Chapter 15: Seeking Trouble and Getting Embarrassed

  Liu Zhang led his army from Ba County into the Wuxi Man area, and along the way, they passed by the confluence of the Yangtze River and Wujiang River. Suddenly, a clanging sound was heard, and soldiers came to report that hundreds of pirates had been spotted on the river, with both sides facing off against each other.

  Liu Zhang led the army forward and took a look, only to see dozens of large and small boats anchored in the river. In front was a two-story boat with gold paper on it, surrounded by tinkling bells, very luxurious. A man with a golden chain around his waist held a pair of halberds and stood proudly at the bow of the ship, looking down on heaven and earth.

  "Be careful, Master, it's Gan Ning's pirate ship." Zhang Ren warned.

  "Jin Fan Ze Gan Ning?" Liu Zhang murmured to himself, a famous general of Eastern Wu in history, who once led 300 men into Cao's camp without losing a single man or horse. Sun Quan, the lord of Wu, praised him saying: "Meng De has Zhang Liao, I have Gan Xingba, which is enough to be their match."

  Gan Ning can be said to be the first fierce general in Jiangdong, and no one can match him except for Taishi Ci who died early. He is also a versatile general on both land and water, and he excels in naval battles, infantry battles, and cavalry battles. He is indeed a rare talent among military generals.

  Nowadays, Gan Ning was originally the governor of Shu Zhong, but because he didn't get along with Zhao Wei, he was squeezed out by Zhao Wei. In anger, he left and gathered his old party to resume his old career as a water bandit. He roamed the waters of Jingzhou, raiding camps and plundering, never failing. On the Yangtze River, he had a reputation for being fierce. The merchants on the boats heard the sound of his brocade sails and thought it was the sound of ghosts.

  Because of Gan Ning's love for fine clothes, his ships were fresh and beautiful, and the people called him the Brocade Sails Bandit. If the Jingzhou naval forces were considered the first naval force of the great Han, then Gan Ning's Brocade Sails Bandits were the greatest pirates of the great Han.

  But no matter how brave Gan Ning was, he had only 800 men. Even if he were accompanied by 10,000 elite soldiers from the Eastern State, he would not be afraid of him. Liu Zhang said to Zhang Ren: "You go forward and shout to Gan Ning, saying that I am pursuing Zhao Wei, asking whether he is willing to hunt with me."

  Zhang Ren bowed and stepped onto a large rock in the river, shouting to Gan Ning: "General Gan, I am Zhang Ren, the chief protector of Yi Province under Governor Liu Zhang. The governor knows that you abandoned your army and joined the bandits because you were forced by Zhao Wei. Now that the governor has defeated Zhao Wei at Fu City and pursued him for a thousand miles to take his head, he intends to meet with General Gan to hunt together at Wuxi. I don't know if General Gan is willing to come ashore and assist in the hunt?"

  Gan Ning's eyebrows furrowed, and he naturally knew about Zhao Wei's rebellion. But he thought to himself, what a joke! Zhao Wei's power is great, even if Liu Zhang puts down the rebellion, it's impossible to defeat Zhao Wei so quickly and pursue him for thousands of miles to hunt in Wuxi. Could it be that Zhao Wei has reached the end of his road and is seeking refuge with the barbarians? Gan Ning didn't believe it one bit, and what he believed even less was that the usually timid Liu Zhang would personally lead the army on a campaign.

  Gan Ning shouted loudly: "General Zhang on the shore, listen to me! I, Gan Ning, am not a traitor by choice. Don't mention that Zhao Yun forced me. If it weren't for Governor Liu's indulgence, I wouldn't have ended up like this today. You say that Governor Liu wants to hold a hunting party at Wuxi? What a huge joke! Are you trying to deceive me, Gan Ning, into not recognizing Governor Liu's character? General Zhang, your big talk is nothing but an attempt to lure me ashore and pursue the crime of desertion. How could I fall for such a small trick?"

  Zhang Ren heard Gan Ning's words and became furious, sternly saying: "Gan Xingba, the Governor has invited you to a hunting meeting, which is already an honor for you. Yet you dare to speak such arrogant and insulting words, slandering my master."

  Gan Ning burst out laughing: "I'm like this, General Zhang, how about you? I've long heard that General Zhang's spear technique is divine, but with my trusty dual halberds in hand, I'm not afraid of you. I, Gan Ning, roam freely on the rivers and lakes, with 800 waterways at my disposal, where can your troops and horses go to evade me? Farewell, General Zhang, I'll take my leave now."

  Gan Ning finished speaking and burst out laughing, ordering the pirates to turn around and leave. Liu Zhang walked towards the shore and shouted loudly: "Gan Xingba, stay! I am Liu Zhang, the governor of Yi Province. The general's words are not good enough for me to talk to him?"

  Gan Ning suddenly turned his head and looked towards the shore, where he saw Liu Zhang standing with his sword, his demeanor exuding a majestic air that made Gan Ning's heart skip a beat. Could it be that Liu Zhang had really come to lead the troops in person? Would this timid and mediocre ruler have such an aura?

  Gan Ning waved his hand for the helmsman to stop, and shouted: "You say you are the Governor of the state, what proof do you have?"

  Liu Zhang smiled and said: "I have long heard that Gan Ning is a heroic and chivalrous man, with bravery and strategy surpassing others. Today I see him for the first time, and I realize that hearing about someone is not as good as meeting them in person. It turns out that Gan Xingba is just a mediocre person who only looks at things on the surface. As the governor is away on an expedition against Zhao Wei, he did not bring the official seal of the provincial governor with him. Can General Gan ask the governor to take out the provincial governor's token? You say that the governor's character is not good, but I think Gan Xingba is just a man with a reputation that exceeds his actual abilities, and in reality, he is just an ordinary person."

  Since we can't wait to see each other, I, Liu Zhang, will let General Gan leave. However, before leaving, Liu Zhang had some words for the general: "Liu Biao and Jingzhou may be among the eight geniuses of the current era, but they are only good at attaching themselves to the elegant and refined, not skilled in military affairs. A brave and fierce person like you, General Gan, will not be valued by Liu Jingzhou. You have great ambitions, so before leaving Yizhou, think carefully about where you should go."

  Liu Zhang finished speaking and left with his army, while Gan Ning stood at the bow of the ship, feeling shocked and puzzled in his heart, unable to understand how Liu Zhang knew that he had intended to surrender to Liu Biao.

  Now thinking about it, Liu Biao is indeed as Liu Zhang said, attached to the elegant and not skilled in military affairs. The 100,000 elite troops of Jingzhou are there, but Liu Biao watches the heroes compete for hegemony from across the river, sitting on the world's number one water army, yet controlled by the Cai family. If he goes there, can he really be reused?

  A young water thief beside him said to Gan Ning: "Brother, what shall we do? Are we still going to Jingzhou?"

  Gan Ning slowly shook his head and said: "You immediately send someone to the shore, check if Zhao Yun was defeated by Liu Zhang, if Liu Zhang personally attacked Wuxi. If all this is true, and Liu Zhang can get Zhao Yun's head, I Gan Ning will personally go ashore to surrender."

  Gan Ning had great ambitions, but given his current circumstances, he could only turn to Liu Biao or Liu Zhang. However, it was destined that he would not be reused by Liu Biao, and Gan Ning couldn't help but feel uncertain. He thought to himself that if the person speaking on the shore was indeed Liu Zhang, then all the rumors about the weakness of Yi Province's governor were false.

  Within a few days, the rebel army of Zhao Wei, which had been operating for years, was defeated, and after chasing them for thousands of miles, they were forced into a desperate situation. This is something that only a powerful leader can do. On the banks of the Wu River, with such a majestic appearance, why should I abandon what is close at hand to seek something distant?

  Liu Zhang led his army to press on the territory of Wuxi, and the barbarians fled in all directions. Only when they reached the foot of the first mountain of Wuxi did they stop. The army set up camp, and Zhang Ren looked at the endless dangerous mountains and worriedly said to Liu Zhang: "Sir, we have pursued to this place but still do not see any trace of Zhao Wei. It seems that the barbarians of Wuxi have already taken in Zhao Wei. The mountain is so treacherous, I'm afraid it will be difficult to attack."

  Liu Zhang gazed at the green mountains with his hands behind his back and said slowly, "It's not just difficult to attack, but this terrain where one man can hold off a million is impossible to take by force, even with an army of millions. It would only be filling up the mountain passes and river valleys."

  Looking at Liu Zhang's worried appearance, Zhang Ren bowed and said: "It is all due to the incompetence of us subordinate generals, unable to share worries for our lord."

  Liu Zhang looked back at Zhang Ren with a puzzled expression and said, "General Zhang, why are you blaming yourself for no reason? The terrain here is treacherous, even if Han Xin were to come back to life, he would be helpless. How can you be blamed? As a general, you should be thinking more about strategies to defeat the enemy, rather than taking responsibility. Do you understand?"

  Zhang Ren's heart skipped a beat, and he respectfully said: "Yes, sir."

  Just then, hundreds of barbarians suddenly emerged from the forest in the mountains, with disheveled hair and holding various weapons, shouting and jumping. The leader, a big-headed Han man, loudly shouted: "I am Wu Tiren, the king of the five streams Hu, is the lord below Liu Zhang, the governor of Yizhou?"

  Zhang Ren stepped forward and said, "It is indeed my master who has arrived in person. You barbarians must quickly hand over the rebel Zhao Wei. Otherwise, my Sichuan army will conquer Wu Xi, and our troops will be everywhere, leaving no chicken or dog behind."

  "These Han people are too deceitful." As soon as Shamoke heard Zhang Ren's words, he was furious and took the iron club bone to rush down the mountain, but was stopped by Ye Wuti.

  Ye Wuyi shouted at Zhang Ren: "General, I'm afraid you've gone too far! Although our Five Streams tribe is not large in number, we have the endless mountains to rely on, which can rival your army of 100,000. If you want to conquer Five Streams, be careful not to get your tongue cut off by the strong winds!"

  The barbarians on the mountain laughed loudly, Zhang Ren's face turned iron-green, Liu Zhang smiled for a moment. The slogans of the Three Kingdoms era all followed one routine, and sometimes they really invited ridicule upon themselves.

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