Tiger Guards

Chapter 471 Governor of Bohai
Liyang, in a barracks.

Guo Tu is flipping through the roster, searching for suitable talent.

Many people from Ruying fled to Jingzhou to escape the chaos. Through these people, we can recruit heroes from the land of Jingchu who are skilled in training and commanding naval forces.

Gan Ning was merely a traitorous general who fled from Yizhou to Jingzhou. He was not given important positions in Jingzhou, which shows that there must have been many people in the Jingchu region who were more talented than Gan Ning.

Furthermore, Gan Ning's dominance in the Yellow River basin was not due to his superior naval warfare skills, but rather because he mastered naval combat techniques, while the Hebei soldiers lacked this knowledge.

This is the difference between having and not having; Gan Ning's advantages are naturally limitless.

So don't be fooled by how arrogant Gan Ning is now. Once we bring in some heroes skilled in naval warfare from Jingzhou, we can easily kill him!
Suddenly, Guo Tu faintly heard the sound of drums.

He dismissed this and continued to screen suitable personnel to be sent to Jingzhou and recruit people from Liu Biao's forces.

As Gongze was drafting the list, Xu You strode in: "Gongze, Gan Ning is attacking!"

"An attack?"

Guo Tu covered the list written on the table, stood up and looked at Xu You, who did not seem anxious, and asked with even more doubt: "Ziyuan, what is Gan Ning doing in Liyang?"

They definitely didn't come to Liyang to fight; if they wanted to fight, they would have done so back then.

When Ju Shou retreated to Liyang, nearly half of the officers and soldiers in the cabin suffered from seasickness and vomiting, and were already incapacitated.

Actually, not many people get seasick at first, but as those around them become dizzy and vomit, it can affect others, causing them to also experience physical discomfort.

"Hurry, Lord Benchu ​​has already gone to the water fortress."

Xu You urged him on, and Guo Tu went to the sword rack on the wall to get his sword. He hung it up as he walked, and he and Xu You went out one after the other.

Outside the courtyard, many officials were gathering towards the water fortress. Those of lower rank stopped and stepped aside to let Xu You and Guo Tu go first.

Chen Zhen, a native of Nanyang, was also among the crowd.

He had been working in Hebei for four years, but still failed to gain Yuan Shao's favor and could only work as a copyist in the Right General's staff.

Above the gate tower of the water village.

Yuan Shao wore a dark-patterned black official robe, a turban on his head, a gold and jade belt around his waist, and a sword at his left hip. He exuded a calm and composed demeanor, giving off a sense of ease and respect that made people feel at ease.

He looked down at the Gan Ning fleet, which consisted of more than a hundred transport ships, with a gaze as serene as a mountain.

These transport ships, five in a row, sailed past upstream on the right side, like a military parade.

Apart from the old, grayish-white sails, the flags on the boats were bright, and the warriors with spears and crossbows standing on the boats were all in bright military uniforms.

They weren't wearing armor, just military uniforms with short-sleeved uniforms over them, and even the uniforms were new.

Each ship was specially equipped with more war drums, and as they passed the gate of the water fortress, these drummers beat the drums vigorously to vent their energy.

Seeing that Gan Ning's fleet was about to pass through completely, Yuan Shao turned to a few people around him and said with a smile, "Today's events have reminded me of an old incident."

Ju Shou, Tian Feng, and the registrar Geng Bao, who were standing nearby, were unaware of the situation, but Guo Tu and Xu You had already figured it out, though they couldn't show it.

Ju Shou suffered a defeat in Hanoi, but his pride prevented him from humbly seeking advice.

Tian Feng then cupped his hands and asked, "May I ask what brings you here, sir?"

Yuan Shao glanced at Tian Feng and explained, "Years ago, when Han Yuanjie was about to cede Ji Province to me, I stationed my troops at Qingshuikou in Liyang. Zhao Fu and Cheng Huan, the officials in charge of the Ji Province governorship, led more than 10,000 crossbowmen to garrison at Heyangjin in Henan. Upon hearing of this, they withdrew their troops from Henan."

As he spoke, Yuan Shao looked at Gan Ning's fleet, which was gradually moving downstream: "At that time, there were also more than a hundred ships and warships. They passed by our camp at night, making a great fuss with drums and gongs to show their strength. However, Gan Ning's ships were far inferior to those of Zhao Fu and Cheng Huan."

At that time, Zhao Fu and Cheng Huan withdrew to Ye City and strongly urged Han Fu not to hand over the seal of office. They were willing to lead their troops to hold off Yuan Shao, believing that by delaying the inevitable, they could wear Yuan Shao down.

Fortunately, Han Fu did not listen to them; otherwise, if the two sides had fought, it would have only benefited Gongsun Zan.

As for Zhao Fu and Cheng Huan, they have naturally disappeared.

Tian Feng's smile faded. Although Han Fu did not rely on him, Ju Shou, and Shen Pei much when he was in charge of Ji Province, he lacked trust in them.

But now that Yuan Shao has taken over, after he eliminated the powerful clans and gentry who refused to submit in Ji Province, he has gradually stopped relying on them as much as before and has begun to be wary of them.

Even today, Jizhou is still unable to escape internal strife.

How the two sides can build mutual trust is a matter of life and death. Yuan Shao brought up the old issue again under the guise of the current situation, which already carried a threatening meaning.

Fortunately, the vanguard under Ju Shou's command did not encounter Zhao Ji's attack and its strength was not damaged... But the more this was the case, the less opportunity there was to resolve the internal problems in Hebei.

At this moment, Xu You stepped forward to change the subject: "My lord, Sun Ce's troops are practicing naval warfare, and our army should pay close attention to this."

Yuan Shao nodded and asked his attendants, "I intend to establish a fleet command in Bohai, recruit and train over ten thousand warship soldiers, and accumulate warships over three years. Who do you think is capable of undertaking this great task?"

It was thought that the development of a navy could be ignored, but Zhao Jidu in the upper reaches of the Yellow River began to build a navy.

If no countermeasures are taken, Liyang alone will not be able to stop Zhao Ji's attack.

With the help of his navy, Zhao Ji could attack Ye City from multiple directions while also bypassing Liyang and harassing the hinterland of Hebei from downstream.

This would shatter the existing defense system, and to maintain it, more troops would have to be recruited and more defensive outposts established.

This means that the military will consume too many resources and drag itself down.

Not to mention the formidable neighbors like Gongsun Zan, Sun Ce, and Lü Bu, who were eyeing the region covetously. To counter Zhao Ji's naval advantage, Hebei needed its own navy.

With the navy in place, the Yi River defense line, which Gongsun Zan now regarded as a shield, was riddled with holes.

It could also shield the Yellow River and counter Lü Bu's harassment; it could also raid the coastal areas of Qingzhou, forcing Sun Ce to divide his troops to defend... As a result, Sun Ce's mobile forces were reduced, and the forces he could deploy to the Yellow River line were also reduced.

Therefore, recruiting and training more than 10,000 ship sailors is just the beginning.

Yuan Shao inquired, and Ju Shou stepped forward, cupping his hands in greeting: "My lord, I have suffered humiliation at the hands of Gan Ning, a deep-seated hatred in my life. I humbly request that you allow me to oversee the training of the warship troops. Once the warships are fully trained, we will confront Gan Ning again and avenge this humiliation!"

Yuan Shao then looked at the others, and Xin Pi cupped his hands and said, "My lord, I believe that the most suitable person to train the new army is Commander Ju."

"I also second my opinion."

Xu You stepped forward and bowed, and Tian Feng also stepped forward and bowed, saying, "I second that opinion."

There was no need for anyone else to step forward, so Yuan Shao stepped forward and reached out to help Ju Shou up, saying, "I entrust the matter of recruiting and training the ship soldiers into an army to you, sir."

"I will not fail in my mission."

Ju Shou spoke with unwavering determination; he still refused to believe he couldn't learn naval tactics.

Yuan Shao was also pleased. Ju Shou was willing to hand over command of the most elite vanguard army. If he could find an opportunity to promote Yan Liang, then the vanguard army would be in order.

Meanwhile, Gan Ning's fleet turned around near Liyang City downstream, then sailed along the north bank, hoisting its sails and taking advantage of the wind, passing by the Liyang water fortress while beating drums.

On the flagship, Gan Ning wore a bright red Shu brocade battle robe, paired with purple and green ribbons, and seven bells tied around his waist. He turned his head to look at Yuan Shao and his dozens of men on the gate tower of the water fortress.

He turned to his left and right and smiled, saying, "The Hebei soldiers are skilled in construction. The gate of the water fortress can support the weight of nearly a hundred people, yet it has not collapsed."

One of his subordinates joked, "If the gatehouse collapses and drowns Yuan Shao, I don't know if I'll be able to claim the credit."

Another fellow villager and soldier sneered, "What use is such merit? We don't even know Yuan Shao."

He then turned to Gan Ning and said, “General, why don’t you petition the Grand Marshal to have portraits of the civil and military officials of Hebei drawn? If we can circulate them among the troops, we won’t miss out on a great victory in the future naval battle against them.”

"good idea."

Gan Ning answered and then looked at Military Judge Xiahou Lan: "Zifang, write this down."

Xiahou Lan smiled and nodded, placing her hands on the railing as she endured her discomfort.

Those around Xiahou Lan then noticed her slightly sallow complexion and burst into laughter.

Xiahou Lan was not annoyed. She tried to regulate her breathing to avoid vomiting on the spot and becoming a laughing stock.

He was in a good mood. After this battle, he would be assessed for merit. Even if he couldn't be promoted three ranks, he could at least be promoted two ranks and become a captain or military supervisor.

In Gan Ning's region, most military officers were guaranteed to be promoted three ranks in succession based on their performance evaluations.

Therefore, the morale of the entire army was very high, and everything seemed to bring them joy.

(End of this chapter)