Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 243 Wave

Where the sea meets the sky, a five-story ship cuts through the giant waves.

The bronze lion at the bow has wide-open, angry eyes and protruding sharp teeth, while the three giant red sails billow in the southwest wind.

Following the tower ship were hundreds of ships of various types, their sails standing tall like clouds hanging down to block out the sun.

Three horn calls came from the stern tower, and hundreds of oars plunged into the river in unison. The white waves churned up by the ship collided with the surging tides of the East China Sea, causing the reeds and rushes on both banks to bend over.

Since Wang Jun's fleet sailed down the Yangtze River, no other navy in the world has been able to rival its might.

It was precisely because of the existence of this massive navy that the Jin dynasty was constantly in a passive and defensive position.

Although the Northern Army was one of the most elite forces in the world, it was helpless against the Celestial Masters on the water, and even less able to defend such a vast sea territory.

The Celestial Masters' sect moved with impunity; despite the river defenses on both banks, not a single boat dared to obstruct them.

"If I can't defeat Liu Yu, can't I at least deal with the likes of Wang Kai and Wang Yu? On this trip to Jingkou, I will leave no one alive, to avenge my repeated defeats!"

Sun En slammed his hand on the railing. The river breeze swept over him, and his messy hair and long sleeves danced in the air, giving him the air of a transcendent immortal.

This time, they crossed the river precisely to destroy the foundation of the Northern Army in one fell swoop.

"Brother is truly wise and resourceful. He saw that Liu Laozhi was only superficially friendly with the court, yet he was actually at odds with us. He simply held back his troops in Shanyin and watched us march north. The Jin dynasty is doomed!"

Lu Xun began to praise his brother-in-law, Xu Daofu.

Xu Daofu said, "Liu Laozhi betrayed Wang Gong and obtained the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Army. Yet, in such a critical situation, the court sent Wang Yu and Wang Kai into the Northern Army. Their intentions are self-evident. They are still useful now. If the court treats Liu Laozhi like this, I'm afraid they will take immediate action if we are pacified. Everyone looks out for themselves. Liu Laozhi is not stupid. Staying put is the best choice. If the Jin Dynasty falls, he will hold a powerful army and will at least be a regional warlord."

"The downfall of Zhongxia is due to this group of people. They are as cowardly as chickens when facing the Hu people, but ruthless to their own. The Sima family's accession to the throne was illegitimate. It should have been replaced by our Sun family long ago. At that time, you two should have become the prime minister and the general!"

Sun En is already making empty promises.

Indeed, this was the case. The Jin dynasty was doomed, with only the area around Jiankang remaining. Even if it wasn't destroyed by him, it would certainly be destroyed by Huan Xuan of the Western Prefecture.

Liu Laozhi remained inactive, and Jingkou was practically stripped bare, with almost no soldiers left to defend it.

"Thank you, Master!"

Lu Xun and Xu Daofu clasped their hands in greeting, but there was little joy in their eyes.

Destroying the Jin dynasty did not mean they could replace the Sima clan. Huan Xuan of the Western Army and Liu Laozhi of the Northern Army remained two insurmountable obstacles for them.

"Give the order to beat drums and gongs, make a loud commotion, and let the northern provinces on both sides of the strait know the strength of our army. Tonight, we will feast our soldiers, and tomorrow we will attack Jingkou!"

Sun En became increasingly smug, as if victory was already within his grasp.

Xu Daofu frowned. "Speed ​​is of the essence in war. The longer we wait, the more things may go wrong. Now that our army has broken into the Yangtze River, we should immediately dock and head straight for Jingkou."

"It's only been a day. Jingkou is right on the south bank. Are we afraid the cooked duck will fly away? Looking around, who else dares to fight our army?"

Sun En had spent most of his life in disgrace, and now that he had finally gotten his chance to shine, he naturally wouldn't let it slip away easily.

Lu Xun also tried to smooth things over, saying, "Our army's momentum is unprecedented in history, which can intimidate the enemy and perhaps allow us to take Jingkou without bloodshed, control the families of the Northern Army, and then have them persuade the other armies to surrender, thus disintegrating the Northern Army and securing the empire!"

"Hahaha, Ah Xun understands me best!"

Sun En flicked his sleeves, stood with his hands behind his back, exuding an air of dominance over the world.

Although Xu Daofu vaguely felt something was amiss, he didn't want to spoil their fun since the two of them were singing in unison. The drums sounded, and the shouts of the Celestial Masters echoed across both banks of the river.

They also occasionally fired rockets towards the shore, igniting the withered aquatic plants there.

Thick black smoke billowed, creating a terrifying scene, causing panic and fleeing among the people and soldiers on both sides of the strait.

After a whole day of commotion, they finally made it to shore slowly on the second day. Just as Lu Xun had said, they encountered no resistance. Even the naval camps were empty, and the ferry crossing was full of abandoned boats of all sizes.

“Destiny is in my hands, who can contend with me?” Sun En stepped onto the land on the south bank.

On the ship, countless eyes were fixed on him.

Sun En straightened his clothes, put his hands behind his back and took a step forward, but unexpectedly slipped and almost fell. Fortunately, Xu Daofu caught him in time, saving him from losing face in front of everyone.

"Last night, I took it upon myself to order scouts to investigate the surrounding area. I hope you will forgive me, Master," Xu Daofu said in a low voice.

Sun En did not blame him, "Besides Liu Yu and Liu Laozhi, who else in the Northern Army has the courage to fight us?"

"It's never wrong to be cautious." Xu Daofu looked at Garlic Mountain in the southwest, feeling somewhat uneasy.

Beyond Garlic Mountain lies Jingkou.

Just then, a dozen scouts rushed over, shouting, "Master, this is bad! Liu Yu's more than a thousand troops occupied Suanshan an hour ago!"

"It's him again! Why is Zong's spirit so persistent? Even Liu Laozhi has resigned himself to his fate, why does he still want to defy the heavens?" Sun En was both shocked and furious.

If it weren't for Liu Yu's stubborn resistance, the Celestial Masters sect would have already swept through the three Wu regions and eight counties, taking hundreds of thousands of young men with them and marching straight into the interior...

Xu Daofu's heart immediately sank. In Haiyan, tens of thousands of Daoist followers were unable to capture a small city and were even slaughtered and routed.

This man was practically the nemesis of the Celestial Masters sect. All the other forces that dared to resist the Celestial Masters sect were utterly defeated, except for Liu Yu, who repeatedly defeated them.

Even the Taoist priests were traumatized by his killings.

Now that Liu Yu has taken over Suanshan first, this battle will be even more difficult.

Xu Daofu said, "It would be better to avoid their sharp edge, head north to attack Guangling, take the Yangtze River fortress first, and then use the navy to harass Jingkou. Liu Yu only has a thousand or so men, so he will definitely have difficulty defending against them."

Sun En looked back and saw a sea of ​​people and warships stretching across the river.

He had raised his voice too high earlier, making it difficult to back down. If he were to back down now, he would lose his prestige among the Taoist followers.

"This is outrageous! This is outrageous!" Sun En roared furiously. "This traitor has traveled at double speed, covering three hundred li in five days. He must be exhausted. We should take advantage of his unstable footing and launch a full-scale attack. I refuse to believe that Liu Jinu has three heads and six arms and can withstand my army of one hundred thousand with only a thousand men!"

The members of the Sun family, more or less, all shared some of Sun Hao's tyrannical tendencies.

Under the leadership of Sun En, the Celestial Masters sect was brutal and inhumane, committing rape, plunder, and even killing infants.

At this point, if Xu Daofu were to offer any further advice, he might end up getting himself into trouble, so he could only remain silent.

Suddenly a strange wind arose on the river, and the waves surged. Suddenly, with a "crack," a banner with the character "Sun" on the ship broke off and fell into the river.

Sun En, with the garlic mountain on his head, didn't notice anything amiss, and no one else dared to report it.

Xu Daofu stared blankly at the slowly sinking banner...

(End of this chapter)