Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 44 The Rain Arrives
As the weather quietly changed, all the generals under Yan Yi's command breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. The pressure accumulated in their hearts dissipated like smoke, and was replaced by a sense of excitement that welled up from the bottom of their hearts.

Yan Yi didn't even have time to eat breakfast, and led the generals straight to the military tent for meeting.

Everyone came to the military tent with a smile and sat on their beds.

The bed here does not refer to a couch, but a Hu bed.

The Huchuang was introduced to the Central Plains during the reign of Emperor Huan. Emperor Ling, Liu Hong, was particularly fond of this foldable and lightweight seat. However, the Huchuang was low and not yet the high-legged seat commonly used by later generations. It was not until the Jin Dynasty, with the large-scale southward migration of the Hu people, that the nomadic people's dangling-legged seats gradually flowed into the Central Plains, and high-legged seats were subsequently developed, replacing the traditional couch.

Yan Yi once asked craftsmen to make some high-legged chairs, but they were not accepted by the people around him. People were already accustomed to the traditional sitting posture, and sitting with the feet dangling made them uncomfortable, especially in public places, where sitting with the feet dangling was considered an anomaly.

These habits have been passed down for thousands of years and cannot be changed in a short period of time.

Yan Yi followed the local customs and knelt on the mat in public, but in private, he was still used to sitting on a high-legged chair.

This time when I went on a campaign, it was inconvenient to carry a high-legged chair, so I brought some Hu beds instead.

The soldiers under his command were almost all from humble backgrounds and common people. When marching in the wild, mats were inconvenient, so they preferred seating such as Huchuang.

Fan Yan was older and more experienced in marching and fighting. He was the first to rise and speak: "Young Master, the celestial phenomena have changed. The two cavalrymen should advance first and set out immediately."

He had reminded of this problem before. When marching on plains, in order to ensure the compactness and coordination of the entire team's formation, the infantry will often slow down the cavalry's marching speed. However, when marching in mountainous areas and hills, the situation is just the opposite. Because the horses walk slowly, the cavalry will actually slow down the marching speed of the entire army.

Especially in some special sections of the road, infantry can easily cross, but for cavalry, they need to pave the road and build bridges first before the horses can pass.

Yan Yi nodded and said, "General Fan is absolutely right. Let's have the two cavalry units go first. I will also allocate 100 Danyang soldiers to accompany them, along with the appropriate baggage, to clear the way."

Fan Yan clasped his fists and sat down with a smile.

Yan Yi looked around and said solemnly, "This battle is of great importance. Victory is the only option. Everyone, please review the marching route to see if there are any omissions."

Fan Yan and Xu Sheng exchanged a glance, and the former replied, "There's no problem with the route. Everything is ready now, we just have to wait for the rain to arrive."

The marching route was formulated by him and Xu Sheng. The plan was to enter Mangling first, gradually move away from the northern plains that were under the close surveillance of Qian Tong's army, and then march along the mountainside to hide in the hills and valleys east of Qian Gonglei. Once the rain came, they would cross the hills and enter the plains, march sixteen miles under the cover of night, cross the Changshui River from the southeast of Qian Gonglei, and launch a surprise attack.

Yan Yi no longer had any doubts in his heart. A hint of determination flashed in his eyes. He said in a serious tone, "Since that's the case, General Fan will lead the two cavalry groups ahead. The others will follow with me in the rear. The two groups will reunite at Cen Ming Mountain!"

Huh!
Everyone stood up, clasped their fists and accepted the order. There was a solemn atmosphere in the military tent.

The firemen immediately started cooking. After the soldiers had a hearty meal, Fan Yan led two groups of cavalry out of the camp and headed towards Cenming Mountain.

About half an hour later, Li Sui, the messenger sent by Yan Yu, came with two soldiers to ask for a meeting outside the camp.

Although Yan Yu did not come to visit in person, he would send people to find out the situation every day.

Yan Yi ordered Li Sui to be brought to the military tent and said in an unquestionable tone, "My illness has improved. You don't need to come tomorrow. I will send people to report the situation here to the deputy commander every day. In three days at most, we will break camp and reunite with the deputy commander at Jiuxi!"

Li followed Nuonuo and retreated. The next morning, the sky darkened further, the clouds gathered, the sky darkened, and a thin layer of fog gradually rose in the mountains, making the scenery dim.

As the humidity in the mountains gradually increased, the surrounding temperature began to drop, and the smell of earth in the air became stronger.

Yan Yi knew that this was the smell released by microorganisms in the soil when the humidity increased.

He immediately ordered the entire camp to pack up their weapons and supplies and set off.

More than a thousand soldiers formed a long line and marched towards Cen Ming Mountain following the footprints left by the front army.

As the army had issued a silence order, no one dared to speak. There was silence all around, with only the sound of dense footsteps echoing in the silence, and occasionally the calls of birds and beasts could be heard from the mountains.

It took a day for this army of a thousand people to quietly arrive at Cenming Mountain and join forces with the vanguard army led by Fan Yan.

Fan Yan had ordered a group of soldiers to take off their armor, put on linen clothes and straw sandals, and dress up as mountain people. They occupied the only mountain pass leading to the Shanyang Plain nearby, and also sent people to patrol the hills and dense forests on both sides of the mountain pass.

Although it is called a mountain pass, it is actually just a low hill and valley, about ten meters high.

Although the surrounding area was deserted and rarely visited, he still did not dare to be careless, for fear that something unexpected would happen.

At 3 p.m. that afternoon, the sky was covered with dark clouds. The dark clouds were piled up layer upon layer, like countless towering mountains undulating in the sky. The light around was flickering, and everything seemed so strange and tense.

Boom!

Accompanied by a deafening thunder, the heavy rain finally arrived!
The raindrops as big as beans poured down from the sky like pearls with broken strings, hitting the ground with a popping sound.

Yan Yi stood in the rain, arms stretched out, face up to the sky, feeling extremely happy.

He clenched his fists and strode towards an inconspicuous military tent.

More than ten death squads from the Inspectorate wearing bamboo hats stood around the military tent, keeping a tight watch and not allowing anyone to approach.

Yan Yi opened the military tent and walked into it. Yin Li, who was waiting in the tent, hurried over to salute him.

Yin Li is the military officer of the Censorate. He has been working in the Censorate for three years and is deeply trusted by Yan Baihu and Xu Ying. His status is second only to Pei Ji.

Unlike Pei Ji who was only loyal to Yan Baihu, Yin Li was adopted and raised by Xu Ying at the age of nine along with dozens of other children. Although she was loyal to Yan Baihu, her loyalty to Xu Ying was unquestionable.

At this time, a man was tied tightly to a wooden pillar next to Yin Li with a tough cowhide rope. It was Yan Yong!

Seeing Yan Yi's tall figure step into the tent, the terrified Yan Yong felt as if he had found a lifeline. With snot streaming down his face, he pleaded, "Brother Yi, I know I was wrong. Please, for my father's sake, spare my life. From now on, I will obey you in everything and never dare to disobey you again."

(End of this chapter)