The Bad Guys: Everyone, let’s revive the Tang Dynasty together!

Chapter 313 The Northern Capital is Here
Bianjing.

Chongzhengyuan.

Han Yanhui straightened his official robe and got off the carriage, then entered the yamen holding some scrolls. The clerk on duty came forward eagerly to help him get some, but he politely declined.

As he walked inside, the officials in the corridor greeted him with clasped hands, calling him "Mr. Han". Those who were familiar with him called him "Zang Ming". It seemed that they all had a very good relationship with Han Yanhui.

Han Yanhui had no hands free, so he could only smile and nod continuously. He was able to call out the names of the official titles of each person without any mistakes, and then walked into the office of Jing Xiang, the envoy of Chongzhengyuan.

The officials behind him who had not yet started their duties were filled with envy and began to discuss in low voices.

Xiao Yan's memorial arrived at Chongzhengyuan and was reported to the palace, along with a letter from Nanping King Liu Yin. What was even more surprising was that there was even a letter from Raojiang's Wandu Cave Gu King Chi Li. In fact, it was not really a letter, he was just the leader of a barbarian country in the south, what kind of king was he? However, Raojiang was willing to pay tribute, which made Zhu Wen particularly happy. Recently, there has been a discussion in the court about whether to make Chi Li the "King of Dian" or the "King of Nanzhao".

Everyone knew that Xiao Yan had made another contribution. For the past half year, the Marquis of Guanjun, who had been staying in the south without much success and seemed to be far away from the center, was recalled this time by Zhu Wen himself.

A small number of people have already known about what King Ma Yin of Chu did. Xiao Yan, together with Raojiang and Nanping, worked together to thwart the Chu conspiracy and prevented the Chu, a powerful vassal state that controlled Jinghu and Lingnan, from expanding its territory wantonly. Otherwise, it would have become a thorn in the hearts of the rulers and ministers of Daliang.

As for why Zhu Jin of Wu suddenly attacked Changsha for no apparent reason, no one would connect it with Xiao Yan. The Huaihe case half a year ago was still fresh in people's minds. Everyone knew that Zhu Jin almost took Xiao Yan's life. If the two could be connected together, that would be ridiculous.

Not only did Xiao Yan accomplish the mission specially on this trip, he also greatly enhanced the country's prestige, and was worthy of the temporary assignment of the two transport envoys. As a result, the Ghost King and Zhu Youzhen, who had embezzled a lot of business in the football market in half a year, suddenly became the subject of private discussion among the court officials.

Everyone in the football market knows that it is the business of champion Hou Xiaoyan, but in the past six months, most of the business has been snatched away by Ghost King and others.

First, the Ghost King built a stadium in the south wing of the east of Bianjing, and later Zhu Youzhen built one in the southwest wing. The system was completely copied from the Qiushizi. Although the gameplay was slightly inferior to the Qiushizi in that it was frequently updated, and the venue was somewhat smaller, it was in the city after all, and more convenient for the people in the city than the Qiushizi far outside the city. So they got a piece of the pie and even poached the Qiushizi's players. Many baseball teams were bought over at high prices. It was obvious that they wanted to bring down the Qiushizi.

Before, everyone thought that Xiao Yan had moved away from the central government and was gradually alienated by Zhu Wen, so naturally no one would take it seriously. But looking at the trend now, it seems that Champion Marquis Xiao Yan is about to return in force. These contradictions will certainly make the court officials think more secretly.

Therefore, Han Yanhui's status also rose to a certain extent. Everyone knew that this scholar Han, who was valued by Jing Xiang for some unknown reason, was brought from Hebei by Xiao Yan. He was born into the Guanjun Hou faction. He was usually unknown and gave people the impression of being a very steady scholar. It was only because of Xiao Yan's rising fame in recent days that people suddenly realized that he had always been on a mission in Chongzhengyuan and was very close to Jing Xiang, the envoy of Chongzhengyuan.

No matter what, even if one wants to be on good terms with Xiao Yan, one should not underestimate this unknown scholar Han.

Although Han Yanhui walked into the government office, he was not deaf and was naturally aware of the whispers behind him, so he just smiled.

Xiao Yan left Feng Dao in Hebei at that time and brought him to Bian Jing in order to let him make friends with middle and lower-level officials for Xiao Yan so that some useful people could be selected from them. In the past, Han Yanhui had only a little reputation, and although he paid attention to some frustrated people, it was still difficult for him to do anything. Now that he has suddenly become famous, it would be convenient for him to win over some candidates.

The Ghost King and Zhu Youzhen looked down on these petty officials, but Xiao Yan had told him that it was these petty officials who had the greatest impact on the lower-class people, soldiers, and those who had connections with various parties. If something really happened, the people below might not recognize Zhu Wen, but they would definitely recognize the petty officials with whom they had interacted in normal times.

Of course, these are long-term processes and cannot be rushed. Han Yanhui simply completed the tasks assigned to him by Xiao Yan in Bianjing City step by step, which was to cooperate with the Minister of Revenue Zhang Wenwei to reorganize the finances of Daliang and establish a "bank" system.

Daliang was located in the Central Plains, but was very short of copper. Most of the copper coins it minted were short in weight, and the people were actually very reluctant to buy them. However, Daliang had been at war for years, and once the state machinery was started, money was spent like water. The best copper coins and cloth had to be used first to satisfy the soldiers, and the copper coins circulating among the people became more and more crudely made.

It would be a great thing if there was something that could replace copper coins and restore the country's credibility. However, this was no small matter and could not be forced through in a short period of time. Therefore, the "Huitong Piaohang" was established as a pilot project. It is now run by Anle Pavilion. According to the promise made by Xiao Yan and Chongzhengyuan at the time, if the Huitong Piaohang operates properly, it can be purchased by the Ministry of Revenue later.

As for whether this promise was true or not, Xiao Yan believed that if Daliang could easily take away Huitong Ticket Office in two or three years, then it would be a disaster if it remained in his hands. But he also believed that no one would dare to snatch Huitong Ticket Office if Xiao Yan did not give it to him after two or three years.

In the past six months, because Han Yanhui did his job very well and was very much to Jing Xiang's liking, he was temporarily seconded from Zhang Wenwei and given a job in Chongzhengyuan, becoming Jing Xiang's temporary aide.

"Your humble servant greets you, Prime Minister."

Han Yanhui held a pile of scrolls and greeted everyone before entering.

Jing Xiang was buried in the table dealing with memorials. Zhu Wen was now increasingly indifferent to state affairs and was obsessed with the "longevity technique" presented to him by the Ghost King. Memorials of all sizes were piled up in the Chongzhengyuan. Zhu Wen trusted Jing Xiang, with whom he had worked for decades.

"Alas..." Jing Xiang raised his head and sighed before speaking, then joked, "Marquis Guanjun is on his way back to Beijing. I'm afraid if we wait another month, I won't be able to work with Zang Ming. What a pity..."

Han Yanhui smiled slowly, but did not speak on behalf of Xiao Yan and say that he could lend it to Jing Xiang for use. He just said sincerely: "I have gained a lot from working with Prime Minister Jing in the past six months. It is an honor, and I dare not be greedy."

Jing Xiang smiled heartily, asked Han Yanhui to sit down, and then stroked his beard and asked, "Why, have you made a decision on the matter of sorting out the household registration of the Southern Chamber?"

The south wing of Bianjing City was where the lower class people and all kinds of people lived. The market system of Daliang was very loose. In recent years, as the city expanded, the population inside became more and more mixed. A while ago, Zhu Wen suddenly became interested and said that he planned to build an outer city for Bianjing City. The reason, of course, was to expand the imperial palace. The original foundation was too small and was really not enough.

Jing Xiang was certainly unwilling to agree to such a costly and time-consuming undertaking, but Zhu Wen had become more and more like a tyrant in recent years and was very arbitrary, so Jing Xiang had no choice but to agree to it for the time being and dissuade him later when the opportunity arose.

In order to expand the outer city, of course, it is necessary to sort out the household registration of the South Wing, which originally belongs to the outer city. If Zhu Wen really insists on doing it, it is also necessary to levy corvee labor and count the relocated population. This matter is not big or small, and it is just right to give it to Han Yanhui to cooperate with the Ministry of Household Affairs. Jing Xiang has a good impression of this younger generation who is also very bookish, and is willing to spend some time to cultivate him.

Unexpectedly, Han Yanhui shook his head and said, "I will do my best to fulfill the task entrusted to me by the Prime Minister. However, I have an important matter to report to the Prime Minister today, which is more important than the household registration check."

Jing Xiang had already noticed the pile of scrolls that Han Yanhui was holding. He had not asked about it before, but now he was curious. He stroked his beard and asked, "Is it related to the Marquis of Guanjun?"

Han Yanhui was a little surprised, but he admired Jing Xiang's sharp words in his heart, so he stepped forward and spread out a few scrolls.

They were actually several maps, showing the two towns of Dingnan and Shuofang, as well as the Guanzhong area. The mapping method was very novel, with scale and direction marks written on them, making them look particularly clear.

"This is……"

Jing Xiang twisted his beard, frowned in surprise and asked, "The Champion Marquis wants to use military force against the Qi Kingdom?"

The two towns of Dingnan and Shuofang were far away in Longxi, and should have been on good terms with Qi and Jin. However, when Zhu Wen usurped the throne, Yang Chongben, the governor of Bining, and Li Zhouyi, the governor of Fuyan, both sided with Qi and Jin and launched wars against Daliang. Only Han Xun, the governor of Shuofang, and Li Sijian, the governor of Xiazhou, wrote letters to the emperor to submit to Daliang, "without ever fighting with troops."

Moreover, these two towns could be regarded as two enclaves. Even if Daliang coveted them, it was powerless. Thinking that it could hold Qi Jin hostage to a certain extent, it gave honorary titles to the governors of the two towns, and retained the positions of governors of Han Xun and Li Sijian. In fact, the two of them were also separatist.

In recent years, the two towns have been hanging in the western frontier, giving people a vague impression, and in fact, they have some unclear connections with Qi and Jin, and they don't interfere with each other. But after all, they are nominally dependent on Daliang. So when Jing Xiang saw the map, he could only guess that Xiao Yan might want to unite the two towns and cooperate with the Guanzhong garrison to launch a war against Qi.

But Han Yanhui just shook his head, then pointed at the map with his finger and said carefully: "Your Majesty, you think that Qi State may use troops against Dingnan and Dingnan..."

Jing Xiang frowned.

Han Yanhui paused for a moment and continued, "In the second year of Kaiping, Li Sijian, the governor of Dingnan, died of illness, and his grandson inherited the position of governor. As a result, the Tuoba tribe had a civil strife last year, and Li Yichang was killed by his subordinate Gao Zongyi, the governor of Xiazhou. Later, Gao Zongyi wanted to replace the Tuoba tribe and rule Xiazhou with the Gao family, but was killed by his subordinates. Later, he supported Li Yichang's clan father Li Renfu as the new governor of Dingnan Army..."

Jing Xiang nodded. These were all things he knew. The Daliang court was helpless about these things and could not interfere. The Dingnan Li family was a Tangut Tuoba clan. They had ruled the three towns of Dingnan for many years and were deeply rooted. Even if these disturbances occurred, Daliang had no choice but to recognize Li Renfu's status as the governor. Han Yanhui then said, "In just four years, Dingnan changed governors three times, which shows that the internal situation is serious. Last year, Guanzhong Liu Zhijun surrendered to Qi, and Qi Wang Li Maozhen's strength increased greatly. In addition, Qi has been calm and inactive in recent years. Your Excellency suspects that Qi is likely to use troops against the two towns in a short period of time, and Jin may also take action."

Previously, Xiao Yan had a good relationship with the empress, and had a honeymoon period of two or three years with Qi State. Of course, it was impossible for him to take the initiative to draw the attention of the emperor and his ministers to Qi State in the Daliang court, and he would even try to dispel this attention as much as possible.

But now that Qi State fell into the hands of Li Maozhen, Xiao Yan would certainly not be polite anymore. This bastard arrested his people as soon as he returned to Fengxiang, cut off Anle Pavilion's trade routes, and almost wiped out all of Xiao Yan's men in Guanzhong and Qi State. Xiao Yan couldn't help but be angry. While he was still away, he immediately wrote a letter to urge Han Yanhui to prepare to put pressure on Qi State.

Xiao Yan naturally had no idea how Jing Xiang was thinking, but his expression was solemn at this moment. Han Yanhui's analysis was well-reasoned and made people pay attention to it.

In the first year of Kaiping, Xiao Yan stepped onto the historical stage because of his incisive analysis of the situation in Hebei, which caught the eyes of Zhu Wen and Jing Xiang. Jing Xiang admired his keen insight. Now Xiao Yan asked Han Yanhui to come here to remind him, which certainly could not be aimless, and Jing Xiang could not ignore it.

Jing Xiang narrowed his eyes and asked, "What does Champion Hou think?"

"Your Majesty's meaning is that Daliang should not use foreign troops now. It is necessary to rest and recuperate for two years. However, the threats from Qi and Jin are right in front of us, so we have to guard against them. We can set up a defense line in Chang'an, and then make an aggressive gesture, sending envoys to Dingnan and Dingnan to make an agreement to attack Qi. If the two towns see Daliang's aggressive gesture, they may be tempted. Your Majesty wants the two towns to tire out Qi, and if necessary, Daliang can decide whether to use troops on a large scale."

"Marquis Guanjun has thought it over carefully." Jing Xiang nodded slowly. This coincided with his idea. Xiao Yan's idea was very conservative. After all, Daliang's current enemy was still Jin. If they suddenly and forcibly used military force against Qi, it would affect the entire body. Jin, Shu, Wu and even the princes in the south would have to be on guard against them. Jin and Shu would provide support to Qi. If they could persuade the two towns of Dingnan to take action against Qi first, it would be a good plan.

After all, Dingnan has been in civil strife in recent years, and they are probably afraid that Qi State will come in and take advantage of the situation. It is better to be a thief for a thousand days than to guard against thieves for a thousand days. If there is support from Daliang, there is a high chance that the Dingnan army will be persuaded to suffer the consequences.

"Okay, I will first credit Marquis Guanjun with this achievement. Regardless of whether Qiguo has this intention or not, I'm afraid Your Majesty will not be able to refuse this proposal. Marquis Guanjun is truly an important official of the country!" Jing Xiang said with a smile.

Han Yanhui bowed politely and naturally presented the maps to Jing Xiang, who took them into the palace to explain the key points to Zhu Wen.

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

As the core figure of Xiao Yan Group, Han Yanhui naturally knows that the cooperation between his side and Qi State has broken down. As an external force that cannot be ignored, Qi State can cause resistance to Xiao Yan's career that cannot be underestimated. If Xiao Yan wants to usurp the foundation of Daliang, he must first ensure that there is no threat from external forces in a short period of time. Under this premise, Qi State cannot avoid this blow.

As for why there was a sudden break with Qi State, Han Yanhui didn't care. As an aide, it was his unshirkable responsibility to implement Xiao Yan's decisions.

------

Hebei.

The mountain villa where Feng Dao was stationed had truly become a "valley for storing troops". All the families of the bad guys from Yanzhou, Luoyang, and a small part of Cangzhou had moved in here. Correspondingly, a lot of refugees had also moved in to open up fields and raise horses. In a year and a half, they had already reaped some rewards and were no longer in a situation where their income was not enough to cover their expenses.

After a year of hard work and dedication by Feng Dao, Fu An and other Yanzhou bad guys who stayed behind, as well as the officials who were recruited here, this "Soldier Storage Valley" has finally become a major granary for Xiao Yan to control Hebei. It has more than a thousand troops stationed here, with smelting workshops and various manufacturing plants. Vests and protective gear have already begun to be manufactured. One more piece will increase the combat power of the Xiao Yan Group.

The Lulong Army far away in Yuyang is the real strength of Xiao Yan's Group, and Feng Dao is in charge of remote control for Xiao Yan. He is involved in all matters, big and small. In just one and a half years, Feng Dao, who is only thirty years old, looks like he has grown ten years older, but he is in better spirits, and there is a hint of military aura in his words and deeds.

"A secret letter from Bian Jing."

Fu An walked into Feng Dao's study and handed a wax-sealed letter to Feng Dao, who was busy at his desk.

Feng Dao was excited when he heard this. He put down everything in his hands and read the letter carefully. His eyes sparkled: "Jin State may use troops against Hebei..."

"It's just a matter of time." Fu An has become much stronger in the past year and a half, no longer as skinny as the beggar he was back then. He sat by and poured himself some tea, saying, "That group was led by a white-haired guy. They disguised themselves as merchants and sneaked into Hebei two months ago. I had sent people to keep an eye on them a long time ago, but I resisted the urge to fight them. I'm afraid they are most likely from the Tongwenguan. I've been holding back for two months, so I let them find out everything I could. I didn't let them go when I used troops in the first half of the year."

Feng Dao nodded, stood up, stroked his beard, and said, "Your Majesty's intention is to let them go deeper..."

"This is a bit bold." Fu An thought for a moment and said.

"If there is any loss, Youzhou Prefecture will bear the brunt, and Yuyang and us will not suffer any loss." Feng Dao thought carefully and said, "I am afraid that the Lord wants to take this opportunity to capture Yanmen Pass and control the initiative to advance to Hedong in the future..."

Among the nine passes in the world, Yanmen is the first one, which is the best pass in the world. This is why Jin State could covet Hebei while Hebei State could not advance to Hedong.

Fu An was excited, but then smiled and said, "I'm afraid it won't be easy."

"Whatever you do is easy?" Feng Dao shook his head, took out a piece of letter paper and started writing, saying, "No matter what, we must first let Tian Daocheng prepare. The garrison of Yuyang has tens of thousands of troops, and they have always been the apple of your eye. After more than a year of nurturing them, they can finally be put to use..."

------

Mobei.

Yuan Xingqin took the secret letter handed to him by a bad guy.

The Xiaoyan Group no longer uses "Bad Man" sealing wax when delivering letters, but instead uses a thick black "Nine" character as the seal. The meaning is unclear, but no one is surprised.

…………

Dading Prefecture.

This royal city, which Xiao Yan built to consume the national strength of Mobei, took a year and a half to build just a prototype, but even with just a prototype, it already had a grand and majestic aura.

The weather in Mobei was very cold, and snow was floating in the air. Shuliduo covered her exquisite figure tightly with a military uniform, looking very majestic.

The Queen Mother of Mobei is now truly above everyone else, with no one above her. The young King of Mobei does not yet have the ability to rule the country himself, so naturally all matters, big or small, are handled by the Queen Mother. Shulido was able to secure the position with Xiao Yan's support, so naturally she is unwilling to give it up easily, so she has actually had a very tiring past year.

She went south to inspect Dading Prefecture today and met Yuan Xingqin. Naturally, she also received the letter written to her by Xiao Yan.

"Queen Mother..."

Shili Qixiang whispered beside him: "If we follow General Xiao's intention, I'm afraid it will delay the April meeting..."

Shuliduo did not answer, but stood on the hill with his hands behind his back, looking at the Dading Prefecture in the distance.

During this year, she had begun to understand why Xiao Yan chose the name "Da Ding".

If my guess is correct, in the mind of the ambitious and lofty-minded Li Jiu, the northern capital of the future dynasty might be set here.

(End of this chapter)