Qin Ran's forces include the Jukun Gang, the Haisha Gang, the Dongming Faction, and the Jianghuai Army. Together, these four forces have dominated the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, annexed the territory that dominates the Villa, and expanded to the Pegasus Ranch. , Da You went all the way up the river to control Xiangyang's momentum.
Once Xiangyang is controlled, Qin Ran will become the sole overlord of the entire Yangtze River Basin!
Lin Shihong, Xiao Xian, Li Zitong, Shen Faxing, and even the foolish emperor who fled to Jiangdu will all become his meal sooner or later!
Xiangyang is located at the confluence of various rivers beside the Han River. If you follow the river, you can reach Hannan, another smaller city, in one day, and reach Jingling in two days. It is an extremely important transportation artery in the world.
Although Xiangyang City at this time did not have the status it had in later generations, this city, which was once the capital of Liu Biao, the shepherd of Jingzhou in the Three Kingdoms, was also a rare large city in the world.
Such a city naturally has an owner.
The owner of this city is named Qian Duguan, nicknamed "Double Swordsman".
Shuangdao Qian Duguan is the leader of the Hanshui Sect, the largest gang in Xiangyang City. He is somewhere between good and evil. He is very respectable in the local black and white circles. He is engaged in the silk business and has a rich family.
If this was a peaceful and prosperous time, then "Double Sword" Qian Duguan would be nothing more than a strong and powerful figure in the local area. But this is not a time of peace and prosperity, but a time of chaos in which a dynasty is about to be ended.
After Yang Guang failed in his third northern expedition to Goryeo, the weakness and decline of this dynasty had been completely exposed.
The big dragon is about to die, and the wild dragons and snakes in the place will naturally become unable to sit still.
The former Sui officials or powerful locals with great influence also had abnormal thoughts and began to form troops to protect themselves, gradually becoming one group of local princes after another.
The Dual-Swordsman became the uncrowned king of Xiangyang City for this reason.
About seven days ago, civil unrest broke out inside Xiangyang City. In the process of quelling the civil unrest, the original Xiangyang County Sheriff was extremely unfortunate to be hit by a hail of arrows, and was directly hit by those sharp arrows.
A country cannot be without a king for a day, and a city cannot be without a master for a day.
The original official governor is dead, so naturally a new city lord will take office. However, due to the civil unrest, the communication between Xiangyang City and the imperial court has been completely severed, so that even the governor of Xiangyang City is dead. None of the news reached the ears of Sui Emperor Yang Guang.
Under such circumstances, the "double sword" Qian Duguan, who was already well-known in Xiangyang City, naturally fell in love with the public and was elected as a leader by the local wealthy gentry and gangs. He proclaimed himself the governor of Xiangyang County and established a separate empire.
On the surface, it was just good luck that Qian Duguan became the governor of Xiangyang City. But Qin Ran knew that the changes that happened in Xiangyang City were actually not accidental.
In addition to his apparent identity as the leader of the Hanshui Gang, "Double Swordsman" Qian Duguan also has another secret identity - the shadow of the Yinkui faction. If Qin Ran guessed correctly, I am afraid that from the emergence of the Xiangyang civil uprising to the death of the governor of Xiangyang City, and even Qian Duguan's rise to power, it was actually the operation of the Yinkui faction.
The Sui Dynasty was in chaos and the building was about to collapse. Naturally, it was time for dragons and snakes to rise up and demons to take flight. As the leader of the two sects of the Demon Sect, the Yin Kui Sect is naturally unwilling to be left alone and wants to make a mark in this world's chess game.
It has to be said that although the "Yin Queen" Zhu Yuyan is just a female. Her political vision is also quite good.
If she follows the context in the original work, she should be planning to use a two-pronged approach, with "Qian Duguan" as the core, first taking Xiangyang, then Jingling, Jiangling, and taking all the best places in Jingzhou, and the other way using another Anzi. With Lin Shihong as the core, he acquired Yuzhang, Nankang, Jiujiang and other places. After the two merged, the Yinkui faction became the first prince in the south in the true sense, with the ability to unite the south and the north and pacify the world.
But unfortunately, Zhu Yuyan’s plan was good, but many things did not go according to her plan.
For example, Jiujiang Lin Shihong's plan was certainly successful and he became one of the leading princes in the south. However, after Lin Shihong became prosperous, he became disobedient, which caused serious internal strife in the Yinkui sect and severely damaged their vitality.
This is actually the limitation of Yin Kui Sect. Today's society is still a patriarchal society after all, and women are not suitable for public appearances.
Therefore, no matter what abilities and ambitions Zhu Yuyan has, she cannot stand on the stage. She can only stand on the big stage of this era by manipulating puppets and supporting a certain male Yinkui sect Anzi.
What the Yin Kui Sect and Zhu Yuyan did was not bad, but if they wanted to support a suitable puppet, wouldn't it be an easy task? If you support a weak and useless puppet, then although that puppet is obedient and easy to fool, it will be difficult to accomplish anything. But if they are allowed to cultivate an excellent and powerful puppet, they will have to face their backlash.
The fight for the dragon in the world is like a carp leaping over the dragon's gate. Only the strongest can win. A force like the Yinkui Sect that is internally unstable and has congenital flaws, no matter how powerful it is on the surface, is just a role that goes through the motions on that stage and accompanies the prince to study.
Of course, at this point in time, civil strife between Lin Shihong and the Yin Kui faction has not yet occurred, but Lin Shihong has begun to listen to orders rather than propaganda.
On the other side, Qian Duguan also has this tendency.
Zhu Yuyan agreed so happily to help Qin Ran fight for the dragon because she knew that her family seemed strong but was actually as fragile as a bubble.
In this era, women always have to depend on men. Kieran's strength makes him naturally become the object of dependence.
The Jianghuai Army, the Jukun Gang, and the Haisha Gang each sent out some troops to form an elite force of 20,000 people, and marched towards Xiangyang City under the cover of night.
The Yinkui sect Anzi in Xiangyang City has already controlled various city gates with cooperation, and is coordinating internal and external cooperation.
Working together from inside and outside, 20,000 troops easily broke into Xiangyang City.
Xiangyang City was suddenly attacked by the enemy, and without the command of a strong person, it was a mess. In this city, everyone from the city lord Qian Duguan to the ordinary civilians are as anxious as ants on a hot pot, and they are all at a loss.
As a result, after the army entered the city, they encountered no decent resistance at all. As for the powerful Qian Duguan with the 'double sword', Xu Ziling, who led the army, easily killed him without Qin Ran taking action. .
Under Qin Ran's instructions, Yun Yuzhen and You Qiuyan are collecting various talents, especially those civil servants and generals whose names have been recorded in history books that Qin Ran has ordered.
For example, Du Ruhui, one of the twenty-four heroes of Lingyan Pavilion in the later Tang Dynasty, had the talent of a prime minister. Du Ruhui, who was known as "Fang Gu Du Duan" by later generations, was found by Yun Yuzhen and sent to Qin Ran.
Another example is some of the talented people in "The Legend of Two Dragons of the Tang Dynasty", such as Jing Lingcheng Xu Xingzhi, the chief military advisor of Koo Zhong's "Young Marshal Army" in the original plot.
During the few years that Xu Xingzhi was in office, he made some astonishing achievements. With only his own efforts, he managed the grass-roots team that Kou Zhong had set up in order, so that Kou Zhong never had to worry about logistics. Worry gave him enough capital to go to war in the north and south, and squandered it lavishly. Such talents are comparable to Guan Zhong and Le Yi in the Spring and Autumn Period, and Jia Xu and Zhuge Liang in the Three Kingdoms Period.
But although Xu Xingzhi was extremely smart and the best in the world, it was because he came from a poor family and had a bad family background that he was not taken seriously by those in power at all. So much so that even if he tried hard, he could only become a small chief clerk in Jingling City, not even an official.
Not to mention that when Qin Ran sent people to find Xu Xingzhi, he directly promised him the position of military advisor, allowing him to ascend to the sky in one step. Even if Qin Ran was very stingy and only gave him the official position of seventh-rank county magistrate or eighth-rank county magistrate, he would be very happy, like drinking sweet rain.
Du Ruhui and Xu Xingzhi soon came to Xiangyang City and took over the government affairs of Xiangyang City. With their assistance in governance, Qin Ran's Xiangyang City was naturally in order and prosperous. It became the foundation of Qin Ran's control. It's a bit like a king's career.
It's just that the girl's experience was a bit more miserable compared to others, so much so that Yun Yuzhen, the leader of the Jukun Gang who was secretly called a "witch" by some people, was so moved by it that she asked her Beside her, Qin Ran, who was sitting in a restaurant in Xiangyang City, said:
"Your Majesty, you see how pitiful she is! Why don't you let me buy her? It's also a good deed."
According to common sense, as a high-ranking person who has seen enough life and death and human tragedies, Yun Yuzhen would not have much sympathy. But for some reason, when she saw the girl, she couldn't help but feel pity in her heart.
Looking at the girl from a distance, Qin Ran was stunned for a moment, with a hint of joking on his face, and a smile full of weirdness and connotation at the corner of his mouth.
"Haha, Yuzhen. Why do you have to ask me about such a trivial matter? It just so happens that I am short of people around me, a girl who can bring tea and water. Since there is a chance today, let's choose her." There was a strange look on Qin Ran's face. His expression only lasted for a short time before he returned to his original smile and calmness, and he answered calmly.
(There are also 7,000 words today...although it is a bit watery, there is still a necessary introduction and plot context)
