Chapter 41: The Thorny Xu Sheng
Gan Ning led eight thousand soldiers approaching the barracks. Wang Ping, Ding Feng, and Chen Mu each led two thousand men ambushing on the north, south, and west sides of the barracks, about five hundred paces away. Gan Ning personally led two thousand soldiers at the southeast corner responsible for kicking down the gate.
It was now the second watch. Gan Ning brought two soldiers approaching within one hundred fifty paces of the watchtower. A soldier stood on the sentry post, rubbing his hands and breathing on them, stamping back and forth, enduring drowsiness, waiting for the third watch to change shifts and go back to sleep.
There were eight such watchtowers, distributed outside the barracks wall.
Gan Ning half-kneeled on the snowy ground, drawing his bow like a full moon, and shot an arrow. The arrow flashed like lightning. “Pfft!” One arrow struck the sentry’s throat, and the sentry clutched his throat and softly collapsed.
Gan Ning waved his hand, and Shen Mi led two thousand soldiers rushing over immediately.
At that moment, the alarm bell suddenly rang from the watchtower. It turned out there was another soldier on the watchtower, sitting and sleeping, and the shot soldier fell right on him, startling this sentry awake.
Affected by this, the other eight watchtowers also rang their alarm bells.
“Dang! Dang! Dang!” The alarm bells resounded throughout the entire barracks.
Gan Ning was greatly startled. He picked up his long spear and ran toward the barracks wall. “Lord, warhorse!” His personal guards behind led Gan Ning’s warhorse over. Gan Ning mounted and galloped wildly.
In moments, he was the first to reach the camp wall, thrusting his spear fiercely. “Boom!” The rammed-earth wall was pierced with a large hole. He thrust three more times, and the camp wall collapsed with a roar, exposing a gap two men wide.
Gan Ning spurred his horse and charged first into the barracks, heading straight for the armory.
Twelve thousand troops were after all regular soldiers. The commander was unreliable, but the soldiers were well-trained, and Yu Jin had set very strict military regulations.
Under the company commander’s lead, the one hundred soldiers guarding the armory immediately formed ranks. Thirty crossbowmen shot arrows at Gan Ning together, while the remaining seventy formed a spear formation.
Arrows rained down like hailstones. Gan Ning swung his spear to block arrows, and in moments he charged to the defenders’ front, thrusting his spear and killing over a dozen in one go.
He then swung his spear to sever the opposing company commander’s neck. The head flew up, and the remaining soldiers finally collapsed, fleeing on foot. Gan Ning did not pursue but ordered his subordinates to guard the armory.
At this time, sleeping soldiers were successively startled awake, hurriedly donning military uniforms and rushing out of the barracks. They saw the walls collapsing one after another, and armies like floodwaters bursting a dike charging into the barracks from all directions.
Without weapons or armor, surrounded by the Chaisang Army, the bare-handed soldiers had no choice but to kneel and surrender one after another.
Half a shichen later, Gan Ning led three thousand troops arriving at the North City Gate of Pengze County. The city gate opened, the drawbridge lowered, and Wang Xiaoman led over a hundred soldiers out to greet them.
There were only three hundred soldiers in total inside Pengze County, with only a hundred soldiers on duty at the North City Gate. With the Yao Family’s help, Wang Xiaoman, who had infiltrated the city beforehand, obtained weapons and easily captured the North City Gate.
“How are Chen Lan and Lei Bo’s situations?” Gan Ning asked.
“This subordinate sent men to watch their residences. No abnormalities have been found so far.”
Gan Ning immediately sent two thousand men to surround Chen Lan and Lei Bo’s residences and rushed inside. Soon, soldiers dragged the two out bound and pushed them before Gan Ning.
Chen Lan shouted sternly: “Gan Ning, Cao Gong treated you well. Why do you betray the alliance treaty?”
Gan Ning said coldly: “You two traitors who betray your lord, how dare you accuse me? Take them down and behead them!”
Soldiers pushed the two down. Chen Lan and Lei Bo desperately begged for mercy, saying they were willing to surrender and pledge loyalty to Gan Ning. Gan Ning ignored them completely. In moments, their heads were chopped off and presented.
Gan Ning then ordered Chen Mu to lead two thousand men to guard Pengze County and promoted Yao En to chief clerk of Pengze County.
He then transported all twelve thousand prisoners of war, along with grain and property, back to Chaisang.
Initially, the grain Liu Xun carried alone was three hundred thousand shi, plus one hundred thousand strings of Wu Zhu coins and various other supplies. Yu Jin had obtained it all. For cooperation, Yu Jin gave Gan Ning a small portion, but most of the money and grain remained in his hands, which he couldn’t transport back to Xuchang. Now it all belonged to Gan Ning.
On the Yangtze River, countless mengchong warships towed flat-bottomed large ships slowly onward. This was also a method. Each mengchong had sixteen soldiers rowing vigorously, but towing fully laden large ships with money and grain was still very strenuous, and the speed was very slow.
Gan Ning stood on a tower ship, gazing at the ships on the river surface. At this time, Ding Feng stepped forward and said softly: “This subordinate discovered that attacking the enemy army during the training break period is indeed a very good opportunity. New Year is coming soon. Can we use this chance to capture Nanchang County?”
It was now the tenth of the twelfth month, twenty days from New Year. Gan Ning nodded lightly. Sun Ben and Lv Fan were not in Yuzhang Commandery. Only Sun Fu and great general Han Dang led ten thousand troops stationed in Nanchang County. This was indeed a rare opportunity.
……….
At the same time Gan Ning captured Pengze County, in Haihun County, a young general Xu Sheng was offering a plan to commander He Qi: “Gan Ning’s main force has all gone to Pengze County, so Chaisang must be empty. Why doesn’t the general lead the army north overnight for a sneak attack on Chaisang, resolving the Marquis of Wu’s major confidant threat in one battle?”
He Qi was from Kuaiji Commandery, holding the rank of General of the Middle Army, and was Sun Ben’s left and right arm. After Taishi Ci joined the Northern Expedition, Sun Ben arranged for He Qi to station in Haihun County and take over as Jianchang Commandant, with the main mission of blocking Liu Xin’s infiltration of Yuzhang Commandery from Changsha Commandery.
At this time, He Qi looked displeased. Both Chaisang and Pengze were Cao Cao’s forces. Sun Ben forbade unauthorized attacks, and this Xu Sheng had eaten his fill to suggest attacking Chaisang.
“This is a matter for those in power to consider. You are low-ranking and small in office. Do not speak recklessly on state affairs. Go down!”
“General, please hear this subordinate out. Gan Ning attacking Pengze is our only chance for victory with few against many to capture Chaisang. If we don’t seize it, we will surely regret it later….”
“Enough!”
He Qi scolded: “Dare to speak nonsense again, and I’ll deal with you under military regulations. Get down!”
Xu Sheng had no choice but to sigh deeply and withdraw.
Xu Sheng was only seventeen this year. He was from Ju County in Langya Commandery, a child of the Langya Xu Clan. Early last year, he followed his family fleeing to Wu Commandery and sought refuge with the Wu Commandery Xu Clan.
Although Xu Sheng came from a poor family, Wu Commandery patriarch Xu Zhen saw that Xu Sheng had considerable valor, so he recommended him to enlist. Sun Ce appointed him battalion commander, and he was transferred under Sun Ben.
But Sun Ben had a deep grudge with the Xu Family and treated Xu Sheng very coldly. Despite Xu Sheng’s repeated battle merits, he never got promoted. Lv Fan couldn’t stand it and spoke a few good words for Xu Sheng, so Sun Ben reluctantly promoted him to company commander, increasing his troop strength from two hundred to five hundred, and handed him to He Qi to command.
Xu Sheng angrily returned to his tent and cursed loudly before his subordinates: “A bunch of useless Jiangdong fools, worthless idiots, especially those surnamed He, cowardly as mice—truly vermin without a doubt!”
Xu Sheng was after all only seventeen, with a straightforward personality and not yet understanding the treachery of men’s hearts. Among his subordinates, there was a battalion commander named Hou Ping who had always been quite jealous of Xu Sheng.
He immediately ran to He Qi to inform. He Qi flew into a rage: “Ignorant brat, how dare he speak insolently!”
He Qi immediately summoned chief clerk Li Quan and said through gritted teeth: “This Xu Sheng is too bullying. I want to kill him!”
Li Quan advised: “He is after all a child of the Xu Family, recommended for office by Marquis of Wu’s uncle-in-law Xu Zhen. Killing him over a few words would be hard to explain to the Marquis of Wu. Better to kill him using military regulations!”
“What’s a good method?”
Li Quan smiled sinisterly: “The general can order him to attack Liling County. Failure to capture it is a crime, and failure to hold it after capture is also a crime. Then his fate will be in the general’s hands.”
