Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 132 Military News
In order to successfully capture Qiantang this time, Yan Yi really spent all his family's wealth. Not only his own troops, but most of the Yan family's troops were mobilized by him.

There were originally 3,000 soldiers stationed in Yuncheng and Qiangonglei, but 2,000 of them have now been withdrawn, leaving only 1,000 soldiers and 2,000 hastily recruited civilians to guard the city.

Because Rencheng was close to Qiantang and controlled the grain route between Wucheng and Qiantang, it left more troops there, but only 1,500 people. Wucheng left 4,000 troops to barely maintain stability in the rear.

Such a large-scale mobilization of troops caused the entire area of ​​100 miles southwest of Wu County to be filled with endless troops. The momentum was so great that not only the surrounding counties were alarmed, but even forces such as Zhou Shu and Zu Lang paid attention. Scouts from all sides shuttled back and forth like a swarm of bees.

The troops that continuously flowed into Qiantang had reached an astonishing 12,000 troops. For Jiangdong, which had not yet been involved in a large-scale war, this was already a relatively large-scale military operation. It should be noted that when Wu Jing attacked Danyang at the beginning of the year, he only brought 11,000 troops.

Yan Yi's mobilization of such a large army shows how much he values ​​Qiantang and that he was not careless just because there were only 3,000 defenders left in Qiantang.

Qiantang Prefecture had ample treasury funds and a thriving population, enabling it to recruit thousands of troops in a short period of time. Furthermore, it was located at the border of Wu Commandery and Kuaiji County, close to Qiantang Bay, where various forces were intertwined and a single careless move could lead to a disaster.

For Yan Yi, the key to this battle is speed. He must quickly capture Qiantang before all forces can react, so that those forces that are ready to make moves can withdraw their claws and restore the situation in Jiangdong to resist Wu Jing's army.

If the situation drags on for too long and the Yan family is caught in a dilemma, not only will Qiantang be in danger of falling into the hands of others, but the Yan family's rear will also be in danger of collapse. After all, Wu Jing is already marching towards Guzhang, only one step away from Wucheng.

In this way, it is not difficult to understand why Yan Yi put on such a murderous posture. His purpose was to intimidate the forces around Qiantang and prevent the situation from getting out of control.

At noon, Yan Yi led his troops to Meiqing Fort, and at the same time, 1,500 troops led by Fan Yan and Wang Chao also arrived.

Si Qing, who captured Meiqing Fort, led 1,800 troops out at the hour of Mao in the morning and advanced quickly.

After a brief inspection of Meiqing Fort, Yan Yi left behind 300 soldiers to replenish the garrison of 500 soldiers in this important stronghold north of Qiantang. He then immediately led his troops south, following Si Qing's marching route, and sent out another 500 soldiers along the way to control several small strongholds.

At this time, Si Qing had led his troops to a point twenty miles north of Qiantang, encountering almost no resistance along the way.

Qiantang was in chaos. From the county officials and major families to the ordinary soldiers and civilians, everyone was stunned and had not yet recovered from the news of Zhu Zhi's army's defeat.

How could Zhu Zhi possibly lose? Even if the Qiantang River were to flow backwards, Zhu Zhi would not be defeated!
In the hearts of all the nobles and common people in Qiantang, Zhu Zhi was like a mountain, weighing them down, yet also giving them a sense of unprecedented security. Otherwise, the head of the Zhao family would not have been so eager to marry his cherished daughter to Zhu Zhi and fully support him.

And now, the mountain has collapsed!
There are less than 3,000 defenders in the city and less than ten generals, including Zhao Kang, a waste sent into the army by the Zhao family. How can they resist the army of the Yan family?

The only one who could be considered a veteran of the battlefield was Zhong Jin, the archery captain left behind by Zhu Zhi.

But even though Zhong Jin could be regarded as one of the few men under Zhu Zhi who was both wise and brave, he did not dare to lead a mere two or three thousand newly recruited soldiers out of the city to fight the enemy in the field. What was the difference between this and committing suicide?

The only thing Zhong Jin could do was to order the city gates to be closed and resist, and at the same time recruit troops to defend the city like scraping soup.

In addition, he also hurriedly went to pay a visit to a person together with the county officials and heads of various clans.

In this crisis, only this person can turn the tide!
This person is Quan Rou!
Quan Rou, courtesy name Ziyuan, was a native of Qiantang, Wujun. During the reign of Emperor Ling, he was selected as a filial and incorrupt official, and later served as Shangshu Lang Youcheng. During the Dong Zhuo Rebellion, he resigned from his post and returned to his hometown.

In history, Quan Rou served as the commander of Danyang and the prefect of Guiyang in the Eastern Wu, and his son was Quan Cong, who was appointed the Grand Commander of the Eastern Wu.

The Quan clan is a prominent Qiantang clan, deeply entrenched and influential within the county. As the head of the Quan clan, Quan Rou, renowned for his prestige, exceptional talent, and vast family connections, is a natural choice and a lifeline for the Qiantang clan. As Qiantang descends into unprecedented chaos, Si Qing leads his forces to attack Xiushui Fort, the most important fortress north of the Qiantang River.

Xiushui Fort is located at the southern end of Xiushui. It is the last barrier in the northern part of Qiantang. It is easy to defend and difficult to attack. It covers an area twice that of Meiqing Fort. If Xiushui Fort is captured, Qiantang will be completely exposed to the enemy.

Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible to capture this fort without paying a heavy price, but now the situation is different.

Military strategists say: When the enemy is tired, attack; when the enemy is in chaos, take it; when the enemy is hungry, he will be trapped; when the enemy is suspicious, strike him. To attack the enemy's city, you must take advantage of its momentum and take advantage of its weaknesses, and then you can break it.

Although Xiushui Fort had strong walls and was strategically located, the defenders were insufficient and the fort was in chaos, having lost its power. How could it resist the powerful Si Qing army?
With only a small price of 300 casualties, Si Qing captured Xiushui Fort.

From then on, Qiantang was like a beauty who had taken off her clothes, and people could only admire her graceful figure.

In the late afternoon, Si Qing led his army to Juye Pavilion, five miles north of Qiantang City. The whole city of Qiantang suddenly fell into panic.

At 5 p.m. in the evening, Yan Yi led his army to Juye Pavilion and joined forces with Si Qing's troops.

As for the other three divisions of the Yan family, except for the two thousand troops that set out from Yuncheng, they were all less than thirty miles away from Qiantang.

The three groups were: one thousand elite infantrymen led by Chen Gan, one thousand five hundred troops led by Xu Shou, and two thousand reinforcements that set out from Wucheng yesterday morning.

When Yan Yi's army arrived at Juye Pavilion, Si Qing had already ordered the kitchen officer to prepare dinner. After the entire army had dinner, some soldiers set up camp while the others rested on the spot.

At 10 p.m. in the evening, Yan Yi, regardless of the soldiers' fatigue, ordered 2,000 troops to attack important strongholds and thoroughfares around Qiantang from the east and west.

This was a top priority, not only to prevent the scattered Qiantang soldiers from escaping back into the city, but also to seize the geographical advantage and prevent the surrounding forces from taking the opportunity to enter the city.

In addition, if the officials of the various townships and pavilions in Qiantang rely on their local influence to organize the township and pavilion people to harass Yan Yi's army, it will be a very troublesome matter. After occupying various strongholds and important roads, the threat can be effectively eliminated.

There are quite a few forces around Qiantang. In addition to Wang Lang, Xu Zhao, Han You and others, there are two gangs of bandits in Linshui, fifty miles west of Qiantang. Their power is no weaker than Qian Tong and Zou Ta.

When Zhu Zhi was alive, these people were afraid of his power and did not dare to act rashly. Once the news of Zhu Zhi's defeat spread, these dormant forces could turn into a group of hungry wolves at any time and pounce on Qiantang to share the fat meat.

As the saying goes, what you fear will come to you. Just after the hour of Xu, Yan Yi received two urgent letters from the Procuratorate, both of which contained extremely urgent military intelligence.

Han You has sent out troops and has currently occupied some small strongholds northwest of Qiantang!
Yan Yi did not take Han You seriously. He unfolded another scroll of bamboo slips as usual. After just a few glances, he couldn't help but frown. By the time he finished reading the bamboo slips, his face had become extremely ugly.

The letter talked about the troop movements in Fuchun, Yongxing and other places.

These cities close to Qiantang have one thing in common, that is, they are all under the jurisdiction of Wang Lang.

Wang Lang never interfered in the affairs of other counties, but faced with the temptation of Qiantang, which was so close at hand, he could not hold back and wanted to join in to get a piece of the pie!
(End of this chapter)