The next morning, Liu Qi sent orders to go to the tent to discuss the fight against Cao's army.
Liu Qi said: "Although Xiahou Dun was defeated, Cao's army still has hundreds of thousands of troops in Mopo and Runan, and they will surely regroup and come again. Now Ye County is empty, who dares to take the city?"
Mi Zhu advised: "Cao's army is too powerful, so we should not divide our forces. Ye County is close to the Central Plains. Even if we capture the city, it may be difficult to defend it, which will only waste our troops."
Liu Qi smiled and said, "Instead of waiting for Cao's army to attack, why not take the initiative and fight them on the front line? Offense is the best defense."
Gan Ning stepped out and said, "General, what you said is absolutely right. I am willing to be the vanguard!"
Zhang Fei also said: "I will take Ye County with my three thousand soldiers."
Gan Ning shouted, "My 800 Jinfan troops are enough to break the city."
Zhang Fei said angrily: "I only want 500 soldiers!"
Liu Qi waved his hand and said, "Although Ye County has few soldiers, it is not advisable to attack by force. If Yide leaves, Cao's army will defend the city to the death. Xingba can be the vanguard to capture the city, and Yide will be the rear army to support and defend the city."
Gan Ning accepted the order, clasped his fists towards Zhang Fei and said with a smile: "Although I have taken the first credit, I still have to rely on your reputation to defend the city."
Zhang Fei stroked his stubble and was very dissatisfied: "This is really like people are afraid of being famous and pigs are afraid of being fat!"
The two men strode out of the door and checked the soldiers in the camp. Gan Ning only brought 800 Jinfan soldiers with him, so he left after saying hello.
He turned around and said loudly to Zhang Fei: "We had a drinking contest yesterday, but the winner was still undecided. I have made a contribution this time. When the reward comes, I will compete with you again."
Zhang Fei laughed and said, "Xingba is ambitious! Although you may not be as good at martial arts as me, you can't drink as much as I can!"
"You son of a bitch, just wait!" Gan Ning cursed with a smile and left the camp.
Ever since Gan Ning joined the army, the military camp has become lively. The two of them competed with each other all day long. Although Gan Ning was slightly inferior, he never gave up. Instead, he became more courageous with each defeat.
Yesterday, when they were drinking to celebrate their success, the two of them started competing again. They each drank from five jars of wine, but there was no clear winner. Unfortunately, Zhang Fei's stomach was not as big as Zhang Fei's, so he couldn't drink any more and unfortunately lost.
Although Zhang Fei always gave him the upper hand, the two had similar personalities and were like-minded. They became closer and closer as they fought.
Zhang Fei and Guan Yu were sworn brothers and friends for life and death, and he and Gan Ning were loyal to each other. The two ate, drank, and fought together and were almost inseparable.
In the government office, Xu Shu arranged the guarding of prisoners, transportation of food and grass, etc., and then clasped his fists and said, "The capable should be in the important position. Since Kong Ming has arrived in the army, I am willing to resign from the position of military advisor from now on, and Kong Ming will take over."
Zhuge Liang hurriedly asked, "How can Yuanzhi do this? Should you be the military advisor?"
Wei Yan and others also tried to persuade him. They had already been convinced by Xu Shu, but suddenly a pale-faced scholar was put in an important position and was ordered around by him. Naturally, they were dissatisfied.
Xu Shu waved his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, and said with a smile: "Don't worry, everyone. Although I am not a military advisor, I will also assist in military affairs. The Art of War says: Know yourself and know the enemy, and you will never be in danger in a hundred battles. From now on, I will be in charge of intelligence and assist Kong Ming."
Liu Qi was wondering why Xu Shu abdicated, and nodded when he heard this: "Yuan Zhi is right. Intelligence is the key to victory in a war between two countries. Yuan Zhi is my eyes and ears, and he is indispensable."
He was just about to set up a strict intelligence system, and Xu Shu's initiative to propose it was exactly what he wanted. This position would be responsible for core secrets and the person must be able to discern and analyze intelligence. He and Zhuge Liang complemented each other and were indeed the best candidates.
Seeing that Liu Qi had made the decision, everyone had no choice but to obey the order and start preparing. Xiahou Dun was defeated in a daze, but the next battle against Cao Cao was the highlight.
When Bowang was mobilizing his troops, Gan Ning also led his troops to Ye County and rode forward to fight.
After Xiahou Dun retreated, he left Han Hao to guard Ye County and returned to Xuchang to report the news and apologize.
There were many defeated soldiers in the city, and their morale was very low because they had not yet been transferred to Xuchang. When they heard that the enemy was coming, they were shocked. They did not expect that Liu Qi would dare to attack them on his own initiative.
It was too late to ask for help, so he hurried to the city to supervise the battle, but saw only a few hundred soldiers outside the city. The one in front was wearing a gorgeous brocade robe, covered with decorations, which made him very confused.
Han Hao asked, "Whose general is this?"
The defending general Xiahou Jie sneered, "The man who came here claims to be Gan Ning, but he turned out to be a pirate."
Han Hao looked at these hundreds of people. They were all dressed in fancy clothes and their battle formation was disorganized. They did not look like well-trained elite soldiers at all.
Han Hao felt that this person looked familiar, but he couldn't remember who he was. He wondered, "Why did Liu Qi send this person to attack the city?"
After being plotted against by Liu Qi several times, he became suspicious and always felt that this matter was not that simple.
Xiahou Jie laughed and said, "Liu Qi is recruiting soldiers in Jingzhou. These bandits must be unruly and hard to tame. Sending them here to die is just the right opportunity for us to accomplish our mission."
Han Hao shook his head and said, "Don't be careless!"
As he was speaking, the man rode forward with an air of superiority and arrogance. He pointed at Xiahou Dun's helmet with the tip of his knife and lazily shouted, "Someone has lost his armor. Who dares to retrieve it?"
"How dare you, you bastard! You're going too far!" Xiahou Jie was furious when he saw this. He kicked the city wall hard and was about to go out of the city to fight.
Han Hao suddenly remembered that this person was the one who robbed the camp that night. He led these 800 people to charge into the camp and no one could stop him. He hurriedly advised, "This person came prepared. Don't underestimate the enemy."
Xiahou Jie said angrily: "Gan Ning actually humiliated my uncle. How can this be tolerated?"
He led his troops out of the city despite Han Hao's obstruction. In fact, he was not completely angry. He just saw that there were only 800 bandits and thought that Liu Qi sent them to die deliberately. If he didn't take the credit now that it was right in front of him, when would he take it
"Be careful and alert!" Han Hao couldn't stop them, so he had to order the defenders to draw their bows and arrows and be ready for battle.
Seeing that the defending general was indeed enraged and left the city, Gan Ning was secretly delighted and waited alone in front of the battle formation with his golden helmet held high.
Xiahou Jie urged his horse out of the city. Seeing that Gan Ning did not retreat, he sneered, "Gan Ning, you dare to come to take the city with only a few hundred people. Aren't you too bold?"
Xiahou Jie is a descendant of the Xiahou family's branch and has always been a personal soldier beside Cao Cao. This time he is responsible for transporting grain to Ye County, but has never had the opportunity to fight in the battlefield.
Nowadays, the Xiahou Dun brothers are stealing the limelight in the Xiahou family. He always feels that his talents are not appreciated, and now it is finally time for him to show his talents!
Gan Ning laughed and said, "I am not only brave, I am even braver. Do you want to experience it?"
Xiahou Jie rode forward and shouted, "Water pirate Gan Ning, do you recognize General An Dong Xiahou Jie?"
Gan Ning frowned slightly, a murderous look flashed in his eyes, he curled his lips and smiled, shook his head and sighed: "I don't know."
“You…” Xiahou Jie was immediately furious, and he rushed out on his horse, shouting, “From now on, you must know my name!”
The warhorse galloped out and thrust his spear straight at Gan Ning. He had learned spear skills from a famous teacher and was quite confident, otherwise he would not have become Cao Cao's personal guard.
Seeing that Gan Ning looked down on him, he wanted to fight to establish his authority, so he used his most fierce moves, like pear blossoms falling in the rain, with cold light shining on Gan Ning's face.
"What a great spearmanship!" Gan Ning exclaimed and spurred his horse to the side, as if he did not dare to confront the enemy.
"What a coward!" Xiahou Jie thought Gan Ning was timid and became even more proud.
He turned his horse around and fired another shot, hoping to knock him off his horse and capture him alive.