Zhang Nan restrained his mount in the distance, squinting his eyes and looking at the opposite hillside.

The slope is not high, not too big, it is the kind of gentle slope that can be seen everywhere. There seemed to be a forest on the slope, and there might be people hiding in it, but when night fell, there were not many torches lit on the opposite side, so I couldn't see it clearly.

The most obvious thing to see the entire formation on the opposite side is in the middle, a bonfire is burning vigorously, there are several figures by the bonfire, and a battle flag. A big bird rising from the flames can be faintly seen on the battle flag, which is undoubtedly the battle flag of Sun Ce himself.

Zhang Nan sighed and wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead, his tentacles were full of dirt. Along the way, the sweat came out layer after layer, wet and dry, dry and wet, and it was almost scabbed after being stained with dust. But all the hard work was worth it, and he was the first to catch up with Sun Ce and grab the first credit.

However, he only had a battalion of men, and after running so far, the physical exertion was too great, and he couldn't get any benefit from rushing forward. Since Sun Ce didn't run away, he could wait for Jiang Qi to come. Zhang Nan arranged the vigilance and ordered someone to clean up the firewood and grass. Since it was a night battle, a bonfire was a must, and as a striker, he had the responsibility to prepare for the battlefield.

It didn't take long, and the focus also came. was preempted by Zhang Nan, he was a little regretful, but he was not in a bad mood, and he really teased Zhang Nan a few words. Zhang Nan laughed and talked and laughed with Jiao Touch. More than a dozen piles of bonfires have been lit, and the guards have set up pots on the fire, ready to boil some light wine to quench their thirst, and hurry up to eat some dry food they carry with them to replenish their strength and prepare for battle.

The lieutenant is a middle-level officer, his battle armor is far more delicate than that of ordinary soldiers, and with the guards around him, even if he is separated by more than three hundred steps, Sun Ce can distinguish the identities of the two. He took a sip of his wine, glancing into the distance from time to time.

Liu Bei hesitated for a while. "Doesn't the general want to strike first and frustrate his spirit?"

Sun Ce tilted his head, looked at Liu Bei, called Pang Tong, and commanded a few words in his ear. Pang Tong nodded in response and quietly retreated. Sun Ce said to Liu Bei at this time: "If you were over there, would you give me a chance?" ”

Liu Bei thought about it and nodded yes. "The general is right. The general is prestigious, even if he has the same strength, no one dares to be careless, and he must be on full alert to avoid being raided by the general, and it is indeed not good to attack at this time. ”

Sun Ce chuckled, ordered someone to take a water bladder, and handed it to Liu Bei. Liu Bei took it, bowed in thanks, opened the water bladder and took a sip. The water bladder is filled with light wine, which has a very light taste, but a good taste. Liu Bei praised: "Good wine." ”

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Please speak up, General."

"You switched to Yuan Shao, do you think that Yuan Shao has the opportunity to create a new dynasty and want to be a minister of the dragon?"

Liu Bei was silent for a while and nodded. "From the dragon minister, I don't dare to hope that I can find two thousand stones, and I will be satisfied."

"Really?" Sun Ce seemed to be smiling. "I've heard that there is a big mulberry tree in front of your house, like a car cover, but is it true?"

Liu Bei raised his head suddenly, stared at Sun Ce and looked at it, his eyes were as sharp as a knife, and it took a long time to regain his calm, his eyes gradually eased, and he said with a wry smile: "I am really ashamed to be so valued by General Meng." The words of the countryside, the words of Tong Meng, the general does not have to take it seriously. ”

"It's just a mulberry tree, what's so serious? I don't think it's a good thing. Sun Ce chuckled. Is this big mulberry tree in your yard or outside the yard? ”

"In the yard."

"Any idea what that means?"

Liu Bei raised his eyebrows. "Please also ask the general for advice."

Sun Ce took out the slap on his waist, that is, the short knife that was said to be Xiang Yu's relic, drew a frame on the ground, and wrote a wooden character in it. "Do you know what this word is?"

Liu Bei stared at the sleepy word for a while. "The word is to know, but I don't know what the general wants to say."

"Mulberry, mourning. Sleepy, sleepy. You have been defeated repeatedly, lost your teacher and lost your people, and you have been trapped for many years, and it is likely that this mulberry tree is the problem. Sun Ce put away the short knife. Listen to my advice, if you have the opportunity to go back, cut down that tree, and change your life. ”

Liu Bei glanced at the sleepy word, looked at Sun Ce again, and chuckled: "I didn't expect the general to have such knowledge, it's really a great insight." ”

"Faith is spiritual, and unbelief is not."

"Does the general believe it?"

"I don't believe it."

Liu Bei opened his mouth, not knowing how to pick it up. Sun Ce was right, he thought he believed it, but he didn't expect him to believe it at all. If you don't believe me, what do you advise me to do? And let me cut down the mulberry tree. Liu Bei sipped his wine and was silent, the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became. He believed that Jian Yong would not be bored enough to talk to Sun Ce about these things, so how did Sun Ce know? Since he knows the mulberry tree, he must also know what I said, right? Is it a blessing or a curse to be targeted by such a person?

At this moment, two rapid screams were heard on the left side of the hillside, and then calm was restored. Liu Bei was shocked when he heard this, and turned his head to look, but it was pitch black and he couldn't see anything. He wanted to ask Sun Ce, but seeing Sun Ce's ignorant appearance, he probably didn't have much interest in answering him, so he kept his mouth shut. After a while, there was also an exclamation from the right. This time it lasted longer, as if someone had been seriously injured. The sound of sighing and trembling sounded, the screams stopped abruptly, and peace returned to heaven and earth again.

Liu Bei looked around awe-inspiringly, and a cool air was rising on his back. It was dark, and there was silence around him, he knew that there were more than 3,000 people lined up on the slope, but as far as he could see, only Sun Ce and the hundred and ten people around him, the others were all hidden in the dark, silent, and even the war horses rarely made a sound.

Liu Bei felt his scalp tingle for a while, and his eyes were full of awe when he looked at Sun Ce again. He now understood why Sun Ce had dismissed those prisoners, not just to save food, but to dislike those people for not being capable enough, for fear of affecting his morale. Now, in addition to the two hundred captives led by Sun Ce, only the one hundred strong crossbowmen are newcomers, and the others are Sun Ce's personal guards who have been trained for a long time.

He had long known that Sun Ce's subordinates were elite, but it was not until this moment that Liu Bei realized what elite was.

"Don't be nervous, it's just sniping at the other party's scouts." Sun Ce smiled, with an indescribable sense of pride. "With those 100-strong crossbowmen, not even a single rat can get in within 300 steps."

Liu Bei looked around, and indeed didn't see those strong crossbowmen whose eyes were obviously different from ordinary people. He was curious, though. He knew that King Chen was good at archery, and the strong crossbowmen he had trained were also one in a hundred, and when Sun Ce attacked his camp, these people helped Sun Ce a lot. However, he still didn't believe that no matter how good a shooter was, he couldn't shoot blindly.

"It's so dark, and those strong crossbowmen can hit their targets accurately?"

"Ever heard of the Voicester?" Sun Ce smiled. "Some of those crossbowmen are. Within 30 steps, shoot when you hear the sound, and the example is not in vain. ”

Liu Bei blinked, knowing why King Chen was so reluctant at that time. He looked at Sun Ce and couldn't hide his envy. "The general is lucky, he can actually have this legendary marksman as the right thing."

"This is what I bought with integrity." Sun Ce said lightly: "People can't stand without faith. ”