Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 97 Zhu Zhi Sends Out Troops
Naturally, Zou's generals had no objection to Yan Yi's proposal to stop the war and Zhu Zhi's proposal to form an alliance.

They had not yet recovered from the fear of Yan Yi's army approaching the city. When they heard that Yan was willing to stop fighting and make peace, they were all overjoyed and felt like they had escaped death.

However, some generals had different opinions on Zhu Zhi's request for an alliance.

Xie Rui was the first to object, vehemently dissuading him. "General, you can't do that. Zhu Zhi is proposing an alliance now because he has a greater goal and a rival. He only wants to temporarily use you to help him. If you agree, you'll become Zhu Zhi's tactical tool, severing your ties with the Yan clan. The situation is clear now. Once Zhu Zhi and Wu Jing unite, they'll inevitably unleash war in Wu Commandery. The Yan clan has always been friendly with Xu Zhao and Xu Gong. Under pressure, these three clans are likely to form an alliance and join forces against Zhu and Wu. How will you cope, caught in the middle?"

"Mr. Xie is absolutely right. Wu Jing and Zhu Zhi are indeed formidable, but the Yan family and the two Xus are not something our army can contend with."

Li Bian and six or seven other generals showed approval on their faces and spoke out in support.

"How can people like Yan and Xu be compared with the Sun and Yuan families?"

A general named He Gong objected loudly, which was also echoed by others.

Zou looked at the twenty or so subordinates in the hall, each holding his own opinion, and his face was troubled.

Suddenly, a burst of laughter interrupted the quarrel. Wei Kuan pointed at the generals and laughed so hard that he fell backwards and trembled all over.

Zou frowned and asked, "Why are you laughing, sir?"

Wei Kuan stopped laughing and said, "I'm not laughing at anything else, but at the people's lack of self-awareness. It's like walking at night without a candle, or a blind man riding a blind horse. Isn't that dangerous?"

Everyone glared at Wei Kuan. Li Bian's hair and beard stood on end as he shouted angrily, "Mr. Wei, how dare you be so arrogant!"

Wei Kuan ignored the crowd, clasped his fists towards Zou Ta, and said sternly, "General, two tigers are vying for supremacy in the forest. The situation is irreversible. Our army is weak and isolated, and it is difficult to escape the disaster. Although our army has been lucky enough to catch a breather for now, it will inevitably fall into danger again in the future. For now, we should carefully assess the situation and choose a strong leader while our troops and the city are still there. Only then can we protect our property and continue our survival. If we hesitate, we may destroy ourselves and regret it too late."

A trace of anger appeared on Zou's face.

Wei Zhi, the commander of Zou's personal guards, shouted, "Wei Kuan, Rencheng is the foundation that the commander-in-chief has worked so hard to build. How can we give it up to others so easily? What are your intentions?"

"Precisely because Rencheng is the Marshal's hard-earned legacy, we should choose a faction to ally ourselves with while we have a strong army and ample food. This is the only way to ensure the greatest benefit and continue the Marshal's legacy!" Wei Kuan's face was as gloomy as water, and he loudly questioned, "If Yan Yi and Zhu Zhi hadn't restrained each other, would you and I still be standing here talking today?"

Wei Zhi was speechless. He turned to look at the others, but saw that everyone remained silent surprisingly this time, as if they all agreed with Wei Kuan's words.

A chill suddenly spread in Wei Zhi's heart.

In fact, most of the generals in the hall had long wanted to persuade Zou Ta to choose a force to join, but Zou Ta was sensitive and suspicious by nature, and no one wanted to be the first to speak out.

Zou He took in the expressions on everyone's faces and sighed in his heart.

He has been under great pressure recently and is exhausted both physically and mentally. Today he had a rare chance to be happy, but his mood was ruined by the attitude of the generals, and the heavy pressure came again.

Wei Kuan knew that Zou Ta would find it difficult to accept it at the moment, so he said, "Marshal, why don't you decide who to join forces with first?"

The expression on Zou's face softened a bit, and he looked around and asked, "Which one do you prefer?"

Everyone looked at each other and exchanged glances.

He Gong shouted, "Zhu Zhi is the commander of Wu Commandery. He once followed Sun Jian in defeating Hu Zhen, beheading Hua Xiong, and advancing into Luoyang. His fame spread throughout the land, and he had the support of the Sun family and Yuan Shu. Yan Yi is merely the son of a bandit who only managed to defeat Qian Tong. How can he be compared to Zhu Zhi? Of course, we should ally with him."

Most of the generals in the hall nodded in agreement. Xie Rui shook his head and said, "Mr. He's absurd. The one who truly commanded the world was Sun Jian. Zhu Zhi was merely one of his generals. Now that Sun Jian is dead, the Sun clan's prestige has long since declined. As for the Yan clan, you've all witnessed its might recently; it's truly a formidable force. Furthermore, Wucheng and Yuncheng are closer to Rencheng, posing a greater threat. Only by uniting with the Yan clan can we truly eliminate this crisis."

Li Bian and several generals also stood up to support Xie Rui, but their momentum was obviously not as strong as He Gong's side.

He Gong sneered, "How can I allow others to sleep beside my bed? This is why the Yan family and our army have been at war for so many years. How could the Yan family truly tolerate you, Marshal? You must know that it is Yan Yi, not Zhu Zhi, who is at the gates now."

Xie Rui was startled and was about to continue speaking when Zou turned his gaze to Wei Kuan, asking for his opinion.

Wei Kuan pondered and said, "In terms of military prowess, the Yan family is inferior to the Sun family. In terms of sincerity and the generous benefits promised, Zhu Zhi is worse than Yan Yi."

Zou nodded slightly.

Xie Rui's face was gloomy, knowing that Yan Yi had already lost.

Yan Yi merely sent envoys to stop the fighting and make peace, while Zhu Zhi directly sent people to discuss the alliance and promised huge benefits in terms of official titles and money and food. The difference between the two was obvious.

However, contrary to everyone's expectations, Zou did not express his position immediately, but only called the envoy sent by Yan Yi to confirm the matter of stopping the war and making peace.

The generals, each with their own ulterior motives, left one after another.

Xie Rui returned to the mansion, feeling restless and unable to sit or sleep. Late at night, he suddenly heard from his confidant that two people had quietly left the Zou Mansion, left the city overnight, and headed south.

Xie Rui pondered for a moment, then shuddered and muttered, "The Yan family is in danger!"

He really couldn't understand why Yan Yi was so careless in winning over Zou Ta and actually handed Zou Ta over to Zhu Zhi.

Based on his understanding of Zou Ta, Zou Ta should have made a decision. The reason why he did not make it public was probably because he was worried about the news leaking out.

The people to be wary of are naturally those who are close to the Yan family like him.

At this moment, Xie Rui couldn't help but feel a little hesitant. Was it wrong for him to choose Yan's?
Judging from Yan Yi's recent behavior, he doesn't seem like someone who can accomplish great things.

However, at this time, he had already been vaguely labeled as a member of the Yan family, and Yan Yi had the handle on him. Even if he wanted to regret it, it was too late.

In desperation, Xie Rui could only secretly send someone out of the city to report the matter to Yan Yi.

"What a missed opportunity, what a missed opportunity!"

The messenger had left for a long time, but Xie Rui was still upset and sighed in the quiet room.

He was the insider recruited by Yan Yi through Qian Tong.

Originally, Yan Yi's troops were at the gates of the city, and he had taken advantage of the situation to win over several generals including Li Bian. Now that Zou Ta has turned to Zhu Zhi, things are likely to change again.

Just as Xie Rui expected, the messenger sent by Zou Ta was heading to Qiantang.

The next morning, Zhu Zhi, who had been silent for many days, finally showed his ferocious fangs and personally led an army of 7,000 to attack Rencheng!
(End of this chapter)