Chapter 203: Unacceptable to Scholars, Throwing a Pearl into the Dark On the other hand, it is said that after Qin Zhen entered Jingzhou, he first went to Zhangling County, as for Pingshi, he went south to Huyang and rented a boat to go down by water. Unexpectedly, before arriving in Xiangyang, he met Huang She who came to greet him. Huang She is a very interesting person. Although his father Huang Zu was a son of a noble family, he only cared about martial arts and did not like poetry and books. But Huang She was different. He liked poetry and prose, especially the poetry and prose of Cai Yong. When he heard that Liu Bei's envoy was coming, his first reaction was to have someone inform Liu Biao, but when he heard that it was Qin Zhen who came, he was overjoyed and said to his attendants: "Although there are many scholars in Jingzhou, I don't like them. I only love Mr. Cai and his son-in-law." "Mr. Cai's poems and fu are the best in the world, and Qin Zixuan often has new melody. Whenever I hear them, I can't help but cheer and applaud. I wish I could see them in person!" "Now that Qin Zixuan has arrived in our land, we should welcome him in person to show our respect!" As he said this, he led his men northward and met Qin Zhen's troops on the river. Qin Zhen was about to enter Xiangyang directly, but he saw Huang She's troops halfway and was shocked.

I wondered if this old guy Liu Biao wanted to give me a warning first? Before he could ask any questions, he saw a man in black clothes and wearing a Jinxian crown standing in the middle of the road, shouting: "May I ask if this is Qin Zixuan, the Lord Qin?" When Qin Zhen saw that he was wearing official uniform, a two-beam crown on his head, and a brocade seal and ribbon hanging around his waist, he thought that no one else knew that he had come to Jingzhou. This man is dressed like this, but he is not dressed like a county magistrate. If he is not the county governor, he should not be like this! After observing him like this, he confirmed the identity of the person in front of him and immediately said with a smile: "It is I, the humble one. Could you be the Governor of Zhangling, Lord Huang?" When Huang She heard this, he immediately dismounted and said with a smile: "Before Lord Qin, you dare not call me Lord of the Mansion. Just call me Gongli!" Seeing his enthusiasm, Qin Zhen was surprised. He thought that he had no connection with the Huang family, so why was this kid like this? "I have come here with you, but I dare not trouble you with your courtesy. I wonder why you are here?" Huang She heard this and stroked his beard and smiled: "She likes epitaphs the most, especially the flying white calligraphy created by Mr. Cai. It's a pity that Mr. Cai has passed away, so I can't go and see him!" "Now that Mr. Cai's son-in-law is here, how can I not see him?" "Besides, you are also a very talented writer. After so many years, you must have some new works. I came here to ask for your advice!" Qin Zhen listened to the explanation, shook his head and smiled: "I am always busy with military affairs, so I have no time to write new works. If you want me to write poems, I'm afraid you'll come here in vain!" He thought Huang She was here for something, but he turned out to be a celebrity chaser. But he was not here for a picnic this time and had no intention of dealing with Huang She. Huang She was a little disappointed when he heard that Qin Zhen had no new works, but then he said: "That's fine. The writing of poetry comes from the heart. You are busy with state affairs and have no time to write poetry. That's normal." "However, there are many talented people in Jingzhou. It is just to adapt to the local customs. Or maybe they are inspired by their trip to the south!"

"Just ask me to follow you all the way, and I will definitely be able to hear your excellent works!" Afterwards, he lost all intention of returning to Zhangling and boarded the boat, ready to head south with Qin Zhen. Seeing him like this, Qin Zhen thought to himself that this second-generation rich kid was great. He didn't have to worry about anything. How could he abandon a county for the sake of poetry? But he also knew that Huang's grandfather and his son were quite independent in Jingzhou, so he simply didn't care too much about it. He called Kong Ming out and discussed poetry with Huang She and the other two. As mentioned earlier, Zhuge Liang was an all-rounder. Not only was he good at military and political affairs, he was also good at painting, music, cursive writing, and poetry. Although Qin Zhen was a latecomer, he was still a disciple of Cai Yong and had rich theoretical knowledge. The three of them discussed along the way and had a very pleasant conversation. As they got along, Qin Zhen discovered that Huang She was actually a good person. Although he is a second-generation rich man, he is not overbearing and is much more humble than his father Huang Zu. So he took advantage of their familiarity and asked Huang She about Gan Ning's news. However, when Huang She mentioned Gan Ning's name, he frowned and said with disdain: "There is no need to talk about people like this who betray their master, act recklessly, are extravagant and cunning!" Seeing how disgusted he was, Qin Zhen hurriedly asked him the reason. It turned out that Gan Ning had been very unwelcome since he entered Jingzhou. Because Gan Ning was a descendant of a famous family, his grandfather Gan Mao served as the left prime minister of Qin State, and Gan Luo became prime minister at the age of twelve. But by his generation, the family had fallen into decline. He did not like studying but was fond of traveling. Since he was a teenager, he had been running rampant in Ba County and no one dared to provoke him. It was not until he was in his twenties that Gan Ning came to his senses and read a lot of classics from various schools of thought. He was then promoted to become the prefect of Ba County. Later, Liu Yan died of illness. Gan Ning and others were instigated by Liu He to rebel in Ba County, but were defeated by Zhao Wei. Gan Ning was left with nowhere else to go and had to lead 800 people to join Liu Biao. Although Liu Biao asked Liu He to instigate Gan Ning to rebel, he despised him for betraying Liu Zhang. Moreover, Gan Ning was a bandit in the past and was not tolerated by the gentry, so they allowed him to stay in Deng County and only provided him with money and food, while they did not care about anything else! But Gan Ning was not a man who would take things easy. Seeing that Liu Biao did not value him very much, he organized troops to fight against pirates everywhere. He refused to hand over all the money he got, but only bought gorgeous clothes, and even asked his subordinates to wear gorgeous clothes when going out. If he meets someone who suits his taste, he will interact with that person regardless of his or her status. If they met someone they didn't like, they would beat and scold him and then expel him from the county. Even the Inspector appointed by Liu Biao was expelled by Gan Ning several times. When Liu Biao saw this, he became even more displeased, but it was not easy to expel this man, so he settled him in Xiangxiang, with the idea of ​​"out of sight, out of mind". Xiangxiang belonged to Huang She's Zhangling County, which made Huang She extremely disgusted with Gan Ning. After explaining this, Huang She looked at Qin Zhen curiously and said: "Gan Ning should have no relationship with you, why do you seem to value him so much?"

He could see that Qin Zhen was very interested in Gan Ning, and he was a little puzzled. Qin Zhen's smile faded and he sighed: "Your Excellency may not know that our army has been at odds with Sun Ce since entering Huainan!" "The land east of the Yangtze River is separated from the north of the Yangtze River by the Chu River. It is difficult to move south without a navy." "I originally wanted to recruit Liu Xun's navy to serve as my own army, but Zhou Yu saw the opportunity and blocked the way out for my navy." "I thought that my army was composed of northerners, unaccustomed to naval warfare, and without a naval commander, so I was deceived by this man. I always wanted to find a naval commander but could not find one." "Until I met a Bashu merchant in the past, who told me that there was a Gan Xingba who once roamed the Bashu River Road and no one could stop him." "I think this man must be talented, so I want to ask him to go to Huainan to serve as a general." "I didn't expect that this man is now under Liu Mu's command. My lord and Liu Mu are from the same clan. How can we accept a general under his command?" "It is truly lamentable, truly lamentable!" At this point, he sighed twice, as if expressing regret. When Zhuge Liang saw this, he knew that Qin Zhen intended to win over Gan Ning, so he pretended to shake his head. Huang She didn't have many good points, but he was very sincere towards his friends. Seeing this, he smiled and said: "I was wondering what it was, but I didn't expect it to be such a trivial matter." "Since your army has no general, you can borrow him from me. I think Gan Ning is just a small man. Do you think he is important to you?" Seeing his behavior, Qin Zhen said bitterly: "Your Excellency is in charge of Jingzhou. You have the best navy in the world and countless talented generals. You naturally look down on this villain!" "But our army is all from the north, unaccustomed to naval warfare, so even if we ask for a junior general like Gan Ning, we won't be able to get one, let alone a senior general." "As for the loan, they will have to be returned sooner or later. Our army often needs to fight on the water when fighting in Jiangdong. If we can't get them for one day, we can borrow them for one day. If we can't get them for several years, can we borrow them for several more years?" "So I can't ask for a secondment, I just want a young general!" Huang She nodded secretly as he listened to Qin Zhen praising the Jingzhou navy as the best in the world. I thought that although Qin Zhen was Liu Bei's adviser, he also knew the situation in Jingzhou and was indeed well-informed. When he heard Qin Zhen complaining about not having any water generals, he actually felt somewhat proud, thinking that although Liu Bei could compete with Cao Cao, he was still a northerner after all. You can command troops and horses in the Central Plains, but you are helpless in the South. Gan Ning, who was insignificant in their eyes, became a coveted talent on Liu Bei's side! Sometimes human hearts are like this. If you praise them openly, they may think you are fake, but you can use the technique of contrast to highlight their feelings, which immediately makes Huang She feel satisfied. Because most of the Jingzhou navy is in Jiangxia, and Jiangxia is the territory of the Huang family. When Qin Zhen praised the navy, he was actually praising the Huang family's powerful army and horses, which were unrivaled in the world. Huang She felt relieved after hearing these words, and seeing how pitiful Qin Zhen sounded, he couldn't help but laugh: "If so, then I know what you mean, sir. You just want Gan Ning to be your general." "To be honest, the envoy and I have both resented Gan Ning for a long time, and we wish we could get rid of him as soon as possible."

"Since Liu Yuzhou is determined to appoint this man as the general, I will report this to you, my lord, and transfer Gan Ning to your army as the general!" Qin Zhen was secretly delighted when he saw him give in, but he still sighed: "Thank you for your kindness, Lord. However, I have seen that Jingzhou is a prosperous place, and it is hard to find such a prosperous place in the world." "Even if the envoy is willing to order the transfer, will Gan Ning be willing to follow me?" Huang She was even more pleased when he heard people praising Jingzhou's prosperity, and when he heard that Gan Ning might not want to go, he said with a straight face: "He is originally from Yizhou. If you accept him here, he should obey your orders. How can he not be willing to follow you?" "Don't worry, sir. I will talk to him about this matter. If he doesn't want to leave, our army will not let him off easily!" Qin Zhen's words gave Huang She a false impression that Jingzhou was a good place, and Gan Ning was an outsider who refused to leave. As a local noble, Huang She naturally became more and more disgusted when he heard that outsiders refused to leave. An additional thought came to his subconscious mind: even if Gan Ning was unwilling to leave, he had to be expelled. We couldn't let such an outsider ruin the pure land of Jingzhou! His behavior was more in line with Qin Zhen's wishes, but he continued to guide him: "Hey! Lord, you must not do this. After all, our army wants to use this man as a general. If he is unwilling to go, forcing him is not good either." "How about this? This person is under the command of the Lord of the Mansion. You can let him come and meet me first." "I will persuade him. If he is willing to go, I will write to Liu Mu to request a transfer. If he is unwilling to go, our army will not force him, so he can stay here!" After saying these words, he sounded very emotional, and looked like he was unwilling to force others. Huang She saw that he was still considering Gan Ning and couldn't help but praise him: "I have long heard that Liu Yuzhou is kind and righteous. Now I see that King Qin is also a kind and righteous person!" "Well, I'll just follow your instructions. When I receive a letter, I'll call Gan Ning to meet you!" He then went back to writing a letter, preparing to invite Gan Ning to come and meet Qin Zhen. Zhuge Liang was surprised to hear Qin Zhen's words, and he pulled Qin Zhen aside and whispered: "I have heard of Gan Ning before, but I don't think he is anything special. Why do you think so highly of him, sir?" Seeing him asking questions, Qin Zhen raised his lips and smiled: "The behavior of extraordinary people in the world must be different from that of ordinary people!" "Gan Ning is a descendant of a famous family. He is also proficient in water warfare. He can roam the river at a young age. I regard him as a pearl." "Liu Jingsheng saw the talent but didn't know how to use it, which resulted in the pearls and jade being covered in dust." "It's fine if he doesn't know how to use it, but how can our army treat it as a treasure and throw it away?" Seeing him praising Gan Ning so highly, Zhuge Liang was surprised again, but he did not say much, just smiled and said: "Whether he is a pearl or jade is still unknown, but if he can really become a great general, Liu Jingsheng will definitely blame you for stealing his talent in the future!" After hearing this, Qin Zhen smiled again. It was none of his business whether Liu Biao was angry or not. So he simply waited for Huang She to finish writing the letter and followed him south. Unexpectedly, before Gan Ning arrived, he saw his old friend Wang Can coming on a lone boat. Qin Zhen was also very happy to see Wang Can, and said with a smile: "It has been many years since we parted in the capital. How are you, my dear brother?" But when Wang Can saw him, he grabbed his hand and said anxiously: "Don't laugh, or you'll be in big trouble!" (End of this chapter)