Facing Jiao Zhongqing's contempt, Ma Chao had no intention of restraining himself, but became even more presumptuous. However, when facing Sun Ce, he was convinced, not only accepting criticism, but also full of joy. This is certainly because Sun Ce and Jiao Zhongqing have different identities, but also because Sun Ce is standing on his side, considering him and demanding him according to the standards of a famous general, and of course he is very happy.

Can anyone do famous generals? If I don’t have the qualifications of famous generals, how could General Sun be so strict with me?

Sun Ce waved, called Jiao Zhongqing, and gave Ma Chao another wink. Although Ma Chao was embarrassed, he bowed to Jiao Zhongqing. "I was so rude just now, so I would like to forgive Jiao Jun. I will ask Jiao Jun to remind you all the time in the future and take care of you."

Jiao Zhongqing was deeply impressed and reflected in his heart. He was obviously not as skilled as Sun Ce when dealing with the warriors. He quickly returned the greeting. "General, you are polite. Ji was offended just now, so please forgive me."

The two of them were polite, which was considered to be a pity. Sun Ce immediately arranged for Jiao Zhongqing and Ma Chao to investigate the surrounding situation, especially the downstream. The merchant ships upstream 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 Moling. He must arrange vigilance to avoid being caught off guard. Ma Chao has force, Jiao Zhongqing is a living map, and neither of them can do without each other. Taking this opportunity to run in and run in will be beneficial to future combat.

How to arrange suitable people to set up teams is a science. Fortunately, there are many historical books that Guo Jia, Chen Duan and others, and Sun Ce has read many experiences in this area, so it can be understood at all, and the arrangement is not thorough.

Ma Chao obeyed happily and led Pang De and others to protect Jiao Zhongqing.

Sun Ce immediately deployed the defense line, climbed to Niuzhu Mountain, observed the surrounding terrain, and sent scouts to monitor Shicheng with Xiaotao under Jiao Zhongqing.

Niuzhu Mountain is not high and not steep. There are several small paths to climb to the top of the mountain. There is a grass pavilion on the top of the mountain, which is very simple, but there are some new traces. It seems that someone has been here recently. Standing in the pavilion, you can overlook the river to the north, and you can not only see the Niuzhu Camp, but also the situation on Niuzhu Rock. Looking south, you can see the stone city at a glance, and the city is quiet, obviously you haven't realized the danger yet.

"With such an important place, no one is on duty, how can Zhou Xin be invincible?" Guo Jia looked around and sighed. "Sitting and discussing the Tao, talking about his own way, talking about his heart and nature, showing off his reputation, but not using it, and professing himself as a saint disciple, the great cause of Confucianism is ruined by these people."

Sun Ce looked at Guo Jia. "Fengxiao, do you also boast of yourself as a Confucian scholar?"

Guo Jia was silent for a moment, with a serious expression. "General, I have a superficial classics and dare not boast about myself as a saint, but I regard myself as a scholar. Those who are determined to be a Taoist, have no permanent property but have perseverance are only scholars. Eunuchs and relatives are not worth discussing. Whether it is a strange and pedantic scholar or a pedantic scholar, they are not something that those who are miserable can discuss."

Sun Ce thought about it and found that something was reasonable. Aside from the uneven individuals, as far as the entire class was concerned, the Confucian scholars in the Han Dynasty still had ideals and ambitions, but they were just too ideals. Compared with eunuchs who only care about their own interests, the foreign relatives must be much better. Whether they admit it or not, they are all elites of this era. If they want to make social progress, they cannot completely abandon them. Illiterate cannot govern the country. Martial men may not be better than literati governing the country, which has been proven by later generations. After the Song Dynasty, it was not a whim of anyone who turned to literati governing the country, but an inevitable result of historical development.

Sun Ce said: "Feng Xiao, from the perspective of Taoism, we and Xun Yu are not enemies, but competitors. Our goals are the same, but the methods are different. He wants to improve, I want to revolution, that's all."

Guo Jia smiled. "How can you do well with those old people if you don't treat yourself? He will definitely lose."

——

Zhou Xin looked at the warships cruising on the river and was puzzled.

The fog didn't dissipate until noon, and it took half a day to wait. Gan Ning didn't appear on the river in the afternoon. The warships shuttled and went back and forth, but they didn't attack for a long time. Zhou Xin didn't know what he was doing, but he was a little lucky. He didn't want Gan Ning to launch an attack now. Yesterday, the crossbowman suffered a lot of losses and his morale was low. The crossbowman drawn from Shicheng had not arrived yet. The long-range strike power was insufficient, and the infantry casualties would be even greater. Gan Ning's bravery left a deep impression on him. This fierce soldier, who was like a bull, overshadowed the fierce and aggressive Danyang soldiers and were frightened.

Looking at the sunset that was about to set, Zhou Xin secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After it was dark, Gan Ning could not launch an attack and had to retreat. Even if Shen Fang was slow, she could still arrive in half a day. She had climbed for more than ten miles.

As Zhou Xin expected, the sunset finally fell behind the mountain bit by bit. The river surface was blood-red by the last little sunlight, extremely gorgeous, and then it quickly darkened. Taking advantage of the last little light, Gan Ning's warship quickly withdrew from the battlefield. The river surface became quiet and empty, with only the rolling eastward river water, not even a ship.

The moon rose and the river surface sparkled.

Zhou Xin's heart suddenly felt empty and there was an indescribable sadness. He knew that the New Year was coming, and if it weren't for a war, there would be a lot of sails on the river, especially those merchants who came back from Yizhou and Jingzhou, who were traveling all the way with the northwest wind. Some people would spend their stay in Niuzhuji, but more people would take advantage of the moonlight to catch a distance, hoping to reach their destination one day earlier. Trafficking is not only hard, but also dangerous. Now when encountering war, they will delay time and don't know how much money they will lose.

Will they be robbed by Sun Ce? It should be true that Sun Ce even robbed the aristocratic family, let alone these merchants.

Sun Jian likes to kill people, Sun Ce likes to rob money, and neither father nor son is a good thing. It is a shame to have such a state, and it is even more shame to have such a county general. Sun Jian himself knew it, so he never returned to his hometown. Sun Ce didn't know the real intention of the court to appoint him as the prefect of Kuaiji, and he also took office with a arrogant attitude. Don't think about it! You can go to Kuaiji, but only your head. I will take your head home to pay tribute to my two younger brothers and let them be buried.

Zhou Xin gritted his teeth and slapped the railing of the platform hard. His palms stinged, but it could not resist his heartache. The three brothers who loved each other and the three brothers who studied and entered the officialdom together are now the only one who lives in the world. If you don’t take revenge, what kind of face do I have to live in the world?

Gongcao Gan Yan carried the hem of his clothes and ran over with great strides, waved his hand as he walked. He walked too fast, and his feet staggered and almost fell to the ground. Zhou Xin was a little dissatisfied, and he said in a deep voice: "Jun Gan, why are you so panicked? Running in the army is prohibited to avoid disrupting the morale of the army. So are you..."

"Mr. Fu, something happened, something happened." Gan Yan held the pillar of the platform and gasped.

"What's wrong?" Zhou Xin was stunned and stopped when he was about to get off the stage.

"Sun Ce appeared in the south of Niuzhu Mountain and cut off the road to Shicheng. Shen Fang's entire army was destroyed, and only a few people escaped by chance."
Chapter completed!