Chapter 103 Let's bleed heavily, as long as we can win, we won't lose! The battle for the control of Jingzhou, the decisive battle at Han River!

Gan Ning was also a straight man, without any twists and turns. He was deeply moved by Liu Bei's courtesy and bowed down, expressing his intention to submit to him on the spot.

Liu Bei was stunned, as if he had not expected that Gan Ning would pay his respects so readily.

He was also extremely domineering, making outrageous remarks and disregarding Cai Mao and the Jiangling navy.

Sure enough, she is hot-tempered, overbearing and arrogant...

This kind of personality was exactly what he wanted, so he just laughed and helped Gan Ning up.

"If I can become a hegemon, I can cross the Han River and conquer Jingzhou!"

Liu Bei held Gan Ning's shoulders, his face full of joy and his eyes as if he had found a treasure.

Then he pulled Gan Ning and said:
"Xingba, let's go, the wine is ready, let's drink to our heart's content!"

Gan Ning laughed heartily and followed Liu Bei into the camp.

After a while, everyone was seated in the central military tent.

Just after a glass of wine, Gan Ning suddenly remembered something and asked curiously:
"My lord, Ning is just an unknown person. How did you know his name? How do you know that Ning is proficient in naval warfare?"

Gan Ning had always had this question in his mind, but he had forgotten to ask Huang Chengyan before. Now that he had met Liu Bei, he naturally had to ask him in person.

"To be honest, I didn't know you were Xingba before. It was Military Advisor Jinglue who recommended you to me."

Liu Bei turned his gaze to Xiao Fang:

"It was Military Advisor Xiao who recognized your talent. He said that Gan Xingba is an unrivaled martial artist and a brave and valiant naval commander. You can be called the best naval commander in the world!"

"I just now know that there is a warrior like Xingba between the Han River, so I troubled Mr. Huang to invite you to come and help me."

Liu Bei did not hide anything and told Gan Ning the truth.

"Military Advisor Xiao?"

"Is he the legendary Yiyang man who is as brilliant as Zhang Liang in the rumors, and who even Kuai Yue, the best strategist in Jingzhou, has fooled repeatedly?"

Gan Ning looked at Xiao Fang, a look of deep surprise flashing across his face.

Xiao Fang smiled, but said self-deprecatingly:

"Xingba, you are too kind. I am not as great as people say. If that were the case, there would be no need to ask you, Xingba, to help the lord cross the Han River."

Xiao Fang was being modest, and Gan Ning could naturally hear that.

What really surprised him was why this brilliant military strategist seemed to know so much about a small figure like him?
Even though he was arrogant and conceited, and considered himself a famous general, he actually knew in his heart that in the eyes of Jingzhou's upper class people such as Liu Biao and Cai Mao, he was just an ant.

Xiao Fang is the second most important person in Liu Bei's camp.

How could he not be surprised and flattered that a person of such status could know so much about a small "ant" like him?

After his thoughts were surging for a while, Gan Ning finally calmed down.

Then he raised his glass and said to Xiao Fangjing:

"When Ning was at the Han River, he heard about the various ingenious plans and tactics of Xiao Junshi, who made Liu Biao look like a stray dog. Ning applauded!"

"I didn't expect that Military Advisor Xiao is actually my mentor. I won't say anything to express my gratitude for his recommendation. It's all in this wine!"

As he spoke, Gan Ning tilted his head back and drank it all.

Xiao Fang was impressed by Gan Ning's generosity, so he laughed and drank the whole drink in one gulp.

Now that we've had our fill of wine, it's almost time to get down to business.

Xiao Fang put down his drink and sobered up, saying:

"Xingba, you are a straightforward person, so I won't beat around the bush."

"Cai Mao and the Jiangling navy are the biggest stumbling blocks for the lord to cross the Han River. Xingba, do you have the confidence to kick away the stumbling block for the lord?"

So much effort was spent to recruit Gan Ning, wasn't it just to use his naval warfare capabilities to deal with Cai Mao and the Jiangling navy?

Xiao Fangfang asked this crucial question directly on behalf of Lao Liu.

The tent suddenly fell silent, and Lao Liu and the other generals all turned their eyes to Gan Ning.

Gan Ning did not answer, but asked how much naval power Liu Bei had.

"In the previous battle of Fancheng, we seized more than 300 warships and more than 1,000 sailors from the Fancheng navy."

"Later, we selected some soldiers who were good at swimming and transferred them to the navy to serve as sailors. We managed to gather about 3,000 sailors."

"As for the commander of the navy, Xu Wenxiang will be in charge of their training for the time being."

Liu Bei revealed all his existing naval assets to Gan Ning.

Gan Ning listened quietly, sipping his wine, secretly calculating the comparison of the two sides' military strength in his mind, and sketching out tactics to defeat the enemy in his mind.

After a long time.

Gan Ning drank the wine in his cup and said crisply:

"Ning Yuan thought it would take at least a month to defeat Cai Mao."

"Now, my lord, I heard that our army's current naval strength has exceeded Ning's expectations. My lord even has Xu Wenxiang, a naval commander, available."

"According to this calculation, within fifteen days, not a month, we will surely defeat the Jiangling navy!"

This statement came out.

Everyone in the tent gasped in shock.

Liu Bei's expression was one of surprise and joy.

The good news was that Gan Ning, just as Xiao Fang had expected, indeed had the means and confidence to defeat the Jiangling navy.

What was shocking was that Gan Ning made a bold statement, claiming that he could defeat Cai Mao within 15 days.

Cai Mao's ability in naval warfare was second only to Huang Zu in Jingzhou.

Although the Jiangling navy under his command is not as elite as the Jiangxia navy, it is at least a trained regular navy, unlike theirs which is a ragtag navy cobbled together with a mixed style.

Moreover, the number of Jiangling navy is nearly 8,000.

It’s almost twice as much as them!

Gan Ning claimed that it could be defeated in fifteen days.

So confident?

"Defeat Cai Mao within 15 days. That's quite heroic."

Xiao Fang knew Gan Ning's strength very well, but he was not surprised at all. He just asked:
"If Xingba needs anything, just tell me, my lord."

Liu Bei came back to his senses and said hurriedly:
"Xingba, if you need me to do anything, just tell me. As long as I can do it, I will do my best."

Gan Ning did not waste time and immediately asked for paper and pen and wrote down a list.

"In addition to asking you to hand over the command of the navy to Ning, Ning also needs these things. Please be sure to provide them."

Gan Ning handed the list to Liu Bei.

When Liu Bei took it and looked at it, he couldn't help but frowned slightly, with a look of embarrassment.

Three hundred pieces of armor and a hundred pieces of cowhide!

These are the two most prominent items on Gan Ning’s list.

Needless to say, iron armor was generally only affordable for officers and soldiers of a certain rank. Junior officers and ordinary soldiers could only wear lamellar armor at most, or even no armor at all.

Three hundred armor pieces were equivalent to the equipment for three hundred officers, which was extremely expensive.

Furthermore, oxen are extremely important agricultural materials. One hundred cowhides would come from one hundred oxen, so naturally the cost is very high.

The list Gan Ning made was going to make him bleed profusely...

However, compared with what was gained from the battle at Han River, this little bit of bleeding seems insignificant.

After Liu Bei weighed the pros and cons, he gritted his teeth and said:

"Okay, within three days, everything Xingba needs must be prepared, not one less!"

Seeing Liu Bei's happy agreement, Gan Ning jumped up and said proudly:

"In this case, I would rather sign a military order. If you fail to defeat Cai Mao's Jiangling navy within 15 days, I will present my head to you, my lord!"

...

Xiangyang City, the provincial capital.

A welcoming banquet is in progress.

"My Lord, if you can hold out for a few more days, Mao will be able to lead the Jiangling navy to arrive, and the siege of Fancheng will be lifted."

"Even if he can't hold on, he should at least choose to lead his troops to fight to the death to break out. How can he choose such a humiliating way of surrendering the city to save his life?" Cai Mao shook his head and sighed, looking disappointed with what Liu Qi had done.

Thinking that his son might have been poisoned by Madam Cai, and that you were scolding him here, Liu Biao clenched his fists, with a flash of anger in his eyes.

However, now they still have to rely on Cai Mao to hold the Han River defense line, so they can only suppress this anger in secret.

"Mao heard that before I returned to Xiangyang, the lord sent Zi Zhang to fight against the Jinfan bandit. Is that true?"

After Cai Mao scolded Liu Qi, he asked again.

Liu Biao nodded slightly and looked at Kuai Yue:
"Yi Du said that Gan Ning is proficient in naval warfare. I am afraid that he will be recruited by Liu Bei and will pose a threat to our navy."

"That's why I followed Yidu's advice and sent Zizhang to recruit this person."

Cai Mao raised a hint of disdain at the corner of his mouth and glanced at Kuai Yue:
"Gan Ning is just a pirate, he can only rob a few government ships, how can he be proficient in naval warfare?"

"Yidu, you think too highly of that guy. You actually let the lord go to conquer a group of pirates. This really damages the lord's reputation."

Kuai Yue coughed a few times and just smiled awkwardly, not knowing how to make any excuses.

There is no way. Cai Mao now controls the Jiangling navy, which is related to the survival of Xiangyang and even Jingzhou.

Even the future and fate of the Cai and Kuai families were in his hands.

Now that he had straightened up again, Cai Mao could not help but become a little arrogant and conceited.

Since Liu Biao had endured it, he naturally had no choice but to endure it as well.

"Degui, the lives of millions of people in Jingzhou depend entirely on you."

"Here, take this glass of wine. I'll toast to you on behalf of the people of this state!"

Liu Biao raised his glass high and toasted to Cai Mao with an expectant look on his face.

Cai Mao's face curled up with a hint of complacency, and he was about to raise his glass.

With the sound of footsteps, several followers of Cai Xun entered the hall like frightened birds and knelt down in front of Liu Biao.

"My Lord, Gan Ning not only refused to recruit you, but also killed General Cai!"

"He asked us to bring General Cai's head back to the Lord, saying that the Lord had treated him lightly in the past, and that sooner or later he would help Liu Bei cross the Han River and march into Xiangyang to seek revenge on the Lord~~"

The followers reported the incident in tears.

Liu Biao's face turned pale with horror, and the wine glass in his hand trembled in shock and almost fell out of his hand.

Cai Mao and Kuai Yue also changed color with anger.

"What did you say? That Jinfan thief actually killed my brother?"

Cai Mao threw his wine glass away, jumped up and shouted excitedly.

The followers cried and told the whole story of how Huang Chengyan persuaded Gan Ning to surrender to Liu Bei and how Gan Ning angrily killed Cai Xun.

"Huang Chengyan?"

"He actually helped Liu Bei and said that the Jinfan thief surrendered?"

"That Jinfan thief refused to work for me, but he even killed my lobbyist?"

Liu Biao fell to the ground, his face gradually distorted, and the shock in his eyes turned into endless rage in an instant.

"Jinfan thief, you dare not take my Cai family seriously, and you dare to kill my brother Cai Mao!"

"Hateful, hateful, hateful~~"

Cai Mao gritted his teeth and turned to Liu Biao:
"My lord, my lord, you shouldn't lower yourself to conquer those ungrateful pirates!"

"Now look what has happened. Not only did we fail to defeat the pirate, but we also lost a member of our Cai family and let that big-eared thief laugh at us!"

"My Lord, you are really stupid..."

Cai Mao was full of resentment, and the word "stupid" almost came out of his mouth.

"Degui, this is not the Lord's fault."

"I miscalculated. I didn't expect Gan Ning to harbor hatred towards the lord, and I didn't expect him to be so cruel that he would actually kill Zi Zhang."

At the critical moment, Kuai Yue spoke first and took the responsibility on himself.

As the number one strategist in Jingzhou and also the calmest person at the moment, he naturally knew that the more urgent the moment was, the more important it was to maintain harmony between the monarch and his subjects.

Even if it is just superficial harmony between the monarch and his subjects.

If Cai Mao really openly accused Liu Biao of being "stupid", then the superficial harmony between the monarch and his subjects would have collapsed.

Even if Liu Biao could endure it, he would surely fly into a rage and turn against Cai Mao.

When the time comes, they will be in internal turmoil and be defeated without fighting, and his Kuai family will also suffer.

Cai Mao suddenly calmed down a bit and swallowed back the complaints that were about to come out of his mouth.

After taking a deep breath, Cai Mao suppressed his anger, clasped his hands and said proudly:

"Don't worry, lord. Even if the big-eared thief gets the brocade-sailed thief, what will happen?"

"If Liu Bei dares to let that Jinfan thief lead his army across the river, Mao will kill him without leaving a single piece of armor, and I will personally chop off the head of that Jinfan thief!"

Looking at the confident and wild Cai Mao, Liu Biao's anger finally subsided and confidence rekindled in his eyes.

"I have virtue, so why should I fear Liu Bei or that thief Jinfan?"

"If Liu Bei dares to cross the river, I will camp on the south bank and watch you, Degui, accomplish great things!"

...

Fifteen days later.

The sky was covered with dark clouds and the world was grim and solemn.

Thirty thousand infantry and cavalry of Liu's army stood solemnly on the river beach.

Four thousand naval forces have all boarded the ships, and three hundred warships have hoisted their sails, ready to set off.

Liu Bei led Xiao Fang and other generals and stationed their horses on the river beach. Looking at the navy that was about to set off, his eyes showed both anticipation and a bit of nervousness.

The sound of horse hooves sounded.

The naval commander Gan Ning and the deputy commander Xu Sheng came galloping on their horses and stopped at the shore.

Gan Ning stood on his horse with his halberd across his shoulders and said with emotion:

"My lord, my navy has assembled and we can cross the Han River today!"

"My lord, please give the order!"

Liu Bei looked at the young warrior in front of him. He could not see a trace of guilt in him, only an innate extreme self-confidence.

It seems that the surging Han River is as easy to cross as flat land.

It seemed as if the 8,000 Jiangling navy troops on the other side were made of paper and could not withstand a single blow.

Gan Ning's confidence gave Liu Beiping more confidence, and he looked back at Xiao Fang.

"My lord, trust Xingba and let him go."

Xiao Fang nodded slightly, his eyes showing the confidence that he was in control of everything.

With Xiao Fang's nod, Liu Bei's confidence increased greatly.

So he took a deep breath, whipped his horse whip, and said with emotion:
"Gan Xingba, listen to my orders. I order you to lead all the navy out immediately, defeat all the enemies who are blocking your way, and attack the south bank!"

"I'm here to personally cheer you on!"

Upon receiving the order, Gan Ning and Xu Sheng immediately rushed to the pier.

After boarding the flagship, Gan Ning pointed his sword to the south and said sternly:
"Raise the anchor, march out of the camp, form a battle array on the river, and march straight to the south bank!"

After the order was given, warships slowly sailed out of the water camp.

Liu Bei dismounted from his horse, climbed onto the drum platform, and beat the drum vigorously.

"Boom-boom-boom!"

The deafening sound of drums broke the tranquility on the Han River.

The fighting ship with the "Gan" flag flying high led 300 warships and attacked the Jingzhou water camp on the south bank in a mighty manner.

In the enemy camp on the south bank, the sound of war drums also began.

More than 500 warships of various sizes from Jingzhou had left the water camp in a blink of an eye, forming a formation and heading towards the north bank.

A naval battle concerning the ownership of Jingzhou was about to begin on the Han River.

(End of this chapter)