Chapter 6: First Meeting With Cao Cao
Gan Ning sat patiently in the Guest Hall, he knew very well what the Imperial Seal meant to Cao Cao and his son.
The Imperial Seal itself is just a piece of fine jade, but the political significance it carries is as heavy as Mount Tai. Ordinary commoners who obtain it would be crushed to powder, even dukes and ministers would find it hard to bear, Yuan Shu is the best example.
Only the supreme ruler can possess it, either the Son of Heaven or a hegemon of the world like Cao Cao.
Gan Ning even knew that Cao Pi’s desire for it surpassed his father Cao Cao’s, perhaps today, the seeds of replacing Han had taken root and sprouted in Cao Pi’s heart.
Urgent footsteps came from outside, “Is Brave Man Gan still here?” This was Cao Pi arriving.
“Second Young Master, please come in!”
Cao Pi walked in quickly, he was walking very hurriedly, his face flushed red, slightly out of breath, but his eyes were filled with anticipation.
“My father is back, he wants to see another treasure!”
Gan Ning took out the Imperial Seal wrapped in yellow silk from his bosom, carefully placed it on the desk, unwrapped the silk, and the warm, lustrous, gem-like Imperial Seal appeared before Cao Pi.
Cao Pi let out a soft gasp of admiration, then stared deeply at it, unable to shift his gaze.
“Second Young Master!” Gan Ning smiled and reminded him.
Cao Pi came to his senses, quickly smiled and said: “I lost my composure, I will present it to my father, Brother Gan please wait a moment, my father will see you shortly!”
“Young Master, please!”
Cao Pi carefully wrapped the Imperial Seal in yellow silk, held it in his arms, and left.
Soon, the Imperial Seal appeared before Cao Cao.
Cao Cao held it in his hands and examined it closely, sighing: “After Dong Zhuo withdrew west, Sun Jian was the first to enter the Imperial Palace and obtained it, Sun Jian hurriedly withdrew his army, at that time I felt endless regret in my heart, thinking I had lost it forever, but nine years later, it actually came into my hands, clearly Heaven’s Will was predetermined.”
“It coming to Father is completely Heaven’s arrangement, it means Father will surely defeat Yuan Shao!”
“Well said!”
Cao Cao’s spirits lifted, he valued Heaven’s Will greatly, could this truly be Heaven’s arrangement? Yuan Shu wanted to present it to Yuan Shao, but it chose him instead.
Cao Cao was in a great mood, he stored the Imperial Seal in his secret chamber, came out and said to Cao Pi: “Invite Gan Ning to the Guest Hall, Father will meet him personally!”
………..
“Commoner Gan Ning pays respects to Minister of Works Cao!” Gan Ning respectfully performed a grand salute.
Cao Cao sized up Gan Ning for a moment and smiled: “You are that job applicant who splashed a face of water on Liu Xian in Xiangyang?”
Gan Ning was stunned, “How does the Minister of Works know?”
“Han Song and Liu Xian have some private grudge, you also know, this kind of amusing incident spreads quickly in aristocracy circles, almost everyone knows, a job applicant named Gan Ning humiliated Liu Xian, I thought to myself, I’ve heard your name somewhere before.”
Gan Ning nodded, “They said they could hire me as a Battalion Commander, that bowl of water was my attitude!”
“Meaning they underestimated you?”
Gan Ning sighed and said: “I wield twin halberds, each halberd weighs thirty-two jin, I led three hundred subordinates to behead Yuan Shu’s head, snatched the Imperial Seal from Liu Xun’s hands, does Minister of Works Cao think I can only be a mere Hundred-man General?”
Cao Cao was moved, Dian Wei also used twin halberds, each weighing thirty-five jin, only slightly heavier than this Gan Ning before him.
“Perhaps Liu Biao doesn’t know your abilities?”
“He knows, his eldest son Liu Qi tested my martial arts, Liu Qi told me personally that my martial arts are unmatched in Jingzhou, Liu Biao refused to take me because of my background, when I was young I was a water bandit for a few years, called the Brocade Sail Bandit by the Bashu people.”
“I understand!”
Cao Cao nodded, “So you hope I can give you a good military position, is that right?”
Gan Ning shook his head, “I hope the Imperial Court can appoint me as Chaisang County Magistrate!”
Cao Cao was taken aback, puzzled and asked: “You are clearly a military general, why do you want to be a civil official?”
“I do not want to be a civil official!”
Gan Ning gazed calmly at Cao Cao and said: “I want to use Chaisang as a base, exterminate Huang Zu, seize Jingxiang, and establish my own enterprise, I hope to receive your support!”
Cao Cao’s eyes suddenly widened, and for a long time he could not speak.
……..
At night, Cao Cao paced back and forth in the study with his hands behind his back, he did not immediately reply to Gan Ning, he needed to think it over carefully.
At this time, second son Cao Pi said at the door: “Father, Strategist Guo has arrived!”
“Invite him in!”
Cao Pi turned to leave, Cao Cao called him back, “You want to persuade me to agree to Gan Ning?”
“Exactly!”
“Why?”
Cao Pi hesitated for a moment and said: “Son believes his request is not excessive!”
“Just that simple?” Cao Cao laughed.
Cao Pi nodded lightly, “Son does not know much about the southern situation.”
Cao Cao nodded, “Go! Invite Strategist Guo to see me.”
Cao Pi turned and left, soon Strategist Guo Jia walked in quickly, bowed and saluted, “Greetings, my Lord!”
“I encountered an interesting matter today, help me deliberate it!”
Cao Cao briefly recounted Gan Ning presenting Yuan Shu’s head and the Imperial Seal as well as his request.
Guo Jia smiled: “The Imperial Seal belongs to my Lord now, what a good omen!”
“Yes! So I’m in a very good mood, tell me, should I support this Gan Ning?”
Guo Jia smiled faintly: “My Lord wants to cultivate him to tie down Sun Ce and Liu Biao, right!”
Cao Cao did not deny it, “I do have that idea!”
Guo Jia walked to the desk, on the desk was a map of the south, Guo Jia pointed to Chaisang on the map and said: “This Gan Ning knows how to choose a place, Chaisang is the tail of Jiangdong and the head of Jingxiang, right at the junction of the two, facing the Yangtze River, backed by Yuzhang Commandery, it is an excellent strategic location, my Lord please look, doesn’t Chaisang look like a button?”
Cao Cao looked carefully at the map and said: “Strategist means Chaisang can button up Jiangdong and Jingzhou?”
“Exactly right, so Chaisang has been called the head of Wu and tail of Chu since ancient times, not only can it threaten Jingchu, but also tie down Eastern Wu, if he can tie down Sun Ce, then my Lord will have no worries in the battle with Yuan Shao!”
Cao Cao thought for a moment and said: “The question is, does he have the ability to tie down Sun Ce?”
Guo Jia smiled faintly: “My Lord might as well agree to him, let him be Chaisang County Magistrate, give him political support, but not supplies support, we need to test his ability, see if he can take Yuzhang Commandery within a year?
If he can take Yuzhang Commandery, it proves he has the strength to tie down Sun Ce, then my Lord can support him properly, let him tie down Jiangdong and Jingzhou, become my Lord’s wedge to advance into the south!”
Cao Cao nodded lightly, as expected of his strategist, seeing through Gan Ning’s value at a glance, but Cao Cao still had one concern.
“What if one day he grows too big and becomes another Sun Ce?”
“My Lord, everything has advantages and disadvantages, the key is how we use it, use its advantages and eliminate its disadvantages, so support Gan Ning, but suppress him at key moments, not letting his forces expand excessively, keeping his expansion and development within a controllable range.
Actually the same for Sun Ce and Liu Biao, skillfully utilize the contradictions among the three, keeping them always in a state of internal strife.”
At this point, Guo Jia smiled faintly, “I often tell my Lord, governing the world is like playing chess, when Liu Biao, Gan Ning, and Sun Ce become chess pieces on my Lord’s chessboard, my Lord might enjoy the pleasure of Two Peaches Kill Three Officials.”
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