NOVPUB"This is the first time I’ve seen a military general with such exceptional archery skills," Sun Ce said with a furrowed brow.
"Your concern is appreciated, my lord, but as you said, Gongjin will have made arrangements, and indeed I had sent him a message before coming here." Huang Gai was also shaken by the close call; had it not been for Sun Ce’s keen eyes and formidable strength, Huang Gai would surely have perished to the barrage of arrows.
"I didn’t say anything, but it doesn’t matter, he’ll definitely send someone," Sun Ce said nonchalantly, impaling a navy soldier with his spear, "But we should still regroup at the battle ship first, I underestimated Gan Xingba."
Huang Gai was speechless, but his actions were quick, following Sun Ce towards the battle ship. Even though Sun Ce hadn’t informed Zhou Yu, Huang Gai still believed Sun Ce’s words that Zhou Yu would definitely come.
Taishi Ci’s movements were as swift as cutting food with a knife and fork; he quickly dispersed the small fleet of fast boats and yachts belonging to Sun Ce’s army, then prepared to board the battle ship and capture Sun Ce and his generals alive.
"Hmph, truly tenacious, but this is as far as you go. Prepare the bed crossbow!" Taishi Ci, seeing that Sun Ce and his hundreds of soldiers were barely holding on to a single battle ship, felt dissatisfied and got ready to board and personally capture Sun Ce.
"My lord, have no worry, Ling Cao has arrived!" Right as Taishi Ci was about to take action himself, a thunderous roar reverberated through the air, halting Taishi Ci’s movement as he was about to jump aboard.
"Fire the bed crossbows!" Without a moment’s hesitation, Taishi Ci ordered the bed crossbows, which had been ready to destroy Sun Ce’s battle ship, to shoot towards the source of the sound.
Chen Xi suddenly waved his hand, and a clear path opened up through the fog-enshrouded river surface, revealing Ling Cao leading over a hundred ships of various sizes rushing over. The largest were just battle ships and warships, with the majority being fast boats and yachts that could only carry twenty or thirty people each, but the sheer number was indeed frightening.
Ling Cao led dozens of small ships charging forward, and upon recognizing the turn of events, Taishi Ci ordered his own small boats to retreat. Sun Ce and Ling Cao’s navy engaged, and their morale surged dramatically, with a magnificent swath of water-blue and golden Cloud Qi streaming along the river.
"This situation doesn’t look too good, where has Xingba gone?" Chen Xi, staring at the vast array of small sailboards on the opposite side, couldn’t help but frown. There were too many of them, at least three or four thousand navy soldiers, "Ziyi, do you have a way to break through their Cloud Qi?" 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝒐𝒎
"Breaking through their Cloud Qi is difficult. Our forces are not much different, and even if I were to insert myself into their formation, it would be tough to disperse the Cloud Qi without routing them first. Unless they throw themselves into disarray, scattering it is really very difficult," Taishi Ci shook his head, naval battles are much more troublesome than ground battles.
"However, they will also find it difficult to deal with us. In the end, it will boil down to boarding combat, where they do not have the upper hand. Our ships have higher sides, and our archers’ suppression is enough. As for their desire to undertake beheading operations, I am right here; let them come as they please." Taishi Ci then added confidently, perhaps feeling that his previous words belittled his own stature.
"By formation, do you mean the ships?" Chen Xi asked while keeping Zhou Yu in check, but suddenly felt a heaviness in his thoughts, and Zhuge Liang temporarily slowed his movements, then quickly recovered. However, right after, he distinctly felt that both Zhou Yu and Pang Tong on the opposite side had grown stronger.
"Whoosh!" Chen Xi felt that the spiritual power he had mustered to envelop Sunx Ce’s army and erode their Cloud Qi, as well as to confuse their attention, suddenly stuck onto something. Then it was violently thrown into the Yangtze River, chaotically slaying a large number of fish and shrimp, causing tumultuous jumps across the river surface.
"It’s a ship, what’s the matter, Grand Historian!" Taishi Ci, seeing Chen Xi’s face suddenly pale, asked incomprehensibly.
"We’ve been outmaneuvered, but it’s nothing. Go and inform the person in the cabin to come out; say we need his combat power," Chen Xi waved his hand and said. His current situation was like a child playing with a great iron hammer—fine for a light touch, but swung around it might hurt others and possibly even backfire!
On the other hand, Zhou Yu was also having a tough time. Almost at the instant Chen Xi’s complexion turned pale, Zhou Yu’s face turned ashen. Although a massive amount of spiritually charged thoughts, mixed with the common people’s random thoughts, were discarded by Zhou Yu into the river, killing the fish and shrimp of the Yangtze River, the residual effects that swept over Zhou Yu left him feeling somewhat dizzy.
"Are you alright, Gongjin?" Pang Tong slowly extended his spiritual power into the undercurrents of the river, gradually accumulating strength. As Taishi Ci had said, to destroy the formed Cloud Qi of the fleet, other than scattering them, there was only the option of infighting. The river surface was always different from the road, with countless undercurrents. By stirring the undercurrents, he might be able to achieve a feat.
"It’s nothing, I just miscalculated a bit. Chen Zichuan’s spiritual power is definitely linked to his Spiritual Talent, and the stray thoughts in the power I’ve endured have also influenced me, no doubt external in origin," said Zhou Yu as he steadied his breath. "I’ve already reduced their reaction and thinking speeds, as well as their spiritual movement speeds. The next step is up to you."
"No problem, I will give Zhuge Kongming a big surprise!" Pang Tong’s ugly face revealed an unsightly smirk. "I have already connected with many undercurrents; just waiting for the right moment to act together will surely tear their fleet apart. To think with large ships they could dominate the Yangtze River."
"Please hurry. I’ve somewhat underestimated the spiritual power of the other side; Chen Zichuan’s counterattack has been stronger than I anticipated!" As a series of whooshing sounds from the tumbling river waters followed, Zhou Yu’s complexion turned grim. Chen Xi’s usable spiritual power far exceeded Zhou Yu’s estimations. If things continued this way, Zhou Yu would soon be drained first.
"Duke Zhou, I’m curious to see how long you can hold on!" Chen Xi, while dealing with Guan Hai who had come up to the deck, sneered coldly. He continued to marshal that mysterious spiritual power, intent on dragging the battlefield into the midst of Sunx Ce’s navy.
"Get down!" Chen Xi suddenly increased the output of his spiritual power, even his right hand involuntarily swept downward. This time, he directly forced Zhou Yu’s spiritual power onto a few of Sunx Ce’s ships. A series of screams echoed as the soldiers directly hit by it all fell to the deck, while those affected also felt waves of dizziness.
"As expected, Cloud Qi can block Inner Qi but not spiritual power!" Chen Xi laughed heartily, his complexion slightly flushed as he prepared to deploy once more. However, unexpectedly, a red luster swept through the mist, covering the entire Cloud Qi of Sunx Ce’s army, and afterward, Chen Xi’s spiritual power could no longer take effect.
"Phew, unexpectedly strong," Zhou Yu said with a bitter smile. "This amount of spiritual power is simply not something a living being should possess. Luckily, I have another move ready."
"You’re hardly normal yourself," Pang Tong muttered under his breath.
The layer of fiery red radiance was in fact Zhou Yu’s unique Legion Talent. Unlike other military generals who relied on a strong will to subdue their subordinates, Zhou Yu did not have a Top General’s powerful will. Instead, he used his own spiritual will as a primer, utilizing his Talent of the Zither to evoke a unified desire for victory in the hearts of all his soldiers, fostering a more unified conviction! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendation votes and monthly tickets on Qidian[dot]com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian[dot]com.)
