Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Duan Qifeng and Wu Tuo have been preparing for this battle since last year, with well-stocked grain and armaments; both sides have put forth their utmost efforts.

They were once in cahoots, but now they seem to have become mortal enemies, determined to settle the outcome of this battle.

Early April.

Two reports of urgent affairs, each carrying news over eight hundred miles, arrived at the Capital City almost simultaneously.

Imperial City.

Five Cabinet ministers were gathered in the Imperial Study Room.

At present, the Da Rong Cabinet is led by Grand Secretary Zhang Shaochun, followed by Vice Grand Secretary Lu Ming, with Guan Wenshuo, Jiang Wei, and Wu Liangzai serving as supporting ministers.

Zhang Shaochun was already a member of the Cabinet during Emperor Chengping's reign, but his tenure was relatively brief, nearly invisible in the Cabinet over those years. Yet now, he has ironically become the most senior Cabinet minister and is thus the newly appointed Grand Secretary, by virtue of seniority.

Lu Ming was originally the Assistant Minister of War, but before Emperor Yanping ascended to the throne, he had already pledged his allegiance to Yanping and can be considered a key supporter of the Emperor. Lu Ming previously held positions such as the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Industry, Minister of Revenue, and has now been promoted to Vice Grand Secretary.

Guan Wenshuo was the Right Imperial Censor of the Imperial Examination Hall. When Liu Yuanfu was still an official in the court, he was Liu's colleague. Though not old by any means—still under sixty—Guan is considered relatively young among the Cabinet ministers.

Jiang Wei was previously the Minister of Industry, and Wu Liangzai was the Minister of Rites.

The simultaneous requests for resignation by Song Yuange and Zhou Yunsong seemed to have quelled the court's factional disputes, but in fact, their departures have made the court's political situation even more complex.

The Long Party still exists; they simply changed their leader. Lu Ming hails from the prominent Lu family of Longyuan, the largest official family there, and by birthright, he holds more claim to lead the Long Party than Zhou Yunsong did.

The Jiangnan Party also persists, represented by Zhang Shaochun from the Jiangnan officials.

Thus, Emperor Yanping continues to employ a strategy of balance, simply replacing the individuals involved.

Of course, the resignations of Song Yuange and Zhou Yunsong still affected the influence of the Long and Jiangnan Parties. Without their prestige, Lu Ming and Zhang Shaochun have much less control over officials from both parties.

Guan Wenshuo represents the interests of many Imperial Censors. Having overseen the Imperial Examination Hall for nearly a decade, his authority is well-established there.

Jiang Wei actually represents the previously neutral officials, many of whom from the Six Ministries have begun to gravitate towards him.

However, in terms of renown, Wu Liangzai has the greatest among the five ministers. At sixty-six years old and with forty-two years in service, he is deeply learned in Confucian studies, a revered scholar of the time, and commands immense respect among the literati.

He has spent many years as an Academic Officer and also served as the sacrificial official at the Imperial College, nurturing numerous students and maintaining extensive old connections.

While he may not form his own faction in the court, many local officials are his former students.

Each of the five Cabinet ministers has their own interest group backing them. Should any one of them wish to provoke disputes within the court, it would inevitably draw in the other four.

The court has entered a brief period of calm due to the resignation of Song Yuange and Zhou Yunsong, but it's foreseeable that future court battles will be fiercer.

In the Imperial Study Room, Emperor Yanping looked solemnly at the two urgent reports.

One came from Chongshan Town, reporting that Pang Tang was assassinated and Zhou Lan was severely injured and unconscious, requesting the court to immediately dispatch a minister to take charge of the situation in Chongshan Town.

The other came from Beiyuan Town, with the Wuliang Hu Clan launching a large-scale attack. The officials and generals in Beiyuan Town were fighting valiantly and requesting military support and supplies from the court.

"What are your thoughts?" Emperor Yanping looked up at the five elder ministers.

Zhang Shaochun was the first to speak: "These two reports actually point to one fact—that the Wuliang Hu Clan is invading Beiyuan Town! Their assassination of Mr. Pang and General Zhou aims to delay the troops from Chongshan Town!"

"The most urgent matter is to mobilize troops to aid Beiyuan Town, and secondly, to allocate funds and grain there!"

Lu Ming continued, "Funds can be directly levied from Longyuan, Longxi, and Longnan prefectures. As for mobilizing military support, we can request Longbei Town and Chongshan Town to send reinforcements to assist Beiyuan Town!"

Wu Liangzai shook his head slightly, "Last year, the Ru River in Longyuan flooded, submerging lands from seven counties. It would be difficult to extract funds to support Beiyuan Town. Longnan is mountainous with impoverished people, and local county governments do not have surplus funds to support Beiyuan Town either."

"To gather funds for Beiyuan Town, we can only draw from the Capital City and Shanhe Province."

"Not only does Beiyuan Town need support, Longbei Town also requires substantial funds. Longbei Town, along with Suzhou Town, are the poorest and have always relied on the court for financial support."

"If Longbei Town is to send troops, then the court must provide a sufficient amount of funds!"

Despite being from Longyuan, Lu Ming's understanding of Da Rong's northwestern parts pales in comparison to Wu Liangzai's, who not only served as an Academic Officer in Longnan but also as a governor in Suzhou Town. Although he was only governor for two years, he had a deep understanding of both Suzhou and Longbei Towns.

A light flashed in Zhang Shaochun's eyes, and then he said, "Providing enough funds to Longbei Town in a short time is definitely impossible; it will take at least three months before Longbei Town can send troops to offer support!"

"By comparison, it's easier for Chongshan Town to dispatch troops. Over the years, Chongshan Town has developed rapidly, with a strong military and ample funds. Even if they lack funds, we could draw resources from Liaodong and Liaoxi."

Guan Wenshuo frowned, "But neither Mr. Pang nor General Zhou can take charge of the situation in Chongshan Town, how can Chongshan Town send out troops?"

Zhang Shaochun smiled and said, "Isn't it simple? Just have Marquis Jing'an immediately go to Chongshan Town to take overall command!"

"Given the prestige of Marquis Jing'an in Chongshan Town, he will surely gather the forces from all sides within a short time and march west to support Beiyuan Town!"

He recommended Yang Zhenshan go to Chongshan Town; first, because Yang Zhenshan has enough prestige there to quickly get a handle on the situation in town.

The second reason was that he wanted to use Yang Zhenshan to establish his own credibility in the court.

Having recently taken the position of Grand Secretary in the Cabinet, his prestige was not yet enough to dominate the ministers, and now was just the time he needed a meritorious achievement to prove his ability and enhance his prestige.

By recommending Yang Zhenshan to reorganize Chongshan Town, as long as Yang Zhenshan could lead Chongshan Town to distinguish himself, he would surely be credited for a good recommendation.

The more merits Yang Zhenshan accumulated, the more it would prove his own wisdom and good judgment.

Upon hearing this, the other Cabinet members had nothing to say, as Yang Zhenshan was currently the most suitable candidate to take charge of Chongshan Town.

Emperor Yanping thought for a moment and said, "Summon Marquis Jing'an for an audience!"

...

Marquis Jing'an Mansion.

At this moment, Yang Zhenshan also received a letter from Yang Minghao, but he only had the letter from Chongshan Town and not the urgent memorial from Beiyuan Town.

In the study, Yang Zhenshan's face turned incredibly somber as he read the letter.

Pang Tang assassinated and dead?

Zhou Lan poisoned and unconscious!

A chilling murderous aura suddenly surged, filling the entire study.

With a loud bang, he slammed his palm onto the desk, shattering it to pieces.

Rage boiled within him like a volcanic eruption.

From outside the study, a personal follower, hearing the noise inside, couldn't help but call out, "Marquis, are you alright?"

"Come in!" Yang Zhenshan said in a deep voice.

Wang Lei pushed the door and entered, but the moment his foot crossed the threshold, he involuntarily paused.

Such a terrifying murderous intent!

He glanced at the broken desk and couldn't help but shrink his neck.

Having followed Yang Zhenshan for over ten years, this was the first time he had seen Yang Zhenshan this angry.

"Go gather the Guard Camp, and prepare for deployment!" Yang Zhenshan said with a stern voice.

"Yes!"

Wang Lei replied and scampered off immediately.

Yang Zhenshan looked at the letter in his hand, and his tiger-like eyes were filled with intense killing intent.

Pang Tang is dead!

This made him feel very uncomfortable.

He held great respect for Pang Tang in his heart, an old man whose spirit never aged, who at nearly sixty was still full of ambition, and vowed to turn a barren land into a fertile ground.

If he hadn't left Chongshan Town, Pang Tang would definitely have been his best partner.

The news that Zhou Lan was poisoned and unconscious stoked his rage to new levels.

If Pang Tang was his ideal partner, then Zhou Lan was undoubtedly his closest friend.

From the initial patronage to forging a close bond like that between sworn siblings, nearly twenty years of friendship had passed.

With both old friends being attacked, how could he not be enraged?