Chapter 217 This talent is too strong to be reasonable (6k)

The leaves are not right and there is no fruit?
Although Yang Chang found it strange, he was entertaining guests at the time, so he told Yang Jian not to move and said he would go and check it out himself when he was free.

There were several people who came to seek refuge today. Although Yang Jian knew all of them in Liangshan, he was not familiar with people like Huangfu Duan and Le He because he had too little contact with them.

As Yang Jian was a recorder at the time, he would inevitably have to deal with them frequently in the future. Yang Chang took him aside and introduced him to them solemnly, and asked Yang Jian to make proper arrangements for their accommodation after the banquet.

Seeing Yang Chang's enthusiasm, An Daoquan and others drank a few glasses of wine, put aside their grudges, spoke freely, and talked a lot about things in the capital and Hebei.

When he heard that Song Jiang and Lu Junyi split up, but only gave each other three Tiangang brothers, he immediately showed an incredible expression.

Heisaburo is going to show his true colors?

Lu Junyi was no match for Song Jiang, and in the end he was assigned to a group of Disha, which was a blessing in disguise.

But this man's abilities are all in martial arts. He is not a talented commander and his political ability is weak. Can those dozens of brothers who follow him have a good ending in the end?

Now that Yan Qing is here, should I put some effort into gathering the entire Yongning Army?
Yang Chang secretly observed at the banquet and found that Yan Qing and Le He were very quiet. Perhaps they had other ideas?
There are some things that are difficult to ask in front of outsiders and can only be understood in private.

After the welcoming banquet, Yang Chang received a message from Wu Song and hurried back to the provincial government. Before leaving, he ordered Yang Jian to take people to the post house and let him settle down as soon as possible.

I thought Yao Gu would stay for two more days, but after the lunch banquet today, he clamored to return to Zezhou to mobilize troops. Yang Chang, as the governor under his jurisdiction, had to see him off.

Yang Chang, Wen Huanzhang and Lin Chong led Yao Gu to the border of Weisheng and Luzhou.

Turning the horse back to the city, the setting sun is shining.

Wen Huanzhang recalled the scene at the banquet just now and could not help but sigh to Yang Chang: "Yao Zhishi really has a huge capacity for alcohol. If it weren't for Wu Tongzhi's high alcohol tolerance, we would all have been drunk."

"Can't Prefect Wen see that? He is intentionally trying to intimidate us. Yang Jiedu neither sent his main forces to participate in the battle, nor provided food and fodder, let alone corvee labor. Isn't he going to use this as an excuse to get angry and get back on track?"

Lin Chong twirled his beard, frowned and shook his head.

Wen Huanzhang nodded in agreement and said, "What Commander Lin said is absolutely right. Commander Yao is a famous general of the Song Dynasty. Only Jiedushi Yang has such courage. If it were any other Jiedushi, how could they dare to defy him like this?"

"Let alone Yao Gu, even if Zhong Shidao came, what can he do to Brother Yang?"

The reason why Lin Chong said this was that among the famous generals who returned to Beijing to serve the king, the veteran general Zhong Shidao was the most respected.

Before the imperial court was fully aware of the situation in Shanxi, it planned to send Zhong Shidao, Yao Gu and Zhong Shizhong to support the three towns of Taiyuan, Hejian and Zhongshan (Dingzhou) respectively.

When the news about Yang Chang reached the court, especially when Emperor Qinzong appointed Yang Chang and Ma Kuo as military governors and arranged a new strategic defense layout in Baozhou, the pressure on Zong Shidao's shoulders was suddenly relieved a lot.

He saw that the Song Dynasty still had many military talents, and that he no longer had the energy to command the various armies due to his old age and frailty, so he sincerely asked Emperor Qinzong to resign.

Zhong Shidao resigned from important positions such as the Jiedushi of the Jingnan Army, the Zhizhishi of Hebei Hedong Road, and the Xuanfushi of the Capital Hebei Hedong Road.

Hedong has a geographical advantage, while Hebei has no strategic location to defend.

Without a military commander, the Song army divided the Hedong and Hebei routes into two and implemented a strategic plan of one attack and one defense.

Zhan Du was promoted to the governor of Hebei Road, and led Ma Kuo, Song Jiang, Lu Junyi and other Hebei generals to form a united front around Baoding, focusing on defense against the enemy in Yanjing; while Yao Gu was the governor of Hedong Road, Zhong Shizhong was the deputy governor of Hedong Road, and together with Yang Chang, they first recaptured Taiyuan and then recovered the lost land in Hedong.

Although Zhong Shizhong stationed his troops in Zhending, his real intention was to cooperate with Yao Gu. In the future, he would lead his troops across the Taihang Mountains and attack from two directions to recapture the besieged Taiyuan.

Yao Gu and Zhong Shizhong were both from the Western Army, the most elite troops of the Song Dynasty. The imperial court deployed them all in Shanxi, taking advantage of the geographical location to defeat one group of Jin troops, and then taking advantage of the victory to negotiate peace with the Jin people as they did in the Treaty of Chanyuan.

The Song Dynasty had been severely damaged at this time, and its existing national strength could not support a complete defeat of the Jin army. The most ideal situation for Qinzong and the war faction was to restore the situation with the Jin Kingdom to the situation before the Song and Liao dynasties.

The reason why Yang Chang refused to provide food and fodder was that, on the one hand, Yao Gu had more than 100,000 troops, and the output of Weisheng and Pingbei states could not support such a huge military supply; on the other hand, he wanted to preserve his strength.

Of course, Yao Gu couldn't force it, as Yang Chang not only had sufficient reasons, but also had enough achievements to be proud of.

With less than 20,000 soldiers, he blocked the attack of tens of thousands of Jin soldiers and won several major victories. However, his adopted son Yao Pingzhong led 7,000 soldiers to rob the camp of Olib and was almost captured alive, which put the court in a passive position at the time.

Yang Chang refused to send troops and supply military rations. Today, Yao Gu went to Weisheng City to "ask for punishment". In the end, he was not only persuaded by Yang Chang, but also listened to his advice to send troops from Pingbei (Pingyang Prefecture).

The canyon in the north of Weisheng is a powerful weapon for defense but a stumbling block for attack. Once the Jin army cuts off their retreat, the Song army that enters Taiyuan will be unable to return.

In addition, the transportation of baggage and food for the 100,000-strong army in Weisheng would require the conscription of local civilians for labor, which was unacceptable to Yang Chang. If the troops were to be dispatched from Pingbei Army, the Fen River shipping route could be used to save manpower.

Moreover, Yang Chang controlled the North and South Gates. On the one hand, Yao Gu's army could advance and retreat freely. On the other hand, they could fight to recapture Fenzhou and test the strength of the Jin army in Taiyuan. They would only attack with the entire army if there was a chance of victory. If they were not strong enough, they would have to switch from offense to defense.

When Yang Chang returned to the city and heard the two talking, he couldn't help but rein in his horse and stopped, frowning and saying seriously: "Although Yao Gu was sent away, if we are really stingy, it will be awkward to get along with him in the future. In addition to asking the Fenhe navy to help transport food, Weisheng also needs to help."

"What do you mean? We are going to take the initiative?"

Lin Chong was stunned and asked back in surprise.

Yang Chang shook his head and replied, "War is all about money. We started from scratch, how can we afford it? But we can bluff and make feints to contain the enemy."

"What Yang Jiedu meant."

"When Yao Gu's troops arrive in Pingbei, the Weisheng garrison will gather at the Gukou outpost and prepare to take the initiative to attack. In fact, it will be a training session. I will have to trouble you, brother."

"You don't have to be polite, it's Lin Chong's job."

Seeing Lin Chong holding the reins and clenching his fists, Yang Chang nodded slightly in response.

Just as he was about to urge his horse forward, he suddenly remembered something important, so he hurriedly stopped Wen Huanzhang and told him, "A hundred thousand troops are passing through Pingbei, and the summer wheat harvest will begin next month. We must not let the army disturb the people. Send a letter quickly to Linfen and ask Zhu Tong and Xiao Rang to be prepared. We won't take the initiative to cause trouble, but we must not suffer any losses!"

"Don't worry, I'll do it when I get back to the city."

After Wen Huanzhang finished answering, he asked Yang Chang for confirmation: "By the way, I heard that An Daoquan, Huangfu Duan and others came to Weisheng today to meet?"

"haha, yes."

Yang Chang nodded in affirmation and replied, "It will be difficult for the capital to recover in a short time. Doctor An and his men are having a hard time. We were all brothers in Liangshan before, so I definitely can't just stand by and watch. Besides, they all have a skill and won't eat for free here."

"Yang Jiedu, you are too kind. I remember that when Song Gongming conquered Fang La, several leaders died because of the lack of them. These two are proficient in medicine. In the future, the damage to the people and horses under your command will be greatly reduced. This is a great thing."

"Haha, that's true, but I have few soldiers under my command. Now that we have Generals Yao and Zhong, we don't have many opportunities to fight."

Wen Huanzhang's family had moved to Weisheng not long ago, but Yang Chang was still observing him and had no intention of confessing everything.

He would not use poisonous schemes to retain people like Song Jiang and Wu Yong, but would use his outstanding performance and personal charm to highlight how incompetent the Zhao Song court was, and finally make Wen Huanzhang sincerely help him.

"Yang"

"Ok?"

"nothing."

When Lin Chong heard that Yan Qing had also come, he wanted to persuade Yang Chang to recruit more people, but he stopped talking after hearing Huanzhang's words.

It was already dark when they returned to Weisheng City, and Wu Song had already expressed the suggestions that Lin Chong wanted to make on the way.

As soon as Yang Chang walked into the front yard, he spotted Wu Song through his night vision. He saw Wu Song sitting on the stone steps outside the front hall porch with a wine gourd in his hand.

Hey man, are you still drinking?
"Second brother, why are you drinking again? Didn't you have enough at noon?"

"Sanlang is back? I am using wine to sober myself up. Yao Gu can drink quite a bit, so he and I are a perfect match."

Wu Song flicked his hand and pressed the ground, then suddenly leaped forward to the steps. His half-drunk and half-awake appearance was just the right state to trigger his passive skill and reach the peak of his strength.

Yang Chang was stunned at first, then he went up to him with a smile and helped him walk forward.

"The people from Liangshan who stayed in the capital, along with Yan Xiaoyi, all came to Weisheng today. My second brother accompanied Yao Gu for a drink at noon, so they probably didn't have time to meet each other, right? I plan to set up another banquet tomorrow and invite all the brothers from Weisheng to come and have a good reunion with them. Maybe we haven't seen each other for too long, so we feel a little estranged."

"Hehe, I'm not drunk."

Wu Song shook the gourd in his hand and said meaningfully, "I have met them just now when I was drinking at the posthouse. The new brothers, An Daoquan, Huangfu Duan, and Jin Dajian, all came here sincerely. Le He is worried about his family. Only Yan Xiaoyi is tired of working for the court and wants to live in seclusion in Weisheng."

"Second brother was drunk, but he knew so much?"

"While they were half drunk, the second brother was the most sober. Except for Song and Lu, the other dozens of Liangshan brothers have been busy in vain in the past few years. Sanlang is short of people now, so why not send someone to win over some brothers? Yan Xiaoyi has the idea of ​​retiring, and he and Lu Junyi have a deep relationship as master and servant. So he can send Lehe to visit relatives in Yongning, and then bring Sun Li and his brother here. In addition, Shi Dalang often talks about Zhu Wu and the other two, so he can also speak for them."

"Why do you think you are taking advantage of someone's misfortune? I will hold a banquet tomorrow and observe the situation. Then I will decide whether to go to Hebei to recruit people. Second brother, go back and have a rest early."

Yang Chang was somewhat tempted, but he didn't want to steal Lu Junyi's girl before he understood Yan Qing's thoughts.

Compared to Sun Li, who is highly skilled in martial arts, Yang Chang appreciates Yan Qing's agility and resourcefulness more. Such a person can help him more. But is Yan Qing really discouraged?
With this mentality, he frowned and went to the backyard.

At that time, the east and west wing rooms were pitch black, only the main room on the north side was brightly lit, and there were a few shadows on the side windows.

Did the second and third children go to bed early, or did they squeeze into the eldest child’s room to chat?

How can they be so harmonious when I'm not around?

Yang Chang strode towards the main house. As soon as he reached the steps, he heard a conversation inside. The topic was Li Shishi during the day.

"Sister Princess, I heard that Master Li and your father."

“I really don’t know”

"Third sister, why are you talking nonsense about something that is just hearsay?"

"No, no, Princess, that's not what I meant. I'm not worldly-wise, am I? I just want to ask if all the emperor's women are stunningly beautiful."

"My father's concubines are actually ordinary people. Although they have regular features and beautiful looks, very few of them can be called stunning beauties."

"How boring is that? Princess sister is much more beautiful than Li Shishi. Doesn't that mean that even the emperor can't compare to you, sir?"

"Third sister! You're talking nonsense again!"

My goodness, you made up a story about the emperor and Li Shishi and dragged me into it? Why?
"Cough cough."

"Is this the official's voice?"

"Sir? Quick, open the door!" The chattering in the room stopped abruptly, and Qiu Qiongying opened the door to welcome Yang Chang in.

Looking at the three small piles of fruit peels on the table, Yang Chang deduced that the three women had been gossiping for a while. Seeing that their maids and Yang Huang were not there, he asked, "Where is Huang'er? It's only been a short while since nightfall, and he's already asleep?"

"Well, he was tired from playing all day, so Li E took him to the West Wing to coax him to sleep."

"This boy"

As soon as Yang Chang finished his joking words, Zhao Fujin remembered that it was Hu Sanniang's turn tonight, so she bowed and said, "Yang Lang has been busy with official duties all day, sister will take care of you to rest early. I'll go see if Huang Er is asleep. Sister, I'll take my leave first."

"My little sister is leaving too!"

As soon as Qiu Qiongying turned around, Yang Chang immediately came forward and patted her on the buttocks secretly.

"Are you leaving now?"

"Sir, please don't see me off."

"Your butt's itchy? I'll come push the cart tomorrow night."

Yang Chang's voice was not loud, but the surroundings were very quiet at the time, and it was obvious that Hu Sanniang heard it. Qiu Qiongying blushed with shame and then she ran away.

Hu Sanniang smiled bitterly, closed the door, pressed the back of her hand, frowned and said: "Sir, why do you always tease my third sister? He is young and shy, and has never seen you tease the princess."

"Who told her to plot behind my back? But don't worry, my lady. This girl is very happy. As for the princess, she is much calmer and not as lively as Yingzi. As a husband, I will never favor anyone."

"Sir, there is no need to explain. I am just reminding you to be careful when you joke. Third sister has a strong sense of self-esteem, but she is not as sophisticated as Li Shishi."

"Yeah, right."

Yang Chang sat at the table and nodded to remind him, "Although Li Shishi was born in the entertainment industry, she is Yan Qing's woman now. Don't talk about her anymore."

"I won't. I'll remember it."

Hu Sanniang wanted to say that it was Qiu Qiongying who started it, but she swallowed her words back halfway through. Then she picked up the pot and made tea for Yang Chang, and said leisurely: "This girl is also a miserable person. The court actually extorted money from them. This is really disheartening."

"The country is about to perish, who cares about propriety and morality? By the way, what is her impression of Weisheng? Has she decided to stay?"

"Hmm? Why do you ask that, sir? Of course she is satisfied."

Yang Chang then told Yan Qing about his frustration and his own thoughts.

Hu Sanniang thought for a moment, then said solemnly: "Yan Qing is disillusioned with the court and Song Jiang's abuse of power, but he is not disillusioned with life. Since he wants to live a good life with Li Shishi, besides following the master to do great things, should he take her back to her old job? There is no such trend in Weisheng."

"Definitely not. Yan Xiaoyi is a man of great character, otherwise Li Shishi wouldn't follow him. I really want to subdue him, but I'm afraid he's thinking of Lu Junyi."

"Sir, go and try it first. If you find it difficult, I will look for Master Li."

"Hmm? Very good."

The words "Madam Diplomacy" suddenly popped up in Yang Chang's mind, and he immediately smiled and nodded in agreement to Hu Sanniang.

The next day, the Liangshan brothers who were sent out from Weisheng Prefecture received an order from General Yang Chang to return to the city to meet Yan Qing and others. They feasted for three consecutive days before returning.

During the banquet, Yang Chang conveyed military tasks such as feint attack training, and arranged duties for several new brothers.

Jin Dajian, nicknamed the Jade-Arm Craftsman, was in charge of supervising the production of military seals in Liangshan. This skill was temporarily useless in Weisheng, but he was a rare intellectual, so he was sent to the provincial government office to replace Yang Jian and become Wen Huanzhang's deputy.

Yang Chang was in charge of two states at this time. In addition to taking care of the military and political affairs of Weisheng, he also had to keep an eye on the military and political affairs of Pingbei. A full-time recorder was particularly important, and Yang Jian just happened to be able to spare the time.

It would be a waste to have two doctors, An Daoquan and Huangfu Duan, serving the army.

Yang Chang opened a special clinic for them. In his spare time, he recruited disciples to train talents and developed various trauma medicines. In wartime, he would go to the battlefield with the army as needed to maximize the expertise of the two.

After Yan Qing arrived in Weisheng for several days, he saw with his own eyes that the people lived a happy life. Every one of them praised Yang Chang for his wisdom, and he stayed there sincerely. Yang Chang appointed him as the deputy commander of the infantry to assist Wu Song in guarding the government office of Weisheng City.

Le He was a smart person. He was in charge of delivering intelligence in Liangshan. Yang Chang let him go back to his old job and still be in charge of intelligence work. As soon as he arrived, he received a task to go to Hebei to persuade Sun Li and his brothers to surrender.

As for Zhu Wu, Chen Da, Yang Chun and others, they were not on Yang Chang's first list of poachers.

Although Yan Qing has surrendered sincerely, Lu Junyi is his former master after all. If Yang Changruo hollows out Lu Junyi's subordinates, the Yongning Army will probably be disbanded on the spot. That would not only help Hei Sanlang, but also fail to consider Yan Qing's feelings.

Therefore, digging out the Sun Li brothers first was a test by Yang Chang.

After settling his new brothers, Yang Changan went to the Gukou outpost to arrange a feint attack and training. It was early June when he finished all this.

Counting the days, Yao Gu's 100,000-strong army should have entered Pingbei (Pingyang Prefecture) by now.

Yao Gu had a high position and many soldiers. Yang Chang was worried that Zhu Tong and Xiao Rang could not cope with it, so he entrusted the feint attack training to Lin Chong and Sun An, and he himself took Qiu Qiongying and rode to Pingbei to meet them.

It is midsummer in June and the heat is unbearable.

Yang Chang thought it would be cooler if they hurried on their journey, so he led his team out of the west gate of Weisheng at dawn on the fifth day.

The wheat planted last fall has reached maturity now. It will be ready for harvest in about ten days. It is a golden sight everywhere.

Weisheng has added tens of thousands of new people and needs a good harvest to resolve the food shortage crisis. However, due to the combination of drought and insect pests this year, the wheat ears are not as full and heavy as last year, so the harvest will naturally be discounted.

Fortunately, the people under his rule were very hardworking and made up for the losses by growing supplementary crops.

Yang Chang had walked just two miles when he suddenly reined in his horse and stopped by the roadside.

Qiu Qiongying was curious and asked, "Sir, did you forget something? If you want to send someone back, please do it quickly. The sun will be out soon and we have to hurry on our way."

"I haven't forgotten." Yang Chang frowned and waved his hand, saying, "This year's wheat production will definitely decrease, but soybeans have already started to bear fruit. I hope we can make up for the food deficit."

"It all depends on the weather. It's useless for the sir to worry. What are you doing?"

"I saw Uncle Wu. Please wait by the roadside. I have to say hello before I leave."

"I'll go as well."

After Qiu Qiongying finished speaking, she dismounted and walked towards the soybean field on the slope with Yang Chang.

Yang Changgang climbed up the slope and suddenly saw that among the soybean fields, there was a piece of land that stood out from the crowd.

"hiss"

Yang Chang was stunned on the spot, muttering to himself: "I was so busy that I forgot."

"Hmm? Didn't you forget?"

Qiu Qiongying scratched her head and asked curiously, "What else does your Excellency need? I will send someone back to the city right away."

"No, we are not talking about the same thing."

Yang Chang smiled, strode forward, waved his hands and shouted: "Fifth Uncle, Fifth Uncle"

"Saburo?"

Yang De put down the wooden bucket for watering, picked up the corner of his clothes to wipe the sweat from his forehead, then wiped his hand on his waist, and then walked up to her with a smile.

The two met at the edge of that unique field. Yang Chang immediately pointed at the soybean seedlings that did not produce pods and asked, "Uncle Wu, are these two acres of land that do not produce pods all from the seeds I planted?"

"Yes."

Yang De nodded, bent down and plucked off a leaf, frowned and said, "I have been growing soybeans all my life, but this is the first time I have encountered such a strange thing. Look, Sanlang, this is very different from ordinary soybean leaves."

"Uncle Wu, this is..."

Yang Chang had only done a lot of farm work since he came to this world. Although this was the first time he saw this kind of leaves, the whole picture of the plant flashed in his mind, and he was so shocked that he stayed where he was.

How is this possible?

"Sanlang, the soybeans you planted on these two acres are blooming differently from the others. This morning I pulled one out and found this kind of dirt in the soil. I have never seen anything like this in my life. Is there something wrong with our land? Is this something poisonous or a monster? Do you want to ask a wizard for help?"

"Don't worry, this clod of earth looks edible."

Yang Chang held the quail egg-sized potato in his hand and thought to himself, "Is it not the land in front of me that has the problem? Is it your nephew who has the problem?"

You reap what you sow, sow what soy and you get potatoes?
He originally thought that after he became an immortal, he would go to South America and bring back those high-yield crops to China in advance to benefit the people. He did not expect that the awakened talent of [Grand Master Farmer] was so strong.

This talent is unreasonably strong.

"Can this lump of earth be eaten?"

"It should be edible, and I have a feeling that this thing may be of great use. Judging from the state of the rhizome and leaves, it seems that it is not fully mature. I'll trouble you to take good care of it, uncle. I'll deal with it when I come back from Pingbei. Remember, make sure to take good care of it!"

"Hmm? Don't worry, Saburo."

"Then I'll be back soon, my lady, let's go!"

"Oh, goodbye, Uncle Wu."

When Yang Chang clasped his fists and said goodbye, he looked back every few steps with reluctance.

This fellow was lost in thought while riding his horse, which made Qiu Qiongying very confused. She stopped him and asked, "Sir, are you still thinking about that clod of earth? Could it be that it is really of great use?"

"of course."

Yang Chang couldn't think of a suitable reason, so he didn't dare to tell people about the function of potatoes. He thought that with this good thing that produces several thousand kilograms per mu, wouldn't it be easy to accommodate hundreds of thousands of refugees in the future, let alone tens of thousands?
The potatoes in the field were only the size of quail eggs because Yang De didn't know how to grow them.

Perhaps it was because of the [Master Farmer], when Yang Chang saw the appearance of the potato plants just now, methods of potato breeding and top dressing automatically appeared in his mind, and it was impossible for him not to have a high yield after that.

(End of this chapter)