In March, spring returns to the earth, the fields are covered with green, and the trees on both sides of the official road sprout new green.
On the official road in the south of Xinxi City, there is an endless stream of business travelers, showing a prosperous scene.
The official road has been flattened again, making it straight and flat, with carriages and horses galloping along it, and pedestrians passing on both sides in an orderly manner.
Near noon, the children in the village returned home from school, running all the way holding paper pickles, spreading laughter and laughter everywhere.
Farmer Qin Liu, who was working in the field, straightened up, put down the Yangjia plow in his hand, and glanced at the place where the laughter was coming. Among the children was his grandson Tietou.
His clothes were ragged, but Tan Liu's eyes were full of hope. Governor Yang has been in Runan for more than a year. Earth-shaking changes have taken place in Runan County. The family can have enough to eat. As for the child being able to enter a government-run school to learn literacy, it is like a dream.
Hearing that Governor Yang was going home to observe mourning and that a new governor was coming to Runan, Tan Liu's eyes dimmed and he sighed.
Such a good official will not last long. I hope the new governor will love the people as much as Yang Taishou, otherwise the days will go back to the past.
Holding the plow steady in his hands, Tan Liu shouted loudly, and the old cow walked slowly. The dark fields were plowed open, and Tan Liu forgot about everything else.
On the official road, an ox cart pulled two coffins from the south. Yang Anxuan was riding on a horse, looking at the surrounding scenery.
The vitality in front of me is the result of more than two years of hard work. Countless people have worked hard for it and invested more than three thousand gold.
He took out more than 1,300 gold from his own pocket, plus the donations from the county squires and the expenditure from the government treasury. Only after spending a large amount of money did he have the prosperous scene in front of him.
Farmers in the field beside the road saw the coffin carried on the bullock cart. Although they did not recognize it, they stopped what they were doing and held it in their hands as a gift to respect the deceased.
Although the clothes were shabby, the people's customs were honest. Yang Anxuan returned the courtesy on the horse, sighing in his heart, the people and the country are worthy of his protection and sacrifice.
Looking at Xinxi City in the distance, Yang Anxuan made up his mind that he would never let anyone ruin his hard work. If Yin Dun could not follow Xiao Gui and Cao Sui, he would have to ignore him even if his brothers turned against each other.
Outside the ten-mile long pavilion, Yang Anyuan and several people were waiting at the pavilion.
Seeing the coffins of his father and uncle, Yang An deeply cried and bowed to the ground. Although he was a bastard, Yang Quanqi did not love him as much as Yang Anxuan, and his uncle Yang Guang looked at him differently and regarded him as the Yang family's horse. How could Yang Anyuan not shed tears when thinking about his past love?
The roadside was not a place to talk. Yang Anyuan wiped his tears and stood up and said: "Third brother, thank you for your hard work. My aunt bought a farm in the north of the city, and the whole family is living in the farm temporarily."
Before Yang Anxuan went to Jiankang, he told his mother Yuan that Hongnong had been occupied by the Qin people. After receiving the heads of his father and uncle, they were buried in Xinxi.
After getting the news that the court was willing to return the heads of his father and uncle, Yang Anxuan wrote to Yang Siping, Yang Anshen and others, asking them to notify the clan members to come to Xinxi City for a reunion.
The two brothers walked side by side and learned from Yang Anyuan that Yang Siping and others were arriving one after another, and more than a hundred people from the Yang family came. The manor purchased by the Yuan family was large enough to accommodate these tribesmen.
On the way back, Yang Anxuan had been thinking about how to make good use of his clan members. After his father's death and mourning for three years, the three brothers certainly couldn't all marry in front of the grave. After waiting for three years, the Yang family would probably disappear from the world.
Before leaving, King Kuaiji asked him to recruit five thousand soldiers. The supply of these five thousand soldiers and horses was divided among the five counties, so Yang Anxuan saw an opportunity.
Yang Anxuan didn't want to do the recruiting himself, so his third uncle, second brother, Meng Longfu, Kuai En, Yin Ji and others could all be appointed. These matters could be discussed with the tribe after his father and uncle were buried.
The oxcart did not enter the city. Under the guidance of Yang Anshen, it went directly around the city to the north, heading to the farm five miles away.
Yang Anxuan asked Zhao Tian to buy the farm. According to what Yang Anxuan said, Zhao Tian chose a mountain village surrounded by mountains on three sides and facing water on one side. In the future, he could build a fort based on the terrain.
Governor Yang had an excellent reputation. Zhao Tian gave him enough money and food, and asked Master Xin to allocate a new plot of land for resettlement. The whole village became the place where the Yang family settled.
After receiving the letter, Yang Siping and others came to greet the spirit from afar. Paper flags were fluttering and mourning was heard everywhere. It was another seven consecutive days of hustle and bustle.
After the heads of Yang Quanqi and Yang Guang and the corpses obtained in advance were buried in the graves, a row of thatched cottages was built next to the graves. Yang Guang had three sons and three brothers, Yang Anxuan, were required to observe mourning in the thatched cottages for three years.
The guests who came to pay homage and the women in the family left by car, and the remaining Yang family members gathered together. Everyone knew that the next step was to discuss the direction of the family.
When Yang Quanqi and Yang Guang were buried this time, the three elders Yang Cai, Yang Liang, and Yang Ming were not present. Yang Siping, Yang Shangbao, and Yang Zijing were the three senior ones and sat in the middle.
Sitting on both sides were Yang Guang's sons Yang Chuo, Yang Shun and Yang Jie; Yang Anxuan's three brothers An Shen, Anyuan and An Xuan; Yang Siping's sons Yang Po and Yang Luo; Yang Shangbao's sons Yang Yu and Yang Xin; Yang Zijing's sons Yang Jing and Yang Jue, Yang Hong and others.
Yang Siping glanced at Yang Anxuan and said, "Anxuan, when you come to Beijing this time, how does the court view the Yang family?"
"I was not summoned by the court when I came to the capital this time, and I did not see King Kuaiji or Sima Yuanxian. However, the court returned the heads of my father and uncle, and there should be no further pursuit of the Yang family."
Everyone heaved a sigh of relief. Yang Quanqi and Yang Guang had hung up the Suzaku Gate, but they were regarded as traitors by the court, and everyone finally let go of their worries.
Yang Anxuan took out the letter given to him by Sima Daozi, handed it to Yang Siping and said: "When I left the capital, King Kuaiji sent someone to deliver a letter to Yu, asking him to secretly recruit five thousand troops in case of emergency."
After Yang Siping read the letter, Yang Anshen asked, "It's easy to recruit soldiers. Can the court provide the supplies? Can the Yang family provide for so many people?"
Not long ago, Yang Anyuan and Cen Minghu returned to Xinye and wanted to recruit 200 new soldiers. However, due to Huanxuan's power, the Yin, Cen, and Deng families did not dare to support him blatantly.
In desperation, Yang Anyuan returned to Panlong Mountain with only fifty strong men. Hu Zhang died of illness in Panlongshan, and the Hu Dynasty took over the family. He recognized Yang Anxuan as the master, and naturally gave his full support to the Yang family.
After their father's death, Hu Lei and Hu Ming argued about separating their families. The Hu Dynasty could not suppress it, so they had to hand over Wubao to Hu Lei, asking him to pay 100,000 stones of food in the mountains every year.
Huangfu Fu captured the additional 2,000 troops sent by Huan Xuan and led his army to attack Wancheng again. Yang Siping could not resist and retreated to Panlong Mountain, but Huangfu Fu did not pursue him.
With more than a thousand people in the mountains, supplies became difficult. When they received news that Yang Anxuan had returned to Xinxi with the coffins of Yang Quanqi and Yang Guang, the Yang family decided to come to Xinxi to discuss countermeasures.
Yang Siping quickly read the letter and said with a smile: "The King of Kuaiji has asked the five counties of Runan, Henan, Yingyang, Xiangcheng and Yingchuan to provide military rations. The more than a thousand people in the mountains can be legitimately converted into officers and soldiers."
These more than 1,500 people have experienced the battlefield, and Yang Anxuan will naturally not give up. He has already arranged the way for these people.
Yang Zijing took the letter, glanced at it, and said, "The court still has high hopes for my Yang family. Since the King of Kuaiji has asked the Yang family to recruit troops, and state affairs are of top priority, there will be no need for so many people to observe mourning at the grave."
Yang Anxuan did not point out Yang Zijing's little idea of changing King Kuaiji's request to recruit soldiers to asking the Yang family to recruit soldiers. When the Yang family is in crisis, it is really necessary for the clan members to work together to tide over the difficulties.
Yang Shangbao said: "An Shen, Chuo'er, you are the eldest sons, and you will have to suffer a lot from observing filial piety. The Yang family has suffered such a disaster, and the others have to work hard for the future of the family."
Yang An frowned deeply and said, "It is natural for Yu to be filial to his father, but only Yu and Brother Chuo are left to observe filial piety. If anyone finds out, wouldn't it mean that my inheritance of etiquette in the Yang family is false?"
Yang Siping stroked his beard and said: "Things have to be governed by authority. When the court is appointing people, it is understandable to seize love and serve the country. I will just explain a few words at that time. I will not put the Yang family's rebirth just because of fighting for this false reputation." Ignore the opportunity."
Yang Anxuan wanted to understand the matter of the clan leader on the road. In order to appease the clan members, he decided to establish a eldest son according to the clan rules and planned to nominate his eldest brother as the clan leader. It would be best for the eldest brother to work with him to prosper the Yang family. If he wants to use the patriarch's authority to control him, he will let him understand what it means for a scholar to meet a soldier.
"Brother fulfilled his filial piety for us in front of the grave and sacrificed a lot for the family." Yang Anxuan said slowly: "When I was at Panlong Mountain last time, I said that I would discuss matters of clan leadership after my father and uncle are buried in peace. I thought that eldest brother You can be the head of my Yang family."
Yang Siping was stunned. His eldest brother and second brother were dead. He was originally
His intention to succeed as the head of the Yang family was simply because of Yang Anxuan's strength. As for Yang Anshen, he really didn't care about him.
Now Yang Anxuan proposed to let Yang Anshen take over as the clan leader. Yang Siping sighed secretly. After all, they are from the same mother and blood is thicker than water. In this case, he was too lazy to be a bad guy. He simply nodded in agreement: "An Shen is a stable person and he is the second brother. The eldest son, Yu Ye thinks he can be the head of the Yang family."
Yang Zijing and Yang Shangbao looked at each other and expressed their agreement. As for Yang Chuo and others, they would not object verbally even if they didn't want to. In this way, Yang Anshen easily became the head of the Yang family.
Yang An couldn't help but smile with deep brows. He glanced at his third brother gratefully and said, "The Yang family has suffered a great disaster. Since my uncles and brothers have elected Yu as the clan leader, Yu should do his best to serve the clan."
After a brief pause, Yang Anshen continued: "Yu will observe mourning in front of his father's and uncle's grave for three years. I also hope that my elders and brothers can help me with family matters. I would like to thank you in advance."
After saying that, he stood up and bowed to everyone, and Yang Siping said: "An Shen, since everyone has recommended you to be the clan leader, they will naturally follow your arrangements. You just make the decision."
Yang An said with a deep smile: "In that case, I'll just tell you my thoughts, and ask my uncle and brothers to point out anything inappropriate."
"The top priority right now is to recruit troops." Yang An took a deep look at Yang Anxuan and said, "King Kuaiji's order has given the Yang family an opportunity to revive. There is no room for failure in this matter."
"There are more than a thousand people in Panlong Mountain. These people can be summoned to Runan to avoid being taken advantage of by Huan Xuan." Yang An said deeply, "Third uncle, please train these soldiers and horses. An Xuan is quite famous in Runan, plus Runan The new governor is Yin Dun, and he and An Xuan are sworn brothers, so they should provide strong support, so there is no need to worry about the baggage."
Yang Siping nodded in agreement.
Yang Anshen added: "Panlong Mountain is easy to defend but difficult to attack, so we cannot give up. Second brother, you can lead 300 people to station at Panlong Mountain just in case."
Yang Anyuan lowered his head and said nothing. Everyone knew that Panlong Mountain was in Yongzhou, and when Huan Xuan was free, he would definitely send troops to clear it out. Yang Anshen sent him to Panlong Mountain to put him in danger.
Yang Anxuan secretly thought in his heart that once he had the power, he would carry out his orders. His second brother was a capable general on the battlefield, and his relationship with him gradually became harmonious. He would definitely become his arm in the future. He could not see him being squeezed out by his eldest brother.
"Brother, there is a Hu Dynasty in Panlong Mountain. If the second brother goes there, he is afraid of getting into trouble. Panlong Mountain is only a few days' journey from Luoyang. If it can be reached by horseback in two days, in my humble opinion, it is better to let the second brother go to Luoyang to recruit troops. Henan Prefect Xin Gongjing has a good relationship with Yu, and he will take care of his second brother."
Yang Anyuan raised his head and sighed in his heart, the third brother is really thinking about his family, but it is a pity that he is not the patriarch.
Yang An thought for a while and said, "That's fine. There are hundreds of Qingqi in Panlong Mountain, so let's leave them with my second brother. It will be easier to come and go."
Then, Yang Anshen inquired about Yang Zijing and Yang Shangbao's plan. Yang Zijing had an old relationship with the governor of Xiangcheng and decided to go to Xiangcheng. Yang Shangbao said that he was not familiar with military matters and simply stayed to help the clan leader with clan affairs. As for Yang Shun, Yang Jie, Yang Po, Yang Yu, Yang Jing, Yang Jue, Yang Hong and others, they all followed their father and brother.
Finally, Yang An said deeply: "Those who are able should work harder. The remaining two counties of Yingchuan and Yingyang will have to do the hard work of recruiting troops, third brother, you."
Yang Anxuan nodded in agreement.
