Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 24 Military Intelligence
After finishing his instructions on all matters, Yan Yi took Si Qing and returned to Wucheng.

This trip out of the city was quite fruitful. Not only did the recruitment of soldiers go very smoothly, but he also gained Xu Sheng's loyalty. At the same time, it also allowed him to see the current situation of Xiangting and do some practical things that were in line with the people's wishes.

I believe that within a few days, these things will spread throughout Wucheng and even the nearby counties, reversing the bad image left by the original owner in one fell swoop.

However, the advancement of these matters was based on the principle of executing first and reporting later, and after returning to the city, he would inevitably be scolded by Yan Baihu.

Sure enough, before Yan Yi entered the city, he met the Yan Mansion's personal guards who were out of the city looking for him on the official road outside the city. Yan Baihu was already impatient to recall him.

Are you the boss of Wucheng or am I? If I let you mess around for another two days, how can you live peacefully?
Yan Baihu could no longer sit still. In the past two days, more people came to him to complain than in the past two months combined.

As soon as Yan Yi walked into the backyard of the Yan Mansion, he saw Yan Baihu walking back and forth anxiously in the main hall with his hands behind his back. When he saw him, he snorted and turned to sit in the main seat.

Xu Ying was sitting on one side of the main room, holding a fat orange cat in her arms and combing its hair.

Yan Yi walked into the house and bowed respectfully: "Greetings, father and mother."

Xu Ying gave him a doting look and said, "Have you taken good care of yourself after running around outside the city these past two days? Come here and let me take a look."

Yan Baihu snorted coldly when he heard this.

Yan Yi walked up to Xu Ying. Xu Ying put the cat down, stood up, took his hand, looked him up and down, and looked curiously at the copper basin he was holding in his hands: "What is this?"

"Father's reputation is known far and wide, and the people praise him. These are a few luminous fish specially presented to him by the refugees from Danyang." Yan Yi smiled, walked over to Yan Baihu, placed the copper basin on the table, and pointed at the small, orange-yellow fish in the basin. He said, "The Nanyue Chronicles says that luminous fish are yellow and beautiful, and they glow at night. If father wasn't loved by the people, they wouldn't have presented him with such spiritual seeds."

Due to the bacteria living in its body, the light-bearing fish emits a faint light at night. In this era of superstition, it is very popular among the powerful and wealthy. Although it is not rare, its number is definitely not large.

These glowing fish were indeed presented by refugees from Danyang, but they were not given to Yan Baihu, but to Yan Yi.

Yan Baihu's tense expression softened after receiving the flattery, but a hint of dissatisfaction remained in his tone. "Because of the strict prohibition against plundering civilians, several soldiers came to me yesterday to complain. They said that soldiers from all camps were complaining privately. You're the one who stirs up trouble!"

Yan Yi refused to budge on this issue. He said in a deep voice, "Since ancient times, meritorious service in the military has been rewarded, and faults punished. This is how soldiers bravely advance in battle. There have been no wars in recent years, and the soldiers have achieved no merit. Instead, they enrich themselves with the people's wealth and neglect military discipline. When war breaks out, how can such an army be combat-ready? Furthermore, the people's hearts are like water; it can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Father, you cannot destroy our foundation just to satisfy these people's selfish desires."

Yan Baihu said angrily, "What do you know at such a young age? If I don't give them money and wealth, how can they risk their lives for me?"

"You can't win over the army by plundering the people. What's the difference between that and drinking poison to quench thirst?" Yan Yi sneered.

Xu Ying hurried over and said, "Father and son, why bother arguing?"

"Forget it!" Yan Baihu sighed, his cheeks trembling as he revealed a distressed expression. "The man has been killed, the decree has been issued, and this matter will remain as it is for now. But why do we have to exempt the refugees from taxes? This tax revenue is enough for me to quell the resentment in the army." Yan Yi said patiently, "In troubled times, population is the foundation of survival. Although exempting the refugees from taxes will result in a loss of tax revenue, it will win the hearts and minds of the people. Father only needs to sit back at home, and refugees from all over will come to him and rely on him. This is a highly profitable business, and we must do it. Forcibly collecting taxes from the refugees, which will destroy six out of ten families, is tantamount to killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. The pros and cons are obvious at a glance."

"Yier is right." Xu Ying agreed and said to Yan Baihu, "The treasury isn't collapsing right now, so why are you so focused on this little bit of tax revenue? The people in the city are all talking about this matter now, and they're all praising Yier. This is a reputation that no amount of money can buy."

Yan Baihu muttered, "I know that, but Yuan Shu's intention to invade Jiangdong is becoming increasingly apparent, so I have no choice but to prepare more military supplies."

Yan Yi coughed lightly and said, "Don't worry, father. It will take some time for Wu Jing to consolidate his current territory. I think it will take at least another year for Yuan Shu to invade Jiangdong."

Not long after he finished speaking, Xu Yan hurried over and reported into the room, "Commander-in-Chief, there is important military intelligence to report to you. He is waiting in the White Tiger Hall."

Fei Shang, courtesy name Wenheng, was the head of the Fei family. When Yan Baihu launched his campaign against Wucheng, the Wucheng nobles, sensing the situation was dire, quickly sided with Yan Baihu, aiding him in his capture. After the war, many of those serving in the county military became tied to Yan Baihu, wielding considerable political power.

In the past, when the world was stable, the power of recommendation and appointment was in the hands of the aristocratic families. Most of the children of the wealthy families could only serve as officials in the counties. Although they were rich, they had no prominent positions.

Today, the world is in chaos and the central government is collapsing. The powerful families have taken advantage of the situation to rise up, form alliances with warlords in various places, and gradually gained the power to challenge the traditional families. The embryonic form of new families has already appeared.

Yan Yi followed Yan Baihu to Baihu Hall. When they reached the corridor outside the hall, they saw a middle-aged man with a white face and long beard, wearing a white brocade robe and a green ribbon around his waist, standing at the bottom of the steps in front of the hall, flipping through a scroll of bamboo slips.

Hearing the footsteps, Fei Shang rolled up the bamboo slips slowly, first bowed to Yan Baihu, then smiled and rarely saluted Yan Yi.

Yan Yi returned the greeting with a smile, "I am a junior, how dare I accept your courtesy."

Fei Shang smiled and said, "Young Master punishes corrupt officials and loves the people with kindness. He already has the potential to be a great leader. He deserves it, deserves it!"

Yan Baihu was delighted to hear this. As he walked towards the main hall, he asked, "Wen Heng, don't praise him. I'm very relieved that he didn't cause any trouble. What's the military information?"

Fei Shang followed Yan Baihu into the hall, presented the bamboo slips, and said solemnly, "Commander, scouts report that Wu Jing's army has captured Qu'a and Piling, and is approaching Wuxi, where they are facing Xu Gong's army to the north."

Piling is Changzhou in later generations, and it is the same city of Wu County as Qu'a. When Wu Jing captured Qu'a and Piling, he broke off relations with Xu Gong and officially declared war on him.

Yan Baihu was shocked. "Of the eighteen counties in Danyang, Wu Jing has just captured four cities and is now turning to attack Wu Commandery. How can this fellow be so arrogant?"

When Yan Yi was comforting him just now, he felt that there was some truth in his words, thinking that Yuan Shu had just obtained part of Danyang's territory and would not invade Wujun so soon. He did not expect that in the blink of an eye, the two most important cities in the north of Wujun had been captured by Wu Jing.

(End of this chapter)