With Cao Cao by my side, what do I have to fear from the world?

Sun Kuang climbed the city wall and saw a dense crowd of people everywhere. The leader of them was none other than Gan Ning, Gan Xingba of Jinfan!
Gan Ning was over eight feet tall, with a broad back and a powerful build. His eyes were bright and piercing, like cold stars twinkling in the night sky, deep and sharp.

Gan Ning had a resolute face with sharp features, and his thick beard fluttered in the wind, adding to his imposing presence.

He was clad in soft armor and wore a helmet; the metallic sheen shone brightly in the firelight, making him appear like a war god descended to earth.

Gan Ning exudes an innate confidence, which is not blind arrogance, but stems from his experience in countless battles and his illustrious military achievements.

Sun Kuang was greatly alarmed and hurriedly summoned a soldier, ordering him, "Quickly go and report to Lord Wu!"

Sun Quan had been in a bad mood these past few days and had been staying up late. When he received the news, he was lying on Bu Lianshi's bed.

Hearing the shouts, Sun Quan was startled awake, hurriedly put on his clothes, and went to the outer room.

Upon learning that Gan Ning had appeared outside the city, Sun Quan's eyes widened, and he muttered, "How is this possible?"

"It's absolutely true. There are no fewer than five thousand enemy soldiers outside the city. They are definitely Gan Ning's men!"

Sun Quan rushed to the city wall. Sun Kuang was extremely anxious. Upon seeing Sun Quan, he hurriedly pointed to the location of Gan Ning outside the city and said, "Brother, look, that's Gan Ning!"

Looking down from his high vantage point, Sun Quan saw many people building makeshift siege ladders outside the city. They were almost all infantrymen, which made Sun Quan feel slightly relieved.

"Don't panic. We rely on our strong city and defend it. They came in haste and lack siege equipment, so they are not a threat!"

Sun Kuang swallowed hard. "That's true, but these people are too mysterious. How did they suddenly appear?"

The garrison in Chaisang numbered only three thousand men. Sun Quan had entrusted almost all of his forces to Lü Meng. Even if Gan Ning was not actually going to attack the city, his sudden appearance here was enough to startle anyone.

After a while, Sun Quan discovered that many archers had been organized outside the city. They had tied letters to their arrows and were shooting them into the city. Sun Quan was puzzled and had someone pick up a letter. He found that it was a letter urging surrender.

The letter was written by Lu Xun, who told the soldiers and civilians in the city that Sun Quan was at his wit's end and that the city would fall within ten days!
"The city will surely fall within ten days?"

Sun Quan frowned immediately, and his gaze fell on Gan Ning again. He couldn't help but wonder where Gan Ning got his confidence from.
Does he have some way to break through the city? Or will the imperial reinforcements arrive soon?

Because Lu Xun wrote so many letters, the news of the city's fall spread quickly within ten days. In an instant, the entire city of Chaisang was in turmoil, and people were filled with fear.

After being awakened, Sun Quan's men rushed to the city wall. They all had solemn expressions and furrowed brows.

They looked at each other, whispering amongst themselves, beads of sweat clearly visible on their foreheads. They racked their brains for a solution, but seemed completely at a loss.

The soldiers defending the city had lost their former determination and courage. Some of the younger soldiers looked fearful and trembled uncontrollably, as if the end of the world was coming.

Although the older soldiers tried to appear calm, their furrowed brows and heavy breathing betrayed their inner unease.

Sighs and complaints could be heard from time to time from the crowd; morale was low, and a gloomy atmosphere enveloped the city walls.

The prospect of the city falling within ten days loomed over everyone's mind like a terrifying curse.

The soldiers defending the city were filled with fear and anxiety, feeling lost and terrified.

People like Yu Fan and Gu Yong were greatly encouraged and their confidence was instantly ignited.

Lacking siege equipment, Gan Ning was not in a hurry to attack the city, but Sun Quan dared not be careless.

In the latter half of the night, the east gate opened, and Sun Quan attempted to send someone to Chibi to deliver a message to Lü Meng.

Zhou Shan rode a fine horse, wielding a long sword, his eyes wide open, and roared as he charged out of the encirclement. Dozens of men followed him, trying to provide cover for him.

Zhou Shan brandished his longsword with fierce force, trying to carve a bloody path for himself. His mount neighed, its hooves pounding the ground as it galloped forward recklessly.

However, Lu Xun had anticipated this. The Jin Fan Army surged forward like a tide and quickly blocked Zhou Shan's path. Zhou Shan did not back down and charged left and right, trying to break through the enemy lines.

Gan Ning quickly arrived at the East Gate, his gaze fixed coldly on the battlefield. He stood tall and straight, like an unshakeable mountain.

He calmly drew his longbow from behind his back, nocked an arrow, and a confident smirk appeared on his lips.

With a crisp snap of the bowstring, the arrow shot out like lightning. It drew a sharp arc through the air, flying with unparalleled precision toward Zhou Shan.

Before Zhou Shan could react, the arrow struck him squarely in the chest. His body jolted violently, his eyes filled with disbelief and despair, before he fell heavily off his horse.

Gan Ning's arrow demonstrated his unparalleled archery skills, leaving everyone present in awe and admiration. Sun Quan, watching from the city wall, watched Zhou Shan fall from his horse after being struck by an arrow, and his heart sank.

Cheers erupted outside the city as the Jinfan Army roared in amazement at Gan Ning's superb archery skills. Gan Ning strode over to Zhou Shan's side. Zhou Shan was not quite dead yet; his body was still writhing on the ground.

A ferocious smile appeared on Gan Ning's face. With a swift movement, he decisively severed Zhou Shan's head, weighed it in his hand for a few moments, and then hurled it violently towards the city wall.

With a whoosh, Zhou Shan's head flew through the air like a cannonball, tracing a beautiful arc, over Sun Quan's head, and landed on the city wall, causing a gasp of surprise.

"You want to send someone to ask for help, Blue-eyed girl? I advise you to give up that idea. I will definitely conquer Chaisang within ten days. Just you wait."

Gan Ning uttered a harsh threat, and soon, all the people who had left the city with Zhou Shan were killed. Gan Ning continued to lead his men to build siege ladders, while Lu Xun led his men to block all the entrances and exits of Chaisang.

It's clear that no matter who it is, they can forget about leaving the city, and sending someone to ask for help is wishful thinking.

Sun Quan and his men were so frightened that they couldn't sleep at all. They were all anxiously waiting on the city wall.

Gan Ning ignored them; he was very busy, busy making the most of his time to build more siege weapons.

After daybreak, Gan Ning ordered a fire to be lit and a meal to be prepared, and the soldiers took turns eating.

Gan Ning swallowed a large bowl of soup noodles in a few bites. He was a little puzzled and asked Lu Xun, "Boyan, didn't you say before that even if we couldn't take Chaisang, we could make Lü Meng divide his forces? But now you're telling me not to let any of you go. That way, Lü Meng won't get the news."

Guan Cheng looked at Lu Xun with a puzzled expression. Gan Ning punched him and urged, "Eat quickly, then get back to work." Everyone has their weakness, and Guan Cheng, who had been a bandit, was not easy for ordinary people to control.

However, Gan Ning was Guan Cheng's nemesis. His methods were simple and brutal, but very effective.

You're ruthless? I'll be ruthless. You're cunning? I'll be cunning.
Guan Cheng was a bandit, and Gan Ning was also a bandit by origin. Gan Ning of Jinfan was a fearsome and ruthless character who once dominated the Jianghuai region.

Guan Cheng was completely subdued and had no temper left. He quickly ate a few mouthfuls of rice and went back to work.

Lu Xun explained with a smile, "General Gan, now is not the time. We don't even have the siege equipment we need. If we send Sun Quan to ask for help now, the siege plan will probably fall through."

Gan Ning nodded. "I see!"

"Then why did you insist on telling Sun Quan in your letter that the city would fall within ten days?"

Lu Xun countered, “If I said we would take the city now, even if we shouted ourselves hoarse, Sun Quan wouldn’t be afraid, because he knows we can’t do it. But if I said we would take the city within ten days, not only Sun Quan, but everyone in the city would feel uneasy, because they wouldn’t know how we would take the city. Maybe there’s an inside man, maybe there are reinforcements. In short, they will be restless day and night for these ten days. The fear of the unknown is the most frightening thing.”

Lu Xun gave a very simple example: "If death row inmates are suddenly killed, they will not be too afraid, because they will not even have time to be afraid. However, if you tell them that they will be killed in ten days, they will not be able to eat or sleep for ten days. They will be scared half to death."

Gan Ning laughed heartily, "I must say, you look so delicate and refined, but I never expected you to come up with one wicked idea after another. You're quite cunning."

Lu Xun wasn't angry. "I'll just take it as General Gan praising me."

Liu Xie put a lot of effort into training Lu Xun, and when Lu Xun was twelve years old, Liu Xie put him under the tutelage of Jia Xu.

At that time, Cao Cao still controlled Xuchang, but in the underground secret room, Lu Xun had already begun to grow rapidly.

Could the students trained by Jia Xu be anything less than excellent?

Whether it's an open or covert strategy, Lu Xun doesn't stick to conventions. As long as it works and solves the problem, it's a good strategy.

In the meantime, Sun Quan tried several times to send people out of the city, but to no avail.

Despite their expertise in naval warfare, the Jinfan Army was equally formidable on land, making it impossible for them to break through.

Sun Quan paced anxiously back and forth on the city wall, his face as pale as paper, his hands clenched into fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the force. His eyes were filled with anxiety and fear as he looked at the dense enemy troops outside the city, his hope being slowly eroded.

The soldiers in the city were also filled with panic; their once resolute eyes had turned blank and fearful. They huddled together, whispering among themselves, their voices trembling.

"What should we do? All the soldiers who went out of the city to seek reinforcements have died. Are we going to be trapped here and die?"

Some soldiers sat in the corner, heads bowed, hands clutching their helmets, sighing repeatedly.

At night, soldiers huddled together, muttering to themselves, "Are we going to die? Will we never be able to go home again?"

A sense of despair permeated the entire city of Chaisang, and fear spread among the people like a plague. Sun Quan watched this scene, his heart filled with helplessness and regret. He knew that his own fate and that of his soldiers now hung by a thread.

These ten days were painful and agonizing. The number of siege ladders outside the city increased day by day, but Gan Ning was still in no hurry to attack the city.

The more he remained inactive, the more nervous and uneasy Sun Quan became.

Gu Yong and Yu Fan had already discussed and made preparations in advance. On the night of the ninth day, they secretly shot an arrow.

After someone outside the city found it, they hurriedly handed the letter tied to the arrow to Gan Ning. Gan Ning read it and laughed loudly, "Good, attack the city tomorrow!"

Lu Xun nodded. "It's about time. After these past few days of waiting, the morale in the city has plummeted. While we're attacking, I'll send someone disguised as a Jiangdong soldier to deliver a message to Lü Meng."

Gan Ning said, "Why don't we wait until we take Chaisang before sending the message?"

Lu Xun shook his head and said confidently, "I believe we will definitely be able to take Chaisang tomorrow. Besides, Lu Meng will need time to get here from Chibi. Now that we have an inside man, taking the city will be a piece of cake."

Lu Xun's brain was like a high-speed machine; he considered every single problem.

These past few days, he had actually been waiting for news from his inside contact. With so many people in the city, it was impossible that not a single one of them would contact him.

It should be noted that many people have already pledged their loyalty to the emperor.

In addition, with each additional day of waiting, the morale of the Jiangdong soldiers defending the city would decline further. Launching a fierce attack when the morale of the defending soldiers is about to collapse would undoubtedly maximize the chances of victory.

Lu Xun also took into account both the distance and the time involved in Lü Meng's situation.

As for Liu Xie's side, when Lu Xun decided to launch a surprise attack on Chaisang, he also sent a small boat to deliver the message.

…………

Ulin!

On this day, Liu Xie summoned everyone together, including Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Cao Ren, Xiahou Dun, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, Wei Yan, Cao Zhen, Cao Zhang, Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, Xun You... It can be said that a gathering of fierce generals and a constellation of stars.

Liu Xie's gaze swept across the faces of everyone, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. With these people as his assistants, what was there to fear, no matter what kind of powerful enemy they faced?
"News has come from Gan Ning's side that they have landed first and are planning to launch a surprise attack on Chaisang. On our side, we just need to be prepared. Once we discover that Lü Meng has divided his forces on the opposite bank, we will launch a decisive attack and the entire army will cross the river!"

Both Cao Cao and Liu Bei were shocked by the sudden appearance of a naval force under the emperor's command. Liu Bei secretly sighed, thankful that he hadn't listened to Pang Tong; His Majesty was simply unfathomable.

Other naval forces could only operate in inland lakes and rivers, but Gan Ning's Jinfan Army had just crossed the sea and landed in Liaodong, and then, without stopping, circled around and attacked Chaisang.

This is absolutely terrifying!
Cao Cao was also relieved that he had realized the situation early. If he had really gone against the emperor, Zhao Yun, Lü Bu, Gan Ning, Zhang He, and others would not have been easy to deal with.

This was also inseparable from Guo Jia's timely reminder. Cao Cao couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow whenever he thought of Guo Jia.

Fengxiao, the sacrifices you have made for me are truly immense! (End of Chapter)