Gan Ning

Gan Ning's debut - 'Silk-sailed Pirate' originally under Huang Zu; defects to Sun Quan after Huang Zu treats him as a brigand. Kills Deng Long during the Xiakou crossing - the engagement that finally breaks Huang Zu's defence.

Foresees Huang Zu's escape route, ambushes the east gate, and answers the old reproach with an arrow and a beheading - racing Cheng Pu so no one else claims the kill. He then spends his new credit to save his old patron Su Fei from the block, fends off Ling Tong's banquet sword with a chair, and is posted to Xiakou with five thousand men - conveniently beyond his enemy's reach.

Brings his supporters to Zhou Yu's door in the round of pre-council visits, arguing the war case.

Leads the van at the meeting of the three rivers: 'I am Gan Ning! I challenge anyone to combat!' - shoots Cai Xun dead in the opening exchange, and his crossbowmen break the untrained northern marines.

Given the false deserters to 'lead the van' - really to watch them until they are sacrificed to the flag - and plays his scripted part at the beating, interceding for Huang Gai and being driven out with blows for it.

Plays the insulted man for the Cai brothers' benefit - table-smacking, teeth-gritting - then draws his sword on cue when they 'discover' the treason: the fright that makes the spies confess their own mission and become Zhou Yu's unwitting letter-boxes.

Ordered along the south bank flying Cao Cao's flags with the doomed Cai Zhong as cover, to bury himself deep in the enemy lines by the Black Forest and torch the grain depot at the signal.

Uses Cai Zhong as a guide and then as a corpse, fires the jungle signal - and in the night's fighting kills both Ma Yan and Zhang Zi as they try to clear Cao Cao's road.

Proposes striking Yiling first to break the ox-horn, takes the city from Cao Hong in twenty bouts - and is promptly besieged in his own conquest until Zhou Yu's relief arrives; in the final rout he mauls Cao Ren's flight to Xiangyang.

Left in command at Baling with his share of the fleet during Zhou Yu's convalescence.

Named Van Leader of the fifty-thousand-man borrowed-road expedition, and rides beside Zhou Yu on the land approach to the silent wall.

Gan Ning; with Sun Quan.

Gan Ning; pulls Sun Quan out of the Xiaoyao Ford rout.

Gan Ning; the famous 100-horseman night raid into Cao Cao's main camp at Ruxu. Hand-picks 100 men, ties white wild-goose feathers to their helmets, breaks into the Cao camp at dawn with drums beating, kills dozens, and returns without losing a single rider. The chapter's signature raid.

Gan Ning; in the Wu army; will be killed at the river crossing by the Man chieftain Shamoke's arrow in the next chapter.

Gan Ning dies. Killed by an arrow from the Man chieftain Shamoke at the Fuchi River crossing while ill with fever; manages to ride to a great tree and die seated upright. The last great Wu warrior of the founding generation gone.