It turned out that Zhou Tai informed in the letter that a batch of grain and grass had just arrived from Guangling. He asked for orders to pick up the ship and patrolled it. He happened to hijack the grain ship and sailed into the north entrance of Fuling Hubei. He agreed that the ship would arrive after the second watch and let Cao Xiu let it go.
Cao Xiu finished reading the letter and said to the visitor: "When General Zhou's ship arrives at the mouth of the lake, raise a fire as a signal on the bow and show the token, and it will sail smoothly."
Then they agreed on a secret code for communication, rewarded the person who sent the letter generously, and gave him food and wine to enjoy alone. He would reply to the letter after Zhou Tai's fleet was dispatched.
Cao Xiu also ordered people to inquire about the Jiangdong navy. Sure enough, there was a fleet going out of the lake mouth and heading downstream. There was a big flag on the boat with the word "zhou" written on it. It was expected that Zhou Tai was going to pick up the grain and grass. He couldn't help but feel secretly happy. Jin came to obey the order.
There is a thatched pavilion to the east of the water village, which was originally the observation deck of the Wei army's water village. It was forcibly occupied by Xiahou Mao as a fishing platform. He was fishing absentmindedly, but he glanced at the camp from time to time, listening to the sound of drums and gongs, and he was looking forward to it.
After being ridiculed by Cao Xiu, Xia Houmao returned to the camp in anger, ignored the military, and waited for Cao Xiu to send someone to invite him. After all, he was appointed by Cao Cao to join the army. The war was about to begin. What would he do without joining the army?
Seeing that the date was approaching but no one was paying attention, Xia Houmao couldn't hold himself back and forcibly occupied a sentry tower, hoping to attract Cao Xiu's attention, but Cao Xiu still ignored him.
Seeing Zhang Wei return from the army, Xia Houmao threw away his fishing and stepped forward and asked: "Has the governor asked me to go out?"
Zhang Wei sighed, shook his head helplessly, and said Cao Xiu's acceptance of the serial ship without even a word of thanks.
"What a good Cao Wenlie, you want to take all the credit?" Xia Houmao was furious and wanted to go to Cao Xiu to argue.
Zhang Wei hurriedly advised: "General Cao is training troops. Generals are not allowed to go. If the generals are at odds, it may affect the morale of the army."
Xia Houmao gritted his teeth and cursed: "Kick me away when you are about to accomplish your great work. Is this not killing the donkey?"
"The general's words are wrong!" Zhang Wei laughed and said: "You have completed the order of Prime Minister Cao, and the living ring was presented by the general. Now you can just sit back and enjoy the success: if you win, half of the credit will be given to the general. If you lose, it will be Cao Xiu. Incompetent, he has nothing to do with the general!"
Xia Houmao glared and said unwillingly: "This battle is controlled by both hands, and with Zhou Tai as an internal support, how can we be defeated?"
Zhang Weiyan said: "I'm just advising the general to weigh the pros and cons and stop in moderation. If the general insists on getting a share of the pie, he may be laughed at by Cao Xiu and others. What's the use of knowing it?"
Xia Houmao's expression changed several times, and he finally sighed helplessly: "I am destined to have no sleep tonight..."
As night fell, the Wei army had finished eating in the camp, and each battalion was on standby. Niu Jin led the troops to guard the mouth of the lake. Warships were ambushed in the reeds on both sides of the bank. The warships of the entire army were not allowed to move rashly to avoid being noticed by Jiangdong Xizuo, so they were on guard.
Cao Xiu and Wen Qin stood on the shore under the flag, looking into the wind and looking into the distance. In March, the southeast wind was blowing hard, and half a bright moon hung like a jade plate. The waves in the lake were rolling, but the chain boats were only rising and falling slowly.
Cao Xiu laughed in the wind and said, "The east wind helps our army become more powerful. We will surely become famous in this battle tonight."
Wen Qin said with emotion: "Everything must be ready for Shouchun at this time. This battle is successful and Liu Qi is defeated. The prime minister will return to the Central Plains to preside over major events. The commander-in-chief of Huainan must be the governor."
Cao Xiu was high-spirited and pointed to the southeast with one hand: "There is no owner in the east of the Yangtze River. This is the time for a man to make great achievements. Someone will recommend Zhong Ruo as a pioneer in the future. You and I will go to the east of the Yangtze River together."
Wen Qin was overjoyed, clasped his fists and said, "It is enough for me to be the governor of Huainan!"
While he was making plans, he suddenly heard the sound of drums at the mouth of the lake. The defenders on the sentry tower reported that fire loomed at the mouth of the Huaihe River and there was the sound of fighting.
Cao Xiu was shocked and hurriedly boarded the ship to wait and see. Not long after, the sentinel ship came to report that Zhou Tai had indeed led the fleet into the mouth of the lake. Jiangdong navy was chasing behind him, but he was ambushed and stopped by Niu Jin.
Cao Xiu laughed and said: "This time Zhou Tai comes to surrender, and the Wu army loses food and grass. There will be chaos in the camp. Later we will send troops from three groups to kill him by surprise."
Wen Qin sneered and said: "Liu Qi actually thought that Lu Xun was Sun Ce's son-in-law and appointed a scholar to command all the generals? This time the recruitment is unknown, and he may lose his life in Jiangdong!"
Not long after, I saw sails fluttering on the lake, and a dark mass came riding the wind and waves. A large ship in front had a flag with the word "zhou" raised high. The soldiers kept showing the signal, and everything they passed was unimpeded.
Cao Xiu couldn't wait to get on the top of the ship and hold the side of the ship. He saw the tall man on the bow standing with a gun. It was Zhou Tai. He waved and shouted: "General Zhou, Cao has been waiting for a long time."
The fleet was approaching quickly, and they saw large and small ships surrounding them, sailing in the wind. They didn't slow down at all as they approached. As the ship approached, Wen Qin suddenly exclaimed: "No, Commander, look at this -"
Cao Xiu was crying due to the night wind. When he wiped his tears and looked again, he saw that it was not Zhou Tai on the bow of the ship, but a straw man, wearing only armor and tied to the side of the ship. He said in shock: "What does this mean? "
Before he finished speaking, he saw the roar of flames on the bow of the ship rising more than ten feet high. Flames were flying in the three-story cabin of the ship. In an instant, black smoke billowed, roaring like an enraged fire dragon.
At the same time, fires were also burning in the surrounding boats, which were flying in due to the strong wind. Some boats were already burning and spinning on the water before they even got close.
Wen Qin was shocked and hurriedly pulled Cao Xiu and ran under the boat: "There is a trick on the boat. This must be Zhou Tai's plan. Governor, leave quickly!"
Cao Xiu took two steps, suddenly threw away his hand and broke away, laughing loudly: "How dare you, a reckless man like Zhou Tai, to plot against this governor? Don't you know that someone has already prepared and sent an order - to open the lock!"
Wen Qin was startled, then his worries turned into joy, and he shouted: "Quickly untie the chain and get out of the way of the big ship."
The soldiers hurriedly prepared, but after a while they saw that the ships were still connected and pulling each other. Only Cao Xiu's warship was freed, but it was squeezed by the surrounding ships and could not move at all.
When Cao Xiu was cursing, Jiangdong's warships were already approaching, and they bumped into the chain boats one after another. There was a muffled sound everywhere, and sparks flew straight into the air, like fire falling from the sky, and instantly ignited the sails of the surrounding ships.
Wen Qin shouted loudly: "The ship is welded to death, the governor, leave quickly."
"Xiahou Mao harmed me!" Cao Xiu jumped to his feet and yelled, looking at the red light of the fire along the coast, his eyes seemed to want to spit fire.
In the rear camp in the northwest, Xia Houmao was watching from the outpost. He saw the Jiangdong warships arriving in advance. He repeatedly exclaimed that it was a pity that Zhou Tai brought the fleet to surrender, but he was unable to participate. After all, he missed a great victory.
Just when he was regretting it, he suddenly saw a fire light up at the entrance of the water village in the distance, reflecting half of the sky red. Shouts came from afar, and drums sounded everywhere. He cursed angrily: "Cao Xiu, you bastard, caught fire in the camp at the critical moment."
When he was anxious, he saw his own soldiers rushing to report that Zhou Tai had faked his surrender. The Soochow navy attacked the water stronghold and burned the camp. The warships had already entered the harbor and told him to escape quickly.
Zhang Wei said anxiously: "General, it seems this is Liu Qi's plan. Let's go quickly!"
"Liu Qi again?" Xiahou Mao was stunned, looking at the fire in the distance, stamping his feet and cursing: "I was tricked by Liu Qi before I learned the art of war, and I was tricked by him after I learned the art of war. Didn't I learn the art of war in vain?"
