Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 37 New Source of Soldiers
After seeing Yan Yi and Fei Shang whispering to each other, everyone in the room looked at each other in confusion. Fei Shang then walked back to the couch in a daze.

Without Fei Shang's obstruction, the soldiers quickly took the man away, and the cries for mercy gradually faded away.

The room was completely silent, one could hear a pin drop. Suddenly, a long laugh broke the stillness. Shen Quan, the head of the Shen family, twirled his long beard and said with emotion, "Young Master, you sympathize with the suffering of the people. Your kindness is evident. I also yearn for your kindness. The Shen family is willing to offer one million yuan and two thousand dan of grain to do our little bit to improve people's livelihood."

One million coins and two thousand dan of grain are enough for a hundred soldiers for a year. For the wealthy families in the county, it is not a small amount of money.

Yan Yi smiled slightly, clasped his fists towards Shen Quan and said, "Mr. Shen is a man of high righteousness. He will surely live a long and prosperous life."

Shen Quan understood the hidden meaning in his words, and the smile on his face suddenly deepened.

Fei Shang raised his head as if suddenly awakened and said respectfully, "Young Master's benevolence is like the moon, its clear light shining upon all. You deserve my admiration. I have long been loyal to you and am willing to offer you two million in cash and four thousand dan of grain to contribute to the people's livelihood."

Yan Yi's sudden mention of Wu Jing's letter had terrified him, leaving him feeling a sense of impending disaster. Based on this letter alone, along with the other incriminating evidence, Yan Yi could have taken his life. As long as it didn't affect the other major clans, Yan Baihu wouldn't have said anything, more a reprimand at most. In the face of life and death, what did a little reputation mean?

Shen Quan glanced at Fei Shang in surprise. At first, he was puzzled by Fei Shang's generosity. Then, as if he had guessed something, his eyes rolled and his look became serious.

Even though Fei Shang donated more, Yan Yi simply smiled and replied, "Mr. Fei has made such a generous donation that we can enjoy peace and prosperity."

To him, Fei was just fish on the chopping board, ready to be steamed or cooked at any time. Since she lacked prestige at the moment, he was not in a hurry to take action.

Seeing this, other powerful families and wealthy households didn't know what to do. Did they really have to wait until Cao Qiu came out and brought a few more scrolls of bamboo slips before they gave in?
They immediately spoke out and donated money and grain, but compared with the Fei and Shen families, the money and grain they donated was much less.

Yan Yi saw it all, but didn't say much, but a hint of coldness occasionally flashed in his eyes, revealing some of his thoughts.

Shi Liang also offered money and grain: 100,000 yuan and 100 dan of grain.

Although the Shi family is a noble family, they are not as wealthy as some powerful families. What makes the Shi family strong is their connections and influence, which are unmatched by other powerful families.

However, offering only 100,000 coins and 100 dan of grain is too little.

Yan Yi sneered in his heart. Perhaps in Shi's eyes, offering 100,000 coins was a huge honor for him.

Shi Liang indeed thought so. If the powerful families had not risen up by relying on Yan Baihu and their influence had not grown, making the Shi family feel pressured, Shi Liang would not be here today.

If he knew what Yan Yi was thinking, he would definitely have a completely different attitude.

Yan Yi had already made up his mind: he would never let Shi and the young Shi Ran leave Wucheng easily, or allow them to cause any damage in Wucheng. If war broke out with Sun Ce, Shi would be immediately imprisoned. As for Shi Ran, if he could be used in the future, he would be used; if not, he would be killed or imprisoned until his death.

He glanced at Shi Liang calmly, walked into the room, and when the surroundings were quiet, he said loudly: "Everyone, I have something to discuss with you!"

Everyone started asking questions. Yan Yi said, "You should all know that in a few days I will be leading my troops to Haiyan to resist Wu Jing. However, I have less than a thousand soldiers, and I am truly worried. The southern counties of Wujun have always been short of troops. If we lose this battle and Wu Jing captures Haiyan and establishes a foothold, in time, the surrounding counties will be eroded by Wu Jing, and Wucheng will be no exception. By then, the area within a hundred miles of Wucheng will be devastated, and I am afraid that your relatives and friends will also suffer the tragic consequences of their families being torn apart and their property looted."

When he mentioned the words "the family was destroyed and everyone was looted", he said them almost word by word, and it was up to everyone to guess the meaning behind them.

At least Yan Yi knew that once Wucheng was about to fall, Yan Baihu would most likely plunder all the wealth of these powerful families and wealthy households.

And he specifically emphasized that he wanted to fight against Wu Jing, which was to screen the source of troops.

Yan Yi's words had a great impact on everyone. Some people savored them carefully, while others whispered to each other.

For most people, they still do not want war to break out in Wucheng. Yan Baihu has occupied Wucheng for several years. Although the taxes are heavy, all aspects have been stabilized. Some of them have obtained power to varying degrees and enjoyed some privileges after relying on the Yan family. Once Wu Jing invades Wucheng and reshuffles the cards, the interests of many people will suffer heavy losses, except for the Shi family and several powerful families.

Some people who supported the Yan family asked, "What are the young master's plans? Is there anything we can do for him?"

"Among the young men of your clans, there are many skilled archers and horsemen. I'd like to recruit them into my army. What do you think?" Yan Yi smiled warmly, a stark contrast to when he'd previously threatened everyone with donations of money and grain. "If anyone responds, according to the law, their relatives will be exempted from some corvée and taxes. Furthermore, if anyone excels, I'll treat their families well."

Everyone was silent and deep in thought. Except for the Shi family and a few wealthy families, most of the other wealthy families were tempted. To these wealthy families, the slight reduction in corvee labor and taxes was insignificant, but if they could use this opportunity to establish a relationship with Yan Yi and obtain the protection of this heir of the Yan family, it would be of great benefit to the future development of the entire clan.

The powerful families want to become aristocratic families, so don’t these wealthy families also want to become powerful families?
It's just that resources are limited, and most of the benefits have been divided up by the aristocratic and powerful families. These aristocratic and powerful families are closely attached to Yan Baihu, blocking the upward path for the rich families.

However, Yan Yi's words gave these wealthy families a glimmer of hope, especially Yan Yi's attitude towards the Fei family, which also made these people think.

"Excuse me, young lord, do you have any requirements for the person who responds to the call?" asked a wealthy man.

Yan Yi smiled slightly: "You need to meet the recruitment standards and gain my approval. Not everyone can join my tribe if they want to."

Another wealthy man asked, "Young Master, if our clan members provide their own bows, horses, and weapons, and our clan is willing to provide them with a regular supply of rations, what preferential treatment will they receive?"

Yan Yi thought for a moment and said, "If their military merits are equal, I will give priority to promoting this person."

The wealthy man showed satisfaction and asked a few more questions before saying, "Young Master, our clan can send twenty young men to answer the call. They have all been trained in martial arts and archery since childhood and are equipped with their own bows, horses, and weapons. We are also willing to provide these twenty men with appropriate military rations on a regular basis. I sincerely request that you accept them."

Yan Yi's attitude towards the first person to try something new was quite different. After praising him for a few words, he smiled and said, "In three days, I will hold a swearing-in banquet in my mansion. You may attend."

The rich man was overjoyed and immediately expressed his gratitude.

(End of this chapter)