In the afternoon's great battle on the Yangtze River, the Ruxu Navy, as the elite force, had been placed at the very forefront of the warship formation. Thus, the ones who suffered losses in the battle were essentially all Lu Xun's troops and ships.
Though the naval battle had been brief, the Jing Province Navy had used Doujian Warships to split apart their formation, preventing Lu Xun's orders from reaching every ship. Later, Sun Quan had anxiously issued a strict order to withdraw, leaving the encircled vessels unable to react in time.
After returning to Jiangcheng Port and taking stock of their numbers, Hu Zong's and Sun Shao's forces were nearly unscathed, while nearly half of Lu Xun's troops had been killed, wounded, or gone missing. At present, he could only suffer in silence.
Thinking of his wife and children in Jianye, whose fates remained unknown, Lu Xun did not know what he was still holding on for. How many more such devastations could these several thousand sailors endure? Perhaps it was the character of a loyal subject who would not serve two masters that made him bitterly cling to this faith.
Even if he could not emulate Lu Fan and slit his throat to preserve his integrity, neither could he emulate Zhang Zhao and betray his lord to surrender. Otherwise, what face would he, a famed Jiangdong scholar, have left to fulfill his ideals?
After inspecting his troops and returning to his own ship, Lu Li, a trusted member of his clan, suddenly hurried over to report, "Grand Viceroy, General Sun Shao and General Hu Zong's forces have suddenly begun moving. It seems they intend to board their ships and depart overnight."
"What?" Lu Xun shot to his feet.
With clasped fists, Lu Li said quietly, "We lost today's