Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

The raging flood raged with devastating force, engulfing plains and valleys wherever it passed, transforming the once vast land into a vast swamp. Today, Baishan Mountain stands aloof and isolated in the midst of this vast flood, its murky waters rising ever higher, threatening to reach halfway up the mountain.

Lei Bo, Li Feng, and Le Ju led Yuan Shu's navy, navigating the vast distances of the sea, braving the dangers of adversity. Their ships pitched violently in the waves, seemingly on the verge of capsizing at any moment, yet they gritted their teeth and forged ahead, closing in on Baishan. Once within striking distance, tensions mounted, and a clash was imminent.

Seeing that a frontal assault was unlikely to succeed, Lei Bo and his men devised a plan to send in divers to land on the beach, attempting to capture Baishan. A group of divers, heavily armored and armed with sharp blades, took a deep breath and plunged into the icy floodwaters, swimming with difficulty towards the shore of Baishan. They paddled vigorously, dodging whirlpools and struggling to reach land.

However, Ma Chao's generals, Xu Huang, Zhang Ren, and Zhang Liao, had been prepared, standing firm on the shore like towering mountains. As soon as the submerged troops touched the surface, before they could even rise, they were met head-on by the elite troops led by these three men. Xu Huang, his eyes wide with a fierce axe, swung with immense force, his blade sending hordes of enemies tumbling to the ground. Zhang Ren, with lightning-fast spearmanship, dashed left and right through the enemy horde, his spear tip flashing with a cold gleam that intimidated the enemy. Zhang Liao, fearless and courageous, shouted rousing cheers to his men's morale, leading them to charge towards the enemy like a tidal wave.

Under the leadership of these three, Ma Chao's army launched a fierce attack, which Yuan Shu's submarine army could not withstand. Wave after wave of them were killed, leaving their armor and weapons behind and fleeing in panic. In desperation, they could only retreat to their ships to avoid the fierce attack.

Although Ma Chao and his men successfully repelled the enemy's landing attempt, they were helpless as they watched the raging floodwaters. Aside from firing arrows from a distance, they were unable to launch into the water to pursue the enemy warships trapped in the floodwaters. For a time, the two sides were in a stalemate. The surging floodwaters pounded against the shore, seemingly cheering for the fierce battle. Between Baishan Mountain and the warships, thick smoke and an atmosphere of tension filled the air.

When Yuan Shu and Yang Hong first planned their plan, they were fully aware of the risks involved and were hesitant to dig too deep into the dike. They knew that once the floodwaters broke through, it would be incredibly difficult to contain them. Fortunately, the weather was favorable, and the torrential rain finally subsided. The gloomy sky gradually cleared, and warm sunlight streamed down upon the land. Over time, the once turbulent waterways within Lujiang, once brimming with floodwaters, finally calmed somewhat.

By this time, the fierce fighting on the battlefield had already lasted half a day. The next day, Yuan Shu was so anxious that he hadn't slept a wink. At dawn, he couldn't wait to dispatch messengers to the front lines to inquire about the progress of the attack. The messengers galloped along at top speed, finally returning with news. They learned that Lei Bo, Li Feng, and Le Jiu were completely powerless against Ma Chao's troops. They were being beaten back on the battlefield, unable to fight back.

However, to avoid reprimand from Yuan Shu, the three generals played it safe in their report, claiming that while they had failed to capture Baishan, Ma Chao was equally unable to pursue them in the water, and the two sides were now in a stalemate. Upon hearing this, Yuan Shu's brows knitted into the shape of a "川" character, his heart filled with anxiety. He paced back and forth, muttering, "What should I do? I thought this flood would help me eliminate Ma Chao in one fell swoop, but I didn't expect it to be a stalemate." He looked at Yang Hong, his eyes filled with hope, hoping that this strategist could come up with a solution.

Yang Hong remained calm, bowing to Yuan Shu and saying, "My lord, don't worry. In fact, when we were planning earlier, we anticipated that the situation might become stalemate. Ma Chao is now trapped in Baishan. While it may seem easy to defend and difficult to attack, his disadvantages are also obvious. Their food and fodder reserves are already insufficient to sustain them for long, and now trapped in the mountains, they are unable to receive any supplies."

He paused briefly, pointed at the floodwaters, and continued, "Furthermore, my lord, please look at this flood. We've deliberately controlled the dike excavation, trapping the floodwaters within the surrounding levees and preventing them from being easily drained away. As long as our navy firmly holds the surface of the water, even Ma Chao, with all his might, will find it difficult to descend from the mountain. He'll be like a caged beast, helplessly watching his food and fodder gradually deplete until he's trapped and succumbs to his death on Baishan Mountain. We simply need to hold our ground and wait patiently. Victory will sooner or later be ours."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shu's eyes suddenly gleamed with hope, and a smug smile appeared on his face. He said excitedly, "Alright! That's what we'll do. We'll be patient and wait for Ma Chao's food and supplies to run out, then we'll trap him and kill him on Baishan Mountain!" He then immediately issued a new order: "Pass it down. No need to storm. Have the navy tightly surround Baishan Mountain and don't let even a fly escape!"

Lei Bo and the others, upon receiving the news, felt a sense of relief, breathing a sigh of relief. They knew that Baishan was easy to defend but difficult to attack. Even if they succeeded by force, they would inevitably suffer heavy casualties. Why risk their lives in vain? Sure enough, in the days that followed, Yuan Shu's navy simply laid siege to Baishan, remaining inactive and refraining from further attacks.

After the torrential rain, the sky cleared, and the sun remained blazing for several days. Sunlight shone on the murky floodwaters, sending up puffs of steam. The water level had dropped slightly under the scorching sun, but the once clear surface was now littered with the bodies of drowned civilians and livestock, bobbing and undulating on the surface. The scene was horrific.

Yan Xiang stood atop the city wall, gazing at the sickening scene before him. His heart churned, and he could no longer bear to watch. He hurried to Yuan Shu and pleaded earnestly, "My lord, our army is only besieging Baishan and not attacking. Why not take this opportunity to have our soldiers salvage these floating corpses? If we leave them floating, the hot weather will surely breed an epidemic, bringing disaster to our army." Yuan Shu, however, waved his hand nonchalantly, his face filled with disdain, "They're just dead people and animals. Why bother with them? Don't let such trivial matters spoil my interest."

At this time, Yang Hong stepped forward and advised: "My lord, although what Yan Xiang said makes sense, the most urgent task is to send people to seal the gap in the Ganjiang River while the flood has receded. Once there is another flood, our previous efforts will be in vain, and it may endanger our army." Yuan Shu thought for a moment and felt that what Yang Hong said made sense, so he readily agreed: "Okay, just as you said, send people to seal the gap in the dam immediately, without any mistake!" So, an operation to block the dam was hastily launched in the aftermath of the flood, and under Baishan, the siege continued, and the tense situation showed no signs of easing.

The sky cleared completely, the sun blazing high for days, gradually dispelling the haze brought by the flood. However, the floating corpses on the surface of the water became a serious concern for Ma Chao and his companions. Ma Chao, Xu Shu, and Lu Su gathered together, solemnly discussing countermeasures.

Xu Shu's brow furrowed as he spoke first. "With so many corpses floating around for so long, and the weather being so scorching, if an epidemic breaks out, our army will be in danger." Ma Chao nodded, his eyes filled with anxiety. "We must find a solution quickly. We must fight a decisive battle. We can't just sit there and wait for death." Lu Su pondered for a moment, a sly glint in his eyes. "I have a plan to confuse Yuan Shu. Why not stage a show? Find some discarded, defective horses, kill them, and pretend to use horse meat as rations to create the illusion of a food shortage."

Ma Chao and Xu Shu looked at each other and instantly understood Lu Su's intention, and their eyes lit up.

Xu Shu also added: "That's right. Moreover, we have already stored a large amount of clean water since we discussed this plan with Zhou Yu. We also collected a lot of rainwater during the heavy rain. It is enough to sustain us for a while. Yuan Shu and his men don't know this."

Ma Chao patted his thigh and said excitedly, "Great! There are corpses floating on the water. We dare not drink water that has been soaked with corpses. This will definitely mislead Yuan Shu and make him think that we have no water to drink and can't hold out for much longer."

At Ma Chao's command, the soldiers sprang into action, carefully selecting the old, weak, and sick horses from the stables. As if sensing their impending fate, the horses pawed their hooves anxiously, whining. Soldiers, blades in hand, gathered around them, their eyes a mixture of determination to follow orders, yet also a hint of reluctance. After all, these horses had fought alongside them, their companions.

As the blades fell, blood gushed out, and horses collapsed to the ground, ending their lives. The soldiers suppressed their complex emotions and expertly cut and divided the horse meat, drying it outside the tents. The scorching sun poured down unimpeded, and soon the horse meat began to ooze fat, emitting a nauseating stench that attracted countless flies.

At the same time, Ma Chao instructed the soldiers to make the illusion of water shortage more realistic. So, the soldiers held their water bags, pretending they were empty, and then scooped up the horse blood, "drinking" it in big gulps. Their faces showed pain and helplessness, and from time to time they cried out in despair at the water, as if praying to the heavens for water.

All of this happened without escaping the spies stationed on the shore by Lei Bo, Li Feng, and Le Jue. These spies crouched in seclusion, observing everything that happened on Baishan Mountain clearly, and then quickly rowed their boats to pass the news to the navy warships.

After hearing this, Lei Bo's eyes lit up with excitement. He slapped the side of the boat heavily and said loudly: "Hahaha, it seems that Ma Chao's army is really at the end of its rope! Not only is there a shortage of food, but even water. With this, how long can they last? This is great news! Li Feng, Le Ju, let's quickly send someone to pass this news to the lord, so that he can be happy too!" Li Feng and Le Ju nodded in agreement, their faces filled with the joy of impending victory, as if victory was already firmly in their hands.

Yuan Shu's eyes widened upon receiving the news from Lei Bo and the others. A flicker of disbelief and surprise crossed his face, followed by a burst of unbridled laughter. He turned abruptly and exchanged glances with Yang Hong, both of them unable to conceal their excitement and pride.

Yuan Shu couldn't contain his excitement. He strode up to Yan Xiang, chest puffed out, a bit of a boastful look on his face, and said triumphantly, "Yan Xiang, Yan Xiang, now you finally understand my good intentions! When you advised me to salvage the floating corpses, I didn't agree, precisely because of this consideration. Now, look at the result! Because these floating corpses were not cleared, Ma Chao and others were forced to kill horses to quench their thirst and fill their stomachs. Hehe, it seems that this kid is really at the end of his rope and can't hold on for much longer!"