Chapter 3069: The best is to capture alive
When Xu Shizong arrived at the riverside, there was already a loud sound of gongs and drums, shaking the surface of the river slightly. The waves kept hitting the embankment, stirring up huge waves, which then turned into countless water foam and were blown away by the wind.
However, the fishy smell in the wind became stronger and stronger.
As soon as Xu Shizong got off the carriage, he staggered in the fierce river wind and almost fell. Xiaoman hurriedly supported him and said, "Sir, be careful."
Xu Shizong raised his hand and waved, indicating that he was fine.
However, before Xiaoman could release his hand, he began to cough uncontrollably. Seeing this, Xiaoman hurriedly asked him to stand next to the carriage and took out a wind cloak from the carriage and put it on him, saying, "Young Master, you shouldn't have come here. The wind is too strong here and it will hurt you."
While coughing, Xu Shizong asked him to put on his wind cloak and tie the belt.
Then he said, "Ahem, I'm not, ahem, I'm not made of paper, how could it break so easily?"
After saying that, he coughed again.
After coughing, he quickly tucked the handkerchief he had been covering his palm back into his sleeve, but Xiaoman still saw the bright red stain on the handkerchief at a glance, and her eyes immediately turned red. In the past few days, no matter how much medicine he took or how many famous doctors he consulted, Xu Shizong's condition had deteriorated uncontrollably, and he coughed and saw blood almost every day.
He was really afraid that this gentleman would not survive this time.
But Xu Shizong didn't care about this at all. After stuffing his handkerchief into his sleeve, he looked up at the sky. The sky was gloomy today, with thick dark clouds piled up overhead. There was not a trace of sunshine. The river was covered with mist and visibility was very low.
However, one can still clearly see the magnificent naval camp they built on the shore.
Xu Shizong raised his hand and tried it in the air.
Still southeast wind.
The biting river wind lashed their backs like heavy hammers, especially since he was wearing a wind cloak. He was nearly blown away several times by the wind. Xiaoman had to help him walk up to the embankment. When the generals below saw him coming, they immediately stepped forward and saluted: "Military Advisor."
"Ahem,"
Xu Shizong coughed and asked, "How is the situation?"
One of his subordinates, Zhou Ning, said, "We saw their troops gathering in Jiangbei this morning, but there's been no movement yet."
Xu Shizong said: "They can't move either."
This was said cryptically, but anyone who had lived near the river for a while, or was familiar with naval warfare, knew that crossing the river depended not only on one's own ability but also on the wind direction. Xu Shifeng had been gathering his troops north of the river, and it wasn't necessarily completed until yesterday, but he had waited until now to take action because the wind had been blowing from the southeast for the past few days.
Although they can cross the river with this wind direction, if they encounter resistance from the south of the Yangtze River, even if it is just a slight resistance, they will suffer a heavy blow.
Zhou Ning also reached out his hand to feel the wind direction and said, "The wind has been blowing from the southeast these days."
"Um."
"Military Advisor, if the wind continues to blow from the southeast, it will be very difficult for people from Jiangbei to cross the river."
"Of course I do."
"Then why did the military advisor set the date for the decisive battle today?"
Xu Shizong looked around for a moment and said, "I've already asked the fishermen and old men who live by the river a few days ago, and they all saw that the wind would change direction as early as today."
"ah?"
"So, we must be prepared."
Zhou Ning's expression was solemn as he said, "I understand."
As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of sneers came from the side. Xu Shizong covered his mouth and coughed twice. Turning around, he saw two tall figures walking up the embankment. They were none other than the bandits from Tiangang Lianhuanwu who had followed Zhu Chengjin to Jinling City before. The two leaders among them were Li Chen and Fang Zhen.
Although these two are over fifty years old, they are in good spirits and strong. Their aura as they walk over is even more terrifying than Xu Shizong's.
Li Chen among them said coldly: "Why, are you scared?"
Xu Shizong glanced at them indifferently.
Although there was no extra expression on his face, there was still some undisguised disgust and contempt in his eyes.
He is a Confucian scholar. Even if he is forced to join forces with these people, his contempt for bandits has been deeply ingrained in his bones from the very beginning and cannot be erased at all.
He said calmly, "What do you two want to say?"
Li Chen said, "If the wind changes, will you also change?"
Xu Shizong said: "The most easily reversible thing in this world is the human heart. The human heart is full of greed, anger, and ignorance. It is driven by simple desires. This kind of behavior has no long-term nature. As long as there is the temptation of other interests, it can change at any time."
“…”
“Only faith can not be easily transferred.”
The two old men frowned and stared at him.
They certainly couldn't stand the scholar's lament, and they felt that this man was full of sourness. Fang Zhen immediately said, "With these skills, you can show them on the river surface and don't have to beg us."
Xu Shizong turned and looked at them.
Just as he was about to speak, he coughed violently again, his face flushed and his ears bulged, and he couldn't even straighten his waist. Xiaoman hurriedly supported him and rubbed his back to help him breathe: "Master, Master, be careful!"
Li Chen sneered, "What are you doing here, a sickly person?"
After saying that, they turned and left.
Just as they were about to leave, Xu Shizong gritted his teeth to stop coughing and said reluctantly, "Please stay, I have one more thing I want to ask of you."
The two men stopped and looked back at him.
Xu Shizong wiped the corner of his lips with a handkerchief and said, "If a war breaks out, please show mercy to your two subordinates."
"What?!"
Upon hearing this, Li Chen and Fang Zhen looked at each other as if they had heard something out of the blue. They immediately burst into laughter and asked, "Are you kidding us?"
"If they show mercy in a war, do they want us to die at their hands?"
Xu Shizong immediately said, "No, that's not what I meant."
“…”
"I know you two are very adept at maneuvering on the river. If you encounter the enemy commander, I would like to ask you to show mercy."
“…”
Upon hearing this, the two looked at each other.
Li Chen sneered and said, "I heard that the general in Jiangbei is the younger brother of the military advisor in Jiangnan. Are you asking us to spare your brother's life?"
"Not a life saver."
Xu Shizong said: "It would be best if we could capture him alive."
“……!”
The two were startled again, looked at each other, and immediately understood.
At this moment, a gust of wind swept in from the river, causing them to stagger slightly. Fang Zhen suddenly perked up: "The wind has changed!"
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