Tiger Owl

Chapter 12 Wu Shou Ding Feng
Gan Ning rode Hu Xian's warhorse to the city of Chaisang, followed by two hundred men. By then, the city gates of Chaisang were already closed.

Gan Ning brandished his gun and shouted, "Bring Ding Feng out to see me!"

Before long, Ding Feng appeared on the city wall. He saw the warhorses and spears, and sighed in his heart. Hu Xian had not listened to his advice and had ultimately lost his life.

Gan Ning then loudly proclaimed, "I am the Chief of Chaisang and the Commander of a Separate Division, appointed by the Imperial Court. I have come to Chaisang to assume my post. If General Ding is unwilling to serve the Imperial Court, he may leave, and I will not stop him!"

Ding Feng glanced at Gan Ning in surprise, then ordered, "Open the city gates!"

As the city gates opened, he spurred his horse forward, iron spear in hand, shouting, "If you want me to pledge allegiance to the court, first ask my iron spear if it agrees!"

He swung his spear and thrust it at Gan Ning. Although Gan Ning was using double halberds, those were weapons for water combat, which required close-quarters fighting. But double halberds wouldn't be effective in mounted combat; the shorter the weapon, the more dangerous it would be. So a longer weapon was necessary.

Although Hu Xian's spear was of slightly inferior quality, it was still usable. Gan Ning swung his spear and engaged Ding Feng in fierce combat. After less than three rounds, the two horses crossed paths, and Gan Ning drew his short halberd from his back and slashed at Ding Feng's helmet. With a crack, Ding Feng's pointed helmet was cleaved off.

Ding Feng felt the cold blade of Bing Leng's halberd brush past his head. He was so frightened that he spurred his horse forward and dodged the likely counterattack.

Ding Feng stared blankly at the half helmet on the ground. This wasn't his luck; it was because the other party had shown mercy.

He couldn't help but sigh, threw down his spear, dismounted, knelt down, clasped his hands, and said, "Ding Feng is willing to serve the imperial court!"

Gan Ning looked at him calmly and said, "If General Ding wants to be loyal to the court, go to Xuchang yourself! I want to establish myself and do something great."

Ding Feng replied without hesitation, "Ding Feng is willing to serve General Gan like a dog or a horse!"

Gan Ning was overjoyed and quickly helped him up, asking curiously, "I didn't register, how did you know it was me?"

Ding Feng said somewhat embarrassedly, "I was originally a bodyguard for Young Master Liu Qi. In Xiangyang, I was ordered to monitor General Gan!"

"Ah!" Gan Ning's eyes widened. "Then what are you doing here with Huang Zu?"

Ding Feng sighed, "This matter is too complicated to explain in a few words!"

Gan Ning smiled slightly and said, "No problem, let's go into the city and talk slowly!"

Gan Ning immediately led his army into Chaisang City, and Ding Feng's men surrendered one after another.

Not long after, Lou Fa led a hundred soldiers to escort four hundred surrendered prisoners of war back to Chaisang City.

After Gan Ning left the county office and sat down, he sent someone to invite Lu Su.

Ding Feng then explained, “That day, when General Gan left Xiangyang, I should have reported it to Young Master Qi, but I did not, which displeased Young Master Qi. He then arranged for me to serve Huang Zu, but I came from a humble background and Huang Zu looked down on me, only making me a military officer, while Hu Xian, who had no ability, became a separate commander. I was very dissatisfied!”

Gan Ning nodded. "Why don't you go and report this to Liu Qi?"

Ding Feng sighed and said, "Jingzhou does not appoint people based solely on their talent, but rather on their family background. I come from a humble background and understand this deeply. At that time, General Gan splashed water on Liu Xian's face, which made me admire him greatly. I was afraid that Liu Biao would retaliate against the general, so I did not report it to Liu Qi."

"So Liu Qi kicked you to Huang Zu's side?"

"Actually, you can't blame Young Master Qi. He doesn't have military power and can't promote me. Military power is in Cai Mao's hands. So Young Master Qi asked me to go to Huang Zu's side to make meritorious contributions. It's just a pity that Jingzhou and Jiangxia are the same. They only care about family background and not talent. If I hadn't met General Gan today, I might have had to go to Jiangdong to seek refuge!"

Gan Ning sighed inwardly, thinking that fate had brought Ding Feng together with him.

At this moment, Lu Su arrived, clasped his hands in greeting, and said with a smile, "Congratulations, General, on recapturing Chaisang!"

Gan Ning introduced Ding Feng to Lu Su, who smiled and said, "General Ding has a discerning eye for a wise ruler; his future is immeasurable." Gan Ning immediately summoned the county clerks and runners, and produced the imperial appointment letter. Only then did everyone realize that this General Gan was not a bandit from Mount Lu, but the magistrate of Chaisang appointed by the imperial court. Everyone was relieved and stepped forward to pay their respects.

Gan Ning then appointed Lu Su as the county magistrate concurrently, and Lu Su was given full authority to handle all government affairs within the county.

Lu Su was overjoyed and immediately took up his post, leading several clerks to the warehouse to inventory the supplies.

Gan Ning then appointed Ding Feng as a garrison commander. He began to reorganize the army. With the addition of surrendered troops, he had 800 soldiers. Gan Ning expanded the army by giving his four garrison commanders two hundred men each.

The county government office in Chaisang was very large, covering an area of ​​ten mu. The five mu at the back were the county magistrate's private residence, and the five mu in front were the official government office. The county magistrate's official residence was located at the rear of the county government office, right in the center of the central axis. Next to it were the official residences of the county assistant, county lieutenant, and chief clerk, but all the officials had fled to Nanchang.

Gan Ning found a map of Jingzhou and Xiangyang in the county magistrate's office, and he spread it out to examine it closely.

Taking Chaisang does not guarantee peace of mind. Gan Ning is well aware that Huang Zu would not seize Chaisang for no reason. It is highly likely that Huang Zu has received news that Sun Ce's army is coming to attack Yuzhang County, and he wants to strike first.

It was already late July of the fourth year of Jian'an. Sun Ce's army arrived without warning, and Huang Zu would not stand idly by and hand over Yuzhang Commandery to Sun Ce.

The two elephants are about to collide violently, and the most pressing issue is how to survive under the elephants' legs.

Gan Ning then truly understood Jia Xu's advice: first, one must survive, and only then can one plan for development.

The map was not drawn clearly, but Gan Ning could barely make it out.

On the north bank of the Yangtze River opposite Chaisang is Lujiang County, the nearest county being Xunyang County. To the west lies Jiangxia County, the old stronghold of Huang Zu. However, the capital of Jiangxia County, Xiling County, is quite far away, at least 500 li from Chaisang, while the nearest county to Chaisang, Xiazhi County, is only about 50 li away.

In addition, E County of Jiangxia Prefecture is about 150 li away from Chaisang. This is the later Ezhou, which has always been an important military town with a large number of troops stationed there.

If Huang Zu launches a full-scale attack on Yuzhang, his army will inevitably set out from there.

Just then, footsteps came from behind. "General, the situation is not good!" Lu Su had returned.

Gan Ning put down the blueprints and asked, "What did you find?"

"Apart from a few hundred bushels of grain, there was nothing else. Everything was taken away by Huang She. Money, cloth, armor, and all kinds of other supplies were taken away. Even the official boats were gone."

What Gan Ning needs most right now is armor and weapons. He thought for a moment and said, "Shouldn't the common people of Chaisang have armor and weapons?"

Lu Su shook his head. "I asked around. On the first day they occupied Chaisang, they confiscated weapons from the civilians. Even if there were any left, they were just sticks and the like."

"These bastards really took advantage of us!" Gan Ning cursed angrily.

"This is the usual practice. Even if you don't rob the people when you occupy a place, you have to plunder the government granaries and confiscate all the weapons from the civilian population. Huang She was alright. If it were Yuan Shu, at least half of the people in the city would have died."

Gan Ning sighed and said, "Now only 500 of the 800 soldiers are equipped. The other 300 can't be armed with hoes and sticks, can they? Moreover, none of them are equipped with bows and arrows or shields. I really don't know what Huang Zu was thinking, being so stingy?"

Lu Su smiled slightly and said, "General, you don't know yet! The five hundred soldiers commanded by Hu Xian are just auxiliary soldiers, not regular combat troops. Generally, auxiliary soldiers are only responsible for maintaining local order, so their equipment is relatively poor."

Gan Ning nodded. "I see. No wonder this army is so poorly equipped. It seems even a skilled cook has to find the rice herself!"

Lu Su thought for a moment and suggested, "Since the general is the magistrate of Chaisang appointed by the court, you can go to Hua Xin, the prefect of Yuzhang, and legitimately ask him to prepare weapons and supplies for us. However, you should be humble, like... like the abbot of a temple begging for alms."

Gan Ning chuckled and said, "This abbot who's begging for alms not only knows a few Buddhist chants, but also has some martial arts skills. Hua Xin has no choice but to give it to me, whether she wants to or not!"

　It's not easy to write a new book, and I'm a bit shy, but I'm still asking for monthly tickets and donations!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)