Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 914 Attacking the City and Looting the Territory
Inside and outside Shangluo Town, a series of well-organized military camps stretched out, looking extremely imposing.

From miles away, one could see the commander's flag flying high in the central command tent: "Li".

Inside the tent, Li Daozheng was beaming as he read a letter from his cousin in Lin'an.

The letter was a report to him about taking his place at his daughter Fengniang's wedding.

Li Dao was fighting at the front and unable to return to preside over his daughter's wedding, so he sent his cousin to act as the bride's elder in his place.

However, a set of clothing was prepared for the wedding to represent the bride's real father, and the bride and groom would bow to the clothing to acknowledge him as the father.

In fact, Li Dao really wanted to be the actual father-in-law and attend his daughter's wedding himself.

However, he was tied up with military duties and couldn't leave, and his daughter was very capable; she was pregnant.

Therefore, the wedding ceremony cannot be delayed any longer.

Therefore, the wedding was held in his absence.

When Yang Yuan first became the top scholar in the imperial examination, he had already set his sights on him.

His idea at the time was to use this method to steer the Li family toward becoming civil officials and gradually make them members of the literati.

Unfortunately, there was no chance.

Unexpectedly, after so many years of twists and turns, her daughter eventually married into the Yang family.

Fengniang is now a prince's concubine, and she will be an imperial concubine in the future!

My grandson, Old Li's grandson, will be a prince in the future.

Li Dao smiled and carefully put away the letter before slowly walking out of the tent.

As far as the eye can see, tents stretch to the horizon, banners flutter, and the sounds of men shouting and horses neighing fill the air.

The craftsmen were busy forging various siege weapons, the clanging and clattering creating a lively scene.

The grain carts were slowly driving into the military camp, and generals were going over to organize the soldiers to unload them.

Li Dao was stationed in Shangluo Town at the time, and his next main target was Shangzhou City, followed by Luonan City.

Once he occupies the Shangluo region, he can either continue north to attack Tongguan or stop and attack Yaoguan.

Located between Yaoling Mountain in front and Kui Mountain behind, Yaoguan Pass is an important pass for entering the Guanzhong Plain.

Yaoguan Pass is the last pass west of Wuguan Pass, close to Xianyang and Chang'an, and its strategic position is very important.

During the Warring States period, the State of Chu attacked the State of Qin, capturing Yaoguan Pass more than once, and then advancing into Qin territory from there.

Li Dao's true goal was actually this.

Wu Ting and Chen Zhuoguang have already led their troops out of Dasanguan Pass to attack Baoji.

If they can recapture Jianxue Pass, they can advance eastward to Fengxiang Prefecture and then point their swords at Chang'an from the west.

Li Dao didn't want the Western Army to steal the limelight from their Jingxiang Army.

As long as he opens the pass, he can get there before those two guys.

……

On the Central Plains battlefield, Yu Yunwen had already occupied the three cities of Gushu, Xiayi, and Gaoxin, forming a semi-encirclement of Guide Prefecture, an important town of the Jin Dynasty.

He was calm and composed, and always strictly adhered to Yang Yuan's established strategy, gradually capturing passes and fortresses to establish a solid stronghold.

Then came the task of recruiting officials and appeasing the people.

Next, they repaired the fortresses and dug deep trenches, connecting the points into a network, advancing step by step using a "nibbling" method.

This method of fighting was slower, but every step he took was a step forward, making it very difficult for the Jin army to retake the places he had captured.

Most of the other Song armies in the Central Plains adopted the same strategy, with the only exception being Xin Qiji.

Xiao Xin was probably the only catfish on the Central Plains battlefield.

He fought as a guerrilla, intercepting enemy supplies and annihilating them in the field. He was never concerned with the gains or losses of a single city or place, displaying the style of a Shandong bandit.

However, this is also the special reason why his troops were all cavalry.

Others can’t envy you even if they do.

Lu You and Yang Wanli also led their own troops, while Fan Chengda became Wu Ting's Central Army Commander, advising on military affairs and serving as the chief of staff.

Through a series of battles, they all grew rapidly and became capable of standing on their own.

The Central Plains battlefield was the most stable, so under Yang Yuan's strong advocacy, a new policy to incentivize military achievements, jointly formulated by the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, and the Privy Council, was also piloted on the Central Plains battlefield.

This new policy of rewarding military achievements is derived from the twenty-level military merit system of the Qin Dynasty.

Yang Yuan made some modifications to it, drawing on its strengths and discarding some outdated elements.

For example, the military merit system during the Qin Dynasty ultimately affected more than just military officers.

At that time, civil and military officials were not separated, and there was no mature civil service examination system like that of the Song Dynasty. As a result, many military officers eventually became local officials.

Things are alright during wartime, but wars can't go on forever.

Many who rose through the ranks as military men to become local officials not only had limited ability to govern their localities, but were also easily targeted by officials who came from other channels.

Yang Yuan's military merit system confined their opportunities for meritorious service, titles, and promotions entirely within the military, completely excluding the civil service system.

However, the power of the civil service to supersede the military and even directly lead and interfere with the military system has been greatly constrained.

Controlling the military through civil means was essential, a point that Yang Yuan was keenly aware of.

However, it cannot develop to the point of using civil officials to control military affairs, or having laymen direct experts; that would be disastrous.

During this period, the armies commanded by Wu Ting, Shao Hongyuan, Yu Yunwen, and others fighting in the Central Plains have begun to implement a new system of promotion and reward based on military merit.

As a result, a large number of brave and valiant soldiers emerged and gradually formed the core of the Song army's basic combat force on the Central Plains battlefield.

Because of them, the Song army's fighting style and morale also soared.

Given time, it would not be difficult to rebuild an invincible and powerful army like the Qin Dynasty.

……

In terms of the economy, officials skilled in financial management, such as Qian Ce and Qiao Zhen, allocated national resources.

The four circuits of Sichuan and the Three Gorges were like a special economic zone. Yang Yuan delegated power to Qian Duanli, allowing him to implement economic policies that were not entirely consistent with those of the imperial court, based on local characteristics, and letting him do as he pleased.

In terms of culture, Yang Yuan is also preparing to do something big.

The most criticized group regarding the series of changes in the imperial court is currently the scholar-official class.

The scholar-official class is the group that benefits the least from the current series of reforms.

At the same time, setting aside class interests, the ideas formed by their education also made a considerable number of conservatives quite hostile towards Yang Yuan.

In their view, Yang Yuan was an ambitious traitor.

They haven't formed a strong voice yet; it's mostly private criticism.

However, the secret agents of the Imperial City Guard and the Tongzhou Society were not to be underestimated. These signs had already been gathered in the inner secretariat and on Yang Hao's desk.

After some discussion, the inner secretariat decided it was time to merge "Grandmaster Muyi" with Prime Minister Yang. Once this identity was revealed, not only would he immediately gain a large number of supporters from the literati, but those who were currently firmly opposed to him would also be divided.

Otherwise, their current petty actions don't really violate the law.

If one is punished for speaking out, then severe punishments must be imposed, but in the context of a full-scale war with foreign powers, such high-pressure tactics are not suitable for internal affairs.

The economic pressure is already immense, and things could easily go wrong if things continue like this.

If the Shilin community were to discover that their most prestigious spiritual leader was none other than Prime Minister Yang Yuan, the power of such control and suppression would be far greater than that of harsh laws and punishments.

After careful consideration, Yang Yuan agreed.

"On the fifteenth of August, I will marry the daughter of the Qian family."

Three days later, we will watch the tide with the Emperor and all the officials; let's set that day.

Yang Yuan planned to return to the Central Plains battlefield at the end of September or the beginning of October to personally command the final battle on Nanjing Road.

He wanted to recapture Bianliang, the former capital of the Song Dynasty, as the New Year approached.

It's time for Shishi to reveal the identity of the Confucian sage that she has painstakingly cultivated for him over so long.

This will elevate his prestige and status to an even more unparalleled level, which will be of great benefit to the upcoming Central Plains War.

Yang Yuan finalized the time, so he didn't need to worry about the preparations. There were two teams, one inside and one outside, working together to handle things in an orderly manner.

At this time, Xia Hekui, Chen Zhuoguang, and Wu Gong had joined forces under the walls of Baoji City, which had been besieged for a long time.

Under the bombardment of stone cannons and gunpowder, the originally fortified city walls were already on the verge of collapse.

The tightly guarded gateway to Shaanxi from the north is about to open...

……

On the fifteenth of August, Prince Yan and Prime Minister Yang Yuan married Lady Qian of Qiantang.

The entire city of Lin'an was bustling with activity, as if it were a festival.

Oh! It is indeed a holiday today.

The Qian family usually keeps a low profile, but their vast resources are now becoming apparent.

Countless prominent figures from the political, military, academic, and business circles attended the event.

Yang Yuan rode a white horse, wore a red robe, and led a wedding procession with music and fanfare, circling half the city.

Actually, the two residences are very close, but the problem is that such a big day, which should be widely publicized, naturally needs a lot of people to see it to make it lively.

The same procedure was followed when he married Li Fengniang.

When he returned to Renmei Lane and arrived at the Qian family's house, he was startled by the scene before him.

Not only were so many prominent figures present, but the Qian family's dowry...

The phrase "ten miles of red bridal procession" is just an exaggerated description in other articles, but the Qian family's dowry was truly more than ten miles long.

The long queue stretched from Renmeifang, Zhonghefang, Taipingfang, Baoyoufang, Dunmufang all the way to Jishanfang, and the end was nowhere in sight.

He saw it when he was riding his horse through the streets.

It wasn't until we turned back to Renmei Lane and arrived at the Qian family's door that we saw the head of the long red dragon, but we still didn't know where its tail was.

When Fengniang married into the family, her dowry filled an entire boat, which was displayed in carriages and horses, a truly magnificent sight.

However, compared to the grand occasion of the Qian family's daughter's wedding, it paled in comparison.

The character "钱" (qian, meaning money) in his name is truly fitting; he is incredibly wealthy.

When Qian Ce saw the welcoming party personally led by Yang Yuan, he was beaming with joy.

Given Yang Yuan's current position as Prime Minister and his title as Prince, wielding immense power, even if he were to marry his principal wife, he would be entitled to not personally attend the wedding ceremony.

From a etiquette standpoint, it wasn't considered impolite, but he still came in person.

The young maidservant was quick-witted; she ran in like lightning and told the bride, Qian Xingruo, the news.

Qian Xingruo had never dared to hope that Yang Yuan would come to pick her up in person, so upon hearing this, she was overjoyed.

He is truly good to people!
Even though the ceremony was carefully considered and many steps were streamlined, it still took more than an hour before the bride's sedan chair was picked up and the bride left the Qian residence.

As usual, it will also exit Renmeifang and make a full circle.

In this era, weddings were usually held at dusk, and the wedding procession could be completed in the afternoon.

Yang Yuan had left early in the morning, and by the time he accompanied the bride's sedan chair back to the Yang residence near dusk, the grand wedding procession was still slowly moving in Bao'enfang.

To put it simply, Yang Yuan and Qian Xingruo completed their wedding ceremony. After Qian Xingruo served tea to her elder sister, Lu Xi, she was led to the bridal chamber.

A grand banquet was held at the Yang residence, where the groom, Yang Yuan, drank with guests from all over the country.

When the Grand Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Prince of Jin and the Prince of Qing each sent lavish gifts...
The dowry procession was still carrying things into the Yang family's home.

Yang Yuan held a grand banquet for his guests, who gathered in great numbers to offer their congratulations.

Even the seats furthest out in the courtyard, reserved for the wealthiest and most powerful people, were reserved for the most distinguished guests.

However, who would really come to such a wedding banquet just for a meal?

As for making a ruckus in the wedding night, not a single person had the courage to do so.

So although the banquet was extremely grand, it ended quickly, and Yang Yuan's entry into the bridal chamber went even more smoothly.

Red candles illuminated the red embroidered curtains, filling the room with a red glow and a joyous atmosphere.

Wearing a red brocade quilt, a love-themed pillow, and a red silk wedding gown with flowing sleeves, symbolizing good fortune and longevity, she looked radiant.

She sat quietly, adorned with a phoenix crown embroidered with pearls and jade, a red headscarf covering her head, and jade bracelets on her fair wrists resting on her knees.

Beneath the red veil, the corners of her lips couldn't help but curve upwards.

Her heart was beating very fast.

Her man was unparalleled in both literature and martial arts!

His status is unparalleled in the world! His handsomeness is also unparalleled in the world!
It must be because I was seven years old when I was the first to offer incense at Lingyin Temple on New Year's Day, and then I was eleven years old when I was the first to offer incense at Xiangji Temple.

Qian Xingruo thought to herself with a smug smile.

On their wedding night, Yang Yuan knew she was experiencing her first time, so he was exceptionally considerate. Although he hadn't fully enjoyed himself, he let her go early.

This meant that Xingruo, who was newly blessed, didn't suffer too much.

A delicate flower bud, in this quiet night, quietly unfolds a touch of alluring crimson.

When Xingruo woke up in the morning, she knew that getting up too late was improper and would make her sisters laugh at her, but she still didn't have the strength to get up.

Lying in the brocade quilt, she smiled shyly and dreamily in a daze: "Sir, you truly are a learned scholar."

A learned scholar is a learned scholar; his body was practically broken from all the exertion.

(End of this chapter)