Gou writes entries in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 107
Guangling County, inside the county prison.

Gan Ning has been detained here for almost a month.

Although Liu Xuan's people came to interrogate him several times during this period, Gan Ning did not confess anything and the interrogators did not use torture.

Later, I suddenly heard from the jailers that the Jiangdong navy was attacking, so no one paid attention to Gan Ning for the time being.

Gan Ning, on the other hand, was eager to know the news from the outside and would talk to the jailer whenever he had the chance.

"Brother, the water war outside is almost over, right? How can Guangling's navy stop Jiangdong's navy? Liu Xuan will definitely be defeated."

"Let me out. If Guangling falls, I, Gan Ning, can take you to escape by water."

"Shut up! There are so many words. Who said Sheriff Liu is going to lose?" A jailer kicked the cell door impatiently.

"Did Liu Xuan win?" Gan Ning asked immediately.

"Of course, we..." A jailer was about to answer, but was promptly interrupted by the jailer next to him.

"Hey, how can we reveal a major military aircraft issue so easily?"

At this time, the prison door slowly opened with a creak, and Liu Xuan, Jia Xu and Lu Bu came in from the outside.

The two jailers quickly stood aside in silence.

Jia Xu walked slowly to the old door and said to the prison with a smile on his face,

"Gan Xingba, do you feel comfortable living here?"

Gan Ning put his hands behind his head and lay on the thatch with his legs crossed.
"Hey, we take care of food and accommodation here. You don't have to be exposed to the wind and rain on the river. My life is very comfortable."

"But Jia Mou heard that you are still very concerned about the war outside in this prison?" Jia Xu said calmly.

"Why don't Jia tell you about the war on the river? Last month, Sun Ce from Jiangdong led an army to attack Guangling. Our lord used retreat as an advance to lure the enemy deep, killing 5000 Jiangdong soldiers, and killed Jiangdong general Xu Sheng. Sun Ce was defeated and retreated. .”

Gan Ning listened to Jia Xu's words without saying a word, his eyes flashing from time to time.

Jia Xu continued to speak slowly: "In the middle of this month, Sun Ce led the navy with Cheng Pu as general to block the river. Our lord used the method of ramming fighting ships to sink a building ship and four fighting ships in the east of the river. Cheng Pu was defeated and retreated. .”

"Impossible." Hearing this, Gan Ning stood up from the haystack, "How can a mere fighting ship defeat a building ship?"

"If you can't defeat me, it's because your boat is incompetent. Everyone in Guangling knows about the battle on the river. Why should I lie to you?"

"I'm telling you this just to let you know that your expectation that our lord Liu Xuan will be defeated by Sun Ce will probably come to nothing."

As Jia Xu spoke, he knelt down and stared into Gan Ning's eyes as he spoke word by word,

"And you, Gan Ning, have neither completed your mission nor waited for Guangling to fall. Then the person you care about is in danger, isn't it?"

"What did you say?" After Gan Ning heard what Jia Xu said, he suddenly got angry and walked to the cell door.
"What else do you know?"

Jia Xu looked directly at Gan Ning and thought of his own way.

"Gan Ning was born in Linjiang, Ba County. His parents died when he was young, and he and his sister were dependent on each other. Later, because his sister was bullied by officials from the same town, he was angry and killed dozens of officials. He left Linjiang with his sister and drifted on the river. .”

"A few years later, you became the leader of the river bandits, and you were quite famous. You controlled the river, and the government could do nothing about it. There are two things that you value most in your life, one is brotherhood, and the other is brother-sister love."

"You traveled to Jiangdong, and your sister had to go ashore for medical treatment due to the acclimatization. After that, your sister, who had always been inseparable from you, disappeared. And Gan Xingba, who had always been chivalrous, also began to do some things that oppressed good people. .”

When Liu Xuan heard this, he probably understood why Gan Ning, a Jiang bandit with a good reputation, wanted to go against him.

"That's enough!" Gan Ning interrupted.

"Sir, you have gone to great lengths to investigate my past, and even deigned to come here to analyze it for me. There must be a reason, right?"

"If my guess is correct, Commander Liu encountered difficulties in forming a navy army, right?"

Liu Xuan nodded and did not deny, "You are right. The reason why I still keep you is because I think you are still valuable. It would be a pity to kill you. If you are willing to work for me and defeat the Jiangdong navy, I can naturally Spare your life."

Gan Ning said: "Prefect Liu thinks too highly of Gan. The Jiangdong navy is the largest navy in the world. How can it be easy with just a few fighting ships in Guangling?"

"With just five fighting ships, I can sink a Jiangdong ship and Jiangdong naval force, but that's it." Liu Xuandao, "It's just that our army's lieutenants are not good at water warfare, and it takes time and effort to re-train, so you have a chance." Stay alive. Otherwise, I will kill you with one knife."

Gan Ning listened to Liu Xuan's words and did not refute. He thought for a long time before saying,
"As long as Governor Liu can agree to my condition, Gan Ning can serve the governor. Besides, there are a group of my brothers above the river. As long as I raise my arms, they can immediately become the elite of Guangling Navy."

Liu Xuan smiled lightly, "Rescuing your sister, okay?"

Gan Ning was startled. Unexpectedly, Liu Xuan guessed what he was thinking right away. There was a hint of admiration in his eyes.
"Yes, my sister is in Qu'a and is being held hostage by the Qu'a Zhang family. If I take action against the Jiangdong Navy, my sister's life will be cut off."

Jia Xu said from the side: "My lord, the leader of the Zhang family in Qu'a is Zhao, who is serving under Sun Ce in Jiangdong. The Zhang family in Guangling that we eradicated before is a member of the Zhang family in Qu'a."

"No wonder after I eradicated the Zhang clan in Guangling, Gan Ning attacked our ships on the river. It turned out to be Zhang Zhao's instigation."

Liu Xuan finally figured out the whole story now. If he wanted Gan Ning to help him deal with the Jiangdong Navy, he had to rescue his sister first.

"Okay, I promise you, I will go to Qu'a to save your sister."

Gan Ning stood up after hearing this and saluted Liu Xuan solemnly.
"Thank you Commander Liu for your generous action."

With that said, he took out a jade hairpin from his waist and handed it to Liu Xuan,

"This is the hairpin of my sister-in-law Yingying. When she sees this, she will know that you are the one who was asked to rescue her. In addition, Gan Xin from the Water Transport Department at Chengnan Wharf is my younger brother. He recognizes Yingying. Governor Liu can take him with him. Go."

Liu Xuan Shi Ran took the hairpin and said with a smile: "Okay, Gan Xingba, you actually put people in our Water Transport Department."

Gan Ning scratched his head in embarrassment, "Hey, it's convenient. I hope Commander Liu will protect my sister-in-law."

"Don't worry you."

Since he agreed to save Gan Ning's sister, Liu Xuan stopped delaying and summoned Gan Xin from the Water Transport Department to prepare to set off with Lu Bu and Zhao Liniang.

"My lord, Qu'anai is Sun Ce's territory. My lord, it's better to bring more people there." Cheng Hu, who was left behind in Guangling by Liu Xuan, suggested.

"You said it's Sun Ce's territory. It doesn't matter how many people he brings. Besides, if there are too many people, we can't even cross the river. Don't forget that there is a Jiangdong Navy blockade on the river."

Liu Xuan smiled easily and said, "It's just to save one person, Fengxian Liniang and I can go there."

Several people chose the faster and smaller stern as a means of transportation, leaving the dock at night and heading towards Qu'a.

Guangling is not far from Qu'a. It takes more than two days for a cargo ship to sail against the current, and if it's a boat, one and a half days is enough.

Liu Xuan got stuck and set out at night. After traveling on the river for a day during the day, he could land in Qu'a at night.

As the sky gradually darkened, Liu Xuan ordered the sailors on the ship to extinguish the oil lamps.

"Just follow my command. If you light a lamp at night, you will be discovered by the patrolling Jiangdong navy."

Going to Qu'a, the most difficult thing is how to open the Jiangdong navy that blocks the river.

Liu Xuan stood on the bow of the stern boat, his keen eagle eyes activated, and his night vision ability increased.

A few hundred meters around the river are within his field of vision.

The boat underfoot is not equipped with a steam engine, but is manually paddled, so the sound will not travel too far.

Liu Xuan directed the helmsman to turn from time to time, and the stern sailed quietly in the starlight,
After avoiding three waves of patrol boats in one night, Hanfang successfully bypassed the blockade of the Jiangdong navy and quickly sailed towards Qu'a.By the time it gets bright the next day, the boat is far away from Guangling. The boats are sailing near the south bank of the river, and there are gradually more boats on the river.

The Jiangdong navy mainly blocks the vicinity of Guangling Port and the north bank of the river. As for the ships on the south bank, they are originally from Jiangdong, so no one takes care of them.

After traveling for a day and a night, on the morning of the third day, the ship was almost near Qu'a Pier, and Zhao Liniang had already finished disguising Liu Xuan and Lu Bu.

Liu Xuan became a wealthy son, with Lu Bu and Gan Xin as his guards, and Zhao Liniang as a maid.

The four of them got on the pier and headed directly to Qu'a City.

The Zhang family takes Gan Yingying as a hostage and blackmails Jinfan's thief Gan Ning into working for them. There is a high probability that Gan Yingying will be placed under house arrest in the Zhang Mansion.

Liu Xuan and others entered Quacheng and went straight to the Zhang family compound.

Arriving at the busiest central street in Qu'a, Liu Xuan stopped a hawker and asked for directions: "Brother, may I ask how to get to Chang Shi Zhang Zibu's house?"

When the vendor heard this, there was an inexplicable smile in his eyes, "Oh, another one going to Zhang's Mansion."

After that, he pointed to the depths of the street on the left, "Well, the biggest mansion over there is the place with the most people. Master, if you want to go, hurry up. If you are late, you won't be able to buy it."

Liu Xuan was a little surprised and continued to ask: "Why, is there anything big going on in the Zhang family today?"

The hawker looked at Liu Xuan with a knowing look and said: "It's not a big deal, it's just a game for the rich. You'll know when you get there."

Several people followed the hawker's direction and came to Zhang's Mansion. Sure enough, there were many people watching the fun outside.

When they arrived at the door of the house, a housekeeper came up with a smile and said,

"Master, please come inside. The bidding for the maid will start in half an hour. Master, please come with me."

Several people quietly followed the housekeeper into Zhang Mansion and came to a side room.
"Sir, please check the funds here before you can participate in the auction."

Liu Xuan was a little surprised, pointing to a few young men in the distance and saying,

"Why don't they need capital verification?"

"Haha, those are all famous young masters from rich families in Quacheng, so naturally there is no need for capital verification."

"I'm going to take a look at some of the handsome young men here. Please show me proof of your qualifications for bidding. If you are from a certain family, just tell me your name and I will find out for you."

The process was quite rigorous, so Liu Xuan had no choice but to take out a few golden tickets and said, "Is it possible to use golden tickets to verify capital?"

The housekeeper bowed and smiled: "Of course you can. Golden tickets are also hard currency in Qu'a."

After the housekeeper verified his qualifications, he asked people to take Liu Xuan and others to the inner courtyard.

The Zhang family's inner courtyard was decorated magnificently today, with a large booth in the middle and many couches arranged beside it. There were also fruits, wine and dishes placed on the small table in front of the couch.

Liu Xuan and others sat down, and the so-called bidding began.

Only then did everyone know why so many people came to the Zhang family today.

It turns out that today's maid auction was held in Zhang's Mansion.

The so-called maid auction is when the major families in Jiangdong auction off their unwanted maids.

Some of them are old and no longer want them, so they are sold to families with less financial resources at low prices.

Most of them are well-trained maids or dancers. The big families feel tired of them and exchange them with each other through auctions.

This kind of thing is extremely common in a prosperous place like Jiangdong where there are many noble families.

It's just that this time the auction held in Zhang's Mansion was more lively.

Liu Xuan and others listened silently to the discussions among various wealthy young men below.

"I heard that the Zhang family is going to auction off a top-quality maid this time. Brother Li must seize the opportunity."

"Hehe, of course I am bound to win. I heard that she is a fierce girl, so she needs to be trained well before she can buy her home."

"Only fierce women are challenging. With Brother Li's methods, he will definitely be able to capture her."

"But the one from the Sun family seems to be interested in bidding. Brother Li is probably going to bleed heavily, haha."

Liu Xuan looked around and saw that most of the Zhang family's servants were gathered here because of the auction in the inner courtyard.

Then he said to Gan Xin next to him: "We will use the toilet for a while and sneak inside to investigate."

Gan Xin said: "Don't worry, young master, if Yingying is in the house, I will definitely recognize her."

The auction on the stage continued, and various maids and dancers were brought to the stage and then bought by other families.

Liu Xuan and Gan Xin avoided the crowd and came to the depths of the inner courtyard. Liu Xuan found a high place and climbed up. He glanced around and saw a group of women surrounding the auction house.

With a thought in his heart, Liu Xuan took Gan Xin and walked over there.

I saw the group of women being guarded by several servants, including a young woman whose hands and feet were tied and a piece of cloth stuffed in her mouth.

It seems that these women are the maids used by the Zhang family for auction.

Gan Xin walked closer and suddenly whispered: "That's Yingying."

"Which one?"

"The one who is tied up." Gan Xin was furious and gritted his teeth.

"How dare the Zhang family treat Yingying like this? If my eldest brother finds out, the Zhang family will have to be wiped out."

Liu Xuan held Gan Xin down with one hand to prevent him from moving rashly.

"Gan Ning has been missing for almost a month. They probably thought Gan Ning was dead and Gan Yingying was worthless."

Liu Xuan thought of this and said,

"Let's go back to the inner courtyard. If we can rescue Gan Yingying through bidding, that would be the best."

The two returned to the inner courtyard auction house. Liu Xuan told Zhao Liniang and Lu Bu the plan, and then waited for Gan Yingying to come on stage.

After more than half an hour, all the maids from each family had basically finished their transactions, and it was Gan Yingying's turn.

Sure enough, when Gan Yingying was carried up, there was a commotion below.
There is no other reason. Compared with other maids and dancers, Gan Yingying is too beautiful.

Liu Xuan just glanced at it without taking a closer look before. Now that he looked carefully, he realized that Gan Yingying did have a wild beauty.

Gan Yingying's hands and feet were tied, and a tortoise-shell binding was also placed on her body, allowing her curves to be exposed, showing off the youthful vitality of a girl.

A pair of big eyes on her fair face, with long eyelashes and upturned eyebrows, looking angry like a trapped little wild cat.

This made many wealthy young men below eager to conquer and eager to try.

(End of this chapter)