readytorunbook Chapter 289 Let me deal with this drunkard.
Chapter 289 Let me deal with this drunkard.
"Stubbornness alone is useless."
Kujo Sara's cold expression remained unchanged in the face of Goro's provocation. He simply stated as if stating a fact: "The war should end now. With such a disparity in troop strength, no strategy will be meaningful. Continuing will only cause suffering to our people and bring us no benefit whatsoever."
Goro shook his head and said, "As long as the Eye Hunting Order is not lifted and the shogunate's persecution of us does not stop, we will not give up our resistance."
Xu Ning found the conversation between the two generals of the Shogunate army and the resistance army particularly interesting.
Putting aside their conflicting viewpoints, and considering only their identities, both are puppies.
One is a Tengu, and the other is a Shiba Inu. Both are loyal dogs to their masters and admire them.
Both men fought with bows and arrows, and both were willing to advance and retreat with their subordinates, treating their soldiers like their own children.
The two admired each other. Not to mention that Goro once had the idea of freeing Sara, Sara's words, "Goro, what a good name," which she had an obsession with the number "five," were enough to show that the two appreciated each other.
After listening to the two of them finish arguing, they started talking about "battles before the battlefield." Xu Ning took two steps forward and asked a shogunate soldier next to him, "Why do such a stupid thing as a battle when it's supposed to be a war?"
The soldier stared at Xu Ning in shock and growled in a low voice, "A stupid thing? Before the battle begins, the most elite soldiers engage in duels—this is an ancient custom. If we can kill the enemy's elite soldiers on the battlefield, not only will our morale soar, but it will also deal a devastating blow to the enemy's spirit. And you call such a sacred act a stupid thing?"
"I just don't have Lord Terada's bravery, otherwise I would definitely have stepped forward and fought him. Hmph, you better not let me hear anything like that again, or even if you recognize General Kujo, I will..."
As the soldier's words became increasingly absurd, a fully armed soldier in front turned around and shouted, "Xuan San, shut up!"
"Yes, Lord Terada."
The soldier named "Xuan San" immediately fell silent and dared not say another word.
Xu Ning glanced at the samurai named Terada with amusement, thinking that the guy seemed to be all show and no substance, and wondered why this Xuan San soldier admired him so much.
After the shogunate army and the rebel army agreed to a "battle in front of the battlefield," unexpectedly, a blond-haired sword-wielding boy emerged from the opposing rebel camp.
It was Kong who led Paimon to flee here.
"Who dares to step forward and fight me!"
Hearing this particularly dramatic shout, Xu Ning was almost certain that it was a line that Paimon, that little white-haired guy, had designed for Kong; otherwise, given Kong's personality, he shouldn't be so fierce.
The appearance of emptiness truly put Kujo Sara in a difficult position.
Normally, even if Goro himself were to fight, Kujo Sara wouldn't find it this difficult, since he had sparred with him on the battlefield more than once or twice.
However, with Goro currently in charge of the central army, Kujo Sara naturally cannot act rashly. But Sara is very clear about Sora's strength.
Despite lacking the Eye of God, he can easily control the three elemental forces of "Wind," "Rock," and "Thunder," and can even switch between them at will depending on the battle situation, or coordinate elemental reactions. I'm afraid none of my subordinates could last ten moves against him.
However, in a duel on the battlefield, there is absolutely no room for retreat.
Don't even mention how much avoiding battle would damage your own morale. Even your hesitation could instantly boost the enemy's morale. Even if you know you're going to lose, you must make a decisive move and send your men into battle.
Of course, if possible, that person...
"Is General Kujo thinking of me?"
Xu Ning's voice suddenly rang out beside Kujo Sara.
Kujo Sara almost blurted out the word "exactly," but thankfully she reacted in time and quickly shut her mouth. However, the tension in that moment also revealed a hint of embarrassment on her usually icy face.
Knowing the general's temperament, Xu Ning dared not joke with her on the battlefield. He straightened his face, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Kujo Sara, and shouted, "This humble general, Xu Ning, is willing to fight for the general and win this first battle!"
Kujo Sara coughed lightly. "Very well, you may go."
Xu Ning was serious for a moment, then relaxed completely, swaying as he walked forward with his wine gourd, casually raising his hand to greet him.
"Brother, this time your brother Xu will be your opponent!"
Kong Cong knew something was wrong when he saw Xu Ning walk up to Kujo Sara. Sure enough, he saw Xu Ning walk up to the front line and said with a wry smile, "Brother Xu, what are you doing here?"
Xu Ning chuckled and said, "Look at what you're saying. If a traveler like you, who roams the world, is willing to fight for the resistance on Haizhi Island, then it's only natural for me, as the Liyue ambassador, to occasionally contribute to the peace of our friendly nation! At this moment, we are each serving our own masters and are not entirely free to do as we please, so please don't hold back."
Before Kong could even reply with a wry smile, the little white-haired boy watching from not far behind him started shouting.
"Kong, what are you afraid of? Beat this drunkard down and make him spill all the grilled fish, kebabs, spicy chicken, fried meat, pudding, stuffed meat rolls... that's hidden in the cave before you spare him!"
Xu Ning glanced at the drooling little white-haired boy, sighed, and asked, "The food at the rebel army's place isn't very good, is it?"
Kong: "Cough cough, it's all pretty tough. In the first few days after I arrived, it was good enough to have something to eat. But recently, I don't know who suddenly sent a large amount of supplies, so at least we can have barbecue now."
Supplies that suddenly appeared?
They just happened to appear when the rebels' food supplies were about to run out, allowing them to continue fighting. Doesn't that sound like the work of some people?
As Xu Ning was pondering, he heard Kong say, "...I do want to see the difference between myself and Brother Xu. I would be grateful if Brother Xu would be so kind as to give me some pointers."
Xu Ning smiled, casually pulled out his "Peak-Slaying Blade" from the gourd, held it upside down in his hand, and bowed, saying, "Please!"
Kong awkwardly returned Xu Ning's salute, then brandished his longsword, and a cyan wind blade suddenly detached from the blade, slashing diagonally towards Xu Ning's shoulder.
Xu Ning turned slightly to the side and laughed, "This sword strike really showed three parts politeness and seven parts contempt, brother. Have you thought about what will happen to the resistance army behind you after you lose?"
Kong's expression hardened, probably because he was thinking about the significance of his battle and the care the resistance army had given him in recent days. His sword stance suddenly changed.
"Purple Shadow!"
With his empty hand, he slashed the long sword diagonally, and three purple lightning shadows suddenly appeared, slashing towards Xu Ning side by side with the speed of lightning.
"This sword strike is finally starting to look decent."
A flash of yellow light appeared in Xu Ning's hand as the Peak-Slaying Blade materialized, and a "Jade Shield" materialized in front of him, blocking the three bolts of lightning.
The moment the lightning touched the jade shield, it was instantly enveloped by the thick layer of rock element permeating it, turning into lightning element crystals that fell to the ground.
Xu Ning stepped forward, lightly flicking the tip of his sword. The lightning element in the crystal on the ground was immediately drawn into the Jade Shield, transforming into a lightning shield.
"Kong, I suddenly realized that you never seem to use defensive skills. It seems that you use every element as an offensive skill. The person who taught you swordsmanship back then had a really radical philosophy!"
Kong had no time to answer Xu Ning's question at that moment.
"Desolate Star!"
Xu Ning felt a slight tremor under his feet and immediately jumped to the side, avoiding the rock elemental artifact that suddenly rose from the ground. Because he was familiar with its explosive properties, he deliberately took two extra steps back.
A look of joy appeared in Kong's eyes. Suddenly, he leaped forward and landed on "Wild Star," which looked exactly like a Hilichurl exploding barrel, and swung his longsword.
"The rock tide stacks up the mountains!"
While Xu Ning and Kong were fighting, a group of people silently crept towards them from a small island on the side of Mingzhui Beach.
One of the two leaders, a white-haired boy with a tuft of hair sticking up, asked the leader beside him, "Big Sister, the two armies fighting on the battlefield are Brother Xu and Brother Kong. Which side should we help?"
The woman called "Big Sister" glared and scolded, "Is that even a question? We're just doing our duty. We've taken so much Mora from Shinkai, so naturally we have to beat the Shogunate army to a pulp. Don't you have a grudge against that Kujo Sara? Go and kill her in a bit. As for that drunkard, I'll deal with him myself. Let him know how powerful I am."