Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 163 Pinghai
Yan Yi almost burst out laughing when he heard this.

The person Xu Jing valued most, Shang Sheng, was precisely the one he valued least. Shang Sheng's abilities were mediocre, and many of his subordinates were ruthless and heartless. He was perfectly placed to bring harm to Wang Lang.

The ransom for Shang Sheng was quickly agreed upon as one party was eager to redeem the property and the other was eager to sell it off.

The final ransom was 55 million yuan.

Not all of this money came from the Kuaiji treasury; about 40% of it came from the Shang family.

Shang Sheng was the pillar of the Shang clan. His death in Qiantang would be a catastrophe for the Shang clan, so they would redeem him, even if it meant selling everything they had. The worst that could happen was that they could extort more money from the people after Shang Sheng returned to Kuaiji.

Despite this, the ransom was still too high for Xu Jing, and he would inevitably be scolded by Wang Lang when he returned.

Yan Yi looked at the gloomy Xu Jing and said in a considerate tone, "Mr. Xu, this price is already the lowest, and it can't be lowered any lower. However, you and I hit it off right away. For Mr. Xu's sake, I have a compromise that should help you resolve your problem."

Xu Jing's spirits lifted, and he quickly said, "Please teach me, young master."

A gleam flashed in Yan Yi's eyes, and his tone became gentler. "I heard that the Kuaiji Craftsman Supervisor developed a giant sea vessel last year, eighty feet high and sixteen feet long, named Pinghai. Mr. Xu, why not use this ship as ransom to exchange for Shang Sheng?"

Xu Jing's eyebrows furrowed in a frown upon hearing this. The Pinghai was a powerful maritime vessel, the product of ten years of painstaking effort by the Kuaiji Craftsman Supervisor. The entire county had combined its resources, and after a year, only five were built. Although it was merely a cargo ship, it had greatly expanded trade between Kuaiji and ports like Panyu and Hepu in Jiaozhou, and had become a symbol of Kuaiji's navy. How could it be easily sold to another county?
He shook his head and was about to refuse when he suddenly saw Yan Yi stand up and stride towards him. His whole body tensed up immediately.

Yan Yi whispered in his ear, "Mr. Xu, can you please talk to me for a moment?"

Xu Jing was intimidated by his aura, stood up subconsciously, and followed him to an ear room.

Yan Yi closed the door, pulled him down to sit on the couch, and whispered, "The cost of building the Pinghai is about 10 million coins. I'll buy two for 30 million, and give Mr. Xu another 8 million coins privately. How do you think that works?"

After hearing this, Xu Jing's heart started pounding, almost jumping out of his chest, and his breathing became noticeably faster.

Yan Yi observed his expression and said softly, "If Mr. Xu can facilitate this matter, he will be my honored guest in the future. If there ever comes a day when Wang Lang can no longer accommodate you, I will prepare a bed to welcome you."

If Lü Bu was a slave to three families, Xu Jing was a slave to six. Throughout history, he changed masters six times, serving each one to their satisfaction and maintaining an unblemished reputation. Lü Bu, on the other hand, wasn't even worthy of carrying Xu Jing's shoes.

Yan Yi knew very well that Xu Jing only used Kuaiji as a base and had little loyalty to Wang Lang, so he did not waste any words and directly tempted him with huge benefits.

Sure enough, Xu Jing hesitated for a moment, then, unable to suppress his greed, nodded and agreed: "Young Master, could you please return some of the boats seized at Guling Ferry? That way, I can talk to Lord Yu."

When Yan Yi captured Guling Ferry that day, most of the warships at the dock had already been taken away by Zhou Xin. He only seized a few warships and more than thirty small boats, and he didn't take it seriously at all. He immediately said, "Since Mr. Xu has asked, there is no reason to refuse. There is no need to return part of it. Let Mr. Xu take it all back."

Xu Jing was overjoyed when he heard this and stood up to bow to Yan Yi. Wang Lang was very concerned about his reputation, and this incident was enough for him to show his ability in front of Wang Lang.

Yan Yi was overjoyed. He had purchased the Pinghai not only for its long-distance sailing capabilities but also for Kuaiji's shipbuilding technology. The Yan family had almost no experience in shipbuilding, and with the Pinghai, they could shorten their development time, at least for large ships, by several years.

For a moment, the two looked at each other and smiled, both very happy.

Yan Yi looked at Xu Jing, the traitor, with increasing satisfaction. He waved his hand and said, "It is a great pleasure to meet Mr. Xu today. Since that's the case, I will reduce Yu Fan's ransom to 60 million coins. Mr. Xu, please take him back with you."

Unexpectedly, Xu Jing shook his head and said, "Young Master, this price is too high."

Yan Yi frowned and said, "Yu Fan is the Gongcao of Kuaiji, second only to the emperor and above ten thousand men. This price is definitely not expensive, so please do not bargain any further, Mr. Xu."

This was his true feelings. If it weren't for the spur of the moment, he wouldn't have sold Yu Fan for 60 million yuan. Xu Jing didn't want to bring Yu Fan back, but he couldn't say it out loud. He could only talk about other things, looking uninterested.

Yan Yi said solemnly, "What if the ransom is the same as Shang Sheng's?"

Xu Jing still shook his head and refused.

Yan Yi also noticed the strangeness at this time, and without saying anything more, he gave Zhou Xin another sky-high price.

In Xu Jing's eyes, Zhou Xin was worthless. He offered a price of 10 million and said no more.

Yan Yi was pleased with this and changed the topic elsewhere.

The two of them were talking and laughing, looking very happy. But when they left the room, they returned to their previous aloofness.

That day, Yan Yi set up a banquet in his mansion to entertain Xu Jing, and also called Quan Rou and other celebrities in the city to join him.

Xu Jing loved mountains and rivers. Lingyin Mountain and Baoshi Mountain in Qiantang were both places that fascinated him, but he had to give up because of time constraints.

Yan Yi smiled and said, "Mr. Xu, haven't you heard of the beauty of West Lake in Qiantang? This lake is vast and clear as a mirror. It's just south of your route home. You should go and see it."

In reality, West Lake hadn't yet taken shape; it was merely a natural bay connected to the Qiantang River, far less renowned than it would later become. Even the name West Lake had been changed only yesterday by Yan Yi's order. The lake's original name was Qiantang Lake.

Yan Yi was like a child who had just gotten a favorite toy. He couldn't wait to show it off to his friends, even if the toy was still in its infancy.

When Xu Jing heard that it was Yan Yi who recommended it personally, he immediately became very excited and said that he must go and see it.

For a time, the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves.

Just as Yan Yi was entertaining Xu Jing, an army of about 5,000 people was marching towards Wucheng on the Shishan official road.

The general leading the troops was Xu Zhao.

The day before yesterday, when Xu Zhao received Yan Yi's letter, he was very hesitant about sending troops. After all, this time they were not fighting against a weakling like Han You, but a vicious wolf like Wu Jing.

Although Yan Yi deceived Xu Gong in the letter and said that Xu Gong would send troops soon, Xu Zhao was still hesitant.

It was not until Yan Baihu also sent a letter that he finally made up his mind.

Xu Zhao and Yan Baihu had similar personalities and a deep friendship, having known each other for over a decade. At the time, Xu Zhao was still smuggling salt, and Yan Baihu was just a small-time bandit who had gathered a group of twenty or thirty brothers. The two of them had met when they were still relatively humble.

Yan Yi tempted Xu Zhao with great benefits, Yan Baihu invited him with loyalty, and the two families had just formed an alliance. Under such circumstances, it was really difficult for Xu Zhao to refuse.

Judging from the situation, Wu Jing's power had been greatly weakened after Zhu Zhi's defeat. If he invaded Wu Commandery, he would be met with the full force of Yan and Xu Gong, and would not be invincible. This was also an important reason why Xu Zhao was willing to send troops.

However, Xu Zhao was still very cautious, fearing that he would lose all his capital. Therefore, he only brought 3,000 elite soldiers with him. The other 2,000 soldiers were all newly recruited soldiers.

Like other forces in Jiangdong, facing an increasingly complex situation, he was also vigorously expanding his military.

(There are red envelopes in this chapter, brothers remember to claim them.)
(End of this chapter)