Nanping, Jiangling Prefecture, Jingnan Jiedushi Office, oh no! After Zhang Zhi named Gao Congjie as King of Jing, this place has been renamed Jingwang Palace.
However, being awarded the title of king did not bring much joy to Gao Congjie. He was worried about the future of Nanping.
Strictly speaking, Nanping, owned by Gao Jixing, Gao Congjie and his son, cannot be counted as one of the Ten Kingdoms.
Because these two generations of Gao Laizi have never been lonely, they have been busy proclaiming themselves ministers all over the world and reaping benefits.
Among all the countries in the world, only the Qingyuan army in Nanping and the separatist Quan and Nan (Zhang) states has not been crowned king.
At this time, Li Jing was still preparing to canonize Liu Cunxu as the military envoy of the Qingyuan Army, so for now, Nanping was the only one.
Because of this uniqueness, the foundation for Nanping's existence is not very solid.
In the past, Gao Congjie was not very worried about this, because neither Li Congke nor Shi Jingtang, Shi Chonggui and his son, or even Liu Zhiyuan, Gao Congjie thought that they could become famous.
In the Central Plains, after more than ten years of war, the population has been depleted. Several prefectures and counties are often without human habitation for more than ten miles. The population of the entire Henan region has dropped sharply to three to four million.
Coupled with the Khitan threat and the Central Plains emperor's growing dissatisfaction with the Central Military Envoys, there was no ability to threaten Nanping's existence.
But when Zhang Gao entered Tokyo, everything changed. Gao Congjie smelled an extremely unusual smell from Zhang Gao's body. This was also an important reason why he took the risk of sending his son Gao Baorong to Tokyo to meet him.
The first is to express complete surrender, and the second is to let Gao Baorong observe the behavior of Zhongyuan Qi Xiang and Zhang Yan.
When Gao Baorong came back and told what he had seen and heard, Gao Congjie's heart dropped.
Needless to say, the soldiers and horses of Hexi were brave and brave. As the emperor, the emperor of Shaoming, Zhang Gao, was magnanimous and far-sighted.
He overhauled the palace without using public funds, conscripted the people to serve, not many people died, and was praised by everyone.
As the emperor, he could only wear four sets of clothes on a regular basis. He was fond of eating beef. In the three years since he arrived in Kaifeng Prefecture, Tokyo, he could not eat beef even once.
At the same time, we also know that Xing Wenjiao, after taking over the Central Plains, did not rush to plunder the people, but instead established a system in advance, rewarded loyalty, and used extremely clever means to take away the power of Jiedushi.
These are Tibetan thieves from the wasteland west of the river. This is the way of the emperor of the great dynasty!
Since Gao Baorong came back and showed his admiration for Zhang Yan everywhere, Gao Congjie's condition became more and more serious.
The Nanping Kingdom is small and weak, and it is located at a strategic transportation hub. If such a master appears in the Central Plains, the Nanping Kingdom's living space will inevitably disappear.
Gao Congjie took two breaths with all his strength, but the tightness in his chest did not seem to subside at all. Instead, he began to have headaches and heart palpitations because he used too much force this time.
In the two or three years since he suffered from this illness, Gao Congjie's chest has never felt relieved. His appetite, physical strength and mental strength have also begun to decline rapidly as the disease progresses.
His typical bronchitis developed into emphysema, and it had reached an advanced stage.
If in later generations, with Gao Congjiao's status, there would be no problem in living another ten or twenty years.
But at this time, the doctors at Jing Palace could only diagnose Gao Congjie as suffering from qi disease, and his heart, lungs and other internal organs had been damaged. However, there were no drugs or methods to treat it. It was a completely incurable terminal disease. Gao Congjie could die at any time.
He died due to acidosis.
It wasn't long before he knew his fate, but he still had a lot of troubles. The third son, Gao Baorong, who was his successor, didn't seem to be able to hold on to the family business, and his favorite tenth son, Gao Baoxu, was even worse.
This is not to say that Gao Baoxu is incompetent. It is precisely because Gao Baoxun has some ability that he has always had a little self-confidence and a deep desire to preserve the Gao family business.
This is not good. Nanping's arm cannot twist Zhou Guo's thigh. If he does not understand current affairs, then it is not a question of whether the family property can be saved, but a question of whether the family can be saved.
Gao Congjie was about to call his attendants to bring him a medicinal soup made from sweet potato (mint). This medicinal soup could make his heart and lungs feel a chill. There was no hope of curing the disease, but it could give him a sense of relaxation.
Some illusions.
But before he could say anything, the palace door was suddenly pushed open.
Who dared to push open the door of his palace on this stormy night? Of course it was his favorite tenth son, known as Gao Baoxu in Nanping.
Gao Baoxu stood at the door, rainwater flowing down his bun, and his blue round-neck robe had been completely soaked, looking like it had been fished out of the water.
Gao Congjie's heart suddenly rose. He looked at Gao Baoxu with strength and calmness, "Why is my son so panicked? What happened?"
Gao Baoxu looked at Gao Congjie, anxious tears welled up in his eyes, mixed with rain and sprayed all over his face, he said sadly.
"An alarm came from Gong'an County. In the early hours of yesterday morning, Wu'an military general Xu Qiong and others opened the north gate of Tanzhou and let Ma Xi'e into the city. Ma Xi'e has become the lord of Southern Chu!"
Gao Congjie was shocked and asked quickly: "How did my son know? Is it a rumor?"
Gao Baoxu suddenly shook his head, "It's not a rumor. Zhang Shaodi, the military envoy in front of the Wu'an military office, and other Nanchu Ya generals are unwilling to surrender to Ma Xi'e. They have already led hundreds of troops to the police station and asked them to come to our Nanping territory.
Waiting for Ma Xiguangnan to return."
"I am the Gao family who will die on this day!" Gao Congjie couldn't stand it any longer. He looked up to the sky and sighed. His throat felt itchy. During the violent cough, a few wisps of blood suddenly spurted out, and then he fell down heavily.
On the ground.
The reason why Gao Congjie was so excited was because he could see why Zhang Hao had kept Ma Xiguang in Tokyo, just waiting for this moment.
If Ma Xi'e cannot take Tanzhou and control the power of Ma and Chu, then Zhang Gao can send at most several thousand or more than ten thousand troops to send Ma Xi back to Guangnan.
Although he had to pass through Jiangling, Nanping had always been respectful, and last year he even presented a treatise on febrile diseases and miscellaneous diseases. He did not give Zhang Xian any excuses. The emperor of Shao Ming had always upheld loyalty, filial piety and justice, so he would certainly not be able to come and devour Nanping.
Even if Zhang Zhi was embarrassed, he would not be afraid of only a few thousand or ten thousand soldiers and horses. These people could not defeat Jiangling, which the Gao family and his son had been entrenched for decades with their kindness.
Zhang Yan cannot send more factions. If he wants to send more factions, it will be too obvious, and all the countries in the world will be on guard.
But now, Ma Xi'e has entered Tanzhou, and the former King of Chu, Ma Xifan, sent Ma Xiguang to Tokyo to meet him last year, and also accepted Zhang Zhou's title of King of Chu.
This means that Ma Chu is now Zhang Zhou's vassal vassal just like Nanping, and Emperor Zhang of Shaoming can justifiably mobilize an army south to put down the rebellion.
Since the rebellion is to be suppressed and Nanping is also a vassal, the imperial army enters Jiangling and uses Jiangling as a frontline base to suppress Ma Chu. Is this no problem?
As for how long it will take for the army to quell the rebellion? Should they leave once they have arrived? This is something you, the vassal king, can decide?
....
On the second day, the news became more accurate. In front of the Wu'an Army, dozens of Ma Chu Army generals including Zhang Shaodi, Li Yanwen, Liu Yantao, etc. formally wrote to Gao Congjiao, requesting Gao Congjiao to allow them to stay in Gong'an County or go to Gong'an County.
Settled in Jiangling and waited for Ma Xiguang to go south.
News also came from Tanzhou. After Ma Xihe entered Tanzhou, he immediately killed Ma Xiguang's wife Wang and their three sons.
Li Hongzhen, one of the eighteen bachelors of Ma Chutiance Mansion who advocated the dismemberment of Ma Xiguang, and secretary of the Wu'an Army Jiedu, his younger brother Li Hongjie and more than 70 members of his family also died together.
Later, Ma Xi'e was still angry and killed Wu'an army judge Tang Zhaoyin, tooth general Yang Di and dozens of other generals.
At the same time, Ma Xi'e was able to enter Tanzhou thanks to the help of barbarians from various streams in Langzhou (Changde, Hunan). Therefore, after entering Tanzhou, he could not completely control these barbarians.
The barbarians then plundered Tanzhou, and seeing the barbarians starting to plunder, the Wuping soldiers of Ma Xi'e's headquarters were certainly not willing to lag behind.
Therefore, Langzhou soldiers and barbarian soldiers looted for three days, killing officials and people, and burning houses. The treasures and goods accumulated by Ma Yin, King Wumu of Chu, and his son Ma Xifan for decades were all thrown into the barbarians, and the palaces and houses were reduced to ashes.
The news one after another shocked Gao Congjie and he was speechless, especially the fact that all the palaces of the Ma family in Tanzhou were reduced to ashes, and the brothers killed each other, which made Gao Congjie, who was about to die, fall into the inner war between heaven and man.
.
He summoned his third son Gao Baorong, Gao Baoshen, Gao Baoyin and his favorite tenth son Gao Baoxu.
"Did the Fourteenth Master reply to the letter? What did he say?" Gao Congjie was supported by two maids and sat on the bed, softly asking Gao Baorong who hurried over.
The Fourteenth Lang mentioned by Gao Congjie was Gao Baoying, the fourteenth son of Gao Congjia, who was chosen to marry the sister of Luo Shande, the confidant of Zhang Zhi.
Gao Baorong hurriedly stepped forward and replied: "The reply from the 14th Lang just arrived, saying that he had graduated from Tiangongyuan. The emperor appreciated his outstanding talent and learning, and specially promoted him to the Zhangtai Secretary Office of Zhongshu Province, where he would serve as his attendant.
His wife's brother, Marquis of Yumen, Zuo Shenwei, Luo Zhonglang, is still in the holy family. He was recently ordered to quell the rebellion of the Huaibei thieves in Haosi and Sizhou. I heard that they have won a great victory, and he is about to be promoted to an official position."
Gao Congjie nodded with satisfaction, his pale face looking much better.
However, Gao Baorong found it a little difficult to speak. He pondered for a moment and then continued: "The 14th Lang also said that the sage said that the general trend of the world will inevitably merge and divide after a long time. He thinks it is very reasonable.
Since the decline of the Tang Dynasty, the world has been in chaos for one hundred and eighty years, and now it is time to reunite.
Our Gao family has stabilized Jingnan for decades. The scholars, people, gentry and businessmen are all grateful for the virtues of the Gao family. The sage said that King Wu Xin (Gao Jixing) also called him benevolent and virtuous.
This is a blessing for my Gao family, if I can..." Gao Baorong took a deep breath before continuing.
"If we can dedicate the land of the three southern states of Jingnan to the imperial court, the wealth of the Gao family can be expected to continue, and the name of loyalty will be left in history."
"How bold! How dare Shiro Shiro say such rebellious words? Is he still a descendant of the Gao family?"
Before Gao Congjie could speak, Gao Baoxu had already jumped out. He bowed to the ground and shouted miserably.
"Sir, Sir Fourteenth has married a daughter of the Luo family, and has become a confidant of the emperor. He has a great future. He has no regard for the Gao family at all. Please don't believe the rebellious words of Sir Fourteenth."
Not only did Gao Baoxu say this, but Gao Baoshen and Gao Baoyin both had angry looks on their faces, obviously very dissatisfied with these words of Shiro Shiro Gao Baoying.
A flush suddenly appeared on Gao Congjie's face, and then he coughed violently.
The maid hurriedly brought the soup, but Gao Congjie waved her hand and refused to take it. Instead, she looked at Gao Baorong and asked, "What do you think San Lang said, what Fourteenth Lang said?"
A struggling look appeared on Gao Baorong's face, and finally he knelt down and bowed his head to Gao Congjie.
"The land of the three states in Jingnan was obtained by my ancestors, King Wu Xin and his Excellency, overcoming obstacles and enduring humiliation. The family property of our ancestors was hard-won, how can we dedicate it lightly?
It's just that the three states in Jingnan are small and have weak troops. If the emperor is determined, I may be able to resist it while I'm still here, but after a hundred years, I won't be able to resist it."
Gao Baorong's words were indeed his inner thoughts. Who doesn't want to defend his foundation and say he is alone and few people, but the problem he faces is that Nanping is simply unable to resist the imperial conquest. If he persists in resisting, the whole family may be ruined.
"Sir! The imperial court did not expect it to be that powerful. When it conquered the Southern Tang Dynasty in the past, it was unable to capture Jiangning in one go due to the disadvantage of the navy.
Our navy is now superior to that of the Southern Tang Dynasty. If the imperial court dares to attack, it is better to form an alliance with Ma Xi'e and communicate with Shu and Tang at the same time. By combining the strength of the four families and relying on the courage of the navy, Jiangling will definitely be able to defend it."
Gao Baoxu heard the words of the 14th Lang Gao Baoying, and his heart was on fire. Hearing the words of his brother Gao Baorong, he was also very dissatisfied. He knelt on the ground and roared loudly.
But this time, Gao Congjie didn't even look at Gao Baoxu, the one he loved most on the ground. Instead, he looked at Gao Baorong and sighed.
"My son is prudent and self-aware. He can protect his people. I am relieved."
....
"Saint! A saint must make the decision for me! I don't have to be the leader of the Chu vassal, but my wife and children are really innocent. Why did Ma Xihe kill all the ministers in my family!"
Just after Zhang Yan announced the reform, the news about Ma Chu arrived. To be honest, Zhang Yan did not expect that this guy Ma Xi'e would be so ruthless.
Ma Xiguang actually did not fight with him. As a result, he raised troops and entered Tanzhou, and even killed Ma Xiguang's wife and two children.
Speaking of this, Zhang Hao actually felt a little guilty. It seemed that these things had nothing to do with him. After all, no one knew that the former King of Chu, Ma Xifan, would die of illness so quickly, let alone that Ma Xi'e would be so vicious.
From the eyes of others, it seems that Zhang Yan favored Ma Xiguang, so he left him to enjoy wealth and wealth in Tokyo.
After the Ma Chu Incident, Zhang Zhi, despite his busy schedule, continued to mobilize troops to prepare to escort Ma Xiguang back to Tanzhou to succeed him. It can be said that he acted very affectionately and righteously.
But Zhang Yan actually knew that, so he kept Ma Xiguang until now. He is responsible.
Thinking of this, Zhang Hao couldn't help but have a guilty look on his face.
However, Zhang Yan was immediately stunned again, because if he put it this way, if he did not keep Ma Xiguang for a period of time, according to the trend of history, it would not be that Ma Xiguang's one-wife son was killed, and even he himself could not escape death.
In this way, Zhang Yan saved Ma Xiguang's life again.
Ahem! Zhang Shengren's face immediately returned to normal, and then his face became full of anger.
"Ma Xi'e is a thief who has no loyalty as a subordinate. He wanted to see King Wu Mu (Ma Yin) save his life and spare his life.
But looking at it today, it is so ferocious and vicious, Depi still asks for my condolences, I will definitely avenge you and capture and kill this beast!"
Ma Xiguang left in tears, and Zhang Gao immediately summoned Zhang Huaiqing in.
After being sued by Pei Yuan, the old man was unwilling to leave Liangzhou. After all, he was used to living there. He walked to Chang'an and stopped for a few months, and finally joined a group of elders from various families in Liangzhou.
Arrive at Kaifeng Prefecture, Tokyo.
And they just arrived. They walked from Chengtian Liangzhou Prefecture in Xijing to Kaifeng Prefecture in Tokyo for more than a year and a half.
Although Zhang Huaiqing was not afraid of anything, he was still a little bit shy about his grandnephew, because he always felt that Zhang Xi was unfamiliar and a little scary to him.
Looking at Zhang Yan, he didn't think he was his great-nephew, but he looked very much like Zhang Yichao, the second uncle of Emperor Huan Zuding who he had not seen a few times but had a deep impression on him.
"How many sons-in-law or grandson-in-laws does my uncle have?"
Faced with Zhang Gao's confused question, Zhang Huaiqing was stunned for a moment, and then Monk Zhanger answered in a low voice, confused.
"Back to the saint, I have eleven sons-in-law and twenty-four grandsons-in-law. Er, no, twenty-six."
Zhang Zhao was also speechless. He was truly a fertility machine of the Long Tongue Zhang family. He couldn't even remember how many grandsons and sons-in-law he had, and Zhang Zhao probably couldn't recognize them all.
"How many of them are no longer alive?" Zhang Hao continued to ask.
Zhang Huaiqing got a taste of it at this time. He looked at Zhang Xi and asked hesitantly: "The person who went out just now was Ma Xiguang from Ma Chu, right? I heard that he was a useless honest man, and his whole family was killed just now. A saint wouldn't
I want."
Zhang Gao nodded. Zhang Huaiqing was good at this and was very self-aware. He knew his role for Zhang Gao, which was to provide children and grandchildren, especially daughters and granddaughters, for Zhang Gao to get married.
So Zhang Shengren chuckled and said, "Uncle, can't you understand? Our Zhang family is now so rich, so when choosing a son-in-law, don't we have to choose someone who is stupid, uh, honest and has a lot of money?"
Zhang Huaiqing tasted it carefully and found that it was indeed true, so he thought for a while and said: "Twenty-three mothers are twenty-eight years old, gentle and graceful, maybe it can be done."
No! Zhang Hao waved his hand and refused, "Twenty-Sanniang is still young and is still a girl waiting to be married. Ma Xiguang is almost 40 years old. If it doesn't match her, it's better to change her."
Zhang Huaiqing was very willing and prepared to give up a beautiful sixteen-year-old unmarried granddaughter.
But Zhang Hao disagreed. It was originally a good thing, and there was no need to ruin the future of a young girl.
In this case, Zhang Huaiqing thought for a while and said, "The only one is Shiniang's sister Ba Niang. Her husband died in the battle outside Yanshi City the year before last, leaving behind three children. It is a perfect match for Ma Xiguang."
Shiniang was the daughter of Zhang Huaiqing, and she was married to Gao Yunquan, the former military governor of Yanzhou Zhangwu Army in the Later Jin Dynasty.
The Yanzhou Zhangwu Army was the first Central Plains vassal town conquered by Zhang Yan. Even the name of the Zhangwu Army is still there, and it is now called the Forbidden Army Zhangwu Town.
Banniang's husband was originally one of Zhang Xiu's personal guards in Hanshandu. Unfortunately, he died in the battle when Zhang Xiu was surrounded by Yelu Pode at the bank of Yangqu in Luoyang.
Ba Niang is only thirty-three years old now, so she cannot remain a widow all her life. Ma Xiguang is a coward and has no bad habits. It is just right for him to help Zhang Shengren's hero raise his son. It is very suitable!
"Okay! Uncle asked the eighth aunt to come to the palace, and I will tell her personally.
This Ma Xiguang, I am not going to let him return to Tanzhou. When the time comes, he will be granted the title of Prince of Changsha and lead the military governor of Wu'an from afar.
The wealth of Ma Chu State also allows him to keep one or two hundred thousand yuan and settle down in Luoyang."
Zhang Huaiqing was very happy when he heard this. Two hundred thousand guan was not a small amount. As long as Ma Xiguang was sensible, the betrothal gift could not be less than 5,000 guan or 10,000 guan.
He, Zhang Huaiqing, has many children and many places to spend money, which can meet his urgent needs.
"That's right! Uncle Thirteen doesn't have a settlement yet, right? In this way, I will also give Uncle Thirteen a settlement of one hundred households in Jingzhou.
My uncle has contributed a lot, but he still doesn’t have a title, so why not take the title of Changsong County in Liangzhou and make him Marquis of Changsong."
Zhang Zhou's title must first be hereditary, otherwise, the third generation will begin to decline, and he will become a commoner within a few generations.
Secondly, one must have a household. Those who do not have a household will actually not have much annuity, which means they have a high political status.
But a high political status requires civil and military talents to match it. For Zhang Huaiqing's group, their abilities are average, and the political significance of the title is really not very great. The only thing left is to make money.
The thirteenth uncle in Zhang's mouth was the son adopted by Zhang Huaiqing to the second Jiedu envoy of the Guiyi Army, Zhang Huaishen, the emperor of Zhang Zhouyingzuhuai.
Nanyang County Duke of the Zhang family also gave the thirteenth uncle, but Zhang Zhi did not give him any additional food.
But at this time, Zhang Yan had married off five or six of Zhang Huaiqing's daughters and granddaughters to recruit talents, so he shouldn't be too stingy.
Moreover, Zhang Huaiqing, as the highest ranking member of the Zhang family and the only one with the title "Huai", should be given a title.
After Zhang Huaiqing also went out, Zhang Zhi called the wild boar Luo Shande in angrily.
Luo Shande had just put an end to the rebellion in Haosi and Sizhou. Instigated by Liu Renzhan, the governor of Qinghuai Army in Shouzhou in the Southern Tang Dynasty, the local wealthy families caused some trouble, which was all the sequelae of the confiscation of their fields.
Zhang Zhi then sent Luo Shande to lead three thousand left-handed Shenwei guards to help Gao Yunquan, the observation envoy of Haosi and Sizhou, quell the rebellion. He had just returned to Tokyo.
"Damn it! This bitch Ma Xi'e entered Tanzhou, and he actually dared to send troops to loot Tanzhou City!
Ma Chu's palace in Tanzhou was burned to ashes. All the gold, jewelry and jade accumulated by the two Chu kings, Ma Yin and Ma Xifan, were looted by the barbarians, with a loss of at least 600,000 to 800,000 gold.
This is my money! Ma Xihe is looting my money!"
Zhang Hao was so angry that his hair stood on end. He took two steps back and forth and said to Luo Shande.
"Immediately lead the left Shenwei Guard to escort Ma Xiguang south, and notify Ma Zhaoyuan (Ma Yaozi) by the way. In ten days, if there is no news from Lu Yan, then go straight to Jiangling City.
But we must be careful not to let the gold, silver, brocade and silk of the Gao family be looted, I am still waiting to use the money to reward the soldiers!"
In front of a confidant like Shanzhu'er, Zhang Gao did not hide his secrets. He was heartbroken to death when he thought that all the treasures of the Machu Palace had been looted.
From the perspective of Zhang Shengren, who was now almost impoverished, the treasures in the Machu Palace were already his.
"I obey! Saint, please calm down. I will definitely lead the left Shenwei guards to persuade the barbarians in Xidong, Langzhou to hand over the treasures they plundered."
Shanzhuer Luo Shande is very wise. He understands what Zhang Yan means. How much loss can be recovered.