Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 138 Quan Rou
At this moment, between the three cities of Qiantang, Yongxing and Fuchun, scouts from the Yan and Wang families were running back and forth like a swarm of bees, quickly reporting the other side's marching situation back to their camp.

Zhou Xin already regarded Yan Yi as an enemy of the same level as Zhu Zhi and Wu Jing, or even more powerful. He did not dare to be careless at all and immediately ordered Fuchun's 2,000 troops to join him to avoid being defeated one by one by the enemy.

After the two armies joined forces, they quickly advanced towards Qiantang along the official road between Qiantang and Yongxing.

At the same time, troops were leaving from various cities in Kuaiji and continuously flocking to Yongxing.

According to the military order issued by Wang Lang, a total of 25,000 troops would be sent from various cities in Kuaiji to fight in Yongxing.

Kuaiji has a total of 26 counties with 220,000 households. Due to different geographical locations and actual conditions, some counties have a few hundred soldiers stationed there, while others have several thousand. After Wang Lang's letter was sent down, all the important roads in the county suddenly became lively. Marching troops could be seen everywhere, with the clamor of men and horses and the dust flying everywhere.

This was the first time such a scene had occurred since Wang Lang became the prefect of Kuaiji. It was like a hurricane, causing panic in the county.

No matter what, the war machine of Kuaiji has started running, vowing to rely on the advantage of the number of troops to seize Qiantang from Yan Yi!

Yan Yijun and Zhou Xinjun, one from the north and one from the south, advanced quickly towards each other.

Yan Yi's goal was to block Zhou Xin in an area far away from Qiantang to prevent his army from being harassed by the enemy when attacking Qiantang. Zhou Xin, on the other hand, wanted to get as close to Qiantang as possible and find ways to stop Yan Yi from attacking the city or even drive him away.

When two brave men meet on a narrow road, the braver one wins; it all depends on who has the harder fist.

When the two armies were about to engage in battle, Zhong Jin took advantage of the rare breathing time and once again invited Qiantang County Magistrate, Gongcao, Inspector and other senior officials as well as clan leaders and elders of various tribes to visit Quanrou’s residence.

When he visited yesterday, Quan Rou claimed to be sick and could not come out, so Zhong Jin returned disappointed.

Under the pressure of the precarious situation, Zhong Jin and others went to Gu Quan's house, determined to not give up until they achieved their goal, and vowed to invite Quan Rou to come out of retirement!
At this moment, Quan Rou seemed to be unaware of the tense situation. She was wearing a light short jacket and sitting on the couch in the backyard, making a bamboo horse with her own hands.

He was in his early thirties, of medium build, with a fair face and three long strands of beard. He had a reserved edge, a very easy-going temperament, and a bit of a carefree attitude.

On the open space beside the couch, bamboo strips, wood, silk ribbons, horsehair, and other items were scattered in a chaotic manner. A child, about three years old, ran and jumped around Quanrou, his rosy little mouth opening and closing as he said in a baby voice, "Father, father, are you ready? Come on, I want to ride a horse!"

This little kid wearing royal blue silk clothes, with a pair of big clear and bright eyes, revealing a bit of mischief and naughtiness, is Quan Cong, the famous governor of the Eastern Wu in Jiangdong in history.

Quan Rou had only one son, Quan Cong, and she treated him like a treasure, loving him to the utmost. Upon hearing this, she smiled and said, "Cong'er, although the bamboo horse is a small toy, it still requires careful craftsmanship. Just be patient and wait, it will be ready soon."

Quan Cong refused to give in, his lips pouted and he stamped his feet, "But I've been waiting for so long! I'm tired of you always saying 'wait'!"

A vein popped up on Quanrou's forehead, and her hands were turning the "baby horse" that looked like a cow or a sheep more and more rapidly. She secretly regretted that she was too careless and didn't learn the bamboo skills in advance. Now she was in a difficult situation and it seemed that she would inevitably make a fool of herself in front of her son.

At this time, the family general Quan Dou hurried over and bowed, saying, "Master, Zhong Jin, Xin An, and Zhao Rui have returned with their men and are waiting in the main hall."

Quan Rou asked without even looking up, "Did Yan Yi lead his troops to attack the city?"

Quan Dou said respectfully, "They retreated after less than a quarter of an hour and headed towards Yongxing. Wang Lang has already sent troops from Yongxing."

Quan Rou's eyes flashed, and he slowly stood up from the couch, stretched himself, and then hugged Quan Cong to his chest, rubbed his face with his beard, and said, "Father has something to deal with. I will be your childhood sweetheart tomorrow."

Quan Cong's mouth pouted, and he looked like he was about to cry.

Quan Rou hurriedly coaxed him, "Don't worry, don't worry. Your uncle Dou is a great cook. Zhuma cooks better than father. Father will ask him to cook for you." Then she put Quan Cong down, coughed lightly, and strode away, leaving behind Quan Dou with a confused look on his face and Quan Cong who was holding onto Quan Dou's clothes tightly.

Quan Rou came to the guest hall and discussed with Zhong Jin and others for half an hour, chatting and laughing, and then personally sent them out of the mansion.

When Zhong Jin and others left the mansion, there was still a trace of sadness on their faces, but it was much more relaxed than yesterday.

Although the entire Johor region has not yet agreed to come out, it has not explicitly refused, and it seems as if it has already agreed to it to about 70%.

Zhong Jin optimistically believed that as long as he visited the mansion three times, the other party would definitely agree.

With Quan Rou's talent and influence in Qiantang, as long as he is willing to come out, his chances of holding on to Qiantang will increase by three points.

Thinking of this, a hint of determination flashed in Zhong Jin's eyes, as if he had seen the hope of saving Qiantang.

After Zhong Jin and others' carriages disappeared around the corner of the street, Quan Rou slowly turned around and walked towards the back house, sneering in her heart.

A bunch of idiots, they don’t even realize they are about to die!

Quan Rou had no intention of contributing to the defense of Qiantang. In his view, after Zhu Zhi's defeat, the change of Qiantang's ownership was inevitable, the only difference being whether the owner would be Yan or Wang.

If he stood up at this time, the day the city was broken would be the day when the Quan family would suffer.

Today, the city's dignitaries are divided into three factions, with the pro-war faction headed by Zhong Jin, Zhao Rui, and Xin An being the most powerful.

Qiantang is Zhu Zhi's base. As Zhu Zhi's trusted general, Zhong Jin must defend Qiantang to the death, hoping to gather the strength of the entire city to rescue Zhu Zhi in the future.

As the head of the Zhao family, Zhao Rui has seized enormous power by fully supporting Zhu Zhi. Now he is reluctant to give up the power he has obtained, but he is too deeply tied to Zhu Zhi and can no longer turn back. He can only go down this path and is a staunch advocate of war.

Xin An currently holds the position of Qiantang County Magistrate. Although he is the nominal second-in-command of Qiantang, he has no real power and is just a puppet manipulated by Zhong Jin and Zhao Rui.

Although Quan Rou was unwilling to help these three people, he also did not want to offend them, lest these three people become desperate and drag him to death before the city was broken.

But his real plan was to choose between Yan Yi and Wang Lang.

He has not yet made a final decision on which one to choose and plans to wait and see for a day or two.

In fact, there were many powerful families who shared the same idea as Quan Rou. Their spies were now spread all over Qiantang and were frantically gathering intelligence.

The decree issued by Zhong Jin to close the city gates and not allow anyone to enter or leave was just bullshit in their eyes.

They have been operating in Qiantang for many years, have deep roots, and have plenty of ways to convey information.

Now it depends on the outcome of the clash between Wang Lang and Yan Yi, which will determine their final choice!

(End of this chapter)