Yang Su sighed and continued: "Yu Wenkai, who will be the chief eunuch, must be indispensable, your cousin Feng Lun is now serving as the inner historian, and with the experience of the last time, he should also continue to use it." As for my father, he wished he could give me such an envoy, who not only cut my military power, but also kicked me away from the court. ”

Yang Su sighed, his eyes were full of loneliness: "This time for my father, I'm afraid I'm going to complain about the world for him again, but I have a number for my father, and I won't go too far, no matter what, Luoyang is already a famous city through the ages, not like the last Renshou Palace, we have to open the mountain and build a road first, and then build a palace in the mountain, plus the eastern capital is densely populated, it is not a problem to recruit hundreds of thousands of people, and there should be no tragedy like last time." ”

Yang Xuangan nodded, suddenly thought of something, and quickly changed the topic: "By the way, father, is our Yang family also going to move to Luoyang?" So what about the industry that has been in Daxing for so many years? There is also the matter of Liang Shidu promised Shuofang last time, for them the Liang family to open a horse market in Daxing, will it continue in the future? ”

Yang Su immediately said: "I have already repaired the book to Feng Lun and asked him to help build our family's new mansion in Luoyang." ”

Yang Su paced back and forth in the room for two more steps, and raised his head: "As for the cooperation with Liang Shidu, this line cannot be broken, and the relationship with him must be maintained, this is a person who even Wang Shichong has not mastered." ”

"Liang Shidu of Shuofang, Wang Rengong of Shuozhou, these two people are only cooperating with our Yang family now, unlike Xue Ju and those who have already caught up with Wang Shichong, we must master. Not only can the cooperation between Daxing's horse market not be interrupted, but also help them open a market in Luoyang, the eastern capital. ”

Yang Xuan asked suspiciously, "Help them open a market in Luoyang?" Didn't that make the Liang family's power go further directly and enter the Central Plains from Guanzhong? Will this form a trend of tail failure in the future? ”

"Luoyang is located in the hinterland of the Central Plains. It can be easily developed to Jingxiang, Jiangnan, Hebei and Shandong. If you have a foothold there. I'm afraid that it will be easy to contact businesses in various places by myself, and we may not be able to use our Yang family at that time. ”

Yang Su smiled slightly: "Xuangan, you haven't done business, you don't know the mystery, many markets and trades in various places are now in the hands of large and small families, just like our Yang family, and now there are businesses that belong to us all over the country." Because of my father's current power, the local snakes everywhere also have to sell me a few faces, as long as I don't want to dominate the family, I will take some share of the local market. ”

"But Master Liang is not my Yang Su, he is useless just having horses, and the major families from Luoyang to Jiangnan are not without guilds that do horse business, if he sells horses at a low price, can that person's business still be done? You can rest assured, if the Liang brothers want to leave us and do it alone, I am afraid that we will not even be able to do business in Luoyang in less than a month. I can only go back to Shuo Fang in a gloomy way. ”

Yang Xuangan suddenly thought of Wang Shichong's grandfather, and said convincingly: "Yes." Wang Shichong's grandfather also tried to dominate the family when he was in Guzang City, but he was counterattacked by all the wealthy merchants in Guzang, and all the goods could not be sold even in the Central Plains, and finally ended up bankrupt. ”

Yang Su nodded: "Actually, it's not that the Liang family hasn't tried to do business independently in the Central Plains, but they can't even get along in Daxing, so they have been squeezed out by the various chambers of commerce under the high-ranking official family in Beijing. ”

Yang Xuangan has always had some doubts about this issue, and when he heard Yang Su talk about this, he immediately spoke: "Father, this Li Yuan and we have not discussed this matter, can we tolerate others doing business in their own name for so long?" ”

Yang Su shook his head with a smile and said, "My father actually told Li Yuan about this when he got married, saying that he wanted to do business with him in Daxing. Li Yuan has been released as a state assassin for all these years, in order not to catch any pigtails for the emperor, he has always been very cautious, and he does not dare to loot in the local area, so their family's financial resources are not very strong. ”

Yang Xuangan asked: "But they don't want to think about why we don't do business in our own name, but use his Tang Guogong's?" It's impossible to be indifferent for so long. ”

Yang Su put away his smile and said: "Of course they inquired, but they have already arranged for my father, whether it is a few stewards of our family in the horse market, or the people sent by the Liang family of Shuofang, they all keep their mouths very tight, only saying that the horses are sold from the north and west, and we sell them completely according to the market price, and even specially found some Hu people from the Western Regions as horse slaves, just don't want people to find out the source of the horses." ”

"Since the opening of the horse market, there have been hundreds of people from the Tang Guogong Mansion and other families who have come to spy and inquire, but still no one has found the source of the horses, and now the Liang family has to deliberately make a big circle to enter the city from the west after driving the horses into Kyoto, which is to protect the source of these horses, and not let people know about the exchanges between our Yang family and the Shuofang Liang family."

Yang Xuangan let out a long sigh: "I didn't expect that there are so many ways to do business." It seems that if you don't have the backing of everyone in the world, you can't get along with money alone. ”

Yang Su smiled: "That's the case, otherwise why do so many people sharpen their heads and want to be officials, and they still want to be the biggest officials?" Look at those Shandong families with five surnames and seven hopes, which one is not an official for generations, and which one is not rich for generations? ”

"In addition to the two Li families in Guanlong, the military nobles of Guanlong are far from being compared with the Shandong families, after all, there are fewer wars in the world and more peacetime, which is probably the real reason why the emperor wants to move the capital."

Yang Xuan nodded convincingly, and said: "At that time, Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty also moved the capital to Pingyang, and wanted to forcibly implement sinicization among the Xianbei people and change his course, which angered the low-level Hu people like the officers and soldiers of the Six Towns, and finally became the world's great knowledge after a few decades. ”

Yang Su pondered for a moment and raised his head: "It's really hard to say this, it depends on the emperor's wrist." If you want to do this for the Father. Not so anxious. You can slow down and find a balance, such as finding some soft pestles to fight while building the eastern capital, such as Tuyuhun in the west, Linyi in the south, etc., and send some unstable factors in the Guanlong military nobles to fight, which can alleviate domestic contradictions. ”

"Xuangan, you have to remember. The only way for the military nobles of Guanlong to settle down is to climb up is constant war, only when there is a war, they can get the title and seal their wives and sons, after all, there are only a few generals who enter the phase. ”

"This time, so many generals came out to fight, and in the end, there was only one Yang Yichen who could really take off his armor and put on the court clothes, and after Yang Liang was pacified, the Turks are now very deferential, how can you let these proud generals get promoted and make a fortune in the future?"

Yang Xuan's heart moved. He said, "So father, you gave one-third of the gold and silver to these soldiers this time, just to whet their appetites. So that they will force the emperor to start a foreign war? ”

A terrible smile flashed on Yang Su's face: "Yes, that's right, if the generals can be promoted and the officers and soldiers can get rich, then naturally the whole army will be eager for the next war to come as soon as possible." ”

"The emperor is a person who talks about pomp and circumstance, and after the construction of the Eastern Capital, he must still want to make a difference in the country, and he will overhaul the palace, which is a very laborious move, and as soon as there is a war with the outside world, it is really possible that the world will be in chaos."

Yang Xuangan was silent for a long time, he didn't agree with his father's method in his heart, if he looked forward to the chaos in the world all day long, what was the difference between him and Wang Shichong, a careerist?

Yang Su saw his son's expression, knew what he was thinking, sighed, and said, "Father knows what you are thinking, but in fact, father doesn't want to do this." But judging from the new emperor's series of new policies that have not yet been implemented, it is impossible to protect our Yang family without doing so. Only when the world is unstable, will the emperor give power to his father like this counterinsurgency, and only at that time will our family be safe. ”

Yang Xuangan shook his head: "I'm afraid not necessarily, you are not the only one who is talented, you are not the only one who is talented, people like Wang Shichong and Li Mi can be of great use, and even people like Yang Yichen and Li Jing, can't they help the emperor?" ”

Yang Su smiled slightly: "They are talented, but they have no foundation, lack of experience, and the thing of connections needs to be cultivated for a long time, not something that can be completed overnight. ”

Yang Xuangan shook his head, he was still not persuaded by Yang Su, but he really couldn't think of a better way in this situation, so he changed the topic and said: "If the emperor really sends troops to conquer the Quartet as your father said, will he still cut off the government soldiers in various places?" This seems a bit of a contradiction. ”

Yang Su sat down, waved his hand, and said, "You misunderstood what I meant, the government soldiers will not be abolished, but the generals of the government soldiers, that is, the hussar generals and chariot generals' mansions in various places, will be abolished." It is possible that the emperor will send people directly from the central court to the local governments to take up these positions in the future, just like the history of the assassins, rather than having these positions hereditarily controlled by the wealthy families in various places. ”

Yang Xuangan completely understood this time, he shook his head, and said, "But in this way, the local tyrants, like Liang Shidu, must not be willing." Even if you don't dare to rebel openly and use all kinds of means to make it impossible for the new generals to get mixed up, this can always be done. ”

Yang Su nodded and said, "Yes, it is true, but in this way, it is contrary to the emperor's original intention." If I were him, I would quickly start a foreign war, and then recruit the troops of the world, so that the local snakes would no longer be able to make waves. ”

Yang Xuangan gasped: "Requisition and transfer the soldiers of the world? What a battle this will have to be. Even this time to quell Yang Liang's rebellion, only the soldiers and horses of Longyou in Guanzhong and the first line of Hebei and Shandong were recruited, and Jiangnan and Jingxiang did not transfer troops at all! Now around the Great Sui, the Turks are very honest, what other foreign Yi is worth such a big fight? ”

Yang Su's eyes began to glow, and three words popped out from between his teeth: "Goguryeo!"

Yang Xuangan thought of the ambitious Northeast Xiaoqiang in the history books who had never given up his ambition to enter the Central Plains, and asked Yang Su: "What is the current strength of this Goguryeo, the history books say that there were less than 100,000 households when the longevity king was the king, is it worth sending 300,000 troops to conquer?" ”

"Even if we fight the Turks who control hundreds of thousands, we only send 400,000 troops. It only took more than 500,000 people to destroy Nanchen, which had more than 600,000 households. ”

Yang Su shook his head. Said: "Don't underestimate the strength of Goguryeo. 90,000 households were their population nearly 200 years ago, and for 200 years Goguryeo has occupied the Liaodong Peninsula and seized the Han River Valley, and there have been no large-scale wars in the country. ”

"Goguryeo's current population has six or seven hundred thousand households, which is worthy of a large state in my country, and there are no less than 200,000 people with armor, and it is not the soft man who can be destroyed by casually levying 50,000 prisoners during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty."

Yang Xuan said: "Even if there is an army of 200,000, it is only a state. And why didn't our dynasty even destroy the Turks, the henchmen of the north, but be so wary of this Goguryeo? ”

Yang Su smiled: "In the final analysis, it is still a matter of lifestyle, the nomads on the grassland live by water and grass, unless they want to enter the Central Plains, otherwise they occupy the cultivated land of the Han people, and they can't use it for grazing, and they have to return in the end." Even if they want to enter the Central Plains, they will be like the original Xianbei people, and will eventually be assimilated by our Han people. ”

"On the other hand, it is difficult for us Han people to occupy the grasslands in the north, also because of the way of life. Even if the city is built and the fields are opened as Changsun Sheng thought, the Great Wall will be pushed out of the desert step by step. It also takes hundreds of years of continuous operation, which is not so easy. ”

"So to deal with the steppe wolves in the north, in fact, now this kind of use to raze to support the leaders who listen to us. This strategy is the best and the least costly. ”

"But Goguryeo is different, they also use the system of the Central Plains, based on farming."

"Xuangan, did you find it, as long as there is a mess in the Central Plains, they will take the opportunity to encroach on the Han soil, unlike the steppe wolf's robber style of robbing the population and retreating to the desert, they not only want people, but also land, and this is how Liaodong gradually swallowed them."

"Therefore, for us Han people, whether it is the Xiongnu, Xianbei or Turkic, they are all troubles that can be controlled, and this Goguryeo wants to steadily destroy the great trouble of our Huaxia in one fell swoop, and they must not be allowed to develop."

"The last time they attacked Liaoxi was a temptation, and the timing was just right when I attacked the Turks in two directions. If our response had been weak or defeated by the Turks, it would have been very likely that Goguryeo would have really raised a large army and seized the land of Liaoxi while the war between our dynasty and the Turks was still unresolved. ”

Yang Xuan nodded thoughtfully: "Yes, that's right, for us Han people, what is terrible is not those grassland robbers who grab and run, but this kind of Siberian tiger that fights steadily and bites a large piece while you are in chaos." ”

"Even if we have today's Han family, it was only slowly developed from the Central Plains, Henan and Guanzhong, from Xia to Zhou, thousands of years of time to constantly annex the surrounding weak tribes, and integrate them, so that we have become such a big country today."

Yang Suzheng said: "Yes, the nomadic tribes on the grassland, most of the time, they disperse in a hurry when the situation is not good, and they are not very tightly organized, even if they are as strong as the Turks. Because their way of life made it difficult to unite these thousands of loose tribes with no permanent residence, and although they had horses and great advantages in mobility, they did not have to worry too much if they did not have a great king. ”

"Goguryeo, on the other hand, is mainly agricultural, like our Han people, and has a similar standing army system, so in the event of a full-scale war, it can quickly raise an army of hundreds of thousands of people. You see, this time, Yang Liang can pull out hundreds of thousands of troops with one annexation of states, and if Goguryeo is fully mobilized, its strength will not be below this. ”

Yang Xuangan smiled and said: "But to calm Yang Liang, father, you only brought more than 100,000 troops, and did not dispatch 300,000." Can this Goguryeo still be stronger than Yang Liang's Northern Elite soldiers who have fought against foreign enemies for many years? ”

Yang Su also laughed: "This is the first, Yang Liang's name is not right, the middle and senior generals under his command have their families detained in Daxing, and they are uneasy, ordinary soldiers don't know why they fight, their morale is actually very poor, and they will collapse quickly when the war is unfavorable, far less powerful than they seem." ”

"As for the second, our army is attacking the prefectures that are very close to the hinterland of Guanzhong and Henan, and it is very convenient for the father soldiers to mobilize military rations from the nearby Luoyang area when they go out of Tongguan. However, if you conquer Goguryeo, even if you start from the nearest Youzhou, you will have to walk thousands of miles to reach Yalu Water, and you will have to attack fortified cities such as Liaodong and Marudu all the way on the way. ”

"Once the war drags on, the pressure on the rear will multiply. The reason why the whole army of the Han king Yang Liang was defeated last time was not because he lost on the battlefield, but because he lost to the road and logistics. ”

Yang Xuangan nodded: "But if, as you said, the whole country is mobilized, and when the time comes, a million male soldiers will be used to fight a small Goguryeo, wouldn't the pressure on food be greater?" ”

Yang Su laughed: "Naturally, it doesn't take so much to fight Goguryeo, and the reason why the whole country is mobilized is that local tycoons like Liang Shidu and Xue Ju are emphasized to leave the mountains and weaken their ability to make trouble in the local area, and second, so many troops can allocate more than half of the military rations, and there are about 300,000 soldiers who really fight." ”

Yang Xuangan shook his head: "This is not quite in line with what Sun Tzu said in the Art of War, soldiers, the major affairs of the country, the army is sent abroad, it is protracted, it will cause a huge burden to the country, and the country will change after a long time." (To be continued......)