Chapter 346: Dragon Enters the Sea

The Shanyue were rubbing their hands in jubilation, thinking that they finally had a chance to redeem themselves.

After all, if you count carefully, the first military achievement of the Jiangdong Sun family was contributed by the Shanyue.

When Sun Ce had not yet established himself from Yuan Shu, he was sent by Yuan Shu to Danyang to join his uncle and recruit local militia.

The Shanyue leader Zu Lang led his army to attack Sun Ce several times, and twice even forced Sun Ce to the brink of death.

The little tyrant was furious and went to Yuan Shu to ask for Cheng Pu, Huang Gai and other old subordinates of his father, thus starting the history of unilateral friction with the Shanyue.

Zu Lang, who almost killed Sun Ce, was quickly defeated and surrendered by the reorganized little tyrant.

Later, although the little tyrant had an accident, the news that Zhou Gongjin's Cao army fled in panic at the Red Cliff was even more frightening to the Shanyue.

Later, although Zhou Gongjin also had an accident, the Jiangdong, which had become completely powerful, was no longer a force that the Shanyue dared to look at.

However, at this time, the Shanyue leaders thought:

"The father and brother of Sun Hou and Zhou Lang all died unexpectedly."

"Is Sun Hou now..."

The leaders looked at each other, with some thoughts that could not be described in detail, but all of them were suppressed by Ma Liang:

"If you want to attack Jiangdong, you have to wait for the right time."

Ma Liang was very calm and did not say much, but just said that now was not the right time to attack Jiangdong.

After making a decision with great difficulty, but having to wait, the leader named Feizhan could no longer hold back:

"Mr. Ma, now there are two generals missing in Jiangdong and people are panicking. How can it not be considered a good time?"

Of course it is not considered a good time. After all, the Jiangdong Army has just set out not long ago, and some follow-up troops have not even set out yet.

If the Shanyue rebelled at this time, the Jiangdong Army could easily turn around and wipe out the Shanyue who had come down the mountain, which was what Ma Liang did not want to see.

The most appropriate time is of course when the Jiangdong Army is in a dilemma in Jingzhou, and then suddenly attack and hit it with one blow.

However, these can be put off until later to be told in detail to Shanyue. Hearing Feizhan's words, Ma Liang didn't mind listening to gossip at all:

"The whereabouts of the two generals are unknown?"

"Tell me?"

Feizhan didn't dare to neglect it, so he racked his brains and told the situation clearly:

"The day before yesterday, two of my men took money to Guling to buy salt."

Ma Liang knew that Shanyue was basically short of everything except some mountain products.

Other things were easy to say, but salt was really a necessity of life.

And Shanyue was relatively easy to buy salt. The northeast of Kuaiji was the seaside, and several nearby counties all produced salt, and there was a lot of private salt, so it was very convenient for Shanyue to come and trade.

Occasionally, Ma Liang would ask Shanyue to buy something when he was short of something.

In such places, news also circulated very quickly. For example, Feizhan's men heard in the city that Sun Hou was furious in Jianye City, and the whole new city was in a panic, and soldiers went in and out very frequently.

Although there was no official news in the end, a rumor soon spread from Jianye:

Two generals betrayed their master and fled, and it was suspected that they went to the west to seek refuge with Lord Xuande.

Fei Zhan's story was confusing, but Ma Liang could guess a general idea:

If it was true, Sun Quan was unwilling to issue an edict to arrest them by name, which shows that the status of these two generals should not be low, and they were definitely not lieutenants or military commanders.

Sun Quan was silent, but the news could still be easily spread here, most likely there were big names secretly fanning the flames.

The war just started, but it disappeared at this time, which shows that he did not agree with Sun Quan's move to seize Jingzhou.

Ma Liang thought of Lu Su at the first time, but he quickly rejected it.

Lu Zijing was a wise man, how could he act so rashly?

While Ma Liang shook his head and laughed at his own thoughts, Lu Su stood on the bow of a small boat and looked at the endless sea with a confused heart.

Since Zhou Gongjin passed away, he has never felt so helpless as he is now.

I still remember that two years ago he had a clear plan for the future of Jiangdong.

Ally with Liu to resist Cao and recover the Central Plains.

Inheriting Gongjin's legacy and building a great cause for the world.

But slowly, this plan, which had been deliberated for a long time, gradually developed in an uncontrollable direction.

First of all, Liu Bei grew rapidly, quietly took Yizhou, and even captured Hanzhong.

When he heard about it, Lu Su had mixed feelings about the news.

He admired Kong Ming's ability, was pleased that there was hope to defeat Cao, and was worried that Jiangdong could not keep up with the pace of Liu Huangshu.

That's why he gave a bloody remonstration to the lord at the Jianye banquet and stationed troops in Hefei to explore the north.

But the results of the battle under the city of Hefei deeply shocked Lu Su, and also made Lu Su bitterly recognize his biggest shortcoming.

Gongjin defeated Cao's army of tens of thousands at Chibi with 30,000 soldiers.

Guan Yu defeated Cao's army of nearly 100,000 in Jingxiang with 30,000 soldiers.

The lord defeated Cao's army of nearly 100,000 in Hefei with 8,000 cavalry.

When Gongjin was alive, he did not realize the weakness of the soldiers in Jianghuai, but the Battle of Hefei made Lu Su clearly see the difference between the generals and soldiers of the three parties, and Jiangdong was undoubtedly the last.

But for Lu Su, this was not a problem. If the soldiers were weak, he could spy on Guan Yu's training method, and if the generals were weak, he could order them to lead a small number of soldiers to Shanyue to train the troops.

Jiangdong also had its own advantages, with abundant grain production and famous archers.

But what Lu Su did not expect was that after the Battle of Hefei, it was Lu Meng who replaced him to sit in Jiangxia. He was left in Jianye by Sun Hou and was unemployed.

Lu Su carefully summarized the gains and losses, wrote a long memorial, criticized the current shortcomings in Jiangdong, and formulated a method for strengthening the army in Jiangdong.

As soon as Marquis Sun comes to visit, he will present it to his lord, and he will surely help him conquer the world!

But Gan Xingba's visit on New Year's Eve shattered all Lu Su's plans.

It seems that Hefei's defeat also stimulated the lord, but the strategy he chose was far from Lu Su's plan.

Alliance with Cao to control Liu...ha! Why don't you understand, my lord, that Cao Cao occupies such fertile lands as the Central Plains and Jizhou, and join forces with Cao to destroy Liu? If Liu is destroyed, what will Cao do?

This is tantamount to seeking the fox's fur and seeking the skin of the fox!

Steady footsteps came from behind, and a strong figure wrapped in fox fur stood beside Lu Su.

After a moment of silence, the figure slowly said:

"Having lived in the east of the Yangtze River for a long time, I now know how vast the sea is."

This simple sigh made Lu Su angry:

"Gan Xingba!"

Gan Ning raised his eyelids, dug his ears impatiently and said:

"I'm not old yet, Zijing doesn't need to be so loud."

Lu Su couldn't wait to draw his sword, so his words became more and more rude:

"Are you not ashamed?"

Gan Ning looked at the sea, and what came to mind were a few letters from his son Gan Gui.

This son, whose temperament is quite similar to his, mocked him loudly in his last letter:

"The fish and turtles are trapped in the rivers, and the dragons swim in the sea."

He also said that Gan Gui would one day "dominate the sea" sooner or later.

Now that he saw the sea and thought of his son's words, Gan Ning felt a little uncomfortable.

Therefore, even though Lu Su angrily asked him "Have you no shame", Gan Ning could not feel the slightest anger in his heart.

"I am not a slave of Marquis Sun."

Gan Ning's words have a sense of being taken for granted:

"Since Marquis Sun doesn't believe me and his love will be suspicious of me, then why should I be ashamed to return to my hometown without taking anything from Jiangdong?"

Lu Su sneered:

"Returning to your hometown? Didn't you defect to Liu Bei?"

Gan Ning also sneered:

"After I return to my hometown, how I stay is a private matter."

After saying that, he turned his attention to the sea again, thinking that if he was going to sail on the sea, the ship should also make some changes.

Just like their small boat at this time, they could only go south along the coast and did not dare to go too far from the shore.

"You also know that staying or leaving is a private matter. Why should I blame you?!"

There was even a bit of grievance in Lu Su's voice. Although it was not done voluntarily, it was probably no different to Sun Hou. How could he gain a foothold in Jiangdong after his reputation had been ruined for several years?

"Idiot!"

At this time, a powerful shout came from the cabin, interrupting the confrontation at the bow.

So Lu Su's anger immediately subsided, and he went into the cabin to talk to his mother.

Gan Ning never thought that an old woman could be so decisive.

After New Year's Eve, Lu Su's mother sent a secret letter to Gan Ning through people close to her.

In the letter, Lu's mother sincerely requested Gan Ning to take Lu Su away from the land of right and wrong.

She saw her son's pain in her eyes, and she could also feel the strangeness of Bo Yun in Jianye City.

It's not that she knows much about the world's major events. This mother just made a decision that she didn't want her son to suffer.

It is better to leave Jiangdong and find a good land, whether it is to teach and educate people incognito, or to change one's identity and find another place, than to waste all the hard work because of the Sun Hou's preference.

For Gan Ning, returning to his hometown has always been a long-cherished wish. Since he can still respect him now, is there any reason not to do so?

For Gan Ning, how to win over Lu Su is also very simple:

Just take Lu's mother as a pledge.

After all, Lu Su is a man of pure filial piety. Wherever his mother is, he will be there.

Hmm...it seems to be similar to the Military Advisor Xu that my son mentioned.

As for the reputation that was damaged due to this... Gan Ning scoffed:

I still care about this?

Besides, if in the future his son sails a boat to conquer Jiangdong, he would be a hindrance to his son in Jiangdong, that would be stupid.

Therefore, Gan Ning acted extremely resolutely, taking advantage of the new year when the old lady was out of the city to worship her ancestors, and robbed people and left.

The method of escape was also prepared for a long time. He paid a lot of money to hire a dozen boats to sail up the river to the east. Gan Ning personally drove the boat and hid in Zhenze. After evading two rounds of searches, he drove the boat across the Songjiang River and into the sea to go south.

Looking at the vast ocean during this period, Gan Ning felt that his gloomy mood had broadened a lot.

He even took the initiative to arouse Lu Su's anger, finding it quite amusing.

"Xingba, how far is it to the South China Sea?"

Listening to the old lady's question in the cabin, Gan Ning changed his casual attitude and respectfully replied:

"Old madam, according to the speed of our waiting ship, we should be able to reach Panyu in six or seven days."

Jiaozhou also has several counties, and Panyu is located at the junction of Nanhai County and Cangwu County.

Wu Ju, the governor of Cangwu, and Lai Gong, the governor of Jiaozhou, both had close relationships with Liu Bei.

This is not considered confidential information within Jiangdong, so Shi Xie's attitude towards Jiangdong is also very ambiguous and indifferent.

In Gan Ning's opinion, Jiaozhou can be regarded as a stable place, and he can wait here for the war to subside.

As for telling the name of his son Gan Gui... Gan Ning said that he would rather be captured by Sun Hou than lose this person.

"That's good..." The voices in the cabin calmed down.

Then Gan Ning heard Lu's mother talking to Lu Su in a low voice.

In order to avoid suspicion, Gan Ning simply moved further away from the cabin and picked up a fishing rod to fish for leisure.

This boat has been in preparation for some time, so it has everything you need.

From bows and crossbows to repel pursuers to fishing rods and nets for food, everything was prepared.

The further south they went, the hotter the sun seemed to be, making Gan Ning feel a little drowsy.

However, hearing the slow footsteps lingering beside him, Gan Ning woke up from his drowsiness:

"Catch one?"

Lu Su silently picked up a fishing rod, picked up a small shrimp hanging on the fishing net next to him, flexibly put it on the fishhook, and then threw it out.

"Good fishing skills!" Gan Ning cheered.

Lu Su smiled stiffly, and the bow fell silent. After a while, he said:

"I lost my father when I was young, and I was raised by my mother. At that time, people from the same village would go to the creek to fish for shrimps and fish to fill their stomachs."

"I felt tired of schoolwork at that time, so I went with them just for fun."

"At that time, I found that I was very good at using the rod. I caught four fish in just one afternoon. The villagers praised me a lot, and I was very proud."

"Then..."

"Then your butt was cracked, right?" Gan Ning said gloatingly.

Lu Su choked, glanced at him unhappily and said:

"My mother was worried about my schoolwork."

Then he said quietly:

"How could I not know what my mother was worried about? It's just..."

Gan Ning shook his head and interrupted Lu Su's sigh:

"I caught a fish!"

Lu Su choked again, but he also hurried to pull the fish up.

Haiyu was quite strong, and Gan Ning came over to help and said casually:

"Zijing secretly hates that he can't be like Gongjin, Zhenjiangdong so that the old lady can live a stable life, I understand."

"The old lady is worried that Zijing is worried and angry, and is frustrated, I also understand."

Gan Ning also became sad for a rare time, shook his head and said:

"The relationship between the old lady and Zijing is enviable."

Gan Ning said this sincerely, because he thought of his parents who passed away early, and he didn't know if Gan Gui repaired the ancestral tomb after returning?

But thinking of his son, Gan Ning couldn't help but smile.

On the other hand, Lu Su, who has not yet married, is stronger in this regard.

"What are your plans after arriving in Panyu?" This time it was Lu Su who took the initiative to ask.

Gan Ning was very surprised:

"Zijing finally let it go?"

Hearing this, Lu Su looked at Gan Ning steadily, and then punched Gan Ning on the shoulder:

"This matter is written off."

The force on the shoulder was soft, but Gan Ning cooperated and hugged his shoulder and cried out in pain.

Looking at Lu Su's helpless face, Gan Ning laughed, and soon Lu Su also laughed out loud.

The sea fish that was taken off the hook turned over with a force, and fell back into the sea with a splash.

But no one on the boat cared.

In the cabin, Lu's mother listened to her son's laughter, and finally smiled.