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

In the darkness, by the faint light of the fire on the canal boat, Zhou Cang could see a muscular figure leaping diagonally toward him from the stern like a juggler, constantly changing ropes.

This looks so much like Tarzan...

Before Zhou Cang could think further, a soldier hurriedly tried to stab the man with his spear, but Zhou Cang shouted loudly, grabbed the spear, and pushed it forcefully, knocking the soldier directly into the river.

Zhou Cang knew he was in trouble; he had encountered a fierce general. He raised his sword to strike, but the man grabbed the rope, kicked off the boat's yoke, and leaped into the air, dodging Zhou Cang's blade.

Zhou Cang's attack missed its mark. He turned around, and there the man was already standing on the deck.

"Who goes there?" Zhou Cang roared.

"I am Ling Tong of Jiangdong... You shot and wounded my father, so I have come to avenge that arrow!" Ling Tong's eyes widened in anger as he drew his broadsword from his waist.

When the soldiers saw an enemy general climbing up, they immediately perked up and surrounded him with their spears.

"Hmph, who do we have here? It's just a young boy. The archer is Zhou Cang!"

After introducing himself, Zhou Cang waved his hand, signaling the soldiers to step back, and then drew his sword and assumed a fighting stance.

"Boom boom boom boom!" Another drumbeat sounded, and the two men drew their swords to meet the attack.

"Clang!" On the swaying deck, the two men's blades clashed, sparks flying, and both men, despite their immense strength, were shaken so badly that their arms went numb.

Just as Zhou Cang freed his hand to press down on the back of the blade, Ling Tong stepped back to give way.

Although Zhou Cang had already improved his martial skills, he was not as agile as Ling Tong, who was used to fighting on ships.

Zhou Cang launched his second attack by sweeping the lower lane, but Ling Tong used the rocking of the canal boat to dodge it with a quick jog.

The moment Zhou Cang sheathed his sword, Ling Tong braced himself on the ship's hull, leaped into the air, and slashed down at Zhou Cang with his steel sword.

Having learned from his previous experience, Zhou Cang did not try to withstand the attack head-on this time. Instead, he lowered his center of gravity and dodged Ling Tong's blade with a slight dodge to the side.

After switching positions, the two resumed their fighting stances.

"Ding ding ding ding!" The sound of the gong suddenly rang out near the cargo ship.

Hearing the sound of his own Jiangdong army retreating, Ling Tong was filled with resentment. Pointing at Zhou Cang, he said fiercely, "One day I will surely behead you!"

After speaking, Ling Tong looked at the mast to the side and, catching Zhou Cang completely off guard, cut the sail ropes with a single stroke.

Taking advantage of the soldiers' panic on deck, he rushed to the ship's side, leaped up, and jumped into the darkness.

Zhou Cang chased after him to the side of the ship, and the soldiers rushed to get their bows and arrows, but they could not find him at all.

"Alright, raise the sails quickly!" Zhou Cang ordered.

The soldiers hurriedly returned to the mast and began to frantically work.

Looking at the darkness beneath the cargo ship and the endless fog surrounding it, Zhou Cang couldn't help but feel worried.

With the entire fleet of small boats wiped out, if another large warship arrives from Jiangdong, this fleet of cargo ships will likely be lost.

It's unknown whether the ship that requested help ever reached Guan Yu's camp...

After returning to Jiang Qin's ship, Ling Tong asked, "I fought the bandit leader for several rounds and was not at a disadvantage. Why did you sound the retreat, General?"

Jiang Qin said, "General Zhou Yu ordered us not to linger in battle. Our army has already suffered heavy losses; how can we continue fighting?"

Ling Tong sighed helplessly, took another run-up, and jumped back to the boat where his father, Ling Cao, was.

"Father!" Ling Cao had recovered somewhat and, seeing Ling Tong return safely, said with relief, "My son, you must never be reckless and belligerent!"

Ling Tong nodded.

Seeing his troops suffering heavy losses, Jiang Qin feared something might happen en route and ordered the entire army to speed up.

After traveling for half an hour, and seeing that they were not far from the Chaisang naval camp, Jiang Qin suddenly sensed that something was wrong on the river ahead.

The sound of flowing water, mixed with a dull thud, grew closer and closer.

Oh no! Something terrible has happened!

These are the warships of the Jingzhou navy!

By the time Jiang Qin realized this, it was too late to make any further arrangements.

Because the thick fog obscured visibility, Jiang Qin and the officers on the warship spotted each other almost simultaneously!

War drums sounded on the warships.

Jiang Qin quickly directed the fleet to give way.

However, the Jiangdong army was facing not just one warship, but three!

The ship at the very front of the middle was commanded by Su Fei, the commander of Huang Zu's army, while the two ships behind it were commanded by Gan Ning and Guan Yu respectively.

After Zhou Cang's swift boats arrived at Guan Yu's camp, they reported the attack.

Pang Tong quickly arranged for a mixed assault force of warships and small boats, which he had borrowed from Huang Zu, to come to his aid. Fearing that there would not be enough generals, he also asked Su Fei and Gan Ning for help.

The allied forces on both sides rushed towards the downstream direction where the grain ships were located at almost top speed.

Upon encountering enemy forces, Su Fei ordered his men to call out to Guan Yu, "General Guan, you may go to rescue the grain ships; leave this place to us."

After giving the order, he commanded the warships to open their crossbow windows wide.

In the blink of an eye, the archers on the ship began to unleash a merciless barrage of arrows at the Jiangdong army, including Jiang Qin, who were at the forefront of the Jiangdong forces.

Although the boats were fast, there was almost no protection on the decks. Once the two armies clashed, most of the remaining soldiers of the Jiangdong army were killed or wounded.

Gan Ning's warship was even more domineering. After firing its arrows, it saw Su Fei's warship pass by and immediately ordered its men to ram the Jiangdong army.

"Boom!" Two Jiangdong boats were immediately overturned, and the crossbowmen inside the crossbow windows were busy finishing off the Jiangdong soldiers struggling in the water.

Seeing that the Jiangdong forces were all small boats, Gan Ning simply positioned his warship across the middle of the river, using the current to cover the Jingzhou boats as they charged forward, while simultaneously firing at the Jiangdong army, who had no other options.

As dawn broke, the thick fog began to dissipate.

Gan Ning, holding a bow and arrow, stood at the very front of the deck. Suddenly, he saw a man who looked like a general lying next to another general on a Jiangdong boat, and he was overjoyed.

"Everyone, shoot at that ship!" Gan Ning shouted, pointing to the ship where Ling Tong was.

Dozens of arrows shot straight at them.

Upon seeing this, two of Ling Cao's soldiers rushed to Ling Cao's side and shielded him with their bodies. They were both shot by arrows and died shortly afterward, falling into the river.

In despair, Ling Tong threw himself on Ling Cao, trying to block the next round of fire.

As the warship drew closer and closer, Ling Cao used his last bit of strength to push his son toward the side of the ship.

After all, Ling Tong was an excellent swimmer, and escaping into the river might offer him a glimmer of hope.

Ling Tong was suddenly pushed by his father, slipped, and fell into the river.

Almost at the same time that Ling Tong fell into the water, Gan Ning fired a second volley of arrows.

Ling Cao lay on the deck, watching helplessly as a hail of arrows rained down on him. He was struck by more than ten arrows and died.

"Father!" Ling Tong cried out desperately on the water, his arrows blocked by the hull of the ship.

With a muffled thud, the small boat carrying Ling Cao's body finally capsized.

Without hesitation, Ling Tong dived into the water and grabbed his father's belt just as his father's body was about to sink.

As he was being pulled down, he reached out his other hand to grab the edge of the overturned barge, almost reaching the limit of his strength.

Suddenly, underwater, I heard a deep, muffled drumbeat coming from afar, heading in my direction—

Reinforcements? Are they Zhou Yu's reinforcements?!