Chang Kuo agreed to Fujiwara no Maro's request for a one-on-one "competition".
But he had two conditions. First, all the captives and hostages must be released immediately. Second, the time for the competition must be set at dawn tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. -
The people who responded were He Wuhu and a military advisor who knew Japanese. He Wuhu had a loud voice. He stood at the bow and raised his eyebrows and said to the other side: "It is getting dark today. Considering that your General Fujiwara has impaired eyesight and may not be able to see clearly in the dark, our General Chang does not want to win unfairly, so we have chosen the time for the competition to be early tomorrow morning!"
The military advisor also conveyed He Wuhu's original words with full energy.
Upon hearing this, Yoshimi Fumu cursed and came to Fujiwara no Maro. He explained the matter in great anger and cursed: "... a bunch of ignorant people, you dare to show off your ability of talking when you are about to die!"
Several Japanese military advisors also looked indignant for a moment.
Fujiwara no Maro, who was sitting cross-legged at the top, just laughed contemptuously.
"Chang Kuo is a man who is good at talking." He said, "When the Sheng people go into battle, there is an unwritten rule of cursing before the battle, in order to irritate the enemy and show off their own power. If I get angry about this, I will fall into this clumsy trick."
"That's right!" A military advisor said, "General, there's no need to be angry about this. From what I can see, Chang Kuo has an old illness and he must have been standing on the boat for too long and can't stand up anymore, so he's using this excuse to postpone it until tomorrow!"
Another military advisor also sneered: "From this point of view, it is just a paper tiger, bluffing when it has to fight!"
Fujiwara Maru slowly curled his lips, with murderous intent flowing in his eyes: "The power he talks about is not real power, I will wait for him until tomorrow..."
"Tomorrow, I will let all the Sheng troops see with their own eyes how Chang Kuo is trampled under my feet and how he begs for mercy."
Ji Jianfu responded, temporarily suppressing his anger and asked, "General, the Sheng army also asked us to release the prisoners immediately!"
Fujiwara no Maro: "Release half of the people first - tell Chang Kuo that the competition has not yet begun. I am willing to release half of the prisoners, which is very sincere."
Although Ji Jianfu was dissatisfied, he didn't say anything more and went down to do as he was told.
The person who stepped forward to take over was He Wuhu.
Ji Jianfu asked people to count half of the prisoners from left to right, but when he counted Lao Kang and Shepherd's Purse in the middle, he suddenly smiled playfully and said in a stiff tone: "There is only one left."
"Let her go back first...!" Old Kang, who had lost his left hand and was still tied up and kneeling on the deck, with a pale face and sweat all over his face, still had a loud and clear voice.
"Let Uncle Kang go first!" Shepherd's Purse frowned, looked at Lao Kang, and said firmly: "You go back and heal your wounds. It's only one night. I'm young and can hold on!"
As she spoke, she was afraid that these cruel and brutal Japanese soldiers would come up with some torture tricks again, so she looked up and shouted at He Wuhu: "Captain He, what are you doing standing there? Hurry up and take Uncle Kang back!"
He Wuhu was startled by her yelling, and his feet were faster than his brain. He stepped forward and helped Lao Kang up.
Yoshimi Fu raised his hand and pointed at the shepherd's purse that he had left behind, then turned around and said something to the Japanese soldiers around him, and they all laughed.
Although He Wuhu didn't understand what they were saying, he could guess most of it from their shrill laughter and dirty expressions.
He Wuhu quickly untied the rope for Lao Kang, and said without raising his head: "Sister She Cai, don't be afraid!"
His voice was hoarse and rough, hiding suppressed anger.
Shepherd's Purse knelt straight and said, "I have never been afraid of anything in my life!"
He Wuhu said nothing more. He supported Lao Kang and asked someone to take the other half of the prisoners back.
But he soon returned.
He had someone row a small boat closer, bringing with him Qihu and more than ten other soldiers, and stopped ten steps away from Shecai and the others.
Facing the Japanese soldiers' shouting and threats to retreat, He Wuhu refused to give in: "You Japanese soldiers are disloyal. Before you release us tomorrow, I want to see with my own eyes that our people are unharmed!"
After the translator relayed the message, the Japanese soldiers reported it to Yoshimi Fu. However, He Wuhu's attitude was strong and the two sides argued for a long time and almost came to blows. Finally, under the scolding of a Japanese general, the Japanese soldiers acquiesced to the actions of He Wuhu and others.
Night fell over the sea and the rain was still falling, hitting the skin, as cold as needles and piercing the bones.
She Cai and others were still forced to kneel in the rain.
Whenever She Cai looked up, she could see He Wuhu standing with his legs apart like a sculpture, holding a knife in his right hand, staring straight at what was happening in her direction.
The lights were on on the boat, and one could vaguely see the big man with a messy beard and a ferocious look on his face, like a door god in the first month of the lunar year.
Shepherd's Purse looked at him for a long time, but she felt that the ferocious face inexplicably showed a bit of naivety.
Although Shepherd's Purse was not afraid, she was not stupid. She could imagine what kind of fate she might face after her identity as a woman was discovered.
The presence of this door god at this moment helped her ward off evil spirits and did not give those dirty creatures a chance to get close to her.
Shepherd's Purse's gaze moved from He Wuhu to Hao Huan who was standing next to He Wuhu. As the two looked at each other from a distance, Shepherd's Purse suddenly gave Hao Huan, who still had a bandage on his arm, an embarrassed but happy smile.
What is this? This is the friendship of comrades who have gone through life and death together and fought in blood... Even if I really die on this sea today, how can I say it is not worth it? Seeing the vigilance and surveillance of He Wuhu and others, Ji Jianfu was furious, but his eyes were full of mockery.
What if we release the people tomorrow morning? They will definitely win this battle. They will have plenty of opportunities to get, conquer and crush things later! By then, they will have more than just this vulgar woman to deal with. In the vast and prosperous land on the other side, there will be endless wine, meat and slaves to enjoy, and endless slaves to drive! Yoshimi Fu was determined to win and turned back to the cabin.
"General, the Japanese are treacherous and have no integrity. I'm afraid that tomorrow they will..."
In Chang Kuo's cabin, Lieutenant General Jin and other generals were all there, still trying to persuade Chang Kuo.
Chang Kuo interrupted them and said, "Whether they are trustworthy or not, I must agree to this. Can't you see what's going on outside now?"
Lieutenant General Jin subconsciously looked outside the cabin, recalling what he had seen and heard on the way here.
Looking around, apart from the groans of agony from the wounded, the faces of the soldiers everywhere were filled with exhaustion and despair.
Anxiety and fear fill every corner.
Some younger soldiers even secretly wiped away tears.
"We are the great Chinese nation, and we are different from the Japanese islands." Chang Kuo said: "The Japanese can ignore the prisoners, but we can't."
"If the Japanese army is using these hostages to force me to open my country today, I will definitely not agree. Even if I don't care about the lives of my comrades, I am doing it for the sake of justice, which is beyond reproach."
"But they just coerced an old man named Chang Kuo to go out and fight Fujiwara." Chang Kuo said: "In this situation, our army is already at a disadvantage. If I continue to shrink back and allow the Japanese army to slaughter and humiliate our prisoners, the people's hearts will be dispersed."
"The morale of the army here cannot be broken because of me, Chang Kuo. Otherwise, if we lose this battle, I will be a sinner for all eternity!" Chang Kuo said in a serious tone, "It is also the duty of a general to stabilize the morale of the army."
"But the Japanese army forced you to come out, obviously..." Vice General Jin couldn't help but said: "Please forgive me for speaking frankly, if you are defeated by Fujiwara no Maro tomorrow, wouldn't it also be a blow to morale?"
This must be one of Fujiwara no Maro's plans!
"There are different ways to lose." Chang Kuo's eyes were firm: "Even if I lose, I will still show the backbone of Dasheng and inspire morale with my life. Even if I lose, it's worth it!"
"General!" Hearing these words that seemed to indicate a determination to die, Deputy General Jin's eyes suddenly turned red. He knelt on one leg with his knees bent, clasped his fists and begged, "But if anything goes wrong with you, who will take charge of the situation?"
"Nonsense, even if I die, we still have the commander!" Chang Kuo looked at the dark night outside the cabin and said firmly: "Sui Ning will definitely come back in time."
Her Highness is good at deducing the situation. She had anticipated from the beginning that Fujiwara no Maro would gather a large force to attack Jiangdu's defenses. So, she must have known how long the soldiers here could hold out without her commanding the battle.
Therefore, he concluded that His Highness would definitely return in time.
The battle here is brutal. Her Highness has not appeared in public. It is not because she is retreating, but because she needs to make arrangements personally in the rear. The danger she is involved in is far greater than the danger here.
This anti-Japanese war is more difficult than any previous one... But he believes that with His Highness here, these Japanese pirates will never succeed! Chang Kuo looked at Deputy General Jin and others: "Listen to me, just wait for Sui Ning to come back."
When talking about the word "Sui Ning", Chang Kuo's eyes were telling everyone that this was not just words to comfort people, but a true belief.
This seemingly "excessive doting" belief is actually very solid to Chang Kuo.
Her Highness will not bring reinforcements, but she alone can defeat thousands of troops.
When it comes to killing Japanese pirates, Your Highness has the sharpest sword in Dasheng, one-of-a-kind.
The key battle to repel the Japanese soldiers in the past was commanded by His Highness alone. In this sea area, no one can compare to His Highness in terms of deploying troops, layout, planning, judgment, and decision-making. The position of the anti-Japanese marshal can only belong to His Highness.
Even without mentioning the past glory, the soldiers outside now trust His Highness more than him.
Because the person who led them to kill Xu Zhengye and recapture Jiangdu was General Ningyuan Chang Suining, not this old man.
Soldiers and generals will establish a strong bond and trust because they have fought and won battles together.
Many of them had copper coins "blessed" by General Ningyuan hanging around their waists. Some of them were even able to stay in Jiangdu because they took the initiative to "fight their way out" in the drawing of lots.
The young girl general who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, because she was beyond the scope of worldly cognition and had the ability to "do things that others could not do", had, to a certain extent, become the embodiment of some kind of miracle in the eyes of her soldiers.
The word "miracle" will bring people extraordinary courage, and courage is morale.
The low morale at the moment is closely related to the fact that they have not seen the head coach arrive for a long time.
In a war, the commander-in-chief is the backbone of the soldiers.
At this moment, in the eyes of many soldiers, their commander was still in Runzhou defending against the enemy, and even his life or death was uncertain, so they were naturally uneasy.
Therefore, as long as His Highness can come back, even if he really dies at the hands of Fujiwara no Maro, it will not affect the overall situation.
Fujiwara no Maro obviously didn't know this. This stupid guy really thought that killing him would determine the outcome of the battle.
Little did he know that his wealth was of no use.
The one who can truly influence the overall situation and military morale is his daughter, Her Royal Highness!
Fujiwara no Maro could think of this? Just guess! Chang Kuo was not afraid at all, and even had a smug look in his eyes.
"Alright, no more talking, wait till tomorrow!" Chang Kuo stopped his men from talking any further, glaring and saying, "One by one, put away the bad looks on your faces. I can still carry Zhan Xiu, and I may not lose to that one-eyed turtle. There's no need to rush to mourn for me!"
Deputy General Jin hesitated to speak and finally did not dare to say anything.
If it were more than ten years ago, when Fujiwara no Maro dared to challenge the Shogun in a duel, then he would have considered Fujiwara no Maro a person of some importance. But now the Shogun is old and has illness... That villain Fujiwara no Maro is clearly taking advantage of the situation!
They were angry and disgusted, but the situation forced them to do so, and the general had made up his mind...
After asking about Lao Kang's condition, Chang Kuo felt a little relieved. He drove all his subordinates out, drank the medicine, blew out the light, lay down to rest, and prepared to recuperate.
But the pain in his right leg made him toss and turn and unable to fall asleep.
His leg disease was always particularly difficult to bear in the winter, and now he was at sea, with the damp and cold air invading his body. In addition, he had been highly concentrated, standing and commanding the battle, so the attack was particularly severe at this moment.
He swallowed a number of pills given to him by Princess Xuan'an, but they only provided slight relief.
Chang Kuo endured the pain, put his hands behind his head, looked at the dark roof of the ship, and counted the hours silently in his heart.
He chose to delay for one night, not for his crippled leg, nor to anger Fujiwara no Maro.
His Highness must be rushing here at all costs, day and night. He gives His Highness one night to travel.
On the battlefield, subordinates and their lords must work together with all their strength and neither side must be afraid of death, only then can victory be achieved.
Perhaps, this will be the last collaboration between him and His Highness.
But it doesn't matter. It is a great blessing that he can be reunited with His Highness in this life.
Chang Kuo suppressed all his thoughts and closed his eyes contentedly, until the sky turned a faint gray-blue color called dawn.
The rain has stopped.
Lieutenant General Jin was the first to walk into the cabin and personally helped Chang Kuo put on his armor.
Chang Kuo handed a jade pendant to Deputy General Jin and said, "Old Jin, please give this to that brat Sui An for me later."
Deputy General Jin took the jade pendant, which still had the warmth of his own general's palm.
So, the general... is he telling him about his last wishes? Thinking of this, Deputy General Jin instinctively resisted Chang Kuo's next words.
Until he heard his own general say: "Tell him to go find his mother."
Deputy General Jin: “?”
Wait, didn’t Sui’an Langjun’s mother die a long time ago? Good night, see you tomorrow, I will try to write more tomorrow! (Today I accidentally saw that a veteran writer from many years ago has come back to publish a new book. I don’t know him personally, but since he has come back to publish a book, I want to promote it! Many people should have an impression of this writer: Liu An Hua Ming, a writer of suspense! The new book is called: Welcome to the Weird Dream World. If you are interested, you can go and have a look! (End of this chapter)
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