Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 33: Coins and Copper
Qian Tong took advantage of the weakness of the Youquan defenders to plunder the Youquan people and defeat Jiang Youzhi's army, which made Xu Gongsheng want to kill him.

Xu Gong originally wanted to conquer Qian Tong to avenge his hatred, but although Wu Jing withdrew his troops, his army was still stationed in Qu'a, as if he was using Qu'a as a base to build his power.

Qu'a is only a hundred miles away from Wuxi. If troops are sent, they will arrive in two or three days.

Xu Gong was deeply wary of Wu Jing and did not dare to be careless. He could only suppress his hatred and make peace with Qian Tong. The main force of the army is still stationed in Wuxi and Wuxian to guard against Wu Jing.

After Wu Jing led his troops back to Qu'a, he rested his troops while asking Yuan Shu for military funds to purchase ships and train the navy.

Wu Jing already had hundreds of boats and warships, and now he continued to expand his fleet, which showed that his strategic layout began to adjust and change.

This move immediately aroused the vigilance of the surrounding counties along the river and the sea.

At the same time, Wu Jing also began to frequently send envoys abroad and actively carry out diplomatic activities.

In a pavilion garden in the north of Yuncheng, Qian Tong was holding a letter from Wu Jing and reading it carefully.

Qian Tong was about forty years old, with chubby cheeks and a round figure. He wore an exquisite and gorgeous brocade robe, a jade belt around his waist, and a crown inlaid with gems. The first impression he gave was that of a shrewd wealthy businessman rather than a bandit leader who commanded five thousand troops and ruled a region.

Standing before Qian Tong were two men, one tall and one thin. The former had a beard like a spear, a broad back and broad shoulders, and his bulging muscles defined the pleats of his hakama. He was Fan Yi, the brave warrior Qian Tong relied on. The latter had narrow, snake-like eyes, a cunning and sinister gaze. He was Wan Bing, a strategist who had been a member of the Yellow Turban bandits.

During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Wan Bing was the county magistrate of Xinle County, Jizhou. Because he had a personal grudge against the county magistrate, he opened the city gate when the Yellow Turban Army was besieging the city, led the Yellow Turban Army into the city, and killed the county magistrate's entire family.

After Zhang Jue died, he took his wealth and ordered his men to flee to Jiangdong and rely on local heroes.

There are many examples like Wan Bing. Chen Bai, who occupied the Wuhui Mountains and had thousands of soldiers under his command, was once a small general of the Yellow Turban Army.

"Wenyuan, Wu Jing is urging me to send troops to Wucheng again, and promised to give me half of the salt profits from Haiyan County in the future. What do you think?" Qian Tong asked Wan Bing as usual.

"This is killing someone with a borrowed knife, not contributing any effort yourself, and will only damage the deduction. Marshal, you absolutely cannot send troops at this time." Wan Bing took the bamboo slips and examined them, his narrow eyes narrowing slightly as he smiled. "Wu Jing wants to use the salt fields to support his army, but his fleet is insufficient, and there's the danger of advancing alone. That's why he has to rely on you, Marshal, to contain Yan's army."

Qian Tong sighed and said, "It's just that the salt profits in Haiyan County are really tempting."

Wan Bing sneered, twirling his whiskers. "Wu Jing is Yuan Shu's lackey. How can Wu Jing alone decide such important salt profits? Not to mention he hasn't captured Haiyan yet. Even if he did, Yuan Shu would probably take half first. Where would Wu Jing find half to share with the Marshal? Wouldn't he take it himself?"

Qian Tong was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Wen Yuan is right."

Wan Bing's eyes flashed with a gleam of insight, and he said in a deep voice, "Wu Jing is about to march on Haiyan. Marshal, you must remain calm at this time. Only when Wu Jing and the Yan clan are engaged in a fierce battle will you have the best opportunity to dispatch your troops. I heard that the Yan clan's troops stationed in Haiyan this time are led by Yan Yi and Yan Yu. These two thieves hold great influence within the Yan clan. At that time, you can either join Wu Jing in attacking them from both sides, killing them and severing Yan Baihu's arm. You can also join forces with Lord Zou to attack Wucheng. If we seize the opportunity properly, we might be able to seize a piece of the foundation."

"How could Yan Baihu, this fellow, have occupied Wucheng for so many years? If he can occupy it, I can also take it! Wenyuan's words are exactly what I want. Let's act accordingly!" Qian Tong laughed and clapped his hands. Then he asked, "How should we deal with Wu Jing?"

Wan Bing stroked his beard, thought for a moment, and said, "We can't refuse Wu Jing just yet, lest he hesitate and give up the Haiyan campaign. The Marshal can work with Lord Zou to agree to this, first strengthening Wu Jing's resolve and forcing him to attack Haiyan as soon as possible. As for Wucheng, the Marshal can send an army to pretend to fight Yan Baihu. If he advances, we retreat, and if he retreats, we advance, and that's how we deal with Wu Jing."

"Having Wenyuan is like having a fish in water!" Qian Tong laughed heartily and paced back and forth a few times. "Since that's the case, I'll immediately send a letter to Zou Jun, inviting him to join us in the expedition. Wenyuan, who do you think should be the commander of our army?"

Wan Bing was about to speak when Fan Yi, standing beside him, could no longer contain himself and shouted, "General, I've heard that Yan Baihu and Yan Yu are extremely brave and powerful. I've long wanted to meet them. I beg you to allow me to lead the troops to Wucheng. If I find an opportunity, I will kill these two thieves and present their heads to you, General!" Qian Tong cast a questioning look at Wan Bing. Wan Bing, not wanting to offend Fan Yi, said, "Yan Baihu and Yan Yu are both brave and skilled fighters. Looking at our army, only General Fan can take on this important task."

Upon hearing this, Fan Yi looked very proud.

Qian Tong nodded slightly and warned Fan Yi, "The Yan brothers are no match for Jiang You. Gong Rang must not be careless. In this battle, you must follow the military advisor's advice and just put on a show. Once Yan Yi and Yan Yu go to Haiyan, I'll let you kill them to your heart's content!"

Fan Yi clasped his fists and said, "Don't worry, Marshal. I'll just take the heads of these two thieves for now. I'll come get them later."

Qian Tong and Wan Bing looked at each other, stroked their beards and smiled.

Just as Qian Tong and the other two were discussing, Fan Yan and Chen Gan returned to Wucheng with 800 newly recruited soldiers.

Yan Yi led Si Qing, Xu Sheng and others out of the city to welcome them.

They met at Longquan Pavilion, a few miles east of the city. Yan Yi looked at the orderly formation behind Fan Yan, feeling delighted. He patted Chen Gan's arm, then took Fan Yan's hand and said with a smile, "You two generals have worked hard recruiting soldiers. This merit should be credited."

Fan Yan hurriedly said, "Young Master, your words are too kind. It is only my responsibility, how dare I talk about my achievements?"

"How can you say it's in vain? General, don't be modest."

Yan Yi smiled. With the number of soldiers under his command increasing and the battle approaching, appointing a commander to lead the troops was a matter of urgency. He immediately said, "General, you have served as a Sima of a separate unit in the army. Now you will serve as a temporary Sima. When you have made military achievements in the future, you can take on the full position."

Without waiting for Fan Yan to refuse, he said to Chen Gan, "I will grant you the title of Marquis of the Military First. If you make military achievements in the future, I will remove the "Fake" title from you."

Chen Gan was overjoyed and quickly thanked him: "Thank you, young master!"

"Let the soldiers wait at a distance, we will go to the pavilion to talk." Yan Yi pointed to the Longquan Pavilion nearby.

Fan Yan and Chen Gan commanded the soldiers to walk away, and then together with Si Qing and others, followed Yan Yi into the pavilion.

Yan Yi looked serious and explained in detail the plan to raid Qian Tong.

Fan Yan and Chen Gan were both shocked.

Yan Yi said to Fan Yan, "General, please select four to five hundred suitable men from the newly recruited troops, disguise them as refugees, and infiltrate Yuncheng and Qian Gonglei to serve as internal support."

Fan Yan nodded and said, "Don't worry, Young Master. I will complete this task as soon as possible. However, I still need someone to lead the charge. Who do you plan to appoint to this important task?"

Yan Yi pondered in silence. The key to this matter was to be able to adapt to changing circumstances. Not only was the risk extremely high, but the leader also had to be brave and resourceful. It was not a good idea to assign someone rashly.

Si Qing stepped forward without hesitation and said, "Young Master, since this matter was proposed by me, I should carry it out. Please allow me to bring people to carry out this matter."

(End of this chapter)