Mythic version of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 7218 The Former Peak

Zhou Yu's situation was very special. In terms of merit, he was actually no less than Huangfu Song in this era. Although he suffered great losses, his strategic achievements could not be ignored by anyone.

In other words, Zhou Yu had already reached the pinnacle of his power, and it would be difficult to appoint him to a higher position. Zhou Yu himself was aware of this, so after defeating Serian, he did not actively intervene in the Han-Gui War, especially in the land forces, where he generally kept his distance.

As for the previous attack on Qu Nu City, although it was a swift victory and the ship capsized later, Zhou Yu still managed to capture the imperial capital across thousands of miles and achieve his strategic objective. No one can say that Zhou Yu's performance was flawed; it can only be said that he ultimately failed.

In reality, Zhou Yu didn't want to go that time, but since Liu Ling's problem was unavoidable for Sun Ce, Zhou Yu gritted his teeth and went anyway, preparing for a quick victory.

In terms of results, it was indeed a quick victory, but it also exposed many problems, which made Zhou Yu even more reluctant to launch attacks afterward. At Zhou Yu's level, it was better to develop Sumatra Island than to fight a war on the front lines that was not worthwhile and cause trouble for Liu Bei's faction.

After all, the latter is entirely beneficial, while the former, even for someone of Zhou Yu's caliber, would offend many people if done too much.

Therefore, from Zhou Yu's perspective, he was somewhat wary of the war on the Ganges. He could offer suggestions, gesture from the rear, or even curse and say that the frontline was full of idiots, asking what kind of fighting they were doing and if it was any good. If not, he would go and fight!
But if Zhou Yu were to actually go, he would definitely refuse, because the overall situation was already very clear. Even if Zhou Yu didn't know exactly when the Kushans would die, he at least knew that the Kushans were doomed, it was just a matter of time.

Under these circumstances, if Zhou Yu were to go up there, wouldn't that be like picking the fruit? At Zhou Yu's level, even if he were to point fingers, grumble from behind, or say something strange, everyone would have to respect him. To put it bluntly, even if Zhou Yu were to point fingers on the Roman battlefield, the Romans would send someone to analyze it.

But if it really comes down to picking the peaches, that's a different story. That would offend people and involve core interests. Even if Chen Xi invited Zhou Yu, Zhou Yu wouldn't go. Who knows if Chen Xi's invitation was genuine or not? Who knows if Chen Xi is planning to discard him after using him? Right?
Yes, Chen Xi's behavior can be described as saintly, and his moral brilliance is almost perfect.

But Chen Xi's surname is Chen. What Chen Ji said to Chen Xi back then was not empty talk, but the truth. It was really not easy for Chen Xi to find a friend like Liu Bei who was truly willing to entrust his country, his foundation, and everything to him!

Chen Ji told Chen Xi the truth that day, but the most truthful thing was the unspoken but central message: you are a member of the Chen family, and you cannot escape all of this.

Zhu Jun has known Chen Xi for over a decade, yet he still habitually asks a few more questions. To be honest, it's not so much a test as a habit.

Who made Chen Xi's surname Chen? Who made the Chen family so dishonest? After all, the last moral exemplar, the last saint recognized by the world, was also from the Tian-Chen family. But what did that person do?
Can you guarantee that Chen Xi won't do this in the future? No one can guarantee that. Everyone can only believe in Chen Xi while also being on guard. This is why the major families, while acknowledging Chen Xi's morality and strength, also optimize their own understanding when copying Chen Xi's teachings.

From a certain perspective, Deng Tong, the head of the Deng family, was indeed brainless. After experiencing the reign of Wang Mang, that "sage," he could still unconditionally trust a "sage" from Tian and Chen. To be honest, he hadn't suffered enough beatings!

Zhou Yu, after all, came from a prestigious family. No matter how much he trusted Chen Xi, or even if he genuinely believed that Chen Xi wouldn't do that, he wouldn't take the initiative to test him, much less gamble with his own life.

Therefore, Zhou Yu was somewhat puzzled after learning why Chen Xi had summoned him. It was reasonable to assume that Chen Xi and he should have a tacit understanding on such matters.

But now Chen Xi actually wants Zhou Yu to go there in person. Just thinking about it is troublesome enough, so Zhou Yu made a clear refusal before Chen Xi even spoke.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xi glanced at Zhou Yu. Seeing that Zhou Yu was looking at him without looking away, Chen Xi realized Zhou Yu's firm stance on this matter and couldn't help but sigh.

Chen Xi was politically astute and understood Zhou Yu's concerns. Therefore, faced with Zhou Yu's firm refusal, he could only offer a different approach: "Gongjin, you should return to Wu now and have the Marquis of Quanling lead 50,000 elite troops to support the Ganges."

Since Zhou Yu firmly refused, Chen Xi didn't bring up the matter of going to the Ganges to cover the retreat. However, even if Zhou Yu didn't go, the troops still needed to be in place.

Moreover, traveling by water from Malacca to the mouth of the Ganges takes only about ten days. With the addition of warships for troop transport, the soldiers' fighting strength can be fully preserved. Furthermore, the Wu army has been reorganized and its fighting strength is no longer an issue, making it a good time to send them to the front lines for testing.

Without Zhou Yu as a backup, the 50,000 core troops sent to the Ganges were mainly to supplement the Varanasi defense line, in order to prevent gaps in some war zones at the front after a full-scale war broke out.

Chen Xi never intended to attack Prayaga. The ceasefire was to be held in Varanasi, and the Han Dynasty would completely control Varanasi. Strategically speaking, the Han Dynasty had already made its arrangements. The subsequent attack on Prayaga was not even in Chen Xi's strategic plan.

Even the problems of grassroots management and overeating in the Han Dynasty all started with the acquisition of Prayaga. However, given the Han Dynasty's habits, it was difficult to discard what they had acquired, which is why it dragged on for so long. This is also why Chen Xi was certain that Oswin was going to attack and clearly instructed Yu Jin to choose to save people but lose territory.

It would be better to avoid losing Varanasi if possible. Although from a strategic perspective, as long as Huashi City and Shilulin and other areas are not lost, the Han Dynasty can still maintain its strategy, from a strategic and tactical perspective, if Varanasi is in the hands of the Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty will be better able to launch a decisive battle.

Therefore, even if Zhou Yu didn't go to cover the retreat, Chen Xi felt it necessary to mobilize another 50,000 elite troops to fill the gap on Varanasi's side and minimize losses as much as possible.

If Zhou Yu doesn't go, and only the generals and officers from Wu go, then it's really not a matter of sharing the cake, since the others aren't even considered to be at the table.

“Send General Huang over there.” Zhou Yu thought about it and could understand Chen Xi’s thinking. After all, going to the Ganges River was only for holding the line. Compared to other generals, veterans like Huang Gai were more composed.

"Yes, let Marquis Quanling lead his troops over there as soon as possible. I will also mobilize Xingba and his men from Ceylon Island to provide support." Chen Xi nodded, indicating that they were simply building up their forces. Winning or losing was not important; the important thing was to preserve their lives and their strategic nodes as much as possible.

"That's not a problem, but I don't need to go back. I'll have Bo Fu pass on a message. I haven't been feeling well lately." Zhou Yu thought for a moment after hearing this, and since everyone around him was a reliable confidant, there was nothing he couldn't say, so he laid it all out.

Zhou Yu is not allowed to go to the front lines recently. He might be okay in low-intensity situations, but it's best to forget about going head-to-head with the Kushans. Zhou Yu looks like a normal person now, but his actual condition has not been adjusted yet. The shortcomings caused by his resurrection will take some time to be eliminated.

Heading to the Han-Gui front lines like this, facing the Kushan's supermodel cloud formations and various heaven-defying secret techniques, Zhou Yu's soul and body might end up being unbound!

Okay, let's not be so polite. Zhou Yu might just die on the spot!

After all, he had been assassinated before. Although he was resurrected, the hidden dangers would take some time to be eliminated. This is why Zhou Yu has been staying in Chang'an recently. With the protection of the imperial will, Zhou Yu can free up more resources to eliminate his own hidden dangers.

"Haven't you eliminated the hidden dangers in your body yet?" Chen Xi asked Zhou Yu with some curiosity.

"It's not easy. Essentially, the body and soul are being suppressed by the divine position." Zhou Yu thought for a moment and decided that there was no need to hide anything from this group of people; he should just tell the truth.

"Besides the divine displacement, will there be problems with the union of the soul and body?" Chen Xi said with a headache. "How long will it take you to solve this problem?"

"About half a year, it should be resolved in about half a year." Zhou Yu roughly calculated the time. Chen Xi was also helpless upon hearing this. He originally thought that after he made a big fuss in Shenxiang, Zhou Yu should have been resurrected. It turns out that it hasn't been resolved yet.

"I owe too much debt, and this is what happens when I don't want to pay it back." Zhou Yu said indignantly. Chen Xi was speechless. So you've really gotten used to being a skinflint.

"If we return it, how long will it take to resolve?" Chen Xi asked, speechless.

“If we return it, it can be resolved in a month. The problem is that I’ve already spent so much time on this. Returning it now would be a sunk cost.” Zhou Yu said that if he returned it now, he would really lose everything. Chen Xi was silent for a while after hearing this, but finally accepted the reality.

Chen Xi vaguely realized that if it really took time for Guan Yu to erase his metal nature, then what Zhou Yu was saying so confidently now was probably just an excuse.

However, Chen Xi couldn't expose this excuse here. Essentially, it was just a way out, a suitable excuse that Zhou Yu didn't want to go and shouldn't go, in order to shut Chen Xi up.

Everyone present was shrewd enough that after Zhou Yu's answer, the others tacitly accepted the fact and did not want to mention sending Zhou Yu to the front lines anymore. They could only nod and say that was fine.

"Then you should have Wu Gong mobilize his troops right now." Chen Xi naturally changed the subject, and no longer said anything that would make Zhou Yu feel awkward.

“Okay,” Zhou Yu replied naturally.

Looking at the group of people in front of him, Chen Xi couldn't help but sigh. Even though he had done so much, there would still be some internal friction. Sure enough, some things are unavoidable.

"Speaking of which, it's strange that the three of you are all hanging out together." Chen Xi asked with some curiosity after sending the secret letter and urgent intelligence to Ganges and Liu Bei.

To be honest, this is indeed something to be curious about. After all, in theory, a genius like Ma Xinde would not have any contact with Zhou Yu, and a smart man like Zhou Yu would definitely keep his distance from Ma Xinde. After all, Zhou Yu's previous choices had clearly shown this attitude. So, it would be strange for anyone to see these three guys hanging out together.

"Because the two of them said they wanted to come and give me an evaluation." Zhou Yu crossed his arms and said with a hint of arrogance, "To be honest, if it weren't for Ma Xinde, I probably wouldn't have come."

"Evaluation? What evaluation?" Chen Xi asked curiously, turning his head to look at Ma Xinde. What was there to evaluate about Ma Xinde and Zhou Yu?

"It's supposed to be an assessment of naval strength," Zhou Yu said casually.

Chen Xi was taken aback upon hearing this, then looked at Ma Xinde, "Ah, Ma Xinde, who did you find to evaluate a beast like Zhou Gongjin?" After saying that, Chen Xi naturally looked at Zhou Yu and asked with some curiosity, "Speaking of someone of your level, what would you need to evaluate?"

To be honest, Zhou Yu is not currently at the peak of his military prowess; he still has a developmental period ahead of him and will not truly reach his peak until he is forty. However, in naval warfare, Zhou Yu has no rivals. In this new battlefield, Zhou Yu has become the leader. Unlike land warfare, where many monsters are constantly expanding, in naval warfare, Zhou Yu is currently at the ceiling.

So Chen Xi was very curious about what Ma Xinde and the other man would use to evaluate Zhou Yu.

“When Serian was at his peak, he sought out the true form of Gulamar and held him back for three days, saying it was to find a true opponent who could fight him in the future.” Mahind said briefly, and then released Serian, who had been sealed within his pupils.

In his forties, he was at the peak of his life. Although his internal energy cultivation was only at the level of internal energy condensation, the domineering aura he exuded made people realize that he was a powerful figure who had reached the pinnacle.

However, this kind of temperament meant nothing to the people present, because all of them had reached the pinnacle. Well, only Zhu Jun hadn't. The others were either the pride of their time, the creators of history, or even gods!

"Where have I ended up? Everyone here seems like a tough nut to crack." Serian's cool demeanor lasted only two seconds before he lost all his composure the moment he opened his mouth.

In his youth, Serian forged the imperial scepter and the Kushan naval power, but he didn't have the bitter and resentful feeling that he had in his old age. Well, in fact, even in his old age, Serian had a rather open-minded attitude. Although he had some obsessions, they were still quite normal. The young Serian that appeared at this moment was actually not much different from Zhou Yu now, and he had a bit of a peerless charm.

“You said you wanted the three of us to find you an opponent, and now we’ve found one for you. This is the new invincible general who killed you, the Commander-in-Chief of Wu in the Han Dynasty, Marquis Shu, Zhou Gongjin. I think he’s the most suitable person to fight you.” Ma Xinde simply pointed to Zhou Yu and introduced him.

"No, how old was I when I died?" Serian looked at Zhou Yu. He wasn't even forty years old yet, and he actually killed him? No, buddy, have I deteriorated that much over the years?
How low must I, Serian, be to be killed by a guy in his thirties!
“I was advising you when you died, I was over seventy,” Mahinda explained simply. “So I think he completely met your requirements.”

"I died when I was over seventy, and that was with you as my strategist. No, Mahind, how old are you now? Wait, let me ask you another question. How old was he when he killed me on the battlefield?" Serian didn't have any hatred in his voice, he was just curious. Back when he went to find Gulamar, Serian had already prepared himself mentally. He wasn't lamenting death, but rather that he was born at the wrong time and hadn't met his match at his peak, which was why he had these three days.

“Thirty, I guess,” Mahinda said casually.

"This is really a good opponent for me." Serian's eyes lit up.

"I didn't expect it to actually be Serian." Zhou Yu looked at the burly man opposite him, his expression becoming much more serious. Over the years, the most difficult thing to fight was definitely Serian. Even when facing Han Xin in the dream, because he was an army, if he couldn't win, he could just run away. Besides, it was a dream, so the psychological pressure wasn't that great. What he felt more was the frustration of why he lost, and why he lost so badly.

Unlike the Serian, naval warfare could truly wipe out an empire's centuries of accumulated wealth in a single hour. Why was Zhou Yu able to learn self-circulation in just one battle? Because if he hadn't, everyone in Jiangdong, including Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, would have died, so he had to learn it.

It can be said that the most stressful and terrifying opponent Zhou Yu had encountered over the years was Serian. It was a true life-or-death situation, a terrifying opponent in the true sense where if you were even a step too slow, you would be completely wiped out.

However, such an opponent was ultimately defeated by time. That's right, Zhou Yu did not believe that Serian lost to him. In Zhou Yu's mind, Serian lost to time.

Although Zhou Yu was arrogant, he still acknowledged the strength of his opponent. If Serian had been as young as him back then, he wouldn't have been able to escape in the first battle. What about stealth and disengagement? A large part of the reason Zhou Yu was able to retreat with his main force was that the pressure of self-circulation was too great, making it impossible for the old Serian to take a few more hits on the fleeing Zhou Yu.

Similarly, during the decisive battle in the South China Sea, even if the young Serian was affected by the backlash of the divine position, he would at most cough up a few mouthfuls of blood. However, Serian, whose life was nearing its end, was affected by the backlash of the divine position, and death was imminent. In fact, if Serian had been younger, he wouldn't have needed to consider the divine position at all; he could have just fought Zhou Yu directly. Killing Zhou Yu would have made everything his!
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