Tiger Owl

Chapter 143 Urgent Request for Help

Huang Zu was on the banks of the Yangtze River, silently watching the opposite bank. He received news that Gan Ning had moved the capital back to Chaisang, which filled him with worry. He had a feeling that this was a sign that Gan Ning was about to attack him.

"Father, Gan Ning's next move should be to attack the three counties of Jingnan, not us!"

Huang She noticed his father's worry and quietly comforted him.

“Jingnan is all bones and no flesh. Gan Ning looks down on it. He didn’t dare to attack me before because he was afraid of Liu Biao. Now that he has defeated Liu Biao and seized Changsha County, he is no longer afraid of Liu Biao. His next step will definitely be to attack me.”

After saying this, Huang Zu looked up at the sky and sighed deeply. Huang She didn't know how to persuade his father. After a long while, he said, "If Father is really worried, then ask Liu Biao for help! After all, we are also his subordinates, and he certainly won't tolerate Jiangxia County being taken away by Gan Ning again."

Huang Zu nodded. "You're right. When it's time to bow your head, you have to. Go to Xiangyang for me and ask Liu Biao for help."

"Father, should we wait until the Yuzhang Army actually sends out troops before asking for help?"

Huang Zu quickly shook his head, “It will be too late by then. I know Liu Biao too well. He is indecisive, procrastinates, and is easily controlled by powerful families. Even if he agrees to send troops, it will take at least ten days to half a month, and that is the fastest we can do so. Therefore, we must ask him in advance.”

"I understand. I will set off for Xiangyang first thing tomorrow morning."

Across the Yangtze River, Gansu and Ningxia are also actively preparing for war.

Apart from Ding Feng's army guarding Baqiu County, Shen Mi's army guarding Wan County, and Wei Yan's army guarding Xiakou, the rest of the army arrived in Chaisang. The four generals, Xu Sheng, Taishi Ci, Zhao Yun, and Huang Zhong, led a total of 60,000 troops and 1,000 warships.

Early in the morning, Huang Zhong arrived at General Jianwu's residence and found Gan Ning.

Huang Zhong clasped his hands and said, "This humble servant does not understand why my lord has ordered me to guard Chaisang?"

Gan Ning smiled and said, "Someone has to guard Chaisang! We're all out fighting, what if someone comes to raid our base?"

"If that's all there is to it, I have nothing to say and will absolutely obey orders. But what if it's for other reasons? I dare not contradict you, but I beg you to tell me the truth, my lord."

Gan Ning stared at him for a long time and said, "I won't hide it from you anymore. Because you and Huang Zu are from the same clan, I'm not worried that you won't do your best, but I'm worried that it will be difficult to explain to your family."

Huang Zhong laughed, “My lord, you’re wrong to say that. How many people with the surname Liu have killed other people with the surname Liu? Huang Zu is from the Huang clan of Anlu, and I am from the Huang clan of Nanyang. Although we both have the surname Huang, we are not from the same family, but only share the same ancestor. Besides, the Huang family members have different political views. Huang Zu and I are completely different people. I have almost ignored him for the past ten years. Although we both serve Liu Biao, we do not associate with each other. So my lord, you don’t need to worry at all. We each serve our own masters.”

Gan Ning walked a few steps with his hands behind his back. He had won Huang Zhong over, but he didn't give him the opportunity to fight. Although Huang Zhong would obey orders, he would always have some resentment in his heart.

Thinking of this, Gan Ning finally nodded and said, "Alright! You will be in charge of attacking westward from Lujiang County."

Huang Zhong was overjoyed, "Your humble servant obeys!"

Gan Ning entrusted Lu Su with the important task of defending Chaisang, and left him with 10,000 troops. Given Chaisang's tall and sturdy terrain, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack, 10,000 troops would be more than enough to defend the city.

On the fifth day of the second month, Gan Ning led his army to E County and officially launched the Jiangxia Campaign. He ordered Wei Yan's troops to lead 500 warships from Xiakou into the Han River to cut off Liu Biao's aid to Huang Zu across the river.

He then ordered Huang Zhong to lead 10,000 troops from Xunyang County to attack Qichun County to the west, and then attack Xiling County from the west.

He also ordered Xu Sheng to lead over a thousand warships to patrol the Yangtze River, while simultaneously commanding over a thousand grain and fodder ships as backup.

Gan Ning personally led an army of 30,000 men, including Taishi Ci and Zhao Yun, aboard 500 warships, towards Zhu County on the opposite bank of the Yangtze River. This campaign was primarily land-based, with warships being largely unnecessary.

Zhu County was the first target of the Yuzhang Army's attack. If they could capture it, the Yuzhang Army would have a foothold north of the Yangtze River.

Zhu County is currently garrisoned by 10,000 troops, with Su Fei as the commander-in-chief.

Huang Zu also built an alarm system along the Yangtze River, with a beacon tower every thirty li. When Gan Ning's warships appeared on the Yangtze River, the beacon tower on the north bank would be lit, and three thick plumes of smoke would rise straight into the sky.

Su Fei stood on the city wall, nervously watching the thick smoke in the distance.

Deputy General Wang Kui suggested, "Our Yangtze River docks are narrow, making landing very slow. Why don't we take the initiative and strike the enemy while they are crossing the river?"

Another general suggested, "Zhu County is not a strategic stronghold. Its city walls are low and it is easy to be breached by ships. General Wang is right. We should take the initiative and give the Yuzhang army a head-on blow."

Su Fei hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded, "Then let's attack!"

..........
A massive horde of warships arrived at the north bank of the Yangtze River, their sheer numbers obscuring the sky. The first batch of twenty warships gradually approached the Zhuxian wharf.

Gan Ning stood on a large ship in the river, watching the warships approaching the shore.

He said to Xu Shu beside him, "Does the strategist really think the enemy will ambush us on the shore?"

Xu Shu smiled slightly and said, "Zhu County is just a commercial town. The city walls are not high, the city gates are dilapidated, and the moat is right next to the city walls. It would be easy for us to take the city by boat. Su Fei is not unaware of this. On the contrary, the Zhu County dock is not large, making it inconvenient for us to land. I think they will either retreat or ambush us. Between the two, the possibility of an ambush is greater. Wouldn't it be better to take a bite and then retreat at our leisure?"

Gan Ning nodded slowly, "The strategist is right. Now we'll see how General Zhao, the Grand Historian, handles things."

Su Fei led 10,000 troops to ambush near the dock, with 5,000 archers at the front and 5,000 spearmen behind them.

From Su Fei's position, he could see the situation on the river. As twenty large ships approached the dock, Su Fei began to feel nervous.

"Archers, prepare!"

At Su Fei's command, the five thousand archers tensed up.

Just then, drums suddenly sounded from both sides, and two large armies attacked from the left and right. The general on the left was Taishi Ci, leading three thousand infantrymen and two thousand cavalrymen, while the general on the right was Zhao Yun, leading five thousand infantrymen.

Two thousand cavalrymen charged into the enemy archers, throwing them into chaos. Before Su Fei could react, Zhao Yun's five thousand troops arrived at the spearmen behind them. Deputy General Wang Kui drew his sword to meet the attack, but in just one exchange, Zhao Yun slew Wang Kui and felled him from his horse with a single spear thrust.

The other officers rushed forward to surround Zhao Yun, but Zhao Yun killed them all with a single spear thrust. Zhao Yun roared and charged towards the enemy.

When the five thousand spearmen saw their commander charging towards them like a god, their legs went weak with fear. No one knew who took the lead in fleeing, but in an instant, the morale of the army collapsed. The spearmen abandoned their armor and weapons and ran for their lives. The archers behind them also ran wildly, wishing they had two more legs.

Su Fei had already realized that he had fallen into a trap. The enemy knew he would attack while crossing the river, and two armies were lying in ambush here! Panicked, he didn't care about the other soldiers and also rode away, with more than a dozen personal guards following him.

Taishi Ci saw it clearly, drew his bow and shot an arrow, which struck Su Fei's horse in the hind leg. The horse fell to the ground, throwing Su Fei more than ten feet away. Before he could get up, dozens of Yuzhang soldiers rushed up, and several soldiers pinned Su Fei down and tied him up with ropes.

(End of this chapter)