Chapter 139: Shanggu Commandery

"Crack!"

Fanyang City, Yuan Mansion.

Yuan Li drew the sword at his waist and slashed it fiercely into the desk before him.

"Zhao Heng, you actually dare to treat my Yuan Family like this!" Yuan Li was furious beyond measure.

He had just received news that the Emperor Zhao Heng had given Shanggu Commandery to Yan Wang.

This meant that among the Yanzhou Seven Commanderies, only five remained under his control.

To him, this was no different from cutting flesh from his own body; how could he not be enraged?

"It is all Zhang Kang's fault." Guo Tu had never liked Zhang Kang.

In the past, when Zhang Kang was around, Yuan Li always ignored him and favored Zhang Kang.

Zhang Kang, thinking himself powerful, had been disrespectful to him several times.

Therefore, he was happier than anyone that Zhang Kang had been killed by Yan Wang.

Even though he was dead now, he still harbored lingering resentment in his heart, wanting to disparage Zhang Kang to highlight his own cleverness.

Of course, he also wanted the deceased Zhang Kang to take the blame.

After all, now that Yan Wang had obtained Shanggu Commandery, he could completely bypass Fanyang and the commanderies controlled by the Yuan Family to establish a new trade route.

The ideas he had given Yuan Li would likely stop being effective before long.

Thinking of this, he continued, "It was precisely his crimes that made the Emperor and the ministers wary of you, my lord, and they intend to use Yan Wang to keep you in check."

Yuan Li narrowed his eyes. "They truly have calculated well, but I will certainly not let them have their way."

Yan Wang was now a thorn in his side, a splinter in his flesh.

Every day when he woke up, the thought that Yan Wang's fief was right next to Fanyang made his food lose its flavor.

Now Yan Wang had gained another commandery as a fief, and his troops numbered over sixty thousand.

If there is a first time, there will be a second; if Yan Wang performs more meritorious deeds in the future, wouldn't the Emperor continue to take land from the Yuan Family's hands and give it to Yan Wang?

"This absolutely cannot continue." A layer of cold sweat broke out on Yuan Li's palms.

It had been difficult for his Yuan Family to become the number one Rich Clan in Yanzhou.

They were even on the verge of being ranked alongside the Eight Great Clans of Da Song.

He could not fall at the hands of this Yan Wang.

"Guo Tu, don't you call yourself a cunning strategist? Now, tell me, what should be done at this moment?" Yuan Li walked up to Guo Tu and stared at him.

Guo Tu was secretly delighted; Yuan Li valued him.

Gently waving his paper fan, he looked toward the north, then toward the west, and said, "My lord, there is actually no need to be overly vexed. Shanggu Commandery, like Yan Commandery, is one of the poorest commanderies in Yanzhou. It is already difficult enough for Yan Wang to support Yan Commandery with the silver obtained from trade; adding another Shanggu Commandery now will likely leave him strapped for resources."

Hearing this, Yuan Li nodded.

The officials throughout a commandery need to be supported, and expanding an army also requires support.

And because he had not obstructed the Northern Di during this Autumn Hunt, Shanggu Commandery had suffered a deeper disaster than ever before.

Now that Yan Wang was taking over, it was like taking over a mess.

"Furthermore, the Northern Di often pass through Yan Commandery during the Autumn Hunt, and Shanggu Commandery is adjacent to Jinzhou. In these two years, Western Liang has had great ambitions to swallow Jinzhou. When the time comes, Yan Wang will be attacked from both sides. Perhaps without you needing to lift a finger, my lord, Yan Wang will be dead," Guo Tu sneered.

Yuan Li nodded slightly, feeling much more at ease.

"Moreover, with Yan Wang resisting the Northern Di for us in the north and the Western Liang in the west,

you, my lord, can reap the benefits of the fisherman. Plot for Yanguan; as long as Yanguan is in your hands, my lord, it is equivalent to gripping the throat of Da Song."

Yuan Li slapped his thigh. "Correct, correct. I was indeed confused by Yan Wang's affairs; Yanguan is the most important thing."

Then, he frowned again. "It is just that Yanguan is Yanguan, but are we to just wait now for the Northern Di and the Western Liang people to deal with Yan Wang?"

"Of course we cannot wait. We must make Yan Wang and the Northern Di and Western Liang fight to the death and both suffer, so that you, my lord, can win in one stroke," Guo Tu said. "First, you can order your soldiers to disguise themselves as Yan Wang's men and attack the Western Liang trade caravans; the Western Liang people will surely harbor secret hatred for Yan Wang. Second, I am willing to make a trip to the Black Iron Royal Tent to incite the Northern Di to take revenge, and incidentally, discuss the resumption of trade between the two sides."

"Good." Yuan Li was overjoyed upon hearing this. "Your plan is deeply to my liking."

Although the current situation in Da Song is chaotic, the remaining prestige of the Imperial Clan still exists.

It is not yet the time for him to openly raise an army to eliminate Yan Wang.

Therefore, he can only use schemes. If Guo Tu's plan succeeds, it will at least continuously weaken Yan Wang's strength, leaving him half-dead.

In this way, it will be much easier for him to deal with him.

Prince's Mansion.

After Zhao Xu left three thousand soldiers in Yuanyang County to help the commoners continue harvesting rice, he chose to return to Yancheng.

Now that his fief had gained another Shanggu Commandery, he naturally needed to plan a bit.

At the same time, the Prince's Personal Army also needed a new round of recruitment.

He also had to appease the merchants of the trade firms, letting them know that there was another trade route to take.

"If it were Ping County, it would be much better than Shanggu Commandery."

In the Council Hall, Liu Fu was still agonizing over the matter of Shanggu Commandery.

Everyone in Yan Commandery knew that Shanggu Commandery had suffered heavy losses in this Autumn Hunt.

At the same time, Jinzhou, to the west of Shanggu Commandery, was not peaceful.

"Oh my, my ears are calloused from hearing this. Having something is better than having nothing; sighing and groaning all day long." Chang Wei picked at his ear. To him, the larger Yan Wang's fief was, the better; he did not consider as much as Liu Fu.

Zhao Xu's expression was relaxed. He said, "Crisis, crisis; there is opportunity within the danger. I actually think Shanggu Commandery is not bad."

The location of Shanggu Commandery is equivalent to the northeast of the contemporary Taihang Mountains, the area around Zhangjiakou in Hebei.

And what kind of place is to the east of the Taihang Mountains? Contemporary people should all be very clear: it is the major coal province, Da Song's Jinzhou.

That is to say, after obtaining Shanggu Commandery, there will be no shortage of coal in the future.

As for the problem of Western Liang, because of the natural barrier of the Taihang Mountains, there is only one mountain road leading from Jinzhou to Shanggu Commandery, which is guarded by a pass.

As long as this pass is held, he can advance to attack and retreat to defend.

"It is good, but Your Highness, due to the war in Jinzhou, I do not know how many refugees have arrived in Shanggu Commandery; these commoners must eat. As far as I know, Shanggu Commandery is in chaos right now, with bandits everywhere, and these bandits are all Jinzhou refugees who could not survive." Liu Fu shook his head, taking the opportunity to complain about Chang Wei, "You only know how to train troops and fight; you truly do not know the cost of living until you manage a household. Although the Wine from the Prince's Mansion has earned quite a lot, the expenses are also immense. Now, with the addition of Shanggu Commandery, I fear we will be left drinking the northwest wind."

Zhao Xu smiled; Liu Fu was not wrong in his considerations.

The Prince's Mansion's business made money, but it could not keep up with such a large household and vast estate.

The reason he had been worried about trade routes some time ago was precisely because of this problem.

However, he was no longer worried now; as long as the trade routes were clear, he would have a way to make money.

Thus, he said, "You need not worry about this problem; you should just think about how to take over Shanggu Commandery, as I have my own plans regarding the Silver."

"Yes, Your Highness." Liu Fu acknowledged the order; it was not that he, this Steward, was being meddlesome, but that it was his duty.

The three were in the middle of discussing when Feng'er knocked and entered, whispering a few words into Zhao Xu's ear.

"Let them enter the city," Zhao Xu said.

"Your Highness, has the Imperial Edict arrived?" Chang Wei and Liu Fu looked expectant.

Once the Imperial Edict arrived, they would be able to officially take over Shanggu Commandery.

"No, it is the people from the Ma Family who have arrived. I did not expect that the lad who had been sponging off food and drink in Yancheng for so many days was truly Ma Han, the legitimate son of the Ma Family." Zhao Xu gave a wry smile.