Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 711 I Want to Worship Yang Yuan as My Adoptive Father
In Lin'an, the king and the prime minister had different opinions on who should be in charge of Li Zhong, and another dispute was inevitable.

The imperial court was actually in a very difficult situation.

In view of the special situation in Sichuan and Xia, only veterans like Zhang Jun or Yang Cunzhong could keep the situation under control.

However, Zhang Jun is now responsible for promoting the military reform of the entire Song Dynasty.

The reorganization of the Lianghuai border troops and the central imperial guards will also be presided over by Yang Cunzhong.

Temporarily transferring them will affect major events.

Other military leaders, such as Li Xianzhong and Shao Hongyuan, are not qualified enough to suppress the Western Army.

Moreover, the civil and military officials in Lizhong had already taken the initiative to write letters to recommend Yang Yuan.

Rather than saying that they were making recommendations, it would be more accurate to say that the civil and military officials who were interested in the matter, after weighing the pros and cons, selected an agent of common interests that was acceptable to all parties.

If we replace someone else at this time and fail to convince them, there will probably be another big chaos.

Even Zhang Jun or Yang Cunzhong.

Isn’t the mutiny that Yang Zheng encountered a lesson for us?

Therefore, Shen Gai and Wei Liangchen were reluctant to let Yang Yuan take on the role of the commander of the central route of Lizhou.

However, they really didn't have any suitable candidates to propose.

……

While the people in Lin'an City were still undecided about the choice of the leader of Li Zhong, Yang Yuan had been waiting in Nanzheng.

Yang Yuan was the imperial envoy who was ordered to go to Lizhong to investigate the Qiu Pi'er case, but he was transferred from Tongchuan Prefecture by the emperor.

As an imperial commissioner, he was also the governor and pacification commissioner of Tongchuan Prefecture.

Therefore, there was naturally no reason for him to escort Madam Xu and other prisoners all the way back to Lin'an.

So he stayed in Nanzheng City temporarily. On the one hand, it was because of the death of General Yang. As a newly recognized brother, he had no reason not to attend the funeral and aftermath of his brother.

On the other hand, it was also because he could avoid the hassle of taking care of the funeral while waiting for news from the court.

But he didn't know that Shi Han and others submitted a joint letter of recommendation, which gave a different interpretation to his stay in Nanzheng.

This is... a disguised form of wearing a yellow robe.

Yang Zheng's death was sudden, and the mutiny delayed the process for two days, so there was no time to notify all parties.

Therefore, apart from the local officials and gentry in Lizhou, only the neighboring Wu family of Lizhou West Road and the Wen family and Guo family of Lizhou East Road hurriedly sent people to attend the funeral of General Yang.

The person sent by the Wu family was Wu Lin’s son, Wu Ting, the co-commander of the Lizhou West Front Army.

Wu Ting was just over twenty years old, but he was already a young general with great vigor and vitality.

However, the Wu family obviously had some vague guesses as to why Yang Zheng died.

Now that Yang Zheng is dead, there are endless possibilities for the Yang family army to merge with the Wu family army.

In addition, the civil and military officials in Li Zhong were quite wary of the Wu family, and Yang Yuan, Yang Zheng's cousin, had an unclear stance.

Therefore, Wu Ting simply attended the funeral in a proper manner and did not have much dealings with either party.

As soon as Yang Zheng was buried, he returned to Lisi overnight.

On the Lidong side, Wen Xuanchen of the Wen family sent his son, Young Marshal Wen Shishuang.

The current head of the Guo family, Kaizhou General Manager Guo Di, came in person to pay his respects.

At the beginning, Guo Yuxiu participated in the imperial examination as a woman, but in fact it was to expand her influence and then file a complaint with the emperor. The person she wanted to sue was this Guo Er.

For this purpose, Yang Yuan even contacted him specially.

But after some contact, Yang Yuan felt that this person was cautious in his speech and humble in his behavior, and did not seem like a domineering and vicious person.

However, don't judge a book by its cover, appearances are the most unreliable thing.

Anyway, he has asked Ji Xiang to take Hanane and Kona to Lidong to make arrangements. What is the true identity of this person? After a thorough investigation, the answer will be revealed.

In order to avoid alerting the enemy, Yang Yuan did not have too much contact with him.

General Yang's funeral was held five days after the body was laid to rest, plus the two days delayed by Pan Hongyue's mutiny, a total of seven days.

When General Yang was buried, the imperial court had not yet received the posthumous title for Yang Zheng because of the long journey.

For this reason, the monument to General Yang was not erected for the time being.

Once such ministers passed away, the court would posthumously confer them with honorary titles. This had to wait for the court's decree to arrive and have the words engraved on the stele before the monument could be erected.

The entire funeral process was arranged by Yang Yuan.

Yang Fu was a useless person, and he suffered from severe diabetes and could not stand being tired.

In addition, most of the military and political leaders in Lizhong were brothers with his father and were his elders, so he could not deal with them.

Yang Yuan is not like that.

Imperial Commissioner, Right Counselor, Governor of Tongchuan Road, Founding Duke of a County...

Looking at the entire Sichuan and Xia regions, only Wu Lin, Yang Zheng and Wen Xuanchen can be on par with him in this series of titles.

This status is enough to crush all the civil and military officials in Lizhong.

Moreover, in terms of seniority, he is Yang Zheng's cousin, so these people cannot show off their seniority to him.

Therefore, naturally, those who are more capable should do more work, and Yang Fu entrusted many things to his uncle.

This went on for seven days. Yang Zheng was buried, and Yang Yuan seemed to have been skinned dry and was exhausted.

So Yang Yuan ordered that the mansion be closed for three days and no outside visitors be allowed.

Anyway, Yang Fu and his son had to observe mourning for Yang Zheng, and they could not see outsiders during this period.

Yang Yuan was an imperial envoy sent here by imperial decree. Now that he had done what he was supposed to do, there was nothing left for him to do in Lizhong, so it was a good time for him to take a break.

……

On this day, a group of people walked into Nanzheng City.

Nanzheng City had returned to normal at this time, and people were naturally allowed to enter and leave.

There was a light carriage pulled by a short-legged horse, and behind it were six large long-distance trucks, guarded by dozens of followers in green robes.

The city guard checked the "passport" and found that the merchant was from Tibet doing business, so he waved his hand and let him pass.

The team entered the city and first looked for an inn to stay in.

Fortunately, the incident in Nanzheng had just happened not long ago, and many merchants were frightened and ran away, leaving many inns empty.

So they simply booked an inn.

After settling down, the owner of the caravan took four followers and the light carriage to the Taiwei Mansion.

When they arrived at the Taiwei Mansion, they found the gate was closed and the place was deserted with no one coming and going. The knight on horseback couldn't help but show a look of surprise.

This man was wearing a dark blue robe, he was tall, with broad shoulders and a thick back, and he had a handsome appearance. Although he was very energetic, he also had a calm and solid temperament.

He raised his eyes to look at the door lintel of the Taiwei Mansion, and after making sure it was correct, he turned his leg and jumped off the horse nimbly.

He grabbed the animal ring on the door and knocked lightly a few times, and the small door on the main door opened a crack.

Menzi just stuck his head out with an impatient look on his face when a hand with well-defined joints and long fingers was handed to him, and in the palm was a gold bar.

Menzi glared and used his shadowless hand. In a flash, his palm was empty.

When the doorman looked up again, he was already smiling: "Who is this gentleman?"

"Yang Liangao from Dali, requesting to see Taiwei Yang."

"Hey, the young master wants to see our old master?"

Menzi looked back and hurried out through the small door. Yang Liangao then saw clearly that he had a white belt wrapped around his waist and was stunned.

The doorman accepted a gold bar and was extremely enthusiastic. He then told him in a low voice what had happened in the Taiwei's mansion.

Yang Liangao was shocked: "How could such a thing happen?"

The doorman said, "That's right. Our master and the two young masters are still in mourning for the old master. Now it is our uncle, the old master, who is in charge."

Yang Liangao was stunned again: "Uncle Grandpa? Commander Yang...does he have brothers?"

Menzi said: "Yes, when the Jin soldiers marched south, our old master's family was trapped in the north, and some of his descendants were scattered and unable to escape. Not long ago, our old master recognized this brother."

Yang Liangao said happily: "Then, can you let me pay a visit to my uncle?"

The doorman said in embarrassment: "My uncle is really tired from handling the funeral for my grandfather. After returning from the funeral, my uncle said he would stay at home for three days, and now is the third day.

Sir, if it is not an urgent matter, you can come back tomorrow. I really don't dare to disturb my uncle. " "Oh? I see. "

Yang Liangao's eyes flickered, and he said, "Then I will come to visit Uncle Old Master again tomorrow. I wonder who is in charge of Lizhong now, and what is the status of this Uncle Old Master now?"

At this time, Yang Zheng had passed away, and the official documents that had to be signed by him were piled up. The rest of the matters were temporarily taken care of by Shi Han.

But, this family belongs to the Yang family.

The Yang family is so powerful that he receives so many red envelopes. How could he destroy the Yang family's prestige?

The doorman then puffed out his chest and said proudly, "Of course it's my uncle. Sir, don't think that our old man has passed away. Our uncle is also a very remarkable person.

He is the Duke of the Founding of the Song Dynasty, the Right Counselor, and the Governor of Tongchuan Road. He has come to Lizhong on official business under the imperial order."

Menzi is also good at speaking, and nothing he says is wrong.

But, what business does Lai Lizhong have?
He didn't say.

But when combined with the previous words, it gives people the feeling that Li Zhong is in charge.

Yang Liangao was surprised and asked, "So the new Tongchuan Governor Yang Yuan is your great uncle?"

Menzi puffed out his chest and said proudly, "That's right!"

Yang Liangao nodded and smiled, "I don't need to worry about it. Thank you for letting me know. Then, I will visit you again tomorrow."

Yang Liangao nodded to the doorman, turned around and walked down the stairs.

Menzi pressed the gold bar in his arms, smiled and went back to the small door and closed it.

Yang Liangao walked to the front of the horse, looked back at the lintel of the Taiwei Mansion, then jumped up and landed steadily on the horse's back.

Dali is a place where the local clans are even more fragmented than those in Goryeo.

There was no chieftain system in that era, but in fact chieftains of all sizes had already appeared.

Like Goryeo, they exist in various places in Dali in the form of aristocratic families and clan groups.

The Song Dynasty called them the Thirty-Seven Barbarian Tribes of Dali.

In fact, the thirty-seven barbarian tribes are only the most powerful and famous ones. In fact, there are even more local officials of all sizes.

However, these Dali nobles certainly have different levels of strength. Currently, the three most powerful families in Dali are Duan, Gao and Yang.

Yang Liangao is the eldest son of the Yang family in Dali.

It is precisely because Dali is an imperial state similar to an alliance composed of so many large and small forces, and in fact the emperor's power is far less than that of the Central Plains dynasty, that the internal political struggle is far less brutal than that of the Central Plains.

The loser will just step down, just like losing the competition for alliance leader. It won’t be too bloody.

For example, several decades ago, Gao Shengtai, a powerful official in Dali, deposed Emperor Baoding Duan Zhengming and became the emperor of Dali himself.

And what about Duan Zhengming?
He became a monk.

He expanded a temple and became a monk with hundreds of his trusted civil and military officials, more than 500 guards, and more than 30 concubines.

More than 30 concubines each had their own nunnery. Although this temple is called a temple, it still looks like a palace.

Because the Buddhism that was popular in Dali at that time was the Tantric Azhali school, they did not change their secular surnames after becoming monks, did not use the word "Shi" as their surname, and still kept their families.

Duan Zhengming, who had been deprived of the throne, not only still lived a life of luxury and was surrounded by concubines, but he could also travel abroad when he was bored.

Duan Zhengming often traveled to the Central Plains with his concubines and family. Every time he went on a trip, he used at least twenty horses to transport gold and silver for his spending.

Dali is rich in gold and silver mines, and the powerful and wealthy like to beat gold into sheets or bars for trading.

This is also the reason why Yang Liangao directly gave a gold bar to the gatekeeper of the Yang Mansion just now.

A deposed emperor whose kingdom was taken away from him, no longer in danger of losing his life, still receiving the same treatment, no one to guard him, and even able to carry a large amount of gold and silver abroad...

Isn’t this so-called imperial regime equivalent to the nomadic tribal alliance in the north?
Moreover, Gao Shengtai's life as an emperor lasted for two years, but his time was up.

Before his death, he felt that he had let down the Duan family, so he ordered his son to return power to the Duan family.

Duan Zhengming had already become a monk, so Gao brought Duan Zhengming's younger brother Duan Zhengchun to the throne and made him emperor again.

What about Gao who plotted to usurp the throne?

The Gao family continued to be the second largest clan in Dali and held the power of prime minister.

Now, Duan Zhengchun has passed away. His son Duan Zhengyan (also known as Duan Heyu) has been in power for 39 years. However, due to internal strife and external rebellion among his sons, he has become a monk in order to seek a quiet life.

The current ruler is Duan Heyu's son Duan Zhengxing, and the prime minister is Gao Liangcheng from the Gao family.

Yang Liangao came from the Dali Yang family, which was comparable to the Duan and Gao families.

The Duan clan of Dali controlled the imperial throne, the Gao clan of Dali controlled the power of prime minister, and the Yang clan of Dali controlled the religious power.

In Dali, a Buddhist country, the Yang family was even able to win the obedience and support of some people from the Duan and Gao families.

Yang Liangao is the legitimate son of the Yang family of Dali and the nephew of the Gao family of Dali. Therefore, the ambitious Yang Liangao also wants to emulate Gao Shengtai and experience the life of an emperor.

To this end, he colluded internally and externally and sought support from various forces at home and abroad.

In Dali, he consolidated the Yang family's base and worked hard to win over other clans.

Outside Dali, he repeatedly went to Bozhou to visit Yang Xuan, the hereditary pacification envoy of Bozhou, and worshipped him as his adoptive father.

As for the Tubo, they had frequent contacts with large tribes such as Conar, Medog, and Powo, and established close ties through trade and commerce.

Previously, when he was active in Tubo, he accidentally learned that the Song Dynasty merchant Wu Yuan from Pengzhou frequently contacted various Tubo tribes and wanted to purchase a large number of northwestern horses.

Yang Liangao, who was determined to serve the country, immediately discovered the mystery.

The Western Xia had just attacked Xichuan through the Tibetan route, and heard that the Song had won a great victory over the Jin in Lianghuai.

Now the Song State has suddenly increased its purchase of war horses. Does this mean it is planning to use military force against Western Xia?

Horses also have a lifespan. If war was not imminent, there would be no reason for the Song State to suddenly increase its purchase of war horses for normal defense and preparation.

If the Song Dynasty declared war on Western Xia, that would be the best time for him to plot for the throne of Dali.

Because Dali became a vassal state of the Song Dynasty since the time of Duan Heyu.

Yang Liangao has been planning for the throne for a long time. What he is most worried about now is that the suzerain state, the Song Dynasty, will suddenly intervene.

But if the Song Dynasty was busy fighting with Western Xia, then it naturally had no time to take care of Dali.

In this case, he could even seek help from his adoptive father Yang Xuan of Bozhou, and from tribes such as Cuona, Medog, and Powo that were friendly with Tubo, and seize the throne in one fell swoop.

When the matter was done, the Song Dynasty had no choice but to enthrone him as the King of Dali.

For this reason, Yang Liangao, who had originally been confined to the Dali Kingdom and its surrounding areas, did not return to China.

He went directly north from Tibet and took a detour to Lizhou in order to visit and make friends with the generals of the Western Army and obtain first-hand intelligence.

Yang Liangao just wanted to establish a certain connection with the three generals of Lizhou so that he could grasp the military strategy of the Song Dynasty against Western Xia in time and facilitate his coup in Dali.

Unexpectedly, when he came to Nanzheng, he learned that the ownership of Tongchuan Prefecture had changed, and the General Manager of Tongchuan Prefecture could at least be half of the master of Lizhou Central Road.

Tongchuan Prefecture Road is directly adjacent to the Dali Kingdom, and his adoptive father Yang Xuan's Bozhou was also transferred from Kuizhou Road to Tongchuan Road a year ago.

If I could take Yang Yuan as my adoptive father...

Dali poplars, Bozhou poplars, Tongchuan poplars, and Lizhong poplars run from south to north in a straight line...

God help me too!

Yang Liangao, who had traveled from Dali to Tibet, then bypassed the Hengduan Mountains from Tibet and came to the Song Dynasty from the northernmost of the four routes of Sichuan and Xia, never thought that Yang Yuan was of the same age as him.

He knew how difficult it was to get promoted in the Song Dynasty. Do you think everyone can be like the people of the Wu family, who became the commander of a military force at the age of just 20?
Besides, isn’t he the cousin of General Yang Zheng and the great uncle of the Li Zhong Yang family? He must be quite old.

"Cousin, Commander Yang won't see you?"

Suddenly, a clear and pleasant voice was heard in the car.

Yang Liangao put away his reverie and said with a smile: "Captain Yang has passed away."

A soft cry came from the car.

Yang Liangao said: "The current head of the Yang Mansion is Yang Taiwei's cousin, Yang Yuan, the governor of Tongchuan.

The Yang family has just finished handling the funeral, let's visit again tomorrow."

"Oh, then, shall we go back to the inn now?"

"No hurry. When I came here just now, I saw a Zen temple on the road. It's called Jialanyuan. It's quite spectacular. I'll take you to visit it."

"Okay!"

There were sounds of joy and excitement coming from the carriage, and the group turned their horses around and headed towards the Galanyuan.

(End of this chapter)