Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 695 Han Che, the Marquis of Ankang

The General's Mansion at Chongshan Pass.

Han Fei sat upright in his study, handling military affairs.

Niu Zhuang has stepped down as the commander-in-chief of Chongshan Town and been promoted to the right commander-in-chief of the Central Military Commission. He is currently in the capital and in charge of the affairs of the Central Military Commission. Meanwhile, Zhou Lan, the left commander-in-chief of the Central Military Commission, is in Longxi keeping an eye on the Great Yue Dynasty in the west.

After Niu Zhuang returned to Beijing, Han Fei was naturally promoted to the position of General of Chongshan Town.

This former servant who followed Yang Zhengshan is now the commander-in-chief of a town and the Duke of Da'an New Dynasty.

To be honest, Han Cheng never imagined that his Han family would come to this day.

"My lord, there is an imperial decree ordering your transfer!"

Just as Han Fei was working on military affairs, a close attendant entered the study and handed him a document.

Han Fei immediately opened the document and began to read it. The imperial order naturally came from the Ministry of War. The specific content was that war would be launched against the Wuliang Hu tribe on the first day of the tenth month, and Chongshan Town must send troops westward.

Of course, the Ministry of War's order only required Chongshan Town to send troops, but it did not specify how Chongshan Town should send troops or how to fight.

In the past, when there was a war in Da Rong, the arrangements would vary depending on the scale. If the scale was relatively small and only involved a border town, the Ministry of War would only issue a dispatch order to give instructions on the next strategic direction. As for the specific strategic arrangements, it all depended on the governor and general of the border town.

If the scale is large, involving several border towns or provinces, the imperial court will appoint a governor-general.

For example, when Uto entered western Liaoning from Chongshan Town, the imperial court appointed a governor.

For example, the court also appointed a governor for the bandits who had previously affected the three provinces of Gansu.

Many of the systems of the new Da'an dynasty were inherited from Da'rong, but Da'an had a different system for appointing governors.

This campaign against the Wulianghu tribe involves Chongshan Town, Beiyuan Town, and Longbei Town, so a governor-general is needed to oversee the affairs of the three towns.

And this governor was none other than Zhou Lan.

Now Zhou Lan holds the title of General Who Conquers the North, carries the royal command flag, and is in charge of the troops of the three towns of Chongshan, Beiyuan, and Longbei, and is in charge of all matters related to the conquest of the Uriyang Kingdom.

The specific strategic arrangements will naturally be made by Zhou Lan, but the transfer order should not have reached Zhou Lan yet. Chongshan Town received the transfer order from the capital's court first.

After reading the Ministry of War's transfer order, Han Fei silently began to calculate in his mind.

Today is the eighth day of the eighth lunar month. If the troops are to be dispatched on the first day of the tenth lunar month, that means there are still more than fifty days to prepare.

He had plenty of time to mobilize troops and supplies.

However, the problem is that there are currently no soldiers available in Chongshan Town.

In fact, Han Fei is currently facing a very awkward situation.

The Chongshan Army is very strong. The foundation it has built up over thirty years since Yang Zhengshan was born should not be underestimated. However, the problem is that Yang Chengye has already transferred most of the elite troops and generals of Chongshan Town away.

The original Chongshan Army has been transformed into the Imperial Guard and the Emperor's personal guard of Da'an.

Yang Chengye also formed twelve battalions of the Imperial Guard and twelve battalions of the Personal Guard, totaling 240,000 troops. However, the Imperial Guard and Personal Guard now number only 60,000, which are the former five battalions of the Chongshan Town Garrison and 30,000 Yang Family Army.

Chongshan Town previously had eight reinforcement battalions, but now only three remain. The remaining five, although not incorporated into the Imperial Guard or the Personal Guard, are stationed near Wanshan Ridge to guard against Chen Hengchang's northward advance.

In other words, Chongshan Town only has three reinforcement battalions available now. Although Han Fei has been rebuilding the town's five battalions and the reinforcement battalions of the various deputy commanders since he took over as the general of Chongshan Town, the newly formed battalions are not very useful due to the short time that has passed.

Just as Han Fei was about to put away the Ministry of War's transfer order, he discovered that there was a note attached to the back of the order.

Opening the note, it read that Yang Mingzhi would be leading two thousand elite troops to support Chongshan Town, and that he, as the general, should be in charge of receiving them.

Looking at the handwriting, Han Fei realized it was clearly Yang Chengye's own calligraphy.

"Is Second Master coming?"

He looked at the note carefully again, and only after seeing that there was nothing else on it did he put it away.

He was more concerned about Yang Mingzhi's arrival than about conquering the Uriyang royal court.

Yang Mingzhi was the second master of the Yang family, the second uncle of Emperor Yang Chengye. His arrival was definitely a big deal for Chongshan Town.

After thinking for a moment, Han Fei immediately began arranging the deployment of troops and the reception of Yang Mingzhi.

Before Yang Mingzhi arrived, Zhou Lan's orders as the General Who Conquers the North were delivered to Han Fei first.

Upon receiving Zhou Lan's order, Han Fei immediately accelerated his departure.

Because Zhou Lan changed the departure date from the first day of the tenth month to the first day of the ninth month, the original fifty days were reduced to twenty days, and time suddenly became tight.

The reason Zhou Lan changed the departure date was simple: the Wuliang royal court was mobilizing troops, moving them north of Longbei Town. Clearly, this time the Wuliang royal court wanted to move south from Longbei Town.

To avoid the Uriyang royal court mobilizing more troops, Zhou Lan had no choice but to advance the departure date.

At this time, the Beiyuan Town Battalion she led was in Longxi, not far from Longbei Town.

In the western part of Longxi Province, in Lintao Prefecture, in the camp of the town of Beiyuan.

Zhou Lan looked at the military reports that were coming to her.

At this time, Zhou Lan was under great pressure. To the north, there was the threat of the Uriyang Kingdom, and to the west, the Great Yue Dynasty was attacking Suzhou Town and Tingzhou Town.

Although the Uriyang Kingdom will not launch an attack in the short term, and the Dayue Dynasty still has the Suzhou and Tingzhou garrisons blocking its way, it will not be an easy task for her to resolve this mess.

"General, someone outside requests an audience!" Wang Yunqiao said as she entered the tent.

Zhou Lan casually asked, "Who?"

"The man said he was the general's nephew," Wang Yunqiao said with a strange expression.

"Nephew?" Zhou Lan looked up in surprise. "Yuan Chen?"

She had only one nephew, the newly appointed Duke of Ningguo, Zhou Yuanchen.

“No, that person looks to be in his twenties and is quite good-looking!” Wang Yunqiao said.

"..."

Zhou Lan's expression also became strange.

"He's quite good-looking? What kind of nonsense is that?" Wang Yunqiao smiled awkwardly and said, "He is indeed a handsome young man!"

This isn't Wang Yunqiao being infatuated. Wang Yunqiao is a grandmother now, how could she still be infatuated?

She said that entirely because the newcomer was too handsome.

She wanted to explain the visitor's situation to Zhou Lan, but apart from saying that the visitor was handsome, she couldn't explain anything else.

Zhou Lan thought for a moment, but she couldn't recall any of her nephews being particularly handsome.

Her nephew, Zhou Yuanchen, is now a middle-aged man, so he's definitely not a young man anymore.

"Please come in and have a look!"

"Here!"

Wang Yunqiao responded and went to invite the person. After a while, she indeed brought in a handsome young man.

The newcomer appeared to be in his early twenties, dressed in a scholar's robe with gold thread and green bamboo design. He was tall and straight, with delicate features, a high nose bridge, exceptionally bright eyes, and a faint smile on his thin lips.

Although this person is handsome, he is not so handsome as to be unbelievable. However, his temperament is very charming, as if he has an indescribable affinity.

Just one glance and I felt that this person was very nice, good, and handsome.

"Han Zhenchuan of the Han family greets his aunt!" Han Zhenchuan kowtowed.

"The Han family?" Zhou Lan was taken aback, then realized, "You are the son of Han Che, the Marquis of Ankang?"

"My father was none other than Han Che, the Earl of Ankang in the previous dynasty!" Han Zhenchuan said.

The former dynasty he was referring to was the Great Rong Dynasty. Now, the Great Rong Dynasty exists in name only. It exists in name only because Chen Hengchang still holds the title of Great Rong. Although he has not yet declared himself emperor, he is still a member of the Great Rong royal family.

As for saying that he is Zhou Lan's nephew, that's not entirely wrong.

Han Zhenchuan's grandfather once served under Zhou Mao. He died on the battlefield while protecting Zhou Mao from a knife. At that time, Han Zhenchuan's grandfather was only in his twenties and left behind only one posthumous son, Han Che.

Zhou Mao will repay the life-saving grace with all his might.

After Han Zhenchuan's grandfather died in battle, the Ankang Earl's Mansion was embroiled in a struggle for the title. Later, Zhou Mao learned that Han Che was a boy, so he adopted him as his godson. He not only protected Han Che in many ways, but also helped Han Che win the title of Ankang Earl.

This marriage was arranged by Zhou Mao, so naturally, they became real relatives of the Zhou family.

However, Zhou Lan has paid little attention to the Han family's affairs over the years, so she has forgotten about this relative.

To be honest, Zhou Lan didn't really like Han Che. The reason was simple: Han Che was somewhat arrogant and domineering.

In his youth, he took advantage of the power of the Ningguo Duke's mansion to commit many evil deeds.

After figuring out Han Zhenchuan's identity, Zhou Lan pondered for a moment and asked, "Your father should be working in Anxi Town, right?"

"Replying to Aunt, Father is currently serving as the Military Commander of Changhe Guard in Anxi Town's Northern Route!" Han Zhenchuan said.

Zhou Lan looked at him meaningfully and said, "So what's the purpose of your visit? Don't tell me you've come to visit your aunt, haha~"

The Zhou and Han families did not sever ties. Before the chaos of the world, the two families still exchanged gifts during festivals. However, after the chaos, around the time Chen Zhaojun ascended the throne, the two families had much less contact.

Zhou Lan hadn't received any news from the Han family for several years, otherwise she wouldn't have forgotten that she had such a nephew.

Han Zhenchuan smiled warmly, "Your nephew has come on behalf of your father to surrender to the new dynasty!"

"Oh!" Zhou Lan didn't speak, she just looked at him indifferently.

Her gaze was calm and ordinary, but Han Zhenchuan felt as if she could see right through him, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

Han Zhenchuan's smile changed, from composure to unease.

"Father can help the new dynasty take Anxi Town and Wusi Town, and can also help the new dynasty repel the Great Yue Dynasty!" Han Zhenchuan looked at Zhou Lan and said softly.

Zhou Lan remained silent, looking at him calmly, as if waiting for him to say something next.

Unbeknownst to Han Zhenchuan, a fine layer of sweat had appeared on his forehead, and his unease turned into awkwardness and anxiety.

Before he came, he was very confident that he could persuade Zhou Lan to help the Han family gain more benefits and a higher status in the new dynasty.

Along the way, he thought of many ways to persuade Zhou Lan, such as that the Han family should follow the Zhou family's lead and do everything in their power to help the Zhou family in the court.

For example, the Han family could help the Zhou family seize control of Anxi Town, giving the Zhou family the confidence to command a large army.

He thought of many ways to win over the Zhou family.

But now he suddenly doesn't know how to start the conversation.

Zhou Lan put a lot of pressure on him, making him feel like he couldn't look her in the eye.

If Zhou Lan knew what he was thinking, she would definitely chuckle and say, "Did you really think I've been doing all this for nothing? You young upstart trying to act all high and mighty in front of me, don't you even know who I am!"

Zhou Lan could naturally guess Han Zhenchuan's purpose in coming. In fact, she had met with quite a few people like Han Zhenchuan during this period.

Although the Da'an New Dynasty is facing crises on all sides, it has already occupied two-thirds of Da Rong's territory and established a court, making its momentum irreversible.

At this time, many people would naturally choose to join the new Da'an dynasty.

Many people in Suzhou Town, Tingzhou Town, Anxi Town, and Wusi Town wanted to take the opportunity to defect to the new Da'an Dynasty.

Zhou Lan also took the opportunity to win over a group of people. However, the current situation in the west is complicated, and it is not a good time to take advantage of the situation to recover the four border towns. Therefore, Zhou Lan only won over these people and did not actually recruit them.

The fact that Suzhou Town and Tingzhou Town have been able to withstand the attack of the Dayue Dynasty is largely due to the crucial role played by Zhou Lan.

She did not send troops or provide supplies, but she promised those people that as long as they could defeat the Great Yue Dynasty, she would ask the New Great An Dynasty to reward them according to their merits.

To put it simply, Zhou Lan was dangling a carrot in front of the generals who were interested in joining the new Da'an dynasty. Whether they could actually get their hands on it would depend on their current performance.

Therefore, many generals in Suzhou and Tingzhou are now fighting hard, rather than holding onto their troops for self-preservation.

If it weren't for the interference of the Great Yue Dynasty, it would have been easy for Zhou Lan to recapture Suzhou Town and Tingzhou Town; once the army arrived, many people would surrender.

(End of this chapter)