NOVPUBGan Ning grabbed Taishi Ci’s arm, and with a few leaps, they cleared over a hundred meters, then turned into an alley, leaving no time for Gongsun’s Infantry stationed outside to react. By the time Gongsun Zan and others emerged furiously from the ruins, Gan Ning and Taishi Ci were long gone from sight.
"Search for me, find Gan Ning and show no mercy!" Gongsun Zan roared with rage, having made up his mind to kill Gan Ning for daring to provoke him.
"My lord, this must not be!" Tian Kai immediately leaped out to protest, "Gan Xingba is a top general under Liu Xuande, and he truly helped us a great deal. Although he provoked my lord, why not turn a blind eye as an act of generosity and benevolence?"
"..." Gongsun Zan gave Tian Kai a cold glance, then turned his head to gaze at the sky ahead, "How does this place me? Wait until I capture Gan Ning and present him to Liu Xuande for an explanation!"
Tian Kai was stunned; why would Gongsun Zan react like this?
"Report, my lord!" Just as Tian Kai was about to speak further, a messenger rushed over, "My lord, General Zou reports, our troops stationed outside Zhuo County are out of supplies, and requests the Lord Provincial Governor to send provisions urgently, otherwise, there might arise mutiny."
"What! Liu Bo’an, that old bastard, dares to withhold my supplies! All generals, come with me to see that old bastard Liu Bo’an!" Gongsun Zan erupted with fury, instantly putting the matter of Gan Ning behind him as he spoke to his men.
Tian Kai breathed a sigh of relief; to him, it seemed that Gongsun Zan was simply unable to step down gracefully after being made a fool of by Gan Ning. Now, with the situation involving Liu Yu offering a way out, Tian Kai expected Gongsun to take this other path. At this thought, Tian Kai inwardly cursed Gan Ning for his inconsiderate actions. The whole matter might have been settled by a simple apology, yet it had escalated into a thorn between both sides.
Gongsun Zan might not know the situation in Youzhou at the front, but Tian Kai in the rear knew it well. Youzhou could not do without the supplies Liu Bei sent regularly, despite their modest quantity but unflagging constancy. It was clear that Liu Bei held no ill will towards Gongsun Zan! So why go to the trouble of offending the most powerful ally over some suppressed irritation? Was he tired of living?
Of course, Tian Kai wasn’t trying to absolve Gan Ning of blame. After all, in Tian Kai’s eyes, if Gan Ning was capable of burning Yuan Shao’s supplies, why hadn’t he acted sooner instead of waiting until Gongsun had suffered defeat? This point also greatly dissatisfied Tian Kai, and it was the same for all the other generals in Youzhou who heard of Gan Ning’s battle achievements.
"My lord, Liu Bo’an has always been a problem. Now that our troops are stationed at Zhuo County, why not…" Shan Jing made a foolish suggestion, but everyone present seemed eager to try it out.
"Hmph, I’ve been fed up with Liu Bo for a long time, and now he not only secretly passed information to Yuan Shao, he even dared to withhold my supplies!" A hint of madness flickered in Gongsun Zan’s eyes; Shan Jing’s proposal fit very well with his current state of mind!
Meanwhile, Gan Ning, holding Taishi Ci, had leapt repeatedly to hide in a small courtyard. They had entered the city with only the two of them; all others had been sent by Gan Ning to connect with his naval forces. If it weren’t for being only the two of them, Gan Ning would not have acted so rashly.
"Xingba! How dare you speak to General Gongsun that way!" As soon as they landed, Taishi Ci immediately grabbed Gan Ning’s arm and threw him outward, furious about what had just transpired.
"Humph! What right does Gongsun Zan have to deal with me?" Gan Ning, after being flung away by Taishi Ci, somersaulted in mid-air to regain his posture before landing. He then said with a face full of arrogance, "Not to mention that if it weren’t for me, he might already have been captured, with his head hung high on a flagpole. Just to say, I saved him by the order of our lord. I am a minister of Lord Xuande, not a servant of Gongsun Zan! Who does he think he is!"
"But we are allies, are we not? Initially, it was with the help of General Gongsun that Lord Xuande could, could..." Taishi Ci couldn’t finish his sentence.
"Humph, that was in the past. I have also heard of the incident at Hulao Pass, nothing but three or five thousand infantry and cavalry. What good is giving that back to him? Had he still been the White Horse General who once secured peace beyond the Great Wall, I would have endured the humiliation!" Gan Ning sneered repeatedly, "Look at Gongsun Zan now, does he still possess his past spirit? Suspecting us! With his petty behavior, what is he worth!"
"Xingba, calm down, calm down!" Though Taishi Ci had attended school and read books, he was completely outmatched by Gan Ning, who came from a noble family and had the air of a cultured thug. Overwhelmed by Gan Ning’s words, he could only try his best to pacify him.
"Forget it, forget it. Good intentions taken for a donkey’s liver and lungs, I wouldn’t bother helping again. What do Gongsun Zan’s life and death have to do with me?" Gan Ning said with dissatisfaction, "Ziyi, let’s just leave tonight. I was thinking of buying some white fox and white deer furs in Youzhou to present as gifts to our lord and the strategist. Now the good mood is all ruined!"
Just as Taishi Ci was about to say he had something else to do, Gan Ning’s expression suddenly changed, and he asked with a smile, "Ziyi, when is the strategist getting married? The exact date, please. I thought I had missed it when I left last time, but now it’s been postponed, hasn’t it? No one told me when."
Intercalary November 28th," Taishi Ci thought and said.
"Oh, there’s still plenty of time. Why don’t you join me in catching a Kun as a present for the strategist then? Last time, after killing a Kun, the Ming Moon Pearl hadn’t been formed before a bunch of damn fish ate it. This time, how about we do it together?" Gan Ning suggested a crazy idea. He wanted to hunt a divine beast!
"..." Taishi Ci gave a bitter smile. This guy was really bold, daring to kill anything, even mythological creatures. If they encountered a powerful one, things might not go well even with both of them there.
"Xingba, I need to stay in Zhuo County to find an opportunity to take Liu Bo’an away!" said Taishi Ci helplessly, "My arrival in Youzhou came with two missions. One was to protect General Gongsun and the other was to take Liu Bo’an away when General Gongsun decides to kill him. My mission isn’t over yet."
"I see, I’ll join you, then," Gan Ning thought for a moment and said. "That Kun is really powerful. If I go alone, I might lose half the fleet again. With you joining me, I’m confident. The Ming Moon Pearl is in pairs; how about we each take one and give them as gifts when we go?" It seemed that Gan Ning was really fixated on that Kun.
"That’s fine, we’re on bad terms with General Gongsun now. Having you around will make escaping much easier. Hopefully, General Gongsun won’t station too many crossbowmen on the city walls by that time. If the Qi forms a continuous barrier, breaking out will be troublesome," Taishi Ci sighed.
"Don’t worry, Gongsun Bogui doesn’t have many men under him now. To kill Liu Bo, he definitely can’t publicly move his troops, so there are only so many people available. He doesn’t have that many crossbowmen. We can each grab one of Liu Bo’s arms and leap out of the city a few times. Hm, but we still need to be careful about when Gongsun Zan will make his move, I will arrange my navy accordingly," Gan Ning said confidently, as if it was something he was experienced in.
Taishi Ci looked at Gan Ning, who seemed a bit uncomfortable and waved his hand, "Just a professional habit, after all, I used to mainly do this—tracking down wealthy households and such." (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to vote on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
