Great Military Division

Yizhou, Shu County.

State Shepherd House.

study.

Liu Yan sat on his knees, sipped his tea, and said softly, "Zhang'er, have you taken care of everything?"

A slightly obese man in front of him nodded slightly and said: "Not yet, all the major families are in debt. Although our things are good, there are not many people in the market who can accept them."

"I asked someone to sell a lot in Nanyang, and the price is not bad. Aside from the cost of the road, it can be regarded as a slight surplus. Overall, there is not too much loss, but the time will be a little slower."

"kindness."

Liu Yan gave a simple grace, and breathed a sigh of relief: "As long as it can be dealt with, it will take longer. It doesn't matter. After all, we will leave Yizhou soon."

"Father."

Liu Zhang frowned slightly, with a slightly sad expression, and asked tentatively: "Do we really have to leave?"

Liu Yan's kind eyes fell on his son's sad face, the corners of his lips slightly raised, and a faint smile appeared: "Zhang'er, you have stayed in Luoyang and Chang'an for so long, why can't you even understand this thing? ?”

"I"

"Chapter."

Before Liu Zhang could speak, he was interrupted by Liu Yan.

If in the past, Liu Zhang asked such an imbecile question, he would definitely reprimand him.

After all, Liu Zhang will be his future successor, and the future development of Yizhou will depend on his son.

But now, even he can't keep Yizhou himself, let alone expect Liu Zhang to shoulder the heavy responsibility. Therefore, Liu Yan is less strict and more kind to Liu Zhang:
"His Majesty the Emperor will not allow me to stay in Yizhou for a long time. No matter where I am in the future, I will never stay in Yizhou. This is the destination of you and my father and son."

"But don't worry."

Liu Yan sipped his tea and said softly, "I have saved a lot of things in Yizhou for so many years, which is enough for our father and son to use for the rest of their lives. If you want to find a job in Luoyang, you can get the money now buy house."

"What about you, father?"

Liu Zhang frowned and asked anxiously.

"I?"

Liu Yan smiled and shook his head: "I'm old and I can't afford to worry about it. If Your Majesty arranges a good place for me, I will spend my days there."

"If His Majesty gives me an official position, like Liu Biao and Liu Yao, then my father will resign and find a quiet place to spend his old age in peace."

Liu Zhang hurriedly said: "The child is with his father."

Liu Yan looked up to the sky and let out a haha, he was very satisfied with the child's filial piety.

but
After all, Liu Yan shook his head and said softly: "Father knows you are filial, but you are the eldest son in the family, so there is no need to be with father all day long, as long as your younger brother is here."

"You, it's better to go to Luoyang to find an errand, no matter if the official position is high or low, even if you are just a dandy, you'd better stay under His Majesty's nose, you are the talisman of our family."

"what?"

Liu Zhang naturally knew what his father meant.

At the beginning, when his father became the shepherd of Yizhou, he was also a hostage, accompanying the emperor in Luoyang, so that the emperor could feel at ease with his father, so that he could truly delegate power.

Liu Zhang couldn't believe it. Now that his father was about to resign, he would actually do this. The two are completely different. Why is it so hard to change his own destiny?
"Father Father"

Liu Zhang was surprised, with a look of disbelief: "At this moment, at that moment, you don't have any power, so is it possible that His Majesty still doubts you? Is it necessary to do this?"

Liu Yan's expression was calm, with a slight smile: "Of course, what you said makes sense, but I haven't surrendered to the court for so long, so I'm still a little different from Liu Biao and others."

"Father did this just in case. The superiors have always been vicious and cunning people, without the slightest emotion at all. We have to guard against it."

"of course."

Speaking of this, Liu Yan breathed out and continued: "Father's most important idea is to let you find a job in Luoyang. You are still young, so you shouldn't just guard the mountains and forests and let the family lose its official rank."

"It would be the best if we can make achievements. Even if we can't do it, we won't regret it in the future, and we won't let your child be ashamed of being a worthless father."

Liu Zhang understood his father's good intentions, and nodded slowly: "Don't worry, father, I know what to do. Although the imperial court exams are more difficult, I will still do my best."

"kindness."

Liu Yan nodded and nodded: "That being the case, in the near future, hurry up and buy a house. In the future, houses in Luoyang will become more and more expensive. Buying a house now will be enough for you for a lifetime."

"it is good."

Liu Zhang was very moved.

He is very aware of the value of Luoyang's real estate. A single house may cost half of Liu Yan's income in Yizhou, or even more. This is equivalent to half of the family property that his father gave him.

"Report—!"

At this moment, there was a long sound from outside the house.

Liu Zhang looked back.

But I saw that my younger brother Liu Dan came in a hurry and bowed to him: "Father, brother, Liu Ba of Zhongxing Bank asked to see him and said that he had something important to discuss with his father."

Surprised, Liu Zhang said softly, "Father, Liu Ba is still here."

"kindness."

Liu Yan gave a simple acknowledgment, sipped his tea, and immediately got up: "Let Liu Ba wait in the living room, and go after I change my clothes. First, send someone to cook the tea."

Liu Dan bowed his body and cupped his hands: "Here."

Immediately.

Bow and leave.

Liu Yan let out a long sigh: "Tomorrow is the repayment day. The Yizhou gentry has not made any movement until now. They must be planning to renege on their debts and not repay the money. Since they can't hide, then they won't hide."

Liu Zhang nodded: "Since the father has made a decision, the son will fully support the father."

Liu Yandan smiled: "Don't worry, nothing will happen."

Say it.

Liu Yan went straight out of the study, returned to the bedroom and changed into fresh clothes before rushing to the living room.

At the moment Liu Ba is sipping tea leisurely.

In fact, at the very beginning, he was still a little worried about the rebellion of the Yizhou gentry.

But
After the conflict broke out, they still dared not come to Zhongxing Bank to make trouble. This made Liu Ba realize that the Yizhou gentry did not dare to easily turn against Nanyang Hanting.

Especially in the recent period, Liu Yan has been calming things down in the open and in the dark, and he is unwilling to help the Yizhou gentry, which makes Liu Ba know that Liu Yan has the idea of ​​submitting to the imperial court.

That being the case, are you afraid of an egg?

of course!

Most importantly.

With the support of His Majesty the Emperor behind him, whether it is Liu Yan or the Yizhou gentry, they are all afraid of the strength of His Majesty the Emperor, so they dare not act rashly.

While Liu Ba was tasting tea alone, a voice came from outside the hall: "Liu Sicheng."

Liu Ba put down the teacup, raised his eyes to look, and immediately got up to greet him: "Liu Ba has seen the envoy."

Liu Yan waved his hand, motioning for him to take a seat aside, he went straight back to the main seat, and said with a smile, "I don't know why Liu Sicheng came here this time?"

Liu Ba didn't talk nonsense, he bowed, and said honestly: "It's not a big deal. You should be clear about the current situation. The loans of the gentry in Yizhou will be overdue tomorrow."

"Because the amount is huge, I dare not slack off in the slightest. I can only come to ask for your help, envoy, and send some soldiers to assist me to complete the sealing of the mortgaged assets."

"Especially arable land"

Speaking of this, Liu Ba rolled his eyes and borrowed His Majesty's hand: "The area is too large and fragmented. It is difficult to seal it up and requires a lot of manpower."

"If they don't, these assets will be re-auctioned for us. Shangshutai has already thought about this. This matter is extremely important."

Shangshutai!
This is an institution that represents the emperor's will.

Liu Yan naturally understood what the other party meant, and made it clear that he wanted to dedicate the cultivated land to the emperor and turn it into public land, omitting all kinds of complicated processes in the middle, and truly achieve it in one step.

"rest assured."

Liu Yan had already expected that it was Nanyang Hanting, and now he was more sure, so he did not dare to disobey, and hurriedly cupped his hands and said: "Tomorrow, I will personally arrange for someone to report to the bank, and I promise not to delay Liu Sicheng's affairs."

"only."

Liu Yan tentatively asked, "Does Liu Sicheng have an estimate of how many soldiers and horses will be needed?"

Liu Ba nodded: "Of course, according to our internal calculations, I'm afraid we need at least 2000 people."

Liu Yan frowned: "2000 people?"

It is clear.

These people not only want to seal up their assets, but more importantly, just in case, to ensure that they will not be counterattacked by the Yizhou gentry and become their ghosts.

"Yes."

Liu Ba nodded affirmatively: "It can't be less than 2000 people, and it may last for a while."

Liu Yan took a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly: "Okay, that's the case, tomorrow morning, General Zhang Ren will lead two thousand elite soldiers and horses to report to Zhongxing Bank, and Liu Sicheng will command after listening."

Liu Ba bowed his body and cupped his hands: "Your Majesty supports my work so much, I, Liu Ba, thank you in advance."

Liu Yan smiled wryly, and interrupted with a wave of his hand: "It's all for the imperial court, so there's no reason for me not to help."

Liu Ba's eyes brightened, and he nodded with great interest.

It is clear.

Liu Yan had already seen through his role, and knew more about his real purpose of coming here, so he said "all of them are for the court", and at the same time, he made his position clear to himself.

Liu Ba cupped his hands and bowed: "I will definitely report to the imperial court the achievements of the envoy's assistance."

Liu Yan nodded: "Thank you, Liu Sicheng."

Liu Ba let out a sigh of relief and stood up: "Since that's the case, I will take my leave. Tomorrow morning, I, Liu Ba, will wait for news from the envoy of Zhongxing Bank."

Liu Yan also stood up, waved his hand to make a petition, and personally sent it out of the living room: "Don't worry, Liu Sicheng, I, Liu Yan, have always kept my promises. General Zhang will definitely arrive tomorrow morning."

Liu Ba cupped his hands: "It's very good."

After sending Liu Ba out of the mansion, Liu Yan heaved a sigh of relief as he watched his leaving back.

At this moment, Liu Zhang leaned forward, bowed, and tried to ask: "Father, how is it?"

Liu Yan didn't answer his son's question, but instead ordered: "Send someone to Wu's house quickly and tell Wu Yi not to resist. As long as the person is fine, everything can be done again."

Liu Zhang realized the seriousness of the problem and nodded quickly: "Father, don't worry, I will send someone here."

Liu Yan let out a sigh of relief, filled with emotion: "Yizhou, the sky has changed!"

*****
Zhang House.

in the library.

A slightly thin man was calmly reading a book.

At this moment, a familiar figure turned outside the house, it was the housekeeper of the Zhang residence.

"Homeowner."

The butler looked a little melancholy, and timidly cupped his hands and said, "Tomorrow is the repayment day. If we don't pay the money, it is very likely that the people from Zhongxing Bank will take over the house and seal up the assets."

"otherwise"

When the butler was about to say something.

The thin man above put down the scroll, and a pair of piercing eyes fell on the housekeeper: "What else? Do you still want to raise troops to rebel?"

The housekeeper thumped in his heart, and hurriedly said: "The villain absolutely dare not do this, but some families seem to want to do something, and they are already contacting various forces."

"They are them, we are us, how can we generalize?"

The thin man interrupted without hesitation, and his sharp gaze like a sword swept over the other party, as if he wished to cut him into pieces.

"The little man understands."

Just as the butler was about to leave, the thin man waved his hand and stopped: "Wait a minute."

The butler bowed his body and cupped his hands: "What orders does the Patriarch have?"

"The order continues. If the imperial court sends people to our house, no one can resist and cooperate. If you violate this order, don't blame me for being rude, and you will be expelled from the house."

"what?"

The butler was astonished.

When he was about to say something, he was cut off again by the man above: "What? Didn't you understand? Do you need me to repeat it to you?"

The butler hurriedly shook his head: "No need."

The thin man shouted sharply: "Why don't you hurry up?"

The butler nodded: "Here."

Just as the man was leaving the study, a man turned out from behind the screen.

"Yongnian, do you really want to surrender?"

Zhang Su dropped the book, walked up to him, frowned and said, "This is not a small deal, almost costing our wealth and life, can you bear it?"

"can."

Zhang Song nodded, and read the paper again: "If you're fine, then go, I don't have time to waste words with you, I've already said some things thoroughly."

"But."

Zhang Su pressed his hands on the book, his eyes wide open: "Even though Nanyang Hanting may be behind him, he has already offended the public by doing so. As long as we unite, we may not be unable to seek justice."

"Yongnian!"

There was a hint of anger in Zhang Su's voice: "This is an asset handed down from our ancestors. It can't just be destroyed in the hands of you and my brothers. Let me tell you the truth, I will never give in."

Zhang Song put down the scroll, looked up at the other party, and said solemnly: "You can do whatever you like. You are you and I am me. Although we are brothers, it doesn't mean that I want to be like you."

"Yongnian!"

"Stop!"

Before Zhang Su could speak, he was interrupted by Zhang Song: "Brother, I have said everything that should be said and what should not be said, and my attitude is very clear, it is impossible to rebel with you."

"ZTE Bank can be sealed up however you want. They are doing things according to the rules. Since it is a business, I blame you for not being aware of the risks in advance!"

"you you."

Zhang Su stared like a bell, and said aggressively, "You don't know what's good or bad."

Zhang Song replied without hesitation: "It's you who don't know what to do, not me!"

"Okay, you can do it!"

Zhang Su was furious, and shouted sonorously: "You have sold the foundation of our ancestors just like this. Let me see how you will see the ancestors of the Zhang family in a hundred years."

Zhang Song was furious: "How I see it is my own business and has nothing to do with you."

Zhang Su scolded: "What a coward."

"Say what you want."

"."

Although the Zhang family in Yizhou is not the largest noble family, it is also a very powerful family.

Zhang Su invested a lot in this business. He put almost all his family property on it, and even his own house was mortgaged to Zhongxing Bank as an asset.

But with the collapse of the business, the golden monkey in his hand could not be sold, and the loan from Zhongxing Bank was overdue, and Zhang Su was almost driven crazy.

He thought of various ways to recover the loss, and even joined forces with all the gentry to find Liu Yan, but the other party either shied away or made a move in the lake, and did not make any substantive actions at all.

If he hadn't been forced to do nothing, it would be absolutely impossible for Zhang Su to embark on the road of rebellion. He wanted to use force to force Zhongxing Bank to protect his own interests.

Although, even Zhang Su himself understood that this was just a bad idea, but it was the only way Zhang Su could think of. He had already lost the right to choose!
But who would have thought.
It's so stupid that even his own brother is not prepared to help him, and even expects Zhongxing Bank to show mercy.

When Zhang Su left the mansion, he frowned, got into the carriage, and waved his hand: "Let's go to Wu Mansion."

Zhang Quan was surprised: "Wu Mansion? Which Wu Mansion?"

Zhang Su was angry: "Which Wu mansion? Which other Wu mansion can there be? Wu Yi's mansion."

"Here."

Zhang Quan responded, and then drove to Wu Yi's mansion.

In this business investment, Wu Yi must be the one who suffered the most.

In a sense, he himself is also a victim, and he has experience in leading troops. If he can be recruited into the group, the success rate will naturally increase a lot.

Although the gentry in Yizhou had fallen out with Wu Yi before, everyone is facing the same problem now. Zhang Su doesn't believe that Wu Yi will be like his stupid younger brother, willing to become a fish on the chopping board and let others slaughter him.

now.

The Wu family in Shu County.

Wu Yi held the sword in his hand, his bright eyes were full of sharpness.

Beside him, Wu Yun, the housekeeper, bowed: "Patriarch, the people in the house are ready, as long as you give an order, they will definitely fight with the people of Zhongxing Bank to the end."

"it is good."

Wu Yi took a deep breath, with a tinge of ferocity in his voice: "I really don't believe it. The Yizhou gentry are willing to seal up so many assets and become the assets of Zhongxing Bank."

"Patriarch, don't worry."

Wu Yun approached him and said in a low voice, "I've already found out that Zhang Su is uniting with the Yizhou gentry these days. It is very likely that he is preparing for tomorrow. We will definitely not fight alone."

"but."

Speaking of this, Wu Yun tried to remind: "Shall we ask the Lord's opinion?"

Wu Yi sighed: "If there are special circumstances, my lord will definitely remind me. If he doesn't come, it proves that there should be nothing wrong. You don't have to work hard, just prepare with peace of mind."

After so many years of getting along, Wu Yi understood his relationship with Liu Yan and Liu Yan's temperament too well, so he dared to make such a bold decision.

"Here."

Wu Yun responded and nodded: "Patriarch, don't worry, everything in the mansion is ready. Although we have been restricted in military power, many people in the mansion have actual combat experience."

"Let's not talk about the cowardice of Zhongxing Bank. Even a small team in the Yizhou Army may not be their opponent. Don't worry."

Clang!

Wu Yi drew his sword out of its sheath, and his eyes full of anger were printed on the edge of the cold sword.

But at this moment, there was a long announcement from outside the hall:
"Report—!"

Wu Yi retracted his sword and returned it to its sheath, and turned his head to look.

But seeing, his own servant hurried into the hall, bowed his body and cupped his hands: "Patriarch, the State Shepherd's Mansion has sent someone over."

Wu Yi was surprised: "Oh? Let someone come in."

The attendant nodded and nodded: "Here."

Not long after, a man hurried up to the hall and bowed.

Before he could speak, he was interrupted by Wu Yi: "But my lord, do you have something for me?"

The man nodded: "That's right."

"Oh?"

Wu Yi asked anxiously, "What did my lord say?"

The man replied: "My lord tells you to hold back, saving your life is the kingly way now."

Wu Yi frowned: "No more?"

The man nodded: "Well, it's gone."

call-

Wu Yi let out a long breath, and waved his hand to signal the man to leave.

Wu Yun leaned forward: "Patriarch, what does Yizhou Mu mean? Do you want us to sit and wait for death?"

Wu Yi was silent for a long time: "Since my lord said so, he must have grasped something, or his guess was correct, or he has decided to submit to Nanyang Hanting."

"what?"

Wu Yun was astonished, his eyes stared like bells.

You know, Liu Yan is the biggest backer of the Wu family. If Liu Yan has already taken refuge in Nanyang, then no matter how hard the Yizhou gentry struggles, it will be in vain.

"Homeowner."

Wu Yun's throat rolled, and he swallowed forcefully: "If this is really the case, what should we do?"

Wu Yi frowned, pondered for a long time, and finally made up his mind: "I believe that my lord will not send such a message for no reason. Let's stand still and obey orders."

"But."

"Nothing but."

Before Wu Yun could speak, he was interrupted by Wu Yi directly: "It's not like we didn't start from scratch before. My lord is right. The most important thing now is to save life, not money!"

Wu Yun was very anxious. He really couldn't bear to hand over such a huge foundation to others: "Damn it, it's all my fault for being obsessed with ghosts. I didn't see through their plot in advance, otherwise it wouldn't have ended like it is today."

"okay."

Wu Yi has heard too much of this kind of talk recently, and has become a little impatient: "Even if there is no golden monkey, there will be other means. Nanyang Hanting's target is the Yizhou gentry, and we will not be able to escape after all."

Hearing what Wu Yi said, Wu Yun felt a little more at ease: "The Patriarch is wise, don't worry, the villain will pass on orders right now, no one should act rashly without the Patriarch's order."

Wu Yi waved his hand, "Go."

Wu Yun nodded: "Here."