In the face of Jiao Zhongqing's contempt, Ma Chao had no intention of restraint, but was even more presumptuous. But in the face of Sun Ce, he was convinced, not only accepting criticism, but also full of joy. Of course, this is because Sun Ce and Jiao Zhongqing have different identities, but also because Sun Ce is standing in his position, considering him, and asking him to be the standard of a famous general, of course he feels very happy.

Can anyone do it? If I don't have the qualifications of a famous general, how can General Sun be so strict with me.

Sun Ce beckoned, called Jiao Zhongqing, and glanced at Ma Chao again. Although Ma Chao was embarrassed, he still bowed to Jiao Zhongqing. "There was a lot of rudeness just now, please forgive Jiao Jun, and I will ask Jiao Jun to remind me from time to time in the future, and take care of me."

Jiao Zhongqing was deeply impressed and secretly reflected in his heart. Getting along with martial artists, he is obviously not as skilled as Sun Ce. He hurriedly returned the salute. "The general is polite, I was offended a lot just now, and I ask the general to forgive me."

The two were polite, which can be regarded as a release of their previous suspicions. Sun Ce immediately arranged for Jiao Zhongqing and Ma Chao to explore the surrounding situation, especially downstream. The merchant ships in the upper reaches of Niuzhuji were requisitioned by him, and the merchant ships stranded downstream were likely to be requisitioned by Chen Wen, and reinforcements may also appear in the direction of Moling, so he must arrange a guard so as not to be caught off guard. Ma Chao has force, Jiao Zhongqing is a living map, neither of them can do without anyone, take this opportunity to run in and run-in, which is good for future battles.

How to arrange the right people to set up a team, this is a science, fortunately, there are Guo Jia, Chen Duan and other staff officers, Sun Ce has read a lot of history books, and he also has experience in this area, but he can understand it at all, and the arrangement is not thorough.

Ma Chao happily obeyed, led Pang De and others, and escorted Jiao Zhongqing.

Sun Ce immediately deployed a defensive line, climbed Niuzhu Mountain, observed the surrounding terrain, and sent scouts to monitor Shicheng together with Jiao Zhongqing's subordinates.

Niuzhu Mountain is not high, nor too steep, and there are several trails to the top. There is a grass pavilion at the top of the mountain, which is very simple, but there are some new traces, and it looks like someone has been here recently. Standing in the pavilion, you can overlook the river to the north, and you can see not only the Niuzhu camp, but also the situation on the Niuzhu Rock. Looking south, the stone city is unobstructed, and the city is quiet, obviously unaware of the danger.

"Such an important place, there is no one on duty, Zhou Xinyan is invincible." Guo Jia looked around and sighed. "Sitting and talking about the Tao, boasting about life, talking about the mind, flaunting fame, but not being able to apply the scriptures, claiming to be saints and disciples, the great cause of Confucianism is bad in the hands of these people."

Sun Ce looked at Guo Jia. "Fengxiao, do you also claim to be a Confucian?"

Guo Jia was silent for a moment, his expression serious. "General, I have learned so much that I dare not call myself a disciple of a saint, but I consider myself a scholar. Scholars are determined to be in the Tao, and those who have perseverance without permanent production are only scholars, and eunuchs and relatives are not enough. Whether Confucianism is sparse or pedantic, it is not something that those who are reluctant can discuss. ”

Sun Ce thought about it and felt that it made sense. Putting aside the unevenness of individuals, as far as the entire class is concerned, the Confucian scholars of the Han Dynasty still have ideals and aspirations, but they are too idealistic, and they are definitely much better than eunuchs and relatives who only care about their own selfish interests. Whether they admit it or not, they are the elites of this era, and if you want social progress, you can't completely abandon them, and you can't govern the country by relying on illiteracy. The rule of martial arts is not necessarily stronger than that of literati, and this has been proven by later history. After the Song Dynasty, the turn to literati rule was not a whim of any one person, but the inevitable development of history.

Sun Ce said: "Fengxiao, from the level of the Tao, we and Xun Yu are not enemies, but competitors. We have the same goal, but in different ways. He wants reform, I want revolution, that's all. ”

Guo Jia smiled. "If you don't treat yourself, how can you do well with those old people. He was doomed. ”

——

Zhou Xin looked at the warships cruising on the river, puzzled.

The fog did not dissipate until noon, and after a delay of half a day, Gan Ning appeared on the river in the afternoon, and the warships shuttled back and forth, and the attack was delayed. Zhou Xin didn't know what he was doing, but he was a little happy in his heart. He didn't want Gan Ning to attack now, yesterday's crossbowmen suffered relatively large losses, morale was low, the crossbowmen drawn from Shicheng had not yet arrived, the long-range strike force was insufficient, and the casualties of the foot soldiers would be greater. He was deeply impressed by Gan Ning's bravery, and this fierce warrior like a brute bull overshadowed the fierce and aggressive Danyang soldiers.

Looking at the sunset that was about to set, Zhou Xin secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After dark, Gan Ning could not attack, so he could only retreat. No matter how slow Shen Fang is, he can arrive in half a day. More than ten miles away, I climbed and climbed to.

In Zhou Xin's expectation, the sunset finally fell behind the mountain little by little, and the river surface was illuminated by the last bit of sunlight blood-red, which was extremely gorgeous, and then quickly darkened. Taking advantage of the last bit of light, Gan Ning's warships quickly withdrew from the battlefield, and the river was quiet and empty, only the river flowing eastward, not even a boat.

The moon rose and the river sparkled.

Zhou Xin's heart suddenly emptied, and there was an indescribable sadness. He knew that the New Year was approaching, and if it weren't for the war, there should be a lot of sails on the river, especially those merchants who came back from selling goods from Yizhou and Jingzhou, riding the northwest wind and going all the way, some people would spend the night in Niuzhuji, but more people would take advantage of the moonlight to rush for a while, hoping to reach their destination one day earlier. Trafficking is not only hard, but also dangerous, and now in the face of war, they are delayed and do not know how much money they will lose.

Will they be robbed by Sun Ce? It should be, Sun Ce even robbed the family, not to mention these merchants.

Sun Jian is good at killing, Sun Ce is good at robbing money, this father and son are not good things. It is a shame to have such a person in the state, and it is even more shameful to have such a person as a county. Sun Jian himself knows it, so he has never returned to his hometown. Sun Ce didn't know the real intention of the imperial court to appoint him as the Huiji Taishou, and he went to take office arrogantly. Don't you think! You can go to the meeting, but only your head. I will bring your head home and pay tribute to my two younger brothers, so that they can be buried in peace.

Zhou Xin gritted his teeth and slapped the railing of the platform hard, his palm tingled, but it couldn't withstand his heartache. The three brothers who love each other, the three brothers who studied and entered the world together, now I am the only one left to live in the world, this revenge is not avenged, what face do I have to live in the world.

Gong Cao Ganyan lifted the hem of his clothes and ran over with great strides, waving as he walked. He walked so fast that he stumbled and nearly fell to the ground. Zhou Xin was a little dissatisfied, he said in a deep voice: "Gan Jun, why are you so flustered, it is forbidden to run in the army, so as not to disturb the morale of the army, and you are also ......"

"Fujun, something happened, something happened." Gan Yan held on to the pillar of the platform and gasped for breath.

"What's going on?" Zhou Xin was stunned and stopped his steps about to get off the stage.

"Sun Ce appeared in the south of Niuzhu Mountain, cutting off our army's road to Shicheng. Shen Fang's entire army was annihilated, and only a few people escaped. ”

"What?" Zhou Xin was shocked, and his original composure was gone. He stared at Gan Yan, forgot his feet, stepped on the air, exclaimed, and fell off the platform, Gan Yan wanted to pick it up, but he didn't catch up. With a "boom", Zhou Xin fell to the ground, face down, lying on the ground in a big shape.