The Three Kingdoms: I asked you to save Guan Yu, not to destroy Sun Quan.

Chapter 451 The Death of Zhou Tai

Zhou Shao was the first to arrive in Jiangling. He came from Jingling, and when he arrived at the city, the first thing he saw was the corner of the city wall between the north and east sides.

Seeing Zhou Shao at the corner of the city wall, his spirits lifted, and he sped up again, shouting, "Brothers, Jiangling City is just ahead. We're about to go home. Let's push harder and enter the city through the north gate to see our lord!"

After saying this, he was about to call on his soldiers to rush to the North Gate when he turned around and was struck dumb as if by lightning. His legs went weak and he almost collapsed to the ground because he saw the scene on the city wall.

A Wei-character battle flag was flying on the city wall ahead, and behind it hung various other miscellaneous battle flags, such as Zhu, Pan, and Huang.

"Jiangling...has fallen..."

Zhou Shao stared at the Wei-character battle flag and trembled all over. He felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, and an unprecedented sense of powerlessness rushed from the soles of his feet to the top of his head and then swept through his entire body.

He was desperate.

The soldiers behind him were also in despair. One of them couldn't help but cry out in grief, "Why? Why did this happen? We went without food and water for several days to escape from Chaisang to Jiangling, and now Jiangling has fallen. Why did Jiangling fall so quickly?"

Zhou Shao's ears were ringing, his eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the Wei banner, and the veins on his hand gripping the hilt of his sword were bulging from the force. After a short while, Zhou Shao suddenly turned around and said in an almost ferocious tone, "Turn around and head south with me to Gong'an. I don't believe that our lord has surrendered to Wei, and I don't believe that our lord has died in battle or been captured. Our lord must have already retreated to Gong'an."

Without waiting for a reply, he decisively turned around and headed south, leaving his soldiers with no choice but to drag their weary bodies and follow closely behind.

Zhou Shao was on his way with the mindset that Jiangling would fall and Sun Quan would retreat to Gong'an. However, he was surprised to find something amiss as he walked. He was stunned to see Wu and Sun banners flying on the eastern city wall he was passing through.

What's going on? Why are two opposing battle flags flying over the same city? Have the Wei and Wu armies divided Jiangling? How could the Wei and Wu armies be so harmonious?

But since Wu's battle flags are flying on the city walls, does that prove that Sun Quan is still inside the city and has not retreated to Gong'an?

Upon realizing this, Zhou Shao was overjoyed and excitedly shouted, "Soldiers, give it your all and follow me to the East Gate to see our lord!"

He was truly desperate when he saw the Wei army's battle flag. If it weren't for his belief in not surrendering to Cao Cao, he might have collapsed on the spot. How could he have had the strength to turn around and rush to Gong'an?

Although he decided to withdraw from Gong'an to find Sun Quan, he did not think he could reach Gong'an smoothly because he had not brought any food supplies. His soldiers were exhausted and hungry and had reached their limit. They would most likely collapse before they even reached Gong'an.

Nevertheless, he still chose to head south. Little did he know that fate would play such a cruel joke on him. Before he even reached the East Gate, he saw Sun Quan's banner. The feeling of being lifted from the abyss to the clouds was so exhilarating that Zhou Shao saw stars and felt his bones go weak.

Indeed, as long as expectations are low enough, any unexpected event can be a pleasant surprise.

Zhou Shao led his army to the city gates at breakneck speed. Sun Quan, who had just received the news, also rushed to the city tower. Upon seeing the number of soldiers and Zhou Shao's miserable state, his expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly ordered the city gates to be opened.

The city gate opened and the drawbridge landed. Zhou Shao led his men into the city, only to find that many ladders were erected on the city walls on both sides, while the barbican gate in front of them was sealed off.

Zhou Shao wisely didn't ask any more questions. Instead, he climbed the ladder as Sun Quan had instructed. Sun Quan reached out and helped him down from the wall, asking impatiently, "Why did you come back alone? Where is your father?"

Mentioning his father Zhou Tai, Zhou Shao could no longer hold back his grief and knelt down, wailing, "My father was killed by that traitor Lü Fan. Lü Fan and Sun Shao have both surrendered to Wei, sob sob..."

Sun Quan's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly asked, "What happened? Tell me in detail."

Zhou Shao said with a sob in his voice, "Some time ago, Jia Kui brought Luo Tong and Xie Jing to Chaisang and said that he wanted to come to Jiangling to pay homage to the lord. My father thought he was an envoy, so he did not make things difficult for him and treated him warmly. He provided him with good food and drink for three days before sending him away."

"Although Jia Kui left, he left Xie Jing in Chaisang. At the same time, we learned from Xie Jing that Grand Commander Lu had been defeated and captured. Combining these two events, my father realized something was wrong and had been ordering me to strengthen precautions these past few days. Who would have thought that three days ago..."

"Three days ago, Lu Fan and Sun Shao invited my father to discuss the matter of sending troops, citing Gu Yong's rebellion and the urgent need to rescue the emperor. My father was concerned about the safety of the emperor and rushed to the banquet. However, he was also worried about unexpected events, so he ordered me to prepare the army and be ready for battle. At the same time, I wore inner armor to meet Lu Fan. As it turned out, Lu Fan really rebelled and ambushed my father with axemen."

"If this had happened a few years ago, my father would have definitely been able to break through the encirclement with his strength. But after he turned fifty, his old injuries recurred and his health deteriorated. He was even sick when he went to the banquet..."

Zhou Tai was a fierce general who rose through the ranks. He always fought bravely in battle, but his old wounds were never healed before new ones were added. The new wounds covered the old ones, and there was never a chance for them to heal. Not to mention the time at Xiaoyao Ford, Zhou Tai was injured more than a dozen times while protecting Sun Quan and almost died.

While he could tough out so many wounds when he was young thanks to his strong body, once he passed forty, various ailments began to surface. In recent years, Zhou Tai has been suffering from these ailments and hasn't had a good night's sleep.

According to the original historical trajectory, Zhou Taiming would have died of illness the year after next, and even without this incident, he wouldn't have had much time left.

This is the tragedy of military generals from humble backgrounds; their high status was earned with their lives.

Zhou Shao continued, "Even so, my father fought his way out of the encirclement to deliver his final order to me, commanding me to lead the troops back to Jiangling. It was only then that I learned that the damned Lü Fan had intercepted the order from our lord to my father to lead the army back to Jiangling, otherwise..."

Upon receiving news of Lu Xun's defeat, Sun Quan ordered Zhou Tai to lead his troops back to Jiangling. However, the messenger was intercepted by Lü Fan, preventing Zhou Tai from receiving Sun Quan's order. It wasn't until Zhou Tai attended Lü Fan's banquet, where Lü Fan persuaded him to surrender to Cao Cao, that the news was told to Zhou Tai. Unwilling to betray Sun Quan, Zhou Tai, despite his illness, fought his way out of the encirclement.

In this situation, Zhou Tai was still able to reach Zhou Shao and deliver the final order. It has to be said that Zhou Tai was truly fierce.

Zhou Shao continued, "I originally wanted to lead the army to rescue my father, but Lü Fan and Sun Shao's armies attacked me at the same time. I couldn't hold them off at all. I could only watch helplessly as my father stood in the distance, using all his strength to shout out his last command before collapsing to the ground. My lord, you must avenge me and avenge my father!"

Thanks to Sun Quan's checks and balances, the 20,000 troops garrisoning Ruxu were not solely under the command of Zhou Tai, the governor of Ruxu. Both deputy generals, Zhu Huan and Sun Shao, had their own troops, and with Lü Fan's troops already stationed in Chaisang, it was truly remarkable that Zhou Shao was able to return alive.

Enraged, Sun Quan slammed his fist against the wall, tearing his knuckles open but ignoring the pain, he gritted his teeth and cursed, "You old scoundrel Lü Fan, I'm not finished with you!"

Upon learning of Lu Xun's defeat, Sun Quan was already prepared for Lü Fan's betrayal. Therefore, although he was angry, he could not accept it. After venting his anger, he bent down to help Zhou Shao up and comforted him, saying, "It's good that you're back. Don't worry, the King of Hanzhong is determined to launch a northern expedition. In the future, he will definitely let you personally lead the troops to attack Lü Fan and avenge your father. You must be tired from the journey. Quickly take the soldiers to eat and rest. We still have a tough battle to fight next."

Zhou Shao wiped away his tears and nodded heavily. After briefly inquiring about the current situation in Jiangling, he went to eat and sleep without even seeing his younger brother Zhou Cheng. He was really exhausted from escaping from Chaisang to Jiangling.