I, Zhou Cang, am the number one tank in the Three Kingdoms.

Sun Quan hesitated for a long time, but in the end he did not take action. Instead, he gave up and went to Gu Yong's place.

That evening, Gu Yong took two attendants to pay a visit to Zhuge Jin.

Upon opening the door, it was the daytime servant again. Gu Yong said in a calm tone, "Please inform him that I, Gu Yong, request an audience."

The servant nodded, and seeing only two or three people at the door, he replied, "Please wait a moment, sir."

Not long after, a servant came out and led Gu Yong to the side gate, whereupon Gu Yong was able to enter Zhuge Jin's residence.

Zhuge Jin was sitting alone in the pavilion in the courtyard when he saw Gu Yong enter. He stood up, bowed, and asked, "Yuan Tan, what brings you here?"

Gu Yong hurriedly stepped forward and said, "I heard that Ziyu has caught a cold, so I brought a good doctor to visit him."

Zhuge Jin waved his hand and said, "Thank you for your concern, Yuan Tan. To be honest, I am not ill."

Gu Yong asked in confusion, "Why is that?"

Zhuge Jin said, "It's a mental illness... Does Yuan Tan know about the lord's pacification of the Danyang mountain tribes?"

Gu Yong said, "I've heard that General Pan Zhang set fire to the mountain and annihilated the enemy in one battle. Is Ziyu's heartache related to this matter?"

Zhuge Jin nodded: "That's right. There were still hundreds of people in the mountains, and they all perished in the fire overnight."

Gu Yong was greatly alarmed and took two steps forward to ask, "Is this true?"

Zhuge Jin sighed helplessly, "I strongly advised my lord against taking such a drastic measure, but my lord... alas."

Gu Yong thought for a moment and advised, "This matter is indeed inappropriate, but our lord is still young, and harming the people is certainly not his intention. Ziyu, you must not take it to heart..."

Zhuge Jin shook his head and said, "Yuan Tan, you don't know this. I am originally from Langya County. When I was young, I first encountered the Yellow Turban Rebellion and learned about the suffering of the people. Later, I encountered Dong Zhuo's chaotic rule and saw the starving refugees. When Cao Cao slaughtered Xuzhou, there was nowhere to stay in Langya, so I followed my clansmen south to avoid disaster."

"I thought Jiangdong was a peaceful and prosperous place, and that my lord would surely govern with benevolence, which is why I came here alone to serve you. But now..."

As Zhuge Jin spoke, he recalled the tragic scene of the people being burned to death by Pan Zhang, and he couldn't help but look up to the sky and sigh, tears streaming down his face.

Gu Yong was also somewhat moved and comforted him, saying, "I know Ziyu's intentions. Why don't we write to our lord tomorrow to strictly enforce military law and prevent such things from harming the innocent?"

Zhuge Jin waved his hand again and said, "No need for that, no need for that..."

Gu Yong hurriedly asked, "Ah? Could it be that Ziyu is considering leaving?"

Zhuge Jin pondered for a moment and said, "I still don't know..."

That being said, Zhuge Jin was eager to see if Liu Bei, who was rumored to be benevolent and righteous, truly lived up to his reputation.

Just then, one of Gu Yong's attendants suddenly stepped forward, bowed deeply, and said, "Master Ziyu! I was young and impetuous, and only sought quick results, which led to the loss of many lives... Please forgive me, sir!"

Zhuge Jin was startled and quickly went closer to take a look by the light. He discovered that the person in question was actually Sun Quan in disguise.

"My lord! Please forgive my crime of deceiving you!" Zhuge Jin hurriedly knelt down and said.

Sun Quan helped Zhuge Jin up, saying, "Sir, your heart ailment is all because of me. What crime have you committed?"

"I came here today to apologize to you, sir. Since you did not wish to see me, I have resorted to this desperate measure. Please forgive my deception!"

Upon hearing Sun Quan mention his unwillingness to meet during the day, Zhuge Jin panicked and knelt down again, pleading, "Please punish me, my lord!"

Sun Quan helped Zhuge Jin up and solemnly said, "I have kept your words in mind. I, Sun Quan, am not like Dong Zhuo or Cao Cao. I hereby swear that from now on, there will be no more harm to innocent people in Jiangdong. Please bear witness for me, gentlemen!"

After Sun Quan finished speaking, he bowed deeply to the two men. Zhuge Jin and Gu Yong stepped forward to help him up, but Sun Quan remained unmoved.

Sun Quan said, "Please, Mr. Ziyu, do not abandon me!"

Zhuge Jin said with shame, "My lord has treated me so well; how could I not repay him with my life!"

Sun Quan then straightened up and nodded, saying, "I thank you, sir!"

In his excitement, Zhuge Jin recalled the campaign against the Shanyue and advised, "My lord, the Shanyue problem cannot be solved in a day. Rather than forcibly conquering and annihilating them, it would be better to establish military farms and promote education, gradually integrating them into the registered population..."

Sun Quan repeatedly praised him and agreed to everything. The three of them, ruler and minister, got along well and talked until late at night.

The next day, Sun Quan bestowed a precious sword upon Zhuge Jin in the main hall and ordered him to take his warrant to Chaisang to deal with the military actions that had harmed the people.

On her way to Chaisang, Zhuge Jinshan witnessed Zhou Yu and the allied forces of Huang Zu and Guan Yu already in a standoff.

In Xiakou, the Jingzhou troops were positioned with Huang Zu in the central camp, Chen Jiu as the deputy commander of the right army and the naval commander, Su Fei as the commander of the left army and his general Gan Ning, and Guan Yu's troops were stationed ten miles away from the left army's naval camp.

In the Jiangdong camp at Chaisang, Zhou Yu discussed with his generals, "Huang Zu and Guan Yu are supporting each other; how can we win this battle?"

Taishi Ci suggested, "Guan Yu has few soldiers and is new to the area. We can take advantage of their unstable formation and defeat them first."

Jiang Qin advised, "I have heard that Guan Yu is incredibly brave and fierce. A direct confrontation would probably not be a good strategy."

Ling Cao said, "We haven't even fought them yet, so why are we making a show of force?"

Seeing that things were not going well, Zhou Yu said, "What you all say is reasonable. I think that a clever strategy is worse than a direct attack."

The crowd asked, "General, how do you intend to outwit us?"

Zhou Yu laughed and said, "You generals only know how to fight, how can you not know the advantages of the terrain?"

Ling Cao frowned and asked, "Please give your instructions, General?"

Zhou Yu led his men out of the tent and pointed to the river not far away, saying, "In September, the land of Xiakou is shrouded in thick fog day and night. Isn't that an advantageous terrain?"

"I have already scouted Guan Yu's troops, and their provisions are all being sent from Wan City. The grain ships and barges are coming in an endless stream. I intend to take advantage of the heavy fog to attack their grain and grain ships. What do you all think?"

The generals said, "We are eager to hear your brilliant plan, General!"

Back in his tent, Zhou Yu began making arrangements: "Where is Ling Cao?"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"You shall lead your two thousand troops and take one hundred boats, all of which shall be changed to the Jingzhou flag. Tonight at midnight, set out from your camp and wait ten miles upstream. When you encounter grain ships from Wancheng passing by, take advantage of the thick fog to blend in with them. Upon hearing the cannon fire, seize the boats, kill the enemy, and intercept the grain!"

"Your humble servant obeys!"

"Jiang Qin!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"You shall lead three thousand naval troops, prepare food at the second watch, and leave the camp at the third watch. Take advantage of the night to leave the camp, lie in ambush on the river under the cover of fog, and fire cannons as a signal when the grain transport ships pass by, to provide support for Ling Cao!"

"Your humble servant obeys!"

"You two must remember this: once you've intercepted the grain ships, retreat back here. Do not linger in battle!"

Ling Cao and Jiang Qin both agreed.

"The rest of my generals, stay by my side and be ready to serve at any time!"

"Yes, sir!"

That night, the Jiangdong army, following Zhou Yu's plan, prepared to intercept Guan Yu's supply convoy.

Halfway through the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), the grain fleet from Wancheng arrived at Ling Cao's ambush.

Ling Cao quickly signaled his men to untie the ropes that were connected to the boats, as a signal.

He took the lead and headed towards the huge cargo ship.

The escort ships of the Wancheng grain fleet were few in number and far apart from each other. When sailing at night, they were shrouded in thick fog and blended in with the smaller boats from Jiangdong, making them completely undetectable.

The fleet traveled for another twenty miles when suddenly a cannon shot rang out from the river.

The soldiers on the cargo ship, who had been dozing off, were startled awake and began shouting in confusion—

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"