Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 307 The Emperor: Well done, keep your spirits up, don't lose points!

In front of Yuntai Pavilion, Liu Bian casually sat on a folding chair, turned his gaze to Gan Ning beside him, a smile playing on his lips, and said, "Xingba has the courage to raid a camp with a hundred cavalrymen, so he must be a fierce and brave general."

Gan Ning did not immediately understand the deeper meaning behind the emperor's words, but without hesitation, he straightened his back and replied loudly, "I am honored by the nation's praise. Although I am young, I am confident in my strength and courage and am willing to serve the nation!"

Hearing the undisguised arrogance in Gan Ning's words, Liu Bian not only didn't take offense, but instead burst into laughter, patted him hard on the shoulder, and said, "I wish to witness your bravery and martial prowess. Xingba, would you be willing to let me have my fill?"

Gan Ning's heart skipped a beat, and he was secretly overjoyed.

He believed that the emperor valued his martial prowess!

The current emperor has the talent to recognize talent; those he values ​​are all capable of becoming generals and ministers, a fact known throughout the land!
Furthermore, the emperor promoted talent without being bound by convention, and did not place much emphasis on age and seniority, which are highly valued in officialdom.

The retainers of the Crown Prince's residence back then are now either high-ranking officials with salaries of two thousand or one thousand piculs of grain, or low-ranking but powerful cabinet ministers.

Although it is unknown how the emperor intends to assess his bravery, if he can gain the emperor's favor, his future will surely be limitless!
"Your Majesty, I will certainly make sure you are satisfied!" Gan Ning was extremely excited, even using the title "Your Majesty," which was full of subservience, as he loudly promised.

Gan Ning, who at the age of fourteen relied on the wealth accumulated by his family over generations to gather hundreds of teenagers, wielding bows and arrows, committing frivolous murders, and harboring fugitives in Ba County, was known as the "Brocade Sail Bandit." Naturally, he carried an arrogant streak in his bones.

But this arrogance depends on the target.

The fact that the emperor could recognize his Chu attire and not look at him with strange or disdainful eyes already made him feel accepted.

Moreover, the emperor, who also achieved fame at a young age and saved the Han Dynasty from peril, was an idol admired by young people all over the world.

Now that the emperor knows his talent and is willing to give him the opportunity to demonstrate his martial prowess, regardless of his youth and lack of fame, how can he still hold onto his arrogance and refuse to be driven by him?

Of course, the most important thing is still one's career!
The Gan family of Ba County was originally a family of officials for generations. Their ancestor was Gan Ying, a former official who served in Dingyuan.

Yes, that's the navigator and diplomat who was ordered to sail to Rome, but was tricked by the Parthian king and forced to return!

However, in the last hundred years, the Gan family of Bajun seemed to have run out of luck and declined rapidly, becoming so poor that all they had left was money.

In order to revitalize his family, Gan Ning, whose parents died at an early age, chose an extreme path!

Everyone says he is a reckless and ignorant frivolous youth, but they don't know that his unconventional behavior is all for the sake of fame!

To gain official position, one must commit murder and arson and then accept amnesty!

This shortcut has been used in every dynasty!
In the eyes of the scholars in the imperial court, the merit of reforming and appeasing the bandits was far more respectable and noble than the military achievements of the soldiers fighting bloody battles on the front lines.

How can the military achievements of those worthless soldiers be compared to the educational contributions of us Confucian scholars!
We can reform the enemy through education without resorting to violence. Isn't that much better than you stinking soldiers who fight and kill and commit atrocities?

what?
What if he refuses to be educated and continues to resist stubbornly?
Then let those stinking soldiers handle this, I'm not going to bother with it anymore!
Therefore, there are many precedents of people obtaining official positions through amnesty in the past.

In order to stand out from the crowd, Gan Ning thought of Gan Mao, the ancestor of the Zhou royal family who caused a great disturbance five hundred years ago and served as the prime minister of Qin, King Wulie of Qin.

Gan Mao was a native of Chu, and moreover, he was from Nanyang, the capital of the Chu state. So he followed the example of his ancestors, wearing Chu clothes, bird feathers on his head, copper bells at his waist, and brocade robes. He also recruited eight hundred young men.

These eight hundred people traveled by land in a procession of carriages and cavalry, and by water in a fleet of light boats.

The attendants were all dressed in brocade, and their presence was dazzling.

When the fleet was anchored in the port, it was common to use brocade to moor the boats, and when they left, the brocade was cut off and discarded to show off their extravagance.

Wherever he went, if local officials and powerful families received him with great ceremony, he would wholeheartedly befriend them, even going so far as to risk his life to repay their kindness, emulating the righteous men of old.

If they were treated poorly, he would allow his men to plunder their wealth and even kill officials.

Such an unconventional "bandit" naturally attracted the attention of the court and the public, and no one dared to provoke him easily. On the contrary, many scholars took the initiative to befriend him.

This made Gan Ning feel that his plan was feasible!

At worst, he would lay down his butcher's knife, stage a scene of repentance, and give the "merit of education" to a worthy prefect, so as to enhance the other party's political achievements and reputation.

Look and see! Even the infamous "Jinfan Bandit" Gan Ning was reformed by the prefect's teachings and chose to accept the imperial court's offer of amnesty, and from then on, he no longer committed evil!
The other party gained fame, and I, in turn, used this opportunity to forge a deep bond of mutual benefit with them, thus embarking on a smooth career path.

But if one can gain the emperor's trust directly, one can throw away all the notions of being unconventional and the title of "Brocade Sail Bandit"!

Even if he only gains a little favor, he will still bear the mark of the emperor.

Gan Ning, who "returned to his former life after being grateful for the emperor's grace," is far more dramatic and worthy of praise by scholars and writers than someone who was "educated" by a prefect.

Would the emperor ever mistreat himself?

As soon as Gan Ning finished speaking, three fully armored generals arrived at the steps. They were Lü Bu, Zhao Yun, and Zhang Liao, who all marched forward to pay their respects.

Liu Bian smiled and stepped forward to help the three men up. He then turned to Gan Ning and introduced him, saying, "This is my valiant general, the bravest of the three armies, Lü Bu, Lü Fengxian."

"These two, like Xingba, were already famous in their region before they even reached adulthood. They are Zhao Yun, Zhao Zilong, the captain of the Central Camp, and Zhang Liao, the military commander of the Guerrilla Camp."

Upon hearing this, Lü Bu glanced at Gan Ning indifferently, his face expressionless, clearly not taking this new face too seriously.

At the age of thirty, he was a true general of the cavalry with a salary of 2,000 shi and the Marquis of Wanshou Pavilion with a fief of 1,000 households. In his eyes, there were only his comrades-in-arms such as Sun Jian, Huang Zhong, and Gao Shun, as well as targets such as Huangfu Song and Dong Zhuo that he needed to catch up with.

However, Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao, upon hearing that the emperor had compared Gan Ning to them, couldn't help but cast curious glances at him.

"As for the man behind me, his name is Gan Ning, courtesy name Xingba. He is currently an aide in the office of General Jia Cong, and is only eighteen years old. He is quite brave and strong. In the past, in Yuexi County, he led a hundred cavalry to raid the camp and captured the Yuexi barbarian king Su Qi, who was known for his bravery and strength. I think his bravery is no less than that of Zilong and Wenyuan."

Liu Bian paused slightly, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the men, catching their subtle reactions, a slight upward curve unconsciously appearing at the corners of his mouth. Zhao Yun was not a man of valor or aggression, but he had entered officialdom at a young age for his loyalty and bravery, and later followed Lü Bu in his campaigns against the royal court.

At the age of twenty, he was appointed as a captain in the Central Camp, almost surpassing the younger generation. People often compared him to the Marquis of Champion, who became famous at a young age and whose achievements were the greatest in the entire army.

Unfortunately, the imperial court's recent national policy has been to recuperate and build up national strength, which has left Zhao Yun, now 22 years old, still holding the position of Colonel of the Central Camp.

However, his gaze always followed the exemplary figures in the army, such as Lü Bu, Guan Yu, and Sun Jian, and he naturally harbored a sense of pride in his bones.

Zhang Liao, at the age of eighteen, had also followed Lü Bu in conquering the royal court. He was usually composed, but he could not hide his youthful nature.

Upon hearing the emperor compare Gan Ning to him, he couldn't help but feel a competitive urge to challenge him.

Seeing that the fire had been smoldering for a while, Liu Bian decided... Of course, it was impossible for him to stop. He simply wanted to pour another ladle of oil to fuel the fire, and said to everyone with a smile, "I wish to have you all compete with Xingba to see Xingba's bravery."

Upon hearing this, almost instantly, Lü Bu, Zhao Yun, and Zhang Liao all frowned, their gazes towards Gan Ning immediately filled with scrutiny and hostility, especially Lü Bu's.

What does "using observation to promote bravery and martial prowess" mean?
Madman! All heroes under heaven tremble at the mere mention of my name!

The emperor wanted to see Gan Ning's bravery, but he summoned the other three. Could it be that they were just there to serve as a foil for this fellow?
However, this idea only flashed through the minds of the three of them for a moment!
The emperor was not a harsh and ungrateful person who would humiliate his subjects, so there are only two possibilities.

Firstly, Gan Ning was indeed incredibly brave, so much so that even the emperor was unsure whether Lü Bu could secure a victory.

There are people outside people, and there are days outside the sky.

Since one has to practice martial arts, one must accept the fact that "there is always someone stronger than you," so even Lü Bu had no doubt that there were warriors in the world who were more valiant than him.

Secondly, Gan Ning is a man of some courage and strength, but he is arrogant and conceited, and dreams of stepping on the three of them to rise to power.

If it is the former, as a martial artist, one should fight such a strong person with all one's might!
If it's the latter, then this arrogant fool who doesn't know his place should be taught a lesson!

Looking at Gan Ning again, there was no fear on his face, but his eyes burned with a fierce fighting spirit.

"In that case, I shall be the first to learn from you!"

Lu Bu took a deep breath, strode to the weapon rack beside him, and skillfully drew a spear from it.

Since it's a martial arts sparring match, the weapon used is naturally a wooden spear, made of bamboo wood, or composite wood.

This type of bamboo-building material typically uses hardwoods such as sinew wood as the core to serve as the main support, wrapped with bamboo strips to form a pressure-resistant protective layer, and then wrapped with silk threads, rattan, or leather strips to enhance grip friction. Finally, multiple layers of raw lacquer are applied to achieve anti-corrosion and shaping.

Bamboo made using this process retains sufficient hardness to prevent damage and breakage, while also giving it the resilience to naturally spring back after being bent at 30 degrees.

However, due to its complicated process and high cost, it is usually only used for expensive lances.

Seeing that Lü Bu could no longer hold back and made the first move, Liu Bian looked at Gan Ning, patted him on the shoulder encouragingly, and said loudly, "Xingba, do you dare to fight against me, the bravest cavalry general who is the best in the army?"

Gan Ning stared intently at Lü Bu, an invisible sense of oppression washing over him, making him feel a slight chill in his heart.

It was an indescribable "momentum".

A person can be imposing without anger, or cunning and treacherous; these are all forms of "power" that a person can possess.

The "power" emanating from Lü Bu was like facing the cold gaze of a raging tiger—fierce and domineering.

But Gan Ning also longs to fight against such a top-notch warrior!

He grinned, revealing a smile that was a mixture of excitement and wildness, and loudly replied, "That's exactly what I want, I wouldn't dare ask you!"

The Emperor seemed to be inspired by Gan Ning's courage. He personally walked to the weapon rack, selected a bamboo and wood spear of the same type, and solemnly handed it to Gan Ning, saying in a deep voice, "Xingba! You are a hero who fought your way out of the barbarian swords and spears of Yuexi with a hundred cavalry raid! Don't embarrass yourself! Be spirited!"

Upon hearing this, the eyes of Lü Bu, Zhao Yun, and Zhang Liao grew even more hostile.

Even among barbarians, there is a complete hierarchy of contempt!
Or to be more specific, even the heads of barbarians were subject to a hierarchy of contempt within the Han army!

The northern barbarians and the southern barbarians have always been considered more valiant than the southern barbarians.

The northern barbarians included the ancient fierce barbarians such as the Western Rong, Eastern Yi, Quanrong, Yiqu, and Wusun, as well as the grassland overlords such as the Yuezhi, Donghu, Xiongnu, Xianbei, and Wuhuan, who could rival the Central Plains dynasties!
What about the Southern Barbarians?
After finally establishing the Southern Yue Kingdom, it just so happened that a general from the Qin Kingdom set up his own power base!
We killed so many Hun kings that we could kick them around like footballs!
You merely killed some ignorant Prince Su Qi, how dare you compare yourself to us?
However, when Gan Ning sensed Lü Bu's increasingly powerful fighting spirit, he calmly and composedly accepted the spear handed to him by the emperor. Feeling the heavy weight of the emperor's trust and expectations, his blood surged, and he suddenly raised his hand, ripped off the iconic bright bird feather from his head, and threw it hard to the ground. As if to embolden himself, he roared, "Damn it!"

"Okay! Well done!"

As the emperor cheered him on from behind, Gan Ning's knuckles turned white from gripping the spear, and the muscles in his arms bulged, as if a tremendous power far exceeding his usual strength was surging through his veins.

He felt that, encouraged by the emperor, he had become stronger!
Lu Bu, you are strong, but I, Gan Xingba, may not necessarily lose!

Gan Ning moved, letting out a low roar as he charged forward with his spear!

Gan Ning went in, Gan Ning charged in, Gan Ning is gone!

(3752 words)
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P.S.: Hey, I had some pretty good fried rice for dinner!

So I'm in a pretty good mood, and I'll add a short update of 3700 words.

Dear readers, please give me some extra monthly votes in recognition of the extra 3700 words I've added!
(End of this chapter)