In the next three days, it was Zhou Bai's Jinshi celebration, and the area around his ancestral home was bustling with gongs and drums.

There was an endless stream of distinguished guests from all over the country, and the convoy of gift-giving people queued up in front of the Jinshi Archway. Those who didn't know it thought it was a bustling market in a big city that was blocked.

During this period, Zhou Bai would occasionally show up to receive guests, such as powerful representatives from states and counties who came from afar, or many clan leaders from Pingcang who came in person. These were the help he could win over, and etiquette and respect could not be lost.

The two elders Shi Yu even brought their legitimate sons to the banquet, and in full view of the public, the next generation heads of the two county magnate families paid homage to Zhou Bai as their juniors.

Not only did they no longer secretly mention the marriage, but they also made the Yu family of the historian think that they were inferior to the Zhou family.

This is the first time since Zhou Bai returned to his hometown that a county-level family has expressed such a stance, only publicly admitting the Zhou family's dominant position.

All the guests present were shocked. Could it be that Mr. Shi Yu had inside information? Otherwise, why would he take sides?

The Zhao family is not easy to deal with, and the new county magistrate forced Ji Mingxuan to airborne, and he is not easy to mess with.

Before Zhou Bai came back, just a few small actions pushed the Cangshan Alliance's sphere of influence back to the north of the county.

However, the reputation and connections of Mr. Shi Yu caused the small families in the south of the county to further lower their profile, and some were even in contact with the deacons of the Qunshi Hall to learn about joining the alliance.

Even in the perception of many people, gods do not interfere in too many mundane affairs.

But given this position of fame, it is natural that the Tianren family is not satisfied with the foundation and influence limited to one village or several villages.

The heads of the other two county wealthy clans, the Chen family and the Qian family, were in shock and doubt. Shi Yuer was always old Hutu, but he really believed that the Zhou family would expand aggressively and must achieve hegemony.

They asked the two elders to make some insinuations, hoping to get some information so as not to be caught off guard.

I don't know when the balance of power in Pingcang County has been broken. Although the Zhao family was the strongest at first, that kind of strength has its limits. No one at the county tycoon level can say how far ahead they are.

But now the Zhao family has an unknown background and has reached a political alliance with the new county magistrate. It is now the overlord of Pingcang, forcing other families to shrink and evade.

What's even more outrageous is that even if the Zhao family is so strong, the Zhou family is not weak in the slightest.

All this is because of one person, Zhou Bai.

As Hanlin editor and Yunqiwei, he has an official title; as a leader of forces, he is the leader of the Zhou clan and the leader of the Cangshan Alliance...

"Lao Yu, Mr. Shi, the county magistrate Shou Heng is coming very hard. You are so confident that the Zhou family can withstand it?"

"Yes, the seventh-grade official Zhou Bai has no real power. If we really want to confront him, we may not be able to do anything against him, but we will have no problem dealing with the Zhou family."

"No family has a clean bottom. The Zhou family occupies the grassland trade route, and it cannot withstand investigation."

But no matter how Chen and Qian tried to test them, the other two old foxes who had grown up would not reveal the slightest hint.

What can the old fox say? He can't tell them that he is also gambling.

Seeing that the family's decline is imminent, if we don't take advantage of the troubled times to take risks, we may become unfilial descendants.

They are relatively good, and they serve as officials of the sixth rank. Even if their family status declines, they can still be blessed by their official aura and become ancestral spirits.

But the same cannot be said for other ancestors. Once the county magnate falls to the township level, the spiritual realm will shrink and those who are not qualified will be driven away, and in the end they can only become lonely ghosts.

This kind of ghost will not even be accepted by the underworld.

The competition for survival between families is both realistic and cruel. This was the case for Hu Jiang last night, and the same is true for Mr. Shi Yu today.

How many aristocratic families have fallen into poverty and then disappeared, without making any splash in the long river of history.

Only countries and dynasties that have established the Heavenly Pillar can be enshrined in the heavenly monument and leave a trace.

Shi Yu was betting that the future development of the Zhou family would be limitless and that they would be able to take care of both families. The current obstacles in Pingcang County were only temporary.

Zhou Bai was too demanding and failed to seize the opportunity when he solved the Yuan Dynasty. Now he must get on the chariot before the Zhou family takes off.

The two elders didn't see much in Zhou Bai's plan, but it was only on the surface. With the eyesight honed over a lifetime, they decided to take a gamble.

For example, before the arrival of various natural disasters, the Zhou family's acres of land increased to the largest in the county, and they had grain and wine, which meant there was absolutely no shortage of food; another example is that when most of Cangbei County fell, Pingcang County suffered a serious threat.

The Zhou family has a "strong army" to patrol the countryside.

How could they, who had been in charge of six departments in the central government, fail to see Daxu's current situation?

The country's destiny, which originally still had decades to go, was being wiped out by waves of natural disasters. The redundant officialdom in the late dynasty was simply not enough to revive it again.

The Green Forest Rebellion in Dongtai, which the court could not put down, was the beginning of troubled times.

The core of what a party needs in troubled times is to have food and people, strong soldiers and horses, and the Zhou family just happens to have them all.

Whether it was Zhou Bai's deliberate plan, or he just wanted to protect the family and protect themselves, they couldn't see the ship ahead, so they decided to board it.

That night, after the guests had dispersed, letters written by Shi Hongmao and Yu Chang were delivered to Zhou Bai's head.

Their letter directly expressed their intention to join the Cangshan Alliance with their blacksmith shops and mines, and they also hoped to establish a closer alliance with the Zhou family while maintaining the independent inheritance of the family in the future.

At the end of the letter, Shi Hongmao also reminded Zhou Bai that they could announce their joining the alliance now to build momentum.

You can also make a sudden statement when the Zhou and Zhao families are facing each other to attack the rear of the Zhao family. After all, the main industries of the Shi and Yu families are in the county seat and the south of the county.

Zhou Bai smiled after reading "To Be Honest". To be honest, he didn't expect these two old foxes to be so decisive.

It just seems to have set a test for him?

"Sir, what do you think?" Zhou Bai handed the letter to Chen Zhongbang and asked after he read it.

"My lord, after all, I am from a family that has produced sixth-grade imperial officials, so I am a little bit unwilling to be reduced to a subordinate like this." Chen Zhongbang also raised the corners of his mouth and replied with a smile.

Then he took out two old and yellowed manuscripts, which were the previous works of Shi Hongmao and Yu Chang. Comparing the handwriting of the two letters now, it was obvious that they were not autographed letters.

"It looks decisive, but in fact it is still old and lacks courage." Zhou Bai glanced at the handwriting and commented.

Chen Zhongbang bowed and gave his own advice: "Iron mines and forging craftsmen are the resources you have been seeking, so the lord still has to accept their surrender, it just depends on when you choose them to join."

There are various signs that behind Shi Yu's decisiveness, there is still room for swing.

"The two old foxes seem to have both options at my disposal, but the prices they have to pay are different. Since they still have to hold on, let them bleed."

"Reply to the two families and let them choose the timing of defection, temporarily showing the attitude of falling out." Zhou Bai ignited the so-called investment integrity and asked Chen Zhongbang to arrange the next matters.

After hearing Zhou Bai's plan, Chen Zhongbang thought about it and thought it was feasible. He could use the strength of the Zhou family to fight against the Zhao family. In the end, the benefits transferred by the Shi Yu family would not be up to them.

The next day, following the scene of Shi Yu surrendering to the Zhou family, news spread that the envoys from the Shi Yu family came to the door and left angrily, suspected of being dissatisfied with the conditions.

Hearing that the two parties had not negotiated terms for cooperation, Qian and the Chen family breathed a sigh of relief. They had been really anxious these past few days.

They have been inquiring about the Zhou family's next expansion plan and when they will confront the Zhao family so that they can better grasp the situation.

The actions of Shi and Yu's family also made the Zhao family's senior officials very angry, and they immediately went to the new county magistrate Shou Heng to discuss it.

It is still the property of the Zhao family outside the city, Yuquan Villa. During the cold winter months, you can soak in the hot springs to ward off the cold. Now in the midsummer, it has become a summer resort due to the existence of the ice cellar.

The ice mirror was filled with ice cubes and placed in the center. The servants used cattail fans to fan the cold air, and within a moment the temperature in the palace became cool and comfortable.

However, the few people who were enjoying the cooling effect of the ice mirror could not calm down. Their bodies were extremely hot and they kept urging the servants to fan out more cold wind.

Zhao Chun has no descendants, but his younger brother Zhao Xian has three sons, so Zhao Xian has recently begun to take over some of the power of the Zhao family.

It was Zhao Xian who was dealing with other families in the county, so he seemed increasingly impatient.

He took a deep breath, looked at the people in the hall, and was the first to speak angrily: "These two old guys, Shi Hongmao and Yu Chang, don't know what is good or bad. They said they would remain neutral before, but now they actually take the initiative to contact the Zhou family, huh!

"

"Alas, after all, it is the official position of the capital. Even if the descendants are incompetent, they still have the right to choose the shade tree." The master next to Shou Heng sighed in a low voice.

Zhao Xian still said disdainfully: "Bah, the Zhou family is also a big tree, if not for that night..."

These words made both Master and Shou Heng frown. How could such secret things be mentioned all the time.

"Shut up, you dare to say anything?!" Zhao Chun quickly stopped Zhao Xian after hearing this.

Zhao Xian has recently received support from many clan elders in the family, and his voice has greatly increased. However, facing his elder brother who has been accumulating power for a long time, he still does not dare to contradict rashly, so he can only stay silent and say nothing.

Shou Heng's disgust could be reversed. According to his judgment, this master was probably sent by the Sixth Prince, and he had experienced extraordinary things during his several encounters.

Zhao Chun would not tell his guess, but still said respectfully to Shou Heng: "Your Majesty, it is a foregone conclusion that the princes in the imperial court will entrust the states to each other. Now that person is in urgent need of a lot of money and resources, what do you think?"

"Well, that person has already sent a message, asking me to wait until the end of the year to open up the grassland trade route. This is a fatal order."

"So it's time to break up with the Zhou family and other clans in the north of the county, and then use all kinds of methods." Shou Heng frowned and said while knocking on the tea table.

Zhao Chun's expression changed, and there was a hint of joy between his brows: "Okay, then please cover up later. It is inevitable that there will be some places where force is needed."

The biggest suspect in Zhao Liangji's death is Zhou Bai. A man with white hair sent a man with black hair. He will remember this pain all the time.

"The generals in Kukou Pass have already taken control of most of it, and the county captain will just stay out of it. You can do whatever you want."

…

Just when the storm is about to come in Pingcang County, the real heavy rain seems to have come to an end.

Without any warning, it continued to clear up for three consecutive days, and the same news came from other major states.

Except for the coastal areas where wind and rain still persist, most areas have begun to return to normal weather.

It was also the last time to harvest the wheat, so after Zhou Bai held a clan meeting in the Qunshi Hall, he ignored the affairs of the inner government and ordered everyone to go out and harvest the wheat.

The Zhou people's basic farmland does not use chemical fertilizers on a large scale, so a small number of chemical fertilizer fields can only make up for the shortcomings of other yield reductions in the old farmland.

However, of the 20,000 acres of new fields, only 10,000 acres are planted with wheat. The yield of this part increased by more than 30%.

When the wheat enters the granary, the total output will only increase by 10% compared to last year.

On August 25th, Zhou Bai formally held a plenary meeting of the inner government. On the civil service side, there were no more than twenty heads of bureaus, departments, workshops, etc., while on the Zhuang Ding side, everyone from head to top was present, totaling ten people.
To be continued...