Tiger Owl

Chapter 69 Unexpected Gain of a General
Zhang Zhongjing, whose real name was Zhang Ji and courtesy name was Zhongjing, was about forty years old. He was thin and had three black tufts of beard on his chin. He had a rather refined appearance. When Gan Ning came to visit, he clasped his hands in greeting and said, "This humble official, Zhang Ji, the county magistrate, thanks General Gan for his strict military discipline and for not harming the people!"

Gan Ning smiled slightly and said, "The people are our providers; how can we easily harm them?"

Zhang Zhongjing sighed, “Everyone understands the principle, but how many feudal lords can truly put it into practice? General Gan’s understanding of righteousness is a blessing for E County and a boon for the people of Yuzhang!”

Zhang Zhongjing invited Gan Ning into the hall and asked his wife to serve tea.

Gan Ning nodded slightly, then smiled at Zhang Zhongjing and said, "Although I am young, I have heard of many cases and am quite puzzled. For example, plagues are different. Some plagues occur in winter, while others are more severe in summer. Why is that?"

Zhang Zhongjing smiled slightly and said, "Plague, as the name suggests, is a disease caused by heat. It occurs more frequently in summer and is mostly transmitted through water contaminated by diarrhea. For example, typhoid fever is transmitted through the fecal-oral route. Even though it is the height of summer, many patients die of hypothermia."

The type of illness that occurs in winter is actually a cold-related epidemic, primarily affecting the lungs and transmitted through coughing. Generally, it's treated as either a warm epidemic or a cold epidemic, but prevention is key: frequent handwashing, drinking boiled water, and timely isolation of patients.

"I understand, thank you for your kind words, Magistrate Zhang!"

Gan Ning pondered for a moment and then said, "I would like to appoint you as the magistrate of E County, what do you think?"

Zhang Zhongjing shook his head. "To be honest, I have no interest in being an official. I have treated countless patients over the years and have some insights I want to write down, but I am constantly bothered by various mundane affairs, which makes it difficult for me to calm down. However, not being an official would offend Governor Liu, and I also have to support my family, so I am in a dilemma."

Gan Ning was merely testing Zhang Zhongjing. Zhang Zhongjing was likely appointed as the Prefect of Changsha Commandery the year after next, but he resigned after two years, and Han Xuan succeeded him.

Gan Ning's real purpose was to invite Zhang Zhongjing to Nanchang to take charge. With the medical sage in Nanchang, he wouldn't have to worry about the plague raging in Yuzhang County.

He didn't want to disrupt Zhang Zhongjing's historical trajectory and prevent the publication of "Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases," otherwise he would truly become a sinner in history.

Seeing that Zhang Zhongjing really didn't want to be an official, Gan Ning smiled slightly and said, "I plan to build a medical school in Nanchang and would like to invite you to serve as its director. You can teach students and devote yourself to medical research. At the same time, you can also have a good income to support your family. Please don't refuse!"

Zhang Zhongjing was overjoyed; this was the position he had always dreamed of!
He stroked his beard and smiled, "I have long heard of the breathtaking scenery of Longhu Mountain and have long yearned to visit it. It is my great fortune to be able to go to Nanchang to devote myself to writing!"

Gan Ning was overjoyed and immediately instructed Xu Shu to arrange for Zhang Zhongjing's family to be sent to Nanchang. At the same time, he wrote a letter to Lu Su, ordering him to establish a medical center immediately and to properly settle Zhang Zhongjing.

.........

When Gan Ning returned to the military camp, he saw that countless soldiers had formed a large circle in the middle of the camp, cheering and shouting. Inside the circle, Xu Sheng was fighting a general, and the two were locked in a fierce battle. Gan Ning had never seen this general before.

Gan Ning was taken aback. Who was this general?

Ding Feng saw Gan Ning and rushed over to report, "Reporting to my lord, this is a surrendered general. He is the one who exposed Deng Long. This general is extremely skilled in martial arts, but unfortunately his talent has been buried."

"What's his name?"

"Reporting to my lord, his name is Wei Yan!"

Gan Ning was stunned. Wei Yan had actually come out. This was completely unexpected!

What rank did he hold in the military?

"He was just a minor officer, commanding two hundred men."

A Ya Jiang is the same rank as a Qu Chang (a high-ranking officer in charge of a unit). However, Wei Yan only had two hundred men under his command, so he was considered a Xiao Qu Chang (a minor officer in charge of a unit). If he were a Da Qu Chang (a major officer in charge of a unit), he would have five hundred men under his command.

It seems Wei Yan didn't fare well, only being a low-ranking general. Although the official system in the Han Dynasty was chaotic, with positions like Colonel and General of the Household being both military and official ranks, the ranks within the army were relatively clear: Soldier, Corporal, Platoon Leader, Captain, Captain, Captain of the Garrison, Captain of the Hundred, Captain of the Battalion, Captain of the Army, Captain of the Vanguard, Captain of the Household, General, and Grand General.

Gan Ning is now appointed as Jianwu Zhonglang General, but in reality his army has reached 36,000 men. Zhonglang General is too low a rank; he should at least be a general with a miscellaneous title.

Gan Ning was promoted to Lieutenant General, and his subordinates also rose in rank. Shen Mi, Lou Fa, Wang Ping, Ding Feng, and Xu Sheng were appointed as Colonels by Gan Ning, while Wang Xiaoman, Zhang Xi, Chen Mu, Zhang Tai, Qin Yi, Chang Nu, and other generals were appointed as Commandant.

Gan Ning nodded. "Bring him to see me!"

Gan Ning returned to the central command tent, and shortly after, Wei Yan followed Ding Feng into the tent.

Historically, after Liu Bei arrived in Jingzhou, he made many subtle moves to win over a large number of low-ranking generals in Jingzhou, such as Liao Hua, Huo Jun, and Fu Tong, and Wei Yan was one of them.

Wei Yan was from Yiyang and came from a poor family. Although he was highly skilled in martial arts, he was not given important responsibilities. He encountered a good-natured but incompetent superior, Deng Long. He kindly reminded Deng Long that he could use fire attacks, but Deng Long publicly humiliated him. Wei Yan held a grudge and betrayed Deng Long without hesitation when Deng Long disguised himself and tried to escape.

"This humble general, Wei Yan, greets the general!"

Gan Ning observed that he was about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, tall and imposing, with strong arms, dark skin, a hooked nose, thick eyebrows, and triangular eyes, making him look extremely fierce.

Gan Ning nodded and said, "I have captured Deng Long alive. General Wei, do you have any good suggestions on how to deal with him?"

"Reporting to the general, Deng Long once shot and killed Sun Jian. I suggest that he be sent to Jiangdong as a favor."

Was Sun Jian really shot and killed by Deng Long?

Wei Yan nodded. "Back then, Deng Long was a garrison commander, just like me. We were even from the same hometown. But Deng Long was lucky. He killed Sun Jian with an arrow, which earned him Huang Zu's favor. Huang Zu took him as his son-in-law, and now he has been promoted to Lieutenant General."

Gan Ning slammed his fist on the table and roared, "So you resent him and betrayed him, is that it?"

Wei Yan was startled and quickly explained, "This humble servant is not jealous of him. Before the general's fleet arrived, I suggested to him that the Yuzhang army would definitely attack by ship, and that we need to prepare a lot of oil and straw to defeat the enemy. He did not listen and even insulted me in public."

At that time, I knew the situation was hopeless, so I decided to surrender to the general and led two hundred men down the city wall. The general can go and check; none of my two hundred men were injured, all were safe and sound. Since I decided to surrender, of course I wanted to capture Deng Long to gain merit, not betray him.”

Ding Feng also bowed and said, "General Wei's words are all true. Please, my lord, see for yourself!"

Wei Yan actually knew how to use fire, which shows he's quite talented. Gan Ning nodded and said, "My army doesn't care about background, only military merit. You've done a good job capturing Deng Long, so I'm promoting you to captain, commanding a thousand men, and you'll be following Captain Ding. You'll be rewarded for this as well. If you make any more great contributions in the future, I'll continue to promote you."

Wei Yan was overjoyed and knelt down on one knee, saying, "Wei Yan is willing to serve my lord with utmost loyalty!"

Although Wei Yan was a famous general in history, Gan Ning did not intend to give him a high position. Giving someone a high position without principle often leads to a situation where a little kindness is appreciated but too much kindness is resented. If Wei Yan's official position is promoted too high, he will not only not be grateful, but will also feel that it is his due. He even wants to be a deputy general.

This is the mistake Liu Bei made: he promoted Wei Yan too high a rank all at once, making Wei Yan arrogant and complacent.

The army values ​​seniority highly. If an enemy general surrenders and is promoted to captain, his own subordinates will be dissatisfied! But a low rank is also not good, as it would make Wei Yan lose hope. Therefore, using the merit of capturing Deng Long to promote him by one rank to captain is the most appropriate.

Recognizing his martial arts skills and acknowledging his contributions, Wei Yan was given a minor promotion, for which he felt nothing but gratitude.

(End of this chapter)