Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 677 Running in both directions
Yang Yuan followed Wu Yuan all the way to Pengzhou, observing the mountains, rivers, customs and people of Tongchuan Road along the way.

The Southern Song Dynasty had two major economic zones, one in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and the other in Sichuan.

The total population of the four routes of Sichuan and Xia accounted for more than one-fifth of the national population of the Song Dynasty.

Among them, Kuizhou Road in eastern Sichuan is relatively backward, and Lizhou Road belongs to the war zone, so Chengdufu Road and Tongchuan Road are the most prosperous.

The population density even exceeded that of Liangzhe Road and Jiangnan West Road, becoming the highest in the country.

Food is the primary need of the people. In terms of the most important grain production, Sichuan has made use of the improvement of water conservancy projects such as the Dujiangyan Irrigation System and the widespread reclamation of hilly terraces, making Sichuan "the land is narrow but fertile, the people work hard, there is no vacant land, and there are three or four harvests a year."

Sichuan thus became the second largest grain production base in the Song Dynasty.

One third of the military food supply of the Southern Song Dynasty came from Sichuan, and the food supply for the Western Army was directly self-sufficient in Sichuan and the Gorges.

This is also the reason why the government sent Qiao Zhen to Chengdu Prefecture Road to cooperate with Tongchuan Road where Yang Yuan was working.

If the two of them join forces, they can control the food bags of the Western Army.

As for industries such as tea, brocade, hemp, medicinal materials, paper, and salt, they are also very developed in Sichuan.

Yang Yuan learned that in addition to a large amount of land, the Wu family's industries also included tea, textiles, sugar making, papermaking, printing, brewing and pharmaceuticals.

It’s no wonder that a family business can stand the test of time when it can encompass so many industries.

Similarly, as long as there is a powerful official figure willing to give support, the Wu family's industries that have begun to shrink will surely be revitalized immediately.

Yang Yuan has not been idle along the way. Since he wanted to recruit the Wu family, he also secretly instructed the "Tongzhou Society" to investigate the Wu family.

The Wu family's intention to surrender has been made very clear, but he also needs to understand clearly whether to accept and what role the Wu family can play after accepting.

He at least needs to know whether the Wu family is a rotten tree and whether it can be saved.

Yang Yuan's understanding of the Wu family's background was the result of the "Tongzhou Society"'s secret investigation of the Wu family, and not what Wu Yuan said himself.

As for why the Wu family, one of the seven great families in Bashu and a wealthy family that could rival a country, gradually declined and became a local tyrant, this was not really a mistake in the Wu family's production and management.

There are not so many emerging industries in this era, and it is difficult to make major mistakes in the industrial economy that has already been mastered.

Therefore, the rise and fall of a family mostly depends on political factors.

The Wu family's mistake was that they did not invest in the three generals of the Western Army when they were still weak.

However, due to the needs of the war, the three generals of the Western Army still stood out.

When the Wu family was at its most prosperous, Wu Jie was serving as the Pacifier of Sichuan, and the four routes of Sichuan and Xia were all under his control.

The families that once followed and served the three generals were originally powerful families, so their status was naturally more stable. Those that were originally small families also rose up.

But the territory is still the same, and the industries are still the same. If they want to rise, they will inevitably squeeze the living space of others and seize the economic interests of others.

In order to transport the treasures of Western Shu and the springs and valleys of the southern land, the main way to do so in those days was to use the Yangtze River waterway.

In addition, we did business with Dali to the south and with Tubo to the west.

After losing the support of local government, the Wu family would inevitably lose the opportunity to compete fairly with other businesses in foreign trade.

This kind of loss did not happen overnight. It was a continuous and slow process. The Wu family declined step by step like a frog in boiling water.

After finding out the details of the Wu family, Yang Yuan felt relieved.

He decided to accept the Wu family's offer of service.

As long as the Wu family truly follows him, he wouldn't mind letting the Wu family rise again and become the top wealthy family in Bashu.

……

The persons in charge of the various businesses of the Wu family received orders from the head of the family one after another and returned to the Wu family's old house in Pengzhou.

The usually deserted old house suddenly became lively.

These people in charge were all heads of various branches of the Wu family, including Wu Yuan’s elders, as well as his peers and juniors.

The Wu family's farms, tea plantations, textile mills, grain mills, paper mills, printing houses, wineries and medicinal fields were all in their hands.

In order to avoid gossip, Wu Yuan leaked the news of Marshal Yang's arrival in advance, which attracted local officials to meet him and made Yang Yuan unhappy. Wu Yuan kept his mouth shut and did not reveal any news.

However, when they saw their beloved daughter Meizhen, who was brought back from Gongzhou (Chongqing) by the head of the family, the leaders of the Wu family could guess roughly what happened.

Today, Wu Yuan sent someone back in advance to inform that a distinguished guest would be arriving soon. However, this distinguished guest did not like to show off, so he asked everyone in the Wu family to wait in the mansion.

The Wu family leaders were waiting for news in the side yard of the front house.

Wu Yuan's cousin, Wu Jiong, who was in charge of the Wu family's winemaking business, said to several Wu family leaders, "Didn't the head of the family go to Xiangyang to discuss a business deal?
Now, not only did he return in a hurry, but he also called back Mei Zhen. Has he decided to join the Yang family?"

He mentioned the beloved daughter of the head of the family, Wu Yuan, but when he talked about the Yang family, he used the term "surrender" rather than "marriage".

Because although the means is marriage, the purpose is to serve, and this is the real purpose of the Wu family.

For such wealthy families, the marriage of their children has long lost the meaning of simply getting married and reproducing.

The use of marriage to clarify the combination of forces is a common method used in ancient and modern times, both in China and abroad.

Because one family suffers misfortune, it is bound to affect related families, especially in ancient times when collective punishment was important.

Therefore, marriage became the most reliable means to demonstrate a united attitude.

Wu Tong, who is in charge of the production of medicinal materials in the Wu family, said somewhat dissatisfiedly: "Among the three generals of the Western Army, the Wen family in Lidong is now in an unstable position, while the Yang family in Lizhong can be on par with the Wu family.

However, this is all thanks to General Yang alone.

The Yang family was small in number. The general had only one son and two grandsons, and to be honest, these two grandsons were both useless.

The general is over sixty years old. How many years can he still live?

If he dies, the Yang family may still be in charge of Li Zhong. If we marry into the Yang family at this time, wouldn't that be troublesome?"

Wu Jiong said: "Yes, our Wu family still has room for advancement and retreat.

But once you marry into the Yang family, if you want to serve another family, they won't believe you or accept you.

By then, our Wu family will have no way out."

Wu Zhong, who is in charge of the sugar industry of the Wu family, smiled bitterly and said, "What else? We share the same surname Wu with the Wu family, and people with the same surname cannot marry. We can't marry into the Wu family, right?
The descendants of the Yang family are indeed not very promising, but General Yang is no ordinary person.

He started out as an archer and a soldier of the Wu family, and today he can stand on equal footing with the Wu family.

He will definitely make proper arrangements for his offspring."

Wu Kun, who was in charge of the tea business, agreed: "Taiwei Yang has been in the army for forty years. Even if he passes away, with his remaining prestige, he can protect the interests of the Yang family in the Xingyuan army for at least ten years, and my Wu family can still benefit.

What's more, it's not hard to say that General Yang is not a long-lived person. What if he lives another 20 years? Hehe..."

Wu Jiong sneered: "What if? Does the future of the Wu family have to rely on what if?

Although our Pengzhou Wu family cannot marry into the Wu family, wouldn't it be possible to establish a relationship with the Wu family by choosing a family among the Wu family's generals? I think the Yao Zhong and Yao Liangfu families are good. "

Wu Kun shook his head, looked at Wu Jiong meaningfully, and said slowly: "Fourth brother, Mei Zhen is the daughter of the head of the family. It is natural for her as the father to decide who she marries. We uncles should not interfere."

What he actually meant by surprise was that Wu Yuan was the head of the family, and it was the head of the family to decide which family to marry into.

He knew that Wu Jiong had never been convinced of Wu Yuan. Although it was impossible for him, Wu Jiong, to seize the position of the head of the family, he had always wanted to be the head of the Wu family in Pengzhou and be the de facto head of the family in name only.

Therefore, Wu Kun also deliberately pointed him out.

Wu Jiong snorted coldly and said sarcastically, "I don't care. I am doing this for the good of our Wu family. Meizhen is his daughter and my niece. Don't I hope she will marry well?

Don’t you know what kind of people those two grandsons of General Yang are?
A man who is addicted to alcohol has to drink half a pound of alcohol for breakfast, otherwise he will tremble all over.

The other one is born dumb. Which one do you think Meizhen should marry?"

……

"I won't marry either a drunkard or a fool!"

Mei Zhen wiped away her tears with the back of her palm, picked up the eyebrow pencil, and continued to draw with a tearful look.

It’s just that other people draw eyebrows and eyes to make themselves look beautiful, but she did it to make herself look ugly.

After her skillful manipulation, the originally tender skin like tofu turned dull and yellow, and the handsome features became ordinary.

Looking in the mirror, Mei Zhen was still unsure, so he picked up the pen again.

After some effort, it’s great that I finally become someone she hates.

……

Yang Yuan traveled all the way and when he entered the territory of Pengzhou, he arranged for the soldiers to be stationed there before entering the city.

Yang Yuan brought only ten followers to protect the women in the carriage. They all changed into casual clothes and went to the city together.

As soon as you enter Pengzhou City, you will see busy carriages and horses, dense population, numerous shops, abundant goods and a prosperous people. It is actually very prosperous.

Various tribes live together here, especially the Liao people.

The Liao people like to wear simple flowery uniforms, tie their hair into a bun, and walk barefoot. Those with higher status wear a pair of wooden clogs.

Yang Yuan changed into a Confucian robe and rode on a horse.

Wu Yuan introduced: "This place is inhabited by various ethnic groups, with the Liao people being the most numerous.

However, the Liao people often live in the mountains, and their marriage customs are quite interesting.

When two families get married, the woman does not go to the man's house first, but builds a thatched hut four or five miles away from the woman's home and lives with the man.

Generally, a woman will not officially settle down in her husband’s family until she is pregnant or has lived together for half a year.”

Yang Yuan smiled and nodded: "What do the Liao people do for a living? Since they like to live scattered in the mountains, how can the local government control them?"

Wu Yuan secretly admired them. When people first arrived in a foreign place, they were interested in some uncommon customs and habits.

The first thing Yang Yuan considered was how to rule this group, and he was also concerned about the occupations they relied on for their livelihood.

However, Wu Yuan would only be happy about this. If this duke suffered a setback in his official career and gave up on himself, then what would be the point of relying on him?

He is willing to govern the place well, and only by joining him can there be a chance of becoming stronger.

Wu Yuan said: "The Liao people mainly engage in farming, hunting, fishing and gathering, but some of them who have more contact with the Han people in the city are now learning to do some work, such as weaving, brewing and papermaking...

The government implemented the policy of "governing by old customs" with respect to the Yao people living in the mountains.

In each tribe, the king and the elders were appointed as leaders of different sizes to govern their own tribes.

When the government has something to send, they use them to summon the Liao people.”

The two talked all the way until they arrived in front of a big house.

As soon as he saw the gate lintel, the flat ground in front of the gate, and the magnificent walls, Yang Yuan knew that this was the Wu family's old house.

"Go and inform the mansion that a distinguished guest has arrived, and ask the family to welcome him at the ceremonial gate."

Wu Yuan gave an order, quickly dismounted, and hurried to Yang Yuan's side, rushing to hold the stirrup for him.

After all, they were a wealthy family, and the family members were well-trained. Someone had already led the sedan chair carrying Yang Yuan's female relatives to the side door, from which they could directly enter the back house.

Yang Yuan got off the horse, and Wu Yuan greeted him earnestly, "General Yang, please."

Yang Yuan stepped into the Wu family compound and saw that every brick and stone in the courtyard was exquisite.

In front of the ceremonial gate, many people in fine clothes and hats were already standing solemnly.

Wu Yuan, with a beaming face, led Yang Yuan forward. Just as he was about to introduce Yang Yuan's identity, a butterfly flew out from the ceremonial gate.

"Dad, you're back."

The voice is pleasant, soft and crisp.

Look at that person again: he has a sallow face, triangular eyes, a few freckles on the tip of his nose, and a big matchmaker's mole at the corner of his mouth.

When Wu Yuan saw it, his head started buzzing.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly, rushed over, and pushed the girl aside: "This is Wu's adopted daughter. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, General Yang. Everyone, let me introduce her to you. This is..."

(End of this chapter)