Call of the Heroes of Chaos in Another World

Chapter 1874: The Prime Minister's Son, the Northern Pillar

Although Zhang Liang's words consisted of only a few words and his tone was very elegant, he was extremely confident, and one could even say that he had a hint of arrogance.

The underlying meaning of his words was that he did not take Nurhaci's sons seriously at all and simply described them as pigs.

And "彘" is also a name for pigs in Apocalypse.

"Mr. Zhang, what you said makes sense. The candidate for the hostage must be Huang Taiji!" As another leader of this matter, Zhang Bin also agreed at this time.

The reason why he pushed Kuai Tong to accompany Li Hongzhang back to Beidi in the end was not to let Kuai Tong go to Beidi for sightseeing, but to let him go with a mission.

Presumably, among the Manchu tribes today, there are definitely more than just one or two people who want Huang Taiji to be a hostage.

In fact, with so many people speaking up for Huang Taiji, Nurhaci must have not minded at all!

Kuai Tong's mission was to add fuel to the fire at the critical moment and help them accomplish this matter.

Wang Yu also nodded. If the candidate for the hostage was not Huang Taiji, then there would be no point.

Among Nurhaci's sons, there were only two that Wang Yu was interested in.

If it was Xuanye who took over, then among all of Nurhaci's sons, Huang Taiji would probably be the only one who would become the most powerful.

Only if Huang Taiji took over would conflicts among Nurhaci's next generation arise.

If the conflicts among Nurhaci's next generation had not arisen, even the Wanyan family represented by Wanyan Aguda would probably have remained silent.

These things are all matters of interconnectedness.

If this corner is not pulled away, it will be difficult for him to push the ones behind.

………………

The bazaar in Yecheng is a bustling scene with heavy traffic and crowds of people. On the long street, vendors are crowded and shops welcome customers, creating a scene of bustling and noisy city.

Hebei Province was originally a prosperous place, and Yecheng, once the seat of the Hebei Province, was even more prosperous. Now that it has become the capital of the Han Dynasty, it is even more prosperous than before.

There was a small stall on the corner of the street, next to Wu's pancake shop. It was a simple stall, with only a narrow wooden table covered with an old white cloth, a thin bamboo pole with a sail tied to the corner, and a stack of white paper and writing brushes and ink neatly placed on the table.

The owner of the stall was Su Yan, the youngest son of Su Ze, former Grand Secretary of the Da Cang Hanlin Academy, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and Left Prime Minister.

At this time, Su Yan no longer had the demeanor of a high-ranking official and celebrity. He was just wearing a gray scarf on his head and cloth clothes, and was concentrating on writing a letter.

In the original historical trajectory, he was one of the pillar figures of the Northern Faction of the New Dynasty, second only to the three giants. However, in this life, his life was not as smooth as before. The past few years can be said to be a history of suffering.

In front of him, a young man with a scar on his face kept saying, "I am now working in Yecheng Prefecture. Tell my mother that I will be home soon. Together with the pension given by the court, it is enough for both of us brothers to marry a wife.

Ask my mother to remember to help my brother and I look for young ladies in the nearby village so that we can arrange the wedding when I return.

Also, if I return to my hometown, I can get 30 acres of land. Then my family won't have to worry about starving. I can also work in the village. The team leader said that based on my merits, I can also become a village head.

Tell my brother again that when I return home, our family will be able to live a good life, and ask him to take good care of mother. If he causes mother to suffer any injustice, I will definitely beat him up when I get back.

besides……"

Soon, several sheets of letter paper were covered with words. Su Yan put down his pen, folded the letter skillfully, and sealed it. Then he asked the man in front of him, "May I ask the recipient's name?"

The young man standing in front of Su Yan had rough skin, was tall, strong and muscular, and stood like a pine tree. Apart from a scar on his face, he only had a finger missing on his right hand, which made him look even more brave. He was obviously a soldier who had retired due to injury. It was a long-winded speech, but it sounded particularly simple.

The young man was talking, and even had tears in his eyes. When he heard Su Yan's question, he was stunned for a moment and said, "What do you mean?"

Su Yan said: "What is the name of the recipient?"

"Oh, you literati, you just call people by their names, why bother with taboos? My elder brother's name is Huyang, the Yang like willow!" the young man complained in a hoarse voice.

Seeing this, Su Yan couldn't help but smile bitterly and said, "You are right, I am a little pedantic!"

After saying that, Su Yan quickly wrote his name on the envelope, and then blew away the wet ink.

"Did you write down everything I told you? Did you miss anything?" The young man couldn't help but ask Su Yan when he saw it.

Su Yan said, "But please rest assured, not a single word is missing. If you are worried, you can ask someone to check it!"

The young man chuckled and said, "No need! That's not necessary!"

The young man said as he quickly took the letter, took out seven copper coins from his pocket, and handed them to Su Yan, saying, "Thank you, sir!"

"One more! A letter only costs six cents!" Su Yan said.

The young man replied, "Sir, you have written so many words for me. This is my way of thanking you!"

After saying this, he took the letter into his arms with a smile on his face as if it were a treasure, said goodbye and left, preparing to go to the post station to send the letter back to his hometown. He was a retired soldier, and sending letters through the official post station was not only preferential, but also guaranteed, and the speed was also fast.

In recent years, under Wang Yu's attention, the post reporting systems in various places have become more and more perfect, and the government offices have been very cooperative in building post roads and post stations.

Su Yan slowly put away the copper coins, picked up one and looked at it. Looking at the four words "Yuan Shi Tong Bao", he was distracted for a moment, but put it into his arms quickly.

Su Yan has actually gotten used to his current miserable life and is no longer as anxious about gains and losses as he was at the beginning.
During Wang Yu's campaigns, he captured many important figures. Some of them surrendered voluntarily, while others died for their loyalty.

Su Yan didn't have the courage to go with the flow, but as someone from a prominent family, he was unwilling to associate with someone he considered a traitor.

Therefore, as a minister of a defeated country and a trophy, it was quite humiliating. But at the beginning, in Wang Yu's army, at least I had no worries about food and clothing.

However, he was a high-ranking official in Da Cang after all. During the war, there was no time to deal with him, so he was just left in prison. After the war, of course, it was impossible for him to be imprisoned, as everyone had forgotten about him.

However, his former boss, Bai Shang, stepped forward to save him.

Even though Bai Shang's status was somewhat embarrassing, he would rather die than bow to Wang Yu. However, he was still Wang Yu's father-in-law after all, and the people below would not hate him for this. Wasn't it just to save a person? It wasn't the kind of thing that had to be killed, so just let him go!

The government office neither locked him up nor released him, allowing him to fend for himself. Because of his identity, he was only checked by officials every day.

Then, Su Yan began his impoverished life in Yecheng. Any valuable things on him had been plundered or used to bribe officials. He was penniless and had no choice but to pawn his clothes at a pawnshop. He exchanged some money for old clothes and found a family in a corner of the market, rented a room and lived there.

Afterwards, the son of the Left Prime Minister, the Minister of Rites, and a scholar began to worry about the daily necessities of life, such as food, drink, and defecation, and suffered a lot.

Fortunately, I still had a pen, so I used the remaining money to find someone to build this table and buy some paper. On weekdays, I make a living by writing letters and lawsuits for people, and I have been doing this until now.

Such a miserable life was very difficult for Su Yan, who had lived a life of luxury. But he had no choice but to give up his "pride" as a scholar and bow to reality, suffering for his stomach.

This took several years.

And so much has happened in the past few years, until the establishment of the current Han Dynasty. In contrast, the Great Cang has become a mere formality, although there are still Prince Jing and the small court of Hexi Road, and even Prince Wei, who all claim to be the orthodox of the Great Cang.

However, the latter two are not strong, and the former, as one of the two strongest in Da Cang, once had hope as a person who cared about Cang Shi for a period of time. However, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

It's not that Su Yan didn't think about escaping, but the officials from the Yefu government office were perfunctory in their supervision of him and only came to check on him symbolically every day.

But he just looked at him symbolically every day. Once he found that he was not there, where could he escape to in a day?

Moreover, when thinking about the long journey of thousands of miles, the most important thing was his identity. Once he left Yecheng, how could he avoid the checkpoints and cities in the Han territory? If he was checked, without a pass, his life would be in danger.

Those martial arts masters climbed over mountains and crossed over ridges along the way. If there was no road, they would make their own way. However, he was just a weak scholar. Climbing over mountains and crossing over ridges would only make him die faster. If he took the official road, he would not be able to escape the inspections along the way.

The sun was getting higher, and the blazing light was shining on the table, gradually getting hotter. Su Yan sat there alone, closing his eyes to rest, not moving at all. Since the man who asked for a letter left, no one had patronized his business for nearly an hour, and it was very bleak. He did not take the initiative, but just sat there...

The streets were still bustling as always. As the temperature gradually rose, Su Yan couldn't stand being exposed to the sun anymore. He opened his eyes, feeling a little dazed and hungry.

Su Yan sighed heavily, looked at the sun, smiled bitterly, stood up and began to pack his things.

"Mr. Su, are you going home so early?" The dwarf owner of the nearby pancake shop, whose hair was covered with dried tree bark, noticed it and asked loudly.

Su Yan raised his head helplessly, pointed at the top of his head, and said: "This man is very vicious, it is really unbearable!"

Seeing this, the shop owner came out with an oil-paper bag in his hand, handed it to Su Yan, and said, "These are the two leftover pancakes from this morning. If you don't mind, Mr. Su, you can eat them first!"

Su Yan was about to pay, but the dwarf stopped him and said, "No need! No need! These are leftovers and can't be sold. It's a waste to keep them here..."

After so long, I've become somewhat familiar with him, but looking at his calm eyes looking at me, I can't help but wonder if he wants something from me.

It was just a fleeting thought, and Su Yan couldn't help but laugh at himself. Having fallen to this point, was he still afraid that this common man might plot against him?
Su Yan did not refuse, he took it and bowed to him again: "I will repay you a hundredfold for your kindness today!"

Hearing this, the dwarf waved his hands and looked at Su Yan and said, "Mr. Su, I see that you are also a scholar with literary talent and can write lawsuits. Why don't you go to the government office to ask for a position? It's better than being here..."

Su Yan just sighed, but didn't say much. He bowed and said, "Goodbye!"

With the help of the dwarf, Su Yan packed up all his tables and chairs, tied them up with a hemp rope, put them on his back, and walked slowly towards the outside of the city step by step...

The house where Su Yan rented was just an ordinary family's house, just a small room. Moreover, it was far away from South City, so every time he went to and from the market, it was very difficult for him to walk.

When he returned to his residence, he was already panting and sweating. The housewife in the yard heard the noise and came out. When she saw Su Yan, she immediately put her hands on her waist and said, "Mr. Su, you are back so early again!"

Su Yan immediately showed a helpless smile on his face. Even though the house was simple, he was still living under someone else's roof. He wiped the sweat off his face helplessly and could only say to the fat woman, "The weather is really hot, it's hard to bear..."

"I wrote a letter today!" Su Yan took out the copper coins from his sleeve and handed them all to the woman in front of him. "I'll trouble you with my food for the next two days!"

As he spoke, he took out the pancakes and gave half to the woman, saying with a smile, "Give them to the children!"

After looking at Su Yan twice, the woman took them all, shook her head, and sighed again, but no one knew what she was sighing about.

Su Yan washed up briefly and returned to the simple room with a panoramic view. After eating two pancakes, he regained some strength. He immediately spread out the paper, ground the ink and dipped the pen, thought for a while, and started writing. During this time in Yecheng, apart from the miserable life, Su Yan spent his free time in this quiet room writing his "Yecheng Records".

Before she could finish her turn, the door was pushed open from the outside and the woman rushed in.

"What do you think, sister-in-law?" Su Yan was not angry at being interrupted. This situation was not the first time it happened, and he was used to it. Now, he could only get used to others, but not let others get used to him.

After spending many days together, he also realized that although the woman was rude, she was only harsh in words and was actually a kind-hearted person.

The woman held a bowl of rice with some vegetables on top, which smelled a bit greasy. She placed it in front of Su Yan, pressing it on his manuscript paper, and said, "Take out your dirty clothes and I'll wash them for you. Aren't you scholars always particular about things? You haven't washed your clothes for so long, how can you stand the stink?"

Hearing the woman's words, Su Yan's old face turned red. Without anyone to serve him, he had only washed clothes twice in the past month. When he smelled it, the stench on his body was still very obvious.

Then he stood up again and bowed to the woman: "I am really ashamed! Thank you very much!"