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After three months of trials at sea, Gan Ning finally trusted the combat ability of the Tower Ship Generation VI, and yet before he could head back to the Yangtze River to rough up those river pirates who were once in his league, an order from Chen Xi was delivered.
It commanded him to transport supplies north up the coast to Gongsun Zan, as well as to send a person along with a few trusted aides to Youzhou to assist Gongsun Zan, ensuring his personal safety.
Upon receiving this news, Gan Ning was utterly frustrated. As the Naval Chief, he had finally gotten the fleet in order, ready for a life where he could choose his battles, and now he was suddenly back to being the head of a transport team? This was indeed a piece of unfortunate news!
And when he learned that he was also tasked with transporting someone else, Gan Ning felt even more vexed. He believed he was capable of ground battles too, and considered himself a highly skilled martial artist. Surely he, too, could protect Gongsun Zan; why leave it to someone else? The Brocade Sail Pirates were renowned for their versatility in naval, sea, and ground battles, and this slight seemed too dismissive.
However, a military order was a military order, and although somewhat resigned, Gan Ning accepted the assignment. After all, "An army is maintained for a thousand days to be used in a single day," he thought. Dissatisfaction aside, action comes first. So he set sail, and within a few days, he arrived in Qingzhou, where Taishi Ci had already been waiting for a long time on the coast of Donglai.
It was the first time Gan Ning and Taishi Ci met, but it was clear that Gan Ning was unhappy about why Taishi Ci could be involved in the main battleground while he was stuck doing transportation. Commanding a huge fleet and over three thousand men, and having to transport instead of going to battle was a great embarrassment to Gan Ning.
Such matters could only be settled by a contest of strength, and it was apparent that neither side outmatched the other. After two fierce battles, Gan Ning and Taishi Ci, two heroes with mutual respect, shook hands and made peace, with no trace left of their earlier sharp-edged rivalry.
Henceforth, Gan Ning voiced no further objections. After loading up with supplies, he overfilled the ship with a thousand of Taishi Ci’s soldiers. As for space, it was simple: carry less food and fresh water. After all, Gan Ning was adept at seizing opportunities, and he was ready to raid Jizhou’s coast at any time.
Taishi Ci faced no issues with this approach, for after Zhao Yun left, he and Zang Ba became the top officials responsible for defending Qingzhou from Jizhou. Thus, together with Zang Ba, Zhang He, and Gao Lan, they fought countless local battles, and now Taishi Ci simply considered Jizhou as the enemy. Robbing the enemy was utterly stress-free; after all, "living off the enemy" is a central tenet of military strategy. It was only right!
"Ziyi, I hear you’re going to assist Gongsun Bogui, but I’ve heard that Yann Liang and Wen Chou are both experts at Inner Qi Manifestation. Do you need my help? I’m quite interested in measuring up the experts from the North," Gan Ning said to Taishi Ci, chatting casually as they both leaned against the ship’s rail.
Glancing around to ensure no one was listening, Taishi Ci then whispered, "Xingba, to tell you the truth, I’m not really going to assist General Gongsun. The strategist sent me to lead a breakout with General Gongsun in case the situation turns dire. The letter from the strategist made it very clear: he’s not optimistic about General Gongsun’s promising situation, so he’s sending me, and he’s asked me to keep an eye on Yuan Shao’s Army."
"You’re not joking, are you?" Gan Ning asked in surprise, lowering his voice. 𝓃𝓸𝓿𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝓬ℴ𝓶
"No, that’s exactly what the strategist’s letter says."
"I don’t get it. If they suspect that General Gongsun might be in trouble, why only send you? What are they thinking? My head hurts. Can someone tell me what’s going on here?" Gan Ning said, somewhat madly. After all, this wasn’t his first or second time delivering supplies to Gongsun Zan; he had become somewhat familiar with the officials in Youzhou. To him, Youzhou and Qingzhou were allies, so why not send a large force to help if they anticipated General Gongsun could fail?
"How should I know?" Taishi Ci responded, scratching his head in thought, before continuing, "But Zilong once mentioned that General Gongsun is a proud man, disdainful of others’ aid. So if we bring too many people, General Gongsun might feel offended. Perhaps sending me is just a way to give him a heads-up. After all, General Gongsun is a powerful figure in his own right, and a temporary defeat is not the end of the world."
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Gan Ning fell silent, but various expressions flashed across his face. After a long while, a hint of joy appeared on his face, which grew increasingly intense, and he burst into laughter, feeling that he finally understood why Chen Xi had asked him to escort Taishi Ci.
"Xingba, what are you laughing about? You seem so happy," Taishi Ci asked curiously.
"Hahaha, I’ve guessed the strategist’s intentions," Gan Ning said excitedly. Just when I thought there were no battles to fight, it turns out we’re heading into one!
"Tell me about it?" Taishi Ci was also delighted. He had been puzzled, but now someone else had figured it out, so he could understand as well.
"Ziyi, do you know my official position?" Gan Ning asked proudly, pointing to his chest.
"Naval Chief," Taishi Ci answered, puzzled.
"Exactly, I am the Naval Chief, in charge of all naval affairs, capable of deploying forces on my initiative, with absolute control over the navy. I’ll be taking you to Youzhou to help General Gongsun. You don’t have troops, but I do!" Gan Ning exclaimed with excitement.
Gan Ning thought he had grasped Chen Xi’s deployment plan. The so-called mission to protect Gongsun Zan alone was actually a pretext. With this pretext and the task of transporting supplies, wouldn’t he be able to appear exactly where he needed to be?
"Eh?" Taishi Ci was stunned, then looked at Gan Ning’s excited face with a foolish expression. He had a feeling that Gan Ning might have gotten it wrong, but when Gan Ning brought over the map, despite Taishi Ci’s doubts, he had to consider whether Chen Xi really thought this way.
"How about that? Isn’t it a great opportunity?" Gan Ning pointed excitedly at Jieqiao and asked, "Isn’t this water route prepared just for me? Just one night and I could cut off their supply line, forcing them to retreat without a fight!"
Taishi Ci’s strategic skills were as poor as Gan Ning’s, but everyone knew that cutting off the enemy’s supply line was an effective tactic. And now, talking about the feasibility of what Gan Ning suggested, Taishi Ci wasn’t confident. If done well, Yuan Shao could be defeated without a fight. If not, everyone could get trapped, as this would constitute a serious penetration deep into enemy territory.
"I guarantee the strategist must have thought so. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent me to escort you to Youzhou. Just Ziyi alone, taking another ship, would be much less conspicuous. The strategist must have a profound reason to send me, someone with decision-making authority, to escort you!" Gan Ning declared proudly. This seemingly dangerous mission greatly thrilled him; it was perfect for his passion. As for risks, what were they?
Taishi Ci indeed found it hard to argue, for what Gan Ning said was quite reasonable. Why would the strategist insist on sending the autonomous Naval Chief to escort him? There were plenty of sea ships between Youzhou and Qingzhou, and even if they traveled by land, probably no one would recognize them anyway.
"Perhaps the strategist really does think so..." Taishi Ci admitted Gan Ning’s speculation woodenly. Who knows what the strategist was thinking? He was inherently a person known for ingenious strategies, and Gan Ning relished dangerous tasks. Maybe the strategist intentionally didn’t tell him, wanting Gan Ning to use his brain. The strategist had always said that schemes must consider the opponent’s personality; maybe it was deliberately calculated...
(To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)
