Chapter 846: The Situation Becomes Clear

At this time, Taishi Ci and Chen Dao had already begun the process of rotating troops. However, due to the excellent performance of Xu Shu in the north, Wei Yan and others had not yet been mobilized. Only Fazheng and Gan Ning had been reassigned. As for Zhuge Liang, he was forced to end the chaotic warfare in Jing and Yi provinces.

When Zhou Yu suddenly appeared east of Yiling and launched a surprise attack on Liu Biao’s fortifications, where Sun Ce had been defending, the well-prepared Pang Tong seized the opportunity to retreat and took Sun Ce back to Jingxiang.

Following Pang Tong’s retreat to the west, Zhuge Liang, who had been advancing deeply into enemy territory in Jing and Yi provinces, was left with no choice but to withdraw to Runan. However, the time gained was sufficient for Xun Yan and Chen Deng to set up an initial defense line along the Huai River.

Meanwhile, Zhang Song and Yan Yan had no option but to station their troops at Yiling, while their main forces retreated to Yizhou. Due to Zhang Song’s deceitful tactics, Yan Yan’s eastern army suffered no losses. On the western front, Zhang Ren, Wu Yi, and others successfully captured Mianyang, and with more effort, the conquest of Nanzheng and Hanzhong was within reach.

Despite losing Zheng Du and Liu Ba, Liu Zhang, swayed by Zhang Song’s persuasive rhetoric, was quite pleased with the results. Expanding his territory by a hundred miles brought Liu Zhang much satisfaction, and he hardly lamented the loss of officials with whom he had little connection.

Thus, the chaos in Jing and Yi provinces gradually subsided. When Zhou Yu cut off Jingnan, the defeat of Liu Biao and Kuai Yue was inevitable. However, Liao Li, ignoring Zhou Yu’s advice, sealed their fate. Kuai Yue, upon learning of the severing of Jingnan, knew that Liu Biao had no way out.

Without informing Huang Zhong, Liu Pan, or Han Xuan of the true situation, Kuai Yue executed an old plan and, during the torrential summer rains, dug into the Yangtze River, flooding Jiangling.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians and soldiers on both sides were swept away by the flood. Kuai Yue stood at the breach, and when the river broke through, he was the first to be consumed by the floodwaters. Liu Biao had died, and Kuai Yue, feeling there was no life left for him, chose to perish with the flood. By looking at himself from a purely rational perspective, he could have survived, but life had become too disgraceful.

"Let’s be buried together," Kuai Yue said calmly before meeting his end beneath the waves. Most of Liu Biao’s officers also perished in the flood. Only Huang Zhong, with his exceptional strength, survived, rescuing his wife, daughter, and the esteemed physician Zhang Zhongjing from the same city.

Meanwhile, Liao Li and his forces, caught in the chaos of the Jingxiang conflict, fared no better. As the floodwaters surged, Liao Li cursed the heavens, letting the storm pummel him. Having made such a grievous error, he saw death as the only way to atone.

"Gongyuan!" Liao Li’s despair had not gone unnoticed by Ling Cao, who, upon seeing Liao stand resolute in the face of the waves, determined to meet his end, rushed to pull him to safety. Thus, Liao Li’s life was spared.

With the combined efforts of Huang Zhong, Ling Cao, and the newly arrived Zhou Tai, they managed to block the breach in the Yangtze River using giant stones. After two hours of work, they finally stemmed the flood. However, it was too late—thousands of square miles of farmland had been submerged, and tens of thousands of civilians had perished.

The weather in summer changes quickly. After the torrential rain, the temperature rapidly rose again. Before Zhou Yu and Sun Ce could deal with the corpses in the flooded areas, a plague broke out. Before they could even set up proper quarantine measures, the disease had spread like wildfire.

Huang Zhong, who had planned to take Zhang Zhongjing with him to Mount Tai, could only watch in silence as Zhang Zhongjing calmly walked into the plague-stricken region of Jingxiang. His strength allowed him to resist the plague, but his wife and daughter could not. Thus, Huang Zhong could only bid farewell to Zhang Zhongjing.

[Everyone has their own path. It is not dictated by right or wrong. Zhang Ji gambled his life for the hope of saving the people. Kuai Yue viewed both the world and himself as mere ants in pursuit of power. But what about me?]

Watching Zhang Zhongjing enter what seemed like a living hell, Huang Zhong’s body radiated a vibrant green aura like river water. His graying hair, worn by years of toil, regained its luster, and the wrinkles on his face smoothed out, restoring his youthful appearance.

Taking in the sight of the flood-ravaged land, Huang Zhong drew a deep breath, realizing for the first time what he truly wanted to do.

[They all acted for their ideals. Zhang Ji wished to rid the world of disease and sought out Hua Tuo for an exchange of knowledge. However, upon witnessing the plague that ravaged Jingxiang, he gave up that opportunity to stay and help the people…]

[And what about me? Why do these tragedies keep happening? Why must the people endure such senseless suffering?]

Memories of the tragic times under Emperor Huan, Emperor Ling, and the Yellow Turban Rebellion surged in Huang Zhong’s mind. He finally understood his purpose. He wasn’t meant to be a recluse. He needed to do something for the people of this land, to ensure that they would no longer suffer such tragedies.

After bowing three times in deep respect toward Jingxiang, Huang Zhong set off with his wife and daughter. As for joining Liu Bei, he needed to see him with his own eyes. Though Yi Ji had spoken highly of Liu Bei, Huang Zhong sought someone who could truly restore order to the land, whether that person was a hero or a tyrant.

At this time, Wei Yan and Xu Shu had successfully diverted Yuan Shao’s attention by attacking Qinghe. While Liu Bei crossed the Yellow River to launch a direct assault on Yuan Shao’s camp, Qinghe continuously sent out emergency reports. Even sending Xin Pi to Qinghe did not stop the decline.

With each successive battle, Xu Shu grew more adept at understanding his capabilities. Though he was not considered one of the top strategists of his time, his strengths in other areas were enough to make any wise adversary struggle.

There was no need to worry about schemes. While Xu Shu might not grasp the entirety of a plan, he always knew where it was safe to tread, and that was enough. After all, every strategy ultimately came down to a contest of strength.

If all your strategies amount to nothing when faced with your opponent in battle, then those strategies are worthless.

Xu Shu’s spiritual talent allowed him to see the flaws in military formations, meaning that most formations were easily broken by him. Without the use of formations, scattered troops offered little advantage in large-scale battles.

As a result, even after Xin Pi was dispatched to Qinghe, Zhu Ling’s forces were repeatedly defeated by Xu Shu and Wei Yan. Xu Shu frequently avoided confrontation through cunning, while in direct battles, Xin Pi found his army completely overpowered. Despite meticulous planning, Xu Shu turned Xin Pi’s forces into a sieve.

In the end, Xin Pi had no choice but to retreat to Ganling, sending a plea for aid to Yuan Shao, warning him of Xu Shu’s strange tactics, while preparing to fortify Ganling against the coming assaults of Xu Shu and Wei Yan.

However, amid all this, a major event occurred, and Yuan Shao, who had been barely holding on, was thrown into utter chaos.

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