Chapter 65: The Pirate's Flag - Gan Ning

  Sun Jian's sudden intrusion left Long Fei and Zhao Yun caught off guard. Sun Jian glanced at the two, smiled slightly, and pointed at Zhao Yun: "I think I know you!"

  "Right! He's that young general who single-handedly held off three generals at the Battle of Tiger Trap Gorge! I think his name is Zhao Yun!" interrupted Cheng Pu.

  "Zhaoyun!" Sun Jian repeated Zhaoyun's name, and upon seeing the tiger skin in Longfei's hand, he hummed in approval. He hastily ran towards his command post, furious: "Two thieves, daring to come here and steal my precious book! Capture them for me!"

  Sun Ce, Cheng Pu, Huang Gai and Han Dang rushed up together. Zhao Yun and Long Fei hurriedly responded to the battle. Although it was a large tent, the space was limited after all, and Long Fei and Zhao Yun back-to-back responded to the attacks from both sides. Long Fei was most skilled at close combat. With the blood-red dagger in his hand, he cut Huang Gai's and Han Dang's treasured swords into two segments one after another.

  In the instant when both were stunned, Longfei took a step forward and pounced on Sun Ce. Sun Ce raised his sword to meet him, "Clang!" A crisp sound, Sun Ce's treasured sword broke. Longfei didn't stop moving, in one swift motion he dodged into Sun Ce's chest, and with a fierce punch struck Sun Ce's face. Sun Ce hadn't expected it at all, was heavily punched, and his body stumbled. Longfei's right hand curved around, embracing Sun Ce's neck, by the time everyone looked again, Longfei's dagger was already pressed against Sun Ce's neck.

  "Stop! Don't want him to die, stop!"

  The commotion in the main tent attracted many guards. When they rushed into the main tent, they saw General Sun Ce being held hostage, and they were stunned, not knowing what to do. Sun Jian was shocked, thinking that Zhao Yun was a fierce general, but unexpectedly, Zhao Yun's accomplice was even more ruthless, forcing back his two top generals in just a few moves, and also holding his own son hostage.

  "Release General Zhou!" Huang Gai shouted loudly, waving his broken sword.

  Sun Jian furrowed his brow and looked at the two of them: "As long as you let go of my son, I can let you leave!"

  "Haha!" Long Fei laughed and said: "Is that so? That's the best, but I don't believe you. Tell them to back off!" The dagger in Long Fei's hand moved closer to Sun Ce's neck by a few inches.

  "Father! Kill them, don't mind me!"

  "Shut up!" Long Fei's arm tightened, increasing the force on Sun Ce's throat by a few degrees. Sun Ce's last few words were clearly squeezed out.

  Sun Jian waved his hand, and the guards standing at the gate made way for them. Zhao Yun led the way, with Long Fei holding Sun Ce behind him, and the two slowly exited the main tent. Outside the main tent, many soldiers had already gathered, each holding their weapons, their eyes gleaming with ferocity, surrounding Long Fei and Zhao Yun in the middle. Long Fei shouted at Sun Jian: "Let us out of the camp! Once we're out of the camp, I promise not to harm a single hair on his head!"

  Sun Ce was the eldest son of Sun Jian, brave and decisive from a young age, with exceptional martial arts skills, reminiscent of his father's heyday. Sun Jian doted on this son, and his subordinates already considered Sun Ce to be his future successor. Now that Sun Ce had been captured, everyone was in an uproar. Sun Jian had no choice but to issue another order to release him. After several attempts, Long Fei and Zhao Yun escorted Sun Ce to the gate.

  Sun Jian said: "Now that we have left the camp, can you let go of my son?"

  "Get all the hidden archers withdrawn, I don't want to become your live target, hurry up!"

  Sun Jian sighed, glanced at Huang Gai. Huang Gai had no choice but to withdraw all the hidden divine arrow hands. As soon as the archers withdrew, Long Fei kicked Sun Ce's buttocks with a loud shout. Sun Ce suddenly rushed out. Cheng Pu and Han Dang shouted in time: "Catch them! Kill!"

  Han Dang, thinking he had a chance to make a name for himself, charged forward with his sword. He ran only two steps before an arrow pierced his chest. Seven or eight arrows flew in succession, and those who were running the fastest were shot dead, including Cheng Pu, who was hit by an arrow on his left arm. The rest of the men no longer dared to charge forward. In a distant thicket, a tall black figure wielded a short spear in tandem with Long Fei and Zhao Yun.

  Sun Jian could only watch as Long Fei and Zhao Yun disappeared into the distance. Sun Ce fell to his knees with a thud: "Father, your son is useless!"

  "This man is bold and meticulous, he's a formidable opponent! Han Dang, send someone to investigate immediately!"

  Escaping from Sun Jian's camp, they ran back to Zhu Shan in one breath. It wasn't until then that Long Fei and the others stopped to rest. This time was too dangerous; if it weren't for Sun Jian considering his son's life, they would have lost their lives here. After half a day, Huang Zhong also returned. The group found a secluded place to rest. They didn't find the jade seal in Sun Jian's large tent, and there was a great possibility that Sun Jian carried the jade seal with him. Today's events had already alerted them, so it was impossible to sneak into Sun Jian's camp again; they would have to think of another way to obtain the jade seal.

  Sun Jian's battle against Liu Biao of Jing Province was at a stalemate. Sun Jian could not break into Xiangyang or Fan City, while Liu Biao and Huang Zu were unable to defeat him outside the city. The three sides were deadlocked in this way. Cai Mao, in order to save face after the Battle of Xiakou, deployed all his naval forces, using large wooden logs and sunken ships to block the waterway. Sun Jian's plan to return to Changsha by water was foiled.

  Looking at the majestic Fan City, Sun Jian was at a loss. The quartermaster reported that their grain and grass could last for no more than three days. Without grain and grass, the whole army would be defeated without a fight. What to do now? Should they continue back to Changsha or turn around to Nanyang to beg Yuan Shu. These two roads were in front of Sun Jian.

  Huang Zu was defeated several times when he came out of the city and was killed by Sun Jian, so he retreated to Fancheng and relied on the high walls of Fancheng to defend himself, never coming out again. He and Sun Jian were competing with each other in perseverance. At noon that day, Huang Zu was inspecting the city defense and urging the soldiers to repair the problematic city wall in time. Suddenly, he saw something unusual about Sun Jian's camp. Many soldiers began to pack their luggage.

  Huang Zu was the head of the Jiangxia Huang clan. After Liu Biao took over Jingzhou, he reappointed local powerful families to important positions. The Kuai, Cai and Huang families were all included. Huang Zu was also a high-ranking official in Jingzhou, originally serving as the governor of Jiangxia. He was specially appointed by Liu Biao to assist in the battle against Sun Jian at Xiangyang. Huang Zu had a sturdy build and a fierce appearance, clearly a hot-headed person. Seeing that Sun Jian's camp seemed to be withdrawing, he immediately ordered his troops to assemble, waiting for Sun Jian to break camp so he could launch a pursuit attack out of the city.

  "Your Excellency, Governor, Sun Jian has been attacking us for a long time without success and is now trapped here with insufficient food and fodder. It's impossible for him to go to Changsha. This intention to withdraw troops must be a trick, we can't believe it lightly!"

  Gan Ning was a native of Ba Commandery. In his youth, he did not behave properly and often gathered with a group of frivolous young men, taking charge as their leader. They would travel together in groups, carrying bows and arrows, wearing bird feathers on their heads and bells on their bodies. Whenever the sound of the bells was heard, the people knew that Gan Ning and his gang had arrived. Gan Ning was in the county, hated evil like an enemy, and killed people at will. Later, he gathered water bandits around the Yangtze River and made a living by plundering homes. When Gan Ning's men set out, they would connect their light boats together. Everyone wore brocade clothes, and wherever they went, it was bright and beautiful. When they stopped, they would often use brocade to tie up their boats, and when they left, they would cut off the brocade and discard it to show off their wealth and extravagance. The people called them the "Brocade Sail Bandits".

  Until Gan Ning was twenty years old, his temperament changed greatly for some reason. He no longer acted recklessly and began to study various books, including the works of the Hundred Schools of Thought and military tactics. When he heard that Liu Biao of Jing Province was respectful of scholars and men of virtue, he immediately led over 800 people to join him. However, he was sent to serve under Huang Zu because of his reputation as a "bandit with brocade sails", and was only made a naval commander, without being given much importance.

  Huang Zu saw that it was Gan Ning, and coldly said: "Such a major military affair, how can you thieves understand? Pass on my orders, gather the troops, prepare to leave the city!"

  Gan Ning wanted to persuade him again, but Huang Zu ignored him and turned away. The other generals followed closely, leaving only Gan Ning in a gloomy mood. Inside Fancheng, they were busy preparing for battle. Huang Zu was also worried that Sun Jian would deceive him, so he specially sent someone to observe from the city wall to see if Sun Jian's large flag had also left. It wasn't until afternoon that news came from the city wall. Sun Jian had already broken camp, leaving only a few hundred people as decoys, and the main force had gone towards Zaoyang.

  "Is Sun Jian among them?" Huang Zu hastily asked.

  "The vanguard replied: 'Clearly visible, Sun Jian's great banner is at the very front of the troops!'"

  "Good! Haha...!" Huang Zu laughed loudly.

  Gan Ning furrowed his brow and stepped forward, saying: "Governor, Zouyang is quite far from Changsha, and it's a dry road. The army will have to pass through our territory, and Sun Jian won't do such a thing after years of battles. Please send someone to investigate carefully before leaving the city, lest you fall into Sun Jian's trap!"

  Huang Zu's laughter stopped abruptly, and he glared at Gan Ning with a furious voice: "What is this? Is General Gan teaching me how to fight?"

  "I dare not!"

  "Hmph!" Huang Zu snorted: "Sun Jian was besieged by us from both front and back, with his food and grass cut off, he had no choice but to escape. The water route has been blocked by General Cai Mao, so he can only take the land route. This is also a helpless move! Gentlemen, do not suspect, gather your troops and follow me to kill out of the city, capture Sun Jian alive!"

  On top of the mountain, Long Fei and others saw the battle below clearly. Seeing Huang Zu's army leaving Fancheng. Long Fei sighed: "This Huang Zu has fallen into Sun Jian's strategy of luring the tiger away from the mountain, Fancheng is going to be lost!"

  The rolling dust, the sky is overcast, Huang Zu's emotions are high, riding on horseback, the vanguard is rushing forward, determined to catch up with Sun Jian. The central army led by Huang Zu left all its baggage in Fan City to increase its marching speed. At the same time, he sent someone to inform Cai Mao and asked him to assist from the waterway. Just after crossing the Du River, Sun Jian's army came pouring in, with Sun Ce on the left, Huang Gai on the right, Han Dang in front, and Sun Jian blocking the way back.

  Huang Zu's hands were tied, and he was immediately thrown into disarray. The front and rear armies could not support each other, like a python being chopped by several knives, broken into several sections. Huang Zu was greatly shocked, and for a moment, he did not know what to do. Just then, Gan Ning arrived, shouting loudly at Huang Zu: "Governor, we've fallen into an ambush! Let's hurry up and retreat!"

  Huang Zu then ordered the withdrawal of troops. Gan Ning personally cut off the rear. At this time, Ling Cao, a broken thief school lieutenant under Sun Jian's command, saw a general from Jingzhou leading hundreds of followers in and out of Sun Jian's army, killing as if they were in a no-man's land. Unhappy in his heart, he danced his spear and killed him. Gan Ning was fighting hard, but was stirred up by Ling Cao, who didn't even look at him before striking with one knife. Ling Cao didn't know how powerful Gan Ning was, and when he met him horizontally with his spear, he was struck down from his horse by Gan Ning's single knife, his liver and spleen were all broken, and he was trampled into a meat paste by the horses' hooves.

  Relying on Gan Ning's bravery to cut off the rear, Huang Zu fled back to Fancheng with a gray head and a dirty face. As soon as he raised his head, he saw that the Sun family's large flag had already been raised above the gate of Fancheng. He spat out blood on the spot and fell backwards under his horse.