Chapter 765: Misjudgment

Let’s turn back time to the day when Fa Zheng flaunted his might beneath the walls of Shouchun. After retreating thirty miles with Gan Ning, Fa Zheng jumped out of the carriage, leaped onto his prized horse, and burst into laughter.

"Xiaozhi, what's wrong with you?" Gan Ning was startled by Fa Zheng’s sudden outburst. From the moment Fa Zheng switched from riding a horse to sitting in a carriage, Gan Ning had sensed something was off. Now, hearing Fa Zheng’s laughter, he felt even more uneasy.

"Nothing, just laughing!" Fa Zheng grinned as he waved his hand.

"This is more than just a laugh," Gan Ning muttered, his lips twitching. "What exactly is making you so happy?"

"I deliberately revealed everything to him, yet he remained completely calm. That’s excellent news! Now, quickly march to the Huai River and head straight for Yicheng at full speed!" Fa Zheng laughed, excitement evident in his voice.

"What are you talking about..." Gan Ning gave orders for the march, then frowned at Fa Zheng, awaiting an explanation.

"We’ll talk as we go. We can't waste time—if they decide to eliminate us, it could get bad. It was really dangerous back there. Do you remember what our objective was when we first set out?" Fa Zheng urged his horse forward, clearly exhilarated.

Fa Zheng’s original plan had been to create the appearance of a full-scale Liu Bei army invasion of Yuzhou. This wasn’t difficult, especially since Shouchun didn’t have accurate information. Fa Zheng had blocked communications, and with him being the first to arrive, Shouchun’s defenders would naturally assume that the north had already fallen.

Of course, there would be some doubts, but without evidence, they had no way to confirm it. And the real information wouldn’t reach Shouchun until a few days after Fa Zheng left. By that time, Zhou Yu, worried about Sun Ce, would have already set sail downriver.

No matter whether Yuzhou had truly fallen or not, as long as the route to Runan was cut off, Sun Ce would be in grave danger. Facing the combined strength of the three Liu forces—especially Liu Biao, who would fight fiercely—Zhou Yu would have no choice but to act quickly.

Given Liu Biao’s determination to reclaim lost territory, Zhou Yu could be certain that Liu Biao wouldn’t hold back. As for the Liu Bei faction, it was clear they had the strength to confront Sun Ce head-on, otherwise, they wouldn’t be taken seriously.

In truth, Fa Zheng owed his successful departure from Shouchun to Liao Li. If not for him, Zhou Yu—once calmed by Zhuge Jin—would have deployed his navy down the river to intercept Fa Zheng and secure Yuzhou. After all, Fa Zheng’s presence in Shouchun with Gan Ning seemed too risky for a simple ruse; it didn’t align with military tactics, and Zhou Yu would have been suspicious.

If it had been Taishi Ci instead of Gan Ning, or even another general of equal rank, they would have outright refused such a risky plan. As trusted deputies, they had the authority to stop such reckless actions, and that’s why only two people were involved in this mission—no one else could be trusted to keep quiet.

Liao Li had sent information about the situation in Nan County, informing Zhou Yu of Yan Yan's crushing defeat of Sun Ce’s army. This message was free of embellishments, containing only the harsh facts of the defeat, where Sun Ce’s army of 17,000 had been broken from the center and had retreated to Yiling.

This overwhelming defeat couldn’t be written off as a trap, and Zhou Yu, who had a deep bond with Sun Ce, was deeply worried. With the unfavorable conditions surrounding him, Zhou Yu’s emotions were in turmoil. Sun Ce was more important to him than anyone else, and as a result, he didn’t analyze Fa Zheng’s behavior under the walls of Shouchun and focused solely on rescuing Sun Ce.

"My original plan was to flaunt our strength under the walls of Shouchun, then quickly retreat to Huaibei and cut off the supply lines to Yuzhou. That was the safest move. Once we left, even if Zhou Yu realized what had happened, he wouldn’t be able to do anything. We could simply defend across the river," Fa Zheng said with a grin.

Gan Ning nodded, as that had been the initial strategy: after leaving Shouchun, they would move to Peiguo, where defenses were weak, and sever Yuzhou’s supply lines.

"But now, I’m changing the plan. I’m not retreating to Peiguo," Fa Zheng said with a cold smile. "Zhou Gongjin was too calm, which means he has something planned for the Yuzhou army. He must have anticipated the attack on Yuzhou and knew the Yuzhou army would lose!"

"Where did you see his calmness? When he saw you, he looked completely shocked," Gan Ning protested.

"I can read people’s hearts..." Fa Zheng replied with a sly grin. "If I’m right, all of Zhou Yu’s navy is stationed in Shouchun. His original plan was likely to use the navy to sail downstream to Xuzhou, and whether the Yuzhou army won or lost, he’d use the navy to either retreat or seize the moment for a grand victory."

"And what does that have to do with us?" Gan Ning asked, still puzzled.

"It means I’ve tricked Zhou Yu into doubting the situation in Nan County. He’ll lead his navy away by tonight, relying on the element of speed!" Fa Zheng said with a serious expression.

"So you're saying that by tomorrow, the lower Huai River and Yangtze River will be free of Zhou Yu’s navy, and he hopes to secure a decisive victory before we can react?" Gan Ning suddenly understood.

"Exactly. If I were Zhou Yu, I’d make the same choice. His navy on the Yangtze is his greatest strength. Though they’ll be sailing against the current, both Jiangling and Yiling are on the riverbanks!" Fa Zheng said confidently. "As long as he’s fast enough..."

"So in your judgment, Zhou Yu’s navy can wipe out Liu Biao?" Gan Ning asked.

"I don’t know for sure, but that doesn’t matter. What I do know is that in two or three days, the rivers will be free of his navy, and we won’t need to cut off Yuzhou’s supplies in Peiguo," Fa Zheng said proudly. "Zhou Gongjin is just as confident in his judgment as I am, but he’s blinded by his concern."

"One question, though. What if Zhou Yu’s forces are strong enough to crush Liu Biao? What will we do then?" Gan Ning asked, pointing out the possibility that Zhou Yu might have hidden resources they couldn’t predict.

"Zhou Yu’s forces shouldn’t be enough to completely wipe out Liu Biao. The strength he commands now is essentially the same as what he and Sun Ce built together. If he had the power to completely defeat Liu Biao, he would have done so already, regardless of any concerns about Yuan Shu," Fa Zheng explained after some thought. "If Zhou Yu had such overwhelming power, he would have used it already, for Sun Ce’s sake."

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