In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

Chickens should not exceed six years old, and dogs should not exceed eight!

Logically speaking, these five hunting dogs had been with Zhang Xiaoshan for ten years and were already adults at that time; they should have lived to a ripe old age long ago.

But the Zhang family's five hunting dogs showed no signs of aging; on the contrary, they grew stronger and stronger.

Moreover, he ate well at the Zhang family's house, with every meal consisting of more than ten kilograms of fresh meat, and by then he had almost the size of a tiger or leopard.

Zhang Xiaoshan actually brought such a huge monster here.

You have to understand that many of them were horrified just looking at it, let alone the children.

"Father, rest assured. Dogs are intelligent and understand human nature, especially this old dog that is already ten years old."

Most importantly, their sense of smell is extremely keen. Once a master of disguise gets close, they will not be able to escape their olfactory senses!

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuan's eyes lit up.

Indeed, everyone in the Zhang residence is trustworthy, but if someone who isn't from the Zhang residence were to suddenly enter, their disguise might fool the skilled guards.

But these dogs are different; they rely on their sense of smell to distinguish things.

"Are two enough? Let's bring the three old dogs along too, there are still more than a dozen other hunting dogs keeping watch!"

"Two are enough, otherwise one of him wouldn't be enough for five dogs to play with."

"What nonsense are you spouting? Do you think this is a toy?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuan looked at Zhang Xiaoshan with a livid expression.

However, considering that five dogs were too many, they had two doghouses built next to them.

As for Manager Feng?

She had just finished her postpartum confinement, but the baby couldn't be separated from her either, so she put aside her work at the Hong Mansion and let Bai Feifei temporarily take over.

When the child is older and can roll and crawl, then I will continue to take over the work at the Hongfu residence.

The two hunting dogs approached the baby with great affection, sensing Zhang Xiaoshan's presence in the child.

An old horse knows the way, let alone these loyal dogs.

He naturally knew that this was his young master.

"Giggle giggle..."

Suddenly the little guy smiled as he looked at the two approaching hunting dogs. Perhaps it was the purest face-to-face encounter, where he could feel each other's kindness.

Even Zhang Yuan couldn't help but smile slightly; it was good that they weren't opposed to it.

It wasn't until 9 PM that the crowd gradually dispersed.

At this time, with the birth of Zhang Jialin'er, a mysterious opportunity stirred up the entire Kyushu!

····

"Greetings, Master!"

Zoroastrianism's Minnesota branch.

At this moment, dozens of people wearing red robes with Zoroastrian symbols bowed to Fang La, who was at the head of the table!

Six years have passed, and the Zoroastrian branch that has been secretly developing in Minnesota has already infiltrated all walks of life.

They rose up because they felt the time had come.

First, the emperor is nearing the end of his life; rumors say he has been bedridden for three months.

Secondly, apart from the relatively prosperous Jiangnan region, the surrounding prefectures of the Great Zhao were already in dire straits.

Besides gold and silver, which preserve value, copper coins, like the legal tender during the Republic of China era, came in denominations of 10, 20, and 30. Ordinary people were already suffering greatly due to Emperor Huizong's incompetence.

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After all, the Zhang family can avert natural disasters, but not man-made ones!

At most, they would simply open the granaries and distribute grain every year, but even that would not be enough to reverse the decline of the Song Dynasty.

The decadent and decadent life of Qiaojiangnan!

Jiangnan has been a place of elegance and refinement for scholars and literati since ancient times.

"Dear Dharma protectors and messengers, the great cause of a thousand years will begin tonight."

"Take Mingzhou City, occupy Mingzhou, and what right do kings and nobles have to be born?"

"A great cause for posterity begins tonight!"

The men roared in unison, all filled with confidence.

They were all experts of the Zoroastrian sect, so they were extremely familiar with the situation in Mingzhou City. Taking Mingzhou City would be a piece of cake for them.

Clang! Clang! Clang...

With a farewell toast, everyone accepted their mission and departed.

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Fang La, stationed at the main altar, was full of confidence for this battle.

This battle also had the support of Zoroastrian masters.

In times of peace and prosperity, only merchants have status;

In times of chaos, the Zhang family's so-called prestige and status would undoubtedly be nothing more than a fleeting dream.

However, the Zoroastrian Church also knew that the Zhang family was no ordinary businessmen.

Ordinary merchants may be ruined or even go bankrupt due to war.

However, the Zhang family is incredibly powerful, and unless that warlord is completely incompetent, no one will dare to touch them.

The Zhang family has not only strength, but also prestige!

Once the Zhang family is slaughtered, their reputation will plummet.

However, they weren't specifically targeting the Zhang family. If it were too obvious, the Zhang family could easily wipe them out.

What they had to do was ignite this spark, which would set the entire Song Dynasty ablaze.

After that, the White Lotus Sect, Liangshan Marsh, and various other forces will rise up one after another.

After all, the seemingly prosperous Song Empire was already corrupt and decadent inside.

The Zhang family was aware of this as well.

But the Zhang family were merchants, not the core of the empire, so even if they petitioned, it would be useless.

With Cai Jing on the outside and Tong Guan on the inside, the Song Dynasty's channels of communication had been controlled by them, leaving no room for criticism of the government.

All the Zhang family could do was provide occasional relief.

As for the uprising and rebellion, Fang La thought the Zhang family would be greatly surprised, but little did he know that the Zhang family had already prepared an escape route.

Even if the Song Dynasty wanted to bind the Zhang family to this sinking ship, Zhang Xiaoshan was unwilling to perish with the empire.

Chapter 370 The Wildfire: A Test of the Zhang Family

"The Fang La Rebellion has broken out in the south!"

"What's meant to come will come eventually; there's no stopping it!"

Zhang Xiaoshan, who was playing with the little guy, was not at all surprised by Fang La's uprising.

The Zhang family were merchants whose businesses spanned the entire Song Dynasty, and therefore they were most familiar with the lives of ordinary people at the bottom of society.

Those copper coins worth 10 or 100 were like the inflation of later generations; the hidden dangers sown by Emperor Huizong of Song were bound to erupt sooner or later.

Even within the Zhang family, aside from ordinary daily necessities shops that still accept copper coins, luxury shops like the Red Mansion, pastry shops, and beauty salons have long been directly connected to gold and silver.

Because copper coins depreciated too quickly.

Just kidding. This year, a steamed bun might still cost one coin, but next year, with the "ten-fold discount" policy, the government will treat one coin as ten coins. Do you think prices will go up?

If prices don't rise, we can expect the imperial court to eat us dry.

If the imperial court had credibility, that would be fine.

However, Cai Jing and Tong Guan frantically plundered the people's wealth and blocked the channels for free speech. Emperor Huizong of Song was also extravagant. Not to mention those high-ranking officials and nobles, who would care about the common people at the bottom of society? They were just a bunch of leeks to be harvested.

Therefore, it wasn't just the Zhang family; many merchants converted their gold and silver into silver gourds and gold ingots and hid them away to guard against unforeseen circumstances.

This is why "150" is a true hard currency.

Copper coins may be replaced, but gold and silver coins will not.

"When a dynasty prospers, the people suffer; when a dynasty falls, the people suffer."

This battle will leave countless people displaced.

Zhang Yuan sighed about life, but Zhang Xiaoshan said nothing.

Just as the mysterious man said last time, "The world, after a long period of unity, tends to divide; after a long period of division, tends to unite."

This chaotic situation should come to an end.

Compared to the already corrupt and decadent Song Dynasty, Zhang Xiaoshan preferred to see a truly peaceful and prosperous era, rather than a Song Dynasty that used the prosperity of Jiangnan to mask its true state.

As for loyalty to the Song Dynasty? Zhang Xiaoshan had no concept of blind loyalty.

"Why should Father lament the fate of life? The end of the Song Dynasty was already predetermined."

Even if there is a wise ruler who wants to turn the tide, not everyone can clean up this mess. For example, the Fang La Rebellion was just a spark.

Next, the White Lotus Sect and the various forces of the demonic path will certainly not lag behind.

"Yes!"

Zhang Yuan understood that Zhang Xiaoshan was right, but he was still reluctant to leave the prosperity of Jiangnan.

Moreover, once war breaks out, many families will suffer unexpected disasters.

"Shan'er, do you have any plans?"

"Arrangements? We'll advance when necessary and retreat when appropriate. The Zhang family isn't involved in the power struggle."

As for business?

At worst, they could relocate by sea; Zhang Xiaoshan had already planned his escape route.

Natural disasters are relatively easy to manage, but what about man-made disasters? Even the Zhang family was powerless to reverse the situation.

Kill them all if they pop up?

Ultimately, it was because the foundations of the Song and Ming dynasties were too dark.

In the Later Zhou Empire, for example, not only did the White Lotus sect take root, but due to the military merit system, it could be said that the entire population was a soldier.

The white lotus might be pulled up as soon as it sprouts.

This is also why Zhang Xiaoshan values ​​the Later Zhou Empire: the soldiers and civilians still have fighting spirit, and the path to advancement is based solely on military merit, not on anything else.

"That's right, the Zhang family shouldn't get involved in this mess!"

Zhang Yuan was satisfied with Zhang Xiaoshan's answer.

When news of Fang La's uprising reached the capital, it undoubtedly stirred up huge waves again in the court, which had just calmed down.

Subsequently, the imperial court hastily mobilized 100,000 troops from the surrounding areas to suppress the Zoroastrian rebels.

But what followed was the White Lotus Rebellion, the Green Dragon Gang's establishment of territorial claims in the southeast, and rebellions by mountain people in the Lingnan region...

It can be said that the Song Dynasty, which originally seemed to be in a peaceful and prosperous era, suddenly descended into chaos and fell into its darkest period.

Did the emperor and scholar-officials jointly govern the country?

Just like some farmers who move to the city, the first, second and third generations can still maintain their original aspirations, remember their origins, and strive to move forward.

But three generations later, they all became high and mighty, looking down on the humble origins of their grandfathers and ancestors.

Therefore, within the borders of the Ming and Song dynasties, those who exploited the people the most were precisely the scholars from humble backgrounds.

It's not that being from a poor family represents being despicable, but rather the prevailing social atmosphere!

Why read books?

It wasn't for the benefit of the people, but for the sake of becoming an official and for a better life.