Chapter 1339: The Crown Prince's Close Confidant

Seeing Wang Yan reading the letter with a face full of smiles, Xiao Mei couldn't help but lean closer.

"What good news is there, husband, that makes you so happy?"

"The Crown Prince has been deposed and imprisoned deep within the palace; Prince Jin has become the new Crown Prince." Speaking thus, Wang Yan handed the letter in his hand to Xiao Mei.

The latter read it through; this was written personally by Yang Guang. Yang Guang's calligraphy was quite good, yet the characters on this letter were wild and sloppy, revealing the inner turmoil he felt while writing it.

"That's wonderful, husband! With Prince Jin now Crown Prince, your days ahead will surely be far better than before. Even if they try to obstruct you, you will be able to rise even higher."

Wang Yan shook his head with an amused smile: "It's not that simple. Even His Majesty the Emperor cannot settle every matter with a single word, let alone the Crown Prince. Moreover, with maritime trade and the navy being paramount right now, I cannot leave. I'll have to stay another two or three years at least; only when others have carved up the navy will they transfer me away."

Speaking of this, Xiao Mei grew very angry: "Husband, are we really just going to watch this happen? Take no action at all? This is our foundation!"

"What foundation do we have? You understand clearly enough: if we resist or refuse to cooperate, we are simply seeking our own death. However, we certainly won't just tie our hands and await execution either. The navy isn't so easily carved up; I have my own arrangements, and in the future, I will still be able to command a portion of it."

"That's good then; otherwise, working for nothing just to embroider someone else's robe would mean we've lost terribly."

"It can't exactly be called a loss, after all, we've earned quite a lot of money and grain. Furthermore, our fleet is the largest and best, with the strongest combat power. Last year, we even sent people to explore farther regions; when they return, we might well have discovered another treasure land."

Potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, chili peppers, and so on—all must be brought back. Importing grain from overseas is one aspect, but ensuring our own production is sufficient is what truly matters.

Moreover, truth be told, even in ancient times with low productivity, the total grain output was enough to ensure that no one living on this land would starve to death; people might not eat their fill, but they could always get a few bites, and with a few bites, one wouldn't die of hunger. It was the hoarding by powerful families, the exploitation at every stage, the ineffective disaster relief, and the unreasonable distribution that caused some people to starve to death nonetheless.

Relatively speaking, importing grain from overseas was not a profitable choice; wealthy families did not lack grain, indeed they had so much it was growing mold. Therefore, these numerous wealthy families preferred to acquire various other goods instead, such as spices, seafood, minerals, and local specialties. They would not waste precious space on their ships loading more grain, only taking enough to cover the crew's consumption.

The Wang family's great fleet, however, persisted tirelessly and consistently in hauling grain back from overseas, even helping the Nanyue region improve their rice strains so they could produce more.

With such a massive quantity of grain brought back, plus the grain he himself purchased within Sui territory, the total had already become very considerable. Setting aside other regions, at least in the south, he had nearly unified the grain market; everyone followed his lead, using his buying and selling prices as the benchmark.

The benefit was that he maintained southern grain prices: they wouldn't plummet due to bumper harvests, nor would they rise due to reduced production, causing common people to be unable to afford grain.

Prices were kept at a level where farming peasants could make a profit, while non-farming commoners wouldn't have to spend too much money to buy grain.

Of course, he only did this after reporting to Yang Guang; he explained grain and economics to Yang Guang, who then allowed him to implement it, while Yang Guang simultaneously gave lessons to Yang Yang Jian.

This time, Yang Yong's deposition and Yang Guang's ascension could be said to be entirely in accordance with popular expectation. Wang Yan had earned too many merits for Yang Guang, excelling in both civil administration and military achievements.

There was a great victory on the grasslands, a navy established for overseas voyages, and Yangzhou was governed quite well, displaying an atmosphere of prosperity; the entire Jiang Nan region remained obedient and peaceful, with everyone living in harmony.

In comparison, Yang Yong appeared utterly useless. With such a huge incident occurring this time, his own parents, who had long been displeased with him, naturally reached a consensus and directly stripped him of his position, installing the more sensible, more capable, and more filial Second Son Yang in his place.

This was a very correct choice; after all, if Yang Guang had not ascended, then once Yang Yong took power, he would certainly not let Yang Guang live in peace, and Yang Guang obviously would not stretch his neck to be slaughtered either. The end result would have been the two killing each other, ruining the national fortune of the Great Sui, a cost far outweighing any benefit.

Thus, letting the currently seemingly more useless and flawed Yang Yong step down, replacing him with the more capable Yang Guang, avoided many troubles. This was something both Yang Yang Jian and Dugu Qieluo could see clearly.

After hearing Wang Yan's words, Xiao Mei said: "In my view, this Yang Guang is no kind person; even having become Crown Prince, he will surely not be content to remain manipulated by others forever. I fear it won't be long before he secretly harms His Majesty. Husband, your days of reaching the pinnacle of officialdom are not far off."

Wang Yan smiled: "Whether he intends to secretly harm him or not, we certainly cannot get involved in such matters; let Yuwen Huaji and the others handle it—their minds are wicked."

"Husband still hasn't let go of Yuwen Huaji."

"When I get the chance, I must chop him to death."

Xiao Mei couldn't help but smile gently; she knew Wang Yan was one who held grudges. Currently, there were only two unavenged grudges: one against the Yuwen family, and one against Yang Su; neither of these families was easy to move against.

Wang Yan waved his hand: "Let's not speak of it further; don't let Qionghua know. I'll write a reply to our Crown Prince and properly flatter him."

Princess Qionghua was an innocent and lively person; having grown up deep within the palace, after marrying Wang Yan, the whole family lived harmoniously without other troubles, happy every single day.

These messy affairs should not affect Qionghua's good mood. Wang Yan took great care of her, after all, he had always been a good man...

Yang Guang's ascension to Crown Prince and status as heir apparent continued to spread its influence.

Undoubtedly, this was an extremely good thing for Wang Yan. He had always firmly followed and supported Yang Guang, contributing significantly as one of the main drivers behind Yang Guang's rise.

Even though his origins were humble, at this moment people had to say he possessed the abilities of Lü Buwei; coincidentally, he was indeed currently one of the most prominent merchants in the world.

In just a few short years, in terms of commercial affairs, he had surpassed the accumulations of many wealthy families built over hundreds of years.

Of course, this referred solely to commercial affairs, wherein maritime trade, strong liquor, skincare, and cosmetics accounted for the bulk, with animal husbandry added to the mix. Nowadays, he was the largest breeder and seller of chickens, ducks, geese, cattle, sheep, and pigs in the Great Sui; no one could compete with him.

After many years of development, both the scale of animal husbandry and the experience gained had improved considerably; a group of talents proficient in breeding and veterinary medicine had been cultivated. Working under him truly meant being able to eat meat.

However, wealthy families were not particularly skilled in commercial affairs; after all, their business practices lacked innovation, relying instead on connections and monopolies. What they were truly formidable at was the web of interests woven over hundreds of years through intermarriage and blood ties. When a scion of a noble family went wandering, everywhere they went they knew someone; if they strained to claim relations, they could find relatives everywhere.

At the same time, they used land and grain to bind the common people in their family's locality, forcing these people to work themselves to death farming to support them, while also keeping them stable and unrest-free, thereby maintaining their supreme authority in the region.

These were aspects Wang Yan could not match; their roots were deep and widespread, all being political allies, whereas he truly had no allies in the imperial court, lacking far too much.

Of course, after becoming the General Who Stabilizes the Sea, besides his responsibility controlling the lifeline of maritime trade, he himself had become a major faction within the Great Sui. Besides those currying favor with him for maritime trade, some men from humble origins also began showing goodwill toward him; needless to say, within the military, many mid-level officers sought his favor, hoping to gain his protection.

In fact, his reputation was currently very good; whether soldiers or farmers, everyone was singing his praises, and some traveling merchants spread the word everywhere, saying how wealthy Wang Yan's farms were and how well the tenant farmers lived.

The tenant farmers indeed lived very well; farming provided enough food and drink, families raised large numbers of egg-laying poultry, and eating a chicken every few days was no problem. The pigs raised in a village, since they weren't all from the same batch nor all slaughtered only for the New Year, were sufficient for slaughtering one fat pig every month for everyone to share and enrich their diets.

The grain consumed by animal husbandry was replenished by Wang Yan through imports from overseas; meanwhile, because everyone ate meat, they consumed slightly less grain, and one by one, their faces glowed with ruddy health from the nutritional supplementation.

At the same time, due to Wang Yan's consistent investment in education, hiring scholars from humble backgrounds to enlighten the children of tenant farmers, over many past years, the grown children had joined various posts within Wang Yan's commercial empire, working loyally for Wang Yan; they viewed Wang Yan's enterprises just like their own families'.

Wang Yan indeed gave generously; aside from the necessary funds for expansion and the continuous expenditures for accumulating various strategic resources from the surplus, he distributed quite a lot of money to his subordinates, precisely so that everyone could live good lives.

The result was indeed just that: everyone had begun living good lives.

Within the military, it was even simpler; whether previously in Taiyuan or in Yangzhou, the Fubing soldiers were always well-fed and well-treated, with Wang Yan personally extorting money from local wealthy families to distribute red envelopes to everyone. Needless to say, the current navy was all getting rich.

At the same time, their families basically relied on Wang Yan for their meals. Anyway, if the family faced difficulties, they only needed to seek out General Wang; whether lacking money or having family members bullied by local wealthy families or officials, Wang Yan would always stand up for them.

Wang Yan's prestige was accumulated precisely bit by bit in this manner...

Now that Yang Guang had ascended, as Yang Guang's most trusted and valued person, Wang Yan's status rose even higher. After all, since Yang Guang would succeed to the throne in due course, Wang Yan, this trustworthy confidant, would inevitably wield power dominating the entire court.

Yang Guang was unlikely to make any major mistakes like Yang Yong and get stripped of his position; the great families also knew that Yang Yang Jian and Yang Guang intended to suppress them, making Wang Yan the most suitable person for this role, and Wang Yan had always been playing exactly such a role.

Therefore, the situation was already very clear; naturally, everyone sought to strive for goodwill and reconcile with Wang Yan. At the very least, they could not be too hostile, otherwise, once Wang Yan rose to power in the future and specifically targeted them to bite, no one could endure it.

Yes, they very directly believed that Wang Yan was simply a loyal dog under Yang Guang.

However, Wang Yan did not reject this view; after all, at this time, being called a 'running dog of a noble house' was still a complimentary term, and he was indeed loyal to Yang Guang—no one was more loyal than him.

He accepted all these displays of closeness from such people without any hesitation.

Actually, the intentions of these people were not so pure; their goal was to assimilate Wang Yan, bringing everyone into the same camp, putting on a show superficially for Yang Yang Jian and Yang Guang, fooling around so that everyone could pretend all was well.

If Wang Yan had not already married a princess, they would have married him to a noble daughter whom ordinary people couldn't even dream of, binding themselves through marital ties. Now that was impossible; marrying their noble daughters out as concubines would disgrace their family doors, as noble daughters from great families married out only to become the principal wives.

With Wang Yan's life stabilized, he ignored the maneuvers of military officers of various levels sent over, silently maintaining order at sea, steadily managing his own businesses, and building up the strength reserves for rebellion.

External exploration had also expanded considerably; Taiwan and Hainan Island had all become supply stations, including Japan and the Ryukyu Islands, which had all been taught a lesson. News that Japan possessed large quantities of silver also spread, causing envious wealthy families to go absolutely mad. They were highly skilled at enslaving people and creating divisions, and everyone was earning very happily.

The southernmost region explored was Australia, a vast land; the discovery of this news greatly excited the people. Currently, mineral deposits are being sought there, intending to enslave the hard-to-find indigenous people to mine, while bringing them civilization.

The exploration of overseas lands proceeds step by step: advancing along the continent, upon reaching an undiscovered location, nautical charts are drawn and routes recorded, the surrounding areas are explored, and then supply stations are built on land to serve as a base for continuing the exploration forward.

This process is very slow, advancing in units of years, yet after so many years of development, the results are still very good. At least Southeast Asia has been mostly explored; to the west, they have already reached the lands of the Third Brother, who is currently in the late period of the Gupta Dynasty, also a very powerful regime.

To the north, they went around the peninsula, having already crossed the Bering Strait to reach North America; retrieving those many seeds is now not far off.

The overall process of setting foot on the ocean relies primarily on Wang Yan's caravans; his family's caravans, combined with their naval forces and soldiers, undertook the task of exploration. The great families behind him followed in his wake, like Taotie beasts, snatching benefits everywhere. Of course, they also shouldered a considerable portion of the logistical work; building supply stations and so on were all tasks where the aristocratic clans provided manpower and effort.

The vast lands and endless wealth of maritime trade caused the great families to focus their eyes outward, reducing the harm inflicted upon the common people of the Great Sui; coupled with the prosperity of the Great Sui, it truly became a time of national peace and security, the great governance of the Kaihuang era.

However, although the interior was stable, the border regions were not peaceful.

The Turks, quiet for several years, were becoming restless again; although Changsun Sheng's strategy of division and dissolution was effective, favoring one group inevitably made another unhappy.

Khan Dublan submitted a memorial to the Sui Court requesting a marriage alliance; Changsun Sheng suggested marrying the Princess to Khan Tuli. This was Princess Anyi; after Princess Anyi died, there was another, Princess Yicheng. Dublan was naturally unhappy and sought to cause trouble for the Great Sui, thus repeatedly invading and raiding the borders.

Goguryeo was also unsettled; in the 18th year of Kaihuang, King Yeongyang of Goguryeo, Gao Yuan, led over ten thousand cavalry to raid Liaoxi but was repelled by Wei Chong, the Administrator of Yingzhou. In the second month, Yang Yang Jian appointed Prince Han, Yang Liang, and Wang Shiji as Marching Marshals, with Zhou Po Luo Hou as the Naval Regional Commander, leading a combined land and water army of three hundred thousand to attack Goguryeo. In the ninth month, forcing a crossing of the Liao River coincided with the rainy season; epidemics spread through the army, and the forces returned without success.

At that time, Wang Yan also dispatched ten thousand naval troops to participate in the battle, but the result was a miserable defeat, gaining nothing at all.

By the 19th year of Kaihuang (599 AD), Prince Han, Yang Liang, again commanded armies along three routes and engaged the Turks in battle.

It was also at this time, after two years had passed, that the naval forces had been mostly taken over; with the urgent need for personnel due to the outbreak of major warfare, Wang Yan, who had been in Yangzhou for more than nine years, was finally relieved of his post as General Who Stabilizes the Sea and received an imperial edict to return to the capital...