Three Kingdoms, Myth

"You stay there for now. I'll have the grain tested before bringing it in," the supply officer instructed, pointing to a small camp outside the granary where Gan Ning was stationed.

"Sure, sure. And get some cooks while you're at it. My brothers and I are starving! Make sure to send over a few bowls for me too," Gan Ning replied nonchalantly as he moved the grain carts into the camp, his men cheering along.

"It'll be quick," the supply officer chuckled. Since they had won the battle at the front, everyone was in good spirits, and he didn't mind Gan Ning's casual attitude as long as military rules weren't broken.

Soon, lunch was prepared using the fresh supplies Gan Ning had brought in, with dried meat and other provisions. Gan Ning and his men each filled up several large bowls and found a spot to squat down and eat. The soldiers assigned to test the grain saw how heartily Gan Ning's group was eating and, reassured, joined in. Three hours later, after stuffing themselves, Gan Ning and his men were brought into the Handan granary.

That afternoon, Gan Ning lay in his camp, groaning in mock discomfort. The Yuan Shao army was disorganized, with soldiers coming from different regions, and no one in this grain transport unit knew each other.

"Gan Lan, did you find the tung oil I asked for?" Gan Ning groaned, still pretending to be in pain.

"Boss, I just scouted around. You wouldn't believe it! This Handan granary isn't just a storage for grain; it's a full-blown logistics hub. They've got tons of war supplies, horses, and everything!" Gan Lan's eyes sparkled, especially when he mentioned the horses.

"Why are you spouting all this nonsense?" Gan Ning slapped him on the head in annoyance. "I asked about the tung oil, not this crap."

"Got it, Boss. But what I'm saying is, we shouldn't just burn the grain. There are over a thousand horses and oxen here. We could take those too!" Gan Lan urged.

"Who said we'd only burn the grain? I'm gathering intel now. Did you find out about Gongsun Zan's situation?" Gan Ning asked pointedly.

"That was easy. I got some guys drunk earlier, and they spilled everything. Gongsun Zan fled north, and there's a fierce general who seriously injured Yan Liang near the Zhang River," Gan Lan grinned, clearly proud of his work. As one of the most capable of Gan Ning's loyal retainers, he excelled at gathering information.

"Looks like Ziyi isn't down for the count yet. Alright, since he's fine, we'll stay here and bide our time. Let's see when it's our turn to guard the camp. It wouldn't be right if we didn't get something out of this victory," Gan Ning smirked.

On the third day after arriving in the Handan camp, the supply officer assigned Gan Ning's group to night watch duty. Gan Ning pretended to argue with the officer but grudgingly went off to prepare tung oil and torches, grumbling all the while. After all, these were necessary items for night patrols.

"Hey, brother, I need a thousand ready-made torches," Gan Ning grumbled as he handed over some dried meat to the storekeeper.

"No ready-made ones here," the storekeeper replied, accepting the meat. "See those trees outside? Just chop some down, grab some oil-soaked cloth, and wrap them yourself. There's no threat of enemies right now, so just do what you need to do," he said, pointing to the woods twenty miles away from the camp.

"Brother, we're short a player for a game. You in?" Gan Lan called out from outside the storehouse.

"On my way!" The storekeeper laughed, eager to join the gambling. These past few days had been full of wins, and he wasn't about to miss out on another chance to score big against Gan Lan. "Help yourself to whatever you need, as long as it's not too much. Just watch the door for me while I go clean up at the game table!" The storekeeper hurried off, leaving the entire storehouse unattended in Gan Ning's hands. Over the past few days, Gan Ning had ingratiated himself with the necessary people, showing no signs of nervousness despite being deep in enemy territory.

Once the storekeeper was gone, Gan Ning had his men load barrel after barrel of tung oil onto carts. The supply officer was likely still gambling with the storekeeper and Gan Lan, completely unaware of what was happening.

"Brother, what are you up to?" one of the guards asked curiously as he saw Gan Ning's men pouring water around the camp.

"Just wetting the area down a bit to prevent fires," Gan Ning replied casually.

"Smart thinking, brother!" the guard praised. The dry autumn weather made fire a constant threat, so wetting the ground seemed like a great idea. The guard made a mental note to do the same when it was his turn on watch.

After completing the handover of the watch tokens, the previous guard left, satisfied that all was well. Meanwhile, Gan Ning carelessly splashed some water from his basin, then started pouring out tung oil mixed with liquor all around the camp. Through his research, Gan Ning had learned that tung oil could burn even on water, and the alcohol would mask the smell.

After spreading more than a dozen barrels of tung oil throughout the camp, Gan Ning still wasn't satisfied. He fetched another dozen barrels and doused the entire area. A faint smell of alcohol permeated the camp, but with most of the soldiers asleep, no one noticed. The few who did assumed the patrols were drinking without sharing.

"Gan Lan, how's it going?" Gan Ning asked as Gan Lan jogged over.

"All set. I took care of those two guys," Gan Lan replied with a grin that belied the grim nature of his words.

"Alright, let's head to the back camp and prepare the horses. You're either from the Gan family or former water bandit leaders—don't tell me you don't know how to ride a horse," Gan Ning said, tossing his torch aside. His men followed suit, throwing their torches into the camp, and soon, flames erupted on all sides.

"Damn it..." Gan Ning nearly choked on his own words. He hadn't meant to toss the torch deliberately—he'd just done it without thinking. But his men, seeing their leader toss his torch, had followed suit, and now the entire camp was ablaze.

"Head to the rear camp and seize the horses, then make for the Zhang River. We need to get Gongsun Zan back to his camp," Gan Lan quickly took charge, covering for Gan Ning's awkward moment.

That night, the Handan granary was engulfed in flames visible from miles away. The fire raged through the night, reducing the entire camp to ashes with few survivors.

Riding hard, Gan Ning made his way back. The intelligence he'd gathered in Handan had snuffed out any thoughts of his three hundred men taking on tens of thousands. He now understood how Gongsun Zan had lost—not just due to mistakes but because the enemy was simply too powerful. The elite Xian Deng Death Warriors who had obliterated the White Horse Yi Cong were now in Yuan Shao's camp. Leading three hundred men against them would be suicidal.

With that realization, Gan Ning had stayed in Handan for a few days, plotting how to make up for their losses. Directly targeting Yuan Shao was out of the question, but there were other ways to strike a blow. Burning the Handan granary and cutting off Yuan Shao's supplies was a significant achievement.