Chapter 901 The Private Visit of the Prince of Pingxi

Zheng Fan held a bowl of soup in his left hand and a piece of flatbread in his right, alternating between a sip of soup and two bites of bread, his body half-turned toward the market before him.

The market was extremely lively, filled mostly with merchants and traders, the clamor of their hawking incessant, but it wasn't a place for casual sales.

The sellers all displayed samples, with plenty more goods to follow.

The buyers would carefully examine the quality of the samples, then discreetly negotiate the price, gesturing within their sleeves.

During the Situ family's rule, Ming'an County had been a trading post connecting to Xuehai Pass (Snow Sea Pass). Though it had suffered through several wars, and was nearly a ghost town when the barbarians retreated, the governance of the Prince of Pingxi's manor over the Jin region and the resurgence of trade had quickly revived Ming'an County, located in a prime location. Its trading market was even more prosperous than before.

Zheng Fan loved this bustling, noisy atmosphere. All the world's hustle and bustle is for profit; this prosperity and liveliness, accumulated over time, would soon attract more people to settle.

On his last triumphant return, he had discussed this matter with Xu Wenzu, explicitly stating that Yingdu (Capital of Wei) must not impede the migration of people to eastern Jin.

At the same time, eastern Jin's huge population deficit would create a siphon effect, attracting people from Chu, as well as barbarian "nobles" and barbarian slaves from the Snow Plains.

The Prince felt a great sense of satisfaction when he thought about how this place had been a blank slate during the wars and how much it had been built up since then.

Although the planning and design were the work of Xiazi (Blind) and Si Niang (Fourth Madam), it didn't stop him, the mascot, from indulging in a little self-satisfaction.

"What do you think?"

Zheng Fan asked.

Beside the table, Chen Daole and He Chunlai were standing, the Sword Saint and his sword maid disciple were sitting, and there were also two little fellows.

Yes,

the Heir Apparent of Jingnan and the Crown Prince of Yan were also brought along by Zheng Fan.

The Prince of Pingxi's desire to nurture the Heir Apparent of Jingnan was almost an open secret in the manor. From the moment the Prince held the Heir Apparent in his arms at the enfeoffment ceremony to announce him to the world, everything had been building up to this.

But it wouldn't be right to only bring one and not the Crown Prince.

It's impossible to truly treat a friend's child as your own, but at least on the surface, you have to be fair and not go too far.

Ji Chuanye (Crown Prince of Yan) answered first, "Godfather, Father has said that the world believes you are the most valiant and skilled in battle, the contemporary military god of my Great Yan, but few people realize that your talent for governing the world is no less than his."

"Since entering eastern Jin, Chuanye has not yet traveled eastward. The bustle of Fengxin City is because the manor is in Fengxin City, but this time traveling eastward, Chuanye truly understands your capabilities."

"Godfather is not only the military god of Great Yan, but also, after dismounting, can be the Grand Chancellor of Great Yan!"

The Grand Chancellor was a ranking position in the cabinet that Ji Lao Liu (Sixth Prince of Yan, Crown Prince's Father) had come up with. After raising the level of the cabinet, he had ranked the senior officials in order of seniority to prevent them from forming cliques, in order to balance the power.

Chen Daole smiled inwardly: To abandon the army in eastern Jin that is loyal to oneself, to abandon the territory that has already been built up, and to go to the capital to be a Grand Chancellor, unless our Prince is crazy.

He Chunlai thought even deeper. According to the Prince's caution, entering the capital would not be done alone, nor would it be done with a light cavalry. It was very likely that he would enter the capital with a large army.

If that were the case, becoming a Grand Chancellor or Prime Minister in the capital would actually be quite good.

Zheng Fan just smiled slightly and turned to look at Tiantian (Heir Apparent of Jingnan).

Tiantian answered, "Mr. Bei said that goods and silver are most important to circulate, only when they circulate, will they generate value. I saw the developed commerce and the circulation."

Zheng Fan nodded, not commenting.

At this moment, a squad of armored soldiers patrolled by outside and, noticing the group of people sitting here, the leader frowned slightly.

Ming'an County, or rather, anything east of Fengxin City, basically didn't have "tourists," only merchants. But the people before them were clearly not merchants.

The squad of soldiers immediately made to come in for questioning, but He Chunlai took the initiative to step forward and showed his embroidered uniform guard's waist牌 (waist牌, waist tag/牌).

The leader's expression immediately turned solemn upon seeing the waist牌, and then, when he looked at the table again, the Prince had just turned around.

"Prince…"

The squad leader wanted to kneel;

He Chunlai reached out, supported him, and winked at him.

The squad leader nodded, indicating that he understood, and immediately turned around to lead his men away.

Nowadays, most of those who can become local leaders in the eastern Jin region are veterans who have retired from the army, and those veterans have basically fought alongside the Prince of Pingxi, so it's not surprising that they recognize the Prince.

Zheng Fan then stood up, signaling Chen Daole to pay the bill, and then said:

"Alright, let's get moving."

Since he'd already been recognized here, they'd better get to Xuehai Pass sooner.

The group got into the carriages, and the two carriages drove out of the county town gate. As soon as they left the city gate, Zheng Fan signaled to stop the carriages.

Immediately afterward,

Zheng Fan got out of the carriage first, and Tiantian and Ji Chuanye followed him out.

The Prince faced the city gate, on both sides of which hung rows of corpses, no less than a hundred.

However, only five were fresh, and the rest were basically dried up, some with only a skull hanging there.

The corpses had been treated, so there was no need to worry about any plague.

Zheng Fan didn't cover the children's eyes, he just let them stand there and watch openly.

These two children,

one was the Heir Apparent of the Old Prince of Jingnan,

the other was the Crown Prince of Great Yan,

it would be truly embarrassing if they couldn't even bear to watch this sight.

"Chunlai."

"Yes."

He Chunlai stepped forward and pointed to the corpses hanging on the city wall, saying:

"Your two Highnesses, these people can basically be divided into three categories;"

"One category is the stewards who profited illegally from the trading market;"

"One category is the officials in this county who embezzled;"

"One category is the shopkeepers of the trading caravans who evaded taxes."

"According to the laws of the Prince of Pingxi's manor, trading caravans traveling in eastern Jin must abide by the laws of the manor. Those who violate the law will be severely punished!"

"According to the laws of the Prince of Pingxi's manor, officials under the Prince's rule who are corrupt and pervert the law will be killed without mercy!"

Tiantian and the Crown Prince nodded together after listening.

Zheng Fan asked, "Look at these corpses, the earliest ones are several years old, the newest ones still have some tender flesh. I ask you, do you think it's possible to kill all the corrupt and lawless in this world?"

"I've always liked to eat Sachima, after eating it, I'll want to eat it again after a while."

"Father once told Chuanye that those in power should guide with profit."

Zheng Fan reached out and stroked Tiantian's head, then said to Ji Chuanye:

"That's what your father told you when he was still a Prince, right?"

"Yes."

"Different times, different things, the scope is different."

"I am taught."

Zheng Fan looked at the corpses and said; "Those who practice harsh laws may be able to do so for a time, but cannot do so for a lifetime. Every year in spring, the wild grass regrows, and this is the same principle."

"It's impossible to completely eliminate this grass. Even if it seems to be eliminated, it will definitely sprout again after a rain."

"But, can we ignore it because of this? Anyway, it's a useless effort."

"One generation removes the grass of one generation, one generation manages the affairs of one generation."

"It's like this Prince's sword. The one who wields the sword must often wipe it. Once they slack off and the sword rusts, the one who dies on the battlefield will be themselves."

"I am taught."

The two children saluted together.

The Prince clicked his tongue softly, and after indulging in his mentor's addiction, waved his hand:

"Alright, get on the carriages."

…

The carriage team finally arrived in the Xuehai Pass territory.

There are three places for land reclamation in eastern Jin.

The largest one is naturally Fengxin City, where there are the most people;

The Xuehai Pass and Zhennan Pass areas are also land reclamation areas, in order to strive for the ability of the garrisons in these two strategic passes to be as self-sufficient as possible in terms of food and fodder.

Among them, Xuehai Pass, because of the foundation laid by the Marquis's manor back then, can clearly see a fertile field after approaching its territory, and the autumn harvest work has already begun.

The carriage travels on the official road between the fields, watching the busy figures on both sides.

There are men, women, old and young, and there is no shortage of strong laborers;

Military households must participate in production during the busy farming season.

In fact, earlier, Zheng Fan wanted to raise a purely demobilized mercenary army, but as his family became bigger and bigger and the scale of the army required increased, he found that this was simply impossible;

For no other reason than the burden was too great.

It's not that they can't afford it. Back then, Great Yan used the power of the whole country to support the Iron Cavalry of the Northern Town Army, and eastern Jin can completely do it now;

But if they want to manage and develop at the same time, they earn as much as they eat, and they can only maintain the situation without collapsing. The ambitions of the Prince of Pingxi's manor are definitely not limited to this.

Nowadays, only the 30,000 most elite iron cavalry personally led by Liang Cheng are considered demobilized, and the remaining garrisons in various places must be responsible for land reclamation.

Ahead, there is a caravan, the caravan is flying the banner of the Prince of Pingxi's manor, which will pass through Xuehai Pass to the Snow Plains.

The caravan steward waited respectfully, and after the two carriages merged into this caravan, the caravan continued to advance, passing through the checkpoints and entering Xuehai Pass.

The Sword Saint lifted the car curtain and looked at the scene outside, saying:

"I thought it would become colder here, but it feels even more lively than it used to be."

After all, the manor moved from Xuehai Pass to Fengxin City.

"This is in line with the law of development." Zheng Fan smiled, "Regardless of whether there's a war or not, and regardless of whether the manor is here or not, this strategic pass can't possibly be deserted."

The Sword Saint glanced at Zheng Fan and asked, "Why enter the city like this?"

Not only did he enter the city like this, but he also obviously concealed his tracks along the way, which made the Sword Saint a little curious.

The embroidered uniform guards were also kept far away and did not follow closely.

"If you want to see some real things, you have to be low-key."

"So, what do you want to see?"

"I'm not sure yet."

The sword maid interjected at this time: "Master, don't ask, our Prince just likes this feeling of the White Dragon in Disguise."

Then, the sword maid added:

"The more you ask, Master, the better the Prince will feel."

"Hahahaha."

Zheng Fan laughed, throwing a peanut in his hand at the sword maid,

scolding with a smile:

"You're the only one who's smart, do you think your Master doesn't know?"

The Sword Saint did not speak;

But in fact, in the past few years, they had been neighbors at home, often visiting each other, and they were almost inseparable when going out to war, so they had already smoothed out each other's temperaments.

The sword maid was a little unconvinced and said:

"Then why are you asking a question you already know the answer to, Prince? Are you here to find fault?"

"No, it would be too embarrassing if you had to find fault on the spot."

"Since you have the handle in your hand, Prince, why don't you just punish them?"

"That's a good question."

Zheng Fan looked at Tiantian and Ji Chuanye beside him,

especially asking Ji Chuanye;

"Chuanye."

"I'm here."

"Did your father ever teach you how to deal with someone you hate?"

"Father taught me that whether a person is annoying is secondary, the main thing is to see if this person is useful."

"Continue."

"If he is a useful person, even if he makes a mistake, as long as the mistake he makes is not bigger than his usefulness, it can be put down."

"Well, listen, did you hear that?"

Zheng Fan threw another peanut at the sword maid,

saying:

"If you arrest everyone who should be arrested and take everyone who should be taken, will you stay here alone to help me guard this city?"

"I…"

"You're not even as knowledgeable as a child, you've eaten for nothing all these years."

Hearing this, the Sword Saint turned to look at Zheng Fan.

"Learn more from your Master, in doing things and dealing with people, in seeing things and seeing people, this also contains the true meaning of swordsmanship."

"Heh." The Sword Saint was too lazy to speak directly.

The sword maid looked puzzled and said unconvinced:

"Prince, do you understand swordsmanship?"

"Ask your Master."

The Sword Saint had no choice but to say helplessly: "Listen more, it's useful."

"Oh."

The sword maid had to agree, she believed in her Master.

…

It was a long time after entering the city, when the caravan was about to leave Xuehai Pass from the north gate, that the carriage where the Prince was located finally left the caravan.

There were rumors in the martial world that when the Prince of Pingxi was still the Marquis of Pingxi, in order to show his determination to guard Xuehai Pass for Great Yan and resist the barbarian troubles, he built his Marquis's manor almost close to the north city gate.

In fact, the real reason was that the Sword Saint was a city guard soldier at the north gate back then.

The carriage stopped in front of the Marquis's manor gate, and the two rows of soldiers at the gate immediately stepped forward to check.

"Presumptuous, is this a place where you can park at will!"

He Chunlai got out of the carriage first, took out the token, and scolded:

"The King's carriage is here, kneel down to see the Prince!"

Zheng Fan also lifted the car curtain at this time and walked out of the carriage.

"Prince…"

The manor had long been moved from Xuehai Pass to Fengxin City. Naturally, the soldiers who were sent to guard the gate of the old Marquis's manor in Xuehai Pass were not very successful soldiers, so they did not remember the Prince of Pingxi's appearance.

But on the one hand, the token could not be fake, and on the other hand, wouldn't impersonating the Prince in Xuehai Pass be obviously courting death?

Most importantly,

when Zheng Fan's gaze swept over them,

the aura that military personnel could personally feel made them directly put down all doubts and immediately kneel down:

"This humble officer pays respects to the Prince, may the Prince have fortune and health!"

Zheng Fan ignored them, but stood at the door and looked at the plaque of the Marquis's manor for a while.

Behind him, Tiantian helped Ji Chuanye get out of the carriage, and said to the Crown Prince:

"Brother, this is where I used to live."

The Sword Saint and the sword maid also came down, and the two of them habitually looked at the alley next to the manor.

"Coming home."

Zheng Fan turned around and smiled at everyone.

Afterward,

he stepped into the gate.

After taking Xuehai Pass, the Marquis's manor was actually rebuilt later, purely from an architectural point of view, it was still very new;

But if a house is uninhabited and lacks that human energy to nurture it, it will easily appear "old";

And the houses that have been inhabited are more likely to be like this.

Zheng Fan led the group around the house;

At the same time,

the news of the Prince's return to the manor quickly spread.

Soon, the first group of civil and military officials of Xuehai Pass who received the news gathered at the gate of the Marquis's manor;

The soldiers guarding the gate did not stop them, because the Prince did not let the embroidered uniform guards take over here.

But even if no one stopped them, after learning that the Prince was inside, none of the first group of civil and military officials who arrived dared to go in first.

The Prince came in disguise and entered the manor directly, what was his purpose?

The Emperor's intentions are unpredictable, the Emperor's intentions are unpredictable.

Everyone, looked at me, I looked at you, well, let's wait, if the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up first.

Slowly, more and more people began to gather here.

And Ke Yan Dongge, finally came riding his horse, he himself was not in the pass today, but was inspecting the beacon towers in the west, and returned immediately after receiving the news.

He is the general of Xuehai Pass, in eastern Jin, military and political affairs, the military comes first;

The prefect of Xuehai Pass's surname is Wen, he is from the Wen family, that is, the family of Blind's wife, and he arrived early, but he had been hanging his hands, waiting.

Ke Yan Dongge looked at him, and he also rolled his eyes, smiling slightly.

The two of them usually work together to preside over the affairs of the Xuehai Pass area. It is impossible to say that there are no conflicts;

"Is the Prince really here?"

Ke Yan Dongge asked the gatekeeper.

"Yes, it is the Prince."

Ke Yan Dongge tidied up his armor, walked up the steps, and the people behind him seemed to have found the backbone, and lined up to follow in together.

Who knew that Ke Yan Dongge suddenly stopped after walking up the steps and took two deep breaths,

the people behind him stumbled collectively, and Prefect Wen, who was in second place, was directly pushed to the ground.

Ke Yan Dongge looked back at him, without further delay, and walked into the Marquis's manor.

The people behind him immediately helped up Prefect Wen, and everyone followed in together, but did not forget to give the two dolls ingratiating smiles.

The Marquis's manor would have someone clean it every once in a while, but there was no configuration of palace maids and eunuchs like the Emperor's temporary residence, even when the Prince lived here, there were pitifully few servants in the mansion.

Ke Yan Dongge walked directly to the inner house,

at the threshold of the inner house courtyard gate, sat two children.

In front of the two children, there was a thick stack of memorials, as if they were sorting them out, and the two children did not panic at all when they saw a group of people coming over.

"This is the memorial of the barbarian generals who embezzled the standard household farming land, put it here."

"This is the memorial of suppressing dissidents and promoting relatives, put it here."

"This is the memorial of extorting the Helan tribe, put it here."

"Brother, this is the memorial of provoking an ambush on the Gesang tribe caravan without authorization, it should be placed with you."

"Yes, yes, this is the memorial of disrespect after drinking, it should be placed with you, brother."

Ke Yan Dongge opened his mouth, and his breathing began to tremble a little.

The generals and civil officials behind him also looked at each other, only feeling that a terrible pressure had already struck.

Tiantian raised his head, as if he had just discovered that there was a large group of people standing in front of him, and said with some surprise;

"Uncles, why are you standing here, go in."

Although the children's appearance changed quickly as they grew up, many people present had actually vaguely guessed the identities of these two children.

They were waiting for Ke Yan Dongge to take the lead in saluting so that everyone could follow up,

who knew that Ke Yan Dongge's figure was a little staggering, as if he had lost his soul, he just nodded numbly and walked in.

The people behind him had no choice but to follow in together, but did not forget to give these two dolls ingratiating smiles.

The two children, on the other hand, looked harmless and did not greet anyone, continuing to sit down and classify the memorials in front of them.

Everyone finally entered the back garden of the manor,

at this time,

there stood a man in a white python robe, and beside the man was a chair.

When everyone came in, the man turned around.

After a long time, seeing the Prince's face again, everyone's minds immediately had a momentary stagnation.

Immediately afterward, the Prince's actions and words,

made Ke Yan Dongge, the general of Xuehai Pass, "bang" and directly collapsed to the ground, shaking like a sieve.

The Prince patted the chair beside him,

saying:

"Come, Dongge, I'll give you my throne to sit on."