Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 30: Kill Again
Xu Sheng and Zhao Cuo arrived in Wucheng after only one day of leaving, which surprised Yan Yi.

Now that the war is imminent, there is a need for good generals to lead the troops. Xu Sheng's return at this time will undoubtedly boost his confidence.

Xu Sheng was a famous general of the Eastern Wu in history. It goes without saying that he could play a great role. Even Zhao Cuo was smart, hardworking and very likable.

Just as the sound of horse hooves was heard, Xu Sheng and Zhao Cuo came riding forward, one in front and one behind, led by a cavalryman.

Yan Yi's face lit up with joy. He handed the task of verifying military records to Si Qing, then stood up and said with a smile, "It feels like three years since we last met. Wen Xiang and Xiao Cuo are here just in time."

Zhao Cuo was less than twenty years old and had no courtesy name, so Yan Yi called him by the same name as others to show his affection.

However, there are also people who chose a name before the age of 20, such as Xu Sheng, but such examples are relatively rare.

Xu Sheng and Zhao Cuo jumped off their horses excitedly and saluted Yan Yi with their fists clasped.

Xu Sheng said gratefully, "Thank you, Young Master, for inviting Master Tang to diagnose my father-in-law. If it weren't for Master Tang, my father-in-law would have been in danger of his life."

"What disease did you suffer from, and how is your condition now?" Yan Yi asked.

"My father-in-law is suffering from malaria. Master Tang has already used acupuncture and medicine. According to Master Tang, his life should be safe, but he may suffer from aphasia and need to rest for a while. My eldest brother and sister-in-law plan to stay in Wucheng for a few more days, so Xiaocuo and I came here first."

Miasma is the malaria of later generations. Due to the lack of effective prevention and control measures, the incidence and mortality rates in this era were relatively high.

Yan Yi nodded slightly. The mortality rate of malaria in spring is relatively low. As long as the medicine is used properly and attention is paid to diet and rest, the probability of cure is still very high. If the disease occurs in summer, it will be more troublesome.

"Young Master, what did these people do wrong?" Zhao Cuo looked curiously at Gao You and others kneeling on the ground, and couldn't help but ask.

Yan Yi recounted the story with his anger still lingering.

He originally thought he had obtained an elite force, but he was slapped in the face too quickly. Now that the war was about to begin, he couldn't help but feel a little worried.

Xu Sheng comforted him, "Don't worry, Young Master. A newcomer to the army is bound to have some bad habits. Back then, when Qi was invaded by Jin and Yan, Sima Xiangju was appointed commander of the Qi army. Supervisor Zhuang Jia arrived late, and Sima Xiangju ordered him beheaded. The King of Qi sent an envoy to the army to rescue Zhuang Jia, but Xiangju beheaded the envoy's entourage. This frightened the entire army, earned the soldiers' loyalty, and enabled them to defeat the armies of Jin and Yan. I see that most of these soldiers are strong and battle-hardened. As long as Young Master enforces strict military discipline, I believe you'll soon have a strong army."

Sima Xiangju is Tian Xiangju, one of the Ten Sages in the Temple of Martial Arts.

Xu Sheng used Xiang Ju as an example, essentially sentencing Gao You and the others to death. Zhuang Jia was a favorite of the King of Qi and served as a military supervisor. If he could execute Xiang Ju, what about a mere garrison commander?

Yan Yi agreed greatly and liked Xu Sheng even more. Xu Sheng was usually quiet and looked steady and simple, but once he got involved in military affairs, he immediately showed his sharp edge.

He checked the military register intentionally to find an excuse to kill someone to establish his authority and thus quickly rectify military discipline. Gao You and others ran into him at this time, so it can only be said that they brought this upon themselves.

An hour later, General Si Qing's register was checked.

A total of 72 impostors were found, involving three team leaders and one village chief.

Yan Yi was furious. He had just received the Sanqu troops, and before he could even warm them up in his hands, only 500 people were left.

"Behead him immediately!" he said angrily.

More than ten cavalrymen rushed forward, dragged Gao You and his four companions to the center of the training ground, and cut off their heads in front of five hundred soldiers and soldiers from other camps who had rushed to watch the excitement.

The soldiers present looked at the four headless corpses on the ground, each of them looked at each other in dismay, and some of them were shaking with fear.

After a while, the fat cook was dragged in and became the fifth ghost.

The charge was embezzlement of military rations. Unlike the silence when Gao You and his four companions were beheaded, the moment the cook's head fell, the entire audience erupted in deafening cheers.

If the cook deducted a little more of the military rations, the soldiers would get one point less to eat. This was a matter that concerned their own interests, and everyone hated him to the core.

Although Wei Kuan did not participate, he knew about it but did not report it, so he was also sent back by Yan Yi to wait for Yan Baihu to deal with it. As for how Yan Baihu would deal with it, it was not his business.

He only cared about Wei Kuan's position as military marquis.

After Wei Kuan resigned, his position as military marquis became vacant. From then on, the position of military marquis of the Sanqu troops would be in his hands.

Yan Yi has decided that even if Yan Baihu reassigns someone to replace Wei Kuan, he will not accept it.

I believe that in time, these three groups of people will be trained into private armies that only obey his orders.

Yan Yi asked the soldiers to line up again. Looking around, he saw that the expressions on the soldiers' faces had changed significantly compared to before, and there was more awe in them.

He faced the crowd and announced loudly, "From today on, anyone who dares to embezzle or misappropriate military funds from my troops will be executed immediately! The seventy-two shares of misappropriated military funds will not be taken back and will be divided equally among the other brothers!"

The soldiers were extremely surprised. If the practice of withholding military rations was stopped, and the 72 equally distributed military funds were added to their income, the money and rations they would receive in the future would increase by at least 50%.

"I am willing to die for you, young master!"

Everyone's faces were filled with gratitude, and they shouted in unison. Regardless of whether these shouts were sincere or not, at least judging by the scene, the morale of the army had improved significantly compared to before.

Yan Yi's personal prestige was initially established among this group of people.

"No more training today, everyone go away!"

Following his order, the soldiers left the training ground one after another with smiles on their faces.

No one paid attention to the corpses on the ground anymore. Even those who usually stayed close to Gao You and the other three quickly left as if they were avoiding the plague.

Yan Yi ordered his men to carry away the corpses on the ground. Looking at the departing soldiers' backs, a chilling smile appeared on his face.

Not practicing during the day doesn't mean not practicing at night.

Come back in the evening to give these people a surprise.

Yan Yi wanted to train at night, not on a whim, but because night battles were common in that era.

After the soldiers left, he took Xu Sheng and others to a luxurious barracks that only the commander-in-chief was qualified to use.

The barracks are very large and never seem crowded even if they accommodate dozens of people.

Yan Yi sat down on the upper couch covered with cowhide and asked Si Qing to tell Xu Sheng about the plan to raid Qian Tong.

Zhao Cuo was not qualified to attend such an occasion, but this kid had a close relationship with Xu Sheng and was a likable person, so he didn't mind having him around.

As for Xu Sheng, Yan Yi would undoubtedly make use of him. After all, this was the first "historical general" he had recruited, the only one at the moment, and he really lacked available people at the moment.

However, he was still in the stage of cautious observation in using Xu Sheng. Because it was four years later when Xu Sheng entered the government in history, it remained to be seen how capable Xu Sheng was now.

(End of this chapter)