Tiger Owl

Chapter 32 Weighing the pros and cons
Gan Ning sat in his office, drinking alone. He had high expectations for Liu Xun's army, so his disappointment at not meeting them was understandable.

It can be said that Liu Xun was the biggest bonus he gained in the early stages of his rise. Once he got this bonus, he could finally establish himself and enter the middle stage of his rise.

Unfortunately, Cao Cao intercepted all the supplies and money from the more than 10,000 troops and hundreds of ships, which made Gan Ning very frustrated.

"My lord, the chief clerk has arrived!"

Gan Ning sighed, "Please invite him in!"

Lu Su strode in, but before he could speak, Gan Ning interjected, "I'm just feeling down, I just need to vent, sir, don't worry."

Lu Su said with a smile, "I've only come to tell my lord about the situation in Lujiang County!"

Gan Ning invited Lu Su to sit down and asked, "What happened in Lujiang County?"

"I have just received news that Sun Ce has captured Shu County, Liu Xun has been killed in battle, and his entire army has surrendered."

Gan Ning said calmly, "As expected!"

Lu Su then said, "My lord, you must understand why Cao Cao wanted to annex Liu Xun's army instead of giving it to us directly?"

Gan Ning sneered and said, "How could I not understand? He doesn't trust me at all!"

"If it were me, I'm afraid I wouldn't trust the general either, let alone Cao Cao, who is known for his suspicion. Especially since Cao Cao wants to contain Sun Ce's northern expedition, such an important matter, he will naturally keep his people in Jiangnan. Once the war with Yuan Shao is over, he will withdraw from the south and return this army to our lord. The key is whether our lord can be of use to him."

"Sir, you're advising me not to act impulsively, right?"

"Yes! If our lord wants to achieve great things, he must be patient when necessary. To truly gain Cao Cao's support, a single imperial seal is not enough. We must also let Cao Cao see with his own eyes that our lord can be used by him. Only then can we gain Cao Cao's support in the upcoming war to annex Huang Zu. This is of utmost importance. Otherwise, with our meager resources, how can we possibly compete with the powerful Huang Zu?"

Gan Ning nodded gently, "I understand. Property not earned through one's own hard work is never very reliable. I haven't put in any effort to cultivate Liu Xun's power, so how could I expect to reap any rewards? I understand your intentions, sir."

Lu Su smiled slightly, "I believe Cao Cao will definitely send someone to explain this matter to our lord!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a soldier reported from below, "My lord, a scholar named Jia Xu has arrived at the dock. He claims to be an old acquaintance of yours!"

Lu Su and Gan Ning exchanged a glance and burst into laughter. It was truly a case of speaking of the devil and he appears.

"Please go and greet him for me, sir. I'll wash up and change my clothes and then come to see him."

Jia Xu rode in a carriage into Chaisang and looked around the county town. He saw that the town was prosperous in commerce, and most of the people had smiles on their faces. He could hardly see any refugees begging along the streets.

Jia Xu couldn't help but secretly praise Gan Ning, who was indeed quite capable, managing Chaisang very well.

In fact, all of this was governed by Lu Su. Gan Ning was always busy with war and completely delegated power to Lu Su. But where there is a wise minister, there must be a wise ruler, so praising Gan Ning is not wrong.

"Military Advisor Jia, has Liu Ye gone to Xuchang?" Lu Su asked.

Jia Xu stroked his beard and smiled, "He went to the imperial court. If Zijing is interested, I can recommend him!"

Lu Su smiled and said, "I am not very talented, how can I compare with Liu Ye? He has the talent to govern the country and bring peace to the people, while I am just a county official."

"Zijing is too modest. Liu Ye speaks highly of you. However, you are now Gan Ning's strategist, and I cannot poach you. If one day Zijing wants to seek a new path, I will definitely do my best to help you!"

"Thank you for your kind offer, Military Advisor Jia!"

..........
Upon arriving at the government office, Gan Ning personally came out to greet him, laughing loudly, "Since we parted in Xuchang, I have been looking forward to seeing Military Advisor Jia again. I didn't expect my wish to come true so soon."

Seeing that Gan Ning's smile was kind and sincere, without a trace of anger or dissatisfaction, Lu Su immediately felt relieved. This was the right way; no matter how dissatisfied he was, he had to hold back and not show it, lest Jia Xu see his bottom line.

Jia Xu was also a little surprised. He thought Gan Ning would definitely question him about why he broke his promise and get angry at him. He didn't expect Gan Ning to be so relaxed and at ease, without showing any signs of dissatisfaction. Jia Xu wondered if Liu Ye's letter was not written clearly.

Jia Xu smiled slightly and said, "It seems like only yesterday that General shot Cai Yan. Time really flies."

"That's why they say time flies! I shot time away with one arrow."

The three laughed heartily and entered the VIP hall together. They took their seats according to the rules of host and guest, and Lu Su quickly arranged for tea to be served. Jia Xu stroked his beard and said, "I've come to Chaisang for two matters. First, Cao Cao ordered me to take Yuan Shu's family away; General, you know that, right?"

Gan Ning nodded. "I received Cao Cao's letter earlier. I have already brought Yuan Shu's family to Chaisang. You can take them with you, sir. By the way, does Cao Cao intend to kill Yuan Shu's family?"

Jia Xu gently shook his head and said, "General, you are mistaken. Although it is said that the victor is king and the loser is a bandit, if even his wife and children are killed, who will dare to surrender to Cao Cao in the future? To be honest, Cao Cao wants Yuan Shu's family members, but he actually wants to return them to Yuan Shao and leave a way out for his own family."

Gan Ning laughed and said, "It seems that Lord Cao is not confident in defeating Yuan Shao!"

"Man proposes, God disposes. When both sides are evenly matched, who can know what the future holds? Leaving someone an out is always a good thing, as it makes things easier for yourself."

“Junior Advisor Jia is right. Please tell me the second matter.”

Jia Xu pondered for a moment and said, "The second matter concerns Liu Xun. Because it is of great importance, Cao Cao has decided to personally take charge to restrain Sun Ce and prevent him from launching a northern expedition against Xuchang. Please forgive me, General Gan!"

"I understand. I want to know who the commander-in-chief of Pengze County is?"

"It's Yu Jin!"

"Oh--"

Gan Ning gave a soft "Oh!" Cao Cao actually sent Yu Jin to oversee Pengze, which shows that he really values ​​Jiangdong.

"Does Lord Cao hope that Yu Jin and I will join forces?" Gan Ning asked with a smile.

“That’s absolutely right. Yu Jin’s 12,000 men alone are definitely not enough. Only by joining forces and dealing with Sun Ce together can we restrain him. General, please feel free to make any requests.”

Gan Ning nodded. "Liu Xun is in my hands. He told me that he brought 300,000 shi of grain and 100,000 guan of cash this time. I happen to be short of money and supplies, and I hope General Yu Jin can give me a portion to boost the morale of my troops."

"absolutely okay!"

Jia Xu readily agreed, "I'll go back and make the arrangements."

Will Strategist Jia remain in Jiangdong?

Jia Xu shook his head. "I need to take Yuan Shu's family back to Xuchang as soon as possible. General Yu Jin will be in charge of Jiangdong. I hope the two of you can get along well."

Gan Ning smiled slightly, "We must prioritize Lord Cao's overall interests!"

Jia Xu gave a thumbs up, thinking that with Gan Ning's words, Cao Cao would definitely think highly of him.

Gan Ning pondered for a moment and then asked, "Has Cao Cao made any arrangements for Liu Biao and Huang Zu?"

"General, please rest assured. Cao Cao has already sent a message to Huang Zu, clearly requesting him not to send troops to Chaisang and Pengze. Huang Zu will certainly give Cao Cao face and I believe he will remain neutral and will not stab Cao Cao in the back. Chaisang should be safe!"

"Huang Zu and the Sun family have a long-standing feud. Why didn't Cao Cao join forces with Huang Zu to restrain Sun Ce?"

Jia Xu sighed softly, "How could Lord Cao not want that? It's just that Huang Zu has Liu Biao behind him, and Liu Biao is not so easy to deal with. So after weighing the pros and cons, Lord Cao still thinks it's better to keep Huang Zu neutral. It's better to retreat and seek stability than to give others a handle to use against him."

In fact, Cao Cao's real means of restraining Liu Biao was to use Zhang Jin of Jiaozhou to restrain Liu Biao. Zhang Jin did not fail Cao Cao's trust and sent troops to attack Guiyang County and Lingling County every year. Liu Biao could not bear the harassment and had to send his nephew Liu Xin to Changsha to fight against Zhang Jin.

The instability in the south not only distracted Liu Biao from attacking the Central Plains, but also severely delayed his plan to attack Yuzhang, which Gan Ning eventually seized.

Jia Xu certainly wouldn't tell Gan Ning about Jiaozhou, as he was worried that Gan Ning might have become interested in it.

Seeing Lu Su go out to make arrangements for Yuan Shu's family, Jia Xu lowered his voice and said to Gan Ning, "Cao Cao is worried that Liu Biao might notice something amiss and take advantage of the weakened state of Xuchang to join forces with Sun Ce to attack Xuchang instead."

"I see, Gan Ning has learned a lot!"

Gan Ning suddenly had a thought; he remembered something important.

(End of this chapter)