Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 526: The Chief of the Four Seas

After walking out of the Taiji Hall, Yang Zhengshan did not return home directly, but went to the Secret Guard to ask for a file on the Xingyue Sect.

As the saying goes, knowing yourself and your enemy, you can win a hundred battles. He knew a little bit about Xingyue Sect, but certainly not as much as the Secret Guards.

After returning to the mansion, Yang Zhengshan first went back to the main courtyard and told Yu Qingyi about the matter.

After listening to this, Yu Qingyi said with some concern: "Will it be dangerous to encircle and suppress Xingyue Sect?"

"Danger? What danger?" Yang Zhengshan was stunned.

"There should be more than one innate warrior in Xingyue Sect!" Yu Qingyi said.

Yang Zhengshan said with a smile: "In terms of innate warriors, we at Dayong have more than Xingyuemen! Don't worry, when has your husband ever been defeated?"

It’s not that Yu Qingyi has no confidence in Yang Zhengshan, but Yang Zhengshan has not been to the battlefield in recent years, which makes her a little more worried.

She was worried before, but her old habits as a martial artist had not changed, and she didn't care much about life and death. But now, not only has she gotten used to the life in the Yang family, but she has also adapted to life in Kyoto. When facing life and death, she is not as decisive as before.

"Then do you want me to go with my husband? I have never been to the battlefield with my husband!" Yu Qingyi said with some intention.

Yang Zhengshan shook his head slightly, "Forget it. Many things are inconvenient on the sea compared to on land!"

"Besides, Wanqing and Miao'er's wedding still needs you to take care of it, so you should stay at home!"

Yu Qingyi thought about it and it made sense. One of her and Yang Zhengshan had to stay at home to take care of these things.

"Then Wanqing's wedding, doesn't that mean your husband can't attend?"

"Not necessarily. The marriage negotiation process will take several months to complete, and the wedding will probably be after the New Year. Maybe I'll be back by then!"

If the Duke of Xingguo's Mansion was in Kyoto, the marriage would have definitely been possible before the New Year. However, the Duke of Xingguo's Mansion is in Nanjiang Town, and it would take two or three months for the two families to discuss the marriage. Without at least half a year, the marriage would probably not be finalized.

The two talked for a while, and then Yang Zhengshan went to the study to look through the files of Xingyue Sect.

The Secret Guards' understanding of the Xingyue Sect was not very detailed, and most of the information was only superficial.

However, in addition to the files of the Secret Guard, Yang Zhengshan can also learn about the inside story of the Xingyue Sect through Luo Jinsong.

Although Luo Jinsong was only the head of the Seven Stars Hall before, he lived on Xingyue Island when he was young and did not leave Xingyue Island until he was in his twenties and came to Dayong.

In the study, Yang Zhengshan called Luo Jinsong over and said, "Tell me about the Xingyue Sect!"

"Xingyue Sect?" Luo Jinsong asked in surprise, "Why is the Marquis suddenly interested in Xingyue Sect?"

"The court wants to attack Xingyue Gate!" Yang Zhengshan did not hide anything and told the truth.

Luo Jinsong was surprised at first, then nodded and said, "What does the Marquis want to know?"

"How did you join the Xingyue Sect?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

He had never asked this question before. He thought it was unnecessary before, but now he was a little curious.

Luo Jinsong said: "I am an orphan adopted by Xingyuemen. Actually, it is not adoption, but buying. My parents are originally residents of Dagu Island. Dagu Island is a small island in the southeastern sea. There used to be tens of thousands of residents living on the island."

"About fifty years ago, when I was five years old, a group of pirates attacked Dagu Island. My parents were killed by the pirates, and I became a slave."

"Later, I was sold to Xingyue Island and became a disciple of Xingyue Sect."

Yang Zhengshan raised his eyebrows, "So it was Xingyue Gate who raised you?"

"Raise them?" Luo Jinsong showed a bitter look on his face. "Xingyue Sect adopts thousands of children every year, but less than 20% of them survive!"

"There were hundreds of children with me, but only a dozen survived!"

"To Xingyue Sect, we are just tools."

Yang Zhengshan was thoughtful, "Are all the disciples of Xingyue Sect like this?"

Luo Jinsong shook his head slightly. "Not always. The Xingyue Sect has been passed down for hundreds of years, and many families have long been formed inside. There are three upper families, four middle families, and eight lower families. The upper three families are the Yue family, the Nan family, and the Qu family. Now the leader of the Xingyue Sect, Yue Hongyi, is the leader of the Yue family, the leader of the Peitang, Nan Haiyan, is the leader of the Nan family, and the leader of the Guantang, Qu Fusheng, is the leader of the Qu family."

"The four families in the middle are the leaders of the Four Flags Army. They are the Li family, the Wang family, the Han family, and the Cheng family. These four families have been controlling the Four Flags Army for a hundred years!"

"The next eight families are the Sun family, the Yan family, etc. Most of the residents on Xingyue Island today are from these fifteen families."

"Although people like us are also members of Xingyue Sect, most of us are just used as tools. Of course, we can also settle down on Xingyue Island."

Yang Zhengshan showed a look of realization.

Luo Jinsong also has a family, but his family is now living in the Yang family’s farm. It is obvious that Luo Jinsong only had family after he left Xingyue Island.

The reason why Luo Jinsong was able to decisively betray the Xingyue Sect was because his family was not on Xingyue Island.

"You said the Four Flags Army is controlled by four families?"

"That's right!"

"Then do you think it is possible to persuade them to surrender?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

Luo Jinsong frowned and thought for a while, "It's difficult, but not impossible!"

"Tell me in detail!" Yang Zhengshan said.

"Although the four middle families are in charge of the four-flag army, their strength is not strong. At most, they are just numerous and powerful!"

"If we want them to betray the three upper families, we must first ensure the safety of their people. However, their people live on Xingyue Island. Once the three upper families find out, it will surely be a disaster for the entire clan!"

Luo Jinsong explained.

Yang Zhengshan leaned back in his chair, stroked his beard, and fell into deep thought.

"Once the Xingyue Sect is destroyed, it will be a disaster for them as well. If they are willing to join Darong, I can give them a chance!"

"Do you think Darong's might in the southeastern sea area can intimidate them?"

He had the thought of appeasing the enemy, but the so-called appeasement was nothing more than coercion and inducement.

Luo Jinsong said: "In fact, for Xingyuemen, Darong is an extremely powerful existence, and also a terrifying existence."

Even if Dayong declined or decayed, it was still a huge dynasty with thousands of miles of territory and tens of millions of people.

Compared with Darong, the Xingyue Sect is just a sect with dozens of islands and hundreds of thousands of vassal forces.

"If the Marquis wants to pacify her, I think he can put some effort into Madam Deng!"

"Who is Madam Deng?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

Luo Jinsong said: "Madam Deng's original name was Deng Yuehe. She was the wife of the owner of Lanting Island. About thirty years ago, Lanting Island was destroyed by the Lu Sheng Dynasty. Madam Deng took her young son and hundreds of subordinates to join the Xingyue Sect!" "And now, Madam Deng is the head of the Xingyue Sect's auditorium. Ten years ago, Madam Deng's cultivation had already reached the half-step innate realm."

"She joined Xingyue Island halfway through. She doesn't have deep feelings for Xingyue Island, nor does she have too many interests involved. Xingyue Island is originally an exclusive place, so I guess her life on Xingyue Island is not very good!"

"Of course, this is just my guess. I have never met Madam Deng!"

Luo Jinsong smiled awkwardly. He wanted to help Yang Zhengshan, but there was not much he could do to help Yang Zhengshan.

The main reason was that his status in the Xingyue Sect was not high before. The master of the Seven Stars Hall sounded very powerful, but in fact, within the Xingyue Sect, the master of the Seven Stars Hall could only be regarded as a peripheral force.

Yang Zhengshan thought that Luo Jinsong's proposal was very good, but the matter still needed careful consideration.

"Then do you know how many masters there are in Xingyue Sect?" he continued to ask.

Luo Jinsong shook his head. "I'm not very clear. What I can be sure of is that Yue Hongyi, Nan Haiyan, and Qu Fusheng are all innate warriors. As for whether there are other innate warriors, I don't know!"

Yang Zhengshan nodded, not surprised. The Secret Guards estimated that the number of innate warriors in the Xingyue Sect was three to five, which was consistent with what Luo Jinsong said.

Afterwards, Yang Zhengshan asked about the situation of Xingyue Sect. With Luo Jinsong's narration, he had a general understanding of Xingyue Sect.

……

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On September 15, the fifth year of Yanping, there was an early morning court session.

Emperor Yanping issued an edict appointing Yang Zhengshan as the chief commander of the four naval forces, commanding the Five Guards of Jiujiang, Tenglong Vanguard, Jinhai Guard, Haizhou Left Guard, Quanhai Guard, Leizhou Guard and Zhaowu Guard.

The so-called Chief of the Four Seas' Naval Forces is a temporary official position, who can set up a government office and manage all affairs.

The reason why there was one more Zhaowu Guard under his jurisdiction was because Zhaowu Guard was chosen as the temporary base for the naval forces of the four seas.

Zhaowuwei is located in Zhaowu Prefecture, Fuhai Province, facing the southeast sea, so it was chosen as the temporary base of the four naval forces.

In addition to Yang Zhengshan, the chief officer, Yu Tonghai, commander of the Tenglong vanguard, and Bai Yuanxi, commander of the Jiujiang central guard, were promoted to commanders-in-chief and served as deputy chief officers of the four naval forces.

Sun Yunfeng, the assistant censor-in-chief of the Censorate, was appointed as the patrol censor of the seas, Yang Jinhe, the supervisory eunuch of the Imperial Stables, was appointed as the military supervisory eunuch, Zhang Ruifu, the doctor of the Military Selection Department of the Ministry of War, and Zheng Yang, the deputy doctor of the Ministry of Revenue, were appointed as assistant officers. There were also two lieutenant generals, six guerrilla generals, one camp officer and many other official positions.

The Zongli Yamen of the Four Seas Fleet was a temporary office. In order to coordinate various offices to cooperate with the Four Seas Fleet, the court specially selected officials from the Censorate, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue to serve concurrently in the Zongli Yamen.

Just like Sun Yunfeng, the Chief Censor of the Censorate, he was asked to join the Zongli Yamen in order to supervise the officials and generals within the Zongli Yamen and to supervise the officials of various departments of Fuhai Province. Because the Zongli Yamen was to be located in Zhaowuwei, a large part of the money and grain needed had to be provided by Fuhai Province. If the local government did not cooperate, it would cause a lot of trouble.

These officials were appointed by the cabinet and various ministries, and Yang Zhengshan had no power to appoint or dismiss them.

Yang Zhengshan didn't care about this. As long as the official could do his job, he wouldn't interfere with anything else. Of course, if someone was a thorn in his side, he wouldn't have any scruples.

After the morning court session, Yang Zhengshan immediately summoned the officials of the Zongli Yamen in Beijing to discuss matters in the marquis's mansion.

In the afternoon, the Imperial Censor Sun Yunfeng, the Military Supervisor Eunuch Yang Jinhe, the Assistant Officers Zhang Ruifu and Zheng Yang, and the Camp Officer Xue Changan gathered in the main hall of the Marquis' Mansion.

Yang Zhengshan sat in the main seat, Luo Jinsong stood behind him, and Sun Yunfeng and the other four greeted each other and then sat on both sides.

Yang Zhengshan looked at Sun Yunfeng and the other four.

Sun Yunfeng is in his forties, a little thin, and stern, looking like a very serious person.

Yang Jinhe was probably in his thirties, chubby, with a friendly smile on his face. Yang Zhengshan glanced at him several times. Don't underestimate the eunuchs of the Imperial Stables. Although the Imperial Stables did not have a high status among the many government offices in the imperial city, it was actually the most important government office in the imperial city.

The reason is very simple. The Imperial Stables are in charge of the twelve guards of the emperor's personal army, which is not much. Now there are sixteen guards of the emperor's personal army. Two years ago, the Four Yunlong Guards were also incorporated into the emperor's personal army and were stationed in Cuixia Valley.

In addition to being in charge of the twelve imperial guards, the eunuchs of the Imperial Stables are also the government office with the most warriors in the imperial city. Yang Jinhe in front of him looks very amiable, but he is a ninth-level acquired warrior.

As for Zhang Ruifu and Zheng Yang, they were just ordinary civil servants. Their main responsibility was to coordinate matters between the Zongli Yamen and the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue.

Yang Zhengshan was naturally familiar with the commander of the Jinhaiwei, Haichangbo Xue Chang'an, as he was a relative of the Yang family.

Yang Zhengshan smiled and nodded to Xue Changan, and Xue Changan also nodded with a smile on his face.

"Ahem~~Since all my colleagues are here, I won't be polite any more!"

"Let's get straight to business!"

"The Zongli Yamen has just been established, and everything has to start from scratch. However, the war is imminent, and we don't have much time to waste, so I will make some arrangements first!"

Yang Zhengshan said slowly.

"If the Marquis has any instructions, just tell us directly. We will do our best and will never hold you back!" Yang Jinhe said with a smile.

"That's right. I am an incompetent official. Please feel free to order me around, my Lord!"

Sun Yunfeng and others also expressed their opinions.

Yang Zhengshan nodded with satisfaction and said, "Okay, then I'll tell you straight away!"

"Eunuch Yang, Lord Sun, Master Xue, I need you to go to Zhaowu Guard as soon as possible. First, to set up the office of the Prime Minister's Office, and second, to build a camp for the soldiers. At the same time, we need to coordinate food and grass to ensure that when the navy of each guard arrives at Zhaowu Guard, there are barracks to live in and food and grass to use."

There are quite a lot of naval forces mobilized this time, among which the Tenglong Vanguard and Jiujiang Navy are the farthest from Zhaowu Wei. The Tenglong Vanguard is easy to deal with, as they can just take a boat south, but the Jiujiang Navy is much more troublesome. They need to first go along the river to Songjiang Prefecture in the south of the Yangtze River and enter the sea, and then sail south along the coast for 2,000 miles to reach Zhaowu Wei.

It is estimated that it will take more than a month for the transfer order to be sent from Kyoto to the Five Guards of Jiujiang, and then for the Five Guards of Jiujiang to make some preparations and rush to Zhaowu Guard.

Today is September 15th, and the Ministry of War’s order is for the five guards from Jiujiang to arrive at Zhaowu Guard before October 20th.

For the Five Guards of Jiujiang, time is still very tight.

Yang Zhengshan couldn't help with this, but when the five guards of Jiujiang arrived at Zhaowuwei, Yang Zhengshan hoped that everything of Zhaowuwei would be ready.

"We understand!" Yang Jinshui, Sun Yunfeng and Xue Changan responded.

Yang Zhengshan nodded slightly, "You will go to Zhaowuwei with the Jinhaiwei navy first. I, Lord Zhang, Lord Zheng and I will wait for the Tenglong Vanguard navy to arrive before heading to Zhaowuwei."

"These two people will trouble Lord Zhang and Lord Zheng to coordinate with the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue for military equipment and money and grain. When the time comes, the military equipment and money and grain will be transported from the Tenglong Vanguard to the Zhaowu Guard!"

Zhang Ruifu and Zheng Yang quickly stood up and accepted the order.

Afterwards, Yang Zhengshan arranged some things. After everything was arranged, Yang Zhengshan sent the five people away.

Then Yang Zhengshan went to the study and wrote a letter to Luo Jinsong, saying, "Send someone to deliver this letter to Tenglongwei and give it to Yu Tonghai immediately!"

Although the court mobilized the navy this time, Yang Zhengshan understood that the most important combat power in this battle still depended on the Tenglong Vanguard.

"Here!"

Luo Jinsong did not dare to delay. After receiving the letter, he immediately arranged a team of guards to go to Tenglongwei.

At the same time, the court's appointment and the Ministry of War's transfer orders were sent to the naval forces of each garrison as quickly as possible.

(End of this chapter)