Chapter 4157 Yanziji (Part 1)
According to Xiao Xun's own judgment, the Navy did not dare to use force against the private army assembled by the Jiangnan clan based solely on Su Dingfang's status and power before receiving strict orders from Fang Jun to attack, because once a conflict occurred, the consequences would be extremely serious. It is possible that the Jiangnan clan and the navy are at war, causing the entire Jiangnan to fall into turmoil and the situation is corrupt.
As an important area for imperial tax collection, who dares to let Jiangnan fall into chaos?
As for Fang Xuanling, who was staying temporarily in Huating Town... Xiao Xun didn't think that he would bypass Fang Jun and directly issue orders to the navy to attack the private armies in the south of the Yangtze River.
Fang Xuanling was a kind-hearted and steady man, known as a gentleman. However, comments from both the government and the public agreed that his talent may be the best in the government, but he lacked the courage to kill and make decisive decisions. He worked conscientiously and cautiously throughout his life, and never made any risky decisions. How can we make a decision to launch a brazen attack in the current situation that may cause the entire Jiangnan to break away from the Tang Dynasty?
I can't and I don't dare.
As long as a head-on conflict with the navy is avoided and the navy is afraid to take the initiative to attack, it can only sit back and watch the Jiangnan private army cross the Yangtze River and go north along the canal. Even if Fang Jun's order reaches Huating Town, the navy will not be able to pursue it. and.
……
Yuan Chao thought about it carefully, agreed with Xiao Xun's point of view, and couldn't help but sigh: "Ordinarily, how did your family and Fang Jun get to this point? At the beginning, you would rather marry the legitimate daughter of Emperor Xiaojing to Fang Jun as your concubine. He had already lowered himself to the lintel and tried hard to win over her, but who would have expected that Fang Jun would turn his back on her and become ruthless? ”
When the Xiao family of Lanling married their legitimate daughter to Fang Jun, it caused a stir in Jiangnan. In addition to many young admirers beating their chests and feet, many family heads slandered the Xiao family for lowering their status to please Fang Jun.
But then Fang Jun founded the navy to deter Jiangnan, cross the oceans, and opened several routes to the East and Southeast Asia countries to promote trade. As a result, the Xiao family received the greatest support from the navy, and wealth poured into the family's treasury like sea water. Sighing with regret, I wished I had given away my legitimate daughter...
But now, going round and round, the Xiao family is openly breaking with Fang Jun because of family interests.
The changes in the world are amazing.
This girl is married in vain...
Xiao Xun smiled bitterly and said: "It was Shi Wen who advocated strongly at the beginning, and we also tried to persuade him, but as the patriarch, he has the power to reject all opinions, so we can only obey. But having said that, in recent years, Fang Jun's attitude towards the Xiao family There is a lot of care from them. At least the fleet is well protected when it goes to sea. No pirates have ever robbed the Xiao family fleet in the past few years. ”
Naturally, it is impossible for her daughter to marry in vain. Fang Jun loves Xiao Shuer very much, but he is too principled and will not open up to the Xiao family just because of his in-laws. But if it is a matter of life and death, he will not sit idly by and ignore it. .
In other words, although the Xiao family did not receive ordinary benefits from marrying off their legitimate daughter, they did receive a minimum guarantee.
When the Xiao family really faces a life and death crisis, the real value of this marriage will be revealed.
After all, no matter who the throne belongs to in the future or how the situation in the court develops, Jiangnan is a land of wealth and wealth that the empire will never abandon. If it really becomes a mess, the court will definitely need someone to take on the important task of smoothing Jiangnan.
This person can be anyone, and naturally it can also be the Xiao family.
At that time, Fang Jun has no reason to abandon the Xiao family and choose someone else...
Of course, this kind of statement cannot be explained to the Yuan Dynasty, otherwise wouldn't it make people doubt the Xiao family's motive of calling on all the families in the south of the Yangtze River to form private armies and go north? After all, the current Jiangnan is the Jiangnan of the Jiangnan clan. But once the Northern Expedition returns in vain and suffers a huge defeat, and even the King of Jin is completely defeated, the Jiangnan gentry will be violently liquidated by the prince. At that time, Fang Jun will protect The Xiao family and the entire Jiangnan will become the Xiao family's Jiangnan.
The crown prince's throne is as secure as a mountain, Fang Jun's status is rising, and the Xiao family's interests are further improved... It's perfect.
After thinking about this, Xiao Xun even had the idea of hoping for a big defeat in the Northern Expedition...
Yuan Chao also shook his head and sighed. In recent years, Fang Jun suddenly seemed to have an enlightenment, and he was soaring through the ranks. Although his father Fang Xuanling was responsible for this, his own abilities and knowledge have been recognized by more and more people. I agree, but it's a pity that this person is headstrong and his ideas are too correct. Outsiders can't influence his ideas at all, otherwise the entire Jiangnan clan will have to bear the favor.
Although the Jiangnan clan has benefited a lot from sea trade, everyone believes that sea trade can continue as usual even without Fang Jun, and if it is kicked off and everyone controls the navy, the benefits will be the current Several times...
Therefore, the Jiangnan clans responded in large numbers by gathering private soldiers to go north to Guanzhong, defeat the crown prince, help protect the Jin king, and gain the political status they deserved.
This world can be the Sui Dynasty or the Tang Dynasty, the emperor can be Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, or His Majesty Li Er, it doesn't matter even if it is Li Chengqian or Li Zhi, but Jiangnan can only be Jiangnan of the Jiangnan clan.
How can we allow emperors like Fang Jun to run rampant in Jiangnan and extract the blood of Jiangnan to support the imperial court?
……
From the Qinhuai River to the Yangtze River, and just down the river, not far away you will find the Shogunate Mountain across the south of the Yangtze River. The green mountains are rugged and the mist is vast. If you can climb a mountain and look down, you will see the Yangtze River rolling eastward at your feet, with magnificent waves. As we continued on, the river gradually opened up, and the rushing water slowed down. The sediment carried by the river was silted up, and a large tidal flat was slowly deposited in the center of the river, with reeds growing on it and birds inhabiting it.
The boat sailed along the river and passed Mufu Mountain. The mountain was almost majestic, but there were strange peaks protruding. There was a stone flying on the river, hanging on three sides, like a flying swallow, which is Yanziji, one of the most beautiful scenery in Jinling.
Yanziji protrudes above the river, blocking the turbulent water flow upstream, making a tidal flat on the east side flat and gentle. It has been an important ferry crossing between the two sides of the Yangtze River since ancient times. At the beginning of the founding of the Tang Dynasty, a military camp was set up here. However, Later, the navy was not taken seriously and gradually fell into disuse. After the Royal Navy was established, this area became the core area of the Jiangnan clan. In order to avoid conflicts, no military camp was set up again.
At this moment, boats are connected with each other on the river downstream of Yanziji, stretching as far as the eye can see. On the tidal flats, private soldiers with ragged clothes and dirty faces gather here. Half of them are young and strong, and half are old and young. The piles of food and supplies are as heavy as hills. , uncountable.
Although none of the family heads in the south of the Yangtze River came here, they also sent outstanding members of the clan to assign tasks under the leadership of Xiao Guan. They divided the private soldiers into areas according to each family, determined the order of boarding, and made overall arrangements to ensure The large-scale river crossing of tens of thousands of people will not trample on each other due to chaos.
Xiao Xun and Yuan Chao were sitting in a spacious four-wheeled carriage. The carriage was covered with thick carpets, and there was a table, a pot of fine wine, and a few dishes of side dishes. The breeze was blowing through the open windows, and they were sitting opposite each other while drinking. He was looking at the noisy crowd outside.
Xiao Xun took a sip of wine, and a hint of nostalgia appeared on his old face: "Once upon a time, there were boats and clouds and soldiers and armor like rain. My Xiao family was in the south of the Yangtze River with gold and iron horses. Suddenly, for decades, Yes, it’s really a sea of change.”
The Xiao family of Lanling once established the Southern Liang and dominated the south of the Yangtze River for decades. Although it fell later, the descendants of the clan remained determined to establish the Western Liang again and extended the country to Zuo. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, when all the heroes were vying for the throne, Xiao Xian, a descendant of the Xiao family, once again founded the country in Jiangling. He had hundreds of thousands of soldiers, stretching from the Three Gorges in the west, to Jiaozhi in the south, from the Han River in the north, to Yuzhang in the east, sweeping across the south of the world with great force, and even once There was a desire to unify the world.
It's a pity that when Li Jing and Li Xiaogong commanded the Tang Dynasty Navy to sail down the river and defeat Xiao Mian, Lanling Xiao's dream of founding a country was finally shattered...
The river was surging, and people were shouting. In his eyes, the scene of the Tang navy landing at Yanziji still seemed to remain in his eyes. In that battle, Zhou Faming surrendered, Lei Changying surrendered, Gai Yan surrendered, and Wen Shihong was defeated. Almost overnight, Ping Fan was completely destroyed, and the armies of Li Jing and Li Xiaogong arrived at Jiangling and formed a formation to besiege Jiangling.
At that time, Qiu He, the general manager of Jiaozhou, Gao Shilian, and Sima Du Zhisong, who had high hopes from Xiao Mian, rushed to Li Xiaogong's tent and surrendered in a servile manner.
Knowing that there would be no more reinforcements, Xiao Mian could only defend Jiangling. He led the imperial guards in a bloody battle and once drove back Li Xiaogong. Then he said to his left and right officials, "If we are defeated with all our strength, the people in the city will suffer. Now, while the city is still under attack, If you go out and surrender first, you can avoid the harm caused by the chaos." So he left the city and surrendered. Later, he was escorted to Chang'an. Emperor Gaozu reprimanded him for his crime. Xiao Mian said, "The Sui Dynasty lost its deer and heroes competed with each other. Xiao Mian had no destiny to protect him, so he was captured by your majesty. Just as Tian Hengnan proclaimed himself king, how could he not be sorry to the Han Dynasty?" Gaozu Gaozu said. The emperor was angry and killed him in the street.
This river is mighty and mighty, and the human world has experienced vicissitudes of life. I don’t know how many heroes were swept away by the waves, and a few white foam appeared, and finally rushed into the sea without a trace.
Xiao Xun exhaled. As people get older, they always remember the past inadvertently. The good and the bad, the happy and the sad, come to mind from time to time. Even though many years have passed, things are deeply impressive and make people sigh.
A fast horse came galloping from a distance, and was blocked by private soldiers on the way. The knight on the horse waved his whip and whipped it across the head and face, causing the soldiers to scream in agony. They hurriedly dodged to both sides, leaving a passage to allow the horse to gallop like a gust of wind. Pass.
The fast horse came to Xiao Guan, who was directing the soldiers to board the boats to cross the river. He dismounted and ran up to him, whispering a few words in a low voice.
Xiao Guan was so shocked that he ignored the chaotic crowd and hurriedly came to Xiao Xun's car and got into the carriage. He looked panicked and said, "Grandpa, something bad has happened. News came from downstream that Liu Rengui has led dozens of ships against the current." As for us, we have just passed the Xijin Ferry and are heading towards Jinling quickly.”
Boats traveling on the river, and going against the current, are not as fast as fast horses. As soon as dozens of ships from Huating Town sailed out of the Wusong River, the Xiao family's informants rushed to Jinling. (End of chapter)