Tiger Owl

Chapter 19: Concealing the truth
Inside the Xunyang Restaurant, a merchant drank his wine and asked the manager, "It seems there aren't many troops in the city! Aren't you worried about Huang Zu's army coming to attack?"

The shopkeeper chuckled, "Our Chaisang is easy to defend and difficult to attack. When Zhang Ying attacked with several thousand men, we only had a few hundred defenders, and we still managed to hold Chaisang."

"It's more than four hundred now!"

"Not by much, maybe eight or nine hundred at most!"

"Why are you still flying Cao Cao's military flag?"

"General Gan was originally appointed by Cao Cao!"

.........

Inside the inn, another merchant gave the waiter a few hundred coins and said with a smile, "I have something to ask you!"

The waiter smiled broadly and said, "Please feel free to ask, sir. If I know the answer, I will tell you the truth!"

"I want to know, how many troops are in the city?"

"Nine hundred men. Every morning General Gan leads his soldiers on a run. There are nine teams in total, so that makes nine hundred soldiers!"

"Only nine hundred soldiers in total?"

"Of course, that's quite a lot. Before, we only had four hundred people, and we still defeated Zhang Ying."

"What kind of armor should they wear, and what kind of weapons should they use?"

The waiter laughed and said, "You'll see for yourself tomorrow, there's really no need to ask me!"

.........

The next day, before dawn, a group of nine hundred men, led by Gan Ning, ran along the city wall. All the merchants could see clearly that there were nine teams, nine hundred men in total, all wearing leather armor and carrying spears.

The intelligence was quickly spread in all directions.

.........

In Nanchang, the newly appointed governor Sun Ben received the envoy sent by Gan Ning.

Sun Ben read Gan Ning's letter, nodded, and asked, "Why doesn't your General Gan want Haihun County?"

The envoy bowed and said, "It's not that we don't want it, but we can't defend it. Ai County has Liu Xin's three thousand troops. Once Liu Xin leads his army to attack, we will not be able to resist at all. General Gan, you might as well give Haihun County to Prefect Sun. Let the capable do the work."

Sun Ben laughed and said, "General Gan seems to know what's good for him!"

“My general said that trying to play tricks on Prefect Sun would only bring shame upon oneself, and it would be better to tell the truth.”

Sun Ben stroked his beard and smiled slightly, "I understand. Tell your general that since he is a separate commander appointed by Cao Sikong, I will not attack Chaisang for the time being. However, I cannot guarantee that in the future. Also, remind him that his troops are too few. If Huang Zu or Liu Xun attack, he will not be able to resist at all. Quickly ask Cao Sikong for reinforcements and request more troops!"

"Thank you for the reminder, Prefect. I will certainly report to General Gan truthfully."

No sooner had the envoy left than Lü Fan arrived in haste.

"General Sun, I heard that Gan Ning has sent an envoy?"

Sun Ben said calmly, "I am the newly appointed prefect of Yuzhang County. As the magistrate of Chaisang, he naturally has to express his opinion to me."

"How did he say?"

"He said he had eliminated Zhang Ying and was willing to hand over Haihun County to me to show his sincerity. In reality, he just hoped that I would not attack him."

Lu Fan frowned. "I just received a scout's urgent message that Chaisang only has nine hundred troops. I don't understand why he only has nine hundred troops if he wiped out Zhang Ying?"

"It's not surprising. He was appointed as the magistrate of Chaisang County by Cao Sikong, but Cao Sikong did not give him a single soldier. He should only have two or three hundred men under his command, just like he did in Xiangyang. I heard that his archery skills are extremely high. He intimidated Cai Yan at Yang Taiwei's mansion. I guess he must have shot and killed Zhang Ying."

But how could his two or three hundred men control Zhang Ying's three thousand? Therefore, most of Zhang Ying's men scattered, and his three hundred men could at most control five or six hundred. So, his current force is no more than a thousand—isn't that normal?

Sun Ben's words did indeed make sense. Lü Fan pondered for a moment and said, "I suspect that he was the one who stole our armory and ships before. This man is skilled in both literature and martial arts, and quite cunning. If we underestimate him, he will surely become a future threat. It would be better to take advantage of his current weakness and eliminate him directly." "Only nine hundred men, why does Lord Lü value him so much?"

"It's not because his troops are few, but because this man... sigh! The governor should know about the Nanchang armory incident!"

"Of course I know!"

Sun Ben smiled and nodded, "I know what I'm doing. Gan Ning gave me Haihun County with a humble attitude. The key is that I have to give Cao Sikong some face, so I put Gan Ning last. We'll first destroy Poyang Zuo Rong, then Luling Tong Zhi, and then defeat Liu Xin to take back Ai County. At that point, I'll try to be polite first, then use force. If Gan Ning refuses to surrender to Jiangdong, then I'll just wipe him out."

Lu Fan sighed inwardly. He felt that Gan Ning was a much greater threat than Zuo Rong. To be able to empty the armory right under his nose was no small feat.

In his mind, he would definitely want to eliminate Gan Ning first, but he also had to give face to Sun Ben.

After a moment of silence, Lü Fan asked, "General Sun, are you sure he was appointed by Cao Cao?"

Sun Ben nodded. "He raised the banner of Cao Cao's army in Chaisang!"

Lü Fan dismissed the idea, saying, "Anyone can raise Cao Cao's banner; that doesn't prove anything."

"Of course I won't believe it easily. I have evidence that he is Cao Sikong's man. When I was in Qu'a, Sun Yi told me about the Xuchang incident. This Gan Ning is actually Cao Pi's man. He escorted Cao Pi to the banquet at Yang Taiwei's mansion. He was appointed as the magistrate of Chaisang. He must have been appointed by Cao Sikong in the name of the court. I guess Cao Sikong wanted to plant a spy in Jiangdong."

Sun Ben kept referring to Cao Cao as "Minister of Works" and refused to call him by his given name. Lü Fan found this grating, but he knew perfectly well that Sun Ben had just become related to Cao Cao by marriage and already considered him an ally.

Helpless, Lü Fan could only nod and say, "Then let's follow the governor's plan. We'll eliminate Zuo Rong of Poyang first, and leave Gan Ning for last. I hope he will act wisely."

Sun Ben reassured him, saying, "He only has nine hundred men. In a few months, he'll have at most two thousand. Taishi Ci alone can wipe him out. Lord Lü, there's no need to worry!"

Lu Fan could only smile bitterly. What was the use of worrying? Fortunately, Gan Ning's forces were too small, and they still had a chance to kill this man.

..........
Two days later, Sun Ben conveyed Sun Ce's order, appointing Taishi Ci as the Commandant of Jianchang, leading 5,000 troops to garrison Haihun County, and tasking him with capturing Ai County and driving out Liu Xin's forces.

He also specifically instructed Taishi Ci that Gan Ning of Chaisang was currently Cao Sikong's spy. Since the lord had just formed a marriage alliance with Cao Sikong, he should not antagonize him for the time being, and should not attack Chaisang County and Liling County. If they were in trouble, there was no need to provide assistance. Instead, he should have Huang Zu or Liu Xun eliminate Gan Ning, and then take back Chaisang. In this way, Cao Sikong would not blame them.

Taishi Ci agreed and immediately led 5,000 troops to Haihun County.

Sun Ben then personally led an army of 7,000 men and more than 500 warships, appointing Han Dang as the vanguard. The army marched north along the Gan River to attack the Zuo Rong forces in Poyang County.

Lü Fan and his brother Sun Fu led 4,000 men to garrison Nanchang County, ready to support the battle of Poyang County at any time.

..........
Among the many figures of the Three Kingdoms period, few could rival Zuo Rong in terms of moral depravity, wickedness, and ruthlessness. Zhao Yu, the governor of Guangling, Xue Li, the chancellor of Pengcheng, and Zhu Hao, the governor of Yuzhang, were all people who had been kind to him, yet he killed them all with despicable means.

Wherever he went, he would unleash his troops to slaughter civilians and plunder their property.

Yet this man, so cruel by nature and filled with betrayal and shamelessness, was also an incredibly devout Buddhist. The historical practice of worshipping Buddha began with him, which is truly ironic.

Several years ago, after killing Zhu Hao, the governor of Yuzhang, he seized the land east of Pengli Lake and established his own base and power with Poyang County as the center.

Although Liu Yao had defeated him, he fled into the mountains. After Liu Yao died, Zuo Rong made a comeback and reoccupied the surrounding area centered on Poyang County.

Just last year, when he was preparing to take action against Hua Xin in Nanchang County in order to seize the entire Yuzhang Commandery, Sun Ce took the initiative, persuaded Hua Xin to surrender, and sent Sun Ben and Lü Fan with 10,000 troops to occupy Nanchang County, shattering Zuo Rong's dream.

Zuo Rong was thin and sallow-faced with a long, horse-like face and a short beard that made his face appear even longer. His triangular eyes were particularly sinister and cunning.

At this time, Zuo Rong was filled with anxiety. He knew that Sun Ben would definitely make a move against him. Like a cunning rabbit with three burrows, he began to look for his own way out.

Zuo Rong set his sights on Chaisang. Chaisang was a strategically important location, offering both opportunities for advancement and retreat. It could either sweep through Yuzhang County or retreat to Jingzhou.

"Reporting to my lord, after repeated inquiries, we have confirmed that there are only nine hundred soldiers in Chaisang County, commanded by Gan Ning, the county magistrate appointed by the imperial court."

Zuo Rong was secretly delighted, thinking that Heaven was helping him. He immediately ordered, "Load all the grain and valuables onto the ships, load all the weapons and armor onto the ships, and order the five thousand troops to assemble immediately and prepare to depart for Chaisang."

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[The previous chapter had a place name error; it should be Liling County, not Jianling County. Also, Sun Ben's daughter married Cao Zhang, not Sun Ben's sister. This has been corrected.]

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(End of this chapter)