Chapter 512 Iron Wall
It was not easy for a large army to march. Once the Yellow Turban navy moved, the Wu-Shu coalition forces had to follow suit. The army of more than 300,000 stretched for more than ten miles with no end in sight. It would take a long time to march from here to Xiangyang.

Fortunately, the Yellow Turban Navy's actions would not be very fast, and the journey upstream would also be very long, which gave the Wu-Shu coalition forces enough time to mobilize their troops.

At the same time, the spies sent by Lu Su were constantly sending back information, ensuring that the Yellow Turban Army was also heading towards Xiangyang. This made the Wu-Shu coalition forces more convinced that the Yellow Turbans' main attack direction was in Xiangyang.

Both sides rushed to the battlefield at the same time, maintaining the same tacit understanding. At this time, they were racing against time. Whoever could arrive first would have a greater advantage.

With both sides marching as fast as they could, it took them another half a month to finally arrive in Xiangyang.

Thanks to the advance deployment of the Wu-Shu coalition forces, a light army had already set up a basic defense line in Xiangyang, which saved a lot of effort for the main force of the Wu-Shu coalition forces that arrived later. Once the army arrived, the entire defensive formation was deployed at once.

The Wu and Shu navies, who had temporarily avoided the attack of the Yellow Turban navy, also quietly approached the waters of Xiangyang. Although they were unaware that the Yellow Turban navy had already exhausted its ammunition reserves in the previous battle, they did not dare to get too close due to the power of their cannons. However, as long as the Yellow Turban navy really began to transport troops across the river, the Wu and Shu navies would put aside their concerns and begin to harass with all their strength.

At this time, on the Xiangyang side, the Wu-Shu coalition forces were heavily deployed, with three layers of military camps erected inside and outside, and the entire south bank was about to be covered with high walls by them.

This was not enough, and they even had to conscript civilians every day to continue building fortifications.

Behind the camp, blacksmiths and carpenters worked day and night to forge arrows and equipment for the Wu-Shu coalition forces in preparation for the fierce battle to come.

It can be said that the Wu-Shu coalition had done everything they could to strengthen their defenses and leave no loopholes for the Yellow Turbans to cross the river. Under such high-intensity defenses, it was unimaginably difficult for the Yellow Turbans to transport troops across the river via the navy.

At least Zhou Yu, who was on the side of the Wu-Shu coalition, was very confident in the solid defense line that had been built.

This is indeed the case. After the Yellow Turban Navy arrived in Xiangyang, although they were in high spirits, they actually did not take the next step and stayed in the Xiangyang waterway, just like they did in Yunmengze before.

This undoubtedly gave the Wu-Shu coalition a lot of confidence.

"Could it be that the Yellow Turbans are really afraid of our defense and are retreating in the face of difficulty?" Huang Gai couldn't help but mutter as he inspected the camp with Zhou Yu while looking at the distant and peaceful Yellow Turban navy.

Zhou Yu heard this and looked into the distance, saying with a smile, "Let's wait and see. After all, the enemy's land division marches more slowly and has only just arrived. Perhaps they are organizing an attack right now."

Huang Gai immediately snorted coldly: "They really dare to attack us? Our army is not a pushover!"

Zhou Yu laughed and said, "I don't know if they dare or not, but that's not important. What's important is that even if they really come, I can make sure they never come back."

Huang Gai couldn't help but look at Zhou Yu, then nodded in agreement.

It has to be said that although this young man Zhou Yu is a bit arrogant, he is indeed to his liking and is indeed very talented and capable of taking on military and national affairs.

The two of them climbed to a high place together, where they had a panoramic view of the upper and lower waterways. The military camp below their feet made the already dangerous south bank of Xiangyang even more treacherous and forbidding. One could imagine how difficult and cumbersome it would be to attack here by water.

The strategic value here is great, but it also means that the difficulty of capturing it is infinitely high. At this time, it depends on the ability of both sides. Whoever can win one step can control the direction of the entire battle. Looking at the upstream and downstream, although there is no movement in the distance, Zhou Yu is very confident.

But he looked far away and pointed.

"It is true that the previous disastrous defeat is hard to accept, but this does not mean that the Wu-Shu coalition has no more tricks. Now in Xiangyang, I, Zhou Yu, will make Xu Chen lose his battle. If he wants to fight a naval battle, I will accompany him and see what he can do to me. If he wants to attack the city, I can also make him drown in the river!"

The strong can always stand up again after repeated failures. When they regain their confidence, they will even become stronger. Zhou Yu is obviously such a strong man.

Xu Chen is very strong, but this kind of strength is unreasonable. On the contrary, it cannot make Zhou Yu completely convinced. This will only make Zhou Yu feel that Xu Chen has supernatural means, but is not stronger than himself in strategy and intelligence.

Unless Xu Chen can clearly defeat himself in military command and tactical planning, then he can truly be convinced.

Of course, when it really came to this, Zhou Yu was more likely to suffer a mental breakdown.

Now, although Zhou Yu did not dare to say that he was sure of victory, he was confident that he could stop the Yellow Turbans' offensive.

If the Yellow Turbans want to fight a naval battle, then he can just let the Wu and Shu navy deal with them. There is no need to fight head-on. He just needs to put enough pressure on them to protect themselves. As long as the Wu and Shu navy conserve their strength and press upstream and downstream at all times, the actions of the Yellow Turban navy will inevitably be constrained.

If the Yellow Turbans tried to force their way across the river, Zhou Yu would be even more eager. If they really did so, it would mean that the Yellow Turbans were offering themselves the opportunity.

Although Wu and Shu do not have the strength to defeat the Yellow Turbans now, they are not afraid of continuing the confrontation with the Yellow Turbans. As long as they can resolve the momentum of the Yellow Turbans' southern expedition and allow Wu and Shu to maintain the status quo, it will be a victory for them.

For the weaker party, being able to try their best to stay alive is already a great satisfaction.

Be it Liu Bei and Xu Shu, or Zhou Yu and Sun Quan, none of them had the extravagant hope of defeating the Yellow Turbans in this battle. The only thing they were striving for was to force the Yellow Turbans to retreat and maintain the status quo.

Even after a devastating defeat, Zhou Yu had enough confidence in this goal.

He even couldn't wait to see the Yellow Turbans attack. He wanted to see how the mysterious and omnipotent Xu Chen could break his iron wall formation!
"Remember not to slack off in military training. You are a veteran general of our Wu State. You will be needed to contribute in the battle!" Zhou Yu smiled at Huang Gai, then walked down and left first.

Huang Gai stared at the other side of the river, and his expression gradually became serious.

As one of the earliest veterans to follow Sun Jian, he watched the foundation of the Wu Kingdom being built bit by bit. This Wu Kingdom was not only the Sun family's Wu Kingdom, but also his, Huang Gai's Wu Kingdom. He would never tolerate others taking away the honor and pride of his half-life.

So what if it’s the Yellow Turbans, so what if it’s Xu Chen? No matter who attacks, I, Huang Gai, will defend the foundation of the Wu Kingdom to the death!

While Huang Gai was thinking, his subordinate, the deputy general Deng Dang, who had been following closely behind him, came forward and said, "General, please go down and rest first. I will observe the enemy's situation. With me here, you can rest assured!"

(End of this chapter)