Chapter 234: Zhou Yu takes Ba County, Jin Mao goes north to Luoyang
Gan Ning rode on Taxue and had no time to touch it before Zhang Fei appeared in front of him.

After what happened just now, Gan Ning no longer dared to underestimate Zhang Fei and gave it his all.

However, Gan Ning is best at naval battles, and is okay in cavalry battles to defeat weak opponents, but he is completely no match for Zhang Fei's level.

But even so, Gan Ning held out until the 43rd round before being knocked off his horse by Zhang Fei's spear.

"Hahaha!"

Zhang Fei jumped off his horse with a wild laugh and rode on Taxue.

"What a good horse! What a good horse!"

Zhang Fei held the snake spear in one hand and covered it with his other hand, making a fist and said, "My lord! The snow is mine!"

"Yeah." Jin Mao said with a smile: "If Yide likes it, why didn't you say so earlier? As long as you ask, he might give it to you."

Unexpectedly, Zhang Fei said something quite reasonable: "My lord, I once heard a saying from Wu Ning, which is "Don't eat food given out of pity."

"I don't want to have no name or status!"

Jin Mao was extremely surprised: "Wow! When did our Zhang Yide finally come to his senses?"

Zhang Fei laughed, scratched the back of his head and said nothing.

Gan Ning got up from the ground in a panic, but there was no resentment on his face. Instead, he clasped his fists and praised, "Great job Zhang Yide!"

"I admit defeat!"

Zhang Fei was a man who would rather be soft than hard, so he clasped his fists and said in return: "You are not bad, but being a naval commander is a waste of your talent. Why don't you follow me?"

No one expected that Zhang Fei would one day recruit talents.

Even Jin Mao was stunned and said, "Yide, I haven't seen you for a long time. I should look at you with new eyes!"

Zhang Fei said embarrassedly: "My lord, you are too kind. I learned this from military advisor Xiao Zhou."

"Modest, too modest." Jin Mao said with emotion: "Not even like Zhang Yide!"

Gan Ning understood everything from the side and finally realized that Zhang Fei was Jin Mao's trusted and beloved general.

He bowed to Jin Mao again and said, "My Lord, I want to challenge Dian Wei!"

Then, Gan Ning realized what a truly trusted and beloved general was.

Dian Wei was hungry. With a bitter face, he walked to Jin Mao and said loudly, "My lord, I'm hungry!"

Jin Mao said like he was coaxing a child, "Hong Xing, be obedient. After you finish fighting Gan Ning, we'll have dinner."

Dian Wei bargained: "Then I want to eat meat!"

"Okay." Jin Mao immediately ordered, "Come here! Kill ten sheep and ten pigs. I want to reward the generals tonight!"

Dian Wei continued: "I want to drink more!"

After these words were spoken, not only Zhang Fei looked at Jin Mao eagerly, but even Guan Yu, Dong Xi and others also looked over.

Jin Mao said cheerfully: "Come here! Prepare some wine!"

Then he added: "This is just the first time, it won't happen again!"

Dian Wei didn't care about that. He picked up two small halberds and pointed at Gan Ning, saying, "Hurry up! Hurry up!"

This is naturally another quote from Jin Mao.

When Gan Ning realized that Dian Wei was his true trusted and beloved general, he couldn't help but feel a desire to fight.

Results, after eighty rounds.

Gan Ning was beaten so badly by Dian Wei that he began to doubt his life.

Before leaving Sichuan, Gan Ning acted like he was the boss and I was second only to him.

But within less than half an hour of arriving in Xiangyang City, they were defeated again and again, to the point of doubting their lives.

Even someone as optimistic as him has become a little unconfident.

In the past, Gan Ning had only heard that the governor of Yangzhou had many brave generals under his command, but he did not take it seriously.

Now Gan Ning had to believe that there were more powerful people under Jin Mao's command who had not yet appeared.

Dian Wei didn't care about that. He happily linked arms with Zhang Fei and went downstairs to drink.

"Yide!" Before leaving, Jin Mao did not forget to warn: "Don't drink too much. If you are caught, you will start over as a soldier!"

Suddenly, Zhang Fei's face turned into a bitter one, which made Dian Wei laugh.

In the arena.

Gan Ning was once again defeated by Mr. Huang's archery skills.

Jin Mao had to comfort him: "Xingba, don't be discouraged. It's normal to lose to them. You have your strengths."

Gan Ning was instantly relieved and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Lord. Gan Ning is fine."

Even a clay man can still get angry. It would be great if Gan Ning really thought as he said.

This is just the principle of dealing with people that Gan Ning has learned over the years.

What else can you do if you are not as skilled as others?

"go!"

Jin Mao said, "Let's drink tonight!"

Xi Zhicai was extremely happy: "My Lord, please leave quickly. I am thirsty for alcohol!"

"You drunkard!" Jin Mao smiled and nodded at Xi Zhicai. When he looked at Gan Ning again, he found that the other party was very shy.

This was rare. Jin Mao had never seen such an expression in any of the generals. He couldn't help but be curious: "Is Xingba okay?"

Gan Ning said embarrassedly, "I stink all over. I want to take a bath before going to the party."

Jin Mao was stunned. He didn't expect that you would be such a Gan Xingba!
...

The next morning, there were many funny moments during the selection process.

Some unknown figures began to show up, such as Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, and Dian Wei. They were like they had been given anesthetic injections. They could defeat the enemy in one round, but they managed to drag it out for ten times as many rounds.

Some lucky ones can even drag it out for dozens of rounds.

The three of them were completely humiliated.

The only person who performed stably was Huang Zhong.

No one can shoot through a hundred steps!
By the afternoon, the situation began to improve, and Dian Wei, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu were finally able to perform normally.

The interesting thing is that Gan Ning did not challenge in the morning, but when he challenged again in the afternoon, he was beaten badly again.

From then on, Jin Mao had a certain concept of these generals in his mind.

At present, no one is an all-round general. They all have their own characteristics. For example, Dian Wei, Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, Huang Zhong, Gan Ning, etc., each has their own advantages and characteristics.

The concept of making the best use of everything gradually emerged in Jinmao's mind.

November 16th.

The selection of military commanders is over.

Four days ago, Xi Zhicai received an order to return to Jiangling County to prepare for the expedition to Jiangling County.

Jinmao's original plan to advance into Luoyang remains unchanged, but there is a new opportunity to attack Ba County.

Zhou Yu volunteered to become the commander-in-chief of the attack on Ba County.

Jin Mao agreed and ordered Gan Ning to be the commander of the navy in this operation, to attack the docks along the coast of Ba County along the waterway.

However, not many soldiers were allocated to either of them. Only two battalions under Zhang Fei plus two thousand soldiers, a total of four thousand soldiers, were transferred to Zhou Yu for use.

This also includes the number of Gan Ning’s navy.

Zhou Yu had no doubts about this, and just asked: "My lord, please let Sun Ce cooperate with me!"

Jin Mao agreed again, but rejected Zhou Yu's request for an official position for Sun Ce.

He doesn't even want to use Guan Yu now, let alone Sun Ce.

As long as Sun Jian does not make his attitude clear, Jin Mao will not dare to use Sun Ce. These people have too many thoughts in their minds.

However, there would be no problem in letting Sun Ce help Zhou Yu fight against the generals in battle.

The arrangements for Ba County have been completed.

Jin Mao gave the 200 men he recruited into his personal guards to Dian Wei for training. The remaining 500 warriors who had won one or two battles and were willing to join the army were incorporated into a battalion by Jin Mao.

As the number of troops increased dramatically, the main five battalions seemed to be understaffed, so Jin Mao decided to continue expanding.

It is planned to double the strength of the five main battalions to 4,000 men each.

November 18th.

Jin Mao was in charge of the central army, leading 40,000 men northwards, including 5,000 naval forces, 3,200 personal guards, and 4,000 main battalions. The rest were elites selected from below or new recruits. On the other hand, Zhou Yu led Sun Ce and Gan Ning, with 2,000 main forces, 2,000 combat soldiers, and 4,000 civilians, and marched westwards from Wuling County to Ba County.

Gan Ning led a thousand soldiers and three hundred brave warriors by water.

It’s not that Gan Ning didn’t want to bring more people, but the waterway was narrow and the small boats had difficulty sailing. A thousand people was the limit of what his brothers could bring.

The two groups are like two extremes.

The soldiers under Jin Mao's command obey orders and discipline. In comparison, Gan Ning's brothers are just a mob.

If it weren't for the fact that he needed to rely on his brothers' ability to sail, Gan Ning would have been tempted to give up.

The gap is too big!

"My lord is an extraordinary person!"

Gan Ning couldn't help but feel fortunate to be able to join Jin Mao's army, but he had long forgotten his original feelings of regret.

November 30th, Zhi County, Ba County.

In more than ten days, Gan Ning led his men to conquer four counties: Wuxian, Quren, Dangqu and Linjiang.

With Gan Ning, who had the ability to see through the entire map, and a thousand soldiers, almost every county was captured without bloodshed.

It was also the first time that Gan Ning witnessed the power of Jin Mao's troops. If it were his old subordinates, they would be able to do the same but the effect would be very different, and it would definitely cause unnecessary casualties.

And almost all of these soldiers suffered non-combat casualties, and there was not a single combat casualty!
Either Liu Yan's troops are terrible, or Jin Mao's troops are too strong.

Gan Ning prefers the latter.

However, all the beauty was destroyed in Zhi County.

After Liu Yan learned of the situation, he sent his confidant Zhao Wei to garrison Jiangzhou City in Ba County, and ordered his generals Gao Pei and Deng Xian to assist him.

Zhang Lu and Jia Long, who had earlier followed Liu Yan to Xiangyang City to form an alliance, were elsewhere.

Zhang Lu was sent by Liu Yan to Hanzhong to intercept the imperial envoys.

Jia Long was dissatisfied with Liu Yan's tendency to become independent, and he became hypocritical in his actions.

Gan Ning knew that Gao Pei and Deng Xian were not good generals, but the enemy had fortified their cities and refused to come out, and he only had more than a thousand people under his command, so it was obviously unrealistic to attack the city.

They set up camp outside the city and waited for Zhou Yu and his men to arrive.

December fifteenth.

Zhou Yu waited until the dry season of the Yangtze River before leading his men westward along the waterway to meet Gan Ning outside Zhi County.

"Captain Zhou," Gan Ning bowed and said, "Gao Pei and Deng Xian are defending the city to their death. What can we do?"

Before leaving, Jin Mao appointed Zhou Yu as the acting Changshui Cavalry Captain and Gan Ning as the Assistant Military Sima. Both of them belonged to the navy and were commanded by the Navy Commander Huang Gai.

Zhou Yu understood that it was impossible to take a detour, and a strong attack was not advisable.

There are 10,000 defenders in the city, and they can't take it down with just 4,000 people. Even if they do, they will suffer heavy losses. So what should they do next?
"What does Bo Fu think?"

Facing Zhou Yu's question, Sun Ce thought for a moment and said, "Sima Gan, with only a thousand men, frightened the tens of thousands in the city and made them afraid to leave the city. This shows that the enemy is timid."

Even if he had no fame, Sun Ce was not prepared to sit and wait for death, and still wanted to make a career.

Zhou Yu admired this attitude very much.

"If that's the case," Sun Ce suggested, "we should go all out to capture Zhi County!"

"Please give me two thousand men, Gongjin. I will be the first to capture the city!"

Gan Ning immediately agreed with this statement. He said, "Captain Zhou, I only need my own troops to capture Zhi County!"

Zhou Yu hurriedly waved his hand to stop the two reckless men from speaking, lest they lead the other generals astray.

Especially Gan Ning, he had the nerve to brag. If he could really take it down, he would have done it long ago!
Can you wait for Zhou Yu for another half month?

"This place is only a hundred miles away from Jiangzhou. We only need to send a small army to act as a decoy and then go straight to Jiangzhou, and the plan will be accomplished."

Zhou Yu explained: "Gao Pei and Deng Xian are not only cowards, but I think they are even more reckless!"

"We only need to order people to cut off the traffic between Jiangzhou and Zhixian, and then falsely claim that Jiangzhou has been captured."

"I predict that within seven days, Zhi County will fall without a fight!"

Zhou Yu looked around and asked, "Who is willing to fight?"

All the generals responded.

November 16th.

On the city wall of Zhi County, Gao Pei and Deng Xian were confused when they saw a detachment of troops continuing to advance westward along the Yangtze River, just as Zhou Yu had expected.

The order they received was to defend Zhi County to the death, but now the enemy does not take them seriously at all.

Even though the two were afraid of failure, they couldn't help but feel angry.

"Captain Gao, I can't stand it!"

Deng Xian said angrily: "Jin Mao, you are so disrespectful to us, I will definitely give you a head-on blow!"

Zhou Yu still underestimated the situation. Gao Pei and Deng Xian dared to attack the city without even knowing the enemy general's name.

"Trouble you, Captain Gao, to guard the city." Deng Xian said domineeringly, "I'll go get Jin Mao's dog head right now!"

"Captain Deng, wait a minute!"

However, Gao Pei could not stop Deng Xian. They were of the same level and neither of them was the absolute superior. Gao Pei could not stop Deng Xian from doing what he wanted.

Half an hour later.

The gates of Zhi County were wide open, and Deng Xian led his 5,000 troops to attack Zhou Yu's camp on the riverside.

Gao Pei stood on the top of the city wall and looked out, feeling worried.

But the scene that followed left Gao Pei stunned.

Deng Xian rushed into the camp as if he was in an empty space without any hindrance.

"Captain Deng is so brave!"

Gao Pei jumped up happily, then said angrily: "I regret it!"

"if…"

Before he could finish his words, he saw thick smoke rising from the camp not far away. Gradually, the fire could be seen from the city wall five miles away.

Then, shouts and screams were heard.

After a while, a group of defeated soldiers fled towards Zhi County, and the pursuers behind them killed many of them with their swords.

Gao Pei was stunned and before he could react, Deng Xian's army was defeated and fled.

At this time, the city gates were wide open, and the defenders in the city were so panicked that they didn't know whether to close the gates or not.

"Close the city gate!"

"Close the city gate quickly!"

Gao Pei yelled, "Damn Deng Xian, he's hurting others and himself!"

Unexpectedly, Deng Xian, who Gao Pei always mentioned, was still alive. He rode alone to the city and shouted, "Who dares to close the city gate?"

After saying that, he rushed into the city gate alone on horseback and knocked down more than a dozen gate guards.

Gao Pei was so anxious that his throat was about to smoke when he saw this. He yelled with red eyes: "Kill him! Kill him for me!"

No matter how stupid Gao Pei was, he knew that he couldn't let the enemy rush into the city, otherwise it would be all over!

"Who dares to kill me!?"

However, Deng Xian insisted on going against Gao Pei because his troops were still outside the city. If he did not let those people into the city, Deng Xian would be no different from a dead man.

Sure enough, this commotion put the guards at the city gate in a dilemma, as Deng Xian's troops were among them.

Gao Pei didn't have time to think about it. He jumped down from the city gate tower with his confidants in three or two steps and killed anyone he saw.

"Anyone who dares to disobey orders will be killed without mercy!"

"A reward of a thousand gold coins will be given to anyone who kills Sage Deng!"

On the other side, Deng Xian was also very angry and shouted: "Gao Pei is plotting a rebellion! Whoever kills Gao Pei will be rewarded with 10,000 gold coins!"

The two men were fighting each other, unaware that the pursuers outside the city were approaching.

"The city is broken!"

"The city is broken!"

As the enemy's shouts reached his ears, Gao Pei's hands and feet turned cold. Zhi County was lost!
　Zhi County is now Fuling.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)