Chapter 1233: The Way
Chapter 1233: The Way (Additional Chapter 2 for Alliance Leader Yu Yuanchuyu)
Bianliang has developed really rapidly in recent years.
Because of its unique locational advantages, this city has surpassed Luoyang in terms of business and has become the largest commercial center in Kanto.
Bian Xu, who had been in mourning, went to Bianliang for a trip, and then returned to the Bian family's old house to chat with the Bian Tao brothers.
He no longer needed to mourn, after all, it wasn't his biological father who died, so he didn't need to observe mourning for three years. But with nowhere else to go, he stayed at the Bian family most of the time, with food and sleep provided and people to chat with. Wasn't that good?
"The prices of farm tools in the Bianliang market have risen sharply," said Bian Xu. "Some have doubled, and some have tripled or even 500 percent. It's scary."
Bian Tao wore a mourning hat and had an untidy beard, looking very haggard. In fact, he was just too lazy to take care of himself. After all, he could not go out all day, could not enjoy dancing and music, and abstained from sex for three years. What fun was there in life?
Hearing Bian Xu's words, he became slightly more interested and said, "Someone must have stockpiled in advance, preparing to go south."
"That's right." Bian Xu nodded with a heavy heart.
"Uncle's side..." Bian Tao asked softly.
"My aunt said it's no big deal. We just need to count our own farm and give up some of it." Bian Xu said.
"How many manors do you have?"
"Jianye only has ten hectares of land." Bian Xu said, "Piling has more than 180 hectares, and Kuaiji has more than 40 hectares. Xin'an has newly acquired more than ten hectares of land."
"That's not much." Bian Tao said, "For a dignified Shangshu Ling to only own two or three hundred hectares of land and support a few hundred farmhands is already very restrained."
After saying this, Bian Tao thought for a moment and said, "My family doesn't have much land left in Jiyin and Jiyang. If we go to Jiangdong, where do you think is the best place?"
"As long as the northerners ask around, they will flock to Danyang, Kuaiji, and Wu counties. Yixing and Wuxing counties are not bad either, while Xuancheng, Xin'an, and other places are not so good." Bian Xu pondered and said, "Well, we are all family members. Most of the land in Piling cannot be kept. If you can take it, I will give it to you. It is more than 184 hectares. It has been reclaimed for many years. There are irrigation canals and rice can be planted. The yield per mu is higher than that of millet and wheat. There are more than 400 farmhouses, most of which are overseas Chinese, and more than 100 are from Wu. They were obtained by the court when it dealt with local tyrants."
Bian Tao was somewhat moved.
It would be great if you have cultivated land. You can take it over directly and make a profit in the same year. Isn't it better than reclaiming wasteland at the cost of human lives?
But he was a little hesitant. It was not that he didn't want it, but with Bian's current status, was he worthy of taking this 180 hectares of cultivated land?
All the brothers are staying at home in mourning, with no one to supervise them. If you shamelessly go to take the land, you will meet someone with a powerful background who will slap you away.
To be honest, the Jiangnan branch of the Bian family is doing much better than the northern branch. At least Bian Xu is the Minister of Chancellery, and Bian Dun, apart from being the military advisor to the emperor in his early years, only had the position of Chenliu governor, but he is already dead...
"Oh, I regret it!" Bian Tao sighed.
How could I be so ignorant before? I just played around and didn't think about sharing the pressure of the family.
To put it bluntly, although Bian Xu's family is the descendant of the fallen Jiangnan country, in terms of relationships, Bian Tao, who is nominally the victor in the north, is not as good as him. At least Bian Xu is the nephew of Concubine Pei, so even if Bian Xu really died, they, the younger generations, may not be in trouble.
The northerners who went to Jiangnan to seize land were not fools. There was really no need for them to offend Concubine Pei. It was not as if the Bian family was the only one with land.
Bian Xu was just frightened. When he came to his senses and carefully analyzed the situation, he realized that although his home seemed to be in danger, it was entirely possible that the danger could be turned into safety.
If Bian Jing surrendered Xin'an County, there would be absolutely no trouble. He might even take the opportunity to win over the nobles in Wu who were loyal to Sima Xiaoer and greatly expand the Bian family's land in Xin'an.
Bian Zhan and Bian Dan are in some trouble. They are now serving as officials in Jianye, especially the former, who is still very trusted. I just don't know if they can get away in time.
Seeing Bian Tao sighing, Bian Xu smiled and said, "Do you want the land of Kuaiji? You may not be able to keep it either."
Bian Tao was speechless, thinking that you might be worrying too much. I didn't dare to take the 100 or 200 hectares of cultivated land in Piling, fearing that I couldn't keep it. It's better to leave it in your hands, which has a greater chance of keeping it than me.
"Don't rush to deal with it." Bian Tao said, "Wait until autumn, there may be a chance for things to turn around."
Bian Xu seemed to understand something.
But he quickly said, "We are all family, we share happiness and hardship together, and you will not be shortchanged."
"It's not mine." Bian Tao shook his head, then stretched out his leg and kicked the second and third brothers who were still sleeping soundly, saying, "Second brother, third brother, after the war is over, how about you two families go south to Jiangdong?"
The two of them yawned continuously and were a little confused when they heard it.
However, after their father passed away, the elder brother had always been in charge of the family. They did not hold any official position, and when their elder brother asked them to go south, even if they were reluctant, it was difficult for them to refuse.
It’s just—ah, I really don’t want to go.
"Fourth and fifth brothers, please stay with me to guard the ancestral tomb. From now on..." At this point, Bian Tao's voice was a little low: "We are two families now. I'm afraid we will hardly meet again in this life."
After hearing this, the second and third Bian brothers lost all sleepiness and felt a little sad.
They are brothers and the next generation should be brothers, but after all, they are separated by a long distance from north to south.
Sometimes, once you leave, it's a lifetime thing.
After several generations, can the Bian family, who have not been in contact for years, still be considered a family?
"The situation is like this. The emperor has forced us to separate from our flesh and blood, and there is nothing we can do. Life in the north is not easy, at least it will not be easy for the next two or three generations. Go, go far away. Didn't father hope that the Bian family would prosper and expand?" Bian Tao sighed, "You take your own servants and each lead a hundred troops and farmhands. I will give you some money and food. After you find a boat, go south. There will be people to pick you up there, maybe." The second and third brothers looked confused and reluctant.
How could such a good family break up?
******
As it grew darker, Wang Yan stayed in the government office in the Guanfeng Hall and called Wang Xuan and his nephew Wang Hui.
"Yang Changhe (Yang Chen) has passed away, and Du Yin has been transferred to be the governor of Xuzhou. The governor of Yan should be Li Zhong, Meizi, you should be the governor, the emperor has already agreed." Wang Yan said.
"Yes." Wang Xuan responded, slightly disappointed.
He was previously the governor of Jizhou, but he resigned due to mourning for his father and mother's death, so he only had to mourn for one year. Therefore, he was able to return to officialdom, but he was indeed a little disappointed. He was only the governor over and over again, and it was difficult for him to make any further progress.
"At your age, this is how your life will be. Just be a good governor." Wang Yan seemed to know what his son was thinking and sighed, "You will not have the chance to enter the central government, and there is no good position for you."
After saying this, regardless of his son's disappointed look, he looked at Wang Hui and said, "Youren, I wanted to send you to Jiangnan, but Pingzi is seriously ill. What can I do? Go home and accompany him for the last time. There will be opportunities in the future."
"Yes." Wang Hui replied.
His father Wang Cheng was dying. People in his hometown said privately that he was drinking all day long at his old age. He didn't know how to comment on this.
Now, once he passed away, he would have to observe mourning for three years. The position of Chief Clerk of the Dali Temple that he had worked so hard to get was also gone, and I didn’t know who would get the good job.
“After returning to the old house in Langya, if any Jiangdong clansmen come to ask for help, do not easily agree. Let them come to Bianliang to find me.” Wang Yan warned: “Maohong—what a pity.”
Wang Yan couldn't remember how long they hadn't seen each other, maybe more than 20 years? He was old and his memory was not good, and Wang's face was a little blurry.
When the world was in chaos, his strategy was truly brilliant.
Wang Dun was appointed as the governor of Qingzhou, and the influence of the Wang family of Langya was used to control this place with "dangerous terrain facing the sea";
Wang Cheng was appointed as the governor of Jingzhou to control this important thoroughfare connecting the north and the south;
He then fought for the position of governor of Xuzhou for Wang Dao, but it was snatched away by Pei Dun. However, he eventually got Xuzhou in another way (assisting Sima Rui), and after Sima Rui crossed the river to the south, he made great progress and became extremely powerful.
He himself stayed in Luoyang, a dangerous place, and squeezed out the last bit of value from the court.
This strategic plan cannot be considered wrong, and there is even the possibility of taking over the world by taking advantage of the chaos.
However, Wang Dun was scared away by bandits on his way to take office, Wang Cheng was a misbehaving person in Jingzhou, causing public outrage, and after Wang Dao went to the south of the Yangtze River, he was positioned as a minister who assisted the emperor.
In the end, it was Wang Yan who had the best luck. I don’t know how to explain this.
"My nephew Jingyu will probably end up like the Lu family, moving to the border areas." Wang Yan said, "Finally the emperor has shown mercy, and Maohong can leave a son in Jianye to take care of his mother."
"Uncle Maohong, he--" Wang Xuan asked.
"It has come to this point. Maohong has no choice but to die. Otherwise, it will be disgraceful for everyone." Wang Yan sighed, "The end of Maohong's branch is already a favor to the emperor."
Wang Xuan was silent.
With my father's ability, I can only do this much. After all, Uncle Maohong is the prime minister of the Sima family, not some nobody, and the Wang family's children are still resisting and trying to save the building that is about to collapse. What else can I say?
"Is Shisi really going south?" Wang Yan asked again.
"Yes." Wang Xuan nodded and said, "He said that following the routine is meaningless, it is better to make a great contribution. Father, if you work harder, he will be able to soar into the sky."
"Shisi" is the son of Wang Xuan, the former Sima of the Left Cavalry Guard and the younger brother of Wang Xian, the current Chang'an Duzhi Colonel, whose name is Wang Liang.
"Well, let's do as he wishes." Wang Yan said, "It's always good to have more persuasion from the Wang family members. Don't think too much at the moment. The floating wealth is not important. Just hand over the land and troops. As long as the people are still there, there is still hope."
"Grandpa, do you want to persuade the Wang family's children to return to the north?" Wang Xuan asked.
"The emperor has ordered that all scholars who have migrated southward should be registered in Jiangnan, and all overseas prefectures, counties, and towns should be abolished. He clearly doesn't want these people to return to the north, so forget it." Wang Yan waved his hand and said, "In fact, it's better for them to stay in Jiangnan. I will find a way to preserve some of them. In the future, when the northern gentry migrate south in large numbers, I can still sell some favors."
"Son, do you want to send people south to occupy the manor? I heard that Jiangzhou is a good place--" Wang Xuan said.
"Don't think too much about Jiangzhou. There are many counties and official fields there. After Sima destroyed the country, the official titles he was granted were no longer valid. Those counties and fields will definitely be taken away by the court. If you rashly enclose the land, you will suffer losses." Wang Yan said, "Let's focus on Danyang and Kuaiji."
"Yes." Wang Xuan replied.
"The northern clans are excited and the situation in Jiangdong is already determined." Wang Yan stood up and sighed, "I don't know how many well-dressed gentlemen are imprisoned, and how many beautiful ladies have fallen into the dust. At this moment, those who have made contributions can be spared, those who have connections can only protect themselves, and those who have no contributions and no connections will inevitably be torn apart by wolves, and even the emperor cannot stop it."
Wang Xuan felt compassionate.
(End of this chapter)