Chapter 115 Lantian Liu Xiong
In the south of Shang County, more than a hundred people were standing and looking at the Dan River.

From their point of view, there was a fleet of boats connected end to end on the Dan River with no end in sight.

At most three boats can sail side by side on the river, and most of the time there are two boats sailing side by side.

There were only seven or eight people on each boat, two of them rowing, one rowing, and the rest wearing armor and holding shields, or holding bows and crossbows.

The people of Shang County did not dare to move and could only stand at the long-abandoned dock and wait quietly for the decision of fate.

County Magistrate Shang abandoned the city and fled last night.

The taxation in Shang County was meager, and the people in the city took refuge in the mountains and wilderness. The population of the county was even less than that of a village in a certain valley.

Being a county magistrate here really means a lot of responsibility but little fun.

Unable to wait for reinforcements and without the military order from the Inspector of the Capital, the county magistrate wisely ran away.

Soon, boats came to the shore one after another. The soldiers on the shore stood in line and were alert. The rowers worked together to drag the small boats ashore and piled them up to form a fort.

When more than twenty ships were dragging the boat ashore, the black-sailed boat that Gan Ning was on arrived.

Wooden boards connected the ship's planks to the dock. Gan Ning, wearing heavy golden armor, walked with exceptionally steady steps.

The subsequent boats that came ashore were all equipped with heavy infantry wearing gilt Ming Guang armor similar to Gan Ning's. They were extremely luxurious and could be seen as the Tianhan Royal Army.

The battle flag of the Henghai Captain followed him down the ship and was firmly fixed to the dock by the flag-bearing warriors.

More than a dozen elders from Shang County took the initiative to step forward, and Gan Ning also took off his armor and helmet and looked around the dock.

This is somewhat different from what was expected. I suspect that Zhong Yao is going to shrink his strength and voluntarily give up Wuguan Road in order to lengthen his own supply line.

"Meet the general."

Among the three elders, there are the county elders and the township elders, and they are generally around 60 years old.

To become one of the three elders, one not only has to be old, but these people also have to have served in government when they were young.

As the possessors of resources, the three elders have many children and grandchildren, and have served as officials. They are highly respected and influential in the local area.

"Elders, please stand up."

Gan Ning stepped forward, took out a scroll of manifesto and handed it to the crowd. He looked around and said, "Cao Cao is a treacherous prime minister and a disgraceful eunuch! He recruited bandits and used them as his pawns. He deceived the emperor and the court into a cage and abused the innocent people in the Central Plains. Now the loyal and brave people in Hebei and Jingchu are filled with righteous indignation and have raised troops to support the court and the country to fight against the traitors. My general will lead the Tiger Tooth General to march out of Wuguan to fight against the traitor Zhong Yao!"

The three elders gathered together to read the manifesto against Zhong Yao. They were all used to big scenes and had no reaction.

After reading it, the man with gray beard in the lead said: "General, you are going to fight against the traitors. Our county is surrounded by mountains, the land is barren, and the population is small. I am afraid it is difficult for us to help you in this righteous cause."

"Liu Zhennan will provide food and fodder for our army, so there is no need for you to raise food."

Seeing that they were willing to cooperate, Gan Ning asked, "Where are the officials in the city?"

"The county lord left the city and fled north last night. The county official was ignorant and feared that he would be implicated, so he fled to the mountains and wilderness."

Another county elder stepped forward with his staff and said, "The county official fled, and a thief was stealing. A fire broke out accidentally, and the county government has been reduced to ashes."

Gan Ning just nodded and said: "The thieves are rampant. In this case, I will stay in the city to protect the people."

After saying this, Gan Ning turned his head to look at a team of 100 men that had already lined up: "Enter the city and guard the four gates! Do not take a single grain of rice or a single tile from the people, otherwise you will be severely punished by military law!"

"Here!"

The commander of the hundred men bowed heavily, turned around and looked at his soldiers: "First team, move out!"

Gan Ning watched the hundred-man team leave. At this time, another hundred-man team came ashore to complete the assembly and was selecting officers and soldiers.

Seeing that the number of people was correct, the 100-man supervisor came to Gan Ning and said, "Captain, the third team is complete."

"Enter the city and clean up the ruins of the county government."

"Here!"

Gan Ning ignored the so-called three elders throughout the process, and soon sent out another team of 100 people.

The three elders gathered together feeling a little uneasy, and soon Li Yi's group arrived.

Gan Ning went to the dock and explained the situation: "I suspect the locals took the opportunity to burn the books. This is very suspicious."

Li Yi listened carefully and frowned: "Captain, is there a possibility that the former county lord hid the register and the locals knew about it?"

Such a big thing cannot be accomplished by the county lord alone, and the county officials must be involved.

Most of the county officials are related to the three elders, so if the county officials know about it, it is equivalent to the three elders knowing about it.

"This is also what I am confused about. If they are hiding, just blame it on the county lord. Why involve a little thief?"

Gan Ning frowned, thinking of a situation, and looked at Li Yi with a look of realization. Li Yi's eyes lit up, and he raised his index finger and pointed at the air: "County Lord!"

"Yes, before the county lord left the city and fled north, he deliberately sealed up the books! Many people knew about it, so we had to use the little thief to burn it!"

Gan Ning sneered: "That's good. When General Qu arrives, we can check the land and population!"

He has never been in a good temper. When his subordinates disobeyed orders, Gan Ning could not bear to have blood on his hands.

They were often tied up and shot in public.

Li Yi nodded. As a native of Ba County, he would not be merciful to the powerful people in Shang County.

Gan Ning said, "You will stay in the county town tonight and guard the four gates. After entering the city, be careful to identify the city for ambushes. Wang Wei and I will guard the dock. Even if something unexpected happens, we can support each other."

"Yes!"

Li Yi agreed and immediately asked, "Since the progress is so smooth, when will we invite the commander?"

"I'll send the clipper back right away."

Gan Ning turned his head and looked at Dan Shui and smiled: "When the express ship arrives in Nanxiang, it will also be the time for General Qu's headquarters to set out, so it won't affect anything."

At this time, the village elder who had been in charge came closer, leaning on a rattan stick and said, "General, you have helped the imperial court to raise an army. Although my county is poor, I will do my best to help you."

Seeing how earnestly the old man spoke, the word righteousness seemed to be written on his face.

Gan Ning shook his head: "We will discuss this matter after my general arrives." The old man's expression changed. Feeding the vanguard is one thing, and feeding the main general of the army is another.

Not long after, Wang Wei's troops slowly arrived.

They had bamboo rafts, powered by oars and bamboo poles. Fortunately, they were all veterans of the Jingzhou Army and generally knew how to swim.

With Gan Ning and Li Yi leading the way, they were able to remove their armor and have everyone row and pole.

When Wang Wei arrived, he saw that Shang County had surrendered without a fight, and he couldn't help feeling resentful.

In fact, this is how the confrontation between major forces works. Outlying counties and cities often surrender at the sight of an enemy, and are conquered by just one order.

There were actually only a few people like Lu Chang who truly rebelled against Liu Biao and depended on the imperial court.

The news of the loss of Shang County spread quickly to the north, and the magistrate of Lantian County knew about it before the fleeing county lord even reached Lantian.

He immediately sent his chief clerk to invite Liu Xiong, the commander of Lantian, in an attempt to hold the city.

The most dangerous section of Wuguan Road, where the mountain has the largest altitude difference, is located in Lantian.

There is Zhongling Mountain between Lantian and Shangluo County in the south. This mountain range is located northeast of Lantian, to the north of Shangluo County.

Several rivers flow out from the Zhongling Mountain. To the east is the Luo River, which goes straight to Luoyang. This is also the origin of the name of Shangluo County, that is, the upper reaches of the Luo River.

To the south is the Dan River, and to the north is the Ba River.

Lantian Valley, where Liu Xiong’s camp is located.

The people who depended on Liu Xiong could not live together due to the fragmented terrain of the valleys in Lantian, so they were stationed separately.

Liu Xiong is now in his prime. He is quite satisfied with his current life and doesn't want any changes.

But he was confident that he could suppress all parts of Wuguan Road, but it was difficult to stop the invasion of external forces.

The storage of food, fodder and equipment alone was enough to give him a headache; and war would kill people.

Cai Mao, such a powerful man, had a thousand of his elite troops killed in one battle by the White Goose Bandits, and he even lost his head.

In terms of strength and influence alone, Cai Mao was someone Liu Xiong dared not offend.

If they really go against the White Goose Thief, his troops will be the first to give up.

People depend on him just to fill their stomachs, not because they are impressed by his personal charm.

They may come together for pure profit, but they may also break apart due to disasters.

Liu Xiong lacked confidence in his subordinates and also in himself.

While he was hesitating, frantic and insomniac, the chief clerk of Lantian County Magistrate came at night, making him even more depressed.

After settling the chief clerk, he immediately sent people to invite the small garrison commanders in various valleys. These small garrison commanders were divided into two groups according to their strength. Some were garrison commanders, while the larger ones were Qu generals and military marquises.

The next morning, all the big and small leaders gathered together, and those who were on good terms with each other whispered to each other.

In fact, they are all people from the mountains, so how the war goes on outside the mountains really has little to do with them.

In peaceful times, they were just village chiefs of some mountain villages; how could the big shots outside the mountains look at them in the eye?
Thirty years ago, people from the Lantian Valley would be looked down upon when they went to Lantian County.

There are few arable land resources in mountainous areas, and the worst thing is that there are often heavy rains and hail in the mountains, resulting in perennial reduced production, and occasional heavy rains can result in a total harvest.

Even rich farmers with dozens of acres of land at home sometimes have no harvest, let alone other people.

In times of peace, people can also collect medicinal herbs, wild delicacies, minerals, etc. and exchange them for food outside the mountains.

But now they can barely avoid starving to death. Under such circumstances, who among Liu Xiong's headquarters and his subordinates, big and small, has extra reserves to fight?
After all the leaders had gathered, Liu Xiong walked into the hall from the side room and sat in the main seat.

He had a very good appearance, being over eight feet tall and strong, with bright eyes and a square face with the word "firmness" written all over it. His beard was two feet long, and he looked intimidating even without being angry when he sat in the main seat.

He really sat in this position just because of his good looks. He knew it very well and also knew that most people were convinced.

In order to survive as a group, everyone needs a leader, but they are also worried that this leader will not be able to gain a foothold among outsiders. At the same time, they are also afraid that this leader is too powerful and will merge all the other tribes.

So, another beautiful embroidered pillow, Liu Xiong, sat calmly in the main seat.

After getting along with each other for so many years, I have also won the goodwill of many people.

Liu Xiong is in his current position and has developed some dignity and bearing.

He coughed twice and said, "Zheng Shou sent Lian Zhubu to invite me to send troops. I couldn't refuse, so I asked Lian Zhubu to go back and report."

Immediately, a military officer stood up and said, "Captain, General Huya is very powerful, and his 3,000 Qingzhou soldiers are brave and good at fighting. We cannot resist him."

"Yes, Captain. We are already weak in defending the valleys. If we gather the young and strong to go out, and the mountain people and barbarians come to attack, who will protect our families?"

Seeing that some people were about to stand up, Liu Xiong raised his hand and waved, saying slowly, "Listen to me."

The two people who stood up looked at each other and had no choice but to sit down.

Liu Xiong said: "Everyone knows that the soldiers of Qingzhou are brutal, how could I not know that? Now we have no way to retreat. If we take our families out of Lantian, we will inevitably be annexed by the generals of Guanzhong."

Everyone was silent. They dominated the Lantian Valley, not because they were brave and enjoyed hunting wild beasts.

They also wanted to return to Guanzhong and settle down on the vast plains, but they could not defeat the powerful generals in Guanzhong.

Between being slaves and mountain people, they chose their current life.

"If you become hostile to General Tiger Fang, I'm afraid there will be no good ending."

Liu Xiong calmly recounted a cruel fact: "Therefore, I want to recruit 500 elite soldiers as the vanguard, kill Zheng Shou, and present him to General Huya's tent."

Everyone was silent again, and one person stood up: "Captain, if we kill Zheng Shou and General Huya is defeated, we will have no room for maneuver."

Liu Xiong laughed: "If we don't kill Zheng Shou, how could General Huya let us lead the people? The chaos has reached this point, and we mountain people have no way out. If you want to seek wealth and honor, follow me to kill Zheng Shou and ask General Huya for a job. If you don't want to, go to Hanzhong and join the Tianshi Dao."

He stood up and looked at the people who were at odds with him: "Just think clearly, how long can the Heavenly Master Dao be free and unfettered?"

　Your eyes hurt and your efficiency is slow, don’t wait, try again tomorrow morning.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)