Chapter 184 Young people, no martial ethics (6k)

The food and grass are not complete, and the weapons and armor are not full.

Song Jiang hastily mobilized his troops, and the journey was bound to be difficult.

Although he captured several cities later, he encountered resistance from the people in the south of the Yangtze River because he had to collect grain and soldiers locally, and he was in a stalemate with Fang La in Suzhou and Hangzhou.

Without talking about the confrontation between Song Jiang and Fang La, the story continues with the heroes rushing to Qinzhou.

Shortly after the Mid-Autumn Festival, Xiao Rang received the notice and arrived first.

His position was the lieutenant of Qinyuan County, and Cao Zheng was acting as the acting lieutenant at that time, fulfilling his duties conscientiously.

Even because he was an old subordinate of Yang Chang, most of the officials in the county bypassed the county magistrate and went directly to him to report their daily work, thus indirectly undermining the power of the Qinyuan county magistrate.

A higher-ranking official can crush a person to death. Yang Chang had a record of overthrowing Fang Shen and Cai Jing. The magistrate of Qinyuan bought his position and his personal ability was not outstanding. How could he dare to touch Yang Chang's tiger whiskers?
If you can't make money, you can't hold power.

The only thing that is gratifying is that people continue to pour into Pingyang, and the population of Qinyuan County has increased dramatically, which is a significant political achievement.

If you can't win the fight, you can only endure, wait until Yang leaves peacefully, or wait until the three-year term is over and then use your connections to get promoted.

The money spent this year will be recovered one day.

The special situation in Qinyuan County gave Yang Changsheng an idea, which was to let his own people take over the various counties and secretly accumulate energy for the uprising.

As for the other three counties in Qinzhou, there were no important vacancies, so the only way to evacuate them was to use up all the financial surpluses of the counties and transfer them from the government treasury to the military treasury through large-scale construction projects set up by the state.

Although it was a transfer from one hand to the other, the Qinzhou army was composed entirely of Yang Chang's confidants. This operation was both reasonable and legal, and would not let the court see that he had any ill intentions. At most, it would be criticized for making up excuses to make money.

Yang Chang didn't care about this at all. All states in the Song Dynasty would collect labor service fees. This money was originally used to exempt people from corvee labor, but later it became a fixed tax, which meant that people still had to bear corvee labor even if they paid the money.

It is true that Qinzhou collected labor service money in lieu of labor service, but the fact that the people were not required to bear labor service could be considered a disguised benefit to the people. The reason why people from Pingyang Prefecture kept fleeing was mainly due to this policy.

The people depend on the weather for their food and their physical strength to dig the land and grow crops. Once the young and strong are taken away by the government, grain production will inevitably decrease. In many cases, they will become poor and weak from then on, and some even become refugees directly.

Yang Chang wants to launch large-scale construction projects, all of which are good things that benefit the people's livelihood, so even if the censors want to report him, they will think twice.

Large-scale construction projects will inevitably involve frequent exchanges with various counties, and the paperwork for keeping relevant records will make the provincial government unprecedentedly busy.

Therefore, Xiao Rang arrived just in time. Yang Chang kept him on secondment and informed Qinyuan County to keep things as they were for the time being.

The magistrate of Qinyuan has already given up and doesn't care who will be the county lieutenant.

Not long after Xiao Rang arrived in Qinzhou, the Ruan brothers, Liu Tang, and Shi Qian came to surrender.

Just as Lin Chong said, Yang Chang had an unexpected surprise.

It was near the Double Ninth Festival, and Yang Chang ordered Wu Song to help settle the Ruan family. He also sent someone to call back the brothers who were working in the county, to welcome the new brothers who had arrived at Liangshan, and to gather again to arrange new tasks.

The ninth day of the ninth month, in the front hall of Yang’s residence.

The twelve old brothers of Liangshan and their new friend Sun An gathered together.

The three tables of heroes were arranged in a triangle shape. Although the number of people was not as lively as that of Liangshan at that time, everyone's face was filled with joy.

At the beginning of the banquet, Lin Chong asked Yang Chang to give a toast.

Yang Chang said that he was not as eloquent as Song Jiang, so he asked the only literati, Xiao Rang, to write some lyrics to liven up the atmosphere.

Xiao Rang was new here and it was difficult to refuse, so he stood up and looked around for an idea.

Occasionally, I saw the yellow daisies outside the house, and immediately wrote a poem "Bodhisattva Man. Chrysanthemum Song", the lyrics are:

"The autumn evening wind in Taihang is cold, and wild chrysanthemums grow on the hills to welcome the cold. Don't worry about the only color, because when the flowers fade, there will be no more flowers. Double Ninth Festival comes again, and the chrysanthemums are still yellow. The seats in Liangshan are empty, but I still remember the red flowers on the river."

"What do you mean?"

The newly arrived Liu Tang was still cheerful. He looked at the Ruan brothers who sat at the same table with him, and then looked at Lin Chong who sat at the same table with Xiao Rang, as if to say, "Although I am not well-educated, the word "Liangshan" appears in the lyrics, and I have to find out what it means."

Most of the dozen people gathered in Qinzhou were rough men and warriors. Appreciating poetry was like a cow chewing a peony. Except for Yang Chang and Sun An who had some culture, Lin Chong had stayed in Tokyo for a long time and was influenced by the elegance and had a little understanding of poetry.

His old brother Liu Tang took the initiative to ask for advice, and Lin Chong immediately stroked his beard and asked Xiao Rang for confirmation.

"Could it be that during the great gathering of heroes, Song Jiang held a chrysanthemum party on the Double Ninth Festival and improvised a poem called 'Man Jiang Hong'?"

"Of course."

"So you're talking about this? He was desperate to be recruited at that time. Do you remember that Wu Dutou was the first to oppose it?"

"Ah."

"And Li Kui also objects."

Everyone started a discussion on this topic, and they all expressed contempt for Song Jiang's blind loyalty.

Lin Chong finally took over the conversation, pointing at Yang Chang and praising him solemnly: "Brother Yang may not be as good as Song Jiang in reciting poems, but his mind, courage and character are far better than Song Jiang. At that time, the Chrysanthemum Gathering at Liangshan ended in a quarrel, but how happy we are today?"

"Fight if you want to fight, drink if you want to drink. You are obviously a strong man who lives in the mountains, but you are trying to imitate the literati to hold a chrysanthemum party. I hate this kind of literary style the most. Brother Yang, what do you think?"

"Ah this."

Yang Chang was instantly stumped by Lu Zhishen's question. He didn't like to gossip about others behind their backs, so he shook his head and smiled, "Martial arts can violate the law, but literature can convey the truth. Song Jiang has a refined taste, so I won't comment too much, but those good poems can really inspire people."

"What about chrysanthemums and peach blossoms? They are just things that women talk about. They can inspire people."

"Master, what you said is different. Flowers can also sing the meaning of killing, for example: When autumn comes on September 8th, my flower will bloom and all other flowers will die. The fragrance will penetrate Chang'an, and the whole city will be covered with golden armor."

"This is good, this is good."

Lu Zhishen nodded and looked at Yang Chang and asked, "Did you just do that? You are a hundred times better than Song Jiang!"

Yang Chang smiled at Xiao Rang and explained, "This was written by Huang Chao in the late Tang Dynasty. It was the same Huang Chao that Song Jiang quoted when he wrote his anti-government poem at Xunyang Tower."

"I've heard of Song Jiang's poem, 'If he could fulfill his lofty ambitions, he would dare to laugh at Huang Chao for being a coward'. It must be a bit too arrogant. I remember that Huang Chao rebelled against the Tang Dynasty and finally entered Chang'an City."

"It was not just about taking Chang'an. It was about 'the inner treasury was burned to ashes, and the streets were trampled with the bones of officials and nobles'. It basically fulfilled his chrysanthemum poem."

Lin Chong and Xiao Rang added one after another. When they heard Lu Zhishen slamming the table, he muttered, "A good man should keep his word. How dare Song Jiang laugh at Huang Chao? How ridiculous!"

"Just as Brother Yang said, the Song Dynasty is cruel internally and weak externally. Sooner or later, it will fall under the iron hoof of the Jin people. We gather strength to start an uprising in Qinzhou. It is better for us to die than for Song Jiang to be a servile courtier. We are all friends with Brother Yang for life and death, and we should help him achieve his great cause and rebuild the world."

"Coach, you are so good."

"Okay, okay, it's better to fight for your brother than to work for the court. As long as you can use me, I, Liu Tang, will go through fire and water."

"Brother, there is me."

Shi Qian followed Liu Tang in raising his hand, but his voice was obviously not as confident.

After all, he was neither good at literature nor martial arts, but Yang Chang nodded in affirmation at him.

"Thank you for your support, brothers. I promise that you will all be of great use. Together we can build an ideal country. However, Qinzhou is not strong enough at the moment, so we cannot raise the banner of rebellion immediately."

"We all listen to Brother Yang."

"Just as my brother ordered."

In his previous life, Yang Chang was a gaming substitute player, and he had only been the king in the game. In reality, he had no military advisor to help him plan, so he could only seek experience from history.

The final decision was to adopt the nine-character policy of "building high walls, storing up food, and slowly claiming the throne".

The three newcomers, Ruan San, Liu Tang and Shi Qian, could not be assigned administrative duties, and they were not suitable for training troops, so they were appointed as the heads of various projects to fully implement the left-hand-to-right-hand plan.

The Caos, counties and towns under the jurisdiction of Qinzhou government had no way to refuse the decree issued by the government. Subsequently, projects such as dredging rivers, building roads, repairing bridges, opening mines, and repairing city walls were launched in Qinzhou in full swing.

The newly collected grain taxes in various counties were allocated to the army under Yang Chang before they could even warm up to the sky, causing officials of all ranks to complain bitterly.

Yang Chang ate meat by himself, not even leaving any soup for the officials below, and was cursed by many people in secret.

However, as an inspector, he could do whatever he wanted in Qinzhou, but his subordinates who bought their positions dared not speak out, so they had to spend their days in idleness and wasted time.

In early October, Ye Qing returned from Yan'an Prefecture to report, and he brought back Hu Cheng, Hu Lao Taigong and other family members.

A family dinner was held that day for Hu Sanniang. Zhao Fujin and Qiu Qiongying both came to meet them. Ye Qing and his wife An also came to congratulate them. The Yang Mansion was extremely lively.

After the guests left, Yang Chang was drunk and was taken to the west wing to spend the night.

This guy sat beside the couch, looking at the beautiful lady Zhao Fujin, and personally brought her sobering tea.

"Yang Lang, drink it quickly while it's hot and go to bed early."

"Thank you, Princess. If you were still in the palace, how could you do these things? I feel guilty."

"I wish to find a person who loves me and stay with me till we grow old together. I have never regretted it, and Yang Lang will never feel guilty either."

"But they all have relatives or close people to accompany them, and you are all alone."

Yang Chang was not talking nonsense because he was drunk, but he felt from the bottom of his heart that he owed Zhao Fujin.

Hu Sanniang now has her brother and father to rely on, Qiu Qiongying also has the housekeeper Ye Qing and his wife to accompany her, but the only person Zhao Fujin can rely on is Yang Chang.

If he were lucky enough to become emperor in the future, it seemed that Hu Sanniang and Qiu Qiongying would both have foreign relatives, but Zhao Fujin could not.

Since Zhao Fujin became pregnant with Yang Huang, her character has become stronger than before. She instantly understood what Yang Chang meant. While holding the tea bowl and feeding her water, she also comforted her softly: "With Yang Lang and Huang Er by my side, I don't feel lonely at all."

"Do you miss your majesty and your brothers and sisters?"

"Yang Lang, you don't know that being born in an imperial family, there is actually not much family affection. Although we are brothers and sisters from the same mother, I seldom interact with them. But my sister Yanfu (Zhao Fujin) used to play with me when I was a child. She is now fourteen years old and will probably marry someone she doesn't know next year. I am much luckier than her."

"The princess wants to see her?"

Hearing Yang Chang's question, Zhao Fujin suddenly became excited and said, "You are not allowed to do anything stupid."

"Hmm? Why am I being so silly? I was just asking."

Yang Chang was sobered up by the shock and instantly guessed what she wanted to say. He thought to himself that he didn't have such a bad taste. If there was one more person in the backyard, he would really "invent" mahjong.

With my son Yang Huang, I no longer have the pressure to have children.

The triangle is the most stable, and three women are just right.

One's limited energy must be used in the rebellion.

Seeing Yang Chang's confused expression, Zhao Fujin swallowed awkwardly, thinking that he had overthought and might have been influenced by Hu Sanniang. He immediately changed the subject: "If Yang Lang has a way, it would be best to find Li E."

"No problem, I'll find someone first."

"Forget it. Li E is smart and clever, so she shouldn't be able to leave the palace. If Yang Lang asks someone about it, it will only arouse suspicion."

"okay."

Although Zhao Fujin said this, Yang Chang kept it in mind. He took off his clothes after drinking tea. It was already cool in Qinzhou in October. It was much more comfortable to sleep with a warm and soft woman at night than in summer, so Yang was very active.

Zhao Fujin blew out the oil lamp and returned to the couch, rustling around alone in the dark, unaware that Yang Chang could see him clearly.

She had just taken off her long skirt when she was pounced upon by the tiger on the couch.

"Oh, Yang Lang, don't be impatient."

"How can I not be anxious? My sword is already..."

"Stop messing around, I have something serious to say."

"At this moment? Talking about business?"

Yang was in the process of doing this, and he had never seen Zhao Fujin interrupt his fun before, so he stopped what he did the moment he heard these words.

"I was afraid I would forget. My elder sister and third sister just helped you back. Please remind Yang Lang to get up early tomorrow. Hu Cheng and Ye Qing seem to have something important to report."

"Do I often stay in bed?"

"How would I know? Every time I was tormented by you for a long time, I always woke up late the next day. It was inconvenient for them to come and call me. You have to get up early yourself. Have you remembered that?"

Zhao Fujin grew up in the palace and slept until she woke up naturally every day. It was hard to change the habit after so many years, so she reminded Yang Chang to be more self-conscious, but Yang replied jokingly: "I have forgotten it."

"Really? You bad guy."

The next morning, Yang Chang glanced at Zhao Fujin who was sleeping soundly, and gently closed the door with a smile on his face.

Just as he was about to turn around, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

I smelled a whiff of girlish fragrance and turned around and it was indeed Qiu Qiongying.

Yang Chang made a shushing gesture, and walked with Qiu Qiongying to the center of the backyard before asking in a low voice, "Madam, why are you up so early?"

"Without someone holding my arm down, I woke up at dawn."

Qiu Qiongying curled her lips, then raised her fist and said, "I just finished my strength training and was waiting for you, my lord."

"This little girl!"

Yang Chang scratched Qiu Qiongying's nose and said meaningfully, "I hope you can get up early tomorrow. Has Ye Qing arrived so early?"

"Of course we are here. Brother Hu is here too. Let's go."

Qiu Qiongying waved her hand and pointed at her arm with her left hand, as if to remind Yang Chang to arrive early in the evening.

Yang Chang immediately smiled knowingly, and as he passed by Qiu Qiongying, he gently patted her on the buttocks.

Good elasticity, push the cart tonight.

He straightened his clothes and walked out of the back house. From afar, he saw Ye Qing standing on the stone steps of the front hall, seemingly introducing something to Hu Cheng.

"Brother, Manager Ye, good morning."

"Saburo."

"Yang observes."

Yang Chang led the two of them to sit in the hall, and immediately asked straight to the point: "You came to see me so early, saying that there is something urgent?"

"Then let me tell you."

Hu Cheng and Ye Qing exchanged a glance, and finally Hu Cheng had the final say, saying in a deep voice: "We set out from Yan'an Prefecture. If we hadn't been delayed in Pingyang Prefecture for a few days, we would have been able to reach Qinzhou last month. I heard that many Pingyang residents fled to Qinyuan despite dissuasion?"

"Is that true? Are you delayed because of it?"

"That's right. Pingyang Prefecture has set up checkpoints in many places, strictly prohibiting people from moving around without a permit, especially in Yueyang, Chuan County and other places. The state directly dispatched troops to stop them. I have heard a lot of your comments."

"Haha, it must be bad words."

Yang Chang smiled indifferently.

Hu Cheng, the eldest brother-in-law, frowned and shook his head and replied: "On the contrary, most of the comments are good. You briefly governed Pingyang last year. Both the people and the petty officials missed your rule of inaction. Instead, most people scolded the new officials."

"This new batch of officials were basically bought with money. Shouldn't they make a crazy profit when they get to the local places? Actually, it's completely understandable that my brother and Chief Steward Ye came to see me this morning just to give me some compliments?"

"Of course not."

Hu Cheng glanced at Ye Qing, frowning even more, and muttered, "I'm not qualified to teach you how to be an official, but you are so arrogant both internally and externally, aren't you afraid of being attacked by your colleagues? The officialdom is more dangerous than the battlefield. Old General Zhong Jinglie was so good at fighting, but in the end he was taken as a scapegoat by Tong Guan."

"What exactly do you want to say, brother?"

"I know Sanlang has a backer, otherwise he wouldn't have dragged Cai Jing into this. But life is long after all, and it's impossible to always be smooth sailing. You have to think about your family. The fate of lonely ministers in history is the same."

After hearing this, Yang Chang finally understood the intentions of Hu Cheng and Ye Qing. It turned out that they were worried that he had made too many enemies, which would affect his family in the future. So he looked at the two of them with a smile.

"Didn't Sanniang tell my brother?"

"say what?"

"Qiongying didn't tell you either?"

"I do not know"

Seeing Hu Cheng and Ye Qing looking confused, Yang Chang shook his head and sighed: "They are really tight-lipped."

"Ok?"

"To tell you the truth, the reason why I don't follow the rules of the officialdom is that I not only don't take them seriously, but I also want to overturn this world."

Only core members knew that Yang Chang was planning a rebellion. Ye Qing was at home with his wife during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and Chongyang had gone to Yan'an Prefecture and had not returned, so he missed the opportunity to know the news.

After hearing Yang Chang's rebellious words, both of them looked incredulous.

"Are you serious?"

"Brother, do you think I'm joking? Are you planning to stop me?"

"That won't happen. Sanlang has a very good vision. If it weren't for your advice, how could the Hu family survive? If you are determined to do something big, I will definitely help you."

"me too."

Yang Chang nodded in satisfaction and added, "It goes without saying that Manager Ye is in great need of people right now, and you came at the right time."

"Haha." Hu Cheng looked at Ye Qing, then turned his head and smiled bitterly, "If it weren't for my brother's insistence, Manager Ye wouldn't have come today, and wouldn't have disturbed Sanlang's rest. I underestimated you, don't blame me."

"What are you talking about, brother? I get up early every day."

Yang Chang lied with his eyes open, but he quickly changed the subject and said seriously: "Your information is crucial. Since the people of Pingyang support it, I should take it."

Hu Cheng was stunned when he heard this, and asked curiously: "Aren't you still preparing? Why are you in such a hurry to capture the city?"

"I didn't say I would start an uprising now. I will first send people to sneak into Pingyang and secretly develop a group of supporters. When we start an uprising in Qinzhou someday, all parts of Pingyang will be able to respond at the same time."

As soon as Yang Chang finished speaking, Hu Cheng patted his chest and volunteered: "That's a good idea. I have nothing else to do, so just send me there?"

"Brother, don't worry. I have already thought of a candidate. You can settle your father-in-law first. I have other things to do."

"OK then."

Hu Cheng knew that he was not as good as Yang Chang, so he obediently followed the arrangements and no longer expressed his own opinions.

An honest man like Hu Cheng cannot do the job of undercover infiltration, but Liu Tang and Shi Qian are experienced in the underworld and are good at this.

Yang Chang sent the two men to Pingyang, not only to contribute to the capture of Pingyang, but also to prevent Song Jiang or someone else from causing trouble and reporting that he was accepting a large number of Liangshan's former members with ill intentions.

Liu Tang and Shi Qian were delighted to be given such an important task right after arriving. Following Yang Chang's instructions, they traveled together from Luzhou to Pingyang.

Pingyang Prefecture is located in the Fenshui Basin, with rich resources and a large population. It is a very good geographical complement to Qinzhou. When the three Ruans and their navy occupy both ends of the Fenshui River, they can complete control in a very short time.

When you feel sleepy, someone will bring you a pillow.

All of this seemed to be God's will, helping Yang Chang in secret.

Yang Chang did not wait or rely on others. While training his troops and preparing money and food, he secretly asked Zhu Tong to open mines in Mianshang and build several smelting and forging workshops. He did this under the guise of making farm tools for the people, but in fact he was forging weapons for the militia.

No matter how good Lin Chong is at training his soldiers, if the gap in weapons and armor is too big, his combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced.

With Qinzhou's current productivity and the lack of various technical talents, it is a pipe dream to cover all employees with armor. There is no guarantee that all employees will have weapons. We plan to use bows and arrows instead.

As for the cannonballs that Yang Chang was very good at, due to the lack of raw materials and craftsmen, it was basically impossible for Qiu Qiongying to practice throwing cannonballs in a short period of time.

As for the more precious horses, Qinzhou simply couldn't afford to purchase them, and even if they could buy them, they couldn't take them back.

If it were a mowing game, Yang Chang alone would be enough to kill everyone, but he had experienced real wars and knew very well that personal bravery also has its limits.

Just like Ronaldo, the naturalized striker of the Chinese national football team, he may be able to bully some weak football teams, but when facing strong teams such as Argentina and Germany, the "alien" will not be able to win the World Cup even if he works himself to death.

The anxiety about equipment was not ended until the end of the year by an "uninvited guest". The old friend Ma Baoguo came uninvited. He was ordered by Tan Zhen to recruit soldiers.

Tan Zhen once sent envoys to ask for money and food, and now Ma Baoguo came to Qinzhou to recruit soldiers, which made Yang Chang feel uneasy.

I am not ready yet, am I forced to start a rebellion?
Because it was official business, Yang Chang received him at the provincial capital.

As soon as he exchanged greetings with Ma Baoguo, he asked Yang Jian to hold a banquet to welcome him and asked Wu Song to come as soon as possible to join him.

If you can't avoid the disaster, you have to rely on procrastination to keep calm.

As long as Wu Song performed normally and pestered Ma Baoguo to drink every day, he would not be able to wake up and see the sun.

However, things were not perfect and things changed in the end.

Ma Baoguo drank three rounds of wine, then insisted on not drinking any more, and said sternly: "Don't drink any more wine, I have to return to Daizhou as soon as possible. Recruiting 5,000 soldiers is the minimum requirement, and I need Yang Guancha to do it as soon as possible."

"Qinzhou has just experienced war, and last time 3,000 young men had to leave. Now Tan Xuanfu is recruiting soldiers again. Qinzhou can't bear it."

"You, you have no moral principles."

Ma Baoguo pointed at Yang Changzhi and shook his head, responding speechlessly: "Liang Yuhou and I know each other. Last time, Qinzhou didn't pay for the money and laborers. This time, Tan Xuanfu has issued a death order, and all states and prefectures cannot shirk their responsibilities. For the sake of our friendship, I specially volunteered to go to Qinzhou to make the arrangements. If it were someone else, they would have to pay more than 5,000."

"Since we are friends, can you help me ask Tan Xuanfu for help? Qinzhou is indeed in trouble, how about 500 people?"

Yang Chang originally wanted to cheat the horse to serve his country, but he didn't expect that he knew Liang Yuhou. It would be unpleasant to be exposed in front of him, but fortunately this guy was very thick-skinned, so he immediately gave in and offered a low price of 10% off.

"Did I hear you right? Five hundred? That's how Yang Guancha responded to his old friend? Young man, take care of yourself."

(End of this chapter)