In the main hall of the ancestral home of the Xiao family, a group of veterans of the clan circulated the official letter from the navy, and they all looked at each other in astonishment.
This move is more than just pulling money from the bottom of the cauldron? It is simply taking away the ribs of the Jiangnan clan. Although it is not fatal, it will make the Jiangnan clan miserable. In the past two years, the Jiangnan clan has invested almost all its manpower and material resources in maritime trade, leading to land annexation
Not only has the speed been greatly reduced, it has even regressed.
It's not that everyone can't see that once the sea trade takes over the main financial resources of each company, it means that the lifeline is in the hands of the navy. Being able to lead Jiangnan is almost equivalent to separatist power. There are naturally many knowledgeable people in the Jiangnan clan who can see the hidden dangers.
But there is no way, the profits from sea trade are too great...
Celadon from Yue kiln and white porcelain from Xing kiln are shipped to Japan, Annan, and Johor, especially when they arrive in Dashi across the ocean. The price often increases by more than a hundred times compared to the original price, almost equal to the same weight of gold, and silk is the most popular in the world.
Luxury goods that are being pursued by various countries are popular in all directions. The humble bamboo paper produced in Jiangnan and other places is trafficked to these countries, and the profit is often dozens of times higher. It cannot be used by non-high-ranking officials and chiefs in various countries.
It is no exaggeration to say that the routes from Huating Town to Silla, Japan, and Southeast Asian countries are waterways flowing with gold.
It's like a glass of honey water with a few drops of arsenic. Even though you know it's poisonous, you can't help but drink it, because after all, it won't kill you immediately. Before you die, you can enjoy the pleasure of wealth like water gathering into the sea...
But now, all the luck has turned into reality, and the Shibo Division has pinched his neck severely.
There was silence in the lobby for a long time. Xiao Jun raised his hand to rub his face and said to Xiao Guan: "The situation is over. Don't take any chances. Even if one or two families are unwilling, let them go. My father will go to Huating Town to display the house.
Xuan Ling and Su Dingfang expressed their attitude. After all, they are related by marriage, and they will probably not kill them all... You lead the people by boat to Yanziji, and make detailed inquiries along the way. You must find your grandfather and see him alive.
, I will bring your grandfather back even if I die..."
All the elders of the Ji tribe in the hall nodded in approval and had no objections.
The current situation has become obvious. Even if various families in the south of the Yangtze River recruit private soldiers to go north again, they will not be able to cross the Yangtze River's natural moat blocked by the Navy. Even if there are sporadic troops sneaking across the river from the weak points of the Navy's blockade, their numbers cannot constitute a large scale, so what's the point?
use?
What's more, after the official letter from the Shipping Company was issued, the Jiangnan clan that had just been hit received another blow. Who else dares to rush to Guanzhong all the way to risk the sea trade being completely cut off from now on?
Xiao Guan let out a long breath and said dejectedly: "Just follow what my father said, I will do it now."
This time the Jiangnan clan suffered a serious blow, which is very likely to affect the pattern and status of the Jiangnan region in the next decades or even hundreds of years. It not only extinguished the ambition of the Jiangnan children to enter the center and imitate the Guanlong clan to control power and make decisions in the world.
, even the past practice of monopolizing the proportion of officials in Jiangnan states and counties will be lost. Once the prince successfully ascends the throne and the King of Jin is defeated, the court will inevitably regard Jiangnan as the primary place for reform, and the status and power of the Jiangnan clan will inevitably decline sharply...
Lanling Xiao family was the first to bear the brunt.
Perhaps Xiao Yu will be the last prime minister of the Xiao family in the Tang Dynasty...
*****
Heavy rain poured down, and the Yellow River surged with mud and sand. The turbid river water slapped the banks on both sides of the river like a roaring dragon, making a roaring sound. The ground shook and the mountains shook. The Tongguan city tower not far from the river bank was crumbling in the wind and rain.
It seems to collapse at any moment.
Jin Wang Li Zhi, Wei Chigong, Chu Suiliang and others, wearing raincoats and bamboo hats, patrolled the city gate, inspected various fortifications, and boosted the morale of the soldiers defending the city. Then they returned to the tower and took off their raincoats, and they all let out a long breath.
Chu Suiliang took the handkerchief handed by the soldier and wiped his hands, and said with emotion: "The weather in the past two years has been very different from usual. Strong winds and heavy rains have been raging in turns. Disasters are everywhere. The world is not peaceful. I am afraid that God has warned me and will bring disasters to the world.
Be alert.”
Confucianism believes in the theory of "response between heaven and man" and believes that all natural disasters in the world come from Haotian's dissatisfaction, because people in the world have not done what they should do, or the monarch is foolish and acts against the will, or the treacherous ministers are in power and bring trouble to the government.
Warning from heaven.
Regardless of whether Confucians believe it or not, this set of doctrines can also very well restrain those in power. After all, in the "world of etiquette", no matter whether loyal or traitorous, good or evil, everyone is very concerned about their reputation, especially the "posthumous reputation".
Pay attention, even if you do bad things, you still have to cover it up.
This is China’s unique way of doing things...
Li Zhi naturally liked to hear it, because the prince had been supervising the country for the past two years. If Haotian was dissatisfied, the prince would naturally act against him. Public opinion would attack the prince and reduce his prestige. He, the king of Jin, would be the beneficiary.
Drinking the hot tea served by the waiter, Li Zhi was in a good mood: "Haotian is virtuous and merciful to the world. I, the king, should respect God's will and bring order to chaos. However, good things come hard, and the road ahead will be full of thorns and bumps.
I hope you can help the way of heaven and benefit the common people."
Having risen to the height of "Heavenly Way", Yuchi Gong and Chu Suiliang naturally couldn't sit still. They quickly stood up, bowed to the ground, and said in unison: "Your Highness is the orthodox successor of the late emperor's imperial edict. He is destined by fate. We will faithfully follow him until death."
Don’t turn your heels!”
"Haha, it doesn't have to be like this, take a seat quickly."
Li Zhi put down his tea cup, waved his hand, and invited the two of them to take a seat. Then he straightened his face and said seriously: "But the situation in the East Palace is strong right now, so we can only stay here and wait for help. I don't know what the situation is in Chang'an, as well as Shandong and Jiangnan."
When will reinforcements from both places arrive?"
Simply based on the troops currently gathered in Tongguan, they can only hold on and cannot counterattack Chang'an. Therefore, they not only have to wait for the private armies formed by the powerful clans in Shandong and Jiangnan to come to support, but also must win over and instigate the Sixteenth Guards Army in Guanzhong to rebel.
Turn defeat into victory.
In particular, Yu Wenshi secretly sneaked into Chang'an to personally convince Li Daozong, which was a matter of life and death.
If Li Daozong can be successfully persuaded to release the Xuanwu Gate when he raises troops to counterattack Chang'an in the future, so that his troops can march straight into Taiji Palace, the battle to seize the direct descendants will be over in an instant, with minimal losses.
Otherwise, it will definitely be an arduous and deadly battle, and it is still unclear who will win...
Yuchi Gong held the pot and poured tea for Li Zhi, and said guiltily: "All the humble ministers are incompetent. They cannot help His Highness complete the late emperor's last edict. I really feel ashamed of the late Emperor and His Highness."
Li Zhi waved his hands and said comfortingly: "Why do you need to be like this, Duke of E? All the civil and military officials in the entire dynasty are attracted by the power of the prince. They only care about their own future and life, and ignore the decades of imperial kindness from their father. Only you are loyal and courageous.
If you refuse to abandon me and would rather follow me and become the enemy of the world, my father's spirit in heaven will be happy, and I will also remember this deeply."
Chu Suiliang was worried: "Previously, it was deduced that the navy might block the private army from the south of the Yangtze River from moving north. Calculating the time, the private army from the south of the Yangtze River is either about to arrive at Tongguan, or there is bad news. I don't know the specific situation."
Shandong Shijia is closer to Guanzhong than Jiangnan, but the journey involves high mountains and long roads, and it is difficult for the Yellow River to reverse course due to the surge of water in the current season. On the contrary, it is faster to get here from Jiangnan.
Therefore, the first to arrive should be the Jiangnan private army, either the army or the news.
If it is just news, then it cannot be good news...
Yuchi Gong was full of confidence: "The Jiangnan clan has been entrenched in the south of the Yangtze River for many years. It is deeply rooted and powerful. Even Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty went to Jiangdu many times in the hope of getting help from the Jiangnan clan to stabilize the government. How dare the navy risk Jiangnan's overthrow?
Launch an attack? Besides, the entire navy only obeys Fang Jun’s orders. We are sticking to Tongguan and have cut off traffic from east to west. It is inconvenient to transmit news from Guanzhong to Jiangnan. Without Fang Jun’s order, the navy would not dare to bear such a serious responsibility."
This is also the current consensus among the Jin kings. The navy is indeed a huge threat to the Jiangnan private army, but most people do not think that the navy dares to attack brazenly, because once the Jiangnan clan suffers losses, it will trigger turmoil in the entire Jiangnan, and it is easy to cross the river.
consequences of treatment.
How could Su Dingfang dare to risk the disapproval of the world?
As long as the navy hesitates, private armies south of the Yangtze River will quickly form and cross the river to the north. By then, it will be too late for the navy to stop them.
Li Zhi remained silent.
There is certainly some truth to this speculation, but the risk is also very high. Logically speaking, we should take action to avoid the possibility of the navy blocking the private army in the south of the Yangtze River. But now we lack an effective "commander" under his command who can coordinate the overall situation.
Level person.
If Li Jing, Li Xiaogong and others follow him, the chances of winning the battle to seize the throne will be greatly increased.
No matter what happens, I can still have Fang Jun to help me...
Thinking of Fang Jun, Li Jiajie became depressed.
If it weren't for Fang Jun's constant support, his father would have already deposed the prince, so how could he have used himself to forge his father's edict? Moreover, almost all the troops under the East Palace are closely related to Fang Jun and were directly or indirectly formed and reorganized by him.
, leading to strong combat power.
It is simply his own nemesis...
A guard came in and reported: "Your Highness, the Duke of E, and General Su Jia have an urgent military report."
Li Zhi's expression tightened and he hurriedly said: "Let him in!"
"Here!"
The imperial guards withdrew, and immediately, General Su Jia of the Right Houwei quickly walked in from the door. Regardless of the rain, he walked a few steps to Li Zhi, handed over a battle report, and spoke very fast: "I just received the message from Jiangnan."
According to the news, various families in the south of the Yangtze River had recruited nearly 100,000 private soldiers and countless supplies of food and supplies. When they were crossing the river to the north at Yanziji, they were bombarded by naval artillery. They suffered heavy losses and the entire army collapsed."
"Crack!"
A thunder exploded outside the city tower, and lightning like tree branches pierced through the wind and rain, flashing through the dark rain in the sky. The sound was earth-shattering, and the entire city tower shook slightly.
Thunder shakes the sky, and the wind and rain are like darkness.