Gan Ning, having sailed the sea ship around for a while, then ventured into the Yellow River, and afterwards returned to the sea again. Reports from Taishi Ci kept coming in without fail every day, but it was obvious that there was no progress!
Frustrated, Gan Ning took his great sword and slashed at the sharks in the sea. He was the typical man with confidence and courage, but no patience. Now, if you tasked him with storming Yuan Shao’s camp, Gan Ning would dare to. But if you asked him to wait for the right opportunity near the coastline, as he waited, Gan Ning grew restless.
Had Gan Ning not had faith in Chen Xi, he would have lost his patience long ago. Nevertheless, he had already fought several battles with the nearby pirate bandits, hard-hitting every time, whether they were from the Three Hann States or Gongsun Du’s forces, if they dared to mess with Gan Ning.
Watching merchant ships one after another pass through his territory, Gan Ning had the illusion, "When did this godforsaken place of Youzhou have so many merchant ships?" All sorts of goods were being carried: warhorses, cattle, sheep, hides, medicinal herbs, incense—you name it. Several times, Gan Ning was tempted to plunder them, but thinking of the current situation, he held back, not even taking a cut like a professional bandit, letting ship after ship pass through his domain.
In the following ten days or so, Gan Ning noticed that the number of merchant ships was increasing and some were obviously not sea ships at all, but flat boats trailing behind the sea ships merely to haul goods. In Gan Ning’s words, this was basically akin to seeking death. Yet, the sea merchants persisted tirelessly, even purposely staying close to the coastline just to carry more goods.
"Clear the way, clear the way!" Annoyed by the sight of another merchant ship nearly the size of his flagship, Gan Ning ordered his subordinates to scatter the formation to let it pass. He wasn’t there to rob these people, so he turned a blind eye—as long as they didn’t foolishly attack him. Now, Gan Ning regarded these passing merchants as annoying flies, tolerable as long as they did not bother him.
Unexpectedly, this time there was an incident; the merchant ship actually stopped not far from Gan Ning’s flagship, and a voice came from the other ship.
"Brothers on the other side, I am a merchant from the Tian Family. I see that your ships are not fully loaded. Would you be willing to lend them to us for a share of the profits?" shouted a richly dressed, prosperous man.
"No deal!" Gan Ning flatly refused.
"Brother, hey! Let’s talk it over. The Tian Family is also a family of wealth. This time, we’ve brought a lot of goods to Qingzhou. It’s a bit too much, actually. Lend us two ships. Right now, merchants from all over are gathering at Mount Tai of Qingzhou. This opportunity might be missed if we delay. Brother, as a fellow shipowner, would you like to join us? The Tian Family is willing to provide support with goods and grain!" The man shouted from the deck, clinging to the ship’s rail.
This Tian Family man was Tian Yu’s younger brother, Tian Tian, who loved nothing more than trade. The Tian Family patriarch was extremely angry at his lack of ambition, but over time, he had no choice but to let him do as he pleased. As a result, the steward of the Tian Family, who was also the brother of the legitimate successor, wielded great power.
"You’re heading to Qingzhou? What’s going on there? Why do you say that merchants from all over are gathering there?" Gan Ning was initially inclined to shoo these people away, but the other party mentioned news he was unaware of.
"My good brother, hear me out! Hurry and follow me to Qingzhou; you’re sure to make a fortune there! Miss this moment, and such a chance might never come again!" Upon realizing that Gan Ning was unaware of the situation, the man was taken aback and quickly informed him. After all, with merchants from all over converging on Qingzhou, any trader with insight knew that regardless of the tax, desired goods would be found and items long wished to be sold would definitely find buyers!
The man explained the whole situation to Gan Ning rapidly, and an idea struck Gan Ning instantly, [Could it be that the military advisor intended for me to be here to also ensure the trade routes are safe? Previously, there were quite a few pirates and water bandits around here! If that’s the case, it’s not impossible!]
"Steward Tian, I am Gan Xingba, the Naval Chief of Qingzhou, stationed here precisely for the protection of the merchant route! Have your ships encountered any attacks from pirate bandits on your way here?" Gan Ning laughed, then slipped into his role.
"Huh? You’re guarding the merchant route?" The man was somewhat taken aback, "Oh, then never mind, my ship is overloaded; those scoundrels moved so fast that they took all the ships from Youzhou. Now, I can only slowly make my way to Qingzhou. Alas, since General Gan is stationed to protect the sea route, we won’t bother you any further."
After saying that, the man dressed in magnificent clothes turned to his guard and whispered, "Yuee Wen, go and instruct someone to offer the bribe money we prepared for the pirate bandits to them. We’ve encountered no obstacles on our way, and even though they haven’t asked for it, we should leave something for their troubles."
"Steward Tian, you should hasten to Qingzhou," Gan Ning ordered to open the formation and let the other party through, noting that the ship was indeed sitting too deep in the water and was towing a bunch of small boats behind it. It was obvious that the other party wasn’t joking; it seemed that Youzhou really had no ships left.
The other party’s passing speed wasn’t fast, which was to be expected given the overload.
"What is this?" Gan Ning curiously inquired as he watched a small boat row over.
"The general’s labors in guarding the sea route are nothing short of tremendous. Our Tian Family was unaware of it until now, but now that we are aware, please don’t refuse our offer. It’s just some food, drinks, money, and grain; consider it a token of our Tian Family’s appreciation," replied the guard who had been standing beside Tian Tian, with a smile.
"Very well," Gan Ning stroked his chin. He was not one for sticking strictly to the rules, and, to be fair, he had indeed been protecting the maritime merchant route, rounding up quite a number of pirate bandits.
"Gan Yan, take some men and deliver those captured pirate ships over there. Send them to Qingzhou; it would be tragic if so much cargo were to sink," Gan Ning contemplated, then instructed. Returning favors was a gesture worth undertaking, especially now that his official forces had more pirate ships than military vessels.
"Understood!" Gan Yan saluted and responded.
After Yuee Wen left, Gan Ning’s mood improved significantly. It turned out he was still quite important. Staying here allowed him not only to seize strategic opportunities against Yuan Shao and provide support to his ally Gongsun Zan but also to protect the merchant routes. The multi-tasking Gan Ning suddenly felt much better. The heavy pressure could not crush him; it would only fuel his fighting spirit more fiercely!
Watching the Tian Family Caravan depart, Gan Ning rallied his fighting spirit and ordered his subordinate generals, "Spread out the fleet. Gan Luoo, Gan Hee, each of you lead a division of the navy along the coastline in search of pirate bandits. Should you find any, there’s no need for any report; attack immediately. Those who dare to rob Qingzhou of its wealth are courting death!"
"Understood!" Gan Ning’s navy loudly replied and quickly split into three parts. Aside from the force Gan Ning led here with over five hundred men, the other two divisions searched north and south along the coastline for those daring to disrupt Qingzhou’s financial flow. In Gan Ning’s mind, having taken on this duty, he was determined to perform it to the best of his ability; any hand that reached out must be cut off!
Standing on the edge of the ship, Gan Ning watched as the two divisions of the navy gradually sailed away, and suddenly a sense of foreboding arose within him. Shaking his head to rid himself of that feeling, Gan Ning finally suppressed the unease in his heart. (To be continued. If you work, please visit Qidian ) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)