Mythical Three Kingdoms-Chapter 1418 - 1367: The Troublesome Zhou Yu

After crossing the Yellow River, Chen Xi basically did not stop and hurried all the way to Mount Tai, while Hu Feng and others led the reinforcements to Yuzhou, hastening their march as the situation on the Yuzhou battleground was somewhat grim.

Without a navy, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, stationed along the Yangtze River, could advance if they wished and retreat if they chose, as the Yangtze could be considered their home turf.

No matter how genius Guo Jia was, he couldn’t change the fact that, not to mention his soldiers, even Guo Jia himself got seasick, to the extent that Guan Yu dared not take Guo Jia on a small boat.

As a result, the battles currently occurring along the Yangtze River were something Guo Jia found frustrating and ineffective, as Zhou Yu was truly a formidable opponent, capable of fighting when he could and hastily retreating by setting sail when unable to win. No matter how skilled Guo Jia was, it was impossible to always outmatch someone like Zhou Yu.

Naturally, every time he could only watch helplessly as Zhou Yu came and went as he pleased, and the Yangtze was truly becoming Sun Ce and Zhou Yu’s home ground.

Additionally, Zhou Yu’s spiritual talent significantly suppressed sages of normal types, causing Guo Jia to react slowly. However, it was fortunate that Guo Jia focused on strategy and heart, so despite some reduction in his intellect, Zhou Yu didn’t take much advantage.

Nevertheless, the landlubber Guo Jia couldn’t take advantage of Zhou Yu either, as Zhou Yu clearly acted with ease, neither hasty nor greedy, taking any benefits without moving too far from the shore.

This situation forced Guo Jia to curse Gan Ning, wishing for a navy at this moment. If only a navy could engage Zhou Yu on the river surface, Guan Yu wouldn’t be so passive along the Yangtze banks.

"I have already sent someone to make contact, but there is still no news of Xingba." Guan Yu also felt frustrated. From his perspective, there was nothing significant about Sun Ce’s navy once they were ashore, but once they were in the river, Guan Yu could only watch in exasperation.

"This isn’t working. Zhou Yu is too cautious, clear-headed, and not greedy. I gave them space to cross and station on the north of the Yangtze, yet they left after burning the empty camp we left." Guo Jia said in frustration, as the fact they wouldn’t come ashore was troublesome.

"Sun Ce is also not easy to deal with." Guan Yu slightly opened his eyes, recalling the first time Sun Ce came ashore when he seized the opportunity, intending to kill Sun Ce, but Sun Ce not only withstood his attack but grew braver with battle.

"That fellow’s legion talent is likely his own monarch talent, innately suppressing others’ legion talents. Fortunately, his subordinates are deeply trusted by him; otherwise, under his legion talent’s suppression, they would first lose morale." Guo Jia said with a face full of frustration.

With the knowledge Guo Jia had, there were only four people under heaven with monarch talent. The deceased Yuan Shao needed no explanation. His monarch talent was only effective on himself, overpowering against adversity beyond comparison, nearly beyond friends.

Monarch talents of both Cao Cao and Liu Bei were effective only on their people. However, one vastly reduced his people’s weaknesses, slightly enhancing their abilities, while the other significantly enhanced his people’s abilities, slightly reducing their weaknesses.

However, Sun Ce’s monarch talent was directly invasive, not strengthening his people but suppressing others’ legion talents, which likely related closely to Sun Ce’s fundamental disposition. Regardless, Sun Ce’s innate suppression of the enemy army was undeniable.

This resulted in Guan Yu’s legion talent, painstakingly accumulated through absolute strength, being overwhelmed by Sun Ce to the brink of collapse.

Originally, Guan Yu’s proud legion talent, enough to cover ten thousand soldiers, faltered upon encountering Sun Ce as many soldiers outright hesitated, unresponsive to Guan Yu’s legion talent, making Guan Yu immediately want to kill Sun Ce.

However, one had to admit that Sun Ce has some real skills, coupled with his monarch talent also affecting himself, making it not easy for Guan Yu to kill him, especially during a large army clash, which was almost impossible.

"Hmph, monarch talent." Guan Yu sneered. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"We need to think of a solution. If Xingba can’t come, we have to think of other things." Guo Jia said somewhat helplessly.

"Where is Xingba exactly? Since he left the Yangtze, so much time has passed, and he hasn’t even sent a message." Guan Yu said helplessly, for he couldn’t control Gan Ning, who belonged to the navy, while he was in the land forces.

"He has probably been delayed by something. Although Xingba seems rather carefree, he has never been in such a situation before." Guo Jia said solemnly. "It’s been so long without any news, it seems we can’t rely on Xingba."

"So it shall be." A hint of worry flashed in Guan Yu’s eyes, returning his focus to the Yangtze defense line; naval battles were not something Guan Yu could handle.

"It seems we need to send a message to Xu Province to have Yuanlong make a move." After much thought, Guo Jia said helplessly, as across the Yangtze, without navy forces, he was also at a loss.

"So it shall be. Hopefully, Sun Ce will show some flaw while mobilizing. The navy issue is truly troublesome." Guan Yu said, frowning, having never realized the importance of naval forces until now.

"The likelihood of such a thing... With that Zhou Yu around, it’s difficult." Guo Jia said with a bitter smile. He rarely relied on the enemy’s actions, usually setting traps for the enemy. But this time, Zhou Yu truly held the timing and geographical advantage, along with particularly high intelligence.

"We can only hold out for now." A rare moment of melancholy appeared on Guan Yu’s face, newly understanding what Chen Xi meant when he said that the Southern front needed a great general to oversee it, as others could hardly manage stability alone.

"We can’t continue like this; we need to find a way to cross the Yangtze. Without curtailing Zhou Yu’s momentum, our morale will struggle to rise." Guo Jia said solemnly.

"Fengxiao, do you have a clever plan?" Guan Yu asked hopefully.

"No clever plan, but we need to relocate the camp. Here on both banks of the Yangtze, the river spans several miles, and without large ships, it’s essentially impossible for us to cross. Even if we had large ships, we couldn’t defeat Zhou Yu." Guo Jia said, frustrated.

This was Guo Jia’s greatest helplessness. Though unfamiliar with naval battles, he understood winning and losing. Zhou Cang and Guann Cheng both claimed expertise in naval battles, saying that with dozens of fast boats surrounding Zhou Yu’s tower ship, they could take down the large boat.

Oh, so simple, Guo Jia thought and decided to try. Unsurprisingly, they were thoroughly defeated by Zhou Yu.

Hundreds of rare talents not prone to seasickness were captured, with only Zhou Cang and Guann Cheng swimming back, it had to be said Zhou Cang’s swimming skills were excellent, returning with the injured Guann Cheng in tow despite his own injuries.