Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather

After coming out of the Taiji Hall, Yang Zhengshan did not go back directly to his home. Instead, he went to the Secret Martial Guard to get a copy of the Xingyue Sect's file.

As the saying goes, if you know yourself and the enemy, you will be invincible in a hundred battles. He also understands the Xingyue Sect, but it is definitely not as detailed as the Secret Martial Guard.

After returning to the mansion, Yang Zhengshan first went back to the main courtyard to talk to Yu Qingyi about the matter.

After hearing this, Yu Qingyi said with some worry: "Is it dangerous to encircle Xingyue Gate?"

"Danger? What danger is there?" Yang Zhengshan was stunned.

"There should be more than one innate warrior in Xingyue Sect!" Yu Qingyi said.

Yang Zhengshan smiled and said: "When it comes to innate warriors, I have more great honors than the Xingyue Sect! Don't worry, your husband and I have never been defeated before!"

It's not that Yu Qingyi has no confidence in Yang Zhengshan, but since Yang Zhengshan has not been on the battlefield in recent years, she is more worried.

She was worried before, but before, she had not changed her habit of being in the world, and she was relatively indifferent to life and death. But now she has not only been accustomed to the life of the Yang family, but also adapted to the life of Kyoto. When facing life and death, she is not like before So decisive.

"Then why don't I go with my husband? I haven't gone to the battlefield with my husband yet!" Yu Qingyi said with some emotion.

Yang Zhengshan shook his head slightly, "Let's forget it. There is no need to be on land at sea. Many things are inconvenient!"

"And you still need to take care of Wanqing and Miao'er's marriage, so you should stay at home!"

Yu Qingyi thought about it. She and Yang Zhengshan always had to have someone at home to take care of these things.

"Then Wanqing is getting married, won't my husband not be able to participate?"

"Not necessarily. It will take a few months to complete the marriage negotiation process. The marriage is expected to be after the new year. Maybe I will be back by then!"

If Duke Xingguo's palace was in Kyoto, they would have definitely gotten married that year. However, Duke Xingguo's palace was in Nanjiang Town, and the two families were discussing the marriage. It would take two or three months to go back and forth. If there was no less than half a year, the marriage would probably be difficult. Can't decide.

The two talked for a while, and then Yang Zhengshan went to the study to check the Xingyue Sect's files.

The Secret Martial Guard's understanding of the Xingyue Sect is not very detailed, and most of the information only remains on the surface.

However, in addition to the files of the Secret Martial Guard, Yang Zhengshan can also learn about the inside story of Xingyue Sect through Luo Jinsong.

Although Luo Jinsong was only the head of the Seven Star Hall before, he lived on Xingyue Island when he was a boy. He did not leave Xingyue Island and came to Da Rong until he was in his twenties.

In the study, Yang Zhengshan summoned Luo Jinsong and said, "Tell me about the Xingyue Sect!"

"Xingyue Sect?" Luo Jinsong asked in surprise: "Why is the Marquis suddenly interested in Xingyue Sect?"

"The court is going to attack Xingyue Gate!" Yang Zhengshan didn't hide anything and told the truth.

Luo Jinsong was surprised at first, then nodded and said, "What does the Marquis want to know about?"

"How did you join the Xingyue Sect?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

He had never asked this question before. He didn't think it was necessary before, but now he is a little curious.

Luo Jinsong said: "I am an orphan adopted by Xingyue Sect. In fact, it is not considered adopted, it should be considered bought. My parents were originally islanders of Dagu Island. Dagu Island is a small island in the southeastern sea. The former island There are tens of thousands of islanders living on it.”

"About fifty years ago, when I was five years old, a group of pirates invaded Dagu Island. My parents were killed by the pirates, and I became a child slave."

"Later I was sold to Xingyue Island and became a disciple of Xingyue Sect."

Yang Zhengshan raised his eyebrows, "So you were raised by Xingyue Men?"

"Raise them up?" Luo Jinsong's face showed a touch of bitterness, "Xingyue Sect adopts thousands of children every year, but less than 20% of them survive!"

"There were hundreds of children with me, but only a dozen survived in the end!"

"For Xingyue Sect, we people are tools."

Yang Zhengshan thought thoughtfully, "Are all members of the Xingyue Sect like this?"

Luo Jinsong shook his head slightly, "It's not always like this. The Xingyue Sect has been passed down for hundreds of years, and many families have been formed within it. There are four upper three families and eight lower families. The upper three families are the Yue family, the Nan family and the In the Qu family, the current head of the Xingyue Sect, Yue Hongyi, is the head of the Yue family, the head of the Peitang hall, Nan Haiyan, is the head of the Nan family, and the head of the Guan hall, Qu Fusheng, is the head of the Qu family."

"The four middle families are the leaders of the Four Banners Army, namely the Li family, the Wang family, the Han family, and the Cheng family. The four of them have been controlling the Four Banners Army for a hundred years now!"

"The next eight families are the Sun family, the Yan family, etc. Most of the residents on Xingyue Island today are members of these fifteen surnames."

"Although people like us are also from the Xingyue Sect, most of them are just used as tools. Of course, we can also settle down on Xingyue Island."

Yang Zhengshan showed a look of surprise.

Luo Jinsong also has family, but his family is now in the Yang family's village. It is obvious that Luo Jinsong only had family after leaving Xingyue Island.

Luo Jinsong was able to decisively betray Xingyue Sect in the first place because his family was not on Xingyue Island.

"You said the Four Banners Army is controlled by four families?"

"That's right!"

"Then do you think it is possible for them to be persuaded to surrender?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

Luo Jinsong frowned and thought for a while, "It's difficult, but it's not impossible!"

"Tell me in detail!" Yang Zhengshan said.

"Although the four middle families are in charge of the Four Flags Army, their strength is not strong. At most, they can be regarded as overwhelming in numbers!"

"If you want them to betray the Shangsan Family, you must first ensure the safety of their clansmen. However, their clansmen live on Xingyue Island. Once the Shangsanjia finds out, it will definitely be a disaster for the entire clan!"

Luo Jinsong explained.

Yang Zhengshan leaned back in his chair, stroking his beard, and fell into deep thought.

"The disaster of genocide, once the Xingyue Sect is destroyed, it will also be the disaster of genocide for them. If they are willing to join Da Rong, I can give them a chance!"

"Do you think Da Rong's power in the southeastern sea can deter them?"

The thought of appeasement arose in his heart. The so-called appeasement is nothing more than coercion and inducement.

Luo Jinsong said: "Actually, as far as the Xingyue Sect is concerned, Da Rong is an extremely powerful existence and also a terrifying existence."

Even if Great Rong declines or declines, it will still be a huge dynasty with thousands of miles of territory and tens of millions of people.

Compared with Da Rong, Xingyue Sect is just a sect with dozens of islands and hundreds of thousands of vassals.

"If Lord Marquis has the idea of ​​​​appeasing her, I think we can put some effort into Madam Deng!"

"Who is Mrs. Deng?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

Luo Jinsong said: "Mrs. Deng's original name was Deng Yuehe. She was originally the wife of the owner of Lanting Island. About thirty years ago, Lanting Island was destroyed by the Lu Sheng Dynasty. Mrs. Deng took her young son and hundreds of subordinates to join the Star. Moon Gate!”

"And now, Madam Deng is the master of the Xingyue Gate Auditorium. Madam Deng's cultivation has reached the half-step innate state ten years ago."

"She joined Xingyue Island halfway. She doesn't have deep feelings for Xingyue Island, and she doesn't have many interests involved. Moreover, Xingyue Island is originally an exclusive place, so I guess her time on Xingyue Island was not Not very good!”

"Of course, this is just my guess. In fact, I have never been in contact with Mrs. Deng!"

Luo Jinsong smiled coquettishly. He wanted to help Yang Zhengshan, but there were not many places where he could help Yang Zhengshan.

The main reason is that his status in Xingyue Sect was not high before. The leader of Seven Stars Hall may sound very powerful, but in fact, within Xingyue Sect, the leader of Seven Stars Hall can only be regarded as a peripheral force.

Yang Zhengshan felt that Luo Jinsong's proposal was very good, but he still had to consider it carefully.

"Then do you know how many masters there are in Xingyue Sect?" he continued to ask.

Luo Jinsong shook his head, "It's not very clear. What is certain is that Yue Hongyi, Nan Haiyan, and Qu Fusheng are all innate warriors. As for whether there are other innate warriors, I don't know!"

Yang Zhengshan nodded, not surprised. The Secret Martial Guard estimated the number of innate warriors in Xingyue Sect to be three to five, which was consistent with what Luo Jinsong said.

Then Yang Zhengshan asked about the situation of Xingyue Sect. With Luo Jinsong's story, he had an overall understanding of Xingyue Sect.

…

On September 15th, the fifth year of Yanping, it was early morning.

Emperor Yanping decreed that Yang Zhengshan be appointed as the Prime Minister of the Sihai Navy, commanding the Jiujiang Five Guards, Tenglong Qianwei, Jinhaiwei, Haizhou Zuowei, Quanhaiwei, Leizhouwei and Zhaowuwei.

The so-called Prime Minister of the Sihai Navy is a temporary official position, which can be used to establish a government and oversee all affairs.

The reason why there is an additional Zhaowu Guard in the commanding guard is because Zhaowu Guard was selected as the temporary residence of the Sihai Navy.

Zhaowuwei is located in Zhaowufu, Phuochai Province, facing the southeastern sea, so it was selected as the temporary base of the Sihai Navy.

In addition to Yang Zhengshan, the prime minister, Yu Tonghai, the commander of the Tenglong avant-garde, and Bai Yuanxi, the commander of the Jiujiang central defender, were promoted to the capital commander and served as deputy prime ministers of the Sihai Navy.

Sun Yunfeng, the imperial censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, is appointed as the censor of the patrol; Yang Jinhe, the eunuch who supervises the horse eunuchs, is appointed as the eunuch who supervises the army; Zhang Ruifu, a doctor in the Military Selection Department of the Ministry of War; and Zheng Yang, a member of the Hubu Yuanwailang, are appointed as assistant officers. There are also two staff generals and guerrilla generals. Six people, including one camp officer and many other official positions.

The Sihai Navy Prime Minister's Yamen was a temporary yamen. In order to coordinate the various ministries and yamen to cooperate with the Sihai Navy, the court specially selected officials from the Metropolitan Procuratorate, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Household Affairs to concurrently serve as the Prime Minister's Yamen.

For example, Sun Yunfeng, the imperial censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, asked him to join the Prime Minister's Yamen, firstly to supervise the officials and generals in the Prime Minister's Yamen, and secondly, to supervise the officials of various ministries in Fuhai Province, because the Prime Minister's Yamen was to be located in Zhaowuwei, which required money and food. A large part of it needs to be provided by Phuoc Hai Province. If the local government does not cooperate, it will cause a lot of trouble.

These officials were agreed upon by the cabinet and various ministries, and Yang Zhengshan did not have the power to appoint or remove them.

Yang Zhengshan didn't care about this. As long as the official could do his job, he wouldn't care about anything else. Of course, if someone was a thorn in his side, he wouldn't have any scruples.

After the morning court, Yang Zhengshan immediately summoned officials from the Prime Minister's Office in Beijing to discuss matters at the Hou Mansion.

In the afternoon, Sun Yunfeng, the patrol censor, Yang Jinhe, the military eunuch, Zhang Ruifu and Zheng Yang, the assistant officers, and Xue Changan, the camp officer, gathered in the main hall of the Hou Mansion.

Yang Zhengshan sat in the main seat, Luo Jinsong stood behind him, and Sun Yunfeng and the other five sat on both sides after the ceremony.

Yang Zhengshan looked at Sun Yunfeng and the other five.

Sun Yunfeng is in his forties, slightly thin, unsmiling, and looks like a very serious person.

Yang Jinhe was probably in his thirties, chubby, with a friendly smile on his face. Yang Zhengshan even looked at him a few times. Don't underestimate the eunuchs of Yumajian, although Yumajian has a low status among the many yamen in the imperial city. It may be considered high, but in fact, the Royal Horse Prison is the most important yamen in the imperial city that should not be underestimated.

The reason is very simple. The Royal Horse Supervisor is in charge of the twelve personal guards, not many. Now there are sixteen personal guards. Two years ago, the four Yunlong guards were also included in the ranks of the emperor's personal soldiers and were stationed exclusively in Cuixia Valley.

In addition to being in charge of the twelve guards of the imperial army, the eunuchs of the Imperial Horse Administration are also the government office with the most warriors in the imperial city. Yang Jinhe in front of him looks very friendly, but he is a ninth-level warrior.

As for Zhang Ruifu and Zheng Yang, they are ordinary civil servants. Their main responsibility is to coordinate matters between the Zongli Yamen and the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue.

Yang Zhengshan is naturally familiar with Xue Changan, the commander of the Jinhai Guard and the Earl of Haichang. He is a relative of the Yang family.

Yang Zhengshan smiled and nodded to Xue Changan, and Xue Changan also nodded with a smile.

"Ahem~~ Since all my colleagues are here, I won't be polite anymore!"

"Let's get down to business!"

"The Zongli Yamen was just established, and everything has to start from scratch, but the war is imminent, and we don't have much time to delay, so I will make some arrangements first!"

Yang Zhengshan said slowly.

"If the Marquis has any instructions, just tell us directly. We will do our best and will never hold you back!" Yang Jinhe said with a smile.

"That's right, I am not talented, but you can send me as you please!"

Sun Yunfeng and others also expressed their opinions.

Yang Zhengshan nodded with satisfaction and said, "Okay, then I will tell you directly!"

"Eunuch Yang, Lord Sun, and Lord Xue, I need you to go to Zhaowuwei as soon as possible, first to set up the office of the Zongli Yamen, and second to build a camp for the soldiers. At the same time, we need to coordinate food and grass to ensure that the navy of each guard has barracks to live in and food and grass to use when they arrive at Zhaowuwei."

There are many naval forces mobilized this time, and the ones farthest from Zhaowuwei are Tenglong Vanguard and Jiujiang Navy. Tenglong Vanguard is easy to deal with, and they can directly take a boat to the south. Jiujiang Navy is much more troublesome. They need to go along the river to Songjiang Prefecture in Jiangnan and enter the sea, and then go south along the coastal route for 2,000 miles to reach Zhaowuwei.

It is estimated that it will take more than a month for the transfer order to be sent from Kyoto to the Five Guards of Jiujiang, and then for the Five Guards of Jiujiang to prepare and rush to Zhaowu Guard.

Today is September 15th, and the transfer order from the Ministry of War is for the Five Guards of Jiujiang to arrive at Zhaowu Guard before October 20th.

For the Five Guards of Jiujiang, time is still very tight.

Yang Zhengshan cannot help, but when the Five Guards of Jiujiang arrive at Zhaowu Guard, Yang Zhengshan hopes that everything in Zhaowu Guard will be ready.

"We understand!" Yang Jinshui, Sun Yunfeng and Xue Changan responded.

Yang Zhengshan nodded slightly, "You will go to Zhaowu Guard with the Navy of Jinhai Guard first, and I, Lord Zhang and Lord Zheng will wait for the Navy of Tenglong Vanguard to come before going to Zhaowu Guard."

"These two people will trouble Lord Zhang and Lord Zheng to coordinate the military equipment and money and grain with the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue, and then the military equipment and money and grain will be transported from Tenglong Vanguard to Zhaowu Guard together!"

Zhang Ruifu and Zheng Yang hurriedly stood up to receive the order.

After that, Yang Zhengshan arranged some things, and when everything was arranged, Yang Zhengshan sent the five people away.

Then Yang Zhengshan came to the study and wrote a letter to Luo Jinsong, saying: "Send someone to deliver this letter to Tenglong Guard and give it to Yu Tonghai immediately!"

Although the court mobilized the navy this time, Yang Zhengshan knew that the most important combat power in this battle still depended on Tenglong Vanguard.

"Yes!"

Luo Jinsong did not dare to delay, and after receiving the letter, he immediately arranged a team of guards to go to Tenglong Guard.

At the same time, the court's appointment and the transfer order of the Ministry of War were also sent to the navy of each guard at full speed.