Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 151 Qiantang changes hands
The new force that rushed up the city wall at this moment was none other than the soldiers from the Quan, Dong, Xu and Lu tribes summoned by Quan Rou.

Quan Rou wore a spear-point helmet and chain mail, led the troops personally, walked in the front, and was flanked by dozens of armored guards.

Although he changed into armor, his temperament did not change significantly. He still looked calm and composed, but with a bit more murderous aura.

Zhong Jin felt relieved. With the addition of this new force, it would be enough to turn the situation around.

He was well aware of the bravery of the 300 soldiers under Quan Rou's command, who were no less courageous than his personal guards.

Although the soldiers of the other clans were not as good as the Quan clan's soldiers, they were still better than the newly recruited troops.

However, just as Zhong Jin was relaxing, Quan Rou suddenly stopped, raised her hands, and bowed deeply to him.

Zhong Jin was surprised and puzzled by Quan Rou's behavior. Why were they still observing these empty formalities when the two armies were fighting?
He clasped his fists in response, then suddenly his eyes widened in horror. He saw the soldiers around Quan Rou rush out like wolves and tigers, hacking and killing the surrounding defenders. In an instant, they had cut down twenty or thirty of them, sending wails of pain everywhere.

The fallen defenders were caught off guard and never understood what had happened until their death. The other defenders were also stunned.

Zhong Jin's face turned pale as he shouted, "Quan Rou, are you crazy?" Then he suddenly came to his senses, feeling the world spinning before his eyes. He pointed at Quan Rou with a trembling finger and shouted angrily, "You bastard, how dare you carry me on your back!"

In an instant, everyone realized that Quan Rou had rebelled!

This highly respected person in Qiantang City actually defected to the enemy at the critical moment of the battle between the two armies.

The defenders were struck by lightning and found it difficult to accept this cruel reality. Their morale instantly plummeted to the bottom, while the morale of the attacking soldiers was greatly boosted!

The battle situation suddenly changed, and the originally stalemate battlefield began to show a one-sided trend.

Quan Rou sighed and shouted to the defenders, "The outcome is decided. You are all citizens of Qiantang. You have wives, children, and elders at home. Do not throw your lives away in vain. Those who surrender will not be killed!"

He turned his head and looked at the brightly lit Qiantang City, feeling deeply moved. He never thought that Qiantang had changed hands twice in such a short period of time.

The lives of more than a thousand members of the Quan family were saved.

Quan Rou was not surprised by the result, but rather felt relieved. The pressure in his heart was by no means as light as it seemed on the surface.

The day before yesterday, when Yan Yi defeated Zhou Xin, he had already made a vague decision. Seeing that Yan Yi's army was about to attack the city, he finally did not dare to delay any longer. Last night, he sent someone out of the city to secretly reach an agreement with Yan Yi.

For the whole of Rou, the choice of Yan Yi was not entirely based on considerations of the war situation, but rather had a longer-term plan.

Wang Lang's family was large and powerful, but he wasn't a pioneer. After nearly a year of management, his subordinates' power structure had solidified, and the benefits had been almost completely divided up, leaving no room for him. Yan Yi, on the other hand, had recently risen to prominence, expanding territory rapidly, and would undoubtedly rely on him.

As the saying goes, it's better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix. Moreover, this chicken could transform into a phoenix at any moment and soar into the sky. And the phoenix in Kuaiji might not be a real phoenix.

As it turned out, he made the right choice, at least for now.

Compared to Quan Rou's relief, Zhong Jin's face was full of despair.

At this moment, he had been forced to a parapet, with nowhere to retreat. The surrounding defenders had either fled or surrendered, leaving only his personal guards still struggling to resist, but they were quickly slaughtered.

Zhong Jin, his hair disheveled, leaned against a cold wall. Before him lay the cold glare of swords and spears, and a hostile gaze. He laughed three times, nearly tears streaming down his face. Suddenly, he dropped his sword, turned to face Quan Rou, and bowed solemnly, "Ziyuan, we've known each other for a while. I hope you'll do me a favor, considering our past friendship."

Quan Rou looked serious and nodded, "Please speak."

A soft glint flashed in Zhong Jin's eyes, and he pleaded, "I have a wife and two sons, who are still in the city. If it is convenient, please protect one or two."

Quan Rou said without hesitation, "Don't worry, Mr. Zhong, I will definitely protect him."

Zhong Jin breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "The commander treated you with great courtesy when he was in Qiantang. Please try to plead for him in front of the young master of the Yan family and save his life."

Quan Rou looked troubled. "Mr. Zhong, you should know that this matter is beyond my ability. The only one who can save Zhu Zhi is Wu Jing."

Zhong Jin opened his mouth, as if about to say something, but nothing came of it. He leaned forward, bowed to him once more, and suddenly roared. He rushed forward two steps, and was instantly pierced through the chest by several spears, suffocating him.

Quan Rou sighed deeply, walked slowly forward, and bowed deeply to his body.

Qiantang has changed hands since then!

A quarter of an hour later, Yan Yi's warhorse stepped past the pile of corpses and entered through the west gate.

When passing through the dim and deep doorway, the surrounding air suddenly turned cold, which gave Yan Yi an illusion that he seemed to feel the breath of the city, as well as an indescribable vicissitudes and power.

He rode his horse out of the cave, and the light of the fire and the faint glow of the morning sun shone in, and his eyes suddenly became clear.

A broad street, wide enough for six carriages abreast, stretched eastward, flanked by a blue-brick canal. Beyond the canal stood a forest of tall buildings, their eaves and corners pointed, their blue-brick and gray-tiled pavilions arranged in an orderly fashion. The ground floors of the buildings were mostly occupied by shops, including wine shops, teahouses, cloth shops, and grain stores.

On both sides of the attic are rows of inner quarters, stacked one on top of the other, stretching endlessly, with no end in sight.

“This is a real city!”

Yan Yi sighed slightly, a look of shock in his eyes. Compared to Qiantang, Yuncheng and Rencheng were like the difference between a beggar and a rich man; they were completely on different levels. Even Wucheng was slightly inferior.

An irrepressible excitement quietly welled up in his heart. As long as he could hold on to this city, all his problems would be solved: his treasury, which was nearly depleted of money and supplies, would be filled again, his severely damaged troops would be quickly replenished, and the crisis-ridden situation would be stabilized.

He dismounted and walked towards Quan Rou and others who were leading the people in the city to welcome him.

Standing beside Quanrou were some city officials and elders from prominent clans. Among them was a middle-aged man in a green official robe, respectfully holding an exquisite wooden box in his hands. Inside the box was a copper seal with a yellow ribbon.

Seeing Yan Yi approaching, everyone bowed in unison: "Greetings, Young Master!"

Yan Yi looked calm and returned the greeting slowly and unhurriedly.

The middle-aged man holding the seal stepped forward, bowed his head slightly, and handed the seal box to him. His tone was filled with a mixture of fear and respect: "Your humble servant, Yu Qiu, is the Gongcao of Qiantang. I am here to honor you with the seal of Qiantang. I hope you will accept it and ensure the safety of the people of Qiantang."

Yan Yi picked up the official seal that symbolized the Lord of Qiantang and put it into his waist bag.

(End of this chapter)