Tiger Owl

Chapter 281 Unexpected Assassination
After concluding the military and political discussions, Gan Ning invited Lu Su and Bu Zhi to his private quarters.

Gan Ning invited the two men to sit down and smiled at them, saying, "I believe that not everyone in Jiangdong is willing to surrender to Cao Cao, let alone Sun Ben. We should try to win over the civil and military officials who are willing to surrender to us. First, Zhou Yu is the best military official, and Lü Fan is the best civil official. I am determined to get these two. Then, we can recruit generals who are willing to follow us through them, such as famous generals like Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and Zhou Tai, as well as civil officials like Zhu Zhi and Yan Jun."

Lu Su pondered for a moment and said, "Zhou Yu is not easy to persuade to surrender. Emotion alone may not be enough to move him. We need to think of a way."

Gan Ning smiled slightly and said, "I have already thought about it. First, I will invite him to garrison in Pengze. Then we will join forces to attack Cao Cao's navy in Pengli Lake, establish friendship, and then talk about our future."

Bu Zhi readily agreed, “This is a good idea. Take it one step at a time, give him enough face and a way out. Once there is no possibility of Jiangdong being restored, he will surrender to our lord.”

Lu Su nodded repeatedly, "This is a good idea. I will set off to find Gongjin tonight."

Gan Ning then asked Bu Zhi, "If I were to recruit Lü Fan, what should I be aware of?"

Bu Zhi pondered for a moment and said, "Lu Ziheng values ​​his family the most, especially his deep affection for his wife. I suggest that he surrender to the court after the city falls to protect his family, and then we can find an opportunity to bring him and his family back."

Gan Ning readily agreed, "This is a good idea. Send a message to Song Kuan immediately and have him contact Lü Fan."

The upheaval in Jiangdong was a huge blow to Sun Shangxiang. For several days, she remained silent and her body rapidly became thin.

Da Qiao, Xiao Qiao, and Xu Wei took turns persuading her, and she finally cheered up a little and started eating something.

"Shangxiang, let's go for a walk!"

That afternoon, Xu Wei smiled at Sun Shangxiang and said, "Ayu, come with us too. We'll ride in a carriage, make milk tea in the carriage, look at the street scenes, and relax!"

Sun Shangxiang's mood had improved slightly these past two days, so she nodded, "Alright!"

The three immediately sat in the large carriage. Xiao Qiao lit the alcohol stove to brew milk tea. The alcohol was a new type of fuel obtained by the Petroleum Research Institute through repeated distillation of wine, under Gan Ning's guidance.

However, alcohol was not suitable for military use because it was unstable and easily evaporated. Gan Ning then decided to convert it for civilian use. It was used to light lamps, which were bright and good for the eyes. It could also be used to brew tea, replacing charcoal, as burning charcoal could cause poisoning.

Of course, it was mostly used for drinking. It was used to make expensive cocktails, which helped increase government revenue.

The alcohol burned very vigorously, and soon the milk tea pot began to bubble and churn.

Xiao Qiao extinguished the alcohol stove and smiled as she poured a cup of milk tea for each of the three. The three drank the rich and sweet milk tea while looking at the street scene outside the window. The car window was made of crystal glass, and a thin layer of gauze was drawn over it, so the outside could not see into the car, but the inside could see the scenery outside clearly.

Xu Wei gently comforted Sun Shangxiang, "Shangxiang, don't be sad anymore. Your mother will be alright. She has a high status, and even if Cao's army breaks through the city, they won't dare to be disrespectful to her. Moreover, I heard from my husband that the crisis will likely be resolved through negotiations in the end, and there won't be a major siege."

Sun Shangxiang's eyes lit up slightly. "General, do you really say that?"

"That's what he told me yesterday. You can ask him again yourself; he might get some information from you."

"Okay! I'll ask him again during dinner."

After traveling for several miles, the carriage slowly turned around, preparing to return. Just then, two men in black suddenly jumped down from the nearby restaurant and landed precisely on the roof of the carriage. The two men then thrust their swords into the roof, trying to open the ventilation cover.

Most carriages have a cover on the top for ventilation. You can jump into the carriage by opening the cover. But the carriage they were riding in was no ordinary carriage. It was specially made to protect against assassins. The walls, roof and bottom of the carriage were made of two layers of thick, specially made blue steel wood with a thin iron plate sandwiched in between. Even a crossbow could not penetrate it at close range, let alone ordinary swords.

Moreover, there was no ventilation cover on the top, and there was only one window. The carriage was divided into two sections, with three female guards sitting in the outer section and a door in the inner section that could not be opened from the outside once locked.

Two men in black landed on the roof of the car. The surrounding guards were immediately terrified and raised their spears to stab the two men, shouting, "Assassins!"

The inner door was suddenly pushed open, and Qin Yan flipped in. She then locked the door from the inside, drew her long sword, and stared at the roof of the carriage. The three women were terrified and huddled together in a corner.

The two men in black, finding no cover, immediately sensed danger. One of them swung his sword at the carriage window. "Clang!" The sword struck the crystal glass, which was exceptionally sturdy, leaving only a small white mark. The two men in black then realized they couldn't open the carriage. They tried to escape, but it was too late. Almost simultaneously, they were pierced by more than a dozen spears, screaming as they fell from the roof of the carriage.

Inside the restaurant, their companion tried to escape, but was caught in a large net thrown out by the imperial guards. The net was pulled in, and he was captured alive.

News of the assassination attempt on his family members reached Gan Ning immediately, who was greatly alarmed and rushed back to his residence.

The carriage had already returned to the manor and was parked inside the gate. Three women were carefully getting out of the carriage, and Da Qiao was asking Qin Yan about the situation.

"Is everything alright?" Gan Ning strode in.

Xu Wei quickly shook her head, "Husband, we're fine, just... a little frightened!"

Gan Ning breathed a sigh of relief. "It was wise of you to take the carriage. This period is quite dangerous, so try not to go out. If you really have to go out, you must take a carriage. You can't take a boat, and you definitely can't walk. Do you understand?"

Gan Ning hadn't told his family about Cao Cao sending assassins to Chaisang, fearing they would worry, but they still encountered them.

At this moment, the steward announced, "General Xiaoman requests an audience!"

Gan Ning gestured for Da Qiao to take the three women back to the inner quarters. A short while later, Wang Xiaoman came in, bowed, and said, "The captured assassins have confessed. They were sent by Jiangdong and belong to Wu Jian of Jiangdong."

Gan Ning was taken aback, puzzled. "An assassin sent from Jiangdong?"

"They weren't actually assassins. They were just acting on Sun Quan's orders to forcibly bring Miss Sun back to Jiangdong. They had been lying in ambush outside the mansion for many days, but they couldn't find an opportunity. They had already decided to give up, but yesterday they received an urgent order from Sun Ben, ordering them to bring Miss Sun back to Jiangdong immediately. They took advantage of the opportunity today."

“Sun Ben?” Gan Ning was taken aback.

"Yes, they have switched their allegiance to Sun Ben."

"Have they all been caught?"

"Three more are still at large, and they should still be inside the city. I will definitely catch them!"

Gan Ning nodded. "I understand. The situation is serious recently. We need to strengthen the guards outside the government office and cannot be careless in the slightest."

"I understand!"

Wang Xiaoman bowed and then withdrew.

Seeing that it was getting late, Gan Ning did not return to his official residence but went directly to his study.

Before long, Xu Wei brought Sun Shangxiang in.

"Husband, Shangxiang wants to know about the situation in Jiangdong. Could you tell her about it?"

She paused, then whispered, "I want to know too!"

This silly girl, she said she had severed ties with the Xu family, but in her heart, she still couldn't forget them.

Gan Ning nodded slightly and waved his hand, saying, "You two, sit down!"

(End of this chapter)