Chapter 1334: (Happy New Year!)

(It's another year, and without realizing it, it's already been four years. Thank you, big brothers, for your constant support.

I wish you and your families good health, great wealth, and all your wishes come true.

It's still the traditional free chapter for the New Year, giving red envelopes to the good brothers. May you all have good food, good drink, and a good mood.

There has been a wide-scale temperature drop recently, so brothers, pay attention to keeping warm and take care of your health.

Kowtowing to the big brothers!)

After sweeping the bandits, Wang Yan returned to a state of having nothing to do.

The main reason was that after experiencing the southern rebellion, the southern powerful families realized that the current Great Sui was thriving, power was concentrated, and the troops were elite and the generals were broad. They couldn't stir up any waves, couldn't accomplish the great task of changing dynasties, and naturally couldn't resist the powerful families of the north.

Yang Guang's arrival gave them a chance. They couldn't change the dynasty, so they would influence the next generation. Thus, without Yang Guang needing to confront them, and without Wang Yan needing to draw his sword to kill, they had no resistance at all, directly kneeling at light speed, wanting to support Yang Guang's ascension.

Yang Guang felt it was very boring, and Wang Yan felt it was even more boring.

Thus, Wang Yan had a shipyard and shipbuilders. By the time the true spring breezes blew for ten miles, Yang Guang 'inadvertently' heard that Wang Yan was stir-frying tea in the marquis manor all day, so Wang Yan had a large Biluochun tea garden by Dongting Lake...

Compared to Yang Guang, who was engaged in various administrative affairs all day, studying Yangzhou's planning and development with a group of advisors from the Prince's manor, and banqueting and negotiating with the southern gentry every day, Wang Yan, the Yangzhou military head, was truly too bored.

Yang Guang was pregnant with softness; he didn't use hard tactics with the southern powerful families, so there was no place for him to use his skills. As for the Yangzhou garrison, they were all recruited locally and followed Yang Su, chasing the rebels all the way to Quanzhou. Only a thousand or so garrison troops were left in Yangzhou, stationed in Jiangdu.

At such a sensitive time, these troops certainly couldn't be transferred. They had to ensure the stability of Jiangdu, ensure Yang Guang's safety, and ensure the strength to draw swords against the Yangzhou powerful families at any time.

So Wang Yan had no military affairs either, just went to lecture these people on the rules, arranged training, and checked on them every few days.

Apart from Yang Guang occasionally asking for his views and opinions on some matters, other times he was either stir-frying tea or studying shipbuilding. On rare occasions, he went to the farm manor he had here—which was given to Yang Guang by a local powerful family and then rewarded to him by Yang Guang—to solve some problems in the manor and win the hearts of the tenants.

He just used three simple tricks: reduce rent, repair water conservancy in the manor, and trick scholars from humble backgrounds to come and teach the children in the manor to read and write. As for the rest, it was nothing more than solving some difficulties in the tenants' families, or drilling them a bit during the slack farming season; there was nothing else.

Actually, Wang Yan didn't do much, and didn't even spend much money. After all, the manor was obtained for free. Even if he invested, he wouldn't invest the money of another manor of several hundred mu.

But what he harvested was the unwavering loyalty of dozens or hundreds of people. The men in the manor were all willing to sell their lives. Because Wang Yan was too good to them—so good that they were flattered, and even couldn't sleep at the beginning, needing to be anxious for a period of time before they could adapt. But they were always thinking about it in their hearts; if they didn't die, they felt they were unworthy of the Marquis's great kindness.

Wang Yan of course didn't need them to die; living honestly, engaging in production, and practicing seriously during drills was enough. They might not be used, they might be used, but practicing was never a bad thing. When going out, everyone formed a formation to meet the enemy together; their courage would be sufficient, their waists would be hard, and they wouldn't be bullied by anyone.

Besides these things, another important thing was that he was cultivating a navy. After building seagoing ships, he would let these people go to sea to do things.

The preliminary planned destination was the Southeast Asian region of later generations, mainly focusing on Vietnam. The land there had three harvests a year, the terrain was sufficient, and the soil was fertile, making it uniquely suited for planting rice.

Importing grain from there could solve big problems. And then explore the surrounding areas, engage in maritime trade to earn money and grain, while accumulating shipbuilding experience and technology, as well as the number of ships. The money and grain earned would supplement consumption, and finally, conduct long-distance voyages to reach the other side of the ocean, bring back seeds from there, and come back to study them for another ten or twenty years.

With this, plus the cultivation and improvement of other local good seeds, although it couldn't let all the people eat their fill, it could guarantee that no one would starve to death and everyone could eat.

Then vigorously develop animal husbandry and breeding to increase the output of meat, and the good days of the people would come.

These were all mature routes. Wang Yan had sufficient experience and could solve the problems of ancient times very well.

Of course, one of the most important solutions must be to draw swords against the noble clans, otherwise, these people wouldn't be honest and would just ruin things. If they weren't killed into submission, they wouldn't submit and would always engage in secret calculations, ruining the foundation of the empire. This was unforgivable...

But that was all for the future. Yang Guang certainly wanted to continuously suppress the noble clans, and when the time came, he would just kill them all...

It was boring until April, the weather had warmed up, and Yangzhou's vitality had recovered a lot, and life and production had returned to normal.

As the seat of Yangzhou, Jiangdu, the streets were not exactly crowded with people, but they already had quite a bit of liveliness.

On this day, Wang Yan, along with Yang Guang and the officials and powerful families of Yangzhou, went ten miles outside Jiangdu City to welcome the army returning in triumph.

Wang Yan saw Yang Su and Shi Your Majesty, as well as a large group of other generals without much fame.

Yang Su looked at Wang Yan and said with a smile, "I heard long ago that the Marquis of Jiangning is invincible. Seeing him today, he is truly extraordinary."

"Lord Yang is joking. No matter how extraordinary I am, I am not as good as Lord Yang, who has fought north and south, making our Great Sui peaceful in all four seas—truly a pillar of the nation. And Lord Shi, when I was in Bingzhou, I had already heard of Lord Shi's name; the Turks would panic just hearing his name."

"The kid knows how to talk." Shi Your Majesty patted Wang Yan's arm. "But I'm not as brave as you. With six hundred cavalry, you stirred the Turks into chaos, and it's been peaceful until now. You are truly invincible."

"Lord Shi is too kind; it was all just luck. Thinking about it now, I'm still full of lingering fear."

Yang Su smiled. "You came from the ranks, and it hasn't been easy to get to where you are today. It's good to have lingering fear. Only by knowing how to cherish oneself can one last long."

Seeing Wang Yan raise his eyebrows, Yang Guang hurriedly grabbed Yang Su's arm. "Lord Yang, please follow me. The people of Yangzhou have specially prepared a banquet to reward the triumphant army."

Shi Your Majesty noticed Wang Yan's eyebrow-raising action and also clearly saw Yang Guang's intentions. He affectionately hugged Wang Yan's shoulder. "Kid, are you unhappy?"

"Lord Shi is joking."

"Not honest." Shi Your Majesty whispered, "I also look down on that old thing; his eyes are on the top of his head."

Although Shi Your Majesty called Yang Su an old thing, Yang Su wasn't very old—he was only forty-seven, and Shi Your Majesty was only forty-two; both were in their prime.

Ancient people lived short lives; it was the toiling masses of ancient times who lived short lives, not these officials and nobles. They ate well, drank well, and enjoyed the top medical resources of the time. Without major sudden illnesses, many people could live quite long.

Wang Yan glanced at Shi Your Majesty; he was broad-minded and had his own thoughts.

He shook his head with a smile. "Lord Shi, it's better to say less of this."

"I'm not afraid of him."

"If he wants to do evil, it's always a trouble. It seems his mind isn't open; such people are the most difficult to deal with. It's better to stay further away. Lord Shi, don't go up to him yourself."

Wang Yan didn't lie, because that was how Shi Your Majesty died.

Yang Su and Shi Your Majesty fought the Turks, but the Turks ran away as soon as they heard Shi Your Majesty's name. Yang Su was unhappy and framed Shi Your Majesty to Yang Jian for contacting Yang Yong, who was on the verge of being deposed at the time.

Shi Your Majesty didn't know, and entered the palace to ask for rewards for soldiers who hadn't been rewarded yet. Wasn't this blatantly buying people's hearts and cultivating a party in the army? So Yang Jian was unhappy, and Shi Your Majesty was killed in the court.

Of course, things weren't that simple. Shi Your Majesty did have problems. Earlier, he had taken money to privately release rebel leaders, leading to repeated chaos, and he had contacted Yang Yong. He might have been impolite to Yang Jian in court, and then he died.

Whether he died unjustly or not, if you mix in the court without political sensitivity, can that work?

Shi Your Majesty was a battle general, coming from a family of generals. He had fought his way out since he was a teenager, and when he was young, he was also a player who charged at the front and was invincible. He was a proper martial man.

Everyone got into the carriage, and the main generals of the army were all taken to the city, where they ate and drank in the city...

In the field, Yangzhou thin horses danced gracefully with the music, and all around, local officials and powerful families chatted with the generals who had come together.

At the head table, Yang Guang and Yang Su were talking intimately, obviously winning over each other. Wang Yan sat next to Shi Your Majesty, listening to Shi Your Majesty tell him gossip about the court officials and other large clans, and focused on cursing Yang Su.

The two of them whispered very happily, the food was eaten fragrantly, and the wine was drunk heartily.

Yang Su watched Shi Your Majesty talking and laughing while looking at him, and knew he must be editing him.

The old guy's eyeballs turned, and he said, "Prince, General Shi is the number one brave general of our Great Sui, and the Marquis of Jiangning is invincible with six hundred cavalry on the grasslands. Why not let the two of them spar and let us open our eyes?"

He deliberately said it very loudly, so the musicians sensibly stopped, and the beautiful dancers stepped back to the side with small steps, watching their noses and hearts, absolutely not looking around.

This put Yang Guang on the spot. However, before he could speak, Wang Yan bowed first and said loudly, "Lord Yang, Lord Shi is older, which is unfair. I am a junior, and whether I win or lose is my defeat. The game is already set, so..."

Shi Your Majesty patted Wang Yan on the shoulder. "Alright, kid, I'm not toothless yet. This time quelling the rebellion, I also charged at the front. You and I are destined, and we have talked happily. You have long had the name of invincible. Today, let me see it. Sparring for everyone's smile, isn't that beautiful?"

Watching Wang Yan raise his eyebrows, he turned his head, and his gaze fell on Yang Su.

Yang Guang hurriedly put on his dog face. "Wang Yan! Since General Shi has said so, you should try your skills with the General. It's just that you are young and strong, so just spar a bit and stop when it's enough."

Wang Yan bowed, then stood up and walked to the field.

Shi Your Majesty laughed, tilted his head and drank a cup of wine, then threw the wine cup on the table, walked over and stood opposite Wang Yan, and held a fist frame.

"Kid, I won't hold back."

"Lord Shi, don't be afraid of pain. Bring it on."

"Heh~"

Shi Your Majesty smiled, then stepped forward and threw a straight punch toward Wang Yan's face. This punch was powerful and heavy. Wang Yan, who dodged by tilting his head, felt the wind of the punch passing over his face.

Seeing Wang Yan dodge lightly and reach out to grab his wrist, Shi Your Majesty, although not young, was not slow in reaction. He directly used the momentum of the empty punch to continue closing in, jumped up and lifted his knee high, aiming at the largest area—the chest.

Wang Yan smiled slightly. The old guy's combat awareness was still quite good; he was worthy of the name of a fierce general.

He dodged, and just as Shi Your Majesty was falling forward, he stretched out his leg to trip his foot, destroying his balance.

Just as Shi Your Majesty was preparing to crawl on the ground to practice falling, his back collar was grabbed by Wang Yan, not letting the old general lose face.

Let Wang Yan pull him up to stand straight, Shi Your Majesty brushed off Wang Yan's hand. "Good kid, I'm serious now."

Wang Yan shook his head amusedly. "Go ahead."

In the next few minutes, Shi Your Majesty attacked with his life, but Wang Yan always dodged lightly and tortured Shi Your Majesty in various ways.

Watching him about to fall, he pulled him up. He kicked him in the butt, letting him stagger forward, and so on. Until he was thrown high by Wang Yan and caught again, Shi Your Majesty was panting, cursing and bowing to Yang Guang, sitting back to drink sullen wine.

He was a proper martial general's build, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, over 1.8 meters tall, weighing over two hundred jin, but in Wang Yan's hands, he was like a toy. How could he fight?

Wang Yan also smiled and bowed to Yang Guang, returning to his seat amidst a burst of cheers.

Yang Guang didn't have any special expression. Praising Wang Yan would belittle Shi Your Majesty, so it was better not to speak. After the cheers in the field passed, he waved his hand. "Continue the music, continue the dance. Gentlemen, drink!"

So everyone returned to their previous state, eating and drinking happily.

Yang Su didn't have too much expression either. He also had a sense of proportion. He knew Shi Your Majesty was editing him, and knew Wang Yan didn't submit to his bossiness, so he just used his status to suppress people, but he wouldn't go too far.

Shi Your Majesty wasn't some stinky fish or rotten shrimp. As for Wang Yan, one had to look at the owner when beating a dog. Yang Guang was sitting right beside him, so he had to leave room for himself.

He of course also knew that Wang Yan cursed Yuwen Shu as an old dog in front of all the civil and military officials, but he also knew Yang Guang wanted to win him over, and he grasped the proportion of this very well.

He also knew that if he went too far, with the dog temper Wang Yan showed, he might just curse him as an old dog to his face. Even if Wang Yan didn't curse, Shi Your Majesty would curse him. With so many people here, if he lost face, it wouldn't be fun...

Wang Yan drank and talked with Shi Your Majesty: "Not angry?"

"Skills are not as good as others, I admit defeat."

"Lord Shi is older, and his energy and blood are declining. If you were the same age as me..."

Shi Your Majesty waved his hand. "Even if I went back to my mother's womb to practice strength, and used more precious medicinal materials to take internally and wash my body, I still couldn't beat you. How did you practice, kid? You don't look strong, so how do you have such great strength, and your martial arts are also superb."

"I was born with divine strength."

"Hmm." Shi Your Majesty nodded repeatedly in recognition. "I believe you when you say that. When others say it, they are all bragging. I have been in the army for more than twenty years, and I can't count on two hands the legendary generals born with divine strength I have killed. Only you are truly divine strength."

Shi Your Majesty spoke very realistically, and Wang Yan couldn't help but shake his head amusedly.

Things were indeed like that. People loved to brag, and there was always a lot of exaggeration.

However, Wang Yan was also very particular. He didn't use any heavy hands at all and left quite a lot of room. Shi Your Majesty was the first person to talk to Wang Yan properly. Perhaps because he came from a family of generals and had been in the army for many years, he had more contact with soldiers, so he didn't look down on Wang Yan, but instead respected and was close to him.