Chapter 130: Storms Over Zhongyuan

The establishment of the Rongyang Hall caused a huge stir throughout the Jiangnan region controlled by the Wang Family.

The first batch of 127 elders who moved into Rongyang Hall were mostly orphaned sons of construction families who had early on cleared land and built dikes for the Wang Family, and Wang Er Gou was one of them.

He had fought for the Wang Family across the lands in his youth, accumulating a host of illnesses; thereafter he scraped by on the Wang Family's monthly stipend. Now living in the blue‑brick Rongyang Hall, he receives hot porridge and side dishes daily, new clothes on festivals, and clutches the hand‑warmer handed to him by the hall's steward. With reddened eyes he mutters to the fellow elders, "In this life I haven't labored in vain for the Wang Family."

The matter quickly spread beyond Jiangnan. The storyteller in the tea house turned "The Wang Family builds Rongyang Hall, caring for orphans to the end of their days" into a fresh skit, beating a drum and delivering it with vivid feeling, while the listeners slapped the table in approval.

Merchants traveling north and south even turned the story into a living billboard: caravan traders on land, when resting at relay stations, would tell their companions, "The Jiangnan Wang Family's benevolence provides for old workers' retirement and burial," while river boatmen at the docks would say to dockworkers, "If you get a chance to go to Jiangnan, joining the Wang Family is a sure bet."

Within half a month, from Jinling to Lin'an, from Yangzhou to Huizhou, and further north to the Lu‑Yu region, everyone knew the Jiangnan Wang Family's rule: as long as you work sincerely for the Wang Family—whether a laborer, an accountant, or a guard— the Wang Family will look after you for life: you have support in life, care in old age, and a burial when you die.

After the news spread, the city gates of Jiangnan were packed daily with outsiders. Craftsmen carrying blacksmith furnaces came hoping to enter the Wang Family's workshop with their weapon‑making skill. Desperate warriors, bearing rust‑stained long swords, sought to join the Wang Family's guard corps for a meal and a stable life.

Even scholars in patched long robes, clutching a few old volumes, were willing to become teachers at the Wang Family's clan academy, just to secure a place for their wives and children. They dragged families and belongings, carrying bedding rolls, queuing at the Wang Family's gate, hoping to obtain a "Wang Family Household" placard.

And the mastermind behind it all, Wang Po, on the third day after Rongyang Hall opened, completely relinquished his authority. On the day he handed over power, he stood in the attic of the Wang Family's old residence, watching the children of the clan play in the courtyard, his face unmoved, and said to the elderly steward beside him, "In this life, from serving the previous Head of Family to supporting the Wang Family to its present stature, that's enough."

Wang Xiu's consciousness also entered a semi‑'hibernation' state, quietly watching the legacy he built with his own hands continue to operate in the hands of the new generation.

The Jiangnan enterprise is solid. The overseas Wa Kingdom has become a thing of the sack, and the expansion into the South Seas has entered the right track. The family's inheritance has successors.

However, the tree wishes for stillness but the wind does not cease.

Just as the Wang Family completed the power transition and the whole Jiangnan region flourished.

In the north, Zhongyuan was undergoing a sudden upheaval.

Back then, Li Cunxu pacified Zhongyuan with his bravery, but no one expected that after he ascended the throne he would indulge in performers' songs and dances, turning the Court into a haze of smoke and chaos.

After his death, the Later Tang throne became a hot potato; princes clashed with swords over the dragon throne, and the imperial princes also seized the chance to raise troops and assert their power.

The Hedong Military Governor even raised troops under the banner of 'cleansing the court', while the defender of Bianzhou simply closed the city and declared independence; even the garrison near the capital experienced frequent mutinies.

In the Court, today a new chancellor, tomorrow a new chief of staff; edicts change from morning to evening, and the prefectural officials below seize the opportunity to exploit the people. Across Zhongyuan, displaced refugees are everywhere, half the crops in the fields lie fallow, and starving bodies line the roads.

Meanwhile, the northern Khitans grew stronger amid the chaos. After Yelü Abaoji unified the Khitan tribes, he set his sights on Zhongyuan's fertile lands, leading his army south to seize Yingzhou and Pingzhou, pushing his sphere of influence to the foot of the Great Wall.

When Yelü Deguang ascended, the aggression intensified; each autumn and winter he led cavalry over the Great Wall to raid the Later Tang border prefectures.

They seized grain, captured people, and burned border villages to ash. The Later Tang garrison either lacked supplies or feared the enemy like tigers; often when Khitan cavalry arrived they fled, only daring to muster a response after the raiders had taken enough and withdrawn.

Now on the Later Tang frontier, the beacon towers' thick smoke never ceases; by day one can see black plumes on the horizon, by night distant flames flicker, and the border soldiers wear sorrowful faces, each pondering how much longer they can hold out.

That day, an eight‑hundred‑li urgent intelligence report from the Wang Family's northern information station was delivered into Wang Zhen's hands.

After reading it, Wang Zhen hurried to the back courtyard and found Wang Po leisurely fishing.

Wang Po opened the report, glanced at it, and his complexion instantly turned iron‑blue.

The hand gripping the fishing rod, from overexertion, had its knuckles whitened.

"Scoundrel! Beast!"

A roar of anger burst from the mouth of this old man who had not raised his voice in years.

He sprang up, snapping the fishing rod in his hand into two pieces!

The nearby bodyguard attending him and the ornamental koi in the pond scattered in panic.

"Prepare horses! Go to the council hall! Bring the Head of Family and Wang Xin the chief, immediately!" Wang Po's voice carried an uncontainable, raging fury.

Wang Xin is the new intelligence chief succeeding Wang Tian, who had passed away several years earlier.

Wang Family Council Hall.

Wang Zhen, Wang Xin, and several other members all wore anxious expressions as they stared at Wang Po seated on the main seat.

Aside from Wang Zhen and Wang Xin, no one knew why the old Head of Family was so inflamed.

"Uncle, what exactly happened to provoke such a blaze of anger?" the people below asked cautiously.

Wang Po said nothing, merely passing the report over.

They hurriedly took the report, gathered together, and began reading.

The contents of the report were simple.

"... The Hedong Military Governor Shi Jingtang intends rebellion. Lacking troops, he fears the Court's suppression. He therefore sent an envoy north to seek Khitan aid. His envoy Sang Weihan has already arrived at the Khitan capital.

Shi Jingtang promised that if the Khitans helped him ascend the throne, he would cede the sixteen Yan‑Yun prefectures and annually tribute silk, cloth, gold, and silver. Moreover, Shi Jingtang would even worship the Khitan ruler Yelü Deguang as his father, calling himself the 'Son Emperor'…"

"What?!"

"Shi Jingtang… is he mad?"

"Ceding the sixteen Yan‑Yun prefectures? That is the northern shield of our Han realm! Once it falls into Khitan hands, Khitan iron cavalry could, in a day, drink the Yellow River! Zhongyuan would never know peace!"

"And… that 'Son Emperor'…"

"The sovereign of Zhongyuan daring to worship a barbarian beyond the frontier as his father? This is the greatest farce under heaven! It tramples the faces of all Han people!"

The people who read the letter chattered angrily, their hearts burning with unstoppable fury.

Wang Xiu was also extremely indignant; after years of overseas expansion he had forgotten a figure like Shi Jingtang, and he understood the strategic significance of the "Sixteen Yan‑Yun Prefectures" better than anyone of this era.

It was not merely sixteen cities; it was a natural Great Wall formed by the Taihang and Yan mountain ranges!

Losing this shield would leave the entire North China Plain completely exposed to the iron hooves of the northern nomads. In the following centuries, the Zhongyuan dynasties would pay a horrendous price for it— the humiliation of Jingkang, the disaster of Yashan… countless tragedies are linked to this.

"Zhen'er," Wang Po's voice hid an uncontainable fury, "You are now the Wang Family Head of Family. Tell me, what should we do about this?"

Wang Zhen's mind was a battlefield between heaven and man.

Rationally, and from the Wang Family's long‑standing ancestral edict of 'never turn north', he knew the Wang Family should not meddle in Zhongyuan's mess.

Who sits on Zhongyuan's throne has nothing to do with the Wang Family; as long as they do not trouble Jiangnan, the Wang Family should shut its doors, live its good life, and continue overseas expansion.

But…

The Wang Family are Han. In his veins also flows Han blood!

If he watches with his eyes open as Shi Jingtang treats a thief as his father and cedes territory, doing nothing, what face will this Wang Family Head of Family have when he meets his ancestors underground?

"Father…" Wang Zhen inhaled deeply, finally making up his mind.

"I, your child, think we cannot ignore this matter!"

"Continue."

The Wang Family does not contend for the great treasure of Zhongyuan. This is the foundation of our family; it must not be shaken. Wang Zhen's thoughts became increasingly clear: 'Not contending for hegemony does not mean we can stand by while our territory is invaded by foreign tribes, or while the dignity of the Han is trampled by barbarians.'

Shi Jingtang's move is for his own private gain, selling out the interests of the entire nation! If he succeeds, the Khitan will grow powerful, and then our South of the River will sooner or later face threat. When the lips are gone, the teeth feel the cold — this principle, even a child understands.

So, Wang Zhen slammed the table and declared her decision, 'We must stop him!'

Good! Wang Po shouted, leaping to his feet, 'How worthy of being my son!'

He looked at Wang Zhen, his eyes full of gratification and pride.

Then you say, what specifically should we do?

Wang Zhen pondered for a moment, then said, 'Our Wang Family cannot directly send troops northward. This would break our tacit understanding with the various forces of Zhongyuan, making them think we harbor hegemonic ambitions, and they would all rise up to attack us.'

We can provide funds and equipment! Although the regional military governors of Zhongyuan may not get along, they certainly would not want to see a powerful Khitan lording it over them from above, nor would they want to see this petty man Shi Jingtang, relying on the Khitan, ascend to the throne.

If we play our cards right, we might be able to unite them to jointly resist the Khitan and Shi Jingtang's rebel forces.

Wang Po listened to his son's analysis and nodded in satisfaction.

Excellent. Wang Po said, 'This plan is feasible. However, to carry it out we need an envoy who is eloquent, courageous, and intimately familiar with the situation in Zhongyuan. This person would have to persuade those stubborn regional military governor lords — no easy task, like asking a tiger for its skin. Do you have anyone in mind?'

Before Wang Zhen could speak, Wang Xin interjected, 'Old Head of Family, I already have someone in mind for this important task!'