Chapter 537 Life and Death
The situation was becoming increasingly serious and critical, and was developing in an increasingly unfavorable direction for the Wu-Shu coalition.

It had only been two months since the Yellow Turbans launched their offensive, but the Wu and Shu kingdoms, which had originally occupied the entire south, had already lost Yizhou and Yangzhou, which were the foundations of the two kingdoms.

After losing Yizhou and Yangzhou, the Wu-Shu coalition forces also completely lost their homeland. Jiaozhou further south had no impact on the war at all, and Jingzhou became their last line of defense.

If they can't even defend the last Jingzhou, then they will really have nothing. The dream of the Wu-Shu alliance to march north to conquer Xuanxia will be shattered before it even takes the first concrete step.

Right now, it is the darkest moment for the Wu-Shu coalition forces, and they are facing the primary issue of life and death.

Fortunately, even when they were at the end of their rope and at their lowest point, they were still able to muster up all their energy to face the crisis. After both Wu and Shu worked out the next combat strategy, the entire coalition began to act quickly.

The coalition forces of more than 300,000 quickly withdrew to various counties and prefectures in Jingzhou, and the people in the towns and villages across the country were suddenly faced with the government's largest requisition of food and manpower. The people from all over the country were almost forcibly captured and driven to nearby cities, and the last bit of food that the people relied on for survival was almost completely looted by the coalition forces.

At this time, neither Liu Bei nor Sun Quan cared about the people.

If Wu and Shu were really going to perish, then the so-called people's support would no longer be important. What they wanted to defend was the old era, and the prosperity of the new era had no meaning to them.

Now Wu and Shu no longer have any way to retreat. If they relax even a little, they will be doomed. This forces them to become efficient and quick in the limited time available.

The main force of the Yellow Turbans was getting closer and closer. With only a short time left, the Wu-Shu coalition forces completed the task of clearing the countryside at an extremely fast speed.

The entire rear area of ​​Jingzhou was almost completely conquered by the Wu-Shu coalition forces, leaving only large and small cities to concentrate supplies and people. A large number of rural manors were destroyed, a large amount of farmland was abandoned and trampled, and they even started to set fire to the mountains in a crazy way.

They had to concentrate all their materials and manpower to prepare for a long-term stand, and also to reduce as much as possible the resources that the Yellow Turbans could obtain in Jingzhou. They were unwilling to leave even a slightly larger piece of wood for the Yellow Turbans.

In fact, clearing the countryside would lead to the extinction of all families. In the process, countless people would die and much wealth would be destroyed. Even if Wu and Shu finally managed to hold on to Jingzhou or drive away the Yellow Turbans, the remaining Jingzhou would become a dead place, and it would be difficult to recover without three to five years.

But no one would consider these things now. Even if they cared about preserving Jingzhou's local wealth and people, if they lost in the end, it would only benefit the Yellow Turbans.

Even if they can't get it, they will destroy it. This is what they are doing now.

They did these things very cleanly and efficiently. Before the arrival of the Yellow Turbans, they had completed the clearing of the fields in Jiangxia and Changsha. This was the main direction for attacking Jingzhou. After completing the preparations here, they could slowly clean up the rear.

Jiangxia County was separated by the Yangtze River, so the Wu-Shu coalition forces only needed to guard a few cities, and Changsha County was the key to the battle between the two sides.

Most of the 300,000 main forces of the Wu-Shu coalition were stationed in Changsha. All cities were heavily garrisoned, and camps were set up on important roads. Wu and Shu had completely built an iron barrel of defense. Unless the Yellow Turbans took a long detour, they could only break through their defensive positions head-on and have a chance to enter Jingzhou.

However, taking a long detour is not that easy. Once you choose to take a detour, it means exposing your rear. Wu and Shu can easily cut off the Yellow Turbans' logistical supplies, which will in turn make the Yellow Turbans reveal their weaknesses.

This is how war is fought. Except for limited conditions where light troops can break in and occupy key points, most wars have to be fought steadily step by step, with cities and strongholds captured, without any tricks.

On the top of Changsha City, Zhou Yu, dressed in military uniform, looked eastward, with a gloomy look on his face. Seeing this, Lu Su could only sigh in his heart. It was hard to imagine how critical the situation was that could make Zhou Yu, who was always confident and proud, become so depressed.

The four words "life or death" weigh heavily in front of all of them.

"How is the morale of the army? Has any news from the rear been leaked?" After a long time, Zhou Yu asked about the military affairs in a deep voice. From the hoarseness of his voice, it can be heard that he did not get enough rest these days.

Lu Su straightened his mind and stepped forward and said, "Don't worry, Commander-in-Chief. The news of Xiangyang's fall in Shuzhong has been strictly sealed. I haven't heard any news or rumors in the barracks. It's just..."

At this point, Lu Su hesitated slightly, then sighed and said, "Even so, the morale of the barracks is still not good."

Zhou Yu was not surprised by this answer. Even if the soldiers were not clear about the real situation, they could still have some intuition. Everyone could clearly feel the downward trend of Wu and Shu. Now they were facing such a terrible enemy as the Yellow Turbans. It would be strange if their morale was good.

After thinking for a while, Zhou Yu said, "Pass the order down. The food supply should be improved in the near future. Don't be stingy with the money in the treasury. Give rewards to the soldiers first. I will also inspect the camp and communicate with the soldiers. These measures will eventually boost morale."

Upon hearing this, Lu Su immediately agreed.

Zhou Yu shook his head and sighed. After all, these stimulating measures were only temporary. When the war really came, as long as the situation suffered a slight setback, the army would immediately lose its morale.

But he didn't have any other good ideas now. He could only use whatever method he could find under the current situation.

"Are there any new moves by the Yellow Turbans?" Zhou Yu asked again.

Lu Su replied, "Scouts have reported that the Yellow Turbans have already left Yangzhou. In two days, they will reach Changsha."

Zhou Yu nodded when he heard this, then his eyes flashed and he said in a cold voice: "Inform the whole army, we have confirmed that after the Yellow Turbans seized Yangzhou and Shuzhong, they massacred the people to vent their anger. The relatives of our 300,000 soldiers in the Wu and Shu armies all died at the hands of the Yellow Turbans. If you want to avenge your relatives, you can only fight the Yellow Turbans to the death on the battlefield!"

When Lu Su heard this, he was stunned, then opened his mouth to say something, but in the end he sighed and turned away.

Although spreading this kind of false news to incite the soldiers' hatred towards the Yellow Turbans could be effective, the method was somewhat despicable, and now there was no time to worry about it.

After Lu Su left, Zhou Yu looked at the dusk in the distance, feeling extremely sad and painful.

Although the story of the Yellow Turbans massacring the people was false, it was true that the people of Wu and Shu fell into the hands of the Yellow Turbans, and even Zhou Yu's relatives were not spared.

At this moment, besides being worried about state affairs and military affairs, he was also missing the beautiful woman's face.

Madam, do I have a chance to see you again?
(End of this chapter)