Chapter 65: Bluffing (Seeking Monthly Votes)

Ling Tong was deeply conflicted, for he desperately wanted to kill Su Ming. Yet, today was not the day for such vengeance.

Gan Ning had already arrived with reinforcements. If they didn’t withdraw now, they would soon be encircled by Gan Ning’s forces. At that point, not only would Ling Tong’s hope of slaying Su Ming vanish, but he himself might not escape alive.

Ling Tong thought to himself, “I cannot die here! I am the last of the Ling family. I’ve not even left an heir. If I perish today, our line will be forever broken.”

With this realization, Ling Tong immediately waved his hand and gave the order: “Sound the retreat!”

The sound of gongs echoed across the battlefield, signaling withdrawal. In battle, drums were for advance, gongs for retreat. At the clang of the bronze gongs, the soldiers of Jiangdong receded like a tide.

Gan Ning’s army had arrived, and Ling Tong dared not linger. He led his troops swiftly away from the banks of the Han River. Only when they had marched a considerable distance, and the river was out of sight, did Ling Tong grumble, “Are Zhu Ran and Zhu Yi a pair of pigs? Five thousand navy men, and they couldn’t even stop Gan Ning?”

At this, Pan Zhang spoke in a grave voice, “Those three flagships bore the silk banners, but they are Jiangdong’s flagships.”

“By the look of things, Zhu Ran and Zhu Yi’s entire force has been annihilated.”

Pan Zhang continued, “I suspect Su Ming has left some hidden trick. There weren’t only Gan Ning’s thousand sailors on the river—Zhu Ran and Zhu Yi must have been ambushed.”

Naval battles are unlike those on land. On water, victory depends largely on numbers and the quality of ships; rarely does a smaller force defeat a larger one. The Battle of Red Cliffs is famed precisely because it was one of the few cases where a smaller navy triumphed over a larger one. But, in truth, though Cao’s forces were numerous, they were hardly a proper navy—their ships were mostly requisitioned merchant vessels.

Ling Tong and Pan Zhang firmly believed Su Ming had laid an ambush on the river, leading to Zhu Ran and Zhu Yi’s destruction.

Suddenly, Ling Tong seemed to realize something amiss. He frowned and muttered, “Something’s not right!”

“If there was an ambush on the river and Zhu Ran and Zhu Yi were wiped out, Gan Ning should have many ships at his disposal.”

“But just now, we only saw three flagships—not even a single small boat. And don’t you find it odd that ten thousand men are crammed onto just three ships?”

Normally, a flagship would be accompanied by a dozen or twenty small boats, making a fleet of two to three thousand men at most. Yet Gan Ning’s three flagships were packed with ten thousand, shoulder to shoulder!

Moreover, for Gan Ning to ambush Zhu Ran and Zhu Yi so thoroughly, his forces and ships must have outnumbered theirs. So where were Gan Ning’s own ships? Why only Zhu Ran and Zhu Yi’s three flagships?

After saying this, Ling Tong gazed intensely at Pan Zhang. Pan Zhang, too, seemed to realize something, slapped his thigh, and exclaimed, “Wait, something’s off!”

“The draft of the ships is wrong. If there really are three thousand men on each ship, the waterline should be much deeper—yet theirs sits high.”

With this, Ling Tong was certain there was deception at play. He couldn’t yet fathom what was happening aboard the ships, but something was definitely amiss.

Gan Ning was bluffing, attempting to frighten them away.

If they retreated now, they would fall right into Gan Ning’s trap.

Realizing this, Ling Tong shouted, “Quick, turn back! Return at once!”

He knew today was the best chance to kill Su Ming. If missed, who knew when the next opportunity would come?

After issuing the order, Ling Tong spurred his horse toward the banks of the Han River.

At the riverbank—

“My friend, I never expected this!” Taishi Ci laughed with delight. “You actually had a hidden card! With these ten thousand elite soldiers, we’ve truly escaped disaster today!”

Su Ming: “?????”

Su Ming couldn’t comprehend where Gan Ning’s supposed ten thousand troops had come from. Gan Ning clearly had only a thousand sailors and a single flagship. Was he performing magic?

Were these ten thousand elite soldiers and three flagships conjured by Gan Ning?

Lost in confusion, Su Ming watched as Gan Ning rowed over on a wooden raft to fetch them.

The flagship couldn’t approach the shore—it would easily run aground. Usually, small boats were used to ferry people aboard the larger vessel. But after the recent naval battle, aside from the three iron-plated flagships, all other ships had been burned.

Yet, as the saying goes, if there’s no butcher, one must make do with a hairy pig. Lacking small boats, Gan Ning had men chop timber and quickly craft a raft.

“Xingba, where did you get these ten thousand elite troops?” Su Ming asked as soon as Gan Ning arrived.

Gan Ning shook his head urgently. “My lord, this isn’t the time for explanations. Get aboard first—you’ll understand once you’re on the ship.”

Just then, amid the wind and rain, came the urgent thunder of hooves.

“Trouble!” Su Ming realized with alarm. “Ling Tong has returned!”

“Quick, onto the raft!”

“Once we’re on the flagship, we’ll be safe!” Gan Ning called out.

Fortunately, the raft Gan Ning had prepared was large enough; the group, horses and all, boarded without crowding.

Gan Ning’s men rowed vigorously toward the flagship. At the ship’s side, Gan Ning had already prepared bamboo baskets and ropes, hauling the group, horses included, aboard.

Once on the ship, Su Ming could finally see Gan Ning’s ‘ten thousand elite soldiers’ clearly.

They were no soldiers at all! Merely straw men, hastily bound and arrayed on deck to feign might.

No wonder Gan Ning had been so anxious to get Su Ming aboard. He had no real troops—had he truly possessed ten thousand men, he would have stormed ashore already.

After defeating Zhu Ran and Zhu Yi’s navy and seizing the three flagships, Gan Ning had intended to rescue Su Ming. But he foresaw that Jiangdong’s forces would surely ambush Su Ming. After the battle, he had only a few hundred men able to fight.

Had Gan Ning tried to rescue Su Ming with only these few hundred, not only would he have failed, but his own men would be lost.

Gan Ning was no reckless general; he possessed a strategist’s cunning. In a moment of crisis, inspiration struck: he would bluff.

He ordered his men to quickly gather straw from the shore and craft numerous straw figures, setting them along the ship’s sides and deck. From afar, they were indistinguishable from real soldiers.

Coupled with the heavy rain, the mist shrouded visibility.

Thus, Ling Tong and Pan Zhang failed to discern the ruse.

Gan Ning’s ploy sent them fleeing.

(P.S. Brothers, please vote for me—if you have a monthly ticket, give me one.)

(End of chapter)