Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

A hint of surprise flashed across Yuan Shu's gloomy face. His clenched fists loosened and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Great! There's always a way out!"

The light of hope rekindled in Yang Hong's eyes, and he rubbed his hands excitedly: "That's good now. With this batch of food and grass, we have the confidence!" The dispute with Yan Xiang just now was instantly thrown out of the window.

Yan Xiang also secretly breathed a sigh of relief, his expression much more relaxed: "In this way, our army is temporarily safe. The most urgent task is to plan how to break the city."

Everyone stopped arguing over the lost food and turned their attention back to the battle. Yuan Shu returned to his seat, glanced at the group, and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, now that we have food and supplies, it's time to think carefully about how to capture Yuzhang County. Every day Liu Yao holds out means more losses for us. Everyone, share your ideas." The atmosphere in the tent heated up again. Everyone gathered around the map, discussing strategies for breaking the city.

Yan Xiang's expression was solemn, and he wasn't overwhelmed by the joy of the impending arrival of food and fodder. The army's food shortage was already an established fact, and this batch of food and fodder was too crucial to the overall outcome of the war. He was filled with worry and didn't dare to slack off even a little.

After a moment's reflection, he articulated his advice to Yuan Shu, "My lord, the grain and fodder General Lei Bo has collected is the lifeblood of our army. We cannot afford to lose even a single ounce of it. Ma Chao has already set ambushes twice in Lujiang County, and there's no guarantee he won't covet this grain and tamper with it on the river. Even if we take the waterway, we must ensure it's completely secure. I implore my lord to send a large army to meet them."

Upon hearing this, Yang Hong immediately retorted with a tone full of sarcasm: "Lord Yan, I'm afraid you've been so distracted by this war! Ma Chao's cavalry are all strong men from the north. How many of them are familiar with water? How could they possibly cause trouble on the water?"

Yan Xiang ignored Yang Hong's sneers and continued his sincere advice, "My lord, we must not underestimate the enemy. Although Ma Chao currently lacks naval forces, he is sworn brothers with Zhou Yu and Sun Ce, and this fact has long been known to everyone. Now Ma Chao, Zhou Yu, and Sun Ce have all entered the battle, and their forces are heading straight for our army. Zhou Yu and Sun Ce have just pacified Kuaiji and Wujun, so they may not be without naval forces at their disposal. Therefore, the supply of food and fodder is urgent and must be carefully arranged."

While Yang Hong's words made some sense, and Yuan Shu secretly felt that Yan Xiang's concerns might be excessive, this shipment of food and fodder was a matter of life and death for the entire army, and he couldn't afford to underestimate it. Yuan Shu frowned, pacing back and forth in the tent. After a long moment of deliberation, he finally made up his mind. He turned to his commanding general, Li Feng, a skilled sailor, with a stern expression and an undeniable authority in his voice: "Li Feng, I command you to immediately lead 10,000 naval forces to retrieve this shipment of food and fodder. Remember, this shipment of food and fodder is vital to our army and is crucial to the success or failure of this battle. If anything goes wrong, you and Lei Bo will come to me with your heads on the line!"

Li Feng knelt on one knee, accepted the order, and departed. Although Yuan Shu's demands were extremely stringent, Li Feng didn't take the mission seriously. As he strode out of the tent, he pondered: Northerners are unaccustomed to naval warfare. Even if Ma Chao wanted to intercept them by water, he'd be out of reach. Zhou Yu was currently embroiled in the fighting in Jiujiang County, having just pacified Wu and Kuaiji counties. How could he spare troops to attack him from the river? Furthermore, the 10,000 naval forces under his command were elite troops who had undergone extensive training. How could they be compared to Zhou Yu's hastily recruited ragtag group? Thinking of this, Li Feng's lips curled up slightly, revealing a hint of confidence, and his steps became even more brisk, as if this rendezvous mission was merely a formality, devoid of any danger.

Ma Chao enjoyed a period of great success. With the close cooperation of Zhang Xiu, he successfully ambushed the enemy twice and captured a vast supply of food and fodder. Once these supplies arrived in Runan County, morale within the army soared, and the soldiers were in high spirits, their eyes filled with a desire for victory. Meanwhile, Zhang Xun, facing a delay in the arrival of reinforcements, was forced to retreat to his camp, daily refusing to fight, and his morale gradually waned as he waited day after day.

Ma Chao, not wanting to miss this opportunity to crush the enemy, launched numerous offensives. While Zhang Xun's camp remained unbroken, each assault left him stretched thin, struggling to cope and unable to resist. Zhang Xun spent his days in a state of intense anxiety, constantly fearing a potential breach.

In stark contrast to the oppressive atmosphere at Zhang Xun's camp, Ma Chao's camp was filled with a sense of ease and joy. With these two ample shipments of rations, the army no longer had to worry about food. The soldiers were in high spirits and trained with exceptional diligence. Furthermore, Ma Chao still had Gan Ning, his "trump card," yet to be used, and his strength should not be underestimated.

Xu Shu, Lu Su, and Ma Chao gathered to discuss the battle situation. Xu Shu analyzed, "Yuan Shu's army has been short of food for a long time. They must be extremely anxious now, and they will definitely be pressing for more supplies." Lu Su nodded in agreement, "Indeed, in my opinion, their actions will become more frequent. We can act accordingly."

As expected, scouts dispatched by Ma Chao and Zhang Xiu repeatedly spotted messengers traveling hurriedly between Yuzhang and Jiujiang. Clearly, these messengers were being sent to urge for grain. But rather than stop them, Ma Chao and his men secretly rejoiced, wishing these scouts could make as many as eight hundred trips a day. They believed this would encourage Lei Bo in Jiujiang to gather more grain, creating the perfect opportunity for another grain raid and further weakening Yuan Shu's power.

Ma Chao's scouts, tirelessly gathering information day and night, finally uncovered a crucial piece of intelligence: Lei Bo had prepared a large quantity of food and fodder, intending to transport it to Yuan Shu's forces. This time, Lei Bo had learned his lesson and abandoned the land route. After all, he had suffered heavy losses in two previous land-based attempts at the same route, having been completely routed by Zhang Xiu's forces. Zhang Xiu's Wancheng Army, a force derived from the Western Liang cavalry, was so formidable that the mere mention of it filled Lei Bo with lingering fear.

Now, Lei Bo completely accepted the advice of others and decided to transport the grain by sea. He also didn't dare to take it lightly and carefully selected 5,000 naval troops to escort the grain. He thought that if the grain was transported by water, the northern troops, unaccustomed to naval warfare, would be helpless. With these 5,000 naval troops escorting him, the grain should arrive safely.

Upon hearing this news, Ma Chao and his men immediately recognized this as a golden opportunity. They quickly dispatched a messenger to inform Gan Ning, commanding him to lead the Jinfan Battalion and prepare for battle. Gan Ning, excited to learn of a battle, especially one involving a forage raid—a chance to both gain merit and replenish supplies—was eager to take action. He quickly gathered his men from the Jinfan Battalion, inspected their weapons and equipment, and formulated a battle plan, waiting for the arrival of the fleet transporting the forage and fodder so that he could surprise Lei Bo and his men.

While Ma Chao and the others were unfamiliar with naval warfare, Gan Ning was a different story. This fierce general, a former Jinfan bandit, knew all about water. Upon learning that Lei Bo was planning to transport grain by water, he sprang into action, scouting the river and thoroughly understanding the waterway from Jiujiang to Yuzhang.

After careful reconnaissance, Gan Ning selected an ideal ambush location—a bend in the Panlong Gorge. Panlong Gorge was a dangerous place, with steep cliffs on both sides and a narrow, winding river in between, where the current was swift. Once a ship entered, turning around or evading would be extremely difficult. Furthermore, this was a crucial passage for Lei Bo's grain transport fleet, and an ambush here would effectively strangle the enemy.

Gan Ning and his men from the Jinfan Battalion had already set up camp in Panlong Gorge. Hiding quietly among the reefs and reeds along both banks, they waited silently for their prey. Meanwhile, Gan Ning had also informed Ma Chao, commanding him to deploy his forces at a convenient landing point nearby, waiting for the Jinfan Battalion to succeed and then quickly collect and transport food and fodder safely.

Gan Ning was brimming with confidence, as if he had already witnessed the scene where Lei Bo's grain transport fleet had been ambushed and slaughtered. To him, this battle was like catching a turtle in a jar, with victory guaranteed, waiting for the grain transport fleet to fall into the trap.

Ever since Lei Bo led the fleet on their journey to transport the grain, he'd been gripped by a wave of unease. He knew Ma Chao and his men weren't experts at naval battles, and the five thousand sailors he brought with him were a select group of elite soldiers whose combat effectiveness shouldn't be underestimated. Yet, for some reason, a wave of apprehension clung to him, a feeling he couldn't shake.

Along the way, he kept ordering the team: "Everyone, be alert and be careful! This batch of food and fodder is related to our lives and property. If something goes wrong, no one will have a good life!" The deputy general listened from the side and responded seriously at first, but after a long time, he felt a little nervous because of his repeated nagging.

Yet, the fleet sailed out of Jiujiang County and traversed most of the waterways within Lujiang, remaining calm and unobstructed. Aside from the occasional flight of waterfowl, the fleet's slow progress was unnoticed. Observing this tranquil scene, Lei Bo and his deputy exchanged glances, each catching a glimpse of doubt in the other's eyes. They couldn't help but wonder, were they truly being paranoid? Gradually, their guard relaxed, their expressions of tension easing. Unbeknownst to them, danger was quietly approaching.

Just as Lei Bo and his deputy general thought they had a false alarm and were gradually letting down their guard, an experienced sailor from Lujiang County hurried up to Lei Bo and reported in a serious tone, "General, we're almost at Panlong Gorge. The terrain there is extremely dangerous, the water is turbulent, and there are undercurrents. We must be extra careful."

Upon hearing this, the uneasiness that had just dissipated in Lei Bo's heart quietly resurfaced. He frowned slightly and asked with a puzzled look on his face, "Do you think there will be an enemy ambush here?"

The old sailor quickly shook his head and said firmly, "General, don't worry. Although the terrain of Panlong Gorge is steep and the water is treacherous, it is precisely because of this that it is not suitable for an ambush. Think about it, the cliffs on both sides are towering and extremely difficult to climb. Even if the enemy wanted to ambush, they would not be able to deploy troops here quietly. As long as we control the ship carefully and pay attention to avoiding those undercurrents and reefs, there will be no major problems. We must not cause unnecessary damage to ourselves due to negligence."

Lei Bo's doubts eased slightly after hearing the old sailor's explanation. He nodded slightly and said, "You're right. Pass the order down. Tell all ships to proceed with caution and pay close attention to their surroundings." Then, he stood at the bow, his eyes fixed on the approaching Panlong Gorge, silently praying for a safe journey and the successful delivery of the food and fodder to their destination.