Tiger Owl

Chapter 27 Sneak Attack on Wan County
The generals of the Han Dynasty initially used spears, but the spearheads were short and had limited armor penetration, and the spear shafts were very easy to break. Craftsmen made continuous improvements to address the weaknesses of the spears. They used mulberry wood as material, repeatedly soaked it in oil and dried it, then glued it with fish glue, wrapped it with hemp rope, coated it with raw lacquer, and wrapped it with kudzu cloth to make a composite shaft that combined strength and flexibility.

They also lengthened the spearhead, forging a long, prismatic blade from refined steel, making it extremely effective at piercing armor and capable of both slashing and thrusting. However, this made it easy for the spear to lose balance with the shaft. So, the craftsmen added a metal goblet to the end of the shaft, which not only balanced the center of gravity but also provided additional support for the attack.

At the same time, a rough-surfaced metal knot was installed below the blade. The knot was called "retaining affection" but was actually to prevent the weapon from being too deep to be pulled out. It was used in conjunction with a warhorse. The entire weapon was four meters long and took three years to complete.

This is the horse lance, the king of weapons after the end of the Han Dynasty.

It was because of the invention of the horse lance that generals and heavy cavalry needed to fight with both hands wielding the horse lance, and had to use their legs to control their warhorses and stabilize their bodies. As a result, the double stirrup appeared at the end of the Han Dynasty.

In Gan Ning's hand was an exquisitely crafted horse lance, one of the weapons collected by Zuo Rong. Its maker is unknown, but this horse lance became Gan Ning's beloved possession.

Among the weapons collected by Zuo Rong was a Green Dragon Halberd, but Gan Ning did not choose a halberd again. He was a master of the halberd and knew its weaknesses well. The crescent-shaped branch next to it hindered the halberd's armor-piercing ability, making the halberd's armor-piercing ability the same as that of a spear.

At the same time, small branches are also easily caught by enemy weapons or armor.

Life and death hang in the balance. Once a small branch is caught, it means death for a general wielding a halberd. Lü Bu is an exception. His halberd weighs 120 jin and the blade alone is a foot long. Even if the small branch is caught, the opponent is still dead.

Gan Ning lacked Lü Bu's strength, so he ultimately chose the horse spear and abandoned his preferred halberd.

The lance, capable of both slashing and thrusting, perfectly met his requirements.

He also abandoned the double halberds he had used for many years and replaced them with a 30-pound steel whip.

The hand halberd was his standard equipment when he was a pirate. It could kill ordinary soldiers, but it was too weak against heavily armored generals. It couldn't pierce the iron armor at all and could only find gaps in the enemy's armor.

Since the gaps in the armor were usually in the armpits, his halberd was useless, so he used arrows to kill Hu Xian and Zhang Ying, who were wearing armor.

But the steel whip is different. It uses bluntness to overcome hardness. A single, solid strike will rupture the opponent's internal organs, without needing to break through their armor.

In the courtyard, Gan Ning was practicing spear fighting on horseback. The spear blade gleamed coldly as he swung it up and down with unparalleled speed. Besides strength, Gan Ning's martial arts skills were most impressive in their speed and precision.

Although the current Gan Ning is a time traveler, he has completely inherited Gan Ning's martial arts and strength.

At this moment, a soldier hurried over, saluted, and said, "Reporting to my lord, Chief Clerk Yang has urgent business to discuss!"

Gan Ning sheathed his spear. "Please let him in!"

Before long, Yang Jing strode forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, I have an important matter to report!"

"What important situation are you referring to?"

"Yuan Shu's family and retainers were all placed under house arrest by Liu Xun in Wan County. There were about three hundred people, including Yuan Shu's brothers, wife and children, as well as General Zhang Xun and Chief Clerk Yang Xuan, among others."

Gan Ning nodded. After he seized the imperial seal, Liu Xun arrived. Yuan Shu's family and troops must have fallen into Liu Xun's hands. He had only just learned that Yuan Shu's family was under house arrest in Wan County.

"How did you know?" Gan Ning asked.

"Today I received a letter from my cousin. She married Qiao Rui. After our hometown was attacked by the Yellow Turban Army, we lost contact with each other. I live with my father in Chaisang."

"Isn't Qiao Rui dead?"

“I didn’t know. I only found out when she wrote to me. Currently, Qiao Rui and his brother Qiao An are taking care of the three of them, including the mother and daughter. Qiao An is the Junior Minister of the Imperial Clan Court appointed by Yuan Shu. They are also under house arrest in Wan County. They heard that Liu Xun is planning to hand them over to the imperial court, so they are very afraid.”

Gan Ning's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly asked, "Your cousin has two daughters?"

"Exactly!"

How old are they?

"The older one is probably thirteen or fourteen years old, and the younger one is a year younger."

The two daughters are surnamed Qiao. Since Qiao and Qiao have been related since ancient times, could they be Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao?
Gan Ning asked Lu Su, and learned that Sun Ce had already married, and that his wife was the daughter of his maternal uncle, Wu Jing. Zhou Yu was twenty-four years old this year and had also married five years ago.

This indicates that both Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao were concubines, which is quite normal, as both were from aristocratic families, and their marriage was a bond that would continue the family ties, which had been established long ago.

Historically, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu both took Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao as concubines during their attack on Lujiang County this year, although they were both a little younger than the other two.

But then again, women in the Eastern Han Dynasty married very young, with many getting married as young as thirteen or fourteen.

Gan Ning felt a sudden warmth in his heart and asked with a smile, "Your cousin asked you for help?"

"Yes, but I have no choice but to report the truth to my lord!"

"I understand. You can go back now. I'll think about it."

Yang Jingxing bowed and left. Gan Ning smiled. It was quite a coincidence. He had just received a letter from Cao Cao, who wanted him to take down Yuan Shu's family. In the letter, Cao Cao also said that he would help him defeat Liu Sun.

It seems that it was fate that allowed me to take over Wan County!
Gan Ning pondered for a moment and said, "Bring Wang Ping to me!"

...........
Wan County is the second largest county in Lujiang Prefecture. It has a large population, a thriving commerce, and is very close to Chaisang, less than 200 li away as the crow flies.

Gan Ning's original target for harassment was not Wan County, but Linhu County. Firstly, Linhu County was close to the Yangtze River, which would make it easier for them to retreat. Secondly, Linhu County was only about 30 li away from Shu County, where Liu Xun was located. If they occupied Linhu County right next to their bed, Liu Xun would surely be furious.

However, upon learning that Yuan Shu's family and retainers had been settled in Wan County, and especially upon receiving a letter from Cao Cao, he was deeply moved.

Gan Ning changed his plans. He felt that Yuan Shu's family and troops were the things he hadn't finished doing before, and that this was something that Heaven had specially left for him.

Gan Ning decided to take Wan County and hand over Yuan Shu's family to Cao Cao in exchange for Cao Cao's help in defeating Liu Xun.

Of course, these are all plausible excuses. The real reason Gan Ning changed his mind was because of Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao. This was an opportunity left to him by Heaven.

That evening, a fleet of boats approached the water gate of Wan County. Two tax collectors stood at the water gate and waved to the fleet, signaling it to stop.

What goods are being transported?

“Rice!” the fleet owner replied.

The head tax collector stepped forward with a lantern and took a look; the warehouse was indeed full of rice.

"how many?"

"Forty shi per boat, five boats in total, two hundred shi in total!"

The tax collector estimated it to be roughly this number.

Another tax collector inspected each ship, and as he returned, his hand flicked slightly, a flash of white silver light passing through his palm.

"It's been checked, it's all grain!"

The head tax collector understood immediately and nodded, saying, "Then I won't weigh it. You should know the rules: the commercial tax on grain is ten coins per shi, and the total tax is two thousand coins."

Liu Xun needed grain, so he set the grain trade tax at the lowest possible level. This led many merchants to use grain to evade taxes, with a small amount of grain on top and other goods underneath.

The tax collectors were well aware of this, and they made a fortune from it.

The merchant readily handed over two strings of five-zhu coins, and the tax collector immediately signed a tax receipt for him. With a wave of his hand, the boatman poled the boats, and the five boats slowly entered the city.

(End of this chapter)