First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

...

Gaozhou, Gaoliang City, the back office of the Governor's Mansion.

Feng Ang, the governor of Gaozhou, walked around the hall with his hands behind his hands, a smile that could not be concealed on his face.

Not long after, a thin middle-aged official walked in quickly.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, Feng An turned around and asked, "How? Did you find out?"

The middle-aged man was Feng Ang's third son, Feng Zhisu, the governor of Gaozhou.

Seeing his father's eagerness, Feng Zhichen didn't delay, just nodded and smiled and said: "I have found out, Aye, Gao Jinglue has arrived in Jiangzhou."

"Okay", Feng An slapped his hands, "It's finally here, now Lingnan should be safe and sound."

Then after thinking for a while, he continued: "Si Lang is in Lianzhou, which is closest to Jiangzhou. You send a message to him and ask Si Lang to quickly visit Gao Jinglue."

Silang is Feng Ang's second son Feng Zhiyu, ranking fourth in the clan. He is the governor of Lianzhou, close to Jiangzhou and other places.

Feng Zhichen grinned in response, "Aye, Gao Jinglue has always been friendly with my family. Now that he has come to Lingnan, it must be my Feng family's luck. This time, we must completely kill the Tan thief."

In the past few months, Tan Dian has come to attack Gaozhou like crazy, which can be said to deepen the enmity between the two families once again.

Hearing this, Feng An frowned and said nothing. He returned to the desk and sat down, looking at the situation map of Lingnan states with uncertain eyes.

Feng Zhichen just waited quietly on the side.

"no".

After thinking about it, Feng Ang just shook his head, stood up and walked to the door, looking up to the sky and sighing: "It has been like this for hundreds of years among the shogunate officials. When my father assisted the Sui army in killing Chen Fozhi, he defeated the Chen family." Waste.

Now if we use the power of the imperial court to suppress the Tan family again, then my Feng family's prestige among the scumbags will plummet, and the scumbag affairs will be settled by the sluts. The Tan family has no official status now. I'm holding back, and sooner or later I'll be able to resolve it."

Feng Zhichen opened his mouth when he heard the words, but stopped talking.

Feng An seemed to know what San'er wanted to say, turned his head and said with a smile, "Do you think being a father is pedantic?"

Feng Zhichen was startled, not knowing how to answer.

Feng An also ignored it, but said quietly: "It's indeed pedantic, but there are some things that happen to be like this, the word fame is invisible and intangible, but it really lies in people's hearts.

For so many years, Ning Changzhen kept a low profile, first accepted Chen Longshu, and even once gave up Qinzhou governor to the Chen family, why?This is raising hope.

Lingnan said that it is not big, the Chen family is not as good as before, the three families no longer stand together, two tigers cannot fit in one mountain, our biggest enemies are always the Ning family, the Tan family... just dead bones in the grave, there is no need Go trouble Gao Jinglue again."

Feng Zhishen was thoughtful after listening to it. His father's words and deeds made him understand a lot. When he thought about it carefully, it was true.

According to the saying among the grass and grass in the Jianghu, it is a matter of the Jianghu to fight between you and me. If you report to the officials for help, it means you are not following the rules.

There are many powerful clans in the south of the Five Ridges, and it has become normal for thousands of years to plunder and attack each other. If you ask for help from the Han government, your reputation in the clan will definitely be damaged.

At that time, Wang Zhongxuan, the chieftain of Guangzhou Liao, rebelled against the Sui Dynasty, and Chen Fozhi, the chief of the Chen family in Longzhou, raised troops to respond.

Mrs. Xian of Gaozhou judged the situation and dispatched her grandson Feng Xuan to help Guangzhou. However, Feng Xuan and Chen Fozhi were close friends, so they stationed troops and waited for Wang Zhongxuan to attack Guangzhou.

Mrs. Xian was furious and changed her command before the battle. She ordered her second-grandson Feng An to fight. The fledgling Feng An became famous in the first battle, and killed Chen Fozhi in Longzhou. , and took refuge in Ning Changzhen's father, Ning Mengli.

Ning Mengli accepted Chen Longshu as his adopted son, and Ning Changzhen became brothers with Chen Longshu, and even gave up the position of governor of Qinzhou to Chen Longshu. The governor intends to revive the Chen family in Longzhou.

In the whole of Lingnan, there are dozens of powerful clans, large and small, in the Liaohao chieftains, but there are only a few first-class wealthy clans in Lingnan, such as the Ning clan of Qinzhou, the Chen clan of Longzhou, the Feng clan of Gaozhou, the Xian clan of Gaozhou, and the Tan clan of Luozhou. , Guangzhou Wang, Baizhou Ponzi, etc.

In the past hundred years, the bureaucrats of various states have also produced many talented chiefs.

The Ning family of Qinzhou has three consecutive generations, Ning Kui, Ning Mengli, and Ning Changzhen, which developed the Ning family of Qinzhou into a first-class wealthy family.

The same is true for the Chen family of Longzhou. Chen Fanian and Chen Fozhi developed the Chen family of Longzhou and became the chief of the slang bureaucrats in the Xijiang River Basin.

The Feng family in Gaozhou adopted the method of marriage. Feng Bao listened to his father Feng Rong's suggestion and married Mrs. Xian, the leader of the Xian family's slang, as his wife.

The Wang family in Guangzhou has been in decline since Wang Zhongxuan was defeated.

The Chen family in Longzhou has also plummeted since Chen Fozhi died at the hands of Feng An.

Since then, the original situation where the Ning clan of Qinzhou, the Chen clan of Longzhou, and the Feng clan of Gaozhou stand in southern Lingnan, has now become two opposing families, with the Ning clan of Qinzhou in the west and the Feng clan of Gaozhou in the east.

To be precise, the Chen family of Longzhou was not defeated by Feng An, but by the general trend.

From the time Chen Fozhi responded to Wang Zhongxuan's rebellion, the Chen family was doomed to decline. This is a matter of vision.

It was neither too early nor too late, and the rebellion happened just in time for the first emperor. This timing was really well chosen, not to mention that the chief and deputy chiefs stationed in Guangzhou at that time were famous generals Wei Wei and Murong Sanzang.

This kind of thing is indispensable. At the time when the Sui Dynasty was strong, they obeyed the orders of their grandmother, Madam Xian, and actively suppressed the rebellion. They abolished the Chen family in Longzhou, and the Feng family in Gaozhou rose rapidly.

If relying on the power of the imperial court again to suppress the Tan family, how will the bureaucrats and barbarians of the states treat the Gaozhou Feng family.

Now the two families of Ning and Feng dominate the east and west of Lingnan, and Ning Changzhen has spared no effort in cultivating his righteous brother Chen Longshu, who has won the favor of the bureaucrats in Longzhou and won wide acclaim.

This time Ning Daoming raised an army, it can be seen that Ning Daoming belongs to the younger generation in the Ning family, and he has no achievements in the past. This time, when the army rebelled and the flag was raised, the bureaucrats of the states responded.

In just over a month, [-] troops were gathered in Fengshan. This was the influence of the Ning clan in Qinzhou. If Ning Daoming hadn't been such a waste, he might have really made some waves.

If Feng An once again used the power of the Central Plains court to attack the Tan family, it would be tantamount to cutting himself off from the Lingnan bureaucrats, which would undoubtedly boost the reputation of the Ning family in Qinzhou, so Feng An knew very well that even though this approach was pedantic, he still chose Settle it in private.

Seeing Feng Zhichen frowned and said nothing, Feng An shook his head and laughed and scolded: "You idiot, you were very clever before, but now you don't see that kind of cleverness, and you still have a younger brother who hasn't become an official, this time is your chance.

Furthermore, when it comes to thieves attacking prefectures and counties for no reason, they must give the court an explanation. They are not pedantic like you.

Go down and get busy, after fighting for several months, you must do a good job in the aftermath, and you must not chill the hearts of the clansmen.

In addition, in Guangzhou, you also send a letter to Ziyou to inform Gao Jinglue of the situation, let him prepare in Guangzhou, and try his best to cooperate with Gao Jinglue, so that he can seize this opportunity."

Feng Zhichen nodded in response, and immediately went down to deliver the message.

Ziyou is Feng You, named Ziyou, the son of Feng An's brother Feng Hun, and Feng Hun is the eldest grandson of Mrs. Xian.

Back then, Lingnan was subject to the Great Sui Dynasty. Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty appointed the famous general Wei Wei as the governor of Guangzhou. Mrs. Xian sent Feng Hun to the Central Plains to welcome Wei Wei to his post to show her loyalty.

Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty was very satisfied. He named Feng Hun the chief historian of Guangzhou and added the third division of Yitong.

Since then, Feng Hun has become the assistant officer of Wei Wei, the general manager of Guangzhou. When Wei Wei went out of the city to fight against the rebel Wang Zhongxuan, he was ambushed unfortunately.Feng Hun gave birth to three sons, the eldest son Feng You, the second son Feng Fuchun, and the youngest son Feng Ningbang.

Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty was grateful for Feng Hun's loyalty to the country, so he joined Feng You as an official. Later, Feng You actively responded to his uncle Feng An's attachment to the Tang Dynasty, and now he is an official in Sima, Guangzhou.

As Feng Zhizhen said, this time Gao Chong came to Lingnan to govern, this is Feng's opportunity.

Feng Ang lay on the couch, closed his eyes and meditated. Although he could not directly turn to Gao Chong and use Gao Chong's power to destroy the Tan family, as long as he tried his best to cooperate with Gao Chong in governing Lingnan, then Gao Chong would definitely not treat the Feng family badly. .

Hearing that Gao Chong was going to open a shipping department in Guangzhou to manage maritime trade and tribute, Feng An was still conflicted at the beginning. After all, the Feng family had a lot of seagoing ships, and the trade to the Linyi countries benefited a lot.

Once this city shipping company designs it, it will definitely have a major impact on Feng's maritime trade.

But Feng An decided to do his best to cooperate with Gao Chong after careful consideration.

First, he has no intention of fighting against the court.Second, for money, it is always something outside the body.

As he said, the Feng family still has many children who have not become officials, this is an opportunity.

Just as Feng Ang was meditating, Feng Zhizheng went and came back, his straight face was full of sternness, "Aye, Feng Er is here."

Feng An opened his eyes, with a look of helplessness on his face, he waved his hand and said, "Let him in."

"Aye, he...".Feng Zhishen said hurriedly.

"It's a family after all, let's see him," Feng An stood up and sighed.

When I walked to the front hall, I saw a man in his thirties or forties walking back and forth in the hall, looking restless.

As soon as Feng An came in, the man rushed forward and knelt on the ground, crying sadly: "Uncle, help, save my father's life."

Feng An sighed, stretched out his hand to help him up, "Erlang, get up and talk."

This person is Feng Wanfu, the son of Feng Xuan.

In terms of age, Feng Hun's eldest son, Feng You, is the eldest, and Feng Xuan's eldest son, Feng Wanfu, is the second, so Feng Wanfu is often called Erlang in the clan.

Feng An is very clear about the intention of his nephew Feng Wanfu. Feng Xuanfu was arrested in Jiangzhou for rebelling against Ning Daoming. According to the law, this is a capital offense and even implicates relatives. Feng Wanfu knows that Feng An and Gao Chong are close. Te came to Feng Ang to intercede.

"Uncle, my father was deceived by a traitor and made a big mistake. However, he did not use troops and did not hurt anyone."

Feng Wanfu burst into tears, grabbed Feng An's skirt and cried, "Uncle, you are brothers. Uncle died in battle, and you are the only brother left. Uncle, you must save him."

"You still have the face to mention uncle." Before Feng An could speak, Feng Zhichen behind him reprimanded loudly, "If your father and Chen Fozhi hadn't made friends back then, how could uncle have died in battle."

Speaking of which, Feng Xuan was indeed responsible for Feng Hun's death.

Back then, Madam Xian sent Feng Xuan to lead the troops to rescue Guangzhou, on the one hand, she wanted to show her loyalty to the Sui court, and on the other hand, her grandson Feng Hun was in Guangzhou.

Who knew that because of his personal friendship, Feng Xuan stopped moving forward regardless of his elder brother Feng Hun's safety, causing Feng Hun to die in battle with Wei Wei.

This is also one of the reasons why Mrs. Xian would rather pass on the family business to her young grandson Feng An than to Feng Xuan.

Because Mrs. Xian has only one son, Feng Pu, who has the eldest son Feng Hun, the second son Feng Xuan, and the third son Feng An.

However, Feng Pu died of illness in the second year of Chen Zhide in the South, at the age of 35, and Feng Hun also died in the tenth year of Kaihuang, at the age of [-], so after the death of Mrs. Xian, the only heirs of the Feng family are Feng Xuan and Feng An. people.

Originally, Feng An couldn't bear to hear Feng Wanfu's previous words. After all, he now only had Feng Xuan as a sibling, so he really couldn't bear it, but when he heard Feng Zhijian's words later, his expression turned cold.

The death of his eldest brother Feng Hun was a thorn in his heart, which was also the reason why he had not been friendly with his second brother Feng Xuan for many years.

"The reason why your father has come to this point is all because of him," Feng Ang said in a deep voice, "For the sake of family relationship, I will do my best to protect your family. As for the rest, I can't do anything."

After finishing speaking, Feng An raised his legs and was about to leave.

"uncle".

Behind him, Feng Wanfu shouted at the top of his lungs: "Back then, my father refused to save me, which resulted in the death of my uncle in battle. Now you are going to do the same and just sit back and watch my father die? Will our Feng family be so fratricidal and abandon human relations?" "

Feng An was shocked, his face was full of pain.

Seeing this, Feng Wanfu hurriedly knelt forward and knelt down in front of Feng An, "Uncle, for the sake of great-grandmother, please save my father."

Hearing the words great-grandmother, Feng Zhichen was both angry and painful, and scolded, "If great-grandmother was alive, how could you allow your father to do such a rebellious act."

"Sixth brother, he is your biological uncle," Feng Wanfu said with a heartbroken voice, "Ning Daoming repeatedly urged my father to attack Gaozhou, but he has never sent troops, because he was thinking of the blood of his family."

Feng An and his son were silent when they heard the words.

What Feng Wanfu said was reasonable. Tan Dian responded to Ning Daoming's army and launched a fierce attack on Gaozhou, but Feng Xuan never mobilized troops to Gaozhou, nor did he mobilize troops to other places.

I don't know what Feng Xuan was thinking. Although he responded to Ning Daoming's rebellion, he just spent time with Ning Daoming from the beginning to the end. From the beginning to the end, he never fought a single battle.

Thinking of this, Feng An sighed: "Because he didn't mobilize troops, maybe there is still a chance of survival, I will tell Gao Jinglue, and you tell him, don't insult your great-grandmother's reputation with your words and deeds from now on. Do it for yourself."

Feng Wanfu was overjoyed and thanked him.

"What are you still doing here?" Feng An turned around and saw Feng Zhichen still staying aside, he couldn't help getting angry.

Feng Zhichen was shocked and wanted to leave.

"return".

Feng Zhichen paused, "Aye".

"What your second brother said today makes sense." Feng An rubbed his brows and sighed: "Our Feng family will never kill each other, abandoning the relationship between relatives and animals. Tell your brothers to follow me in the future. Let’s pay homage to Gao Jinglue together, and you can follow me to plead with him.”

Feng Zhichen nodded in response, he always obeyed his father's words.

Seeing Feng An waving his hand wearily, Feng Zhichen turned and left cautiously.

Jiangzhou, Fengshan City.

The celebration banquet is being held, Gao Chong is sitting in the main seat, and the two rows on the left and right are Lu Deyong, Ning Chun and others.

When Gao Chong arrived in Jiangzhou, Lu Deyong was doing the aftermath in an orderly manner, and he, the long history of the Nanyin Prefecture Governor's Mansion, was really doing his duty.

Brothers, what if you are not in a state, you are in a daze...