Chapter 30: The Envoy Arrives
The day after Gan Ning returned to Chaisang, he received a report, “Sun Ben sent envoy General Taishi to request an audience!”
It was actually General Taishi! Gan Ning personally went outside the government office to greet him.
In front of the steps, a tall and mighty general bowed in salute, “I am Taishi Ci. Pleased to meet you, General Gan!”
Gan Ning clasped his fists and smiled, “I have long heard of General Taishi of Beihai’s fame. Seeing you today, your reputation is well-deserved. Please follow me into the residence!”
Gan Ning invited General Taishi into the main hall of the government office and had attendants serve tea.
Gan Ning smiled and said, “General Taishi, you garrison Haihun County. We are neighbors! I heard that you were fighting Liu Xin, and I really wanted to come assist in the battle.”
General Taishi was about twenty-eight or nine years old, with a neatly trimmed long beard under his chin. He stroked his beard and chuckled, “Liu Xin is no cause for concern. The real threat to Yuzhang Commandery is still Huang Zu. Chaisang is the first to bear the brunt, followed by Haihun County. Why not join forces as one to deal with Huang Zu together?”
Was this persuasion to surrender?
Gan Ning pondered for a moment and slowly said, “If General Taishi is willing to follow Gan Ning to conquer the world together, to save the world’s citizens from fire and water, and to rebuild a prosperous era, Gan Ning will never mistreat General Taishi. I will surely make General Taishi a hero admired by the world’s citizens!”
A trace of awkward smile appeared on General Taishi’s face. He had come to persuade Gan Ning to surrender, but instead was persuaded by Gan Ning.
General Taishi sighed and said, “Does General Gan know that danger is right before us? Liu Xun has already allied with my lord to deal with the general. Chaisang is in peril. General Sun Ben thanks you for the favor of delivering Ze Rong and is willing to help the general. As long as General Gan agrees to submit to Jiangdong, General Sun Ben is willing to guarantee that General Gan continues to be stationed in Chaisang, with the subordinate army and great generals still under General Gan’s command. General Sun Ben also promises that after Jiangdong takes Yizhou, General Gan will be stationed in Yizhou.”
This promise was truly dazzling, straight to Bashu.
Gan Ning smiled faintly, “If General Taishi were me, would you be willing to surrender?”
General Taishi pondered for a while and said, “When I was young, I was a minor official. Later, warfare broke out in Qing and Xu, and I fled east and west with no place to stand. Ze Rong once mocked me as a homeless dog, which wasn’t wrong. General Bofu took me in, and I finally had a wise lord. If I were in General Gan’s position, I would choose to surrender. I, Taishi Ci, would rather be a dog guarding my lord than a homeless dog!”
Gan Ning nodded, “I understand General Taishi’s situation, but I, Gan Ning, am different. I will never be a dog. I am a tiger of the mountain forest. Please convey to General Sun Ben that I thank him for his kindness, but one mountain cannot tolerate two tigers. Whether Chaisang County or Yuzhang Commandery, there can only be one master.”
General Taishi nodded silently, clasped his fists, bowed, and left. Gan Ning saw him out and smiled, “If General Taishi sees General Bofu, please tell him on my behalf that with Cao Cao and Yuan Shao locked in a great battle, it is the perfect opportunity for him to attack Xuchang and rescue the Son of Heaven!”
General Taishi was stunned for a moment, clasped his fists in salute, and said, “I will certainly convey it!”
……….
After General Taishi left, Lu Su slowly walked to Gan Ning’s side and smiled, “My lord seems to value this General Taishi highly!”
Gan Ning nodded and smiled, asking, “What does the chief clerk think of him?”
Lu Su sighed slightly and said, “General Taishi is a fierce general of the age, yet Sun Ce has him follow Sun Ben. It is somewhat a waste of talent.”
“Does the chief clerk think he will surrender to me one day?”
Lu Su pondered for a moment and said, “In the current state, it is impossible, unless something changes within Jiangdong and General Taishi is sidelined. Then it would be possible.”
“Will General Taishi be very loyal to Jiangdong?”
“Actually, not really!”
Lu Su smiled faintly, “General Taishi often compares himself to a dog. A dog’s characteristic is loyalty to its master, not to its family. Zhou Yu has said that General Taishi is only loyal to Sun Ce, not to Jiangdong.”
Gan Ning nodded lightly. It seemed he still had a chance.
………
General Taishi departed Chaisang by ship. Standing at the bow, he gazed at Chaisang City and sighed deeply in his heart. He and Lv Fan had advised Sun Ben more than once to decisively take Chaisang, but Sun Ben simply refused.
In fact, General Taishi had long seen through Sun Ben’s intentions. Sun Ben dared not offend Cao Cao. Ever since his daughter married Cao Zhang, Sun Ben had considered himself an ally of Cao Cao.
Sun Fu had once let slip that his elder brother Sun Ben should be the lord of Jiangdong, not Sun Ce.
Perhaps Sun Ben wanted to rely on Cao Cao to replace Lord Sun Ce.
It was said that this Gan Ning had some connection with Cao Cao, so Sun Ben had delayed attacking Chaisang.
General Taishi was truly worried in his heart. Lord Sun Ce trusted Sun Ben greatly, and this trust would eventually harm him.
Lord Sun Ce was a hero of the world. He should not be trapped in Jiangdong. He should conquer the world. Otherwise, he would sooner or later be harmed by villains like Sun Ben.
General Taishi suddenly thought of what Gan Ning had said, and it really made sense. While Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were locked in a great battle, the lord should lead the army to attack Xuchang and rescue the Son of Heaven. Then he could become a hero revered by the world, and he himself could follow the lord to achieve great things.
The more he thought, the more excited General Taishi became. He decided to write a letter upon returning to persuade his lord to quickly launch the Northern Expedition to Xuchang.
………..
At dusk, Gan Ning received a letter sent by an intimate confidant dispatched by Liu Ye.
This was part of the plan. Lu Su and Liu Ye had reached a transaction. Gan Ning was responsible for annihilating Zheng Bao and altering Liu Ye’s life trajectory. In return, Liu Ye not only persuaded Liu Xun to attack Chaisang but also sent Gan Ning key intelligence on Liu Xun.
Liu Xun was on the Qianlong warship, whose greatest feature was hanging eight large lanterns.
Naval battle and land warfare have many similarities, such as various formations and both sides’ ships closing in, with the attacking side boarding to fight.
But naval battle also has characteristics different from land warfare. It is relatively enclosed. If the enemy army concentrates on attacking the commander’s warship, the other warships find it inconvenient to provide support, and the commander also finds it hard to escape.
Once the commander is captured, the war often ends. Naval battle is the epitome of capture the leader first.
Therefore, in every naval battle, the commander must do everything possible to hide. The flagship is not necessarily the commander’s, and if the flagship is destroyed, another ship will quickly take its place.
The battle of Ze Rong was a typical example. Ze Rong hid, letting Chen Mu command the battle, but Gan Ning discovered Ze Rong’s hiding ship.
The same applied to Liu Xun. Once Liu Xun was captured, this war would end.
Actually, land warfare is much the same. For example, in the late Sui, Li Shimin captured Dou Jiande in Luoyang, and the powerful Dou Jiande regime instantly collapsed.
It is just that in land warfare, it is hard to capture the enemy army’s commander, while in naval battle it is relatively easier. So the intelligence from Liu Ye was the most valuable.
The intelligence from Liu Ye was not only Liu Xun’s position but also a more important piece: Cao Cao decided to lend Gan Ning a hand. As long as they switched to Cao Army flags, it would surely have a miraculous effect.
Gan Ning consulted with Lu Su. Lu Su thought for a moment and said, “Cao Cao previously said he would help us take Liu Xun. I estimate Cao Cao has already bought off a great general under Liu Xun. As long as my lord captures Liu Xun, that bought-off great general will go with the flow and surrender to us.”
Gan Ning nodded, “The chief clerk is right. Cao Cao must have told them we are the Cao Army, so he wants us to change flags to make the other side surrender.”
Although emotionally they were unwilling to change to Cao Cao’s flags, for the greater good, the two unanimously agreed to follow Liu Ye’s suggestion and change all flags to those of the Cao Army.
Liu Ye’s intelligence was only useful at night, when it would be easiest to find the large ship with eight lanterns.
Gan Ning immediately made the deployment. Lu Su would lead ten thousand troops to ambush outside Chaisang City and change to Cao Army flags, while Gan Ning personally led dozens of sampans drifting eastward with the current.
