NOVPUBZhuge Liang thought for a while and then withdrew the spiritual power he and Pang Tong had been opposing. Compared to Chen Xi’s spiritual capacity, which could stun enemy soldiers without protection, Zhuge Liang’s, Pang Tong’s, and Zhou Yu’s spiritual capacities clearly lacked that special effect.
In fact, Zhuge Liang was somewhat hesitant about whether to use his Spiritual Talent. After all, the longer he fought with Pang Tong, the more uneasy Zhuge Liang became. Pang Tong was not that easy to deal with.
"Activate! I absolutely can’t stand losing to Pang Tong! I am better than him! Furthermore, I am only fourteen years old now, a little lifespan, what harm is there in spending it!" Zhuge Liang made up his mind when he followed Chen Xi in simultaneously changing the Celestial Phenomenon.
Chen Xi and Zhuge Liang worked together to Change the Heavens, and in an instant, a violent westerly wind swept across the River Surface. Gan Yi had also ordered the sounding of the horn, and the command to abandon ship and jump overboard for the first line had been conveyed. Before long, flames erupted where the first line had been fighting against Sun Ce’s Army.
"Signal to General Cheng, General Han, General Huang, abandon the ships making the break-through attack, the ships behind to slowly retreat!" Lyu Fan saw a red line suddenly appear on the River Surface and the west wind blowing head-on and immediately made a judgment. Nevertheless, still too many ships were ignited due to their proximity to Gan Ning’s fleet.
Meanwhile, Gan Ning, who had been hiding in the fog, finally made his move as the westerly wind rose. After steering the ship for a while, he had discovered Ling Cao’s fleet. Knowing that Sun Ce probably had the same idea, Gan Ning then thought of an even better plan.
"Everyone, get ready! Hold the ship steady with all your might, run over the enemy’s ship at full speed!" Gan Ning ordered his crew, then sent someone to inform the captains of six large ships as well.
"It’s about time!" Chen Xi looked at Sun Ce’s Army on the River Surface, which had pulled a substantial distance away from their own large ship. Both sides were salvaging their own crewmen, and after the burning ships were extinguished, a greater battle would commence. However, before that, Gan Ning should have already finished the battle.
Chen Xi did not notice that at this moment, Zhuge Liang’s complexion was slightly pale, yet his eyes were sparkling.
"I feel very good," Zhuge Liang calmly gazed at the line of fire, "as if everything is under control."
"Zichuan, it’s my turn now!" Zhuge Liang, looking up with a gentle smile, said to Chen Xi, "Though I don’t understand the Navy, defeating them at this moment won’t be difficult. I think when it comes to courage, we won’t lose to them. Besides, if I remember correctly, Boyan once told me our ships are somewhat fire-resistant. Isn’t that right, Boyan?"
Zhuge Liang didn’t look back, but Lul Xun, who was hiding on the side, felt as if Zhuge Liang was looking at him, sending a chill down his spine. The silently emerging Lul Xun nodded, "But it is only to a certain extent. If the time is too long, they will still catch fire."
"Roll over it. That line of fire isn’t wide, it’s at most two hundred steps across. With our ships at full sail, taking advantage of the wind and water, just a few breaths are enough to get through. Plus, our big ships don’t need to be too close together. At that time, it’s not about Cloud Qi, but about speed, crushing anything else. Once we break through, their formation will be useless," Zhuge Liang said with a gentle smile on his face.
"Break Formation?" Chen Xi was not entirely sure it could be done, then looked at Zhuge Liang and decided to trust his judgment.
"Gan Yi, can we do as Kongming has suggested?" Chen Xi asked, turning his head.
"If it’s about ramming ships, we’re very good at it!" Gan Yi laughed loudly, "All hands prepare, full sail, helmsmen ready, bed crossbows ready, archers ready, kerosene ready!"
"Have everyone prepare for the cold," Zhuge Liang instructed Gan Yi, tilting his head. Though Gan Yi clearly did not understand the order, when he glanced at Chen Xi who nodded at him, he did not ask further questions and relayed the command to the surrounding ships.
"Zichuan, join me in manipulating the river currents. This can be controlled too. Pang Shiyuan’s earlier plan must have been to draw off the river water to break formation while we move, as there are plenty of hidden reefs here," Zhuge Liang said calmly, looking at the line of fire in the mist.
Zhuge Liang had never felt so at ease. Inferring future strategies from the previous scenarios, all the planning became a joke before his soaring intelligence.
"The river currents?" Chen Xi was taken aback and then suddenly realized something. Indeed, if a section of the river were to be suddenly depleted while sailing at high speed, the ships would inevitably be drawn towards that area. If they hit a hidden reef at that moment, sinking would be unavoidable, speed and mass were always an issue.
"How ruthless!" Chen Xi’s expression darkened, "Fine, I’ll stabilize the underwater currents in the river and prevent them from bursting forth suddenly!"
"Hmm, by now, General Gan should have seized the opportunity to prepare to wipe out Zhou Yu and his crew. Our westerly winds are not meant for the fire ships," Zhuge Liang said with a hint of a smile, as if he himself were Gan Ning.
"If nothing unexpected happens, that should be the case. Let’s get to work!" An enormous amount of spiritual power surged from Chen Xi. Unlike Pang Tong, who carefully smoothed out the underwater currents bit by bit in a petty fashion, Chen Xi used his terrifying spiritual power to directly interfere with the river’s flow.
"Let’s march; I cannot hold out much longer," Zhuge Liang said quietly, watching the distant line of fire and feeling the continuously increasing speed of the ships. He then involuntarily turned to look at Chen Xi beside him, who at that moment possessed nearly everyone’s spiritual talent in Liu Bei’s camp, except for his own.
At that moment, Pang Tong felt something was seriously wrong. Although his intelligence had surged suddenly to almost one hundred, it was precisely because of this that he understood the changes unfolding on the other side.
"Damn it! Gongjin, I’m afraid our vanguard is not going to have it easy! That maneuver of diverting the river current is also useless now. I tried it earlier, but Chen Zichuan has restricted it," Pang Tong said, his face slightly pale.
"Don’t worry, with Zihengg here, the most they can do is break our formation and emerge. It won’t cause significant harm to the majority of our forces. The Jiangxia Navy is arriving soon!" Zhou Yu said with a trace of a smile, "This battle’s objective was to eradicate the enemies within and incidentally test Liu Bei’s navy. Now the objective has been achieved, and what’s left is to see their formation-breaking strategy."
"…" Pang Tong looked gloomily at Zhou Yu, not wanting to say anything. He was not yet capable of taking things as lightly as Zhou Yu did. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)
