Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 581 Emperor Yanping achieves multiple goals with one move

Yang Zhengshan thought for a moment and said, "Not necessarily. Your Majesty has to give me some face. If you leave Chongshan Town, His Majesty will definitely let Mingzhi take charge of Chongshan Town in order to appease me, otherwise the balance of Chongshan Town will be broken!"

Under Emperor Yanping's balancing act, Zhou Lan is currently the most suitable person to be the general of Chongshan Town.

If Yang Mingzhi were still appointed as the general, Chongshan Town would really become the territory of the Yang family.

But if another general is arranged to contain the Yang family, the close relationship between the Yang family and the court will be broken. Not to mention others, Yang Zhengshan will be dissatisfied.

Therefore, as long as Emperor Yanping is not senile, he will not transfer Zhou Lan.

Yang Zhengshan added: "Just stay in Chongshan Town with peace of mind. As for Zhang Zhecheng, if he knows what's good for him, let him stay in Chongshan Town. If he doesn't, let him leave!"

Zhou Lan nodded, agreeing with Yang Zhengshan's idea.

However, Yang Zhengshan and Zhou Lan both guessed wrongly what Emperor Yanping was thinking. Emperor Yanping liked to play the game of balance, and he was proud of it.

In his view, as long as the officialdom in various places is balanced, there will not be too many mistakes.

But now there are mistakes and omissions in Beiyuan Town.

Beiyuan Town suffered heavy losses, and countless military households and civilians died at the hands of the Wulianghu cavalry.

Moreover, Beiyuan Town's Zhenbiao Battalion was basically wiped out in Linyuan City. Only less than 40,000 remnants were left of the 100,000-man Zhenbiao Battalion, and the Eighth Route Army's reinforcement battalion also suffered heavy casualties.

Five of the Eighth Route Army lieutenant generals died, and only three of them ran fast and saved their lives.

However, the lives of these three people will not be saved for long, and their families will also be implicated.

Now Beiyuan Town can be said to be destroyed. Fortunately, Yang Zhengshan launched a surprise attack on Yemi City, otherwise Wu Tuo could really occupy Beiyuan Town.

Next, what Emperor Yanping and the court faced was not how to balance the officialdom in Beiyuan Town, but how to rebuild Beiyuan Town.

Beiyuan Town needs to be rebuilt, a comprehensive reconstruction from top to bottom.

From the general's mansion to every garrison and every fort, everything needed to be rebuilt.

So how to rebuild Beiyuan Town?
Emperor Yanping's method was simple but wise.

On the eighth day of July, the court issued a transfer order.

Zhou Lan was promoted to the right governor of the Left Army Governor's Office, and was granted the title of Supreme Guard General and served as the general of Beiyuan Town.

Yang Mingzhi was promoted to the position of Vice Governor, granted the title of General Guarding the Country, and appointed as the Deputy General-in-Chief of Beiyuan Town.

Song Dashan, Yang Mingzhen, Yang Chengxu and Yang Chengze were promoted to deputy commanders, conferred with the title of General Zhaowu, and served as lieutenant generals of the four routes in Beiyuan Town.

Tang Feihu was promoted to the general of Chongshan Town, Niu Zhuang was promoted to the deputy general of Chongshan Town, Yang Minghao was promoted to the lieutenant general of Fuzhou Guard in the north, and so on.

The result was that most of the senior executives in Chongshan Town were promoted.

But the original Chongshan Town was divided into two parts, and most of the Yang family members were transferred to Beiyuan Town.

After the transfer, only two Yang family members, Yang Minghao and Yang Mingwu, were left in the high-level positions in Chongshan Town. Of course, there were many more Yang family members in the middle and low-level positions.

Seeing such a result, Yang Zhengshan was speechless.

Emperor Yanping played this move beautifully, achieving several goals at one stroke.

First, transferring Zhou Lan and the Yang family's team to Beiyuan Town will indeed be beneficial to the reconstruction of Beiyuan Town.

Second, Zhou Lan and the Yang family had no roots in Beiyuan Town. Even if they were in charge of Beiyuan Town, it would be impossible for them to run Beiyuan Town into a solid entity in a short period of time.

Third, the situation in which the Yang family was the only dominant force in Chongshan Town was resolved. Although the Yang family was still deeply rooted in Chongshan Town, its influence on the high-level officials in Chongshan Town was greatly reduced.

Fourthly, Yang Zhengshan could not be dissatisfied with this, because everyone was promoted and was given important responsibilities. If Yang Zhengshan was dissatisfied, he would seem to be ungrateful.

Yang Zhengshan couldn't help but sigh at the wisdom of Emperor Yanping.

This move made him very convinced.

But isn’t Emperor Yanping afraid of destroying Chongshan Town?

There is no problem with Tang Feihu's ability and qualifications, but he lacks prestige in Chongshan Town. His prestige is far less than that of Yang Zhengshan and Zhou Lan, and even less than that of Yang Mingzhi.

Without sufficient prestige, how could he control Chongshan Town?
What's more, there is a governor Zhang Zhecheng above him.

If Zhang Zhecheng caused trouble in Chongshan Town, Tang Feihu would have no way of stopping him.

The lack of the Yang family's influence at the top level did limit the Yang family's dominance, but it also limited the Yang family's maintenance of Chongshan Town.

Without the Yang family's protection, can Chongshan Town still develop steadily?
Yang Zhengshan felt a little worried about this.

In the lobby of the General's Mansion, all the officials looked at each other in bewilderment after reading the documents from the Cabinet and the Ministry of War.

Yang Zhengshan was still sitting in the main seat, his eyes sweeping over the people in the hall.

Zhou Lan, Tang Feihu, Niu Zhuang, Yang Mingzhi, Song Dashan, Yang Mingzhen, Yang Chengze, Yang Chengxu, Yang Minghao and so on.

Among them, Niuzhuang belongs to Zhou Lan, Tang Feihu forms his own faction, and Zhang Chengzhi and Qin He also form an independent faction.

Although the Yang family did not exclude outsiders in Chongshan Town, in fact, the core of Chongshan Town has always been in the hands of Zhou Lan and the Yang family.

Whether it is Tang Feihu, Zhang Chengzhi or Qin He, they can only live in their own territory.

But the situation changed later. When Tang Feihu became the general, he would definitely support his own forces. Although he had no hatred against the Yang family, he certainly could not be as close to the Yang family as Zhou Lan.

Everyone was silent, waiting for Yang Zhengshan to speak, while Yang Zhengshan leaned back in his chair, tapping the armrests. After a long while, he said, "Chengye!"

Yang Chengye, who was standing behind him in a daze, was slightly shocked and hurried forward, "Grandson is here!"

"You should stay in Chongshan Town from now on, and first serve as a captain in the Zhenbiao Camp!" Yang Zhengshan looked at Yang Chengye with admiration.

Today, Yang Chengye is already 23 years old, and his cultivation has reached the fifth level of the acquired realm. His aptitude for cultivation is absolutely amazing.

If nothing unexpected happens, within ten years, Yang Chengye's cultivation will surely reach the ninth level of the acquired realm, and there is a great chance that he will step into the threshold of the innate realm before he turns forty.

In addition to his own cultivation, Yang Chengye has a calm personality and a clear mind. Although he is not extremely smart, he can be considered to be both wise and brave.

Yang Chengye had followed Yang Zhengshan on two expeditions. Now he went to the sea to conquer Xingyuemen, and later he traveled 4,000 miles to attack Yemi City from afar. He performed very well.

Yang Zhengshan was very satisfied with this. He felt that the successor he had trained was very much in line with his own wishes and was more in line with his wishes than the three brothers Yang Mingcheng.

Yang Mingcheng is too honest, Yang Mingzhi is smart but not wise enough and likes to use clever tricks too much. Yang Minghao is quite wise and can see things clearly, but he is not calm enough and is sometimes too reckless.

In comparison, Yang Chengye is very good, stable, clear-minded, and does not have the shortcomings of his father and his two uncles.

Of course, Yang Chengye also has shortcomings. Being too stable means that he lacks enterprising spirit. He is good at maintaining the status quo, but seems a little powerless when it comes to innovation.

"Yes!" Yang Chengye agreed without hesitation.

Yang Zhengshan nodded slightly, looked at Tang Feihu, and said with a smile: "Brother Tang, I'll have to trouble you to take good care of my grandson in the future!"

Tang Feihu smiled and said, "Don't worry, my Lord, I will be safe and sound in Chongshan Town!"

Yang Zhengshan laughed, “I feel relieved with Brother Tang’s words!” The word “young marquis” explained everything.

Yang Zhengshan kept Yang Chengye in Chongshan Town because he didn't want the Yang family's roots in Chongshan Town to disappear. In fact, Yang Minghao could do the same in Chongshan Town, but Yang Minghao would be the lieutenant general of Fuzhou Guard in the future, far away from Chongshan Pass, so it would be difficult for him to influence the decision of the top leaders of Chongshan Town.

Although Yang Chengye is young and holds a low official position, he is the eldest grandson of the Yang family and the future heir to the Jing'an Marquisate.

He can represent the Jing'an Marquis Mansion better than Yang Minghao.

As long as he is in Chongshan Pass, the Yang family members in Chongshan Pass will have a backbone.

Tang Feihu obviously understood this, as it seemed to be limiting his power. After all, no one wanted to see a large number of subordinates under his command who were not under his control.

However, Tang Feihu understood more clearly that without the support of the Yang family, he would not be able to control Chongshan Town.

From then on, he had only two choices. One was to get close to the Yang family and use the power of the Yang family to control Chongshan Town. The other was to get close to Zhang Zhecheng. The two of them, one the governor and the other the general, would work together to suppress the power of the Yang family in Chongshan Town.

Tang Feihu has made his choice. He chose to be close to the Yang family.

After all, he has an old friendship with Yang Zhengshan and Zhou Lan. When Zhou Lan was the guerrilla general in Zhenbiaoying, he was also the guerrilla general of Zhenbiaoying. Now he has taken over Zhou Lan's position as general. As long as Yang Zhengshan and Zhou Lan support him, he can be stable in Chongshan Town.

On the contrary, if he joins forces with Zhang Zhecheng, he will stand on the opposite side of Yang Zhengshan and Zhou Lan. At that time, Yang Zhengshan and Zhou Lan might drive him and Zhang Zhecheng out of Chongshan Town together.

Don’t think that Yang Zhengshan and Zhou Lan can’t do it. The Yang family is deeply rooted in Chongshan Town.

What does deep-rooted mean?

From the town flag camp to the various reinforcement camps, and then to the garrison camps and guard posts in various places, the figures of Yang family members can be seen everywhere.

Although the official positions of these Yang family members were not high, it was these Yang family members with low official positions who constituted the basic foundation of Chongshan Town.

If you want to drive the Yang family out of Chongshan Town, it may be more troublesome than rebuilding Beiyuan Town.

So Tang Feihu chose to stand on the side of the Yang family without any hesitation.

Zhou Lan also smiled at Tang Feihu, and Tang Feihu responded with a very relaxed smile.

Yang Zhengshan looked at Luo Feiyu again and said, "Feiyu, you will be the lieutenant general of the East Route from now on! Brother Zhang, you should bear with it and switch with Feiyu!"

Zhang Chengzhi was stunned. He didn't expect that there was something for him to do here. He quickly bowed and said, "I will obey the order of the Marquis!"

He actually didn't have many choices. Unlike Tang Feihu and Niu Zhuang, Tang Feihu was born in the Nancheng Earl's Mansion. He was the brother of the current Nancheng Earl Tang Feilong. After all, Tang Feihu was also born into a noble family.

Like Niuzhuang and Zhao Yuan, they are both illegitimate sons of noble families. Although the noble forces behind them are not strong, they at least provide some support.

There is also Qin He. Qin He is not from a noble family, but he is a descendant of a general. Three generations of his ancestors served in the border army. His grandfather served as a lieutenant general in the southern road of Chongshan Town thirty years ago.

The reason why Ji He recommended Qin He was because Qin He’s grandfather had supported Ji He.

Compared with them, Zhang Chengzhi was a man who climbed up from the bottom of society. He came from an ordinary military household and his father was just a small flag officer.

Of course, he was able to get back on his feet not without help from others. Wang Bin was his greatest benefactor.

It was precisely because of Wang Bin's support that he was able to rise step by step and achieve success in martial arts.

Now that Wang Bin is no longer able to support him, the only one he can count on is Yang Zhengshan.

Therefore, he would not and dared not have any objection to Yang Zhengshan's arrangement.

It was just a change of place, and he was still a lieutenant general, so he didn't feel uncomfortable.

The reason why Yang Zhengshan transferred Luo Feiyu to the East Route was that he hoped he could take better care of the Tianqing Sword Sect in the East Route.

Yang Zhengshan looked at everyone and asked, "If you have any questions, please tell me. Maybe I can help you!"

Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads to indicate that nothing was wrong.

"Since there is nothing else to do, let General Tang take charge of the affairs of Chongshan Town!"

Yang Zhengshan smiled at Tang Feihu and said.

Tang Feihu stood up quickly and said, "Your Majesty, please take charge. I still have a lot of things that I need your advice on!"

Yang Zhengshan waved his hand and left the main seat. "Everything in Chongshan Town should remain the same. As for the rest, you must not relax your defense against the Wulianghu tribe. Although the Wulianghu tribe is in turmoil now, you cannot ignore their threats."

As he spoke, he walked over and sat down next to Zhou Lan, giving the main seat to Tang Feihu.

Since the court has ordered Tang Feihu to be promoted to general, he was dismissed from his post as temporary general.

From now on, this will be Tang Feihu's home court.

Tang Feihu reluctantly took the main seat. He didn't say much, but just implemented Yang Zhengshan's previous arrangements.

Then everyone dispersed.

In the evening, Tang Feihu held a banquet at the best restaurant in the city and invited everyone to attend.

Naturally, Yang Zhengshan would not give him face and bring Yang Chengye to the banquet.

It may look like an ordinary banquet, but it actually has extraordinary significance.

Yang Zhengshan's personal attendance at the banquet had already made his attitude clear.

Many officials from government offices at all levels in Chongshan Pass also came to the banquet, which also showed their attitude.

Zhang Zhecheng also attended the banquet.

At the banquet, Zhang Zhecheng toasted with Yang Zhengshan with a smile as warm as spring breeze.

"I congratulate the Marquis on his military exploits again. Haha, I heard that the Marquis fought across 4,000 miles and launched a surprise attack on the city of King Wuliang, burning it down to the ground!" Zhang Zhecheng flattered Yang Zhengshan.

This matter has spread, and the news that Yang Mingzhen and Yang Chengze swept through dozens of tribes in the heart of the Wuliang royal court has also spread.

Beiyuan Town was defeated and Chongshan Town won a great victory. Although Chongshan Town did not support Beiyuan Town, the capture of Yemi City caused the Wuliang army to retreat. This result silenced the officials in the court who had been constantly impeaching Yang Zhengshan.

Yang Zhengshan raised his glass and clinked it with his, saying with a smile: "Master Zhang, my nephews and nieces will need your care in the future!"

"That's right, haha, please, My Lord, I'll drink first as a sign of respect!" Zhang Zhecheng raised his glass.

The two chatted for a long time, saying all kinds of meaningless compliments.

At the banquet, everyone was toasting each other and the atmosphere was very lively.

Yang Zhengshan, Zhang Zhecheng, Zhou Lan, Tang Feihu, Niu Zhuang, Yang Mingzhi, Song Ying, Ning Qinghe and Zhang Cong sat at a table chatting and laughing, in a very harmonious atmosphere.

But everyone understands that there is only one outsider here, and that is Zhang Zhecheng.

There is no need to say much about the others. Song Ying, Ning Qinghe and Zhang Cong are also old people in Chongshan Town. When facing Zhang Zhecheng, they will naturally move closer to Tang Feihu and the Yang family.

And judging from Tang Feihu's expression, he seemed to want to sideline Zhang Zhecheng.

Yang Zhengshan didn't say much about this. Tang Feihu was not a simple rookie. As long as Tang Feihu was loyal to the Yang family, Yang Zhengshan didn't need to worry about other things.

(End of this chapter)