Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 173 Twenty Thousand Troops

Zhao Rui spent a quarter of an hour explaining the situation in Nanyang and was already exhausted and out of breath.

Yan Yi's expression remained normal, but his tone had grown colder. "I'm quite interested in the Zhao family's trading channels in Southeast Asia. I wonder if Mr. Zhao would be willing to tell me the truth?"

He spoke the last four words almost word by word.

A hint of uneasiness flashed across Zhao Rui's eyes, but he feigned composure and said, "Young Master, are you truly willing to spare my adopted grandson, allow them to leave Qiantang safely, and never harm him?"

Yan Yi said calmly, "A man's word is his bond."

Zhao Rui stared at his face, observing him for a moment before sighing, "Young Master, if you can keep your word, I will be willing to hand over the Nanyang trading channels and the list of assassins."

Yan Yi's eyes showed no joy at all. He sighed and said, "I have been honest with Zhao Jun, but why did Zhao Jun want to harm me?"

Zhao Rui was shocked and said, "I am already a dying man, how dare I harm the young master?"

Yan Yi sneered, "If I follow your advice and fully cooperate with Funan, wouldn't that completely infuriate Linyi? How will my fleet ever be able to set foot in Southeast Asia in the future?"

Zhao Rui's thoughts were revealed in one sentence, and his face turned pale as paper in an instant.

The reason why he dared to mix deception and misleading words in his words was that he relied on the fact that there were only a few people who knew the inside story of Nanyang, and he thought that he would never be discovered.

If he could disrupt Yan Yi's layout in Southeast Asia, he would be happy even if he died.

But who would have thought that just as a glimmer of hope arose in my heart, it was shattered in the blink of an eye.

Zhao Rui looked at Yan Yi, his eyes full of astonishment and disbelief, as if he had seen a ghost, and his heart was in turmoil.

This kid isn't even an adult yet, he's only nineteen years old, how could he know so much about Nanyang's internal affairs?

Suddenly, he couldn't help but shiver, and a chill ran up his spine to his forehead.

Yan Yi was staring at him with a creepy look, as if he was a ferocious beast about to pounce and swallow him in the next moment.

Zhao Rui suddenly woke up, the last trace of resistance in his heart disappeared, and he pleaded, "I will never dare to deceive you again. Please give me another chance."

Yan Yi stared into his eyes and said word by word, "I know you still have some money hidden. If you're willing to hand it over, I can let go of what happened just now, and my previous promise will still stand. Otherwise, I will make your entire Zhao family suffer a fate worse than death!"

Zhao Rui seemed to have seen the most terrifying devil in the world. He squeezed out a few neurotic laughs from his throat. After a long time, he slowly lowered his head, his voice hoarse and weak, as if he had used up all his strength: "I am willing to speak."

A quarter of an hour later, Yan Yi stood up and left the room, leaving Zhao Rui lying limp on the ground behind him.

Yin Li followed closely behind him and asked in a low voice, "Young Master, are you really going to let the Zhao family's descendants go?"

Yan Yi paused and said calmly, "If you promised, you must do it. Take them to Yuncheng and imprison them until they die."

Yin Li shuddered slightly and bowed to accept the order.

Yan Yi left Zhao's house, got on the carriage, and returned to Yan's house. He began to deal with the official business that had accumulated in the city during the day, and did not fall asleep until late at night.

For the next few days, he made no major moves, merely monitoring the progress of the war in Wucheng while finishing up the elimination of the powerful families. After the demise of several powerful families, led by the Zhao family, the various clans in Qiantang were like frightened birds, their courage shattered, and they all restrained themselves and kept to themselves.

The once arrogant and domineering sons of the wealthy families now stayed indoors, staying at home every day and carefully sending people to inquire about the news. Often, the slightest movement of Yan Yi would terrify them to death, and they were in a state of panic.

But for the people of Qiantang, it was like welcoming a brand new world, and their lives began to get better day by day.

The people's hearts are like water, which can carry a boat.

In this favorable environment, Yan Yi began to accelerate the pace of military expansion and launched a comprehensive recruitment campaign in all the townships and villages in Qiantang, Yuncheng and Rencheng.

Now that he was wealthy and powerful and had the support of the people, as soon as the conscription order was issued, it received an enthusiastic response from people everywhere.

In Qiantang alone, 10,000 soldiers were recruited in just a few days, and all of them were selected and excellent soldiers.

Even people from the counties surrounding Qiantang came here after hearing the news. Some chose to settle in Qiantang, while others chose to join the army.

Yan Yi incorporated the newly recruited 10,000 troops into his own army, totaling 15,500 people, of which 3,500 were Yan Baihu's troops.

He did not intend to keep Yan Baihu's 3,500 troops, so he sent them to Wucheng, to return to Yan Baihu's command and participate in the Battle of Wucheng.

The remaining 12,000 soldiers were his personal troops. Together with the 1,500 soldiers taken away by Xu Sheng, the number of soldiers in Qiantang was close to 14,000.

In addition, Yuncheng and Rencheng also recruited 2,500 and 1,500 soldiers respectively, bringing the garrisons of the two cities to 3,000 soldiers each.

In total, after the expansion, the number of troops under Yan Yi had reached a terrifying 20,000.

It's really a crazy massacre.
When Fan Yan hurried to Qiantang Official Temple with the latest military register and presented it to Yan Yi, his hands were shaking slightly.

He never dreamed that one day he would personally participate in and witness the birth of an army of 20,000 people.

Yan Yi remained calm. He read the military register several times and gradually realized a troublesome problem.

The problem is not the training of the soldiers, but the lack of generals to lead the troops.

This wasn't an army of 2,000, but 20,000! According to the rule of 200 men per section, that meant a full 100 sections. How could he find so many qualified military marquises, garrison commanders, and team leaders in such a short time?
It's fun to rush troops, but the aftereffects are not small.
But there is no other way. Driven by the severe situation and the next step of expansion, this is a necessary step, and the sooner it is completed, the better.

Yan Yi held the military register and pondered for a long time, thoughts flashing through his mind. Finally, he said, "Divide the entire army into two branches: field troops and garrison troops. The field army will be established with a strength of 10,000 men, with officers and military equipment given priority. As for the garrison troops, they can be organized into two sequences. The Qiantang garrison will be the first sequence, and the Yuncheng and Rencheng garrisons will be the second sequence. Prioritize the establishment of the Qiantang garrison."

Fan Yan approved of this plan very much. A huge weight lifted off his shoulders and he nodded in agreement.

Yan Yi continued, "Continue to promote new officers throughout the army. Have veterans lead new recruits, and veteran generals lead new generals. Complete the establishment of the entire army as soon as possible!"

Fan Yan clasped his fists and replied, "I will complete the training of the field army as soon as possible. As long as we lead this group of troops out to experience a few battles, new leaders will soon emerge."

Yan Yi nodded slightly. The battlefield is indeed the best melting pot, which can continuously cultivate new generals to lead the troops.

Ordinary generals can be trained deliberately, but good generals are hard to find!
When will he have a second, third, or fourth Xu Sheng?

(End of this chapter)