Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 41: Hope for Rain
Wan Bing seemed to be making plans, but what came to his mind was the box of gold and silver that Yan had just sent.

The days with Qian Tong were not as good as he expected. Although he had a place to settle down temporarily, Qian Tong's power was only average among the Jiangdong generals. On weekdays, he could only rob the people. Once Xu Gong, Yan Baihu and Xu Zhao nearby sent troops to suppress him, Qian Tong could only retreat to Yuncheng. He was tired of this kind of life.

Moreover, he was extremely stingy with money and copper. He would often take 40% of the looted property and people, and also spend 40% on military supplies. The others could only share the remaining 20%.

Wan Bing hasn't had any significant income for a long time.

When he was a member of the Yellow Turbans, he invaded counties and plundered a lot of things, and he didn't even care about the small amount of money and copper he got as a profit.

Only the donation sent by Yan recently allowed him to vaguely relive the "glory" of the past.

He couldn't wait to collect the second batch of gold and silver promised by Yan.

He had no doubts about Yan's motives. In his opinion, Yan sent money just to buy peace and avoid being robbed by Qian Tong during the war with Wu Jing.

Yan's generosity had already shifted the balance in his heart.

"General, you can't do that! A surprise attack on Yan Yi's forces now would be a loss for the greater good. If it causes Yan Baihu to change his strategy and abandon his garrison in Haiyan, your previous plan will be ruined. In my opinion, we should proceed with the original plan and wait until the Yan family and Wu Jing have fought each other. That will be the best time to take action."

Wan Bing persuaded Qian Tong earnestly.

Qian Tong was an indecisive person. When he saw that his trusted adviser spoke out against it, he immediately hesitated. He followed Wan Bing's thoughts and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that the other party was right. Gradually, he gave up the idea of ​​sending troops for a surprise attack.

Wan Bing observed Qian Tong's expression and knew that he had changed his mind. He rolled his eyes and continued, "General, this is a critical moment. We must not alert the Yan family and force them to adjust their deployment. We might as well withdraw the guerrillas outside the city and let the Yan family go to Haiyan without worry."

Since you, the Yan family, are so generous, I will do things even better so that you can know what I am capable of!
Wan Bing pondered secretly in his heart.

Qian Tong nodded and said in a deep voice, "Wen Yuan's words make sense. How can anyone who accomplishes great things be indecisive? I will immediately withdraw the guerrillas outside and send a letter to Yan Baihu to reassure him!"

Wan Bing stroked his beard and said with a smile, "The Marshal is wise!"

The news that Qian Tong's scattered troops had withdrawn to Yuncheng and Qiangonglei was reported to Yan Yi by scouts at 9:00 the next day.

Yan Yi was worried that Qian Tong had too many scattered soldiers, which would expose the troops during the raid on Qian Gong's fort. Upon hearing this, he was overjoyed: "God is really helping me!"

At this time, his troops had marched to a place thirty miles north of Qian Gong Lei, and were still fifteen miles away from the supply point of Cen Shui.

As Qian Tong said, there was a significant deviation in the marching route of Yan Yi's troops.

The 2,400 troops led by Yan Yu were all marching towards Youquan, crossing the Jiuxi River five miles south of Youquan City to Haiyan. However, after walking for a whole morning, Yan Yi's troops not only did not shorten the distance to the Jiuxi ferry, but instead tended to get farther and farther away.

There was no other way around this. Due to the limited time for night marches, the troops needed to stay as close to Qian Gong Lei as possible.

But you can't get too close, so as not to arouse Qian Tongjun's vigilance.

In fact, Yan Yi's troops had already crossed the plain area just north of Qian Gong Lei, giving people the impression that they were moving away from Qian Gong Lei, but in fact the entire army began to slow down its march after entering a hilly area northeast of Qian Gong Lei.

This area has a complex terrain, is relatively hidden, and is almost uninhabited, making it a no-man's land. However, the scenery is superb, with green mountains, clear waters, and rolling hills.

Yan Yu's messenger found Yan Yi on a hill several dozen meters high.

Yan Yi was on his post observing the surrounding terrain with Xu Sheng, Fan Yan and others. When he heard the messenger arrive, he immediately ordered people to spread a mat on the ground, then took off his armor and lay down on the mat.

A moment later, two royal guards came up with a messenger.

The messenger was a man in his twenties, his legs slightly bent outward when he walked, presumably from frequent horseback riding. He carried a two-foot-long soap bag on his back. Seeing Yan Yi lying on the mat, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He clasped his fists and bowed, saying, "I am Li Sui, the humble servant, and I have come here by order of the deputy commander to meet you, Young Lord!"

Yan Yi slowly sat up with Xu Sheng's help: "What's the matter?"

Li Sui removed his soap bag and pulled out a scroll of bamboo slips. He handed it to Yan Yi and said respectfully, "Young Master's troops are not marching according to the planned route, and the deputy commander has sent me here to inquire about this."

Yan Yi removed the seal from the bamboo slips, unfolded them, and examined them for a moment. He spoke weakly, "I am ill and unable to march. I plan to recuperate in Censhui for two days. Once I feel better, I will rush to Jiuxi. You return and report this to the deputy commander."

Li Sui was shocked and asked, "I wonder what disease the young master is suffering from?"

Yan Yi breathed a little hurriedly and said, "Shortness of breath and chest tightness are probably caused by the discomfort of marching. A few days of rest will be enough."

Li Sui glanced at Yan Yi for a few times. Seeing that he looked listless and his eyes were dull, he did not suspect anything and said with a fist clasped, "Young Master, take care of yourself. I will report this matter to the deputy commander immediately."

After Li Sui left, Yan Yi stood up from his seat swiftly.

Xu Sheng suppressed a smile and said, "Since the young master is pretending to be sick, Yan Yu will probably not go to Haiyan alone. The army is stationed in the wilderness for a long time, and the soldiers will surely become resentful. Then Yan Yu will probably come to visit in person. This matter can't be concealed for a few days."

Fan Yan also said with some concern: "Although this place is not Qian Tong's sphere of influence, if we stay here for too long, I'm afraid it will arouse Qian Tong's suspicion. We can't delay any longer and must act as soon as possible."

Yan Yi nodded, looked at the clear sky, and murmured, "It hasn't rained for five days."

At this moment, he was also extremely anxious.

There were plains for several miles around Qian Gonglei. Thousands of troops were marching at night, which made quite a noise. Although it was pitch black everywhere at night in that era, they were still relatively easy to be discovered by the moonlight when they were close.

Only on rainy nights, when the moonlight is dim and the rain blocks vision, can the risk of exposure during the march be minimized.

But in this weather, although the sun is not as glaring as the previous two days, and there are gradually some clouds in the sky, the clouds are high up, so there is no sign of rain at all.

At this moment, he deeply understood why, among the factors determining victory or defeat in battle listed in Sun Tzu's Art of War, weather was ranked second, only after Tao.

At the same time, I also understood why Zhuge Liang, who understood astronomical phenomena, was described as a wise and monstrous being in historical novels.

(End of this chapter)