Tiger Owl

Chapter 7 Temporary Guards
The next morning, Gan Ning met Cao Cao again.

Cao Cao picked up an envelope from the table and handed it to Gan Ning, saying, "This is your appointment letter. From now on, you are the magistrate of Chaisang!"

"Not the county magistrate?" Gan Ning took the envelope with a puzzled look.

Cao Cao shook his head. "The population of Chaisang is not even large enough to be a county magistrate. There is no Chaisang magistrate, only a Chaisang county head!"

Gan Ning nodded. He didn't care whether he was a county magistrate or a county head, as long as he was the boss of Chaisang.

"and this!"

Cao Cao then handed him another thick leather bag, saying, "I will appoint you as Colonel of the Vanguard and appoint you as Commander of a Separate Division. This way, you will be qualified to command troops. Furthermore, I will support you in the court!"

"Court?"

Gan Ning grew anxious. "Lord Sikong, I need money and provisions, I need soldiers and armor, not this kind of empty support!"

Cao Cao smiled slightly and said, "This is not empty support. For example, if you take Yuzhang Commandery, I will appoint you as the governor of Yuzhang Commandery. You can get money, grain and supplies from Liu Biao and Huang Zu, but can you get the governorship of Yuzhang appointed by the court?"

Gan Ning was quite discouraged. He thought for a moment and said, "Could you give me a monthly quota of two thousand shi of official salt? That's not a high request!"

When Gan Ning was a pirate, he sold smuggled salt from Sichuan and Chongqing, so he knew how lucrative it was.

Cao Cao shook his head again, "I can't give you anything until you take Yuzhang Commandery!"

Gan Ning suddenly understood and slowly nodded, "Lord Sikong has given me a test?"

"That's it!"

Cao Cao smiled and said, "This is not a good question. As far as I know, Sun Ce is also working on this question!"

It's Yuzhang Commandery again. Gan Ning and Lu Su made a one-year agreement, and now Cao Cao is also using Yuzhang Commandery to test him. It seems that this is the first test that fate has set for him.

He pondered for a moment and then said, "Then let's make it a year!"

"Okay! It's a deal."

...........
Gan Ning emerged from Cao Cao's residence with a heavy heart, only to hear someone calling his name from behind, "General Gan!"

Gan Ning turned around and saw a carriage approaching, with Cao Pi waving from the window.

Gan Ning stood to the side as the carriage stopped in front of him. Cao Pi smiled through the carriage window and asked, "General Gan, do you have some free time?"

Gan Ning laughed and said, "Actually, I'm preparing to leave Xuchang. My men and I have already arranged to meet at the dock at noon!"

"It will only delay General Gan by an hour. Let him leave a little later!"

"What does the young master need me to do?"

Cao Pi smiled and said, "I need to attend a rather important banquet in place of my father, but my guard captain is ill today, and I don't have a suitable guard captain by my side. I would like to ask General Gan to temporarily serve as my guard captain for one hour."

"I have to give him face," Gan Ning nodded. "Thank you for your trust, young master. I'd be happy to. But could you please turn towards the dock so I can hand the things over to my men?"

"can!"

Cao Pi beckoned, and a guard brought up a horse and gave him a sword. Gan Ning mounted the horse and followed Cao Pi's carriage toward the dock outside the city.

Outside the city, Gan Ning handed the letter of appointment to Wang Ping and glanced back at Cao Pi's carriage.

"Wait for me for about half a day, I'll be there!"

"Don't worry, General, please go!"

Gan Ning mounted his horse, spurred it to the carriage, and smiled at Cao Pi, saying, "Let's go!"

Cao Pi remained silent for a long while before saying, "If the general is willing to stay, I am confident that I can persuade my father to let the general take over Dian Wei's position!"

As expected, Gan Ning knew that Cao Pi had other intentions. It wasn't as simple as just asking him to be a bodyguard; he wanted to persuade him to stay.

How could he possibly take over Dian Wei's position? How could Cao Cao possibly appoint someone like him, a former river pirate, as his most trusted personal bodyguard?

Cao Pi oversimplified the issue. Perhaps it was because he had mentioned the weight of the double halberds to Cao Cao that Cao Pi thought of Dian Wei. "Thank you for your kindness, sir, but I still wish to go to Chaisang!"

Cao Pi was somewhat frustrated, but he was unwilling to give up and continued to say to Gan Ning: "I think the general underestimated Liu Biao. This man appears righteous on the surface, but in reality he is very cunning and ruthless. The attack on Wancheng was carried out by Liu Biao supporting and instigating Zhang Xiu. The entire Jingxiang gentry supported him. The general is far from being his match. The difference in strength between you is too great."

And then there's Huang Zu. You think he was stupid? Actually, he was anything but stupid. He was treacherous and cunning. No matter how Liu Biao tried to win him over or deal with him, he always maintained firm control over Jiangxia County. Even Sun Jian died at his hands.

Huang Zu has a large and powerful army under his command. He will never allow you to sleep soundly beside his bed; he will definitely do everything in his power to eliminate you.

Then there's Sun Ce. My father said he's unstoppable, like a bamboo shoot cutting through the ground. He's already taken over the four commanderies of Jiangdong, and next he'll inevitably take Lujiang and Yuzhang. Once he sets his sights on Yuzhang, Chaisang will be the first to fall.

General Gan Ning, the opportunity to start a business is gone. Choosing a wise ruler is the more important thing you should be considering, not starting a business in Chaisang.

Cao Pi spoke sincerely, and Gan Ning could see that he genuinely wanted to keep him. Gan Ning couldn't bear to refuse outright, so he smiled tactfully and said, "How about this? Let me try, young master. If I fail, I will definitely come to you for help."

Giving someone hope is the most tactful way to refuse. Cao Pi's eyes lit up, and he raised his hand and laughed, "Then let's make a pact with a high five, it's a deal!"

Gan Ning was also moved by Cao Pi's sincerity and gave him a firm high five, saying, "It's a deal!"

Cao Pi laughed and said, "Then let's go!"

Gan Ning was taken aback. "I still have to go?"

"Of course!"

Cao Pi smiled slightly and said, "You are my chief bodyguard. If you don't go, who will guarantee my safety?"

Gan Ning chuckled, spurred his horse, and followed the carriage.

..........
Cao Pi was going to the residence of Grand Commandant Yang Biao. This month was the emperor's birthday, and representatives of powerful families and local warlords from all over the country gathered in Xuchang to celebrate the emperor's birthday.

The most popular form of social interaction among the gentry was gatherings, which facilitated networking, private exchanges of benefits, and even marriage alliances. Today, Yang Biao hosted a banquet at his residence, inviting representatives from various regions.

Cao Pi's carriage slowly came to a stop, and Yang Xiu, who was waiting at the door to greet the guests, came forward with a big smile: "Welcome, Second Young Master!"

Cao Pi took out an invitation and said, "My father is unable to attend today, so he has entrusted me to represent him at the banquet!"

Yang Xiu was overjoyed and quickly said, "Please, Second Young Master!"

Cao Pi pointed to Gan Ning, "This is my bodyguard; he must follow me!"

"It's alright, please, young master!"

Cao Pi strode into the Yang residence with his head held high. A petite woman was always by his side; this was Cao Pi's personal female bodyguard. Gan Ning was merely responsible for the outer perimeter security.

Gan Ning followed Cao Pi into the mansion with a blank expression.

...........
Although Yang Biao held little real power, he ranked first in the court and enjoyed a high reputation throughout the land, earning the respect of countless scholars. Cao Cao also gave Yang Biao considerable face, arranging for him to live in the largest mansion in Xuchang, even surpassing Cao Cao's own mansion.

The mansion covers an area of ​​fifty acres and consists of a front yard, a central courtyard, east and west courtyards, and a rear residence. Today's gathering will be held in the central courtyard and the east and west courtyards.

More than two hundred people, including family and faction representatives from various places, attended the gathering.

Cao Pi came on behalf of his father Cao Cao. He was of high status and was invited into the VIP hall for a short visit. His personal female bodyguard followed him in, while Gan Ning could only wait in the outer courtyard to observe the situation. If anything unusual happened, he would escort Cao Pi away in time.

There were many guests in the courtyard, chatting in twos and threes. Gan Ning didn't know any of them, and no one paid any attention to him. He could only sit idly on the stone slab of the flower bed.

Just then, a curious voice came from beside him, "Young master, are you really not from the southwest?"

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(End of this chapter)