Meanwhile, after Zhou Yu discovered the problem, he immediately led one force toward Pengli Lake.
But now, the bitter consequences of his relentless pursuit had begun to show.
Traveling by river took less effort than marching by land, but he had still pushed his troops hard all the way.
Drifting downstream had been manageable before, but now they were moving upstream without the aid of wind. Naturally, their progress was slow.
In contrast, Lu Su's fleet had fewer ships than Zhou Yu's, yet nearly three times as many troops!
His soldiers had been exhausted from fleeing all the way before, but now that they were pursuing, a fresh batch of oarsmen had taken over.
One side chased while the other fled, and after pursuing for more than fifty li, the distance between them had shrunk to less than ten li.
Seeing this, Lu Meng, who had been serving as the vanguard, hurriedly sent someone to report:
"Commander, disaster! The enemy is pursuing too quickly and has reached within ten li of our rear!"
The two armies had not even reached Zongyang yet. Hearing this, Zhou Yu was overcome with bewilderment and panic.
He was indeed a genius of war, but after being outmaneuvered time and again, with the battle ahead still unknown and enemies pressing urgently from behind, his anxiety needed no words.
For a time, he stared at the eastern sky that was about to turn pale. Cold sweat covered his face, waves of exhaustion washed over him, and he did not know what to do!
Seeing Zhou Yu remain silent, Lu Meng hurriedly asked for instructions. Han Dang, however, shouted angrily:
"Since the enemy has caught up, urge the soldiers to move faster! Why come here to ask the Commander?"
"Could it be that you do not even