The armies of the north and south rejected each other and Nanyang.

In the battle, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao gave full play to the riding advantages of the northerners, and tens of thousands of elite cavalry either attacked head-on, or raided and harassed, defeating the southerners who lacked war horses.

Liu Wei suffered a series of defeats and had to temporarily retreat to avoid the enemy's edge. In the end, even Xiangyang, where Liu Wei was the seat of governance, fell into the hands of the enemy, and Liu Wei had to lead the army to retreat to Jiangxia, and then set up a defensive line south of the Yangtze River, trying to take advantage of the natural danger of the Yangtze River and the water war of the southern army to resist the northern army.

It's just that when the southern army abandoned Jingxiang, it was chased too urgently, and a large number of ships of the navy were not taken away, and now they have become the trophies of the northern army. The Northern Army has trained a lot of naval troops, but the warships are not yet sufficient, and now with this large number of warships, even if they hold on to the Southern Army on the water, they have not fallen into the slightest disadvantage.

The two armies fought several times on the river, and the southern army transferred a large number of warships from Jiangdong, but it also maintained an invincible and undefeated situation with the northern army, but due to the disadvantage of troops, the overall situation of the battlefield gradually showed a cramped trend.

Seeing that the situation of the southern army was unfavorable, the clans of Jingzhou, Jiangdong and even Yizhou began to secretly communicate with the northern army, and even the children of the family who were originally reclusive and unwilling to work for Liu Wei went out of the mountain at this moment and defected to Liu Xie's command, among which there were two young talents called "Fulong" and "Phoenix Chick" Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong.

After Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong came under Liu Xie's command, they repeatedly offered strange schemes. Zhuge Liang first used a straw boat to borrow arrows to deceive hundreds of thousands of high-grade feather arrows from the southern army, and then used a discord to make Liu Wei suspect Jiang Qin and Zhou Tai, who were born in a reckless manner, and induced the second general to secretly serve Liu Xie. Pang Tong offered a series of schemes, teaching the northern army to connect the warships with iron chains and lay thick planks on them, so that the northern soldiers who were not accustomed to water could run freely on the boats.

During this period, Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong also had a dispute, Zhuge Liang thought that although Pang Tong's serial plan was wonderful, it was easy for the enemy to attack with fire. Pang Tong said that it was the middle of winter at this time, and the northwest wind was blowing on the river, and if the enemy attacked with fire, it would only burn itself. Although Zhuge Liang agreed with what Pang Tong said, he still felt that there were unforeseen circumstances in the sky and should be cautious.

Liu Xie, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao all felt that what Pang Tong said was reasonable, but Zhuge Liang, a young man, was a little too cautious.

At the moment when the two armies were facing each other and planning a decisive battle, two envoys from Jiangnan suddenly came to write a book.

The messenger on the bright face is to teach Yu Tianlai in the "Taixuan Dao", and in the letter invited Zhu Donglai, who has been respected by Liu Xiezun as a teacher, to meet and talk about Zen and Taoism under the red cliff when the moon rises in the east mountain three days later.

In the secret letter, the two of them would be responsible for escorting a batch of grain, grass and ordnance, and they were willing to bring these burdens as a gift for the audience, and the agreed time happened to be the night three days later.

Liu Xie discussed the matter with Zhu Donglai, Yuan Shao, and Cao Cao.

Zhu Donglai knew that Yu Tianlai's letter was actually a challenge to himself as the leader of the Middle-earth Buddhism on behalf of the Daomen, and avoiding the war was tantamount to surrendering to defeat, and there was only one way to the appointment.

Yuan Shao and Cao Cao both thought that their hundreds of thousands of troops were displayed, and it was best for Jiang Qin and Zhou Tai to surrender sincerely, even if there was a trick, it was just a sheep into the tiger's mouth, and they could swallow it directly.

Liu Xie listened to their opinions, and then replied to the two envoys one after another, saying that everything was according to what was stated in the letter.

Three days later, on the night, Zhu Donglai set off alone in a flat boat. He carried a golden three-foot-high one-legged bronze figure in his arms, sat cross-legged in the middle of the boat, and did not need to be swayed by oars, and the boat galloped like an arrow against the water, heading in the direction of Chibi.

The boat arrived under the red cliff, it happened to be a bright moon rising to the top of the East Mountain, and there was a flat boat flying from the other side, and a young Taoist with a tall body and a handsome face stood in the bow of the boat, which was Yu Tianlai.

Yu Tianlai met with Zhu Donglai for the first time tonight, but saw that this monk was not as dark-skinned as the people of other countries in his impression, but as white and crystal as beautiful jade, and there seemed to be a treasure flowing under the skin. His face was solemn, and his eyes were deep and calm, like two pools of water. The whole person is no longer like an ordinary man, but like a bodhisattva Buddha walking in the world.

The two small boats drove opposite each other, stopped at the same time at an interval of ten zhang, and then firmly fixed like two thousand-year-old reefs in the river, regardless of the wind and waves on the river.

Yu Tianlai saluted the other side and said, "Master, the poor Taoist is the head." ”

Zhu Donglai got up on the boat, clasped his palms together and said, "Don't dare, the poor monk returned the salute." ”

Seeing that the ceremony was over, Yu Tianlai said loudly: "Over the years, Poor Dao has corresponded with the mage several times and clarified his attitude. Today is the last question I would like to ask the Venerable Master, does the Venerable Master still want to use Liu Xie's hand to promote your plan to revitalize Buddhism?"

Zhu Donglai replied indifferently: "The opinions of the poor monks have also been stated several times in the letters. Buddhism flourishes in the Middle Earth is a fixed number, even if Yu Zhangjiao cultivates to the sky, don't go against the sky. ”

Yu Tianlai's expression was slightly cold, and he said in a deep voice: "The master is sure that the number of days is in your Buddha Gate?"

Zhu Donglai's face was still as calm as Bubo Gujing: "Of course the poor monk is sure." Just like the wind on the river, at this moment it will only blow from the northwest to the southeast, adding to our army, which is only evident to me in the number of days!"

A strange smile suddenly appeared on Yu Tianlai's face: "The mage can't talk too much, you must know that there are unforeseen circumstances in the sky!"

Zhu Donglai didn't care, and was about to say something more, when he suddenly caught a trace of abnormal fluctuations in the aura of heaven and earth with his keen spiritual sense. With this trace of aura fluctuating, the originally strong and howling northwest wind quickly weakened and stopped, and then the southeast wind blew. Thinking of the other party's sentence "There are unpredictable circumstances in the sky", he immediately understood something, his calm face finally changed, and he shouted angrily: "Your Dao Sect dares to reverse the number of days and cast spells!"

Yu Tianlai smiled calmly: "We cultivators were originally going against the sky to break through the shackles imposed on the human body by the Heavenly Dao. Poor Dao invited seven fellow ghosts and immortals to set up a seven-star altar in Chaisang, and borrowed the southeast wind for three days and three nights. Master, you said that the number of days is in your Buddha Gate...... Hey, that depends on whether I agree!"

As he spoke, the place where the northern and southern armies faced each other in the distance suddenly rose from the candle sky, reflecting a radius of dozens of miles as bright as day, and the stars and moon in the sky were all eclipsed. And the ochre-red rocks of the red cliff near the two of them all became red as blood under the light of the firelight!

Yu Tianlai laughed indulgently: "The mage is proficient in Sinology, why don't you know that my Han people have a saying called 'If you want to take it, you must first take it', have you never doubted why you have been smooth sailing since the war?"

Zhu Donglai understood everything at this moment, and shouted word by word with a pale face: "Lure the enemy deep!"

Yu Tianlai said: "It is to lure the enemy deeper." Tonight is the time for our army to fight back in an all-out way!"

Before the words fell, he shook the right sleeve of his robe, and four small swords that were only three inches long flew out like swimming fish, turning into three-foot long swords in the wind, and the sword body bloomed with dazzling blazing brilliance and boundless sword qi, enveloping Zhu Donglai on the opposite boat.