Chapter 178 How can we allow the autumn wind to blow in the midsummer? (6k)

As soon as Lin Chong and Ruan Xiaoqi left, Sun An rushed to the front hall of Yang's mansion. He had met Qiao Daoqing last night and came to ask when Yang Chang would be free.

The greater the power, the more trouble you have to deal with.

Before, Yang Chang was a small soldier in Liangshan. Apart from eating, drinking and wandering around, it seemed that there was nothing else he could do. Later, when he became a leader and had younger brothers, he had to learn how to lead a team.

During the time he was the leader, he had very few things to do, including serving as the deputy vanguard of Pingbei and serving as the general manager of the army in Qinzhou. His time was not very full.

As long as there is someone in charge, you don't have to worry about everything, whether you are a younger brother or a deputy.

Now that he is the Surveillance Commissioner of Qinzhou, all matters flow to him like a hundred rivers converging into one, and there is no way he can be less busy.

He also temporarily served as the acting governor of Qinzhou. Why didn't he feel busy at that time? It was because the military control system was adopted at that time, and Wu Song and others helped to share the worries, so he only needed to maintain local stability.

Later, Fang Shen and others took office one after another, and all the government offices in Qinzhou were filled with people.

When there are more people, there are more things.

After Yang Chang overthrew Cai Jing and was promoted to the fifth rank, there were always people who came to the provincial government to report on their work, using trivial matters as excuses. These were officials who wanted to get promoted.

As for the real state affairs reports and the mutual attacks between subordinate officials, there are countless things waiting for him to decide. The daily schedule is arranged in advance, and he no longer has the leisure time he had as a deputy.

The top leader has great power, but also has to put in a lot of energy.

Yang Chang remembered that emperors Kangxi, Yongzheng and others had to review a large number of trivial memorials every day. If they did not read them, they were afraid of missing out on important matters. After reading them, most of them were about greetings, sharing the weather, the death of some minor figures, etc., all of which were insignificant trivial matters.

A glimpse of the whole picture can reveal the whole picture.

Yang Chang did not want to be bogged down by trivial matters, so he asked Yang Jian to sit in the provincial government office every day to classify government affairs for him and report them according to their importance.

Meeting Qiao Daoqing was more important than government affairs. Yang Chang asked Sun An to invite the person, and asked Wu Song to send someone to inform Yang Jian that he had something to do today and would not be there.

Around noon, Sun An brought Qiao Daoqing and Ma Ling to visit.

Yang Chang had no friendship with the two men, and even used a cannon shell to blow up Ma Ling. At this time, it was all up to Sun An to go between the two and to instigate and lead the topic.

After a round of pleasantries and greetings, the topic was finally brought to Erxian Mountain.

When Yang Chang proposed to pay a visit to the mountain and ask for his opinion, Qiao Daoqing and Sun An looked at each other in surprise, thinking that he was being too polite.

Sun An was not in a position to ask further questions, so Qiao Daoqing spoke up for him and said, "Yang Guancha has achieved great success and fame, and has reached such a high position at such a young age. It is the time for him to spread his wings like a roc. Why does he say that he wants to stay away from the world?"

Yang Chang smiled and said, "Life is short. Taoism has the art of understanding the mysteries and the method of longevity, so I yearn for it."

“So that’s how it is”

Qiao Daoqing glanced at Sun An, then stroked his beard and nodded, saying, "All things exist in the world, and they are not unique to Taoism. Looking at the longevity method you mentioned, even among the Taoists, only a few people have succeeded in cultivating it. You are already a leader in the secular world, so there is no need to cling to something illusory."

"Brother Qiao, don't take it seriously. Yang Guancha has a wife, children and brothers around him. How could he hide from the world and ask for the truth? He must be joking."

"Qiao has misunderstood."

Sun An tried to resolve Yang Chang's embarrassment with good intentions, and Qiao Daoqing cooperated by bowing his head, but he didn't know that this guy had been thinking about cultivating immortals for a long time. He then said something that surprised everyone.

"It is said that 'one person's enlightenment brings prosperity to the whole family'. If I can really achieve immortality, can I bring my wife, children and friends with me?"

"Ah this."

Everyone looked around and at each other, and finally Qiao Daoqing came out to pour cold water on them.

"The reason why the Taoist sect is far away from the world and hides in famous mountains and rivers is that they don't want to be bound by family ties and don't want to be disturbed by worldly affairs. Although Yang Guancha's idea is bold, it is too unrealistic."

"In other words, Master Luo won't accept me?"

"I dare not make the decision on my behalf. Brother Sun knows my situation. If I had not met Gongsun Yiqing during the war, I would never have had the chance to become his disciple."

Yesterday, Qiu Qiongying said that Qiao Daoqing had gone somewhere else, but in fact, she and Ma Ling went to Erxian Mountain in Jizhou, and received the decree from Master Luo that he was willing to accept her as a disciple, and then she returned to Qinzhou to pick up her mother.

Jizhou was originally occupied by the Liao Kingdom, and now it is a border area between Song and Jin. Qiao's mother did not want to go with her and burden her son, so Sun An took over and took care of her out of kindness.

Qiao Daoqing was very grateful and was willing to meet Yang Chang.

After the campaign against Wang Qing, he had already become disillusioned with the secular world, so he would not leave Song Jiang and then rush over to make friends with Yang Chang.

Yang Chang could tell from Qiao Daoqing's tactful answer that he was not optimistic about his apprenticeship to Luo Zhenren, and immediately added with a smile: "Buddhism has monastic disciples and monastic disciples. Does Taoism have inner disciples and outer disciples? It's okay for me to go to Erxian Mountain and become an outer disciple."

"I don't know this little path"

"Sir, after you become my disciple, could you please say a few good words for me? There are many people in the world who know magic, and I just want to learn two magic tricks to keep myself safe."

"Xiao Dao will try his best."

"Thank you sir."

Although Yang Chang said this, he had his own thoughts in his heart. He relied on his fate as a corpse picker and thought that as long as he could unlock the Qi Refining Realm, maybe he would not have to stay with Master Luo and his cultivation would also improve rapidly.

After getting Qiao Daoqing's promise, Yang Changxi stood up and saluted, thinking that he had made friends with Gongsun Sheng before, and now with you he had double insurance, so his matter was basically settled.

He immediately ordered people to hold a banquet at his house to congratulate the two men for having found a famous teacher.

With Sun An's support, Qiao Daoqing finally couldn't refuse and had to stay with Ma Ling.

The banquet needed time to prepare, and there was still an hour before noon, so Yang Chang asked Sun An to stay in the hall while he went back to the back house to invite Zhao Fujin out.

Yes, letting Ma Ling teach magic is also part of Yang Chang’s plan.

Don't expect Zhao Fujin to learn the art of speed, she just needs to master the art of controlling objects and the art of covering armor so that she can protect herself in the future.

Zhao Fujin was dressed in white, and appeared in the front hall like a fairy. Seeing her holding Yang Chang's arm, Qiao Daoqing and Ma Ling took a look and hurriedly lowered their heads.

"This is Yang's second wife. She received instruction from an extraordinary person when she was young and learned a few basic magic tricks. Today, two masters happened to be here, so I asked you to come out and see her."

"Yang Guancha's praise is unworthy, Qiao does not deserve it"

"Second Madam? That shouldn't be the case."

Qiao Daoqing and Ma Ling each showed their own performance. Sun An wanted to open his mouth to explain for him, but Yang Chang got there first and said with a smile, "Qiu Qiongying is actually the third wife. She has been staying in her hometown because she doesn't know martial arts."

"I see."

Ma Ling smiled and saluted, but lowered his head and secretly criticized Yang Chang for being ungrateful.

You have taken all the power and beauty, and you are still thinking about the Taoist immortality technique. Can't you leave some soup for us?
"General Ma, I have recently observed my wife's magic, which seems to be similar to your Golden Brick Magic, but she is not very proficient in it. Today is a rare opportunity for us to meet, could you spare some time to teach her a thing or two?"

"Similar to the BRIC method? This one"

Ma Ling looked incredulous, thinking that gold-based magic was the most demanding in terms of aptitude. He had only barely found two disciples to inherit the magic from among Tian Hu's army of hundreds of thousands.

This stunning beauty knows gold-related magic?

Seeing that Ma Ling didn't believe it, Yang Chang immediately asked Zhao Fujin to demonstrate.

Zhao Fujin started fighting and chanting spells on the spot, and soon he displayed his golden phoenix coronet and weapons as if he was performing a Dharma act, which made Qiao Daoqing and Ma Ling stunned at the same time.

"Brother Ma, this seems..."

"Yes, it's similar to my gold brick method, but her armor can be made visible. Either her magic is more powerful, or her personal talent is extremely high. It's incredible."

"You see, this spell looks good, but it just doesn't last long. It's really weird."

"Hahaha"

As soon as Yang Chang finished speaking, Qiao and Ma both laughed.

He was about to ask back when Qiao Daoqing took the initiative to explain: "The Second Madam only learned magic, but did not learn the method of taking in Qi into the body. Her Dantian is like an empty pond at this moment. It cannot store much water just by raining, so naturally she cannot keep the Dharma phase going."

"So that's how it is. Sir, do you have any method?"

"My method is not suitable for her, it is better to let Brother Ma teach her."

"Ah."

Ma Ling nodded happily and pointed to the back of the main hall and said, "The second lady is extremely talented. I am honored to teach her the breathing and refining method. Please watch me demonstrate in the back hall."

"Can I go with you?"

"of course."

Yang Chang was not a mean person, he also wanted to learn the Qi-refining method.

The three of them walked into the back hall. After listening to Yang Chang's words, Ma Ling suddenly smiled and said, "Practicing magic depends on opportunity, not just passion. I will demonstrate and explain at the same time. If you don't believe me, you can follow along and try."

"okay."

Yang Chang's heart sank immediately, thinking that he had no hope.

Sure enough, Zhao Fujin followed Ma Ling in practicing breathing exercises, and soon he said that he felt heat in his abdomen, while Yang could only touch his belly and sigh.

Recalling Qiao Daoqing's analogy, Yang Chang roughly understood what was going on.

He has not unlocked the Qi Refining Realm yet, which means he has not even dug his own pond (Dantian). How can he receive the water that is poured in?
You have to go to Erxian Mountain.

After Qiao Daoqing settled his mother, he originally planned to leave Qinzhou the next day. However, Ma Ling admired Zhao Fujin's talent and stayed in the front yard of Yang Mansion for another three days after a banquet at noon that day.

Ma Ling not only taught Zhao Fujin the method of breathing and refining qi, but also taught him how to use magic to defend and attack. As for the method of divine movement, he did not keep anything to himself and even taught him his unique skills of wind and fire. He treated Zhao Fujin as his own disciple.

Strictly speaking, Zhao Fujin and Ma Ling originally had a master-disciple relationship. After all, they used their martial arts and Xu Jin's drops to unlock the Qi Refining realm and learn gold magic.

Of course, only Yang Chang knows the connection between these two.

After being instructed by Ma Ling for a few days, Zhao Fujin's magical skills have made great progress. The transformed clothes and weapons can last for a long time. Yang Chang also cooperated with her to try a few moves.

Her unique golden sword technique (a variant of the golden brick technique) is different from Qiao Daoqing and Gongsun Sheng's water and fire techniques. It does not have the ability to directly break stone or metal, and can only work on humans or animals.

Zhao Fujin's magic power was weak at the moment, and she felt nothing when she hit Yang Chang, but Ma Ling praised her for her extraordinary aptitude many times. Perhaps in the future, when her strength is improved, she will have to ask Lu Zhishen to help her try out some moves.

During the previous battle in Fenzhou, Yang Chang witnessed with his own eyes that the big monk was not afraid of gold bricks, so he guessed that Lu Zhishen had the attribute of magic resistance.

As he practiced magic with Zhao Fujin for many days, the affairs of the provincial government had accumulated for many days, so after seeing off Qiao Daoqing and Ma Ling, Yang Chang rushed over to deal with them in a hurry.

Yang Jian hasn't come to see me yet, so I guess nothing big is happening in the state?
But Yang Chang's lucky mentality was eventually shattered by reality.

As soon as he reached the stone steps outside the front hall, he heard someone shouting from inside. The voice was sharp and sarcastic, and it was obvious that Yang Jian was not being polite.

"Mr. Yang is so arrogant that he made me wait for two days. Does he want Tan Xuanfu to come in person? If he delays national affairs, can he afford it?"

"Liang Yuhou calm down, I just returned to Qinzhou and I am busy with things. I will come to see you soon."

"You keep putting it off, are you deliberately trying to shirk responsibility?" "How dare I? Please, Yu Hou..."

The hospitality skills that Yang Jian learned from Song Qing were very useful to him in his post as a recorder. He was halfway through his words when he saw Yang Chang coming up the steps, and he said happily, "Liang Yuhou, Yang has noticed it."

Although Liang Yuhou was arrogant just now, he hurriedly stood up and saluted when he heard Yang Chang's name.

"Yang Observation, I finally waited for you."

"Who is this"

"This is Liang Yuhou, who said he was ordered by Tan Xuanfu to come to Qinzhou to collect money, grain, and men."

"What?"

Yang Chang was originally in a friendly mood, but when he heard that he was asking for money and people, his face immediately changed. He thought, didn't Tan Zhen just take office? Is he also following the example of the local gentry and asking for money?

"Please explain clearly, Mr. Yang, I don't quite understand."

"That's right, Tan Xuanfu has just taken up his new post in Hedong and Hebei, and he has to accomplish great things right after he takes office."

Liang Yuhou spoke incessantly, saying that after Tan Zhen took office, he had surrendered and recovered the three states of Shuo, Ying and Wei. He had also sent Li Siben, the defender of Daizhou, to lead troops to garrison there, and transported strategic materials to set up defenses in the local area (now Shuo County, Ying County, and Wei County, located north of the Great Wall, connecting Datong and Yanjing).

Shuo, Ying and Wei prefectures were originally the territories of Liao and bordered Song. Last year, the Jin people pursued the Liao emperor and captured Datong, the western capital. These prefectures surrendered to the Jin people just like Pingzhou where Zhang Jue was located.

Due to the Jin people's wars in various places and Aguda's death, they never had the chance to take over actual control, and the state became a semi-independent small border state.

According to the maritime alliance between the two countries, after the Song and Jin dynasties jointly completed the destruction of the Liao Dynasty, the Song would transfer the annual tribute to the Jin Dynasty, but the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun would belong to the Song Dynasty.

The Song Dynasty paid a huge price to buy Yanjing from the Jin people, and through the rebellion of Guo Yaoshi and Zhang Jue, it gained control of several states in front of the mountains, but several states behind the mountains were never handed over.

If Aguda were still alive, he would probably continue to fulfill the alliance, but the Song Dynasty would definitely have to pay a price.

The Jurchens originated from the Baishan and Heishui regions. They had backward productivity and extremely scarce materials. When Aguda ascended the throne and became emperor, he lived in a tent. When Wuqimai succeeded him, he also lived in a simple mud house.

When they launched wars against other countries, plundering supplies and population was their first priority, while cities were secondary.

Due to Aguda's sudden death, young people such as Nianhan, Wuzhu, and Olubu came to power, and the handover of the nine states in the back mountains was directly shelved.

Wang Anzhong had set a precedent by recruiting Pingzhou to surrender. When Tan Zhen took office, he took advantage of the time difference of the handover in the Jin Kingdom and quickly recruited the three states of Shuo, Ying and Wei to surrender and actively set up defenses, hoping that the Jin Kingdom would acquiesce in the fact that the Song Dynasty had taken it back.

Tan Zhen was stationed in Daizhou at that time, so money, grain, and laborers were naturally transferred from Hedong first. In addition to being a little far away, the various states in Hebei also had to give priority to supporting the Yanjing front line.

Yang Chang was not interested in Tan Zhen's strategy, nor did he think that it would be able to prevent the Jin Kingdom from moving south. He simply thought that the eunuch commander wanted to take advantage of him.

It is midsummer now, how can we allow the autumn wind to blow?

Last year, when the Tian Hu Rebellion was suppressed, Yang Chang dared to intercept money and grain from the local gentry. He dared to refuse Tan Zhen's request, but he had to use the art of language to process it.

Liang Yuhou was talking so much that his mouth was watering, but he saw Yang Chang frowning and shaking his head.

"I should have given my full support, but Qinzhou is poor, with few people and war, so I am afraid I cannot support Tan Xuanfu."

"What do you mean by observation?"

"Crops are planted in spring and harvested in autumn. Qinzhou wiped out the Tianhu at the end of last year, and we have only harvested one season. It takes more than ten years for people to grow up, and I don't know when they will recover. If I transfer the food and labor, won't the state become a wasteland? Please ask Tan Xuanfu to sympathize with Qinzhou's difficulties."

"you."

Liang Yuhou passed through Taiyuan before coming. Although the prefect made all kinds of excuses, he finally promised to make preparations as soon as possible.

Yang Chang’s answer made him stand there in a daze. He thought for a long time before responding with a bitter face.

"Observer Yang, don't limit yourself to Qinzhou. Xuanfu Tan has been ordered to take over the states behind the mountains. Now we have finally recovered three states. If we don't set up defenses quickly, there may be major changes. We must support the country no matter how difficult it is. This is the greatest achievement since the founding of the Song Dynasty. Taiyuan and other places have just quelled the rebellion. They have all obeyed orders and started preparations. Are you sure you want me to go back like this?"

"Don't get me wrong."

Yang Chang held Liang Yuhou's hand and whispered, "Taiyuan is vast and rich in resources. How can our Qinzhou be compared? Among the prefectures previously occupied by Tian Hu, Qinzhou is poor and has few people. Please think of a way to assign Qinzhou's tasks to other prefectures. The people of Qinzhou will remember your kindness."

"It's only through observation that I can figure it out"

Liang Yuhou was so shocked that his eyes were like copper bells. Yang Chang whispered in his ear: "I won't let Yuhou help you for nothing. I will give you 500 gold coins as a personal gift. Thank you for your trouble in this matter."

"Isn't this asking me to make a mistake? It's inappropriate."

"It's appropriate. Let's make friends. You will also be doing good deeds."

"This"

"It's settled then. Compared to other prefectures, Qinzhou is indeed the most difficult."

Yang Chang made the decision without further ado, and then turned to Yang Jian and ordered, "Go and prepare a table of wine immediately to welcome Liang Yuhou."

"Yes."

"Ugh"

Liang Yuhou was overwhelmed by Yang Chang's momentum and could only passively follow his method.

Tan Zhen replaced Tong Guan as the commander-in-chief of the north, and the people who could help him run errands were not ordinary people. This Liang Yuhou was a descendant of Liang Shicheng. When Zhao Ji ordered Tong Guan to retire, it was he who recommended his good friend Tan Zhen to take the position.

Zhao Ji summoned Yang Chang alone and promoted him to a high position. Liang Shicheng heard about this and guessed that Yang Chang was favored by Huizong.

Before leaving Beijing, Liang Shicheng specifically told his nephew that if he met him in the north in the future, he should be polite.

Yang Chang hosted a banquet for Liang and kept his promise by giving him 500 gold coins before sending this "plague god" out of Qinzhou.

On the way back to the city after sending the people, Yang Jian immediately asked Yang Chang in confusion: "Brother, my father hates corrupt officials the most. You have been upright in doing things before, so why did you bribe Liang Yuhou?"

"Do you have a better idea?"

"No."

"Isn't that okay?"

Seeing Yang Jian shaking his head, Yang Chang reminded him earnestly: "You have to learn to count. Thirty thousand shi of grain and three thousand strong men are nothing compared to five hundred gold. I can't turn against Tan Zhen, so I have to use this trick to stabilize the situation first. I can only delay it for one day."

"Then the other states will..."

"They try to figure out a solution on their own. If they can't, their own people will suffer. Being an official is the same as being the head of a household. No one can treat everyone equally. Someone will always suffer. Didn't you see that in Liangshan?"

"Uh"

Yang Jian was speechless for a moment. Although he had not been in Liangshan for a long time, he had seen a lot following Song Qing.

Liangshan is a small society, just as Yang Chang said just now, Song Jiang has not been able to take care of everything. The leaders who are close to him have more advantages than others in terms of housing, positions, etc.

Yang Jian felt that it was not his brother who had changed, but that Yang Chang was trying hard to adapt to this world, so he became a leader from obscurity. However, the kindness that his father Yang De adhered to, if practiced to the extreme, would make him just an ordinary person.

The fifth day of August, Jizhou, Yuyang.

A man and a woman hurried into the city before the doors closed at dusk.

Jizhou was captured by the remnant Liao army led by Xiao Gan in June, and was defeated by Guo Yaoshi and his troops in July.

Yuyang, which had changed hands many times, now looked desolate.

Yang Chang searched for several streets before he found a clean inn to stay in. Princess Zhao Fujin accompanied him.

Zhao Fujin learned the magic of flying, but never had the chance to practice outside.

At that time, Liang Yuhou had just been sent away. Yang Chang was afraid that Liang Yuhou would change his mind and come back to pester him, so he took Zhao Fujin out of Qinzhou under the pretext of going to Mianshang for inspection.

The original plan was to revisit the Liangshan Lake and confirm whether the Ruan brothers had set out. Unfortunately, Zhao Fujin had just learned the magical speed skill and had to stop to rest every few dozen miles, and he could not increase his speed on the rugged terrain.

You should know that Dai Zong could travel 800 miles a day, Ma Ling could travel 1,000 miles a day, and Zhao Fujin could only travel 100 to 200 miles a day.

The two men passed through Licheng and Shexian and went east out of Taihang. When they reached Cizhou, the area to the north was very flat. However, to reach Liangshan, they had to cross several rivers, including the wide Yellow River.

Yang Chang was afraid that Zhao Fujin might not be able to do it, so he decided to head north to Jizhou to meet the legendary Luo Zhenren in advance.

According to his calculations based on the time, Gongsun Sheng, Qiao Daoqing and Ma Ling should have returned to Erxian Mountain.

Even if you don't want to become a disciple, you can go and explore the route first, just like taking the princess on a trip.

Qinzhou was only a little over a thousand miles away from Jizhou. The two men walked and stopped for seven days, and Zhao Fujin's magical speed finally took shape.

The couple walked into the guest room. Zhao Fujin took off the mask on her face, looked out the window, and then said leisurely, "It's Yang Lang who is experienced. He let me wear the mask to hurry on. Otherwise, I would have been stopped and harassed just now. Why is Jizhou so chaotic?"

"I just asked the shopkeeper. We have been fighting the Liao people for the past two months. The army you saw on the street just now is the garrison left by the surrendered general Guo Yaoshi. His ever-victorious army is quite powerful. Your Majesty and the governor of Yanjing both rely on him. This guy does not restrain his subordinates and is domineering. He arbitrarily occupied farmland and expanded the army, so he does not have a good reputation among the people."

"No wonder they all have ferocious eyes. It's all because of Dad's indulgence."

Zhao Fujin has lived in the palace for a long time and has a naive mind. Since she was brought to Qinzhou by Yang Chang to live, she gradually saw the hardships of ordinary people and realized that it had a lot to do with her father's extravagance and debauchery.

After listening to the description of the Ever-Victorious Army, Zhao Fujin sighed and sat back on the couch.

Seeing this, Yang Chang sat over, put his arm around her shoulders and comforted her softly, "Princess, don't think too much. This is not your fault. Let's go to bed early tonight. We still have to go look for immortals tomorrow."

"Master Luo, is he really an immortal?"

"He can teach a disciple who can call the wind and rain. To ordinary people, he is an immortal."

After hearing Yang Chang's answer, Zhao Fujin frowned and murmured to himself: "It would be great if I could serve the country. Dad is very kind to the Taoist masters with skills."

"Princess, you're overthinking it. These masters who have become immortals on earth may have a lifespan longer than that of ordinary dynasties. How could they serve ordinary kings?"

"That's right."

Zhao Fujin nodded slightly, thinking to himself that he should practice well.

Hu Sanniang and Qiu Qiongying are both skilled in martial arts. Since she is Yang Chang's woman, she no longer wants to be a delicate princess.

We slept in silence all night until dawn.

He was saying that he wanted to get up early so as to travel quickly, but he was questioned when he was leaving the city.

There was no way. Even though the couple were dressed in plain clothes and Zhao Fujin had a mask on his face, they still stood out in the crowd like a crane among chickens.

"What is your name?"

"I am Yang Guo, and she is my wife, Long."

"Where are you coming from? Where are you going?"

(End of this chapter)