Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 184 Sun Ce Requests Battle
"Promise to the king to conquer Jiangnan?"

A sneer appeared on Yan Yi's lips. He put the copper pot on the ground and gently stroked the mane of the young tiger lying in front of the pot and licking its food, with a thoughtful look between his brows.

Ever since Xu Gong got Liu Yao's influence, he has been causing trouble frequently.

A while ago, the prefect of Wujun issued a letter of instruction to all counties and prefectures in Jiangdong in the name of Liu Yao, calling on all forces to rise up together and expel Wu Jing, but he received no response, and the situation was once very embarrassing.

Now it seems that Xu Gong must have realized the shortcomings of his own strength and began to actively seek allies, turning his attention to Wang Lang.

Judging from Wang Lang's reaction, he had probably reached a cooperation with Xu Gong, otherwise he would not allow rumors to spread freely in Kuaiji.

The two of them combined almost occupied half of Jiangdong's territory and population, and it was the richest area. Their comprehensive strength had already left other forces far behind, making them the crown of Jiangdong, with extraordinary influence and appeal.

"I want to borrow Liu Yao's Dragon Slaying Sword to command the heroes and conquer the world!"

Yan Yi murmured, stood up, and realized his dangerous situation.

Qiantang City stands majestically on the banks of the Zhejiang River, connected to Wu County in the north and Kuaiji in the south, right at the throat of the two, like a sharp blade, cutting the spine of Wu and Kuaiji and splitting the two counties into two.

No matter how Xu Gong and Wang Lang cooperated, they could not avoid Qiantang. As long as Qiantang was in Yan Yi's hands, Wu Hui would not be able to unite.

It can be imagined that as time goes on, Qiantang will become a thorn in the eyes and a thorn in the flesh of Xu and Wang.

At that time, Yan Yi would have only two choices: either surrender to Xu Gong and Wang Lang, or be strangled by them together.

This is the general trend and cannot be changed by personal will.

Fortunately, Xu Gong is now focusing on the Battle of Wucheng, and Wang Lang has just suffered a crushing defeat, so Yan Yi still has some time to recover.

Yin Li clearly realized the seriousness of the situation. She observed Yan Yi's expression from time to time and continued to report cautiously, "Besides this, there's another children's rhyme that's also been widely circulated: 'Wushan is green, the water flows long, and King Xu joins forces to raise Liu Lang. The call for talented people has spread far and wide, and the heroes gather at the top of Wu County!"

This is a naked attempt to take advantage of the situation to recruit talents from various counties.

Upon hearing this, Yan Yi's expression darkened, and he couldn't help but feel hatred towards Xu Gong and Wang Lang. If these two hadn't been secretly plotting, Zhou Tai would have already joined his army!
He asked in a cold voice, "Where is Qiao Ruijun?"

A few days ago, Qiao Rui, a general under Yuan Shu, personally led 7,000 troops to support Wu Jing.

Qiao Rui was Yuan Shu's trusted general. Although his ability to lead troops was somewhat mediocre, he was extremely brave in combat and dared to fight. He was the vanguard of Yuan Shu's conquests in all directions.

He was one of the few generals under Yuan Shu who had a close personal relationship with Sun Ce, and his two nieces were the two Qiao sisters, Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao, who were famous in history for "the two Qiao sisters leaning against each other, making Jiangdong pale in comparison".

However, Da Qiao is only fourteen years old now, and Xiao Qiao is only thirteen years old, and their reputation as beauties has not yet spread.

"Qiao Rui's army has been stationed at Shangyang Pavilion, eight miles southwest of Wucheng, and is currently engaged in combat with Xu Gong's army. The fighting is fierce, and Qiao Rui's army has a clear advantage. Xu Gong's army can only rely on its defensive fortifications to hold out. Xu Gong intends to send reinforcements from Youquan."

Yin Li was well-informed about the situation on the Wucheng front, and answered immediately. Yan Yi nodded with satisfaction, hoping the Qiao and Xu armies would fight even harder. Wucheng was now like a vast tomb, constantly devouring the lives of soldiers from all sides.

However, he also knew that this situation could not be sustained for long. Xu Gong's dissatisfaction with him grew day by day, and daily documents urging reinforcements poured into Qiantang like snowflakes. If he did not send troops, the internal conflicts among the Wucheng defenders would escalate to a point where they would be difficult to control.

"What's the situation on Sun Ce's side?" he asked in a deep voice.

Yin Li was well aware of Yan Yi's regard for Sun Ce and quickly said, "Sun Ce is leading his army to besiege Shu County day and night. Once they capture this city, Lujiang County will fall completely into Yuan Shu's hands."

He paused, raised his head slightly, his gaze resting on Yan Yi's face for a moment, then quickly lowered his head again. "This man is deeply obsessed with attacking Jiangdong and has already petitioned Yuan Shu four times to fight. I heard that Yuan Shu has agreed and is planning to appoint him as the Commandant of Danyang to lead troops to reinforce Wu Jing. After the battle of Lujiang is over, Sun Ce should soon appear in Wucheng."

Yan Yi's heartbeat quickened after hearing this. For so long, Sun Ce had been like a sword hanging over his head, making him tread on thin ice.

Now, the sword is finally about to fall.

While Yan Yi was filled with tension, he also felt an unprecedented sense of relaxation, as if a huge rock that had been pressing on his heart for a long time had fallen to the ground. Even his breathing became smoother, and there was even a hint of anticipation.

He quickly regained his composure and calm, and asked, "Have you figured out Yuan Jun's next strategic intention?"

Yin Li shook his head and said slowly, "Yuan Shu appointed Sun Ce as the Commandant of Danyang, probably intending him to replace Wu Jing. Wu Jing's reputation is notorious and he is no longer fit to lead. However, changing commanders mid-battle is a major military taboo, so this matter is still full of uncertainties."

Yan Yi nodded slightly and asked some more details, and Yin Li answered fluently.

He patted Yin Li's shoulder affectionately and was very satisfied with the latter's performance.

After Yin Li took up the position of Inspector, he adapted quickly and gradually showed his ability to stand on his own.

While the two were talking, a personal attendant came over to report, "Young Master, a dozen Nanyang merchants have come to the government temple. They say they have urgent matters to attend to."

Yan Yi was slightly stunned, with a hint of surprise in his eyes. He had just started to prepare for the South Seas trade, and the news had not been released yet. How come someone came to him so soon?
He said with great interest, "I won't go to the official temple today. I'll bring them here. Call Yang Xun as well."

Yang Xun once served under Zhao Rui and was one of the managers who managed Zhao's trade in Southeast Asia. He knew some Austronesian and South Asian languages ​​and saved his life thanks to his linguistic talent.

Two quarters of an hour later, thirteen Nanyang people, led by the steward of the mansion, timidly walked into a garden in the front yard of Yan's mansion.

These Nanyang people were generally shorter than the Han Chinese, but had strong builds. Their skin was dark brown or black, their noses were straight, their lips were thick, and they wore brightly colored but monochromatic robes. They stood in two rows on the lawn, observing their surroundings with curiosity.

Seeing Yan Yi slowly approaching, surrounded by more than a dozen followers, some of the more astute ones had guessed the identity of the newcomer and hurriedly knelt on the ground, prostrating themselves in greeting. The others also reacted instantly and knelt down.

Yan Yi sat down on the nanmu chair in the middle of the lawn and said lazily, "Ask them who is the leader and ask them to come out and talk."

(I've been a bit tired these past few days, and I'm not in the habit of just writing to get by. I really can't finish two chapters today. I'll take a short break and only update one chapter. I apologize to my brothers. Please bear with me and I'll resume writing two chapters tomorrow.)
(End of this chapter)