My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 457 Xingba's Scouting of the Camp (Wishing all the readers a Happy Year of the Snake! Happy New Year!)
The night was as dark as ink, and the river wind was biting. Gan Ning stood on a small boat, his eyes burning as he gazed at the distant lights of the Jingzhou naval camp. He was clad in light armor, a sword at his waist, and his expression was cold and composed. The few guards behind him held their breath, as if they had become one with the night.

Since heading north from Xiakou, Gan Ning's mood has been getting better and better.

Who could blame Zhang Yun for being so stupid?

From Gan Ning's perspective, even if Zhang Yun feared the Yangzhou navy, he would still have to set up camp twenty miles north of Xiakou.

Although doing so would make them vulnerable to attacks and harassment from the Yangzhou navy and even Zhou Yu's land forces, the problem is that without doing so, it would be impossible to cooperate with the city of Xiakou in sealing off the Xiakou area.

Just like now, Gan Ning easily crossed Xiakou and entered the Han River. Moreover, according to Gan Ning's judgment, even an army of 10,000 men would not be contained by Xiakou City as long as they all took the waterway on the opposite bank of Xiakou.

It is currently the high-water season, and the Xiakou River has expanded two to three times its original size. The catapults on the Xiakou city walls are no longer sufficient to block the entire river.

After departing from Xiakou, Gan Ning traveled with a small entourage and a light boat. Gan Ning and his more than one hundred men were dressed as Jingzhou soldiers from beginning to end.

It wasn't until they reached Hanchuan that they saw the Jingzhou army's camp.

Hanchuan is the confluence of the Han River and the Yu River. To its northwest lies a large lake, which was called Santai Lake during the Eastern Han Dynasty and renamed Chenhan Lake during the Three Kingdoms period.

Although this place is indeed a strategically important location, it can only serve as a core for second-line defense.

If they were to fight to the death and lose control of Xiakou, then retreating here to continue the resistance would have been the logical course of action. But Zhang Yun, commanding tens of thousands of troops, abandoned Xiakou without a fight and retreated to Hanchuan – it was utterly shameful.

Gan Ning waved his hand gently, and the small boat silently glided towards the enemy camp. The river water lapped softly against the hull, making a faint sound, but it was masked by the wind. Under the cover of night, he slowly approached the Jingzhou navy's camp. Inside the camp, the soldiers were either patrolling or resting, completely unaware of his presence.

Gan Ning, with eyes like an eagle, carefully observed the layout of the camp: the arrangement of the ships, the positions of the sentry posts, and the distribution of the torches, memorizing everything. He whispered to the personal guard beside him, "There are three large ships on the left flank, two patrol teams on the right flank, and the main ship in the middle is heavily guarded; we must be careful to avoid it."

The guards quickly recorded the intelligence under the moonlight, intending to present it to Gan Ning upon their return.

Gan Ning spent about two and a half hours to tour the outer perimeter of the naval camp, gathering a large amount of intelligence.

Even so, Gan Ning was still unwilling to give up. He turned around and ordered, "You all retreat two miles and wait for me. I am going to go ashore to take a look."

"General, you mustn't!"

Upon hearing this, the guards were all shocked and tried to dissuade him.

Gan Ning glared at him and said, "I regard the Jingzhou navy as worthless as weeds. Zhang Yun is a mediocre and stupid pig. What is there to fear? There is no need to persuade him any further. Just obey my orders."

Gan Ning's personal guards naturally understood his character.

Even though Gan Ning's personality is much better than in the original history, and he is much more patient with those around him, he has completely lost the tyranny of arbitrarily killing his close followers in the original timeline.

However, he still retained most of his decisive and uncompromising personality, or rather, this was his inherent character, not something that was changed only in Jingzhou.

It can be said that apart from Liu Feng, who was able to easily persuade Gan Ning, even Su Fei did not have such an ability.

Under the moonlight, the other dozen or so small boats began to evacuate, while the small boat personally overseen by Gan Ning sailed toward the shore.

As night deepened, a thin mist began to rise over the river.

The Jingzhou naval camps were faintly visible in the mist, with sparse lights, making them appear exceptionally quiet.

Gan Ning was dressed in the light armor of a Jingzhou officer, with a sword at his waist. He did not wear a helmet or hat, but instead wore a red turban. His eyes were sharp like an eagle's as he observed every move on the shore.

Once the boats reached the shore, he leaped out lightly, emerging first from the reeds along the riverbank, his figure approaching the camp silently like a ghost.

On a sentry post outside the camp, a squad of ten guards were dozing off, leaning against their spears. Gan Ning glanced at them, a slight smile playing on his lips, and swaggered over.

"Snapped!"

Gan Ning slapped the Jingzhou army's captain across the face, then shouted at his bewildered expression, "You bastard, sleeping on duty! Whose subordinate are you?"

The captain and two corporals were jolted awake from their sleep. When they opened their eyes, they were so frightened by Gan Ning's uniform that they immediately knelt down in submission.

"Lord Du, spare my life! Lord Du, spare my life!"

Gan Ning just sneered at the group without saying a word, which only provoked the guards to frantically kowtow and beg for mercy.

Just when the other party thought they were doomed, Gan Ning suddenly shouted, "Password!"

The three were taken aback at first, then overjoyed and quickly replied.

One of them said "Xiangfan," while the other two answered "Hanchuan," clearly revealing the entire password.

Gan Ning snorted coldly, scolded them several more times, but finally let the three go.

With the guards feeling as if they had been granted a pardon and extremely grateful, Gan Ning led more than ten of his personal guards toward the camp.

Along the way, Gan Ning kicked three sentries who were sneaking off to sleep, taught two lazy patrol teams a lesson, and then strolled around the camp with impunity.

The tents inside the camp were arranged in a neat and orderly fashion, and the warships were lined up in orderly rows, giving it a rather elite appearance.

Unfortunately, the torches by the river swayed in the wind, reflecting the soldiers' listless faces. It was clear that no one, from top to bottom, cared about the war, and they even thought that the Yangzhou army far away in Xiakou would never come here.

Gan Ning walked through the camp, silently counting the number of ships on the shore while occasionally entering the logistics tents to check supplies, just like a conscientious and responsible military commander of Jingzhou.

The logistics tents and even the open-air barracks were piled high with various supplies such as grain, weapons, and timber, demonstrating that Xiangyang had provided very adequate replenishment for this army.

Gan Ning quickly scanned the area, secretly estimating the enemy's supply reserves.

He reached out and touched the grain sacks, then gently tapped the weapon box. After confirming that everything was in order, he took out a piece of parchment from his pocket and quickly sketched the layout of the camp and the distribution of supplies with a charcoal pencil.

After finishing recording, and seeing that the sky was beginning to lighten, Gan Ning swaggered out of the camp, returned to his boat, set sail down the Han River, and went straight after his men.

As the river breeze swept by, the camp gradually came alive with the light of dawn.

However, no one knew that Gan Ning, the brigade commander of the Yangzhou navy, had already visited the area the previous night.

Upon his return, Gan Ning immediately summoned Zhu Huan and Chen Wu.

Zhu Huan and Chen Wu were also shocked by the intelligence that Gan Ning had produced. Both of them were generals, so they could see that this intelligence was not something that could be obtained by simply walking around the camp. It was as if they had taken a stroll through the enemy's camp.

Hearing Zhu Huan and Chen Wu's doubts, Gan Ning laughed heartily and recounted how he had led a dozen or so personal guards to infiltrate Zhang Yun's camp at night and openly investigate for an entire night. Zhu Huan and Chen Wu were deeply shocked. Even though they were both incredibly brave, Zhu Huan later single-handedly defended Ruxu, achieving a victory against overwhelming odds and decisively defeating Cao Ren, the most powerful general of the Cao clan. Chen Wu also repeatedly distinguished himself in battle until he died in the Battle of Hefei while covering Sun Quan's retreat.

Both men were exceptionally courageous, yet at this moment, they were impressed by Gan Ning and admitted their inferiority.

"General, you truly have the courage of a tiger!"

Zhu Huan couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, and Chen Wu, also looking surprised, couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Gan Ning was overjoyed to receive praise from Zhu Huan and Chen Wu. His greatest passions in life were fine wine and a good reputation. Zhu Huan and Chen Wu were from prominent families and were trusted generals under Sun Ce, respectively.

Receiving their praise naturally made Gan Ning very happy.

Gan Ning, with a smug look on his face, said meaningfully, "Xiu Mu, Zi Lie, do you two know what I think of my reconnaissance of the camp this time?"

Zhu Huan and Chen Wu both shook their heads: "This humble general does not know, please enlighten us, General."

"The thief can be defeated!"

Gan Ning had been waiting for this question, and immediately declared emphatically, "Liu Biao has entrusted the wrong person, Zhang Yun is as stupid as a pig, and the Xiangyang navy is lazy and incompetent. I observe that the enemy's strength is already exhausted, and we can capture them in one battle!"

Zhu Huan and Chen Wu were taken aback and instinctively wanted to advise Gan Ning to be cautious. But before they could speak, they remembered the various intelligence reports Gan Ning had just presented, which almost revealed the true nature of Zhang Yun's camp.

With this intelligence, Zhu Huan and Chen Wu felt certain of victory, and their words turned into a plea for battle.

"We are willing to follow the general, achieve meritorious deeds, and serve our lord!"

"Hahaha, good! Good!"

Gan Ning laughed heartily and immediately ordered the entire army to assemble, sneak across Xiakou under the cover of night, and then stealthily move to a place thirty miles outside Hanchuan.

Gan Ning's troops still numbered about three thousand. In the previous battle, several hundred were lost, and more than a hundred were given to Su Fei, leaving more than three thousand five hundred men who all went into battle.

Zhu Huan and Chen Wu's forces totaled more than 6,000 men. Apart from 1,000 men being sent to the front lines, several hundred more were lost in the recent blockade battle.

With the combined forces of both sides numbering exactly ten thousand, they mobilized without holding back.

While the army was preparing, Gan Ning made a special trip to Xiakou to visit Zhou Yu and explain his plans to him.

Looking at the detailed intelligence on Zhang Yun's troops and listening to Gan Ning's account, Zhou Yu was both surprised and impressed, deeply admiring Gan Ning's bravery.

With Zhou Yu's military strategy, he could naturally see that Gan Ning's plan was very feasible. Not to mention that although the Yangzhou navy seemed to have few soldiers, its actual combat strength was in no way inferior to Zhang Yun's troops.

Therefore, Zhou Yu not only approved of Gan Ning's actions, but also planned to select two thousand elite infantrymen and assign them to Gan Ning to increase his strength.

Gan Ning was overjoyed, feeling that with Zhou Yu's help, his chances of winning had obviously increased.

Zhou Yu immediately issued an order to select two thousand men from his own troops and soldiers skilled in water, and hand them over to Gan Ning.

Zhou Yu did this for several reasons: firstly, Gan Ning's plan was indeed feasible; secondly, once Gan Ning defeated Zhang Yun, his flanks and rear would be free of pressure; and thirdly, if Zhang Yun was defeated and the navy returned victorious, it would greatly damage the morale of the people in Xiakou City.

Because of Gan Ning, Zhou Yu, although he had received the announcement of the great victory at Zhouling, temporarily held back, fearing that it would frighten Zhang Yun away.

I thought it would take a long time, but I didn't expect Gan Ning to make his move so soon. All told, Gan Ning had only been in Xiakou for three days. He was fiery and decisive, which won Zhou Yu a lot of goodwill.

Gan Ning's trip not only won Zhou Yu's approval, but also received support from two thousand elite troops, which made Gan Ning overjoyed and greatly increased his goodwill towards Zhou Yu.

Back in the fleet, the two thousand elite armored soldiers supported by Zhou Yu were distributed on the large ships. After a day of rest, the army began its daring crossing of Xiakou.

At this time, Lü Jie was exhausted by Zhou Yu's offensive, Huang Zu was driven away from Shaxian, and Zhang Yun's troops were stationed in Hanchuan, not daring to go south again. It can be said that there were no friendly forces within fifty miles around, which undoubtedly caused the morale of the Xiakou garrison to continue to decline.

Therefore, Lü Jie focused most of his attention and energy on the land battlefield, leaving him no time to attend to the river. Moreover, the river had swelled considerably, widening the river significantly, and Xiakou City could no longer control the river in the Xiakou area.

Taking advantage of the darkness of night, Gan Ning and his men quietly crossed Xiakou City, went upstream, and entered the Han River.

By daybreak, the entire army had entered the Han River and was already twenty li away from Xiakou.

During the day, Gan Ning ordered the entire army to rest until dusk, when they lit fires and cooked meals.

After dinner, Gan Ning invited Zhu Huan and Chen Wu to the flagship and began issuing combat orders.

Gan Ning stared intently at Zhu Huan, deliberately provoking him: "Xiu Mu, I have an important mission that requires a general who is both wise and brave. Do you dare to take on this task?"

Although Zhu Huan was suspicious of Gan Ning's intentions, he said without hesitation, "Although I am not particularly talented, I am loyal to the end. No matter who he is, I will do my best. I will never refuse any order."

"Good! Xiu Mu truly deserves to be called a man of Jiangzuo."

Gan Ning gave a big thumbs up, and then ordered: "In this battle, I intend to annihilate Zhang Yun's forces and make sure that not a single one of them escapes. Therefore, I order you to lead your troops to set sail at midnight, go upstream, and cross the Han River before dawn. You must set up a battle line north of Zhang Yun's main camp. If Zhang Yun escapes from your camp, you will be punished according to military law."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Huan immediately replied, "Please rest assured, General. If Zhang Yun escapes from my grasp, you will not need to lift a finger. I will offer up my head to plead guilty!"

"Good, hahaha! What a fine man!"

Gan Ning was extremely satisfied with Zhu Huan's response.

Then, Gan Ning turned his gaze to Chen Wu, who was eager to try: "Zilie, you also have important matters to attend to. After the Xiu Mu fleet sets sail, you will lead your troops to follow closely behind. After reaching Hanchuan, set up a battle formation south of Zhang Yun's main camp. I want Zhang Yun to be unable to escape from you and to sail down the Han River into the Yangtze River."

"General, don't worry!"

Chen Wu immediately straightened up, patted his chest, and guaranteed, "This humble general is willing to stake his head on it, and will not give Zhang Yun any opportunity to take advantage of this."

"it is good!"

Gan Ning was overjoyed to hear this. Looking at Zhu Huan and Chen Wu, he nodded in satisfaction, feeling that a great victory was about to be won.

Zhu Huan and Chen Wu, however, were somewhat puzzled. After exchanging a glance, Zhu Huan asked, "General, when shall we make our move?"

Gan Ning chuckled and said, "Once you two return to your ships, I will lead my troops to launch a night raid on Zhang Yun."

(End of this chapter)