Three Kingdoms, Myth

Gan Ning, with his men each riding three horses, galloped madly until they reached the place where their boats were hidden. After dragging the boats out from the reeds, they were left staring at the nearly thousand horses they had seized. The problem was, they couldn't take them all with them.

"Gan Lan, see if there are any river bandits around here. As the boss, I'm going to requisition some boats," Gan Ning said helplessly. He couldn't bear to leave the horses behind.

This era certainly had its perks—mountain bandits in the hills, horse thieves on the plains, highwaymen on the roads, and naturally, river pirates on the waters. Gan Lan didn't take long to find a group of river bandits. Under Gan Ning's leadership, they launched a night raid, black on black, and seized all their boats. Now they finally had the means to transport their spoils.

Meanwhile, Gongsun Zan, disregarding Taishi Ci's advice, went in the opposite direction. Taishi Ci, heavily injured and not checking thoroughly, pursued the wrong direction, ultimately ending up empty-handed after a relentless chase.

Wen Chou led his troops to avenge Yan Liang, but after losing track of Taishi Ci, he stumbled upon Gongsun Zan's trail instead. Mistaking it for Taishi Ci's, he pursued relentlessly. Meanwhile, Ju Yi, realizing he might have overshot his target, turned back to search again. In short, Gongsun Zan unwittingly became the bait...

"General, after several days of investigation, we've determined that Gongsun Zan likely went in the opposite direction," Taishi Ci's personal guard reported.

"..." Taishi Ci was speechless. After all his efforts to block the enemy, Gongsun Zan had chosen to go the other way.

"General, should we continue north along the Zhang River?" the guard asked. "Our provisions can still last for half a month."

"Head north. Where the hell is that bastard Gan Xingba? Why hasn't he shown up yet?" Taishi Ci grumbled in frustration. They had almost run out of food a few days ago, and it was only by raiding a bandit camp that they managed to scrape by. His injuries were no longer severe enough to hinder his movements, as long as he avoided intense combat.

Meanwhile, up the Zhang River, things weren't looking good for Gongsun Zan. Ever since parting ways with Taishi Ci, his condition had worsened day by day, eventually leading to a high fever. The illness, which had initially been suppressed by his strong physique, now flared up uncontrollably due to the effects of the "medicinal" tonic he had taken.

Gongsun Zan was so feverish that he could barely function, and his command decisions began to falter. In the end, he had no choice but to delegate authority to Guan Jing, leaving everything in his hands. As his illness dragged on, the soldiers they had managed to gather along the way, numbering over a thousand, began deserting in increasing numbers.

"Water...water..." Gongsun Zan mumbled weakly, his parched throat barely able to form words.

Guan Jing, seeing that Gongsun Zan had regained consciousness, was overjoyed and quickly gave him water. "My lord, you've finally awakened."

"Where are we?" Gongsun Zan asked weakly, struggling to turn his head.

"We're still in Jizhou. Recently, Yuan Shao's men have been scouring the area for us. We've managed to evade them a few times, but it seems they're closing in," Guan Jing said with a bitter smile as he updated Gongsun Zan on the situation.

"Head north, to Youzhou. Once we reach Zhuo County, we'll be safe," Gongsun Zan said with difficulty, regret gnawing at him for parting ways with Taishi Ci. If only he had stayed, the special medicine Taishi Ci had could have spared him this misery. Leaving before fully recovering was a grave mistake...

Gongsun Zan had no idea that his current plight was entirely due to that so-called "medicine." Without it, even if he had fallen ill, he would have recovered after a few days of rest. With his Qi-Refining warrior's physique, he could have resisted the illness without much trouble—as long as it hadn't reached a critical stage.

Guan Jing ordered the troops to continue northward, slowly making their way while taking care of the ailing Gongsun Zan. Zhuo County was still far off, especially with the burden of a sick man.

The news of the Handan granary's destruction soon reached Yuan Shao. Learning that it had been burned by a mere three hundred of Gongsun Zan's remnants, Yuan Shao was furious. This was his strategic reserve for a prolonged campaign, the supplies he planned to use to fully conquer Youzhou. As for living off the land? Didn't they know that Gongsun Zan had already stripped the border between Youzhou and Jizhou of all its grain?

"Yuan Tu, has our plan to counterattack just been ruined?" Yuan Shao asked bitterly as he sat by the table.

"Resupplying from Bohai and Yecheng will take at least a month, and we only have enough provisions for ten days. We might not even have enough to retreat safely," Feng Ji replied with equal bitterness. The grand strategy was gone, reduced to ashes by a single fire.

"My lord, our only option now is to find Gongsun Zan. Otherwise, we'll have to return empty-handed, despite the favorable situation created by General Ju Yi," Shen Pei said, his expression grim. His hatred for the bandits who had torched the Handan granary burned as fiercely as the fire that had consumed their supplies.

"We have no choice. We've completely lost the initiative for a counteroffensive. We can only hope that You Ruo and Yuan Hao succeed," Yuan Shao sighed, reluctantly agreeing to scatter his forces to hunt down Gongsun Zan.

"If we don't see Gongsun Zan's head within three days, we'll have no choice but to retreat. What a waste of the opportunity Ju Yi created for us. Yuan Tu, remind me to learn from this mistake in future battles," Yuan Shao lamented. The golden opportunity had slipped through his fingers.

"Gan Lan, what's the latest?" Gan Ning asked as he gnawed on a beef leg.

"We've found General Taishi's markings. We should catch up with him in the lower Zhang River within two days," Gan Lan replied calmly. Finding the markings meant that Taishi Ci was safe.

"Oh, and what about Yuan Benchu? How did he like the gift I sent him? Burn, burn, burn! This book really is something—water and fire are indeed the deadliest. I can't believe we actually burned the place to the ground. Gan Lan, you did a great job remembering to bring the tung oil," Gan Ning praised, patting Gan Lan on the shoulder.

"Yuan Benchu knows about the Handan granary now, but they still think we're just a band of fleeing rebels. He's sent out a large number of infantry to search for Gongsun Zan, so our time is running short."

"So, Yuan Shao's main camp is vulnerable..." Gan Ning stroked his chin thoughtfully. "This seems like a good opportunity."

"General, I advise against taking unnecessary risks. Yuan Shao's army is already suppressing General Taishi and General Gongsun's movements. Our goal is rescue, not a challenge. Besides, we don't have the strength to confront Yuan Shao's forces, even if his cavalry and elite troops are currently out searching for Gongsun Zan," Gan Lan warned sternly, having seen through Gan Ning's restless, adventurous spirit. Gan Ning's father had specifically sent Gan Lan to rein in his son's reckless tendencies.