Chapter 3: Intercept Lu Su
At dawn, the ship arrived at the ferry crossing. Wang Ping and Shen Mi stood at the ferry crossing with a large group of soldiers, waving bolts of silk, everyone grinning from ear to ear.
“Any brothers injured or killed?” Gan Ning asked loudly.
“Over a dozen brothers were injured, all brought back, no fatalities!”
Gan Ning’s heart settled. He had the ship pull over to the side, and his subordinates carried over a hundred boxes onto the ship, along with several hundred bolts of silk.
“How much is there?” Gan Ning asked excitedly.
Shen Mi said in a low voice, “At least several thousand taels of gold and tens of thousands of taels of silver, plus over a dozen boxes of jewelry, more than eight hundred bolts of silk. We haven’t done an exact count.”
At this time, Lou Fa also returned. He had gone to a nearby village to buy a large jar of salt to preserve Yuan Shu’s head. The weather was too hot, and if the head wasn’t treated properly, it would easily rot.
Gan Ning nodded. “Let’s leave this place first!”
“Lord, where are we going?”
Everyone was looking at him. Gan Ning lowered his head and pondered silently.
After leaving Liu Biao, Gan Ning had been considering going into business for himself, no longer working for others or putting up with their attitudes. But to be the boss, he needed capital, talent to assist him, and most importantly, a base.
He now had some wealth, plus the Imperial Seal as an important political resource, and three hundred loyal subordinates.
He had actually already decided on a destination. He had both timing and geographical advantage, but he was still short a good strategist to assist him.
Just then, drumming and gong sounds came from behind. Gan Ning turned and saw a magnificently decorated thousand-stone passenger ship sailing toward them. Several bare-chested burly men were beating gongs and drums at the bow, the ship was festooned with colorful flags, and there seemed to be a banner on the side.
As the ship drew near, Gan Ning could make out the words on the banner: ‘King Zheng cordially welcomes the talented Lu Su of East City!’
“Lu Su?”
Gan Ning was stunned. What did this mean? Wasn’t Lu Su with Sun Ce right now? Could this be Sun Ce? No! It clearly said King Zheng.
He saw an apricot-yellow triangular flag atop the ship’s canopy, with a ‘Zheng’ character on it.
He asked a nearby old fisherman, “Excuse me, old man, who is King Zheng?”
The old fisherman looked at the departing passenger ship and sneered, “King Zheng is Zheng Bao, the local strongman from Jiujiang Commandery. He likes this sort of thing. Regardless of whether others are willing, he just grabs by force. But I hear he’s risen in rebellion.”
Gan Ning suddenly remembered. Lu Su had indeed left Sun Ce due to his grandmother’s death, and later, persuaded by Zhou Yu, he rejoined Sun Quan.
So this King Zheng welcoming Lu Su was real.
Lu Su! He had just been dozing off, and someone was delivering a pillow.
It seemed Heaven truly favored him, not only opening a window but thoughtfully installing air conditioning.
Gan Ning’s mind immediately became active.
The banner said Lu Su was from East City. He hurriedly asked, “Excuse me, old man, how far is East City County from here?”
“About a hundred li or so!”
“Is there a river route to take a shortcut?”
“Yes! There’s a small river that goes straight there, shortening it by about thirty li.”
Gan Ning was overjoyed. “Please lead the way for us, old man. I’ll give you five strings of cash for your trouble!”
Last night he had intercepted the Imperial Seal. Today he would intercept a great talent.
The renowned Lu Su of the Three Kingdoms was now at home in East City County.
Last year, Zhou Yu had taken Lu Su to join Sun Ce, but due to differing political ambitions with Sun Ce, Lu Su had begun to think of leaving.
Soon after, his grandmother passed away, and Lu Su used her funeral as an excuse to resign from Sun Ce.
At this time, Lu Su, who was idling at home, received a letter from his friend Liu Ye. The letter said that a local strongman named Zheng Bao had risen in rebellion at Chao Lake and recruited over ten thousand soldiers. It praised how Zheng Bao had grand ambitions, how he valued talent, and in short, how he was a hundred times better than Sun Ce.
Lu Su was already twenty-eight at this time. A man should stand on his own at thirty, yet he had accomplished nothing. His heart was filled with anxiety and hesitation, as well as a strong desire to achieve success. He urgently wanted to find a wise lord capable of great things who would make full use of him.
His friend’s letter moved Lu Su. He began packing his luggage, deciding to go see Zheng Bao.
And just then, the reborn Gan Ning appeared before Lu Su with a smile.
Lu Su invited this young man, whom he had never met but who had come from a thousand li away to visit him, into the guest hall. They sat as host and guest, and Lu Su had a young servant bring tea.
“I am Gan Ning from Ba Commandery. I have long heard of your reputation, sir. To meet you today is truly a blessing of three lifetimes!”
Lu Su was both surprised and delighted, feeling a bit smug inside. Had his reputation reached even Ba Commandery?
“You flatter me, brave man. Lu Su is shallow in learning and talent, truly ashamed!”
Gan Ning introduced himself again: “In my youth I was reckless and impetuous, but through study I gradually came to understand things. I once served as a minor official in Ba Commandery. After Governor Liu Yan died of illness and Liu Zhang took power, he was mediocre and incompetent, with many opponents. Dissatisfied with Liu Zhang, I resigned and led three hundred men away from Ba Commandery to achieve success in Jiangdong.”
Lu Su nodded. “Forgive my bluntness, but Jiangdong is a place of swirling clouds and dragons. Liu Yao has failed, Yuan Shu is declining, and Sun Ce has become the dominant force. It’s no longer the best time for you, brave Gan, to establish a foundation in Jiangdong.”
Gan Ning smiled faintly. “My goal is actually not Jiangdong!”
“Oh! May I ask where your goal lies, brave man?”
Gan Ning took up a brush and wrote ‘Chaisang’ on the paper. Lu Su clapped and laughed, “You have sharp eyes, brave man!”
Gan Ning continued slowly: “Cao Cao has pacified Lu Bu and will now vie with Yuan Shao for the Central Plains. Though Yuan Shao comes from a prominent family, I see him as stubborn and arbitrary, indecisive, cautious in great matters yet forgetting righteousness for small gains. He is not capable of great things and will surely lose to Cao Cao.”
“Cao Cao holds the Son of Heaven to command the vassal lords, with military generals and strategists in abundance under him. He has pacified Lu Bu and chased Liu Bei, already gaining momentum in the Central Plains. He cannot be challenged head-on.”
“Sun Ce in Jiangdong is at the height of his power, supported by the two great aristocratic groups of Huai Si and Eastern Wu. He will surely occupy a region. For me to contend with him for Jiangdong would be like an egg striking a stone.”
“Jingxiang is prosperous over a thousand li. Liu Biao values civil over military, Huang Zu is stupid and incompetent; neither can hold the Jingxiang foundation. This is my opportunity. I will base myself in Chaisang, fight Huang Zu, strive for Jingxiang, then seize Bashu. The world will then be a tripod of three powers, forming the Three Kingdoms situation. What do you think, sir?”
Gan Ning of course wanted to unify the world, but the foundation of unification was first division. Divide, then unite. Without a solid foundation, how could he unify the world?
Lu Su listened enraptured. He truly hadn’t expected a young military general to see the world’s situation so clearly. Everyone favored Yuan Shao, but Gan Ning could see through Yuan Shao’s nature and predict his defeat—a rare insight.
Especially Gan Ning’s theory of a three-footed tripod delighted Lu Su. It was remarkably similar to his own theory of a northern-southern tripod.
Lu Su had offered this theory to Sun Ce last year, but Sun Ce was displeased. He was set on the Northern Expedition to unify the world, so Lu Su’s northern-southern tripod theory naturally grated on him.
He hadn’t expected to hear it today from a young military general. Though it was a three-kingdoms tripod, the essence was the same. In a daze, Lu Su felt a sense of mutual appreciation for a kindred spirit.
Gan Ning knew that mere words wouldn’t sway Lu Su. He had to let Lu Su see his capital.
Gan Ning took the Imperial Seal from his bosom, placed it on the desk, and smiled, “Please look, sir. What is this?”
Lu Su picked up the Imperial Seal and examined it closely. When he made out the eight characters on the front, ‘Received the Mandate of Heaven, may you enjoy longevity and eternal prosperity,’ he was greatly shocked, his hands trembling involuntarily.
“How is this seal in your hands, general?”
Gan Ning smiled faintly. “I led three hundred subordinates to kill Yuan Shu and seized this treasure from him. This is my foundation for establishing a base.”
Lu Su pondered for a moment and said, “Would the general hear a word from me?”
“Please speak, sir!”
Lu Su placed the Imperial Seal on the desk and said slowly, “I advise the general to offer this item to Cao Cao in exchange for the position of county magistrate of Chaisang County, allowing you to enter Chaisang legitimately and gain Cao Cao’s support to contend with Liu Biao and Huang Zu for Jingxiang. Otherwise, as an outsider without legitimate status, you won’t gain the support of local strongmen. One tree cannot support itself; it will be hard to accomplish great things.”
Gan Ning inwardly admired this. As expected of Lu Su. He had only thought of using the Imperial Seal to exchange for status, but Lu Su thought of using it to gain Cao Cao’s support—a level above his own.
“Excellent insight, sir. Just what I had in mind!”
After a moment’s thought, Gan Ning earnestly said to Lu Su, “Though I, Gan Ning, am alone, I aim for the world, but I must accumulate small steps to cover a thousand li. Unfortunately, I have no strategist by my side. With your great talent, would you lend me a hand?”
Though Lu Su was somewhat moved, he still hesitated a bit. Mainly, he didn’t know Gan Ning well and wasn’t sure of his abilities or if he was the wise lord he sought.
More importantly, he had already promised his friend Liu Ye to serve Zheng Bao.
Gan Ning saw that Lu Su was moved and seized the opportunity. “Though I, Gan Ning, am dull and unworthy of your great talent, sir, you can give it a try. Let’s make it a one-year trial. If within a year I cannot take Yuzhang Commandery and establish a foundation, you may seek employment elsewhere, and I will not stop you!”
This was a good idea. He could try it for a year. If this man wasn’t a wise lord, he could still go to Zheng Bao, and use the year to see if Zheng Bao was capable.
Lu Su smiled and nodded. “Then let’s put it in writing, for one year. If within a year the general can take Yuzhang Commandery, I, Lu Zijing, will serve you for life!”
The two immediately drew up the agreement, one copy each, each holding one.
Gan Ning then had Wang Ping come in to present the betrothal gifts. Lu Su made only a slight show of politeness before gladly accepting them.
Only then did Lu Su learn that Gan Ning had not only seized the Imperial Seal, but also Yuan Shu’s head and wealth. This was even better—there was capital to recruit soldiers and buy grain.
Lu Su said to Gan Ning, “General, you can go first to Xuchang to see Cao Cao. I will go to Qu’a to bring back my mother, then we meet in East City and go to Chaisang together.”
Gan Ning thought for a moment and said, “I’ll simply send subordinates ahead to Chaisang as an advance post to settle in first. What do you think, sir?”
“Excellent. But success lies in secrecy, and we must not reveal our edge too soon, lest Huang Zu notice. I suggest doing business as a cover to quietly procure grain for recruiting soldiers later.”
Gan Ning was delighted and immediately adopted the business plan. Everyone then went their separate ways: Lu Su to Qu’a to fetch his mother; Shen Mi and Lou Fa disguised as merchants, leading most of the brothers to establish a base in Chaisang first; Gan Ning took Wang Ping and a few subordinates by ship to Xuchang.
After seeing Gan Ning off, Lu Su summoned his brother Lu Ting and said to him, “I have decided to assist Gan Ning. You stay home and take good care of mother. If I achieve success one day, you will not lack a county position.”
Lu Ting said with some concern, “This Gan Ning seems undisciplined and has a bit of a bandit chief air. Brother, are you really set on assisting him?”
Lu Su took the ‘Chaisang’ written by Gan Ning from the desk and smiled faintly. “Don’t be fooled by appearances; look at the essence. Look at his writing. As the saying goes, seeing the writing is like seeing the man. His script is sloppy and unconstrained, but the strokes are bold and majestic, penetrating deeply with restrained sharpness. This shows he has grand ambitions and is no ordinary man. If I’m not mistaken, he will achieve great things.”
Lu Ting nodded lightly. “Brother is right. The illiterate occupy cities as bandits; those with grand ambitions occupy cities as warlords. He should be stronger than Zheng Bao.”
New books are not easy; surely the readers will vote and reward. Old Gao thanks everyone!!
