Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 219 Get the Population Moving

At midday, pale golden sunlight streamed down from the sky, dispelling some of the chill of early winter.

Yan Yi urged his horse forward slowly, the iron hooves of the warhorse pounding heavily on the wooden bridge. The sword at his waist rose and fell with the horse's saddle, its scabbard occasionally clinking lightly against the armor.

The crimson river flowed ceaselessly beneath the bridge, carrying floating corpses slowly eastward.

Quack...Quack.
Two crows flapped their wings and flew past him, landing on a pale, bluish-white corpse.

Yan Yi reined in his horse and stood at the bridgehead, his calm gaze slowly sweeping over the battlefield strewn with corpses.

The strong stench of blood mixed with the cold wind entered his nostrils.

Yan Yi didn't seem to notice anything unusual, only slightly frowning. Half a year of fighting had already made him accustomed to the brutality of war.

A cavalryman galloped through the dust of the battlefield, dismounting before his horse had even settled, and knelt on one knee before him, clasping his hands in a fist and saying, "Reporting to the young lord, there are still four or five hundred defeated soldiers in the northeast corner, but they have all been intercepted."

Yan Yi nodded slightly, turned his gaze to Zhou Ang beside him, and asked calmly, "How many surrendered people have been counted?"

Zhou Ang said respectfully, "Many surrendered in this battle, about six thousand people."

Yan Yi sat upright on his horse, a slight smile playing on his lips; he was quite satisfied with the number.

This was the first time he had captured so many prisoners in a single battle, and they were all seasoned veterans. Once he successfully incorporated these surrendered soldiers into his army, he would immediately have another powerful force under his command.

However, the increasing number of troops also brought him a heavy burden of food and provisions. He had to carry out a new round of reorganization of the troops as soon as possible, weeding out the weak and keeping the strong, and letting the weak retire.

In the midst of fierce conquest, Yan Yi's core philosophy for building an army was to sustain itself through war, train troops through war, eliminate the weak through the strong, strengthen military preparedness, and maintain an appropriate number of troops based on the amount of territory and resources.

Each city captured yielded its elite troops, each territory seized its provisions, turning defeated soldiers into sharp blades and forging newly recruited soldiers into fierce warriors. This cycle repeated itself, transforming a weak force into a formidable army, and remnants into a battle-hardened force. The blade grew sharper with each strike, and the army grew stronger with each battle!

As Yan Yi thought of this, his eyes flashed with a sharp light, and his blood boiled with passion.

If Xu Gong and the others knew his thoughts, they would probably be insanely jealous. Because those troops that Yan Yi was about to eliminate were already considered elite by the various forces in Jiangdong.

嗒嗒
The sound of hooves rose, and dozens of warhorses galloped through the blood.

Zhao Cuo abruptly pulled on the reins, pressed his right fist against his left palm, and bowed to Yan Yi. Then he turned to the side, raised his whip, and pointed at the two disheveled figures: "Young Master, these two insist on seeing you, saying they have important matters to report to you."

The people he was referring to were Lei Bo and Chen Lan, who had been captured.

The two men sat on separate horses, bound tightly together with strong leather ropes like two rice dumplings. Without waiting for the escorting soldiers to help them up, they struggled and tumbled off their horses, prostrating themselves on the ground and saying, "We are foolish and dull-witted, and were once driven by treacherous officials. Now, witnessing the divine might of the young lord, we are willing to abandon darkness and embrace light, to take up the whip and stirrup, and beg for the service of dogs and horses!"

Yan Yi lightly tapped his riding whip with his fingertips, his gaze sweeping over the two men, a faint, cold smile playing on his lips: "Take them away and keep a close watch on them."

Now that he has a large and well-trained army, he doesn't just accept any junk.

As the saying goes, those who harbor rebellious intentions and harbor disloyal generals should not be tolerated. If they are nurtured, they will cause trouble; if they are indulged, they will cause unrest. They should be eliminated to prevent future worries.

Lei Bo and Chen Lan were precisely such disloyal generals. Historically, they abandoned Yuan Shu in his time of crisis, first occupying Qianshan, and later refusing to take in the desperate Yuan Shu, making them truly heartless and treacherous.

Such wolves are worthless in Yan Yi's eyes, so why would he bring them under his command?
Lei Bo and Chen Lan were stunned, their faces turning pale and then red, as if they hadn't expected Yan Yi to reject their offer of surrender outright.

Zhao Cuo cursed his bad luck, realizing they were just two good-for-nothings. He immediately stopped being polite and dragged them away like livestock.

Lei Bo and Chen Lan were indeed no different in value from livestock; they were about to be put on the shelf by Yan Yi and sold to Yuan Shu.

Three days later, news of Zhang Xun's army's annihilation, along with Shen Yu, the envoy sent by Yan Yi, arrived in Shouchun.

Although Shen Yu lacked the eloquence of Su Shi and Zhang Zhi, he was well aware of the principle that "fortune and honor are found in danger," and he was fearless and unafraid of death. Upon hearing that Yan Yi intended to send an envoy to Shouchun, he readily volunteered to go. After receiving permission, he placed a coffin in the hall, took only two guests and clerks with him, and set off on his journey with an air of pride.

Just as Shen Yu had predicted, Zhang Xun's defeat had caused a huge uproar in Shouchun. Everyone was talking about it, and an atmosphere of unease permeated the entire city.

In just two months, Yuan Shu lost 30,000 troops, 20,000 of whom were his core elite forces.

The land of Huainan was in turmoil!
The attendant who came to receive Shen Yu, out of hatred for him, wished he could immediately draw his sword and chop him into mincemeat.

Only these henchmen of the Yuan family knew how much trouble Yan Yi had brought to Yuan Shu.

Yuan Shu's troubles weren't just about losing troops, territory, and cities; his reputation was ruined, and he was surrounded by powerful enemies. At this moment, both Liu Biao and Cao Cao were eager to take advantage of Yuan Shu's weakness and stab him in the back.

The proverb "A thousand-mile dike can be destroyed by an ant hole" illustrates this point.

What this world has no shortage of are people who kick someone when they're down.

Fortunately, Yuan Shu was lucky. Cao Cao was busy quelling rebellions, and Liu Bei was busy taking control of Xuzhou, so neither of them had the time to deal with him. Otherwise, Yuan Shu might have been craving that honeyed drink a few years earlier than in history.

Shen Yu sensed the naked hostility in the other party's eyes, put on a harmless smile, and said politely, "I have come on orders to present important matters to you, my lord. Please inform me."

He certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to act arrogantly and spout phrases like "not a single chicken or dog will be spared" as he did when he was sent as an envoy to Rencheng.

As the saying goes, even a centipede with a hundred legs does not fall down when it dies. Yuan Shu, this centipede with a hundred legs, at most only lost thirty legs, but he can still jump around and kill people.

Shen Yu's mission to Shouchun was solely for business purposes. As a businessman, he believed in making money through amicable relations.

When the attendant saw him smiling like Maitreya Buddha, he had no way to vent his anger and dared not delay his business, so he led him to see Yuan Shu.

Inside the Zhong family palace, armored soldiers stood in rows, twice as many as before. Within ten paces, there were elite soldiers wielding halberds, and in the corridors, there were fierce warriors with swords at their sides. Wherever Shen Yu walked, the spears and halberds struck the ground like thunder, and all the armored soldiers glared at him angrily, their chilling killing intent almost piercing to the bone.

Shen Yu remained expressionless and went straight into the Jiade Hall.

Inside the hall stood a massive bronze cauldron, beneath which sat a brick stove. A raging fire roared within the stove, bringing the broth in the cauldron to a boil, as if it were about to cook someone alive.

Yuan Shu sat high in the main seat, his expression sinister, while his civil and military officials on either side all wore unfriendly expressions.

Shen Yu knew he couldn't show the slightest weakness, otherwise, if word got out, it would not only damage Yan Yi's reputation, but also ruin his own.

"Shen Yu, the envoy of the Danyang Prefect, has come to pay his respects to you on behalf of the Prefect and at the request of Generals Zhang Xun, Qiao Rui, Lei Bo, and Chen Lan."

Shen Yu strode forward, and as he passed the giant cauldron, he leisurely glanced inside before bowing to Yuan Shu.

Yuan Shu's eyes flashed with a cold light, and the muscles on his cheekbones twitched slightly, as if he were about to devour someone at any moment: "Cook him!" Two armored soldiers moved at the command, approaching Shen Yu's side like wolves and tigers. One grabbed his arms, and the other grabbed his ankles, lifting him high above his head and carrying him to the cauldron.

A wave of scorching heat hit him in the face, causing Shen Yu to feel a stinging pain on his skin, and his hair and beard were stuck together with sweat. His robes were instantly soaked, clinging to his skin and emitting wisps of white steam.

He gritted his teeth and shouted in his heart: "Wealth and glory are just a matter of life and death!" He closed his eyes and remained silent, only his long eyelashes trembling slightly, revealing a trace of fear in his heart.

"Wait!" Seeing that the two armored soldiers were about to throw Shen Yu into the cauldron, Yang Hong stepped forward and thought to himself that Yan Ze's men were indeed brave warriors. He bowed to Yuan Shu and advised, "My lord, you might as well listen to this man's intentions first before cooking him."

Yuan Shu was only putting on an act, so he immediately waved his hand.

Two armored soldiers put down Shen Yu, who was soaked to the bone, and went to stand at the corner of the hall.

Shen Yu's lips curled slightly, knowing that his promotion was not far off. He straightened his clothes and bowed calmly, saying, "My lord has instructed me to convey a message to you, my lord: 'I have never been fond of war. If Lord Yuan had not invaded our territory first, we would never have resorted to arms. However, the conflict between two powerful figures only depletes our strength and allows the fisherman to benefit. I now wish to make peace with Lord Yuan and temporarily cease hostilities for two years. I wonder what your opinion is?'"

"My lord has said that he will escort Generals Zhang Xun and the other three back to their camp with courtesy and will not harm them in the slightest. You only need to promise me three things."

"Firstly, I request that Your Excellency send all the families of the soldiers who have gone on this expedition to our side for resettlement."

"Secondly, we hope that you, my lord, will generously cede the eight cities of Danyang to preserve the good relations between our two families."

"Thirdly, I request that Your Excellency send Zhou Yu and Liu Ye as envoys to Qiantang to sign the peace treaty."

Yuan Shu pricked up his ears, his face serious, and listened carefully to every word of the conditions proposed by Yan Yi, quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

The eight cities of Danyang were already difficult to defend. Although it was unclear why Yan Yi was deliberately demanding them, the outcome wouldn't be too bad, so it was acceptable to agree.

The mission of Zhou and Liu is quite suspicious; I wonder what Yan Yi is up to now. But they're just two teenagers anyway, so I'll just have to agree to it.

As for the repatriation of family members, that is a matter of great importance, involving 70,000 to 80,000 people, and requires consultation with everyone.
Yuan Shu's fingers traced the tiger-skin mat, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty. Although he deeply resented Yan Yi, he was even more eager to cease hostilities and negotiate peace, and to rescue Zhang Xun and his four generals to deal with the current crisis.

If Yan Yi and Liu Biao were to join forces to attack, and Cao Cao were to be eyeing the territory, the foundation that I had worked so hard to build might be lost.

Thinking of this, Yuan Shu felt both hatred and fear, and said in a deep voice, "You may leave now, I will report back to you tomorrow."

Shen Yu knew that things were almost completely settled, so he calmly bowed to him and left with his head held high.

After returning to the inn and taking a nap, he was greeted by the same visitor who had greeted him the previous day.

"Lord Shen, the Lord has agreed to the conditions proposed by your lord." The attendant's attitude had improved.

Suppressing his excitement, Shen Yu solemnly said, "Now that Your Excellency has given your approval, both families should quickly send capable officials to carry out the matter."

"As it should be."

The attendant nodded slightly, equally impatient.

Under the joint supervision of the Yan and Yuan families, the peace negotiations began to progress rapidly.

The Huainan region, which had not yet recovered from the heavy burden of war and Yuan Shu's increased taxes, was once again thrown into chaos and unrest.

Jiujiang Prefecture, Qingfeng Village.

The sky was as dark as ink, dotted with countless stars.

Inside a house on Lane 3 of the Rissee, a young couple, still panting after having sex, lay on the bed, embracing each other tightly.

Lu Ji, who had been married for less than three months, was indulging in sexual pleasures. His large, calloused hands lingered on his wife's ample bosom, unable to tear themselves away.

Zhang pressed his hand down and groaned softly, "Have you thought it through about moving to Danyang?"

Upon hearing this, Lü Ji froze, his mischievous hand still. He said with a worried expression, "I have persuaded my father to move to Danyang, but the bribes demanded by the corrupt officials are too high. We are still short 30,000 coins."

The two were discussing Yuan Shu's dispatch of soldiers' families to Danyang.

Originally, this matter only concerned the soldiers' families, but corrupt officials ran rampant and wolves held sway, and officials in various places used this matter to line their own pockets and amass wealth.

As long as the people are willing to pay, no matter who you are, even if you are not a soldier's family member, you can get a spot to move to Danyang and be sent away as a soldier's family member.

As a result, many people who could no longer tolerate Yuan Shu's oppressive rule, even knowing that those corrupt officials were exploiting them, still scraped together money from all over the place, hoping to escape this place they so deeply hated and go to the land of benevolent rule they longed for.

The Lu Ji couple and their families are a microcosm of these ordinary people.

“Husband, why don’t we sell my dowry to pay for the bribe?” Although Zhang was just a woman, she was even more decisive than Lü Ji. “When we get there, the young lord will give us land, and things will gradually get better.”

Lu Ji was slightly startled and hesitated, saying, "How can I use your dressing case?"

"Now that I have returned to you, why should I distinguish between you and me?" Zhang nestled gently in Lü Ji's arms, her cheeks flushed, her voice barely audible: "Let alone these material possessions, even this body of mine already belongs to your family."

Lu Ji was deeply moved and thought to himself, "With such a wife, what more could a husband ask for?" He held his wife tightly in his arms.

The next day, Zhang sold her dowry to raise enough money to bribe Lü Ji, who then used it to buy two household quotas from corrupt officials in the village. She then embarked on her journey to Danyang.

Meanwhile, similar scenes were playing out across Yuan Shu's territory.

The number of soldiers' families was originally only 70,000 to 80,000, but thanks to the shrewd actions of Yuan Shu's "capable officials," the number of people sent to Danyang more than doubled, reaching an astonishing 200,000.

I wonder if Yuan Shu will be furious when he hears this news.

However, what you sow, you reap. If he hadn't been so extravagant and indulged his officials' embezzlement, local officials wouldn't have dared to do such things.

Now, officials of all ranks under Yuan Shu's rule have developed a deeply ingrained habit: no matter how big or small the matter, if there is an opportunity to embezzle, they will do so first.

Not only are they corrupt themselves, but they also scheme to incite others to join them. Those who refuse to compromise their integrity are subjected to relentless and ruthless suppression and exclusion. They use every means at their disposal to find multiple protectors for themselves, seeking a shield of "the law does not punish the masses."

As a result, within just one month, the population under Yuan Shu's rule shrank by one-sixth. Most officials made a fortune, but Yuan Shu alone lost almost everything.

Yan Yi, on the other hand, seized an opportunity that wasn't really a chance to achieve a population explosion under his rule. His philosophy of 'population mobility' and the various benevolent policies he painstakingly implemented finally yielded his first major harvest.

(End of this chapter)