Tiger Owl

Chapter 66 A little effort
In the afternoon, Gan Ning received Xu Shu in the official residence. Historically, Xu Shu joined Liu Bei in the sixth year of Jian'an, which is the following year, after Liu Bei came to Xiangyang from Runan. When Liu Bei fled south in the thirteenth year of Jian'an, his mother was captured by Cao Cao's army, and he then entered Cao Cao's camp. During this period, he followed Liu Bei for a full seven years.

Xu Shu is now thirty-two years old, but he has accomplished nothing. He is also very anxious. If Gan Ning had not risen to prominence, Xu Shu would have had to wait another year. Now that Gan Ning has risen to prominence, he is recruiting talents regardless of their background. Talented people who have been sitting on the sidelines in Jingzhou and Xiangyang are flocking to join him.

Of course, top strategists like Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong are not easy to persuade. As Zhou Yu said to Lu Su, this is an era of change. It is not only the lord who chooses good ministers, but also the good ministers who choose the lord.

Xu Shu said to Gan Ning: "Huang Zu is cunning and treacherous. On the surface, he has allied with Liu Biao and obeys him, but in reality, he guards the city so tightly that Liu Biao cannot get close. If you attack Jiangxia with a strategy of gradual encroachment, Huang Zu will not be in danger and will not easily ask Liu Biao for help."

Conversely, if the fighting becomes too hasty and Huang Zu's survival is threatened, he will inevitably seek help from Liu Biao. Liu Biao would be more than happy to oblige and would certainly seize the opportunity to launch a large-scale attack on Jiangxia, which is definitely not the outcome that the general and Huang Zu want to see.

Gan Ning nodded. "Does the gentleman mean that Huang Zu is more wary of Liu Biao than of me?"

"That's right. Liu Biao also wanted to seize Yuzhang Commandery, but he couldn't pass through Jiangxia. He could only take Changsha Commandery and then attack Yuzhang from Changsha Commandery. This shows Huang Zu's vigilance against Liu Biao."

Gan Ning smiled and said, "In your opinion, sir, how should I gradually take over Jiangxia?"

"First seize the south bank of the Yangtze River, then attack Changsha County, and in one fell swoop resolve the crisis of Yuzhang County being attacked from both sides!"

Gan Ning was overjoyed, as Xu Shu's suggestion coincided with his own thoughts.

There are still eight years before Cao Cao launches his major southward campaign. These eight long years will be enough for him to take over the entire area south of the Yangtze River, west of Yuzhang Commandery.

Gan Ning immediately appointed Xu Shu as deputy military advisor, to jointly manage military affairs with Lu Su.

Xu Wei used the excuse that it was inconvenient to live in the Zhaoxian Hall, and moved directly into the guest courtyard of Gan Ning's mansion. The guest courtyard was located on the east side of the central courtyard, separated from the rear residence by only one wall.

When Da Qiao heard that Xu Wei was Gan Ning's friend and the legitimate daughter of the prestigious Xu family, she warmly welcomed and settled Xu Wei in. She instructed the steward to prepare new bedding and various daily necessities for Xu Wei and also arranged for a maid to serve her.

There was a small, independent courtyard in the guest house, which was decorated very elegantly, and Xu Wei liked it very much, so she settled down there.

Xiao Qiao, however, was extremely clever and quick-witted. Seeing that Xu Wei intended to stay for a long time, and seeing her sister's warm hospitality, she suddenly became a little anxious and went to Da Qiao, saying, "Sister, you must be careful of this Xu Wei. She has ulterior motives!"

Da Qiao was somewhat displeased, "Miss Xu is a guest, it's very rude of you to talk about a guest like that!"

Xiao Qiao got anxious. "She's not a guest at all. She only met my brother-in-law once, but she shamelessly moved into our house. Can't you see her intentions?"

"I don't see any intentions from her. She's just here to visit for a while. She doesn't have any of your ulterior motives."

Xiao Qiao stamped her feet anxiously, "My dear sister! Why are you so dense? I can tell she's after your husband. Wait until she steals him away before you start crying!"

"No, she's from a prestigious family. Her marriage will definitely be arranged by her family. She has no say in the matter."

"Sigh! If her family could make the decisions, why is she able to travel around on her own and even live in General Gan's mansion? Doesn't she care about gossip as an unmarried woman?"

Da Qiao shook her head again, "You're overthinking it!"

Just then, Xu Wei's voice came from the courtyard, "Is Sister Da Qiao here?"

"Yes, I'm here! Come in quickly."

Da Qiao hurriedly went out to greet her with a smile. Xiao Qiao was really discouraged when she saw that her sister would not listen to her advice. The key point was that Gan Ning was not only her brother-in-law, but also her future husband. She had to protect her interests and not let her husband be taken away by someone else.

Xu Wei, holding a chess set, smiled and said, "Little Qiao said that I like playing chess. I happen to have a chess set. Would you be interested, Big Sister?"

"Okay! I really enjoy playing chess and can sit quietly."

Xu Wei stepped forward, pulled Xiao Qiao along, and said with a smile, "Come on, little sister!"

Xiao Qiao pouted and was reluctantly pulled into the room by her.

Gan Ning returned to his residence in the afternoon and asked with a smile, "Has Miss Xu arrived?"

Da Qiao helped Gan Ning remove his outer garment and said, "She's here. I arranged for her to stay in the guest room, and she's very happy with our place."

"This young lady is quite something!"

Gan Ning sighed and said, "She told me today that there will be military affairs in the north. I just received a message by carrier pigeon that Huang Zu sent troops to occupy Xunyang County this morning."

"Ah! Is the general heading north?"

Gan Ning nodded. "I will set off at dawn tomorrow, leading my troops to Chaisang. I will return in about ten days to half a month."

"General, please take good care of yourself!"

Gan Ning cupped her face in his hands, gently kissed her, and smiled, "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

In the evening, Gan Ning invited Xu Wei to dinner, and Xiao Qiao also came. This was her way of protecting her interests; she wanted to dine with Gan Ning like her sister from now on. Gan Ning was pleased; more people meant a more lively meal. He said to Da Qiao, "A Zhu, why don't you invite Mother too?"

"no need!"

Xiao Qiao shook her head. "My mother is a Buddhist and a vegetarian. She doesn't eat any meat. I eat tofu with her all the time. I'm almost as thin as a bean sprout!"

Gan Ning chuckled, "Then come over and eat with us next time!"

Xiao Qiao had been waiting for Gan Ning to say this, and she immediately beamed and said, "Sister, I knew it! Brother-in-law will definitely welcome me."

Xu Wei smiled silently to the side. She already knew about their relationship. The two sisters had been taken in by Brother Gan together, but since they weren't formally married, they were naturally his concubines.

Xu Wei was very perceptive. She went to Da Qiao's room and found that Da Qiao and General Gan did not share a room. Moreover, Da Qiao was still wearing a girl's hairstyle, which indicated that they did not have a marital relationship.

Xu Wei immediately understood the reason. It must be because he felt that they were still young and couldn't bear to hurt them. Brother Gan was really good, kind and considerate, much better than that irritable and ruthless Sun Yi.

"Miss Xu, are your divinations always very accurate?" Gan Ning asked with a smile.

Xu Wei shook his head, "It's not that accurate. If it's 30% right, that's already pretty good."

Gan Ning pondered for a moment and said, "I just received news that Huang Zu captured Xunyang County early this morning. Sure enough, something happened in the north."

Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao were shocked. "How is Second Uncle?"

“Your second uncle and his family are all safe. Huang Zu didn’t want to make an enemy of me, so he opened up the East City and let them retreat. This time, Huang Zu’s attack on Xunyang County was not aimed at me. He wanted to seize the entire Lujiang County.”

"what!"

Xu Wei exclaimed in alarm, her face paling. She hurriedly said to Gan Ning, "My father is the Prefect of Lujiang! What will happen to him? General Gan, please save my father! I beg you!"

Xu Wei quickly clasped her hands together and pleaded with Gan Ning, her beautiful eyes filled with worry for her father.

Gan Ning hadn't thought of that question. After a moment's thought, he asked, "Is your father in Shuxian or Wanxian?"

"He's in Wan County, in charge of building the city wall at Wankou!"

Gan Ning pondered for a moment and said to Xu Wei, "It will take at least three days to get from Xunyang to Wan County, which means Huang Zu's army won't be able to reach Wan County until the afternoon of the day after tomorrow. Here's what we'll do! I'll send a pigeon message to the scouts in Wan County first thing tomorrow morning and have them inform your father. He'll know by tomorrow night at the latest, so he'll have time to retreat."

Xu Wei, his face full of gratitude, clasped his hands together again and said, "Thank you so much, General!"

Gan Ning smiled and waved his hand, "You're welcome, it was nothing!"

That night, Da Qiao couldn't sleep at all. In the afternoon, Xu Wei cast a divination for her, saying that she would have a son and a daughter in the future. This divination immediately threw Da Qiao's heart into turmoil.

She began to yearn to be a wife and to have a child of her own; her desire to be a wife was unknowingly awakened by Xu Wei.

Da Qiao gently bit her lip, finally mustered up her courage, quietly put on her shoes and came to Gan Ning's room. She took off her undergarments, crawled into Gan Ning's quilt, snuggled in his arms, and hugged her husband tightly.

Gan Ning woke up abruptly and found a soft, warm body lying in his arms. His heart warmed, and he gently stroked her hair, saying, "A-Zhu, what brings you here?"

Azhu is the name of Da Qiao; her name is Qiao Zhu. Her younger sister, Xiao Qiao, is named Qiao Yu.

Da Qiao mustered her courage and whispered, "I don't want to be known as a fake wife anymore. I want to be your real wife."

Gan Ning held her in his arms and then realized that she was only wearing a small undergarment, which almost made him spit out a nosebleed.

"You're still a little too young, how about next year?"

Gan Ning's commitment period has begun to shorten.

Da Qiao blushed and whispered in Gan Ning's ear, "Xiao Qiao said that I can actually help you."

Gan Ning was taken aback. "How did Xiao Qiao know?"

"She's young but incredibly shrewd; she knows more than I do."

Gan Ning's heart skipped a beat. This was a good idea! He whispered a few words in Da Qiao's ear.

Da Qiao blushed, nodded gently, and turned to crawl under the covers.
That night, although the two did not take the final step, they had physical intimacy and shared a bed, thus becoming husband and wife in effect.

(End of this chapter)