Tiger Owl

Chapter 206 Locking the target
Ma Liang entered Gan Ning's official residence, bowed respectfully, and asked, "General, are you looking for me?"

Gan Ning smiled and said, "There's something I need your help with!"

"General, please speak. I will do my utmost!"

"Here's the thing, we'd like to get to know a civil official in Jiangling County. It doesn't have to be a high-ranking official, just a clerk with real power. We'd like to ask your family to make the connection."

Ma Liang thought for a moment and said, "My second brother's brother-in-law is a legal officer in Jiangling named Zhou Ji. What do you think of him, General?"

"The legal officer is certainly a good candidate, but is he willing to help us?"

“There shouldn’t be any problem. The Zhou family is also a prominent family in Yicheng County. They went to court against the Cai family over a piece of land, and in the end, the Cai family used their power to forcibly seize the land. If it weren’t for our family’s support, the Cai family would have wiped out their family.”

"Your assertion only proves that the Zhou family was suppressed when Liu Biao was in power. But what about now? Has Cao Cao's army given them important positions?"

"It's the same now, otherwise how could Zhou Ji still be just a minor county clerk, even though he's the eldest son!"

"Still a legal officer?" Gan Ning's thinking was flawless.

"Or, I received a letter from home the day before yesterday. My father mentioned him in the letter. He was a legal officer."

Gan Ning pondered for a moment and said, "This Zhou Ji might be very important to us. I'm thinking of bringing him to our side. Do you think we should talk to his father first?"

Ma Liang bowed and said, "Let me go to Nanjun! I am the most suitable person to handle this matter."

Gan Ning thought for a moment, then nodded with pleasure, and instructed, "If Zhou Ji is willing to pledge allegiance to us, ask him to investigate the whereabouts of those 150 giant catapults."

"I understand!"

"There's no time to lose, we should set off tomorrow!"

Immediately afterwards, Gan Ning ordered someone to send a message by carrier pigeon to Ding Feng, instructing him to prepare for a surprise attack on Jiangling.

Ma Liang had his own method in doing things. He did not go directly to see Zhou Ji, but first took a boat to Yicheng County. He wanted to see his father, and then his father would talk to the Zhou family in person. Only in this way could he truly persuade Zhou Ji.

Ma Liang's father was named Ma Shen. In his early years, he served as the Assistant Prefect of Nanyang County. It was his decision to send his fourth son, Ma Liang, to Yuzhang County.

"Is General Gan looking for Zhou Ji?" Ma Shen asked.

"General Gan didn't specify who to look for. He just wanted to find an official or clerk with real power in Jiangling. He specifically asked me, and I recommended Zhou Ji to him."

Ma Shen nodded. "This is an opportunity for the Zhou family!"

The Zhou family and their family have been friends for generations, but the Zhou family has had a very difficult career. Because they once offended Cai Mao, they have been suppressed by the Cai family. They were suppressed during Liu Biao's time and now they are under Cao Cao's rule, but they are still not given important positions. The eldest son of the main family only served as the legal officer of Jiangling County. This is indeed an opportunity for the Zhou family, and Ma Shen decided to help them.

That night, Ma Shen brought his son Ma Liang to visit his in-law Zhou Lian. Zhou Lian was Zhou Ji's father and the head of the Zhou family. The Zhou family had once held high-ranking positions in the imperial court, but by Zhou Lian's generation, they had declined somewhat. Zhou Lian never held an official position, but he married a woman from the Ma family, who was Ma Shen's cousin. His eldest son also married Ma Shen's daughter, so the two families had a very close relationship.

Zhou Lian invited the father and son to the inner hall. Zhou Lian knew that Ma Liang worked for Gan Ning, so Ma Liang's visit today must be for something important.

The three took their seats according to the order of host and guest. A maid came in and served tea. Zhou Lian smiled and asked, "We are all relatives. You can speak freely without any formalities!"

Ma Shen also gave his son a wink, signaling him to speak directly.

Ma Liang smiled and said, "General Gan wanted to know about the situation in Jiangling and hoped to contact an official in Jiangling. He asked me if I had any candidates, so I recommended Shao Cong to him."

Shao Cong was Zhou Ji's courtesy name. Zhou Lian hesitated for a moment and said, "Shao Cong is just a civil official. I'm afraid he doesn't meet General Gan's requirements."

“I’ve already spoken to General Gan. He doesn’t care about civil officials, as long as he has real power.”

It's true that he should seize real power; Zhou Lian had confidence in his son on that point. He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What should we do with Shao Cong? Seize the internal spies in Jiangling County?"

Ma Liang quickly explained, "The Yuzhang Army will not attack Jiangling County for the time being. Even if they attack the county in the future, they will not need Shao Cong's help. General Gan just wants to inquire about the situation in Jiangling. If the head of the family finds it troublesome, then forget it, I will find someone else."

How could Zhou Lian possibly pass up such a golden opportunity? He hurriedly said, "I'll write a letter right now. Go directly to Shao Cong and ask him to do whatever you want."

Ma Liang smiled and bowed, "Thank you very much, Uncle!"

After leaving the Zhou family, the father and son rode home in a carriage. Ma Shen sighed and said, "Old Zhou is even more eager than I thought!"

"It must be Uncle Zhou who saw an opportunity!"

"Yes! The Zhou family gets very few opportunities. He should be very grateful to you for helping him get this chance."

Ma Liang nodded. "The key is to see what Shao Cong does."

Three days later, Ma Liang arrived in Jiangling County and quickly found the legal officer Zhou Ji.
Zhou Jinian was about twenty-four or twenty-five years old. He was introduced by his father-in-law, Ma Shen, to the position of legal officer in Jiangling County.

Zhou Ji invited Ma Liang to have a few drinks at a restaurant. Although it is customary not to eat at noon, inviting a friend for a drink at noon does not affect this custom.

The two sat by the window and drank two cups of wine. Ma Liang then took out a letter from Zhou Ji's father and handed it to him.

"This is a letter from my father?" Zhou Ji was a little surprised and quickly opened the letter to read it carefully.

After reading the letter, Zhou Ji asked after a long pause, "How did General Gan find me?"

“I recommended him to General Gan. Young cousin, you must seize this opportunity.”

Zhou Ji nodded gently, "Thank you so much, brother. Tell me, is there anything I can do for you?"

"There's a big matter at hand. Do you know that Cao Cao's army has brought in 150 giant catapults?"

Zhou Ji nodded. "I know about this. It caused a sensation in Jiangling County. No one had ever seen such a huge catapult before."

Ma Liang continued, "According to our intelligence, after destroying Lingyi County, these giant catapults were transported back to Jiangling and are currently in some kind of warehouse on the banks of the Yangtze River in Jiangling County."

"I didn't know they were brought back, but I have over a hundred warehouses along the Yangtze River!"

"This is the first task General Gan has given you: to find and pinpoint their exact hiding place."

Zhou Ji nodded. "If it is indeed in the Jiangling warehouse, it shouldn't be difficult to find out. If I get definite information, where should I look for you?"

"Go to Jiang'an Inn in the east of the city, near the east gate. I'll be staying there!"

In the afternoon, Zhou Ji arrived at Jiang'an Inn, found Ma Liang, and looked around the inn with a smile, saying, "This should be one of your intelligence points, right?"

Ma Liang smiled and asked, "Did you find out?"

Zhou Ji nodded. "These giant catapults are indeed in Jiangling, currently stored in a warehouse at the Jiangling Shipyard."

"Is the news reliable?"

“Absolutely reliable. I originally served as the granary official, and I had several trusted confidants among the minor officials there. They found out for me.”

(End of this chapter)