Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 246 The Freshly Baked Second Year of Xingping

Upon receiving the secret letter, Zhu Zhi made a brief stop in Nanchang before returning to Guangchang. Accompanying him was Zhou Shu's second son, Zhou Xu.

Zhou Xu is not yet of legal age, only seventeen years old this year. He is honest and humble, and has the demeanor of a scholar-official family.

Among Zhou Shu's sons, he was the most capable. The Zhou family had high hopes for him, hoping that he would grow up quickly, assist his elder brother Zhou Ke, and inherit the foundation that Zhou Shu had worked so hard to establish.

"Uncle, the military records say: 'When winter is cold and ice is solid, supply lines are blocked, soldiers freeze and starve, and military supplies run out. This is what is called a calamity from heaven, and we should not raise an army.' Now, the year is drawing to a close and the weather is cold, and the New Year is approaching. Even the bandits have lowered their flags and returned to their camps to celebrate the New Year. Why should we go to attack Chen Mu, the sorcerer of Shexian County, at this time?"

About thirty miles from Guangchang, in a pavilion, Zhou Xu sat in front of a brazier, his hands on his knees, solemnly seeking advice from Zhu Zhi.

Zhou sent him to Guangchang with Zhu Zhi, partly to have him take over the command of the front lines in place of his father and to reassure the troops, and partly to have him use this battle to learn military strategy, become familiar with military affairs, and gradually establish his authority within the army.

Zhu Zhi was well-versed in military strategy, commanding his troops with strict discipline and inspiring their loyalty. He was also adept at strategizing and adapting to changing circumstances on the battlefield, making him an excellent student to learn from.

Therefore, whenever Zhou Xu had free time, he would humbly seek advice from Zhu Zhi.

Zhu Zhi bore the heavy responsibility of connecting the Zhou family, and naturally imparted all his knowledge to this core member of the Zhou family. He meticulously instructed him on military strategy, tactics, and troop deployment.

He picked up the fire tongs, added a piece of charcoal to the brazier, and a warm smile appeared on his face: "The formation of an army is like water; water avoids high places and flows downhill, and the formation of an army avoids the strong and attacks the weak. Therefore, a skillful strategist must adapt to the enemy's changes to achieve victory; how can one rely on a single approach?"

"The essence of warfare lies in adapting to changing circumstances: observe the shapes of mountains and rivers, assess the strength of both sides, and interpret the changes in weather, so as to achieve victory without warning. As the ancients said, 'Military tactics are not constant, just as water has no constant shape,' which is exactly what this means. When two armies face each other, if one is bound by ancient methods and does not know how to adapt, it is like playing a zither with the strings glued on—how can one possibly defeat the enemy?"

Zhou Xu listened attentively to Zhu Zhi's words of experience, sometimes frowning slightly, sometimes nodding gently.

"I understand!" He raised his head as if he had just realized something, his burning gaze fixed on Zhu Zhi: "Chen Mu is currently visiting Xu Gong in Wu County. His troops are like a headless snake, and they did not expect us to launch a surprise attack at this time. They must be unprepared. Although our army does not have the advantage of favorable timing, this excellent opportunity is enough to win the battle."

Zhu Zhi stroked his beard and smiled, looking like a promising young man: "That's right, Chen Mu's force only has five thousand men, which is just right for attack. If the enemy forces were larger, we would have to wait for another opportunity to send troops, lest we fall into the predicament of exhaustion and fatigue."

Chen Mu was one of the two major bandits entrenched on the border of Henan and Dan, and in his eyes, he was a "chicken to scare the monkey" waiting to be slaughtered. If he could successfully eliminate him, it would not only boost the morale of his own troops, but also eliminate the threat to the supply line, which would be a win-win situation.

For this reason, when he presented his plan to eliminate Chen Mu to Yan Yi, it was immediately approved, and he was given the authority to act as he saw fit.

To ensure absolute success, Zhu Zhi not only deployed all his elite troops for this surprise attack, but also brought along 5,000 Yuzhang soldiers, totaling 10,000 elite troops, heading straight for Yehupo, 70 miles northwest of Guangchang.

Chen Mu's troops were suddenly attacked, and their soldiers were at a significant disadvantage in both strength and numbers. They were routed in less than half a day, and the remnants fled in panic to Yehuling.

Zhu Zhi pressed his advantage, leading his troops to swiftly blockade all key routes through Yehuling, conducting a thorough search and suppression campaign, advancing step by step. After several days of encirclement and annihilation, Chen Mu's forces were finally wiped out.

Chen Mu had originally planned to stay in Wu County to pay his respects to Xu Gong and return after New Year's Eve. Upon hearing the bad news, he hurriedly returned from Wu County. Halfway there, he learned that the situation was hopeless. In a panic, he dared not return to Yehupo and went to seek refuge with Peng Cai, the master of Wuliao Cave, that very night.

After this battle, the morale of the Yuzhang Army was greatly boosted, and their relationship with Zhu Zhi's troops became even more harmonious.

Zhu Zhi used all the spoils from the suppression of the bandits to reward the three armies, and then returned to Guangchang with his troops. He also ordered craftsmen to carve a lacquer box, put the head of Chen Yu, a general under Chen Mu, into it, and sent it to Jing County by fast horse.

Upon receiving Chen Yu's head, Zu Lang was enraged and violently overturned the table in front of him, scattering wine and meat utensils all over the floor.

What angered him even more was a handwritten letter from Yan Yi.

"General Zu, I greatly admire Young Master Yu's handsome appearance and have invited him to Qiantang City with great courtesy. However, the current situation is turbulent, and Xu Gong harbors malicious intentions. If you insist on assisting him, I fear that war will be indiscriminate and endanger Young Master Yu's safety."

"The situation in Jiangdong is clear. Commander Zu is a wise man and should know the principle of choosing the right tree for the right bird. If we can hold back our troops, the young master will live a life of luxury and will be able to enjoy the company of his parents in the future. If he insists on going his own way, I'm afraid there will be another young man's corpse hanging on the walls of Qiantang."

In recent days, Zulang has read the letter over and over again. When his wife, Xi, learned that her son was in trouble, she cried every day and begged him to save Zuyu, which made him very uneasy.

Zuyu was his most beloved son, whom he had always cherished like a treasure. How could he not worry? But compared to his great cause, a mere son was nothing.

Those who achieve great things can even sacrifice their closest relatives.

A son can be born again, but if one loses one's foundation, even if one is alive, it is as if one is dead.

Today, Zulang has long abandoned the idea of ​​reaping the benefits without effort and regards Yan Yi as a formidable enemy who could threaten his foundation. He is determined to eliminate him to prevent future troubles.

But Chen Yu's head dealt him a heavy blow.

Zu Lang knew that this was Yan Yi's ultimatum. If he insisted on siding with Xu Gong, the Yan and Zu families would become irreconcilable enemies, with no room for maneuver.

"Yan Baihu, what a fine son you have!" Zu Lang roared, suddenly kicking the wooden box containing Chen Yu's head to the ground, his eyes filled with conflict and resentment.

Meanwhile, Yan Baihu, whom Zu Lang was constantly talking about, was squatting with a smile in the backyard of the Yan family mansion in Wucheng, holding a small knife in his right hand and a piece of peach wood in his left. The blade moved nimbly across the peach wood, and the shavings fell like snowflakes, gradually revealing the outline of a wooden sword.

Not far in front of him, a beautiful little girl was playing on a bamboo horse. Her lively figure was like a daffodil blooming in winter, full of vitality.

"Are you done?" Sun Shangxiang rode around on her bamboo horse, her big, bright eyes looking at him.

Yan Baihu grinned, his steel-needle-like beard rustling as he spoke: "Little girl, ride two more laps, and this sword will be finished!"

If his old acquaintances saw him like this, their jaws would probably drop in astonishment. When did that hot-tempered, fearsome bandit leader of Wu County become so kind and benevolent?
Sun Shangxiang arrived in Wucheng yesterday with Yan Yi. With the Lunar New Year approaching, Yan Yi, who had been away from home for more than half a year, finally returned before New Year's Eve, much to the eager anticipation of Yan Baihu and Xu Ying.

Yan Baihu, who was meeting Sun Shangxiang for the first time, was still stunned by his four-year-old future daughter-in-law, despite having prepared himself mentally.

Fortunately, his son has many concubines, who have now given him two grandsons, so that the Yan family line will not have to wait more than ten years to continue.

With his inner turmoil resolved, Yan Baihu quickly fell in love with the lively and spirited Sun Shangxiang.

The Yan family's parenting style was completely different from the Sun family's. Madam Wu constantly instructed Sun Shangxiang, hoping to mold her into a well-behaved young lady from a respectable family. Yan Baihu and Xu Ying, on the other hand, adopted a completely hands-off approach to raising their future daughter-in-law, which made Sun Shangxiang extremely happy.

Even Yan Yi, who was summoned by Yan Baihu, only glanced at Sun Shangxiang, who was playing with a wooden sword like a wild boy, before looking away: "Father, why did you summon me here?"

Yan Baihu looked him up and down, walked to the corner of the courtyard, and asked, "Zu Lang sent me a letter. Did you kidnap his son?"

Yan Yi nodded. Yan Baihu frowned slightly. His son was good in every way, but it seemed he was becoming increasingly unscrupulous in his actions.

He carefully considered his words, speaking in a conciliatory tone: "Yi'er, when I was on the mountain, I established a rule: do not kill the wives and children of the enemy, and do not desecrate the ancestral graves of the enemy. Zu Lang and I had a past friendship; could you spare his son?"

Yan Yi smiled and said, "Since Father has spoken, I will spare Zu Yu's life."

Yan Baihu was taken aback upon hearing this. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he swallowed back the words that were already on the tip of his tongue. He had thought it would take a lot of persuasion to convince this stubborn boy, but he hadn't expected it to be so easy.

A subtle feeling welled up in his heart. His son had really changed a lot, becoming more and more profound and difficult to understand.

For a moment, Yan Baihu even missed his son who always argued with him.

"Father, I still have military affairs to attend to. If there is nothing else, please allow me to take my leave." The words in his ear pulled him back to reality.

Yan Baihu subconsciously said, "Go ahead and get busy, but remember to visit your mother every day."

Yan Yi nodded slightly, turned and walked out of the courtyard. As he passed Sun Shangxiang, he reached out and patted her head.

"Don't touch my head, or I'll stunt my growth!" Sun Shangxiang huffed, baring her two canine teeth as she glared at him.

Yan Baihu and Yan Yi burst into laughter, their laughter instantly dispelling any slight awkwardness between them.

Yan Yi was indeed very busy. Although the law stipulated that "seven days of leave are granted on the first day of the month," he still had many matters to attend to every day. In particular, Zhu Zhi's suppression of Chen Mu made him see loopholes in the deployment, and he then made adjustments, beginning a large-scale, targeted elimination of dozens of bandit forces that had sided with Xu Gong.

Just five days prior, Zhou Yu, Han Dang, Dong Xi, and Song Qian led 7,000 elite troops in a swift and decisive attack into the Kuocang Mountains west of Fuchun, successively wiping out more than ten bandit groups entrenched there and affiliated with Wang Lang. Before the Kuaiji army could reinforce them, they quickly withdrew to Qiantang.

This battle not only opened up a vital military route connecting the two prefectures of Wu and Kuaiji, but also humiliated Wang Lang. The bandits of Kuaiji, who had gathered together and were gradually regaining their strength due to the summons from Wu County, were instantly terrified and were beaten back to their original state within a few days.

Meanwhile, many bandit leaders heading to or leaving Wu County were ambushed and killed en route. Within a radius of two to three hundred li around Wu County, a climate of fear and unease pervaded the area.

Xu Gong and Wang Lang were furious upon hearing the news. Five or six tenths of the followers they had painstakingly recruited, having spent a great deal of money and resources, had vanished in just over ten days, and the remaining four or five tenths seemed poised to abscond with the money. All their hard work over the years had been for naught in an instant.

This is outrageous! Where is the martial spirit? Can't people even have a peaceful New Year?

Enraged, Xu Gong and Wang Lang wished they could start a war immediately to vent their anger. However, they were preparing for war according to the spring equinox of the following year, and their troops were not yet ready to be deployed, nor were their weapons and equipment complete. They could only swallow their anger, adjust their defenses, and order all regions to be on high alert.

However, by the time they hastily adjusted their deployment and laid their trap, the enemy had already switched from offense to defense and ceased hostilities. This not only thwarted many of their plans but also threw their territory into chaos.

Xu Gong and Wang Lang felt utterly disheartened, realizing they had become the butt of jokes.

Amidst this jubilation, the time came to New Year's Eve, which is the New Year's Eve of later generations. The first year of Xingping, which had been fraught with misfortune, finally shed its heavy burden, and the brand new second year of Xingping arrived gracefully with a light frost.

Crack, crackle!

In the dead of night, Sun Quan, dressed in a thick cotton robe, threw the shaved bamboo strips into the brazier at his feet, under the tense and expectant gazes of more than twenty children around him.

The bamboo strips with knots crackled and popped as they burned in the basin, sending sparks flying and eliciting cheers and excitement.

Sun Quan was supposed to stay in Qiantang to accompany Lady Wu, but Lady Wu was worried that Sun Shangxiang would be lonely in Wucheng, so she asked Sun Quan to bring his two younger brothers to Wucheng to accompany his sister, leaving only Sun Ce by her side to serve her.

With Sun Quan leading the way, Quan Rou's son Quan Cong, Ling Cao's son Ling Tong, and other little brats followed suit, making the Yan residence incredibly lively.

What Sun Quan was playing with was similar to firecrackers in later times. However, while firecrackers in later times were made using oxidizers and flammable agents, in this era, bamboo sections were left with septa at both ends, holes were drilled in the middle, and the bamboo was sun-dried until the bamboo wall fibers shrank before being thrown into a fire. The air inside the bamboo section expanded when heated, causing the bamboo section to suddenly burst open, producing a crackling sound.

The *Jingchu Suishi Ji* (Chronicles of Seasonal Customs in Jingchu) records: 'By burning bamboo, the bamboo crackles with a sound.'

This sound is believed to drive away evil spirits and malevolent forces, especially the legendary 'mountain spirit'.

"Brother Quan, they're performing an exorcism over there. Let's go check it out."

Quan Cong, carrying a lantern with a tiger image on it, ran up to Sun Quan, panting, and started shouting loudly.

Although he was young, he had already developed a sense of loyalty from what he had seen and heard. Even though he was already impatient, he still waited for his friends to go over together.

Sun Quan was undoubtedly the 'King of the Kids'; whenever he went there, everyone would follow.

"Xiao Cong, lead the way, let's go take a look over there."

Sun Quan threw the remaining bamboo strips into the brazier, counted the children around him, and finding that none of them were missing, he led the group toward another courtyard.

'If my mother hadn't told me to look after my younger siblings, I wouldn't have bothered playing with these little brats,' he muttered to himself, but his steps were no slower than the others, clearly showing his interest in the so-called exorcism.

Wow!
As soon as they arrived at the place where the exorcism was being performed, a group of little kids tiptoed and kept trying to squeeze into the crowd, making gasps of surprise.

The exorcism was a grand affair, with 120 burly men dressed in black robes, wearing ferocious four-eyed masks and cloaks made of bear, wolf, and tiger skins. They chanted exorcism incantations and sang and danced around the bonfire.

"It's time to win the lottery!" someone suddenly shouted.

Similar to the New Year's money of later generations, the difference is that the amulet money is a non-circulating coin engraved with auspicious patterns and words, mainly used to ward off evil and pray for blessings.

A group of kids who had no concept of money, like cats smelling fish, forgot all about watching the exorcism and swarmed towards the main hall.

Yan Yi stood at the entrance of the main hall, holding a stack of 'red envelopes' in his hand, and handed them to the little hands that were baring their teeth and claws in front of him.

Xu Ying held her eldest son, Yan Zhao, with a smile on her lips as she watched from the side.

(End of this chapter)