When Cao Ren was about to commit suicide, Ma Zhong jumped out of the water, knocked him into the water, grabbed his robe belt and swam to the south bank.
At this moment, suddenly the dust on the north bank was flying, the sound of horse hoofs was thundering, Cao Jun's troops came to kill, and the word "Xiahou" was erected on the current flag.
Seeing that reinforcements were arriving, Ma Zhong knew that there was no hope of capturing Cao Ren alive, so he dragged him into the water, quickly swam back to the shore, and led his troops to retreat.
It was Xiahou Dun who came, leading his troops to cross the bridge and disperse the Wu army. At this time, he had no time to pursue the enemy, so he immediately sent people along the river to look for Cao Ren.
Cao Xiu had been watching nervously on the other side. He had already sent people into the water to rescue him. Thousands of Cao Ren's soldiers took action and fished Cao Ren ashore. He looked black and blue and his breath was weak. He hurriedly sought medical treatment.
Xiahou Dun's eyes were as wide as a bell, and he was about to go to Shouchun for revenge. Cao Xiu persuaded him to return to Xuzhou with his remaining soldiers, and went to Pengcheng to see Cao Cao.
Cao Cao received good news from the front and thought his plan was successful. He was preparing to go to Shouchun to fight Zhou Yu in person. Before he set off, the defeated army returned. Seeing that Cao Ren was seriously injured, he screamed angrily and his eyes turned black and he fell unconscious.
The doctors hurriedly tried to treat him, but all the acupuncture and slapping were ineffective. Cao Chun gritted his teeth and ordered people to prepare the medicine and feed him, and then he revived Cao Cao.
Tasting the familiar taste between his lips and teeth, Cao Cao frowned and said, "Use Five Stone Powder again?"
Cao Chun said helplessly: "The Prime Minister fell into a coma just now. The doctors were helpless and had to do it as a last resort."
"Alas!" Cao Cao sighed softly and fell into silence.
Although Wushi Powder can cure headaches and even nourish yin and yang, it makes the body weak after using it. It has become increasingly thin in the past six months and often feels dizzy. Cao Cao loves and hates it.
But as long as the headache breaks out, other medicines are useless. He would rather roll on the bed in pain than use more medicine.
He also suspected that Zuo Ci had ulterior motives, but young people such as He Yan, Deng Yang, and Xia Houxuan were safe and in good spirits. He could only lament that he was old and frail, and his heroes were dying.
Cao Chunyan said: "The fall of Huainan will endanger the Central Plains. Take precautions as soon as possible."
"How dare you covet the Central Plains?" Cao Cao came back to his senses and gritted his teeth and said: "Zhou Lang and Ruzi have ruined my important affairs. Quickly mobilize the troops in Hebei. I will flatten Jiangdong and hate Xiao Qiao with ashes!"
Chen Jiao hurriedly advised: "When we conquered Jingzhou before, the people of Hebei were uneasy. We can no longer mobilize troops at this time. I expect Zhou Yu will return to Jiangdong to recuperate, and the other generals in Jiangdong will only defend. Guan Yu is eyeing the Central Plains in Nanyang. This matter needs to be considered in the long term." .”
Upon hearing Guan Yu's name, Cao Cao immediately calmed down and asked, "Do you have any good ideas?"
Cao Xiu said: "If Shouchun is not taken back, the Central Plains will be in trouble. We can mobilize troops from Xuzhou and Yanzhou. We will first see who Sun Quan sends to guard Huainan before making a decision."
Cao Cao thought for a moment, mobilized some troops from various places, prepared a total of 30,000 troops for battle, and ordered Chen Jiao to send people to inquire about Huainan.
Everyone retreated and ordered Cao Chun: "I have a headache, and military affairs will inevitably make mistakes. Please quickly transfer Sima Yi to the front of the army to take charge."
Cao Chun was startled: "The Prime Minister said before that we should be on guard against this person and not ask him to lead the army. Why..."
Cao Cao said coldly: "To deal with the rats from Jiangdong, Sima Zhongda is the best candidate."
…
In Shouchun City, the Wu army was in jubilation. After nearly ten years of push and pull from Sun Ce to Sun Quan, they finally occupied Huainan. Since then, Jiangdong has been stable.
Sun Quan followed Zhou Yu's suggestion and sent Lu Su north to pay homage to the governor of Huainan. He appointed Zhu Huan as the prefect of Guangling and Lu Xun as the military advisor, and concentrated all his efforts on the defense of Huainan.
When the convoy returned to Jianye, Sun Quan led the civil and military forces to personally greet Zhou Yu. The people lined the streets to welcome Zhou Yu, beating gongs and drums. If it hadn't been for the governor, Jiangdong would have been in danger.
Opening the curtain of the carriage, Sun Quan saw that Zhou Yu's face was pale and his lips were blue. He jumped on the carriage and pushed him into the carriage: "The governor has done a great job and worked hard. He spared his life for Jiangdong. I am driving the carriage for you!"
Zhou Yu said hurriedly: "How dare you trouble my lord to drive? You'll hurt me!"
Sun Quan sighed with emotion: "For this land in Huainan, my eldest brother was killed, Gong Jin almost lost his life, and he broke my pillar in Jiangdong. Returning in triumph this time not only shows his merits to the governor, but also comforts my eldest brother's spirit in heaven!"
"Bo Fu..." Zhou Yu's expression was complicated. He thought of Da Qiao's words again, and the joy of victory dissipated instantly.
Sun Quan thought that Zhou Yu missed Sun Ce again, so he comforted him and said: "Huainan is established. I will dredge the Hangou ditch and connect the Jianghuai River. The navy can enter Huaihe from Chaohu Lake, Sheyang Lake, and Donghai. If they advance, they can attack the thieves, and if they retreat, they can defend themselves." , the foundation of Jiangdong is prosperous, and the whole battle is a great victory in Huainan, the commander-in-chief!"
Zhou Yu calmed down his mind, nodded and said: "The traitor Cao will not give up after losing Shouchun, and Xuzhou is the place of the Fourth Battle. You should not rush to advance at this time. You should train your troops to accumulate grain, wait for the opportunity, wait for Liu Qi to send troops, and then you can make plans." Central Plains.”
Speaking of Liu Qi, Sun Quan frowned and sighed: "Liu Qi took Hanzhong and now he has entered Shu. His power has been established, and I fear that it will be detrimental to Jiangdong in the future."
Zhou Yu didn't want to stay in Jianye for a long time, so he took the opportunity to say: "After paying homage to the Queen Mother, I want to go back to Chaisang to recuperate. I can rest in peace and guard against Jingzhou. If Liu Qi takes Yizhou, he will definitely seek Guanzhong. If the time is right, he will take advantage of it." There is nothing wrong with taking Jingzhou in vain!"
Sun Quan frowned for a moment: "Liu Qi and I have just gotten married, how can we use our troops?"
A sneer appeared on Zhou Yu's pale lips: "Although Jiangdong is backed by three rivers, it is more conservative than aggressive. Only by making Cao and Liu fight, can the lord wait for an opportunity to invade and expand his foundation. If one family dominates, it will definitely threaten Jiangdong. ! Since ancient times, the king has been successful and the bandits have been defeated. The lord has not planned for Jingzhou. One day, when Liu Qi goes down the river, how can he miss the love of his in-laws?"
Sun Quan's eyes froze slightly when he heard this, and he slowly said after a while: "What Gong Jin said is absolutely true."
Zhou Yu went to the city to rest for a while, and the doctors bandaged his wounds again. He first went to the funeral to offer incense to Mrs. Wu, and then went to the mansion for a banquet to meet Mrs. Wu.
After hearing the good news about Huainan, the old lady was also extremely happy, her face was rosy, and she praised Zhou Yu so much that she even wanted to heal his wounds herself.
Zhou Yu said hurriedly: "It's just a mere flesh wound, it's not worth mentioning. How dare I bother the Crown Prince to do it myself? I'm afraid that my humble body will be broken and frighten the Crown Prince."
Mrs. Wu smiled and said: "I'm afraid Gong Jin doesn't know something. I have loved playing with medicinal herbs since I was a child. I have read medical books and taught myself medical skills. When the old general was injured in battle, I treated him with my own hands. I also healed Bo Fu's arrow injury. , if he hadn’t been irritable and his anger caused the golden sores to burst, you two would have been able to work side by side..."
Seeing Mrs. Wu's expression turn sad, Zhou Yu's heart trembled, and his heart surged like a river. Could it be that what Da Qiao said was not groundless?
Sun Quan saw Zhou Yu's face change slightly and hurriedly advised him: "There is no need to mention the matter of eldest brother. Guotai is indeed quite accomplished in medical skills. Although you and I don't have the same surname, we are brothers and sisters. There is no need to see Gong Jin outside."
Mrs. Wu took out a porcelain bottle and said: "This is an ointment made from whale gall and fish oil in the South China Sea. It is most effective for metal wounds. Apply it once every five days, and the sore will be healed in half a month."
Unable to refuse such kindness, Zhou Yu had no choice but to untie his clothes and let the old lady wipe the medicinal wine. He felt a coolness on the wound and the pain disappeared instantly. He couldn't help but feel the same if he didn't move. He couldn't help but secretly marveled.
