Now, when Zhou Yu heard that Lu Su had gone out to fight, fearing that the Jing Province naval forces might notice something amiss, he ordered Dong Xi, a great general under his command, to issue the first challenge.
On the Jing Province side, they sent out an obscure young officer named Huo Du.
Though Huo Du's name was unfamiliar, he was by no means a nobody. His younger brother, Huo Jun, was one of Shu Han's famed generals.
Before Huo Jun had become independent, however, all their troops had been under Huo Du's command. He too possessed uncommon courage and strength.
After receiving his orders, Huo Du split off a force and charged out from the naval camp, heading straight for Dong Xi's ships.
As the two armies drew near, Dong Xi stood at the bow with spear in hand. Before his men came close, he had his subordinates loose a barrage of arrows.
Seeing this, Huo Du hurriedly ordered his men to raise their shields. Yet just as the ships closed in, Dong Xi sprang into the air and leaped straight onto their vessel.
At once, the hardy men under his command rushed forward with shields raised and spears leveled, and the two armies began fighting upon the river.
Seeing how formidable the enemy was, Huo Du hurriedly engaged Dong Xi, intending to force him back. He thrust out fiercely with his spear, only for Dong Xi to seize it in one hand.
The greatest difference between warfare on land and warfare on water was that land battles relied on horseflesh, while water battles relied on the strength of ships.
With his long spear caught in Dong Xi's grip, Huo Du suddenly twisted his body aside, trying to fling Dong Xi into the river.
But just as he