Chapter 535 Misfortunes never come singly
Such a big city like Xiangyang is just gone?

Sun Quan could never have imagined that an army of 30,000 strong, tens of thousands of naval forces, and strong cities and strongholds were defeated by the Yellow Turbans, who had only tens of thousands of soldiers with average combat effectiveness and had to cross the river to fight.

What was even more difficult for him to accept was that the biggest reason for the defeat in this battle was the rebellion of the Wu generals!
"Where is Huang Gai? I want to see him immediately. Why did Deng Dang rebel against the Yellow Turbans? Why did he let Deng Dang stay behind? If not, how could Xiangyang be lost?"

Sun Quan could no longer sit still. The situation, which was already very serious, had now become even worse. At this moment, he had to find someone to vent his anger on.

The first person he thought of was Huang Gai.

Deng Dang was Huang Gai's subordinate. When the army withdrew, it was Huang Gai who nodded and allowed Deng Dang to stay in Xiangyang!

When Zhou Yu saw this, he could only sigh in his heart. No one could have expected this to happen. It would be too harsh to blame Huang Gai for it.

To put it bluntly, Sun Quan himself also bears a lot of responsibility for this matter, after all, it was he who made the decision.

After thinking for a while, Zhou Yu stepped forward and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, you must stay calm at this moment. The situation of our army is already unfavorable. If we punish the general again, it will only make the morale of the army lower. Even if we really want to hold someone accountable, it should be after the war!"

Sun Quan was silent for a while after hearing this, then he sat back down with gritted teeth, but he still slammed the table unwillingly: "If we can survive this battle, I will definitely catch Deng Dang and tear him into pieces in the future!"

Zhou Yu smiled bitterly in his heart. Such harsh words would not produce any practical effect. Instead, they were more like a kind of impotent rage.

What he is more worried about now is not the fall of Xiangyang itself, but Deng Dang's trend of surrender. If Deng Dang can surrender, why can't others surrender?
As people lose more and more confidence in Wu and Shu, I am afraid that more and more people will face reality and turn to the Yellow Turbans.

Has it really come to this?
Zhou Yu didn't dare to speak out his thoughts. At this time, the most important thing for the Wu-Shu coalition was confidence. Once they lost even the last bit of confidence, the army of more than 300,000 would probably collapse in an instant.

Even if you have to pretend, even if you have to be tough, you must create a situation where great things can be accomplished.

Sun Quan forced himself to calm down: "Now, what should we do?"

Zhou Yu was immediately embarrassed. Even if he had the ability to control the sky, he could only grope in the dark. After thinking for a while, he said, "I think we can only take it one step at a time. Once Xiangyang is lost, our rear supply will be unreliable. If we want to fight the Yellow Turbans head-on, I am afraid we will not have enough stamina. Once the food and grass supply is not enough, we will definitely lose."

Sun Quan's heart sank, the situation became increasingly bad.

War is not just fought on the front battlefield. Logistical supply in the rear is also an extremely critical link, which can even directly determine the direction and outcome of the war.

Once Xiangyang was lost, the Yellow Turbans were able to destroy the rear of the Wu-Shu coalition forces. After the logistics were destroyed, Wu and Shu could just wait for their demise.

He stood up and paced back and forth, unable to calm down for a moment, his expression visibly anxious.

At present, the Wu-Shu coalition forces have been caught in a dilemma. If they turn back to defend the rear, they can only watch the Yellow Turbans advance into the hinterland of Jingzhou, and large tracts of land will be given up in vain. Even if they can drive away the Yellow Turbans in the rear, their living space will become smaller and smaller.

Now, if he goes forward, he will die; if he goes backward, he will also die. Sun Quan is very worried and upset.

Not to mention Sun Quan, even Zhou Yu has no good solution now. This situation cannot be reversed by any magic trick. Without any useful cards in hand, he will lose no matter how he plays.

At this time, a voice suddenly called out outside the tent, and it was Liu Bei leading his men. Sun Quan's expression brightened up, and he hurried over to greet them. He saw Liu Bei hurriedly entering the tent, looking flustered and anxious. Behind him, Xu Shu and other Shu officials also looked depressed and uneasy.

"It seems that the Emperor of Han has received the news that Xiangyang has fallen. I am waiting to discuss this important matter with the Emperor of Han. Let's see how to resolve the current situation."

One person's plan is better than another's. Sun Quan was at a loss for ideas. Liu Bei's arrival seemed like he had found a savior, so he immediately went to ask for advice.

However, Liu Bei's next words not only failed to resolve Sun Quan's worries, but instead shocked him.

"Did the Emperor of Wu only receive news about Xiangyang?" Liu Bei frowned, sweat broke out on his forehead, and said in a panic, "Xiangyang is indeed lost, but the more terrible thing is that Shuzhong is also going to be lost now. There is already accurate military news that the Yellow Turbans sneaked into Shuzhong through a small path and broke through Jianmen Pass. The entire Shuzhong is exposed to them, and I'm afraid it is about to be overturned!"

When speaking, Liu Bei even had a faint cry in his voice, he was really anxious.

He could not help but be anxious. Just as the loss of Yangzhou made Sun Quan anxious, the fall of Shuzhong also made Liu Bei anxious. That was where Liu Bei's family property was. If he lost Shuzhong, he would lose everything.

Sun Quan was stunned, Zhou Yu was also stunned, and the tent fell into silence.

It's really like when it rains but it pours. Bad things keep coming one after another. Who could have thought that before the frontal action even starts, big problems start to arise one after another in the rear. How can we fight this war?

An atmosphere of failure and pessimism spread among the crowd, and everyone had a clear feeling that the situation was hopeless.

Sun Quan sat back in his seat in a daze, and Liu Bei followed him to the side. The two had a dazed look on their faces, one of them blankly and gloomy, and they looked at each other from time to time, sighing, but could not utter a word.

The officials of Wu and Shu below looked at each other with heavy expressions.

Zhou Yu looked at the scene in front of him and felt more and more bad. If it continued like this, morale would collapse. Although he was already on the verge of despair, he could not accept failure so easily.

"Your Majesty, Emperor Han, please cheer up. We Wu and Shu still have more than 300,000 troops. No matter how bad the situation is, as long as we have the army, there is still hope!"

Zhou Yu stepped forward, glanced at Sun Quan and Liu Bei, then turned to look at the ministers present, such as Lu Su, Xu Shu, etc.

"Everyone standing here is a genius of our time. Your Majesty and the Emperor of Han are natural heroes. You have experienced many hardships along the way. Zhou Yu doesn't think the current situation can overwhelm you!"

When Zhou Yu's powerful words were heard, Sun Quan and Liu Bei were shocked and seemed to sober up a little and regain some spirit. Lu Su and others were also stunned, but then their expressions gradually calmed down.

They were clearly in a desperate situation, but after being awakened by a few words, everyone's morale became even more determined.

Everyone will encounter difficulties, and there will always be some hurdles that are difficult to overcome. Some people will be knocked down by these difficulties, and then fail and never recover. However, truly strong people can face difficulties bravely and move forward, and can turn pain into strength.

All the people standing in this big tent now are such powerful people. Once reminded, they can immediately get rid of the emotions of pessimism and failure.

Zhou Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that his warning had worked. He then said, "Everyone, as the saying goes, an army that mourns will win. Now we have no way out. What else do we have to worry about? There is no need to be dejected. Let's just make a final break with the Yellow Turbans!"

(End of this chapter)