Chapter 59: Join forces together

Afternoon, by the Xishui River.

Armor and weapons were piled on the side, the men worked together to cut up wild boars of all sizes, and the children repeatedly washed the offal by the river.

More than a dozen experienced soldiers carefully removed the bones, and all the bones were removed and stored in a centralized location.

In order to increase the success rate of refining and summoning, the black bear even goes so far as to ask for skinning.

A small circle was formed by stacking stones on the shore, with a layer of wild boar skin spread underneath, and the bones after the meat was removed from various places were thrown here.

As the last few broken bones were thrown into the stone enclosure, Black Bear ordered the Taoist soldiers to cover it with the remaining wild boar skins.

Just wait until nightfall to try to refine it... Living people are too fragile, and the cost of training them into soldiers is too high.

After entering Guanzhong, the cavalry under the command of the various generals in Guanzhong became a real headache.

As long as you master reliable anti-riding skills, you can gain a foothold!

Maybe it was because he had not accumulated enough black magic power, or maybe it was because he used the wrong method. After several days, Black Bear failed to successfully refine and summon a dried wild boar.

As a result, the wild boar's skin rotted and maggots grew. When Gan Ning led his troops along the Xishui River, he saw many children on the shore using maggots as bait to catch fish.

In the city of Xi County, Liu Ye directed Gan Ning's troops, pointed to a well-built thatched camp and said, "Sima Gan's camp is here. Before leaving, the captain instructed me to replenish the camp with whatever supplies Gan needed."

After a few days of drying, the thatched huts have dried.

Gan Ning did not despise him. He turned around and took the wooden tray from the clerk, and handed it to Liu Ye solemnly with both hands: "Chief Secretary, this is the roster of our troops. There are 476 people here now, and more than 100 people will arrive later."

"Sima Gan will arrange for the troops to be stationed first, and the captain will be able to return at dusk."

As Liu Ye said this, he took the money with both hands and passed it to his subordinate Shu Yu. Shu Yu was a subordinate of Jiang Ji, the governor of Yangzhou. He was abducted here, and in order to feed and drink for his family, he could only serve as an official in exchange for a not-so-generous salary.

Gan Ning did not refuse any more and immediately ordered his new and old troops to go forward and allocate thatched huts.

He was now short of all kinds of things. His troops had doubled in size, and he lacked armor and equipment, neat military uniforms, and even daily utensils such as pots and bowls.

After settling his troops, he followed Liu Ye to a secluded place to give instructions and ask for the urgently needed cloth, food, pots and bowls, etc.

Black Bear also had a fleet to assist in the migration, and Gan Ning had to rely on Su Fei's favor to bring the newly recruited troops to Zhuyang; after reuniting with his old troops in Zhuyang, he walked to Xi County.

We suffered a lot along the way due to the lack of tents and insufficient supplies.

Liu Ye was not the kind of person who liked to abuse his power to make trouble for others, and he could also see that Gan Ning was not someone to be trifled with.

Whatever there is in the camp, he will do his best to supply it to Gan Ning.

At this moment, the northern half of Wuguan Road.

Black Bear rode his Yingan horse and stopped on a steep ridge, quietly gazing at the vast land of Guanzhong in the north.

Looking from east to west, first you will see Bashang, Mount Li, Lantian County, Bailuyuan, Duling, and in the distance the undulating Longshouyuan running east to west.

Even the distant Xianyang had a vague outline at this moment.

Looking further west, you will see the vast and lush Shanglinyuan area at the foot of the Qinling Mountains.

There was chaos in Guanzhong as Li Jue and Guo Si fought each other, but the Shanglinyuan area was still a restricted area for the common people and was sparsely populated.

Since Zhong Yao recovered Guanzhong, forests have been connected in the vast area of ​​Shanglin Garden, and the palaces and roads of the Han Dynasty have been encroached by forests.

Looking from a distance, it is difficult to find the buildings in Shanglinyuan.

Looking further west, you will see the magical northern foothills of the Qinling Mountains, which appear as neat and tidy as if they had been cut by a knife.

There is a huge difference in terrain between the Qinling Mountains and the Guanzhong Plain.

Unfortunately, he did not see the outline of Chang'an City. The Chang'an City of the Han Dynasty was on the north side of Longshouyuan, close to the Wei River.

The dragon head blocked his vision, so he naturally couldn't see the situation in Chang'an.

We really want to continue to investigate the specific situation in Chang'an to the north, but the camp lacks resilience and will not be able to resist if something really happens.

With a little regret, Black Bear turned his horse around and started to return... He didn't even need to go down any steep slope, he could just return along the old road on the ridge.

Only the tiny half of the road leading to Guanzhong is very steep, and the terrain difference is too great.

We sped along the winding mountain road for about 600 miles.

For him, it only takes a day to arrive in the evening, but for the entire migrating team, it takes seven or eight days.

There is no time to build wheelbarrows or the like now, so the entire migrating team can only transport limited food in addition to armor and equipment.

Therefore, the three strongholds of Wuguan, Shangxian and Shangluo County along the way must be eliminated, which will obtain valuable supplies and manpower.

If the advance goes smoothly, they will occupy the city of Chang'an; if not, they will occupy the Qinling Mountains and deal with the various tribes in Guanzhong.

He galloped all the way and returned to Xi County only when the stars and the moon were hanging in the sky.

This speed is not exaggerated. When the Wuguan Road post station system was complete, express couriers could travel 500 miles a day.

My buttocks and thighs were a little sore from the rubbing, but there were no abrasions or blisters.

Zhen Mi was eagerly waiting, and seeing him exhausted from the journey, she felt sorry for him and complained, "My dear, you have to do everything yourself, why do you need Liu Ziyang and others to do anything?"

"How can I dare to listen to what others see and hear when I go to Guanzhong?"

With Zhen Mi's help, Black Bear took off his leather armor, and the sweat stains on his armor and shirt stuck together. "This kind of thing is only suitable for me at the moment, and I don't want to work so hard. If we don't fight, you and I will only have one way to go, leaving the Central Plains and living among the barbarians."

Zhen Mi remained silent after hearing this. She was only nineteen years old and her father and brother had died early.

During her life, most of her relatives, friends and acquaintances died of epidemic diseases, starvation, or soldiers and bandits passing through the border, and the vast majority of them were unnatural deaths.

For those who died at the age of sixty or seventy, such examples of natural death were rare for people like her and Black Bear who grew up in troubled times. But Zhen Mi was smart and naturally knew what the strange skills that Black Bear mastered meant.

Even if immortality is impossible, those who hold power in the future will use all means possible for that slim hope.

It is also possible to slice and eat the black bear like fish sashimi.

Not only the black bear, but she herself might be eaten up completely.

With something on her mind, she helped the black bear bathe.

There was no bathtub, only a basin of hot water. Zhen Mi rolled up her sleeves and used a wet towel to wipe the black bear's back.

After a quick bath and changing into new clothes sewn by Zhen Mi, he finally cleared off the sweat.

Gan Ning also took a bath today. He took his troops to the bank of the Xishui River and hundreds of them washed themselves naked.

When he came to see Black Bear, he was wearing a loose robe and clogs, and he was spotless.

There was a campfire beside him, and a cowhide map was spread out in front of Gan Ning, which showed the cities along the way recorded by Black Bear.

Many villages have been reduced to ruins, and the remaining cities and towns have been badly damaged.

But after all, there are people living there, and they can provide various kinds of help to the migrating teams.

"Xingba is leading his people with me, and I dare not let him down. To investigate Guanzhong, I must go there myself."

Black Bear explained his bottom line in detail: "At present, we are cooperating with Liu Yuzhou in the Northern Expedition. In fact, he fights his own battles and I fight mine. If we can cooperate, we can join forces to fight, but we will not obey his military orders. He wants to fight Cao's army to fulfill the loyalty of an ally; and we, first, to make a name for ourselves, second, to train our troops, especially me, who has never led troops before and needs training."

Gan Ning listened patiently. He had heard the rumor that the two Yuans in Hebei had been kidnapped.

Regardless of whether it is true or not, when it comes to hijacking, he is no match for Black Bear.

Gan Ning was still puzzled, so he said, "I know Liu Jingsheng's character very well. He will not go all out to help Liu Yuzhou. But will Liu Yuzhou also preserve his strength?"

"He has no choice. He is now living in Jingzhou and relying on others. He only has so few soldiers. How can he dare to lose them easily? In the final analysis, it is because Liu Jingsheng is unwilling to do his best. If he borrows 10,000 soldiers, Liu Yuzhou will definitely give it a try."

Black Bear raised his hand and pointed at Wankou, which is the area around Ye County. "This is also our opportunity. Cao Cao knows Liu Jingsheng's character and Liu Yuzhou's details. So when Liu Yuzhou marched north, Cao Cao would only divide his troops to defend. He can predict Liu Yuzhou, but he can't predict you and me."

Gan Ning nodded, pondering the changes in the relationships between Cao Cao, Liu Biao, Liu Bei, and Yuan Shao.

Never underestimate Gan Ning. Gan Ning is famous for his fighting skills, but this does not mean that Gan Ning is just a fighting general.

Nowadays, there are too many people who are both talented in civil and military affairs. There are too many examples of people who have muscles and are full of ambitions, but are suppressed and can only become counselors.

Too many people lack a platform and opportunity to prove their abilities.

Even if one does not have the ability in this area, many people can learn it if given a platform!

Gan Ning thought for a moment and asked, "Will Yuan Shao die this year?"

"You and I can trust Cao Cao's judgment on this matter. The fact that many Hebei officials came to Jingzhou to surrender is also evidence of this. This year, there was a severe drought in the northern Central Plains. The hot and dry weather caused blood stasis, which is not conducive to recuperation. When the news of Yuan Shao's death came, it was the time when Liu Yuzhou launched an expedition to the north."

With so many people watching, Liu Bei had to do something for his allies.

Only if he treats his allies in Hebei well will his allies in Jingzhou truly trust him.

Moreover, war is a matter of many unpredictable variables. It is possible that Liu Bei's more than 3,000 men could sweep away all of Cao's generals in the Northern Expedition.

Gan Ning nodded. Most of the military commanders, county magistrates and the like who had escaped back from Hebei were from Jingzhou.

Although they did not get involved in the fight between the two Yuans, after Xu You, the people of Jingzhou, Hebei, were led by Feng Ji.

Feng Ji obviously supported Yuan Shang and shared the same stance as the people of Hebei.

Gan Ning thought about it again and again, and realized that all forces in the world were influencing each other.

He couldn't find any obvious mistakes, so he asked the key question: "The captain sent troops to Wankou, intending to attack Xudu?"

"It is Liu Yuzhou who is aiming at Xudu, not me. If we take Xudu, Liu Yuzhou will have the momentum to sweep across the Central Plains, which will be very disadvantageous to you."

It goes without saying that as long as Liu Bei defeated the Xu Du garrison, with the support of the court officials, the previously defeated and captured troops could be recruited by Liu Bei in an instant.

Just like when he swallowed up all the soldiers in Xuzhou, Cao Cao's system of staggered service was ultimately promoted in the name of the Xudu court.

As long as the Xudu court endorses it, the garrisons and their families in various places who are kidnapped by the wrong service system will naturally support Liu Bei without hesitation.

In order to prevent the court in Xudu from getting out of control, Cao Cao's garrison troops left in Xudu were responsible for cooperating with the Yingchuan people to kidnap and monitor the court.

If a low-probability event really happens, let Liu Bei attack Xu Du to rescue the court.

Then there would be almost no way for him, Gan Ning and his thousand men to escape.

With two promotion edicts from the Xudu court, he can be recruited.

If he refused to be incorporated, he would naturally invite Liu Bei's encirclement and suppression.

Therefore, if you don’t want to die in a very ugly way, don’t think about helping Liu Bei capture Xu Du and rescue the imperial court.

Looking at Gan Ning, Black Bear said, "The first thing we need to do when we go to the Central Plains is to make a name for ourselves. To make a name for ourselves, we can kill Cao's generals and inflict heavy damage on his army. This will also frighten Cao Cao and make him not dare to attack Hebei with all his strength."

"Xiahou Yuanrang?"

Gan Ning nodded slowly and frowned: "This man is not easy to kill."

If this person is killed, countless people will be implicated and killed.

Even if he is on the front line in person, his subordinates and guards will definitely fight to the death to protect him.

It is almost impossible to succeed in attacking and killing in a head-on decisive battle.

(End of this chapter)