Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 88 Reactions from all parties
Wucheng County, the rear residence of Yan Mansion.

The roar of tigers with a hint of baby voice could be heard from the tiger enclosure from time to time.

Yan Baihu was wearing a loose hakama and a red cap on his head. His rough, unshaven face showed a sense of satisfaction. He was using the raw beef in his hand to tease a tiger cub, only two or three feet long, to eat it.

Like Xu Ying, he also likes to raise small animals, but Xu Ying raises cats and he raises tigers, and the couple plays with their own animals.

This year has been a turbulent one. Originally, Yan Baihu had no time to tease these little cuties of his, but as Yan Yi emerged and took on most of the pressure for him, he felt relieved and was able to regain his old leisure time.

Just as the little tiger was leaping up and down to pounce on its food, Pei Ji walked into the enclosure with a scroll of bamboo slips and stood beside Yan Baihu. "Commander, the young master has an urgent report to submit."

"What's the good news?"

Yan Baihu threw the remaining beef in his hand into the air and took the bamboo slips with interest.

The recent news from Yuncheng has been nothing but good news. Yan Yi hasn't found him a concubine, but he's been sending him some of his spoils every now and then, much to his delight. Yuncheng's rapid changes have been beyond his imagination, and every time he receives a letter from Yuncheng, he feels a surge of anticipation.

This time, the document did not disappoint him. When he unfolded the bamboo slips and took a quick glance, his face immediately lit up with excitement: "Great! My son has already led an army to attack Zou Ta. If we win this battle, our territory can expand by dozens of miles!"

Yan Baihu's expectations and confidence in Yan Yi grew day by day. After the Battle of Yuncheng, he summoned his generals to analyze the course and details of the battle, concluding that it exemplified the spirit of ancient great generals and was no ordinary warrior. The generals were also full of praise for Yan Yi, showering him with compliments. In this atmosphere of encouragement, Yan Yi, due to his unique status, quickly became one of the Yan clan's most prominent generals.

Although Yan Yi was still young and his rise to power was too sudden, his achievement in defeating Qian Tong was second only to Yan Baihu's conquest of Wucheng. This solid achievement was irrefutable by no one.

In addition, people in this era had a short life expectancy, which led to the idea that young people should achieve success as early as possible and a social atmosphere that respected young talents. Therefore, when Yan Yi showed his abilities, he quickly gained recognition from others.

Two months ago, Yan Baihu was still worried about whether Yan Yi was capable of leading the troops and was only willing to give him two groups of soldiers. However, after a great victory, under the encouragement of Xu Ying and others, Yan Baihu began to take the initiative to give Yan Yi more power to lead the troops.

For example, in the expedition against Zou Ta, many generals in Wucheng volunteered, but they were all rejected by Yan Baihu one by one. It was obvious that he wanted to leave the fat piece of meat, Zou Ta, to Yan Yi in order to achieve greater fame for himself.

In Xu Ying's words, "It was my son who defeated the copper industry, how could it be someone else's turn to reap the benefits?"

Now that Yan Yi has finally started his campaign to attack Zou Ta, Yan Baihu is relieved.

He was fed up with being harassed repeatedly by those generals who wanted to fight every day.

"Order: Yan Yu, return to Wucheng immediately and lead 2,000 troops to station 20 miles north of Rencheng. Xu Zhao, lead 1,500 troops to Yuncheng immediately and await Fan Yan's orders. No mistakes!"

After reading the military report, Yan Baihu thought for a moment and then began to mobilize his troops to cooperate with Yan Yi in the expedition against Zou Ta.

However, he overlooked a dangerous name, Zhu Zhi. Zhu Zhi had just arrived in Qiantang and had not yet established a firm foothold. With less than 3,000 soldiers under his command, Yan Baihu did not pay enough attention to him.

It was precisely this neglect that caused the subsequent development of the Battle of Rencheng to exceed everyone's expectations.
Just as Yan Baihu was mobilizing his troops, Xu Gong, Xu Zhao, Wang Lang, Zou Ta, Zhu Zhi and others also received letters from Yan Yi one after another.

Yan Yi led the troops to the battle this time with a brave and powerful force and an astonishing momentum. As soon as the entire army set out, the momentum spread to the surrounding counties, as if declaring his "sovereignty" over Zou Ta.

Zou is mine, no one can interfere!

Several surrounding forces clearly sensed the message conveyed by Yan Yi.

Of course, Yan Yi was humble and courteous in his attitude and words. Especially in his letters to Wang Lang, Xu Gong, and Xu Zhao, he maintained his junior status, speaking humbly and respectfully. He began by flattering them, then recounted Zou Ta's repeated invasions of Wucheng and the harm they had inflicted on the people. He then explained that he had submitted a petition to the emperor, promising to personally lead an army of 20,000 to attack Zou Ta and eliminate this thief for the country. Finally, he expressed a desire for a close bond and discussed common interests.

After receiving the letter, Wang Lang burst out laughing: "This Yan family's young tiger, barely grown yet, is already trying to bite. Where did he get his 20,000 troops?"

A staff member beside him replied, "Your Excellency may not know that the Yan family has recently expanded their military forces in Wucheng and Yuncheng simultaneously. Although their army is less than 20,000, it is not far behind."

Wang Lang was silent for a moment, then said calmly, "Thieves and bandits are the pests of a nation. This man is doing this for the nation, eliminating them as a loyal minister and a righteous man. Please write a letter for me and offer some words of encouragement."

After saying this, he picked up his brush and continued to annotate the Spring and Autumn Annals, to which he had devoted half his life's work, and no longer paid attention to such military matters.

Wang Lang believed that war was bullshit; the true path lay in passing down the scriptures. "If you want to fight, go ahead. It doesn't matter if your brains get blasted out. Just don't mess with me."

Compared with Wang Lang's neutral attitude of indifference, Xu Gong and Xu Zhao clearly expressed their support.

Xu Gong and Qian Tong had a deep grudge. Qian Tong had repeatedly invaded Youquan, a constant threat to Xu Gong. Xu Gong attempted to conquer Qian Tong several times, but was forced to give up due to current circumstances, leaving him filled with pent-up anger. Xu Gong felt a deep sense of gratitude for Yan Yi's efforts to eliminate Qian Tong, and he certainly wouldn't hinder Yan Yi.

Furthermore, the Yan and Xu families were allies in the fight against Wu Jing. Xu Gong was very happy to see the Yan family eliminate the enemies from both sides and concentrate their forces to resist Wu Jing.

Xu Zhao and Xu Gong were in a similar situation. They were both firm allies of the Yan family, and Xu Zhao and Yan Baihu had a very good personal relationship.

Xu Zhao was the commander of the Yuhang camp and had a high reputation in Yuhang. Although he did not serve as the magistrate of Yuhang, he was the real controller of Yuhang. Moreover, he was loyal to his friends and had an excellent reputation. In history, after Yan Baihu was defeated by Sun Ce, he fled to Xu Zhao for refuge.

In fact, Xu Zhao also wanted to conquer Zou Ta. With his strength, he was able to take over the fat piece of meat of Zou Ta.

However, Xu Zhao is a man of principles. Since the current situation is the result of Yan Yi's defeat of Qian Tong, and Yan Yi has also publicly stated that he wants to attack Zou Ta, it is not convenient for him to send troops.

He would never do such a thing as forgetting his principles for the sake of profit!
(End of this chapter)