Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 134 Alliance
Yan Yi has written a lot recently, and his writing skills have gradually improved. Although his characters cannot be described as horizontal and bold, they are also vigorous and powerful, and look quite decent.

It only took him two quarters of an hour to finish writing the letters to Wang Lang and Han You. He unfolded the third volume of bamboo slips and was about to put pen to paper when he frowned slightly, his face showing a thoughtful look.

Xu Zhao's attitude was very clear, he did not intend to interfere in Qiantang affairs.

This was good news for Yan Yi. There was only one piece of meat, and one less person to share it with, so his chances of winning naturally increased.

But people always want more. The attitude shown by Xu Zhao in many incidents made him start to consider that perhaps he could first bring this person into his own camp.

Xu Zhao and Han You had no friendship, so it was very likely that he would send troops to fight against Han You. If so, he could free up one hand and concentrate on fighting for Qiantang.

However, there is no free lunch in the world. If you want to gain something, you must pay first.

Yan Yi thought for a while, rolled up his sleeves, dipped his pen in ink, and slowly wrote on the empty paper.

"I bow my head. My father often said that you value morality and justice, and that we had a deep friendship. Whenever he mentioned you, he was full of praise. I have been influenced by him since I was a child, and I admire your virtues."

"Han You, obsessed with profit, forgot his principles; Wang Lang, seeking fame, sought reputation. These two men, raising an army at this time, were truly unworthy of a gentleman. Zhu Zhi's invasion forced Yi to lead his troops in a counterattack. Fortunately, with God's help, he defeated Zhu Zhi and attacked Qiantang, a truly righteous act."

"However, Han You is eyeing me with such a fierce gaze that I am filled with anxiety. Therefore, I write to you, hoping that you will remember our old friendship and raise an army to help me resist Han You. If you do, I will give you a generous gift as a token of my gratitude. I hope you will examine this matter and make a prompt decision. I bow again."

After finishing his writing and waiting for the ink to dry, he sealed the letter with mud. Then he called his subordinate, Yuan Sui, and ordered him to send these three letters quickly.

Yuan Sui responded respectfully, picked up the bamboo slips, and left the tent.

Yan Yi then took out the map, spread it on the table and looked at it carefully.

Although it was late at night, the candle in the tent of the general was still burning until the early morning when it was blown out.
The next morning, just as the sky was turning pale, three fast horses galloped to the west gate of Yuhang and shouted loudly.

The gatekeeper poked his head out from the gate tower and shouted, "The city gates will only be opened at noon, don't make any noise!"

A knight who looked like a leader at the foot of the city raised his soap bag high and shouted, "I am Wen Xing, a lieutenant under General Yan. I have an urgent letter to present to Lord Xu. Open the city gates!"

A gatekeeper popped his head out from the city wall at this moment. He recognized Wen Xing and hurriedly said, "Open the city gate quickly!"

With a creak, the tightly closed city gate slowly opened.

Wen Xing rode forward and handed the soap bag to the doorman.

The doorman took a closer look and saw the words "100,000 urgent" written on the bag, with the Yan family seal stamped below. He hurriedly clasped his fists and said, "Wen Jun, wait a moment. I will get the horse."

After saying this, he hurried to the stable at the city gate to get a horse, called a few soldiers, and took Wen Xing and the other two straight to Xu's house.

Xu Zhao had a very good temper. He was not annoyed when he was woken up from his sleep by his concubine. But when he heard that it was an urgent letter from Yan, he immediately lost all sleepiness, hurriedly put on his robe, and strode out of the bedroom.

Two personal guards were waiting outside the house. When they saw him come out, they hurriedly handed him the letter.

Xu Zhao, thirty-nine years old, was a native of Yuhang, Wu Commandery. He had thick eyebrows, piercing eyes, a broad nose, and a square mouth. Though only seven feet tall, his demeanor exuded an unbridled, uninhibited spirit, giving off the impression of a carefree disregard for anything. Born into poverty, he smuggled salt and became a river thief, cultivating connections with prominent figures. Upon achieving wealth and status, he unexpectedly became a minor pavilion chief, rising through the ranks to become a battalion commander. While he lacked the title of Yuhang Magistrate, he held the title, effectively a man who had the final say in the city.

He read the bamboo slips carefully by candlelight, and subconsciously said, "Go and invite Mr. Sheng." Suddenly he stopped, "Wait!" He walked back and forth in the yard with his hands behind his back.

The world has been quite turbulent this year. In Wu County alone, several major battles have broken out since the beginning of the year, and now the flames of war have spread to Qiantang. He had originally wanted to stay out of it and just protect his own little piece of land, but Yan Yi's letter to him, trying to recruit him, made him feel that there was no escape.

Xu Zhao knew very well that he had been on good terms with the Yan family. If he agreed to this matter again, he would be regarded as a member of the Yan family's party by the world, and he would never be able to keep himself out of it.

However, the conditions offered by Yan Yi were so generous that it was difficult for him to refuse. The sea salt alone weighed 30,000 kilograms. In addition, there were 50,000 pieces of cloth and 50,000 stones of grain and fodder. He even made some concessions on the division of Rencheng's territory.

I have often heard recently that Yan Yi is generous. Now that I have experienced it myself, I know that this is true. He is going to use money to knock him down.

Given the friendship between the Yan and Xu families, he had no worries that the other party would break his promise. Even if Yan Yi refused to give it, Yan Baihu would still give it to him.

Originally, this matter should have been discussed with Sheng Xian and his opinion should have been heard, but since it involved Han You, he was in a bit of a dilemma.

Xu Zhao knew that he had already made a decision in his heart.

This man had a straightforward personality and a certain "no-holds-barred" style. Once he made a decision, he would not hesitate. He immediately ordered the chief recorder to come over and said, "I'll read, you write!"

The chief clerk picked up the pen in confusion. Before he could figure out what was going on, he heard only a few words and was so frightened that his pen trembled and a drop of ink fell onto the bamboo slip.

Xu Zhao actually took the initiative to propose an alliance with the Yan family!
This happened so suddenly, there was no sign at all.
The chief clerk wiped the sweat from his forehead and wrote furiously.

Xu Zhao's desire to form an alliance with the Yan family was not a sudden impulse, but he had been thinking about it when he learned that Yan Yi had defeated Zhu Zhi.

Xu Zhao has always been afraid of Zhu Zhi. Ever since Zhu Zhi came to Qiantang, he has been worried that the other party would cause trouble for him. He never expected that such a famous person would be defeated by Yan Yi. This incident shocked him deeply.

Now Yan Yi is leading his troops to attack Qiantang. Once Qiantang falls into his hands, Rencheng and Qiantang will form a pincer attack on Yuhang from the north and south.

By then, Yan Baihu and he would be of the same mind and would not make things difficult for him, but he was not sure about Yan Yi.

Young people, how many of you are not angry?
If this guy wants to take action against him after conquering Qiantang, I'm afraid even Yan Baihu won't be able to stop him.

Xu Zhao was well aware of the pros and cons of choosing sides early or late, so he decided to go all out and take this opportunity to tie himself to the Yan family and seek stability.

He glanced at the letter he had already written and suddenly said, "Add one more sentence. Ask Yan Yi to send me two tigers, one male and one female."

He had long coveted the tigers raised by Yan Baihu. The tiger was the king of all beasts, and if he could take them out for a parade in front of his brothers, he would be truly impressive. However, he knew that Yan Baihu loved these little treasures very much and would never give them away easily. So, now was the perfect time to ask Yan Yi to take two of them to play with.

Upon hearing this, the chief recorder showed a helpless expression on his face, lowered his head, and wrote the matter into the letter.

(End of this chapter)