Three thousand miles in exile

It only took half a day from Giyang Pass to Jinyang City on fast horses. The First Prince and General Zhou Chan, who had been promoted to King Rui, went to Jinyang first under the escort of [-] cavalry, and the rest of the army marched at normal speed.

Yan's eyes and ears in Jinyang City had already received the news that Prince Rui was going to be stationed in Jinyang City. Yan Qirong, governor of Jinyang County, led Yan's clan and Jinyang City's officials and squires to wait outside the city gate.

"Sinful minister Yan Qirong pays respects to Prince Rui, pays respects to the great general!"

Prince Rui was dressed in military uniform and rode on the horse looking down, he didn't intend to hide his contempt and disdain for Yan Qirong.

I especially remember that Yan Qiliang went to Beijing to participate in the Longevity Festival of the First Emperor eight years ago, when he was only the son of a prince.

The Yan's disciples who accompanied him had their eyes high above the top, and although they did not speak disrespectfully to him, the lofty demeanor of the Yan's disciples still made the First Prince feel bitter.

"How do you still have the face to wear the crown of a courtier of Great Chu?" Prince Rui sneered.

"Your Yan family lost thousands of miles of fertile land in 32 townships of three passes and four counties in Dachu. Why didn't you kill yourself to show your loyalty? I remember what Yan Qiliang said on the Longevity Day of the First Emperor. He said that Yan's loyalty can be learned from the sun and the moon. .”

Although there were many people outside the city gate, it was silent, Yan Qirong was lying on the ground and shivering uncontrollably.

Prince Rui snorted. "Come here, take off Yan Qirong's crown and demote him to a commoner!"

"Wait a minute!"

A luxuriously dressed old lady stood behind Yan Qirong.

"Old Mrs. Chen, I have met His Highness Prince Rui." The old lady was supported by two maidservants and stood in front of Yan Qirong, she looked directly at the First Prince without any fear.

"The old man is the first-rank imperial wife appointed by the founding emperor of Great Chu, and the late emperor also granted the old lady the super first-rank Zhenjing wife, who has the right to meet the emperor and not worship."

Prince Rui didn't know her and didn't know about the twists and turns of the aristocratic family, Zhou Chan reacted and immediately surrendered. "It turned out to be the old lady of the Yan family. Zhou Chan, the eldest son of the Zhou family, has seen the old lady."

The old lady of the Yan family is the eldest daughter of the Chen family in the capital city, and the sister of the current head of the Chen family. This Chen family is the mother of the third prince who was poisoned. The Chen family and the Zhou family have a deep blood feud!

The old lady of the Yan family held her head up high and her chest was straight, she didn't even bother to give Zhou Chan alms, but she asked sharply.

"Great Chu's law stipulates that the appointment and dismissal of local officials of the fourth grade and above must be approved by the Holy Master. I dare to ask Prince Rui whether it is the emperor's will to seize the crown of the county guard when he arrives."

Prince Rui's complexion gradually turned dark. "Father Emperor Xu Benwang is in charge of all affairs in northern Xinjiang, why? This king can't get a fourth-rank official?"

"His Royal Highness Prince Rui can hold powerful soldiers, but!" Old Madam Yan Wei Ran was not afraid. "If His Royal Highness Prince Rui wants to overstep his powers and dispose of the governor of Jinyang, he will step over the corpse of the old man. The old man wants to see if Da Chu still has the king's law!"

As soon as Mrs. Yan's words fell, the archers who had been ambushing for a long time on the city wall on the gate tower immediately swarmed up, bowed their bows and set up arrows, ready to go.

"You're going to turn against you!" Prince Rui exploded in anger.

Zhou Chan hurriedly held him down. "His Royal Highness, please calm down."

Old Madam Yan snorted coldly. "His Royal Highness Prince Rui disregards the laws of the country, and the governor of Jinyang only made such a bad move for self-protection."

At this time, Prince Rui really regretted that he only brought five thousand cavalry here, and the forty thousand troops behind him would take a day and one night to reach Jinyang. He thought that taking down the Yan family was just a matter of convenience, but he did not expect that there would be a difficult old bone !

The so-called centipede is dead but not stiff, Prince Rui and Zhou Chan both underestimated the enemy this time.

Yan Qirong was helped up by his subordinates, who looked pale and frightened.

Mrs. Yan married the eldest son of the Yan family and had two sons and one daughter. The eldest son gave birth to grandson Yan Qiliang, the second son gave birth to Yan Qirong, and the only daughter married to the second prince's mother's family Lu family as the eldest son's wife.

The Chen family and the Lu family were all killed by the Zhou family. Now that the Yan family has fallen again, it is a time of life and death. A rabbit will bite if it is in a hurry, let alone a local wealthy family.

The foundation of the Yan family has been in Jinyang for a century, and the interest groups are intertwined. After Yan Qirong fled back to Jinyang, he obeyed the old lady Yan's words and gathered private soldiers to reorganize the defense.

Now there are 1 Jinyang defenders, the Yan family will be afraid when the Yan army comes, but the Yan family is really not afraid when the Chu army of King Rui comes, it is a serious crime of conspiracy and rebellion for King Rui to use troops against Jinyang without permission!

Zhou Chan also wanted to understand this before holding down the eldest prince.

The two uncles and nephews were dazzled by the victory, and they also believed that they had an army of [-] in their hands, so they wanted to seize the opportunity to take down Yan Qirong first.

If it really brought 4 people to surround Jinyang, it would be fine, but he disliked the slow pace of the large troops and only brought [-] cavalry.

If only Yan Qirong was the only one today, they might be bluffed by the two of them to hand over the seal of the sheriff, but they ignored that the eighty-year-old old lady of the Yan family is still alive!

This person has witnessed the founding of the Great Chu and also experienced the most turbulent era, only Prince Rui and Zhou Chan really can't frighten her.

Knowing that the general situation was over, Zhou Chan hurriedly dismounted and cupped his hands: "Old Madam misunderstood, His Highness Prince Rui just wanted to teach Yan County Guard a lesson, after all how can a prince not be heartbroken after losing thousands of miles of fertile land."

Old Madam Yan restrained her momentum a little. "The old man is also eager to protect his grandson."

Both of them took a step back, even if the matter was exposed, it was just that Prince Rui's embarrassment became the joke of the whole Jinyang that day.

The Yan family tidied up the largest courtyard in the clan and made it a temporary palace for Prince Rui. This courtyard occupies quite a large area with pavilions, pavilions, lotus ponds and rockery, and the decoration is even more exquisite and rich.

The more he knows that the Yan family is rich, the tree has deep roots, the more angry the prince will be!

Liu Zhan arrived and stationed outside Jinyang city two days later, even he heard about the matter that Prince Rui smashed the Yan family's other courtyard, and the big drama in front of the city gate that day had spread throughout Jinyang.

Damn, this is really true, Liu Zhan couldn't straighten his back from laughing, I don't know what these two uncles and nephews are thinking, taking 5000 people to the lair?

"Xiao Man, you run over and give this letter to Mr. Song, you have to hand it over to Mr. Song."

Zhang Xiaoman clasped his fists and agreed. "Don't worry boss, I know."

After settling down, Liu Zhan's mind came alive. Seeing the situation, there would be no more wars in a short time. He could take advantage of this time to remotely control his family's affairs. He couldn't just waste his family's business while in the army.

Next, Liu Zhan never expected that the great drama between the eldest prince and the Yan family was yet to come.

A few days later, Prince Rui wanted to take over the military affairs of Jinyang City and had another conflict with the Yan family. As a result, the old lady Yan came forward to make Prince Rui feel ashamed again.

"Uncle! Didn't you say that Royal Father will soon agree to dismiss Yan Qirong? It's been a month, why is there no movement in the capital?" Prince Rui smashed the teacup as soon as he came back, and fell down twice in anger. a vase.

Zhou Chan was also very upset. "Father sent a letter, saying that he was obstructed by the Chen family and the Lu family, and His Majesty is hesitating."

"Is there nothing we can do?" Prince Rui paced back and forth angrily. "It's impossible for me to stay in northern Xinjiang for a long time. If you don't take Jinyang City under your command as soon as possible, you won't be able to do anything to them when I leave!"

"Naturally, I heard that the fourth prince is also about to move recently." Zhou Chan sighed.

"Your Highness Prince Rui, please listen to your uncle's advice. Don't rush back to Beijing when the major events in Northern Xinjiang are uncertain. Your Majesty's preferences are uncertain. If you trust the second prince today, you can demote the second prince to build the imperial mausoleum tomorrow. Only power in your hands is the foundation of your life!"

Zhou Chan is earnest. "Your Majesty has been on the throne for six years. All these years, you have let the princes fight back and forth, but you have not established a crown prince. Haven't you seen through Your Majesty?"

"Your Majesty regards power as more important than his own son. His Majesty is afraid that setting up a crown prince will divide the imperial power. Therefore, His Majesty must take a longer-term view if he wants to achieve great things. His Majesty's temporary favor is nothing compared to holding real power. "

After all, Zhou Chan has also been immersed in court for many years, and has unique insights into power tactics. "Jinyang's matter needs to be figured out gradually. If we can't eat Yan's bug in one bite, we will attack it separately. Your Highness has an army in hand, so why worry about it?"

Prince Rui gradually calmed down. "How to draw it slowly?"

Zhou Chan also considered this matter carefully. "We need a confidant who is familiar with the internal affairs of northern Xinjiang, first understand the foundation of the Yan family, and then use some means to separate them one by one..." Zhou Chan made a sharp move.

"Is there someone to choose for this uncle?" Prince Rui had heard it and thought more and more that it was feasible.

Zhou Chan pondered. "Among the cronies we brought, there are no people from northern Xinjiang. Allow me to write to my father in a few days and ask him to recommend two."

It would take quite a while for the capital to send someone over, Prince Rui couldn't wait, he suddenly remembered something. "I have someone who can use it first."

Zhou Chan also remembered. "You mean that Liu Zhan?"

Three days later, Liu Zhan's background and experience were presented to Prince Rui in detail. Liu Zhan's resume was very clean and ordinary, and he was born in northern Xinjiang with no power or power.

Of course, with Zhou Chan's suspicious character, he will have to try again before he can decide.

It's been a while since I came to Jinyang, but Liu Zhan was very surprised to be summoned suddenly by Prince Rui.

"The young general has met His Highness Prince Rui, and the great general." Liu Zhan still had a taciturn and somewhat honest appearance in front of Prince Rui and Zhou Chan.

Zhou Chan said: "I heard that you are from northern Xinjiang. This general wants to know more about the customs and customs of northern Xinjiang. Tell me about it."

Liu Zhan cupped his fists. "The young general knows everything."

So he started with the climate in northern Xinjiang, the long and severe winter, and the short summer and autumn.

At the beginning, Liu Zhan would choose some interesting directions to talk about, such as which mountain on Qiyun has the most dangerous terrain and which mountain has the most beautiful scenery.

He paid attention to the reactions of Zhou Chan and the eldest prince calmly, and found that the two were not in high spirits, so he turned around, and when he talked about the tough and open folk customs in northern Xinjiang, he found that the two were still not in high spirits.

Liu Zhan changed his mind and talked about the merchants in Northern Xinjiang, sure enough, Prince Rui's eyes lit up.

What is the most profitable thing to do in northern Xinjiang?Grain trading, cattle and sheep trading, the price of cloth and silk from the south can be doubled to northern Xinjiang, and...

Liu Zhan's thoughts raced and he decided to take a gamble. "These are just small businesses run by ordinary merchants. For example, the most profitable business of the rich family in Jinyang is buying and selling ore."

"Buying ore? What kind of ore?" Prince Rui immediately sat up straight, even Zhou Chan looked at him seriously.

Liu Zhan showed a tangled expression of scruples. "His Royal Highness, please forgive the young general's innocence."

"My lord forgives you for your innocence, tell me quickly." What Prince Rui wanted to know was the secrets of Jinyang's wealthy family.

Liu Zhan took two steps forward and lowered his voice. "Return to Your Highness, there are private mines on Qiyun Mountain."

"What kind of mine?" Prince Rui asked anxiously.

You must know that the value of iron ore, copper ore, and silver mine varies greatly.

"There are iron ore and..." Liu Zhan took out a few pieces of silver in his arms.

Prince Rui didn't understand, but Zhou Chan immediately understood, he was born in a noble family, of course he understood the channels behind the aristocratic family's money, this is private mining of silver ore to cast private silver!

Zhou Chan attached herself to Prince Rui's ear and whispered.

"What a Yan family!"

Prince Rui was so angry that he stood up and drove back and forth for two laps. "What a Yan family! They already have the richest Cangxia Plain in northern Xinjiang, and they are still greedy and privately mining silver mines!"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. "No, I have to write to Emperor Father immediately!"

"Wait! Your Highness, don't worry!" Zhou Chan hurriedly stopped him. "My lord, how can you tell your majesty about this matter, as long as your majesty replaces the Yan family, it will be yours!"

Just now, King Rui was also in a hurry, Zhou Chan reminded him that he was enlightened, as long as he got this silver mine, he would be able to own the wealth of the Yan family, so why not worry about the big things?

"Liu Zhan, do you know where the silver mine is?"

Liu Zhan shook his head. "Yan's private silver casting is an open secret among merchants, but no one knows where the silver mine is. Qiyun Mountain occupies a vast area and the silver mine may be the most secret place."

Zhou Chan sized Liu Zhan up and down, and said carefully, "Is it true that Yan's cast private bank?"

This is all Liu Cheng's experience in doing business in northern Xinjiang. In the beginning, they also suffered losses from Yan's private bank and lost several transactions, so Liu Zhan naturally knew it very well.

"Yan's private silver is lighter than official silver and has more impurities. Merchants are not willing to accept Yan's private silver. Jinyang wealthy families only pay Yan's private silver when they do business with merchants."

Liu Zhan told another inside story that made Zhou Chan's eyebrows jump. "If this kind of silver wants to circulate in the Central Plains, it has to be taken back and recast. Taking ten taels of silver as an example, it is less than nine taels after recasting."

Not only did the Yan family cast private silver, but they were short of jin and short of taels, there were so many benefits in it, at this moment even Zhou Chan was very tempted, let alone Prince Rui.

Zhou Chan looked at Liu Zhan with some satisfaction. "In your opinion, what should Prince Rui do if he wants to subdue Yan's influence in Jinyang?"

"The powerful families in Jinyang are attached to the Yan family. These powerful families are related to each other by marriage. They not only control the commercial houses in northern Xinjiang, but also the dirty officials in the yamen and even the jailers in the dungeons come from these powerful families."

Liu Zhan analyzed them one by one. "They are like the minions of the Yan family. If His Highness wants to replace the Yan family, he must first subdue these wealthy families. As long as these wealthy families are turned to rely on the First Prince, the Yan family will naturally be defeated."

Hearing this, Prince Rui was very excited and said three good words in succession.

Zhou Chan was much calmer. "How to make these wealthy families become attached to the First Prince?"

"Although Your Highness holds a large army, he has no foundation in northern Xinjiang." Liu Zhan thought for a moment before continuing.

"Both the Yan family and the Hao family know that His Royal Highness will return to the capital sooner or later, so they are obedient on the surface but they don't take His Highness seriously. If His Highness wants to replace the Yan family, he needs to establish a foundation first. Only with a foundation can the Hao family be convinced."

Zhou Chandao: "What you said is reasonable, but Jinyang City is already under the Yan family's world. It may not be easy for Your Highness to develop a foundation in Jinyang."

But Liu Zhan said: "Northern Xinjiang is not only Jinyang City."

Prince Rui was straightforward. "Which other city will submit to His Highness?"

"Please forgive me, Your Highness, there is no city that will surrender unconditionally." Liu Zhan said the truth, and he was not afraid that Prince Rui would feel uncomfortable hearing it.

"The two counties and one state capital in northern Xinjiang are controlled by a hundred-year-old clan and will not easily submit to any side, but there is a city that just has a vacancy that can be drilled. Does your Highness still remember Cenzhou?"

Neither Prince Rui nor Zhou Chan had any impression, Zhou Chan immediately asked his servants to present the map of Northern Xinjiang.

"Your Highness, please look here." Liu Zhan pointed to the depths of Qiyun Mountain.

"Cenzhou is the capital of Xinzhou established by the founding emperor of Great Chu. It intends to govern the six counties of Qiyun Mountain to check the power of the two counties in northern Xinjiang. However, Qiyun Mountain is located in a remote place, and Cenzhou Prefecture has never been able to develop into a county."

Liu Zhan said firmly: "Therefore, there are no big clans in Cenzhou, and the local wealthy families are also some upstarts with only 30 or [-] years of foundation. As the saying goes, if the mountains are not high, there will be dragons, and with His Royal Highness Prince Rui supporting Cenzhou, this place is big and promising."

"It's good to say that there is a dragon who can live!" Prince Rui patted Liu Zhan's shoulder and laughed heartily.

Liu Zhan took advantage of the victory and chased after him and knelt down on one knee to recommend himself to Prince Rui. "Your Highness, after the death of General Fang, Cenzhou Wei Yique happened to be vacant, and the young general is willing to subdue Cenzhou and seize the private silver mine for the eldest prince!"

At this moment, Prince Rui became more and more excited as he listened to it, as if he would subdue Beijiang soon, Liu Zhan blurted out his self-recommendation. "Okay! This king promised you Captain Cenzhou, you have to take it down for this king as soon as possible!"

Liu Zhan hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed. "The young general is willing to go through fire and water for His Highness Prince Rui."

At this time, neither of them noticed that Zhou Chan's expression was very helpless, his nephew was too outspoken and too helpless.

"Liu Zhan, although His Highness has accepted you, but this general still wants to test your loyalty." Zhou Chan put on a solemn face.

Liu Zhan kowtowed to the general again. "The young general is willing to accept the test."

But Liu Zhan never expected that Zhou Chan would ask him to do such a thing. Sure enough, Jiang was still hot, and this nomination was to make him completely an enemy of the Yan family.

On the way back to the camp, Liu Zhan said nothing all the way, and the accompanying guards did not dare to disturb him seeing his unwavering expression.

Back in the camp, Liu Zhan called Cao Dazhuang. "Call five brothers with the best skills, they must be trustworthy brothers from Tian Cang Village, and follow me to carry out the orders of the First Prince at night."

At night, Liu Zhan and the seven left the camp quietly.

The next morning, the entire city of Jinyang shook, and Yan Qirong's younger brother died suddenly at home!

Old Madam Yan passed away on the spot, and the entire Yan family was both furious and terrified.

Everyone knew that this incident was obviously aimed at Yan Shi, it was a warning, and it was also a revenge!

Everyone knew in their hearts that only that person had the guts to take revenge on the Yan family, but no one dared to ask for an explanation. With [-] troops stationed outside Jinyang City, who would dare to touch that one hair?

When the Yan family was furious and confused, Liu Zhan had already brought his inauguration documents and [-] soldiers under his command to Cenzhou.

Liu Zhan's eyes were cold.

That's the struggle, anyone can fall victim to power in these chaotic times.

Wasn't it the same when the Liu family lost?When Liu Xueyi's eldest son froze to death on the road and was buried on the spot by indifferent government servants, Liu Zhan saw the world clearly.

He could not refuse Prince Rui's nomination certificate and he did not have the right to refuse, not only could he not refuse, but he had to deal with it quickly.

High-ranking people like Prince Rui and Zhou Chan are the most suspicious and suspicious. If Liu Zhan delays for a day and a half, Zhou Chan will probably suspect that he has tipped the Yan family off.

The governor of Northern Xinjiang has the power to appoint and dismiss officials below the fifth rank, and with Prince Rui's words, Liu Zhan directly took away the official position that Fang Cuo wanted to pass on to his son.

To Liu Zhan, Prince Rui and Zhou Chan at this time were like an immovable colossus, if the other party moved a finger casually, he would die without a place to bury him.

Liu Zhan is also betting on seizing Cen Zhouwei from the Fang family and seizing the private silver mines from the Yan family.

He believes he can win!