Chapter 160 Gan Ning vs. Sun Ce
On the Yangtze River, Gan Ning looked at Lu Kang who was unconscious on the boat, and the soldiers who returned to Shucheng without any reluctance, and could not help but bow solemnly.
"A true righteous man!"
There are many heroes in troubled times. Those with outstanding abilities may be named in history, but how many ordinary loyal people like this one can be known to the public? Basically, they can only be buried in silence with their loyalty and integrity.
Looking at Lu Kang, who was over 60 years old, standing at his feet, Gan Ning sighed in his heart.
The world is so big, and there are so many heroes! It's a pity that they didn't catch up with this era, and their talents were ultimately difficult to display.
Not to mention the distant past, even Tao Qian and Liu Biao, which one of them was easy to deal with! As a result, due to old age, they could only be a dog guarding the house, unable to fight for the world.
"General, let's go back." Beside Gan Ning, Deputy General Tian Hu said as he looked at the gradually brightening sky.
Gan Ning looked at the backs of the Shucheng defenders, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised.
"No, you take Envoy Lu back. Leave me two thousand infantrymen and five hundred personal guards."
"General, do you want to do that? The lord specifically instructed you to do that before you left!" Upon hearing this, Tian Hu immediately guessed Gan Ning's thoughts and quickly advised him against it.
"I know." Gan Ning patted Tian Hu on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen. Although Sun Bofu is very strong, it is very tiring to fight a siege. I don't want to fight him head-on. I will leave after picking him up."
Gan Ning has been fond of the spirit of chivalry since he was young. Although he has done many wrong things because of this, he has now turned over a new leaf and turned over a new leaf, but the chivalrous spirit in his heart has never been extinguished.
He was very impressed by the actions of the Shuxian garrison. Such brave men were worthy of being accepted by Gan Xingba.
After hearing Gan Ning's words, Tian Hu, who already knew that it was useless to dissuade him, could only sigh and leave with Lu Kang.
Although he did not approve of Gan Ning's impulsive behavior, Gan Ning was the commander after all, so he could only obey.
At this time, the sun had already jumped out of the horizon, stretching Gan Ning's figure very long.
Above Shu County, the soldiers defending the city looked at the soft morning sun, but there was no warmth in their hearts.
It's dawn and the enemy's attack is about to begin again. I'm afraid they will die in Shu County this time.
Although they were calm in their hearts, they still felt fearful and confused when they were about to face death.
Some of them had heard that Shu County was under siege and Lu Shijun was in danger, so they said goodbye to their families and rushed here overnight. They risked their lives and secretly climbed up the city wall along the ropes of the defenders at night, and then entered Shu City.
They had already prepared to die, dying for Envoy Lu was worth it. And now that Envoy Lu had been sent away by them, it was time for them to complete what Envoy Lu had not completed.
At the foot of Shu County, Sun Ce, dressed in military uniform, looked at the sparse soldiers on the city wall of Shu County, and couldn't help but feel a little admiration in his heart.
He could hardly imagine the tenacity of the Shu County defenders, who could hold out against his attack for half a year.
He once doubted himself, wondering if he had overestimated his ability. But in the process of exchanging letters with Zhou Yu, he realized that it was not that he was not strong, but that Lu Kang was also strong.
Although the tiger is old, it still has its power.
Lu Kang was not only the governor of Lujiang, but also the loyal general. He once defeated the Yellow Turbans and barbarians and dominated Jiangdong.
It’s no wonder that he had such a hard time defeating an opponent since he faced him at the very beginning.
But, it will end eventually.
When the "Overlord" talent was activated, the momentum of the surrounding soldiers suddenly surged. They felt as if they had endless strength and momentum, and wanted to tear apart everything in front of them.
"kill!"
Holding the Overlord Spear, Sun Ce led his personal guards and rushed up with ladders.
"kill!"
Countless Yuan army soldiers also rushed up with various siege equipment.
Seeing this, the defenders of Shu County tightened their weapons as if they were facing a formidable enemy. After six months of siege, the arrows and rolling stones in the city were almost all used up, and they could only rely on the city walls for defense.
Sun Ce and his personal guards were the first to rush up the city wall, waving the Overlord Spear in his hand, killing countless defenders instantly when it touched them.
The surrounding defenders rushed forward fearlessly, their eyes full of madness. Although they could not make up for the absolute gap in strength, they still firmly blocked Sun Ce and others and prevented them from moving forward again.
However, the surrounding Yuan troops also rushed up, and there were more and more Yuan troops on the city wall, and soon they occupied part of the city wall.
Without Lu Kang's talent, the defenders' combat effectiveness dropped by more than half. Even with their courage, they were no match for Yuan's army.
"Lu Kang is dead?" Sun Ce couldn't help but think in his heart that the defenders were much weaker than before.
But looking at the appearance of these defenders, they don't seem to be very sad, so this shouldn't be the case.
As for the idea of Lu Kang abandoning the city and fleeing, Sun Ce had never thought of it.
In the more than half a year since the battle in Lujiang, Sun Ce had studied Lu Kang carefully in order to capture Shu County. The more he learned, the more he felt that he seemed to have chosen the wrong opponent.
This Lu Shijun was not a corrupt scholar or lunatic. On the contrary, he was a truly capable official and a loyal minister to the court.
But the matter was done, and Sun Ce had no choice at this point. He had signed a military order in front of Yuan Shu, and if he returned halfway in disgrace, even if he did not want to harm the virtuous, others would think he was incompetent, and the consequences would be unpredictable.
So Sun Ce had no choice but to take Shu County first. He did not want to kill the governor Lu Kang, and even planned to apologize to him after the city was captured, but now Lu Kang seemed to be out of the city.
Just when the city wall was about to be captured, Sun Ce saw a fire behind the army he was leading.
Someone is attacking!
It must be Gan Xingba!
Sun Ce immediately realized what had happened, but he was not worried at all.
Although Yuan Jun was a bit weak, with his talent, Gan Xingba would definitely not be able to get away with it in a short time, even if he fought on two fronts. As long as he was given another half an hour, he would definitely be able to take Shu County, and Gan Ning would retreat by then.
Sure enough, the army fought a fierce battle with Gan Ning's army who came to attack them. Even though they were attacked by surprise, their morale did not drop at all, and they even had the upper hand.
No, Gan Xingba shouldn't be that weak. Sun Ce looked behind him, feeling somewhat puzzled.
However, at this moment, a small group of cavalry took advantage of the fact that Sun Ce's central army and rear army were tied up, and quickly attacked the city from the flank without anyone noticing.
"Oh no! We've fallen into a trap!" Sun Ce immediately realized that something was wrong.
He didn't expect that Gan Ning was not only brave, but also so cunning and able to make a feint to the east and attack in the west.
The five hundred Jinfan soldiers, relying on their absolute advantage in combat power, easily swept away a large number of Yuan army soldiers under the city.
Most of the cavalry were rampaging around the city walls, bullying the infantrymen pushing the siege equipment. However, a small number of cavalry abandoned their horses and climbed up the city walls using ladders.
Yuan's army on the city wall was suddenly caught in a situation of being attacked from both sides and unable to advance or retreat.
Seeing this, Sun Ce knew that this would not be a good thing, so he could only sigh, organize the soldiers on the city wall, and slowly retreat down the city wall along a part of the ladder that had not yet fallen.
The defenders on the city wall were all crazy, they would rather die than pounce and bite. The Gan Ning army under the city were a group of cold cheetahs, agile and good at sneak attacks.
Although he was brave, he was not stupid. Both sides were such tough and brave enemies, but the number of Yuan's troops on the city wall was small. The central army was temporarily cut off from contact and could not provide support. If they did not run away, they would really be surrounded.
However, Sun Ce, unwilling to give up, did not evacuate directly after climbing down the city wall. Instead, he rushed towards Gan Ning with a few personal guards, intending to defeat the enemy leader and turn the tide of the battle.
Gan Ning's eyes were full of excitement, and he went to greet them with a few personal guards.
The Overlord Spear drew a sharp arc in the air, with a whistling sound, and went straight to Gan Ning's face.
Gan Ning was not afraid at all. He dodged the fatal blow nimbly and his Ba Hai Knife stretched out like a poisonous snake, heading straight for Sun Ce's chest.
Sun Ce shouted loudly, shook his spear, and used a move called "Sweeping the Troops". The spear shadows were heavy, blocking Gan Ning's broadsword.
Gan Ning used the force of the block to leap up, spinning in the air, and smashed Sun Ce with his Overlord Knife from top to bottom with a fierce force. Sun Ce hurriedly raised his Overlord Spear to block, and there was a loud "clang" sound, and sparks flew everywhere.
The two men fought back and forth, and the sound of swords and spears clashing could be heard. Gan Ning's broadsword kept thrusting out like a poisonous tongue, and each move contained a fierce killing intent; Sun Ce's Overlord Spear was even more domineering, and each thrust seemed to carry a thousand pounds of force.
As the swords and guns clashed, the two men felt as if they had used the wrong weapons. The one using the swords actually preferred to be cunning, and went for the path of speed and skill, while the one using the guns was bold and aggressive, and went for the path of strength and momentum.
Soon after more than a dozen rounds, neither side was able to defeat the other, so they started wrestling with swords and spears. However, both sides were evenly matched and were deadlocked.
Looking at the young but heroic Sun Ce, Gan Ning couldn't help but admire in his heart: This boy is really the reincarnation of the Overlord! I'm afraid that even the world's number one Lu Fengxian may not be his opponent at such a young age.
Sun Ce was also extremely shocked at this time. Although this guy was a scoundrel, his martial arts were indeed extraordinary. He could actually rival him!
"Gan Xingba, with your martial arts skills, it's a pity that you are a bandit on this river. Why don't you join hands with me to create a great cause?" Sun Ce, who valued talent, couldn't help but speak.
Gan Ning laughed in his heart when he heard this. What an arrogant and ignorant remark! He was about to ridicule him, but seeing Sun Ce's sincere eyes and his domineering aura, he actually felt an inexplicable sense of conviction, which made him vaguely think of Tian Ze.
Sarcasm turned into silence. Gan Ning paused for a moment and then said, "Sun Bofu, you are very good. But unfortunately, you are still too immature. The great cause you envision is nothing compared to my master's ambition."
"Yuan Shu is not a wise leader. Why don't you just join my master and realize your ambitions in the future? I guarantee with my life that my master will not let you down!"
Hearing Gan Ning's words, Sun Ce was slightly stunned, with a hint of hesitation in his eyes, but it quickly turned into determination.
"Thank you for your kindness, but I, Sun Bofu, will never be inferior to others again in the future."
After saying this, Sun Ce relaxed his strength and retreated back into the formation with the help of Gan Ning.
Just when the two were fighting fiercely, Gan Ning's Jinfan Army had defeated the surrounding Yuan Army and surrounded them, so Sun Ce naturally had to withdraw.
Looking at Sun Ce running away, Gan Ning did not chase him, but said meaningfully: "You are still young! What you said is too absolute. If we become colleagues in the future, tut tut."
Gan Ning and his guards then rushed up the city wall. The guards on the wall saw the attire of Gan Ning's army and quickly ordered the soldiers to stop the attack.
Seeing this, Gan Ning smiled proudly and said, "I am Gan Xingba. Envoy Lu asked me to pick you up. Let's go and hunt down these Yuan thieves together."
Seeing Gan Ning's bravery, the soldiers guarding the city could not help but admire him. The garrison commander looked at Gan Ning with deep eyes, and responded with a bright and sincere smile.
Gan Ning threw his weapon aside, strode forward, punched his chest, and whispered, "Well done, but that's enough!"
Looking at the heavy casualties among the defenders around him, the general couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
He knew that this was probably not an order from Lu Shijun, but Gan Ning gave them a reason to live, and he really couldn't bear to see all these brave men die here.
"Take the surviving brothers with you and let's go!"
(End of this chapter)
