Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 153 Zhu Zhi was assassinated
As Xu Sheng's troops retreated, Yu Fan, having learned of the fall of Qiantang, was retreating towards Shui. Upon learning that Shui had been lost and the means of crossing the river destroyed, he made a difficult decision, abandoning his plan to travel south and take the long detour back to Fuchun. Instead, he formed a defensive formation along the Shui River, attempting to hold out until reinforcements arrived.

But Yu Fan was no Han Xin, the miracle worker. Although he waited for reinforcements, he was surrounded and routed by the armies of Fan Yan, Si Qing, and Quan Rou, who had followed him, before the bridge could be built. His soldiers fled in all directions, with hundreds falling and drowning. The river was stained red with corpses.

Wang Lang's four thousand troops gathered on the west bank of the water, watching the enemy slaughter their comrades. They were filled with grief and indignation, and were terrified and helpless.

The commander of this reinforcement force was none other than Zhang Ya, Shang Sheng's trusted and beloved general. He was also known to be ruthless and merciless. Historically, when facing Sun Ce's attack, Shang Sheng's army was divided due to internal disagreements, and it was Zhang Ya who killed Shang Sheng.

Standing next to Zhang Ya was Zhan Qiang, another of Shang Sheng's generals. Seeing the enemy troops on the other side growing in number, he couldn't help but ask, "Bo Lian, should we use bows and crossbows to cover the enemy?"

Zhang Ya wanted to do so, but he didn't dare. Hearing this, he muttered, "Brother, the military advisor, Zhou Xin, and He Xiong are all on the other side. Do you want to kill them?!"

Zhan Qiang's face turned pale with anger. He mumbled, "After the crossing equipment arrives, should our army continue crossing the river?"

Zhang Ya was annoyed and glared at him, cursing inwardly, "Fuck you! The Lord mobilized 25,000 troops to go to war, but in just three days, 15,000 men were lost. Even Yu Fan, Shang Sheng, Zhou Xin and others were killed. If they continued to cross the river, what would be the difference between that and committing suicide?"
But he knew he had to keep up appearances, so he suppressed his anger and ordered, "Order the entire army to form a battle line, and send another 500 men to the south bank of the water. If my brother and his men successfully break through, they will immediately support them."

Zhan Qiang clasped his fists and left after receiving the order.

Zhang Ya turned her gaze back to the east bank of the water, where the sounds of fighting had gradually subsided. A gleam of light flashed in her eyes, and she suddenly realized that the situation in Kuaiji was about to change!
In this battle, with the exception of Wang Lang, several of the most powerful people in Kuaiji were trapped in a desperate situation, their lives hanging in the balance. If they failed to escape successfully, the power structure of Kuaiji would immediately undergo a drastic change.

He can take his place!
Zhang Ya sniffed the bloody scent wafting from the other side of the river, and suddenly Xiang Yu's words surfaced in her mind. A faint voice inside her screamed, "Die! Die! It's best if none of you come back!"

Perhaps his curse had taken effect. He Xiong, striking the battlefield with his striking presence, was gradually surrounded by dozens of soldiers, who closed in on him. At least ten spears pierced his body simultaneously, their immense force lifting his corpse high into the air.

boom!
The moment the spear was retracted, He Xiong's body fell heavily from mid-air to the ground. More than ten soldiers rushed over and cut off his head like vultures picking up food.

After a fierce struggle, a soldier was lucky enough to grab He Xiong's head. He was so excited that his whole body was shaking. He hurriedly untied the bun on the head and tied the hair tightly around his waist. A thought flashed through his mind: "I'm rich!"

Compared to He Xiong's fierce resistance, Yu Fan, Shang Sheng, and Zhou Xin were much more rational. Lacking cavalry and failing to break out immediately, the three were gradually trapped in a small area. Seeing the situation was hopeless and with no escape route, they had no choice but to surrender.

Zhang Ya's inner curse had actually come true. Of the four highest-ranking men in Wang Lang's army, one had died, and three had surrendered. Not a single one had escaped!

If Wang Lang knew about this, he would probably be so angry that he would vomit blood on the spot.

But for Yan Yi, this was a great opportunity. He now had five captives. Aside from Chen Xian, the other four were prominent figures in their respective areas. He would not let go until he had squeezed out all the value from them.

With the capture of the main general, Yu Fan's army was completely defeated and most of the remaining troops surrendered.

Yu Fan's hands were tied behind his back with tough cowhide ropes. He staggered forward, feeling full of resentment.

After calming down and reviewing the entire battle situation, he finally realized where his army had failed. From the moment the battle began, his army had actually fallen into a passive position and had been led by the enemy.

Yan Yi's actions were truly swift! Immediately after defeating Zhu Zhi, he marched south, giving them no time to react. Even if they had been given a day longer, the outcome of this war would never have been the same! While their army seemed to have a clear advantage of 25,000 men, they were scattered across the country, requiring time to assemble, which directly led to the failure of the entire battle.

Qiantang was like a tempting fruit. In order to prevent the enemy from swallowing it first, our army gave up its greatest advantage and rushed into it one by one like moths to a flame, giving the enemy the opportunity to defeat them one by one. Who could we blame?
If we had known this would happen, we would have abandoned Qiantang first and waited until the main force had assembled before advancing on the border. This way, our chances of victory would have been much higher.

But it's too late, there's no point in hindsight!
Yu Fan showed a bitter smile on his face, looked back at the corpses scattered all over the ground, and felt a deep sense of guilt in his heart.

An hour later, the two armies facing each other on both sides of the water retreated first, with Zhang Ya's army leading the retreat, marking the end of the war.

Zhang Ya was a clever man. After Yu Fan and the others were captured, he became the supreme commander of Wang Lang's 10,000-man army. However, he did not lead his troops directly back to Fuchun, but instead stationed them at various strongholds along the west bank of the river, giving Wang Lang a final dose of dignity.

At least from the perspective of the situation, Wang Lang's army still occupied part of Qiantang's territory, so the defeat was not too ugly.

Fan Yan and others led their troops back to Qiantang for rest and recuperation, and also left some garrisons in various strongholds along the way.

At this time, the busiest people were the spies and scouts of various factions. After learning the outcome of the battle between the Yan and Xu families, swift horses rushed to various places like arrows from a bow.

Han You, the first to receive the news, was practically pissed. He had never imagined that his elder brother, whom he had placed such high hopes on, would die so soon. Panic-stricken, he quickly ordered his entire army to retreat to Yong'an, while also sending a congratulatory letter to Yan Yi, asking when the first porcelain transaction would take place.

When Xu Zhao received the news, Yan Yi was writing a letter to Zhu Zhi at his residence in Qiantang.

"I am deeply grateful for your recent military assistance. Your righteous act is truly the act of a true man."

"I am writing this letter to inform you of recent developments. I led my troops to attack Qiantang, and thanks to the bravery of my officers and men, we have conquered the city. I have also defeated Wang Lang's army, greatly weakening its momentum and disintegrating it into a complete disarray. It is all thanks to your assistance that we have achieved this victory."

"However, the battle is not over yet. Wu Jing's army is still there, and its momentum is fierce, and it is planning to do something bad. Wucheng is a strategically important place. If it is lost, the whole country will be in danger. I want to work with you to make a big plan and join forces to resist it. I hope you can send your elite troops to Wucheng as soon as possible to join forces with our army to resist the enemy. If we can defeat Wu Jing together, the land of Jiangdong can be stabilized, and I will definitely reward you generously."

"Books cannot express everything. I look forward to the general's troops joining us in this great undertaking."

Yan Yi finished writing the letter and immediately ordered someone to send it out quickly. After a moment's thought, he picked up his pen and wrote another letter to Xu Gong, also inviting him to send troops.

Although he conquered Qiantang, he suffered heavy casualties. He had no extra troops to mobilize back to Wucheng before Wang Lang could withdraw completely. His only option now was to borrow troops from Xu Gong and Xu Zhao, offering them significant benefits.

What he lacked most now was time. If he were given a little time, he could quickly transform the gains from the conquest of Qiantang into military strength to eliminate the threat posed by Wu Jing.

Yan Yi finished writing the letter and sighed slightly. Just as he was about to deal with the pile of Qiantang affairs, Yin Li suddenly came hurriedly and whispered, "Young Master, Zhu Zhi has been assassinated!"

(End of this chapter)