Tiger Owl

Chapter 278 Seizing Qiantang
Xiao Lan came out of the Xichu Liaison Office and looked around, looking for an oxcart. Just then, an oxcart slowly stopped in front of her, and the driver smiled and said, "Young lady, would you like a ride?"

How much does it cost to go to the Wuhou Palace?

"Give me ten coins!"

"Eight coins, want to go?"

The driver sighed helplessly, "Get in!"

Xiao Lan pulled herself onto the cart from behind, holding onto the handrail. Inside the cart were two long benches; two young women were sitting on one bench, while the other bench was empty.

Xiao Lan sat down on an empty stool with her small bundle in her arms. Not long after the oxcart left, two women sat down and flanked Xiao Lan from both sides.

"you."

Xiao Lan was terrified; she thought she had encountered a female thief.

"Come with us obediently, and we won't hurt you, otherwise..."

Two sharp daggers were pressed against her waist on both sides.

Xiaolan was so frightened that she trembled all over and couldn't say a word.

The oxcart had left the main road and was weaving through the narrow streets before finally stopping in front of a large courtyard.

Two women carried Xiaolan, who was so frightened she was limp, into the courtyard.

Xiao Lan sat in the main hall, where a maid served her tea and brought over several plates of snacks.

At this moment, a woman with gentle features walked in, her voice soft, "I'm sorry to have frightened Miss Xiaolan."

The attentive hospitality and the woman's gentle touch calmed Xiaolan's fear somewhat. She gradually composed herself and asked, "Who...who are you?"

"We are Wu Jian!"

"Wu Jian!"

Xiao Lan's face turned pale instantly. Was this the organization responsible for surveillance and assassination?

"What do you want from me?"

"I only want to ask you a few questions, and you just need to answer them honestly."

Xiao Lan suddenly thought of something, bit her lip and said, "I won't say anything. If you dare threaten me, I will tell the old lady."

The woman's gentle demeanor vanished, replaced by a sharp, murderous glint in her eyes. With a wave of her hand, several soldiers escorted a group of civilians across the courtyard.

The three were Xiaolan's parents and brother. Xiaolan was so frightened that she covered her mouth and tried desperately to rush out, but was held back by several female warriors.

As she watched her parents and brothers disappear, Xiaolan collapsed to the ground.

The woman knelt down and said softly, "If you answer a few questions for me, I guarantee your parents and brothers will return home safely, and we won't tell anyone your answers!"

"What do you want to know?" Xiaolan finally had no choice but to give in.

"It's simple. Why did you go to the Western Chu Army liaison office? Were you bribed by them?"

"no!"

Xiao Lan hurriedly shook her head, "I...I wasn't bribed by them."

"What is that?" The woman's gaze sharpened again.

"Yes, yes. The old lady sent me." The voice was very low, as if it were squeezed out from between his teeth.

"Oh—" the woman seemed relieved. "What did I ask you to do?"

Xiaolan bit her lip; she couldn't tell this secret.

The woman sneered, "If you don't tell me, your brother will accidentally fall into the moat and drown tomorrow. If you don't believe me, then just wait to collect his body!"

Xiaolan turned pale with fright. She seemed to see her brother's body being pulled from the river, and her parents weeping their hearts out over the body.

"No!" Xiaolan finally broke down. "Then tell me! We're not enemies, and we won't hurt the old lady, so what are you worried about?"

Xiao Lan cried as she said, "Miss is in Chaisang. The old lady sent her a message asking her to come back."

"Miss Shangxiang is in Chaisang?" The woman was genuinely astonished.

"Yes!"

Where in Chaisang?

"At Miss Xu's house."

"Xu Wei?"

Xiao Lan nodded gently, then cried even harder.

The woman immediately adopted a gentle expression, handed her the teacup, and said, "Alright! Alright! Stop crying, you can go back now."

"But what about my parents and brothers?" Xiaolan asked, her voice choked with sobs.

"They will go home, and nothing will happen."

The woman said softly, "But you didn't say anything, and we don't know anything either. In front of the old lady, just pretend nothing happened, understand?"

Xiaolan could only nod. The woman, still worried, reminded her again, "Keep your mouth shut, so your parents and brothers will be safe."

Xiao Lan stopped crying, wiped away her tears, and got into the oxcart, her mind heavy with worries, and drove away.
An hour later, Chen Wu reported the news to Sun Quan.

Sun Quan gasped. Shang Xiang was at Xu Wei's house, which meant she was at Gan Ning's residence! My God, she was actually at Gan Ning's residence.

This news was so shocking that even Sun Quan couldn't help but admire his sister. What had happened to her? First, she was involved in a marriage alliance with Liu Bei, then Cao Cao proposed marriage, and now she was living in Gan Ning's residence. She had managed to get involved with all three major powers.

The news was shocking, and Sun Quan was also a little anxious. Cao Cao was urging him to come back quickly, so he decided to send his sister directly to Ye City.

Sun Quan pondered for a long time, and finally made up his mind: some things had to be done!
He lowered his voice and said to Chen Wu, "Send experts to Chaisang. If they find my sister, I will allow you to use any means necessary to bring her back!"

"Your subordinate obeys!"

After a five-day voyage, 180 ships entered the Qiantang River and sailed westward along the convex strait. They could already see the land to the north and south. To the north was Haiyan County, and to the south were Yuyao County and Shangyu County. This was the salt field in Jiangdong, and the sea salt produced was transported to various places in Jiangdong.

After traveling for another two days, the river became narrower and narrower, and a county town appeared ahead. We had arrived at Qiantang County.

Qiantang County is today's Hangzhou. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, it was under the jurisdiction of Wu Commandery, which included Fuchun County, Yuhang County, and so on. Of course, Wu Commandery had a very large jurisdiction, which extended all the way to the Yangtze River.

Xun You's first target was Qiantang County, because there was a granary in the county town and only two thousand county soldiers in the town.

After capturing Qiantang County, they had logistical support and were able to advance or retreat as needed, even successfully withdrawing by sea. This place became the second Queyue City.

At daybreak, the 40,000-strong army quickly landed and assembled, with He Qi leading 10,000 troops as the vanguard, heading straight for Qiantang County. Why was He Qi chosen as the vanguard? Because he was from Qiantang County.

Ten thousand troops besieged the city, the gates tightly shut. A soldier rushed forward and shot an arrow into the city. It was a handwritten letter from He Qi to the defending general Zhao Chu. They had known each other since childhood and were very close. Zhao Chu had honed his martial arts skills at the He family's martial arts school.

About half an hour later, the city gates opened, and Zhao Chu led two thousand county soldiers out to surrender. The county magistrate and other officials had no choice but to surrender to Sun Ben's army as well.

Soon, the 40,000-strong army entered Qiantang County and seized 200,000 shi of grain, making the first step of the plan a complete success.

In the main hall, Zhao Chu said to Jia Xu, "In the entire Wu Commandery, only Dantu County and Wu County have formal troops stationed there. Qiantang County has commandery troops, but the other counties don't even have commandery troops."

"How many troops are there in Wu County, and who is their commander?" Jia Xu asked.

"The commander-in-chief is Xu Yi, and he has six thousand troops."

"Is Xu Yi a member of the Xu family?" Jia Xu turned around and asked He Qi.

He Qi nodded, "Exactly!"

The Xu family had always been a typical centrist, not an anti-Cao faction.

Jia Xu pondered for a moment, and then he had an idea.

(End of this chapter)