Tiger Owl

Chapter 58 Taking Luling
Gan Ning ordered Wang Ping and Sima Yang Xuan to lead 4,000 troops into Luling County, and at the same time transport 50,000 shi of grain by boat, mainly to provide relief to disaster victims and appease the people of Luling County.

Tongzhi's troops plundered money and grain throughout Luling County, causing widespread suffering and resentment among the people. However, Gan Ning's army not only defeated Tongzhi but also did not commit any offenses against him. At the same time, they provided relief to the poor, bringing joy to Luling County.

More importantly, Gan Ning's army was a Han Chinese army, replacing the Tongzhi army of the Yue people. For the Han gentry and common people of Luling County, this meant a complete change of the world.

Gan Ning also announced a two-year tax exemption for Luling County, allowing the people to recuperate and rebuild their lives, which won him even more popular support.

Gan Ning did not intend to station a large number of troops in Luling County, but only stationed 1,000 troops in each of Luling County and Gan County. This was also related to the terrain of Luling County. To the east was the Wuyi Mountains, to the west was the Luoxiao Mountains, to the south was the Dayu Mountains, and to the west and north were the Jiuling, Xiuling and Mufu Mountains. These mountains separated Changsha County and Luling County.

The significance of garrisoning troops in Luling was mainly to guard against the Yue people. In fact, the people in the Luling area were fierce and the conflict between the Han people and the Yue people was deep. The gentry in each county organized militias to deal with the Yue people who came down from the mountains to plunder.

Winning the support and recognition of the gentry and powerful families of Luling County was easy; simply stand on their side and fight against the Yue people together. That attitude was enough.

Gan Ning distributed the three thousand sets of armor and weapons captured to the local militia in various counties to enhance their defensive capabilities. At the same time, he ordered the county magistrates and officials to come to Nanchang to see him.

Just then, Lu Su arrived from Chaisang, bringing Gan Ning news of Sun Ce's assassination.

Inside the official residence, Gan Ning remained silent for a long time. Historically, Sun Ce was assassinated while hunting, which would have been around March or April. However, since it was also assassinated by Xu Gong's retainers, it means that the assassins were the same group of people, only they chose a different time.

It was probably his arrow that prompted Sun Ce to train troops in Jingkou ahead of schedule. He wasn't going on a northern expedition, but rather to annihilate him. However, the group behind the assassination attempt misunderstood and thought he was going on a northern expedition, so they attacked him ahead of time.

Gan Ning had no idea how much the wings of his butterfly would affect the history of the Three Kingdoms.
After a moment of silence, Gan Ning slowly said, "We must send people to Wu County to mourn Sun Ce; the proper etiquette cannot be neglected!"

Lu Su said apologetically, "This humble servant has already sent Lou Fa to Wu County to offer condolences on behalf of our lord. Please forgive this humble servant for making the decision without authorization."

Gan Ning waved his hand to indicate that he didn't care, and then asked, "Could you tell me the details of Sun Ce's assassination?"

"Even our spies don't know much!"

Lu Su then gave a brief account of Sun Ce's assassination attempt at Beigu Mountain, and asked, "Who do you think assassinated Sun Ce, my lord?"

Gan Ning pondered for a moment and said, "Actually, the answer is already on the table. The day after Sun Ce was assassinated, Sun Ben led 5,000 troops to Jingkou, clearly to seize military power. How did he know that Sun Ce had been assassinated? There is only one explanation: he knew about and participated in the plan. It is very likely that he sent the assassin. Only he knows whether the assassination was successful!"

He explained that he had come to request troops to rescue Sun Fu in Yuzhang, and happened to witness Sun Ce being assassinated!

Gan Ning sneered, "How can there be so many coincidences in the world?"

Lu Su nodded and said, "He wouldn't be that stupid. He's already considered everything before someone could catch him in the act. He even said that when he heard that the Marquis of Wu had been assassinated, he was very anxious and thought it was a mutiny, so he chased after him all the way. At the funeral, he even vowed to thoroughly investigate the assassin behind the scenes. Sun Ben even accused our lord of being a suspect in the assassination because our lord had assassinated Yuan Shu before, so there was a precedent!"

The fact that they accused him of being the murderer was met with disdain from Gan Ning; it was just a case of the thief crying "stop thief!"

Gan Ning snorted coldly and asked again, "What did Sun Quan, Zhou Yu, and Zhang Zhao say?"

"They didn't mention the assassins, only demanding internal unity and stability. I suspect there are serious divisions within them, preventing them from reaching a consensus. Sun Ben's criticism of our lord only represents his personal opinion." At this point, Lu Su continued, "Our lord not only captured Sun Ben's brothers but also seized over ten thousand of his elite troops. It's understandable that Sun Ben hates us. However, Jiangdong won't act on emotion. For at least the next two years, Sun Quan will focus on internal affairs to solidify his position as Marquis of Wu. We won't face any threats from Jiangdong in the next two years; our main threat remains Huang Zu."

Gan Ning nodded slowly. "I'm considering a question now: should our capital, or let's call it the administrative center, be located in Chaisang or Nanchang? I'd like to hear your opinion, sir."

Lu Su smiled slightly and said, "The capital is never static; it is adjusted according to needs. If we are currently in a defensive posture, I would suggest that you move the capital to Nanchang. Conversely, if we enter an offensive posture, it would be more appropriate to move the capital to Chaisang."

"Does the gentleman mean that we should establish the capital in Nanchang for the time being?"

Lu Su nodded. “Nanchang is the center of Yuzhang Commandery. To gain the support of the powerful clans and noble families of Yuzhang Commandery, we must first place our ruling center in Nanchang. Second, our lord needs to stabilize Luling Commandery. Nanchang is centrally located and more suitable, as Chaisang is too remote. Third, we must not only prevent Huang Zu’s attack, but also defend against Liu Xin’s eastward invasion of Yuzhang. Fourth, and most importantly, Yuzhang Commandery has a rich history, abundant land, and a population exceeding the combined population of Wu Commandery and Danyang Commandery. Now that our lord has obtained Yuzhang Commandery, we must work diligently to govern it well, accumulate strength, and rapidly grow powerful in two or three years. Then, whether it is Huang Zu, Sun Quan, or Liu Biao, we will have the strength to contend with them.”

Lu Su's words finally convinced Gan Ning to move the capital to Nanchang.

At the same time, Lu Su recommended three talented individuals to Gan Ning: Qi Ji, Qin Yi, and Chang Nu.

All three had served under Yuan Shu and were brought to Chaisang by Gan Ning. Qi Ji had previously served as the magistrate of Dongcheng County and had a good relationship with Lu Su. Gan Ning immediately appointed Qi Ji as the magistrate of Chaisang.

Qin Yi and Chang Nu were both military generals, with average martial skills, but they were both very good at defending cities. When Cao Cao sent Cao Hong to welcome the emperor, Chang Nu held a strong position and Cao Hong was unable to break through.

Of course, Lu Su recommended them with a guarantee of their character. Lu Su had observed them for a long time and found that all three were of good character, upright, and definitely not wicked people. They had all had a bad time under Yuan Shu.

Gan Ning immediately appointed Chang Nu and Qin Yi as commanders, each leading two thousand men to defend Jianchang County and Yichun County, which were key points in the defense against the attack from Changsha Commandery.

Since Taishi Ci uprooted Liu Xin's base in Ai County, Liu Xin has basically been unable to attack from Ai County anymore. This is because coming from Changsha Commandery requires crossing the Mufu Mountains, making it impossible to transport grain and supplies. Liu Xin can only travel with dry rations and light troops.

With Ai County as its base, Liu Xin's army could stand firm and receive timely food supplies when food supplies ran out. Now that the base in Ai County has been destroyed, Liu Xin's army will run out of food and will be unable to establish a foothold. More importantly, with Zhang Ying of Haihun County gone, Liu Xin no longer needs to use the Ai County route.

Liu Xin will then take the traditional route through Yichun and Pingxiang to attack Yuzhang County. This route has an official road that can accommodate heavy carts carrying supplies.

Therefore, it was essential to establish defenses in the two strategically important locations of Yichun County and Jianchang County.

After deciding to move the capital to Nanchang County, Gan Ning immediately began a large-scale transport of money, grain, and supplies. Thousands of ships sailed south on the Gan River, transporting money, grain, and supplies. The white sails dotted the river, and the procession was spectacular.

Da Qiao, Xiao Qiao, and their mother, Yang, also arrived in Nanchang County on the first batch of ships.

Lady Yang also heard the news of Sun Ce's assassination. She was secretly glad that she had made the right choice. If she had taken her two daughters to Jiangdong, and they had become Sun Ce's concubines, wouldn't they have been living as widows?
Staying in Chaisang was the right thing to do. Gan Ning is no longer just the magistrate of Chaisang, but the prefect of Yuzhang Commandery. It is said that he also has control of Luling Commandery. This is quite remarkable, being the prefect of two commanderies.

Madam Yang hoped that Gan Ning would marry his daughter as soon as possible and finalize the marriage. She didn't care whether she was a wife or a concubine; the key was that she would give birth to a son as soon as possible. With a son, the mother would gain status and their family's position would be secure.

The mother and her two daughters boarded a carriage and headed towards the prefect's residence.

(End of this chapter)