I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 637 Is This an Ultimatum?
The first person Ren Boan introduced was a fifty-year-old thin-faced old man: "This is Zhang Rong, the chief officer of the Shuidejiang Chief Officer Division of Sinan Prefecture."

The second person introduced was a dark-faced young man in his twenties. "This is An Yue, the chief officer of the Barbarians Division of Sinan Prefecture. He is also a student of Sinan Prefecture."

The third person introduced was a burly man in his thirties. "This is Yang Piandao, the deputy chief of the Shuidejiang Chieftaincy of Sinan Prefecture."

Next came the broad-faced man in his forties, "This is Li Chengzu, the deputy chief of the Barbarian Affairs Office of Sinan Prefecture."

After introducing the four guests, Ren Boan introduced the four people who were sitting upright.

"This is Wang Duxian, the Governor-General of Huguang, this is Tang Dushi, the Governor of Qianzhong, this is Liu Dushi, the Governor of Sichuan, and this is Wu Changshi, the Governor-General of Huguang."

Zhang Yong, Anyue and the other three were shocked. They had thought that at most the court would send a prefect or a deputy governor to talk to them, but they didn't expect it to be the Governor-General of Huguang and two envoys.

They were not quite sure what high-ranking official he was, but they knew he was the Governor-General of Huguang, the highest military and political chief of Hunan and Hubei provinces.

"Zhang Yong/An Yue/Yang Pian Dao/Li Cheng Zu meet with Wang Du Xian, Tang Du Shi, Liu Du Shi and Wu Chang Shi."

The four of them stepped forward and knelt down respectfully to pay their respects. Even Yang Piandao, who had been feeling resentful, lowered his head and did not dare to act rashly.

Wang Yi'e raised his right hand and said politely, "The four chieftains, please stand up and sit down!"

"You four are the pillars of Sinan Prefecture. We invited you here to discuss important matters."

Anyue, Yang Piandao and Li Chengzu involuntarily turned their heads to look at their uncle Zhang Rong.

Zhang Yong's thin face remained calm, and he cupped his hands and said, "Please give your instructions, Governor Wang."

Wang Yi nodded in the direction of Wu Chengen, "Changshi Wu, first tell Envoy Tang and Envoy Liu about the situation in Sinan Prefecture."

"Yes."

Wu Chengen cleared his throat and said, “In the eleventh year of Yongle (1413), Tian Chen, the envoy of Sizhou, and Tian Zongding, the envoy of Sinan, dominated one side and attacked and robbed the other, refusing to listen to the court’s request for reconciliation.

Emperor Chengzu was furious and sent troops to Sinan to arrest the two men and bring them to the capital, where they were both dismissed and punished. The jurisdiction of the Sinan Xuanwei Office was changed to Sinan, Zhenyuan, Tongren, and Wuluo, which were under the jurisdiction of the newly established Guizhou Provincial Administration Office.

In March of the 12th year of Yongle's reign, Sinan Prefecture was officially established, and it administered: the Manyi Chieftainship, the Shuidejiang Chieftainship, the Yanhe Youxi Chieftainship, the Siyinjiang Chieftainship, Wuchuan County, and the four mercury mines of Banchang, Muyou, Yanqian, and Renban.

In the fourth year of Zhengtong (1439), the imperial court abolished Wuluo Prefecture because it had only three administrative divisions under its jurisdiction, and its Langxi Division was transferred to Sinan Prefecture; in the seventh year of Hongzhi, because Zhang Heling, the governor of Siyinjiang, was guilty, the Siyinjiang Division was changed to Yinjiang County.

Wu Cheng'en recited the situation of Sinan Prefecture fluently as if he were reciting a book, and Zhang Yong and the other three looked calm.

"In the tenth year of Jiajing (1531), the Dejiang Chief Officer of the Sinan Prefecture conducted an inventory and found a total of households and people.

The Shuidejiang Chief Office was divided into four villages, namely Dejiangtu, Dejiangcuntu, Dabaotu and Wengjitu, with 760 households and 6,863 people.

The chief officer is Zhang Yong and the deputy chief is Yang Piandao.

The Barbarian Chieftainship Office had three registered households, namely Shuitejiang, Luowenshui, and Xindi, with 402 households and 4,811 people.

The chief officer is Anyue, a student of Sinan Prefecture. The deputy chief officer is Li Chengzu.

In addition, the Youxi Chieftainship along the river governs three maps: Shuidong Map, Buguiping Map, and Funan Map, with a total of 397 households and 5,883 people.

Chief Officer Zhang Shichen, Deputy Chief Officer Ran Zhen."

When Zhang Yong and the other three heard this, their faces changed and they looked at each other and exchanged glances.

The imperial court knows our background very well. What is its intention?
Zhang Yong signaled to the other three people, asking them to be patient and listen to the conditions proposed by the Han official.

Wang Yi'e noticed the expressions of Zhang Yong and the other three, and continued Wu Cheng'en's words, saying, "Logically speaking, if I want to discuss the future of Si'nan Prefecture with you, I should also invite Zhang Shichen, the chief officer of the Yanhe Youxi Chief Office, and Ran Zhen, the deputy chief officer.

It’s just that the Youxi Prefecture along the river is located in the middle reaches of the Wujiang River, a full 200 miles away from the Shuidejiang Prefecture. The land is far away, and they always like to do their own thing, and they can’t pee in the same pot with you.”

Zhang Yong stroked his sparse beard and listened quietly.

Before this, Han officials seldom cared about these matters. They only cared about whether they were obedient to the king.

To put it bluntly, just be honest, pay tribute on time, and don't cause trouble.

Sinan Prefecture was nominally a prefecture under the jurisdiction of the Guizhou Provincial Administration, and it also included two counties, Wuchuan and Yinjiang.

However, no one had taken up the post of prefect or county magistrate for many years, and Sinan Prefecture and the two counties of Wuchuan and Yinjiang were just empty shells, with the local people being managed by the three chief officials.

There are also four mercury pits in Banchang, Muyu, Yanqian and Renban, which are run and managed by Han people, who are very experienced in this area. The three chief officials provide protection and share the profits every year.

Now suddenly the Han government sent someone to secretly summon their four chief and deputy chiefs to discuss serious matters.

They also hesitated for a long time, but they trusted Yao Bingzhou and Chenzhou prefect Quan Shenyong very much. After hesitation, they were still willing to attend the meeting to see what the Han government was planning.

Unexpectedly, when I quietly arrived at Luxi County, I found the Governor of Huguang, Wang Yi'e, there.

They were far away in Sinan Prefecture, Guizhou, but they had heard of the name of the Osprey Governor, who was said to be the highest official in Huguang. Although Sinan Prefecture was not under his jurisdiction, he was in control of their family.

Once Hunan was blocked, the goods entering and leaving Sinan Prefecture would be reduced by half. Then a letter was sent to Sichuan, requesting that Fuzhou, Wulong, Pengshui and other places in the lower reaches of Wujiang River be blocked as well, and Sinan Prefecture would be doomed.

Moreover, they have a large army and can find any excuse to send troops to sweep Sinan Prefecture.

What Zhang Yong and the other three couldn’t understand was why such a high-ranking official would look for them?
The chief and deputy chief are said to be the local emperors, holding the lives and deaths of thousands of soldiers and civilians in their hands, but everyone knows that they are no different from the village heads and local security guards in the Central Plains.

It’s just that the emperor is far away and the court is too lazy to care about itself.

Zhang Yong was old and had seen and heard a lot, so he vaguely guessed some clues, but he kept it to himself and continued to listen.

“This Governor also knows that the Chief Officer Zhang Shichen and the Deputy Chief Officer Ran Zhen of the Yanhe Youxi Chief Office are not only at odds with you, but they are also at odds with each other.

The chief officer of the Yanhe Youxi Chief Officer Division has always been inherited by the Zhang family, and the deputy chief officer has always been inherited by the Ran family. The two families led a part of the division and fought openly and secretly for hundreds of years.

The Ran family is weak, but they have been intermarried with the Youyang Xuanfusi for generations, and they are mutually supportive, so they have strong external support. The Zhang family is slightly stronger, but their external support is Pingchadongsi and Shiyedongsi, so they have weak external support.

Therefore, the Zhang and Ran families are evenly matched. Although they fight, neither can do anything to the other for hundreds of years. However, recently, there have been changes in the Youxi Division along the river, and the situation has also changed. "

Wang Yi'e pointed at Yao Bingzhou and said, "Yao Dushi, tell the four chieftains about this."

“It’s the Governor.

Last year, Yang Yinglong of Bozhou secretly sent envoys to Youxi Si along the river to quietly win over Zhang Shichen. Not only did he give him a lot of money, food and cloth, he also promised Yang Yinglong's cousin Yang Miaoniang to Zhang Shichen.

Yang Miaoniang was a famous beauty in Bozhou. Zhang Shichen was attracted by her beauty and wealth and was immediately attracted to her. He secretly colluded with Yang from Bozhou.

Wang Yi'e looked at Zhang Yong with a sharp gaze, which made him feel a little uncomfortable, and his Adam's apple kept shaking up and down.

"I've heard that Tusi Zhang is knowledgeable and resourceful. He should be able to see what Yang Yinglong is up to by doing this."

Zhang Yong didn't want to say anything at first, but under Wang Yi'e's sharp gaze, he couldn't stand it. Governor Osprey really lived up to his reputation!

I am the fish he is targeting.

“Some people say Yang Yinglong is cruel and bloodthirsty.

But one thing that everyone knows is that Yang Yinglong is very ambitious. He is looking to southern Sichuan in the north, Guizhou in the south, Tongren and Sinan in the east, and intends to establish his own regime in the southwest and become the King of Yelang. "

Zhang Yong said slowly: "Bozhou is located at the junction of Guizhou and southern Sichuan. It has accumulated a lot of wealth by transporting salt from Fuchuan and grain and cloth from Huguang. It then recruited soldiers and built forts, and its ambitions are very ambitious.

The key to the Chishui River passage in the west lies in the Yongning Xuanfusi.

She Xiaozhong, the envoy of Yongning, and An Guoheng, the envoy of Shuixi Guizhou, had been attacking each other for more than ten years. Yang Yinglong sent envoys to make friends with She Xiaozhong and stationed troops on the Shaxi Post line, eyeing Shuixi City covetously.

The She family was weak while the An family was strong, so when they attacked each other, the She family was at a disadvantage. Yang Yinglong deployed his troops in this way, so the An family had to withdraw troops to defend along the line and could not fully deal with the She family.

Therefore, She clan had a slight advantage for a while, and naturally gave Yang clan convenience everywhere along the Chishui line. "

Wang Yi'e, Tang Kekuan, Liu Xian and Wu Cheng'en listened quietly.

Liu Xian, in particular, listened very carefully. There were countless chieftains in Sichuan. Except for a few in the north and east, there were hundreds or thousands of envoys, appeasers, envoys, and chief and deputy chiefs in the south and west. There were as many as hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians, and as few as thousands. Among them, there were submissive and unruly ones.

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Among them, She, the Yongning Xuanfu Envoy, was a well-known troublemaker.

The She family's territory was not large, but they controlled the trade and salt routes from central Sichuan to Guizhou, and they collected a lot of tolls.

But he is not a law-abiding person. Once he has some money in his pocket, he becomes very arrogant and orders everyone what to do, especially targeting the Shuixi An family in the southwest.

An's family had ruled Shuixi for more than a thousand years since they helped Zhuge Liang capture Meng Huo seven times in Shu Han. In the imperial court, they were granted the title of Guizhou Xuanwei Envoy, and their territory occupied half of the Guizhou Provincial Administration.

The She and An families were in-laws, and the trouble happened because of the in-laws.

Now, the She and An families have been attacking each other for more than ten years. The imperial court has issued several edicts asking them to stop fighting, but they treat it as a piece of toilet paper.

The imperial court's prestige in the southwest was shattered by the She and An families.

That's why the emperor was preparing to take heavy measures against the southwest, and used the most ambitious Bozhou Yang family, the most disobedient Yongning She family, and the most powerful Shuixi An family as examples.

Wang Yi'e, Yin Zhengmao, Tang Kekuan and myself were also transferred here.

Yin Zhengmao submitted a memorial to the emperor, requesting that the generals he had appointed to suppress the rebellion in Guangdong and Guangxi be transferred to Sichuan one after another, including Chen Lin, Cao Xibin, Wu Guang, and Li Yingxiang.
These generals themselves have led troops before, so they should not be too aggressive in fighting.

On the Huguang side, in addition to the general Tang Kekuan and the fierce general Deng Zilong, Wang Yi'e is gradually transferring generals such as Wu Weizhong, Yang Wen, and Zhu Jue, all of whom are brave generals who stood out in the suppression of the Japanese pirates in the southeast, and who have successively made military achievements in the recovery of Jianzhou and Haixi in the northeast, the attack on the Chahar tribe, and the management of Annan.

With so many brave and capable generals stationed to the east and north of Guizhou, how can we justify such a large formation if we don't kill the three chickens, Yang, She and An?
Now that there was information concerning the Yongning She family, Liu Xian naturally listened very carefully.

"After Yang Yinglong solved the problem of the Chishui River passage in the west, he thought about solving the problem of the passage in the east. In the east, Wujiang River, Sinan City, which controls the key point, is our Shuidejiang Chieftainship and the Manyi Chieftainship.

Our Zhang family, Yang family, An family, and the Zhang family of the Barbarian Chieftain Division all have a lot of old grudges against Yang Yinglong. So he put his mind on the Yanhe Youxi Division, winning over Zhang Shichen, helping him suppress the Ran family, and then provoking a fight between him and us, so that he can take advantage of the chaos to attack. "

Wang Yi'e couldn't help but applaud and said, "Good, the analysis is very insightful. Sinan Prefecture is located in a strategic location and is watched by various forces, but it has remained stable until now. Chieftain Zhang has made great contributions.

I also revealed a piece of information to the four of you. Yang Yinglong's brother Yang Zhaolong is coming to Chenzhou Prefecture to discuss with me about recalling 3,000 Bozhou wolf soldiers.

Yang Zhaolong did not go to Tongren, but took the route to Zhenyuan Prefecture instead. "

Zhang Yong and Anyue's faces changed, but Yang Piandao and Zhang Chengzu were confused.

After receiving Zhang Yong's signal, Anyue said, "This time when we came east, we took the Laer Mountain instead of Tongren and Mayang, in order to avoid the spies that Yang might have planted in Tongren and Mayang.

Now Yang Zhaolong did not go through the Tongren-Mayang route, but went through Zhenyuan Prefecture. It seems that he is determined to take over our Sinan."

Wang Yi'e and Wu Cheng'en showed expressions of approval.

The two chieftains, Zhang Yong and Anyue, were both smart men, especially Anyue, who was a student at the academy and a promising talent.

Yang Piandao and Zhang Chengzu were confused. "Old Five, what are you talking about?" We know what each word means, but when they are put together, we don't know what it means.

Seeing the inquiring looks of the two men, Anyue explained to them: "Yang Zhaolong must have been surveying the route by traveling along the Zhenyuan Prefecture, Huangzhou, and Yuanzhou lines this time. He might even have bribed the village chiefs in secret to prepare for opening up this trade route in the future."

Zhang Chengzu understood a little and lowered his head without saying anything.

Yang Piandao still didn't understand and continued to ask.

"Open up this trade route. Why do we need to open up this trade route?"

“Because Yang Yinglong is instigating Zhang Shichen to go to war with us, causing a melee among the three divisions of Sinan Prefecture, and then he can take advantage of the situation to fish in troubled waters and control Sinan City.

By controlling Sinan City, the Yang family will be able to rest assured on the Wujiang River in the east. But no one knows how long the chaos between the three divisions will last.

To be on the safe side, Yang Yinglong needs to open up the trade route between Zhenyuan Prefecture and Huangzhou. When the three divisions of ours fight and the routes to Sinan and Tongren are affected and blocked, he can go through Zhenyuan Prefecture and make money without delay. "

Yang Piandao said angrily: "This bastard! I'm going to chop off his head!"

Wang Yi'e waved his hand and said to Zhang Yong and the other three, "Yang Yinglong is eyeing you covetously and plotting against you. This is why you are willing to come to the east and have a talk with me.

But I have a piece of advice for you: it is better to rely on yourself than on others. If you want to eliminate Yang Yinglong, this scourge, you must do your best.

Of course, the court will help you, but everything depends on you."

Zhang Yong and the other three looked at each other, guessing suspiciously in their hearts.

After a while, Zhang Yong asked solemnly, "Wang Duxian, I wonder what the court wants us to do?"

"I have devised a plan that requires the two chieftains of Sinan Prefecture to do this and that. After the plan is accomplished, I will commend the four of you to the emperor, confer hereditary honors, grant you fertile land and houses, and a generous financial reward.

Changsha, Wuchang, Nanjing, Shanghai, Suzhou, or Beijing, you can live anywhere you want. "

Zhang Yong's face changed drastically.

The plan was extremely vicious, and Wang Yi'e's words made it very clear that after the success, the four families could no longer live in Sinan Prefecture, and needed to move to another place.

Although the rewards and rewards are very generous, the plan is very dangerous and life or death is uncertain. After the success, you have to leave your hometown.

This really made Zhang Yong, Anyue, Yang Piandao and Zhang Chengzu hesitant.

Wang Yi'e pressed on, "The four of you, please make a decision as soon as possible. The imperial chariot has already started, rumbling forward, and will not stop because of your hesitation or refusal."

Is this an ultimatum?
Zhang Yong and the other three looked at each other with very ugly expressions.

(End of this chapter)