Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 166 Inspection
The momentum of Yan Yi's trip this time was even more grand and grand than when he inspected Qiantang City the day before.

The inspection team included more than thirty carriages, one hundred personal cavalry, eight hundred elite infantry, and two hundred attendants and maids. Stretching for miles, the procession moved majestically along the official road, causing a sensation in the surrounding villages and attracting more than ten thousand people to watch along the way.

Half of the officials and clan leaders in Qiantang City participated in this trip.

Every time the convoy passed through a township pavilion, the local officials would prepare in advance the three kinds of meat, wine, and local specialties, and lead the village elders, prominent families, and common people to welcome the convoy at the township office or pavilion.

When approaching the township office and pavilion, the official road was crowded with people on both sides, crowded with onlookers, the sounds of flutes and drums rose one after another, and people prostrating themselves and kneeling in worship were endless.

His power is truly so great that it reaches a hundred miles away and all the people bow to him.

Yan Yi's trip was carefully prepared and was a move to intimidate and convince the people, in an attempt to quickly integrate the various forces in Qiantang and leave a deep mark of the Yan family throughout Qiantang.

He spent nearly half of his time handling official business in his carriage, and the rest of his time was used to meet with officials, celebrities and representatives of various ethnic groups from all over the country.

Military reports from Wucheng would be delivered by express horse every hour so that he could keep track of the battle on the front line at any time.

What Yan Yi was reading at the moment was a military report that had just arrived.

Wu Jing's army had advanced ten miles west of Wucheng.
Wu Jing's army has captured White Tiger City.
Xu Zhaojun has arrived in Wucheng
The troops from various cities under Xu Gong's jurisdiction were being mobilized towards Wuxian and Youquan. The vanguard had already left Wuxian and was marching towards Wucheng.
The Marshal's casualties have risen to 5,000.
It is estimated that more than 4,000 households have fled Wucheng.
There is no sign of collaboration between the Wucheng ethnic groups
Yan Yi unfolded and closed the scrolls of imperial edicts one after another, his face showing a look of worry and joy at times.

He has made some adjustments to the strategic goals of the Battle of Wucheng based on the battle situation.

Initially, his idea was to defend Wucheng with all his strength and repel Wu Jing. However, as reinforcements from Xu Zhao, Xu Gong, and others arrived or approached Wucheng, his plan quietly changed. He tried to use the Wucheng battlefield to deplete the strength of Wu Jing, Xu Gong, and Xu Zhao.

And when the armies of Wu, Xu and Xu are exhausted, it will be the best time for him to enter the battlefield.

The expansion of the army had just begun, and the troops were in disarray. If he rushed in rashly, not only would it be difficult to repel Wu Jing, but he would also be drawn into a protracted war of attrition. Xu Gong and Xu Zhao's troops would take the opportunity to retreat and use him as a shield.

He had just conquered Qiantang and suffered heavy casualties. He could use this as an excuse to delay the dispatch of troops, and Xu Gong and Xu Zhao would not be suspicious. Placing Wucheng in danger and forcing them to confront Wu Jing head-on would be the most advantageous situation for him.

However, this scale is quite difficult to control. We cannot let Wucheng fall into life-and-death crisis, nor can we let Xu Gong and Xu Zhao develop disloyalty.

Yan Yi wasn't too worried about Wucheng's survival at the moment. He had already ordered Xu Sheng to lead 500 cavalry and 1,000 elite infantry to Wucheng. Together with the reinforcements from Xu Gong and Xu Zhao, they would be enough to hold Wucheng.

Yan Yi's heart ached at the thought of Xu Sheng's cavalry. After the Battle of Qiantang, this elite cavalry, which he had painstakingly built, was reduced to only two hundred men, a devastating loss. Although it had been hastily replenished to five hundred, its combat effectiveness had declined significantly.

Fortunately, the weapons, armor, and some warhorses of the fallen soldiers were still there. Furthermore, he had already been using the spoils from Qiantang to purchase a large amount of weapons and warhorses. Given time, this cavalry would surely regain its former strength, perhaps even surpass it. Under these circumstances, Chen Gan was unwilling to immediately send the 400 heavily armored infantrymen under his command to Wucheng. In the subsequent expansion, he would use these 400 infantrymen as the foundation to build an even larger heavy infantry force.

Yan Yi closed his eyes slightly, thought about the complicated matters in his mind, and gradually sorted out the ideas.

He lifted the carriage curtain and instructed a guard standing on the axle, "Send Cao Qiu over."

Cao Qiu, who is known as a jack of all trades, was summoned by Yan Yi to deal with some confidential matters before he even had time to settle down in Yuncheng.

Cao Qiu would never want to stay in Yuncheng. He wanted to stay by Yan Yi's side forever, so as not to be out of Yan Yi's core circle of power.

He walked onto the carriage respectfully, performed his greetings, then knelt in the compartment and carefully sorted out the scattered bamboo slips on the table.

Yan Yi looked at this humble young man, who was only good at handling household affairs but whose other talents were not outstanding, and his eyes softened. "Qiantang is very prosperous. You might as well move your family here. I have ordered a house to be prepared for you. It's near my residence. I saw it when I passed by it yesterday. It's very nice. You don't need to bring any servants. They are all ready."

Cao Qiu nodded in agreement. Qiantang was the future political and economic center of Yan Yi's territory, and it was an unwritten rule that the families of some important officials would relocate there. He didn't object to this. Instead, he sensed a sense of closeness and trust in Yan Yi's words.

After Yan Yi finished speaking, his expression grew more serious. He continued, "I promised to give Xu Gong and Xu Zhao a 20% bonus on the money and grain. It will be distributed in five batches. The first batch can be sent immediately to Yuhang and Wuxian. You will personally oversee this. In addition, I will select some rare treasures from the Qiantang treasury and send them to them according to their preferences."

Cao Qiu respectfully accepted the order and said softly, "I've heard that Xu Zhao is fond of beautiful women and Xu Gong likes to keep dancers. Could you please select some for them according to the etiquette of a two thousand stone county governor?"

Yan Yi nodded slightly, agreeing. After conquering Qiantang, he captured many of the city's dignitaries, their families, and their slaves, bringing with him countless beautiful concubines and maids. Some of the best were taken into the Yan household, while the majority were used as rewards for his subordinates or given away as gifts.

Cao Qiu continued, "We've run into some trouble with our weapons procurement. The trade route to Kuaiji has been suddenly blocked, making it difficult to transport goods to Qiantang by land. Furthermore, some unidentified bandits have appeared along the way, specifically targeting our goods for looting. I've already ordered the suspension of purchases from Kuaiji."

Yan Yi laughed to himself when he heard this. It seemed Wang Lang was really going crazy this time, not even taking the money that was delivered to him.

He adjusted his sitting position, the face of the traitor Xu Jing flashing through his mind. He pondered, "Contact Xu Jing secretly and let him handle this matter. If he has any conditions, agree to them as long as they are not excessive. If he is demanding, tell me and I will handle it myself."

A hint of surprise flashed in Cao Qiu's eyes. He thought to himself that the young master's spies were really everywhere. He smiled with a sense of relief and nodded.

After the two men finished discussing everything, Cao Qiu stood up, bowed and left.

Yan Yi suddenly stopped him and asked, "Are you familiar with the affairs of Yuncheng?"

(End of this chapter)