Zhou Yu naturally knew nothing of the Jing Province navy's movements. In truth, his decision to send out troops this time had stemmed from Lu Su's actions in the east.
Lu Su had originally intended to advance westward and join the Jing Province navy in pincering Zhou Yu, but Zhuge Liang's warning had made him change his strategy.
In Lu Su's view, he could never defeat Zhou Yu in a head-on clash, so he needed to find a way to circle around him.
Thus, based on the current situation, he came up with a plan to lure the tiger from the mountain.
Simply put, Zhou Yu's goal was not merely to defeat their navy, but to prevent their troops from moving south.
Under such circumstances, Lu Su could avoid battle altogether and transport troops first!
The autumn harvest was not yet over. Once their troops moved south, they could reap grain on the spot and establish a foothold, leaving the Jiangdong forces running themselves ragged.
Seeing this, Zhou Yu would most likely send troops directly in pursuit rather than let them seize every advantage.
If Zhou Yu did not come, Lu Su would lead the navy eastward, plundering along the way and strategically forcing Zhou Yu to shift his battle line east.
It could be said that no matter what, Zhou Yu could not possibly remain unresponsive.
This was also Lu Su's strength. He might not match Zhou Yu tactically, but strategically, he was not the slightest bit inferior.
Once he had made these arrangements, Zhao Yun and Xu Sheng prepared their forces and arrived at Zongyang.
After Lu Su reached the area, he first deployed scouts thirty li to the west, pretending to halt for rest, then ordered the tower ships to begin ferrying Zhao Yun and the others