Tiger Owl

Chapter 10 Chaisang Has an Owner
The first large-scale southward migration in history occurred at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, when the Yellow Turban Rebellion and the Dong Zhuo Rebellion led to a large number of people from the north fleeing to the south.

Jiangdong was the place with the largest number of people migrating south, followed by Jingxiang, and then Bashu.

With the large-scale migration of people from the north to the south, the population of various places in the south has grown rapidly, and Chaisang is no exception.

Cao Cao said that the official in charge of Chaisang should not be called a county magistrate, but only a county head, because Chaisang only had a population of over a thousand households. However, this was old data, and in reality, the population of Chaisang County had exceeded three thousand households.

Gan Ning and Lu Su arrived in Chaisang together, but to their surprise, Chaisang actually had a garrison.

"When I passed through Chaisang last time, there were no troops here. How come there are suddenly troops stationed here now?"

Gan Ning looked at the soldiers on the city wall with a puzzled expression.

"Perhaps it was sent by Prefect Hua Xin, after all, this place belongs to Yuzhang Commandery!"

"It's not Hua Xin, it's Huang Zu!"

Gan Ning pointed to the flag on the city tower, which had been rolled up earlier, but now the wind had blown it open, revealing a black 'yellow' character.

Lu Su nodded. "It seems that the Yellow Ancestor has made his move!"

"Find my men first!"

The group arrived at an inn in the east of the city. As soon as they entered, a young man ran up to them and exclaimed with delight, "Our lord is back!"

The young man was named Zhang Xi, and he was also one of Gan Ning's subordinates.

Where are they? Why are you all alone?

“This is not the place to talk. Let’s go inside and talk.”

Gan Ning led Lu Su and Wang Ping into the house. Zhang Xi peeked outside, closed the door, and said, "The brothers aren't in the city; they've all hidden in the countryside?"

"why?"

“We had too many people, which aroused their suspicion. Before they could start investigating, Brother Shen and Brother Lou led the men out of the city. I stayed here to wait for our lord to return.”

Gan Ning frowned and asked, "Who is the other party?"

"Yellow Shot!"

Zhang Xi sighed and said, "On the third day after we arrived in Chaisang, Huang She led several thousand men to attack. The county magistrate surrendered, and Huang She's army took control of Chaisang. They started checking household registrations within the city. Anyone with more than ten people in their household had to go to the military camp to explain. We have three hundred men, so..."

"But I don't think Chaisang has several thousand troops."

"That happened a month ago. Huang She has already led his troops back. Now Chaisang only has 500 troops stationed there, commanded by a general named Hu Xian. He is in charge of the entire Chaisang. My uncle is a businessman in Chaisang, so Brother Shen asked me to wait here for the lord and gather intelligence."

"I understand. Where are the brothers now?"

"They are in Pengli Marsh. I will take you there now."

Gan Ning nodded and said to Lu Su, "Let's meet up first and then discuss our next move."

Lu Su smiled slightly and said, "It seems that General's first opponent is not Hua Xin, but Huang Zu!"

.........

Pengli Lake is the predecessor of today's Poyang Lake.

However, the Pengli Marsh of the Han Dynasty was much larger than Poyang Lake, not only on the south bank of the Yangtze River, but also with a large area of ​​water on the north bank of the Yangtze River.

The lake is dotted with islands of all sizes. Most of the islands are uninhabited, but some of the larger islands are inhabited by fishermen who have settled in villages.

About half an hour after entering Poyang Lake, a large island appeared in front of us, covered with forests and many houses.

"This is the place, called Dragon Head Island. People say the island looks like a dragon's head, but I can't see it."

The island was indeed very large, covering at least tens of thousands of acres. In the northeast corner of the island was a fishing village with two or three hundred households, where Gan Ning's men were currently stationed. Gan Ning quickly found Shen Mi and Lou Fa, and his men, instead of becoming merchants, temporarily became fishermen.

"We are confident that we can eliminate Hu Xian and seize Chaisang City, but I have decided to wait for our lord to return before making any decisions!"

Shen Mi was the oldest, and he was Gan Ning's deputy general.

"You did the right thing! Now we can take back Chaisang openly and legitimately!"

Gan Ning then briefly recounted his trip to Cao Cao's place. Shen Mi and Lou Fa were overjoyed. Their lord was the appointed magistrate of Chaisang by the imperial court, as well as a Colonel of the Vanguard and a Commander of a Separate Division. He could now legitimately command an army.

Having military power was very important. Although the court was on the verge of collapse, the people of the world still recognized the court and considered themselves Han officials.

If someone has an army without the authority to command troops granted by the imperial court, it is called a bandit army or a local militia, such as soldiers recruited by local officials.

Now that Gan Ning holds the rank of Colonel and the military post of Commander of a Separate Division, his three hundred men are now a veritable imperial army. Shen Mi and Lou Fa are also official imperial generals, which means they are now officially recognized as government officials.

If it were according to Gan Ning's old character, he would now lead three hundred men to storm Chaisang.

But the current Gan Ning is different. Coming out of the era of "rolling around like crazy," Gan Ning's first consideration is cost-effectiveness: how to obtain the greatest benefit at the lowest cost.

To achieve this, knowing yourself and your enemy is key.

Gan Ning gathered three hundred men and said loudly to them, "The first thing we need to do now is to transform ourselves and turn ourselves into an army."

Gan Ning appointed Shen Mi, Lou Fa, and Wang Ping as commanders, each leading one hundred men, with subordinate officers, squad leaders, and platoon leaders.

Gan Ning then appointed Lu Su as his chief secretary, entrusted him with the management of all the property, and assigned him thirty soldiers as his subordinates.

"From now on, we are called Jiangdong Chaisang Army. We hope that by this time next year, we will change our name to Jiangdong Yuzhang Army."

..........
Inside the Xunyang Restaurant in Chaisang, Gan Ning and Lu Su were drinking in a private room on the second floor while gazing out the window. At this moment, Zhang Xi brought in a middle-aged man named Liu Kuangyi, a merchant and Zhang Xi's uncle.

It was precisely because of Zhang Xiyou's connections that he was left in Chaisang as an informant.

Upon hearing that Gan Ning was the newly appointed county magistrate by the imperial court, Liu Kuangyi immediately knelt down and bowed, saying, "This humble commoner, Liu Kuangyi, greets Your Excellency!"

"Master Liu, there's no need for such formalities, please have a seat!"

Gan Ning invited Liu Kuangyi to sit down and asked with a smile, "I heard that you used to do business in Xiakou, Master Liu?"

"I have been doing business in the Jiangxia area for more than 20 years."

"How much does Master Liu know about Huang Zu?"

Liu Kuangyi thought for a moment and said, "When Huang Zu was young, he was quite generous and righteous, and the local gentry all liked him. Now that he is old, he has become muddleheaded and particularly likes to do things in a showy manner. He is especially fond of grandstanding. I heard that he boasts all day about his bravery in killing Sun Jian back then. However, his son Huang She is not bad. He strictly ordered Hu Xian not to plunder the people of Chaisang, otherwise Hu Xian would have taken action long ago."

"Is this Hu Xian also ambitious and eager for quick success?"

Liu Kuangyi sneered, "Hu Xian is Huang Zu's adopted son and is particularly good at pleasing Huang Zu, which is why Huang Zu appointed him as the commander of the Chaisang branch. Of course, he wants to make merits to satisfy Huang Zu's preferences, so Hu Xian spends his days arresting Jiangdong spies in the city. Anyone who enters the city from outside and there are more than three people will be detained and interrogated."

How skilled is he in martial arts?

Liu Kuangyi shook his head. "Hu Xian is not very capable. He is a notorious playboy in Jiangxia. You don't need to worry about him at all, but he has a young general under his command who is quite skilled in martial arts. You should pay attention to this person!"

"What's this young soldier's name?" Gan Ning asked curiously.

"Reporting to the County Magistrate, this man's name is Ding Feng!"

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(End of this chapter)