Chapter 28: Thinking of the Future or Past

  At this time, the rope on Xu Rong's body was also untied.

  He walked up and bowed his hands to Sun Ce, saying: "I'll listen to the military advisor! Moreover, you little kid said something that makes sense, a clever person like me also agrees with your idea."

  "A real man should die in a blaze of glory, not... uh... you know! Haha, no, I'm not talking about you, Military Advisor! Anyway, I'll follow the Military Advisor and acknowledge you as our leader! I hope you'll keep your promises and give me and the Military Advisor an explanation!"

  Sun Ce patted his broad shoulders and said, "General Xu, don't worry. How could someone as clever as you be easily deceived by a stinky little brat like me?

  Haha. I think the person who can deceive you, a clever general, is still in his mother's womb! Don't worry, I can invite Mr. Li to be my military advisor and help me make decisions.

  "Let our march to war not be marred by fatal mistakes. Let our growth and expansion not take unnecessary detours or dead ends. I respect Mr. Li's talent and character just as you do. Rest assured, I hold Mr. Li's great talent in high regard, but I also fear that he may be underutilized here."

  Xu Yiban's face turned black as he said fiercely, "I'm not joking with you! Even if you deceive me, I, Old Xu, have a big heart and won't bother with you, because right now you're still somewhat pleasing to my eyes. But if one day I find out that you dare to cheat our military advisor, this group of Liangzhou soldiers will really make sure you never escape! Do you remember?"

  Sun Ce heard this and thought, isn't this just like what big brother said to his sister's husband when he married little sister? Sun Ce suddenly got goosebumps all over his body.

  Having heard his serious words, Sun Ce still spoke loudly to him with a straight face: "General Xu Yi, I, Sun Ce, have never been someone who makes promises lightly! I can now clearly tell you that the first military rule of our troops is to never say give up.

  No matter who it is, as long as they sincerely join my team, they are the brothers and comrades of Sun Bofu. As long as you make achievements, there will be corresponding rewards.

  "I will never treat anyone unfairly who has made contributions and achieved merits. Of course, if you want to idle about and waste time here, I won't support you for nothing. At that time, don't blame me for driving you away."

  Xu Yi was enraged: "Me? Ha! You little brat, you're underestimating me too much! Just wait and see! I, Old Xu, will definitely make something happen and let you witness my skills. Let this inexperienced kid, oh! Master, be convinced and surrender willingly! Never say give up, huh? I can do it too, and won't be any worse than you!"

  Sun Ce laughed loudly: "Good! General Xu's straightforwardness! I appreciate it. I'll be waiting for you behind your back!"

  At this time, Li Xiaoru walked up and said with a smile: "Alright, Ping Sheng! You can't control your temper again, how can you speak to the master like that? Since we have recognized the eldest son as our master, we must do our duty as subjects! What's more, do you want to practice tonight? Didn't you see that the master was just teasing you?"

  Sun Ce and Xu Rong shivered at the same time. Xu Rong smiled awkwardly at Li Xiu and said, "That's enough, Military Advisor. Let's not add any more tonight. We've already added an hour. Besides, I just wanted to earn some face for our Liangzhou army!"

  That flattering smile made Han Dang and Chen Wu, this group of surrounding generals, unable to bear looking at it anymore. They had no choice but to turn their heads towards Sun Ce, bowing their hands in courtesy: "Congratulations, great young master (lord), on having another good minister and fierce general, like adding wings to a tiger."

  Everyone, no need to be polite. You are all my brothers who have gone through life and death with me, Sun Ce. Our future still depends on everyone's continued hard work! I think everyone will make a name for themselves in history.

  "Because all of you will be with me to create a brand new glorious history. This history will be written by us personally. Don't you want to write down the name given by your parents, which is destined to be covered in glory?"

  Everyone shouted excitedly together: "I want to! I'm willing!"

  "Alright! Everyone! Let's head back to Shou Chun together now. Go meet that old scoundrel Chen Yu, the one with a long temper!"

  The most boisterous, the time has passed noon, and the heat of the day has already weakened significantly. The Jiangdong army marched out of the forest, remounted their horses, reformed their ranks, and set off towards Shouchun. Li Xiu stood beside Sun Ce, looking at this team full of energy, nodding his head in satisfaction.

  Because of the orderly actions, the marching speed of Jiangdong Army was very fast. Even if they only used half a day to rush on the road and half a day for training. On the fifth day after leaving Zulang's mountain stronghold, Sun Ce once again crossed the rolling eastward Yangtze River. Once again returned to the land north of the river.

  Standing at this ancient ferry terminal, watching the big and small ships on the ferry busy transporting the troops of Jiangdong Army across the river. The transportation capacity of this era is still quite primitive!

  Unless for military use, it is hard to see large ships on the river. Now that there is no war, ferry terminals usually do not have large ships doing transportation work. The cost is too high.

  So the troops could only requisition some medium and small-sized ships to transport several times more.

  Sun Ce gazed at the eastward flowing river, watching as it flowed ceaselessly and would never turn back, not caring about him, a tiny figure who could only stand by its side, looking on as it advanced.

  Sun Ce suddenly thought: "Will it bring my thoughts and flow to the family members of later generations, bringing my greetings?"

  "Unfortunately, no one will ever know the thoughts of the river. No matter how the world changes, with dynasties rising and falling, the river forever follows its own path, going its own way, with no one able to interfere with its footsteps."

  In this era, there were no telephones, let alone mobile phones. Even communication was basically done by horseback. Otherwise, I should have sent a message to my family in the future to report that everything is fine. Tell them that I am living a very fulfilling life now, I am very happy, but I also miss home.

  Wherever they are is home! Missing loved ones after 1800. Yes! Haven't seen each other since 1800.

  Dad, mom, brother, sister, are you all okay?! But now I'm standing at this point in time and space, I don't know if I'm thinking of the past or future you. My thoughts are also confused.

  Losing the youngest child in our family will surely sadden everyone for a long time! It's been over two months since I came here. The sadness of our loved ones at home should have faded somewhat by now! I hope my parents' bodies can withstand this blow of an old person sending off a young one. My child is truly unfilial, and can no longer share the joys of family with you all again.

  It's good that Lao Sun agreed to take care of my parents' lives, which is also a psychological comfort for me as an unfilial child, so I won't be forever guilty for not being able to fulfill my filial duties. It's also a small compensation for my hardworking parents who have worked tirelessly all their lives. Here, I will definitely live well. You should also be at ease with your children traveling far away from home! May all parents in the world enjoy their old age peacefully.

  "I wonder if everyone who has crossed over like me will miss their home."

  Li Xioru came to Sun Ce's side and stood quietly there. Together, they gazed out at the river waters flowing ceaselessly towards the great sea.

  The afterglow of the setting sun cast a long shadow on the ground, perfectly illustrating the phrase "form and shadow are inseparable". Where there is light, there must be shadows, and no matter how long the shadows are stretched by the light, they cannot leave the body. It exists with the body as its foundation.

  In the past few days, Sun Ce and Li Xiu have been inseparable. After communicating with him, Sun Ce felt that his knowledge was as rich as Zhou Yu's, but he could only say that they had their own strengths. However, his insight was beyond comparison to Zhou Yu's.

  One is the military advisor of Liangzhou Army, who has been in power for many years and can be said to have contributed half of the credit to the development and growth of the entire Liangzhou Army. The other is a newcomer to the military and political arena, with no work experience.

  Although they are both super intelligent, when it comes to dealing with problems, people who have experience in methods naturally have a great advantage.

  The troops have finally crossed the river and are now reorganizing their formation, preparing to head towards tonight's campsite. The entire army is moving in a tense yet orderly manner. Every soldier knows his position, what he needs to do, and how to do it; no one is making a commotion or crowding around.

  This shows the advantage of being a veteran soldier for many years. Many times, experience is an indispensable action guide for people. It can make people more efficient and perfectly handle similar things. So it's said that ginger becomes spicier with age!

  Sun Ce asked with a hint of reverence: "Military Advisor, what do you think? How is our army doing? Are there any shortcomings? Please advise us!"

  "Your Excellency, Wen You wants to say that the soldiers are all very spirited and their morale is high! This proves that Your Excellency and the generals are all good at leading troops and have a strong ability to boost morale."

  Looking at Sun Ce's nod of satisfaction, he continued: "However, if the Lord's ideal is only to fight for a state or a place. Then such an army is already enough to guarantee that the Lord can take and defend them."

  However, if the lord really wants to sweep away the injustices of the world, such a team is still slightly inferior. It must be known that morale can only play a decisive role when two armies with similar combat power meet and engage in a decisive battle.

  But a truly powerful army has never been a showy one. They won't put their high morale on the surface."

  Sun Ce was taken aback: "What does this mean? Doesn't morale play a crucial role in battle nowadays?"

  Li Xiaoru continued his elegant smile: "Don't you understand, my lord? In fact, whether it's a country, an army, or even a martial general, they are all the same in essence. Just like you, my lord, on the surface, you look refined and handsome, like a young master who only knows how to read books."

  "People who don't know you will definitely think that you're just a weak and feeble scholar with no strength to truss a chicken. At most, they'll think you look a bit taller, sturdier, and more handsome. But Wen You knows that if you really start fighting, Xu Ping Sheng won't be your match. You can take him down in about thirty moves, even without launching a surprise attack!"

  Seeing Sun Ce's puzzled face, he smiled and continued: "I judged from your way of acting and the degree to which your subordinates obey you. You are absolutely a master."

  "Moreover, I heard that you once defeated Hua Xiong with just three rounds of shooting. I am aware of Hua Xiong's horseback riding skills, which are only slightly inferior to Xu Rong's. He is also a seasoned general who has been through many battles and was able to emerge unscathed after years of fighting in the treacherous battlefield of suppressing the Qiang rebellion. The number of dangerous situations he encountered must be numerous. Among the generals who went on expeditions with him, only a few survived, including the current main generals of the Liangzhou army."

  "They were all seasoned generals who had survived a hundred battles, with extremely rich experience in close combat. There were at least eighty Qiang warriors who died under his sword, and Wen You thought that even if it was a surprise attack, he would not be flustered."

  "So I know that your martial arts skills must be far superior to those of Hua Xiong, which is why he couldn't withstand your sudden attack and was flustered, thus falling under your hands in just three moves."

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