrange it immediately; you must cut off Jiangdong's supply lines as soon as possible!"

Thus, a conspiracy against Jiangdong unfolded quietly. Cao Cao sent his massive army to raid Jiangdong's grain and fodder camps, burning a large amount of grain, fodder, and military equipment. At the same time, he also sent his navy to blockade Jiangdong's waterways, cutting off Jiangdong's contact with the outside world.

This series of blows put Jiangdong into an unprecedented predicament. The shortage of grain, fodder, and military equipment greatly reduced the combat effectiveness of the Jiangdong army, and morale was low. And Zhou Yu and Sun Ce also fell into an unprecedented predicament.

"Gongjin, what should we do? Our grain, fodder, and military equipment are almost exhausted. If this continues, I fear we won't be able to hold on." Sun Ce looked at Zhou Yu anxiously.

Zhou Yu furrowed his brows, pondered for a moment, and then said: "My lord, do not worry. Although we have fallen into a predicament, it is not without a turning point. As long as we can find a breakthrough, we can break Cao Cao's blockade."

However, where was the breakthrough? Zhou Yu fell into deep thought. He knew deeply that this battle concerned the survival of Jiangdong and had to be treated with caution.

In the following days, Zhou Yu and Sun Ce led the soldiers to look for a breakthrough everywhere. They tried various methods, but none succeeded in breaking Cao Cao's blockade.

Just when they were almost in despair, an unexpected piece of news arrived: Cao Cao's massive army was attacking Xuzhou!

"Xuzhou?" A flash of light appeared in Zhou Yu's eyes, "This might be our opportunity!"