Mythical Three Kingdoms-Chapter 885 - 846: The Trend Becomes Clear

During this period, Taishi Ci and Chen Dao had already begun the process of redeploying defenses. However, due to Xu Shu's exceptional performance in the north, Wei Yan and others had not been mobilized yet. Only Fa Zheng and Gan Ning had been relocated, while Zhuge Liang was forced to bring an abrupt end to the chaotic conflict in Jingyi.

When Zhou Yu suddenly appeared east of Yiling, launching a rear assault on Liu Biao, who was in the midst of attacking Sun Ce's defensive fortifications, Pang Tong, who had been well-prepared for such a scenario, took the opportunity to extricate himself and withdrew along with Sun Ce back to Jing-Xiang.

After Pang Tong's westward retreat, Zhuge Liang, who was stationed in the Jingyi area, had no choice but to abandon his precarious advance and reluctantly retreated to Runan. By prolonging the conflict for this amount of time, it had already allowed Xun Yan and Chen Deng to establish the initial Huai River defensive line.

Similarly, Zhang Song and Yan Yan could only deploy troops to garrison Yiling while withdrawing their main forces back to Yizhou. Under Zhang Song's deceitful manipulations, the Eastern Route Army led by Yan Yan remained unscathed. As for the Western Route Army, Zhang Ren and Wu Yi had successfully conquered Mianyang, and with additional effort, Nanzheng seemed within grasp, and Hanzhong was within reach.

Regarding the outcome thus far, despite losing Zheng Du and Liu Ba, Zhang Song's rhetorical prowess left Liu Zhang surprisingly satisfied. For Liu Zhang, Zheng Du and Liu Ba did not align with his temperament or leave much of an impression. Their loss was of little concern, especially with an expansion of territory by a hundred li, which brought some measure of pride to Liu Zhang.

This marked the inevitable closure of the original chaos surrounding Jingyi. When Zhou Yu severed Jingnan, Liu Biao and Kuai Yue's defeat was practically preordained. Unfortunately, Liaoo Li failed to heed Zhou Yu's advice. Once Kuai Yue learned of Jingnan's severance, he knew Liu Biao was destined to meet his end.

Kuai Yue subsequently withheld the truth from Huang Zhong, Liu Pan, Hann Xuann, and others, adhering to a long-standing plan. Amid torrential summer rains, he deliberately breached the Yangtze River, unleashing floods upon Jiangling.

Tens of thousands of civilians and soldiers on both sides were ravaged by the floodwaters. Standing at the breached embankment of the Yangtze, Kuai Yue was the first to be consumed by the surging waves as the river burst forth. With Liu Biao already dead, he believed his own survival was meaningless. Discarding all attachments, he viewed himself from a purely rational lens. Although a path to survival existed, it felt unbearably disgraceful.

"Come, perish with me!" Kuai Yue calmly succumbed to a watery grave. The majority of Liu Biao's military officers also perished beneath the floodwaters, leaving only Huang Zhong to miraculously escape, leveraging his extraordinary abilities to save not only his wife and daughter but also the renowned Zhang Zhongjing from the same city.

Meanwhile, those caught amidst the Jing-Xiang chaos, including Liaoo Li, did not fare much better. As the floodwaters surged, Liaoo Li cursed the heavens bitterly, allowing the roaring storm to lash his body, overwhelmed by the grievous error he believed merited the solace of death.

"Gong Yuan!" Ling Cao, who had been observing Liaoo Li's actions during this period, saw Liaoo Li face the incoming waves with a resigned demeanor, showing no intent to evade them. Shocked, Ling Cao grabbed Liaoo Li and pulled him to safety, thereby sparing his life.

With the combined efforts of Huang Zhong, Ling Cao, and the newly arrived Zhou Tai, they managed to seal the breached embankment with massive boulders, achieving a rough closure within two hours. However, it was already too late—the flood had engulfed over a hundred li of fertile land, and tens of thousands of civilians perished.

The weather during summer transitioned swiftly, and shortly after the torrential rains ceased, temperatures rose once more. Before Zhou Yu and Sun Ce could address the corpses in the flooded regions, an epidemic broke out. Before they could establish quarantine barriers, the plague spiraled out of control, spreading rapidly.

Originally intending to escort Zhang Zhongjing from Jingzhou to Mount Tai, Huang Zhong ultimately stood silently as Zhang Zhongjing walked into the epidemic-ridden region of Jing-Xiang. While Huang Zhong's strength allowed him to disregard the plague, his wife and daughter could not, leaving him with no choice but to watch Zhang Zhongjing depart.

[Everyone makes their own choices, untouched by notions of right or wrong. Zhang Jii wagered his life for the slightest glimmer of hope, while Kuai Yue, for the sake of his family, regarded the masses and himself as mere ants. And what about me?]

Huang Zhong watched as Zhang Zhongjing entered the hellish epidemic zone, his body emanating an azure-green hue akin to river currents. Soon, his slightly withered hair regained its radiance, and the faint wrinkles on his face disappeared, restoring his youthful appearance.

As he gazed upon the flood-ravaged land, Huang Zhong took a deep breath, suddenly aware of his own purpose.

[Everything they do is driven by their ideals. Zhang Jii wishes to free the people from the torment of disease, seeking to converse with Hua Tuo. Yet upon witnessing the plague ravaging Jing-Xiang, he resolutely gave up the opportunity to meet Hua Tuo and turned instead to aid the suffering masses…]

[And what of me? Why do such tragedies occur? Why must the people inexplicably endure so much suffering?]

The catastrophes of the Huan and Ling emperors' reign and the Yellow Turban Era resurfaced in Huang Zhong's mind. He realized what he needed to do—he was no hermit. He had to act for the people of this world, to ensure they no longer face tragic fates like before.

After bowing three times toward Jing-Xiang, Huang Zhong set off with his wife and daughter. Regarding his decision to join Liu Bei, he needed to see him personally first. Though Yi Ji sang many praises of Liu Bei, Huang Zhong sought a figure who could truly restore order to the realm—be it a hero or a tyrant!

At the same time, Wei Yan and Xu Shu, who were attacking Qinghe, had successfully diverted Yuan Shao's attention. While Liu Bei crossed the Yellow River to assault Yuan Shao's main camp, distress signals constantly arrived from Qinghe, even prompting Yuan Shao to dispatch Xin Pi, though chaos continued to escalate.

With successive confrontations, Xu Shu's grasp of his own abilities steadily matured. He was not among the era's top strategists, yet his mastery of other aspects was sufficient to vex even the greatest sages.

There was no need to fret over strategy; even if Xu Shu couldn't perceive the entire picture, his judgments ensured his own safety, and that was sufficient for him. After all, any plan ultimately relied on a clash of strength in the end.

If all schemes were exhausted and you still couldn't overpower the enemy, then the worth of every strategy essentially amounted to zero.

Xu Shu's Spiritual Talent lay in discerning vulnerabilities within military formations. In his presence, most formations were easily penetrable, while unorganized platoons added minimal combat strength to an army.

Thus, after Xin Pi was sent to Qinghe and clashed with Xu Shu and Wei Yan under Zhu Ling's leadership, defeat followed defeat. Xu Shu often evaded traps, and in direct confrontations, Xin Pi felt his forces were completely restrained, as if Xu Shu's precise maneuvers shredded his sound tactical plans into tatters.

Under these circumstances, Xin Pi was forced to retreat to Ganling, seeking reinforcements from Yuan Shao as he consolidated defenses and relied on Ganling City to resist Xu Shu and Wei Yan's assaults.

But amidst this situation, a major event unfolded, plunging Yuan Shao's previously manageable predicament into total chaos.

(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support motivates me greatly. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)