Hearing Princess Changle's words, Xing'er and Wan'er beside them blushed, and their eyes looked both shy and happy.
It has been three years since Yang Fan bought them from the market!
Although they have already reached the age of hair extensions, Yang Fan has never touched them. Naturally, they are worried about gains and losses.
As the saying goes, those who are near the water and the towers get the moon first. Now that the real wife has spoken, of course they are overjoyed.
However, the twin maids who were married to Princess Changle pouted slightly.
My master didn't give them such a great opportunity, and he felt a little unhappy.
They understood that when Xing'er and Wan'er came back, they might have to call them "mistress"!
Yang Fan could guess a lot about a woman's thoughts, but as long as it didn't make the family uneasy, he didn't want to get involved.
After finally appeasing several lovely wives, Yang Fan walked out of the door.
As soon as he stepped out of the courtyard, he saw his godmother, Empress Xiao, standing at the door with a group of people.
Yang Fan quickly stepped forward and saluted Empress Xiao, Wu Yang and others: "Godmother, mother-in-law, I just went to Jiangnan to take up a post. You don't have to worry. As long as the situation is stable, the child will definitely come back to see you. I hope
Take care of yourself!"
In fact, going to Jiangnan this time was not a big deal in Yang Fan's opinion.
It's just a trip to the south of the Yangtze River, and it's not like going up mountains of swords and seas of fire, so what's there to worry about?
Although he will definitely be embarrassed by the Jiangnan nobles, Yang Fan is confident that he can hold them all down.
But what Yang Fan didn't know was that for people from the Tang Dynasty such as Empress Xiao and Wu Yang, Jiangnan was thousands of miles away.
Going down to the south of the Yangtze River is like trekking through mountains and rivers. The mountains are high and the roads are long.
Due to the inconvenience of transportation, Jiangnan in this era was no more than a vast distance between mountains and rivers to the people of Guanzhong.
At this time, Empress Xiao lost her former dignity and grace, and forced a smile and said: "My son has traveled thousands of miles, and as a mother, of course I am worried. Although I know that my child has his own place to go when he is older, and you are very worry-free, I can't help but feel empty in my heart.
."
Mrs. Wu Yang immediately echoed: "Yes, virtuous son-in-law, you are traveling thousands of miles, how can we not worry? No matter what, you have to be more careful!"
That being said, fortunately, I had gone on an expedition to Tibet last time, so this time I was less worried.
No matter how you say it, Jiangnan is much better than Tubo. No matter how arrogant those Jiangnan nobles are, they would not dare to blatantly attack Yang Fan.
The earnest advice of the elders, and for a time a faint sadness of separation filled the entire space.
Yang Fan didn't say anything, he just saluted Empress Xiao and Mrs. Wu Yang again, and repeatedly told them to pay more attention to their health.
Chai Lingwu, who came to see him off, also had red eyes and said: "Master, although a man has ambitions in all directions, he must do his best to make contributions. If it is really impossible, then return to Chang'an. Safety is the most important thing!"
"But don't worry, while you're away, as long as I'm here in Chang'an, I won't let those ghosts and ghosts touch Yang's house in the slightest. You can leave without any worries..."
Yang Fan twitched when he heard these words, and thought to himself, Brother, are you cursing me?
Chai Lingwu's words completely annoyed Wu Meiniang, and she yelled: "You kid, if you can't speak, just stop talking. How can you say goodbye like this?"
Princess Baling also gave the husband a fierce look. The husband was too incompetent to speak!
Chai Lingwu didn't look angry and yelled: "Why did we say the wrong thing? You are so ignorant..."
He had no idea what was wrong with his words.
Yang Fan not only taught him martial arts, but also handed over the ice-making business to him. This is considered a deep affection, and we are also worried about him!
Why are you so unkind to me, even your own wife?
Yang Fan stepped forward and hugged the boy. Chai Lingwu was obviously not used to this kind of etiquette of later generations. He was stiff and said with some disgust: "Master, this hug is not suitable, right? We are not rabbits... Oops!"
This kid was naturally punched by Yang Fan.
However, a burst of laughter diluted the sadness a little!
Yang Fan turned around and looked at Wu Meiniang and said, "Take care of the family for someone."
After saying that, he looked at Changle and Princess Gaoyang again, turned around and walked away with everyone's reluctant eyes.
Outside the gate, Yang's special forces and Jun Yang's guards had already gathered and were on standby.
Seeing Yang Fan coming out, Xi Junmai shouted: "Get on your horse and get ready to go!"
Thousands of people jumped onto their horses with vigorous hands, their movements were uniform, there was only the sound of armor, and their resolute faces exuded a fierce and fierce atmosphere.
Xi Junmai is worthy of being a famous general. After his training, the combat effectiveness of these guards is definitely no less than that of the Xuanjia Army who have experienced hundreds of battles.
"Everyone is here, let's go!"
With that said, Yang Fan got on his horse and went straight to the Weishui Pier outside the city.
All the guards mounted their horses in unison, and the sound of horse hooves broke the midnight silence.
The Jinwu Guards who patrolled the streets of Chang'an City had already received the order and opened the city gate without any obstruction, allowing Yang Fan and his party to leave the city.
Under the cool moonlight, the river was stirred by the boats, making the sound of waves lapping against the shore.
His Majesty Li Er stood on the shore, watching the children of the major families who were "deceived" by Yang Fan continue to board the boat. He was a little puzzled: "Why does this guy want so many people? And he is so low-key, setting off at night, really
It’s a little strange.”
More importantly, there are at least hundreds of ships on the dock. Why is Yang Fan hauling so much cargo?
In his opinion, Yang Fan needed a strong stance when he went south this time to suppress the Jiangnan nobles so that they would not dare to take advantage of him.
Originally, His Majesty Li Er wanted to hold a grand farewell ceremony, which would undoubtedly make Yang Fan more popular.
But Yang Fan did the opposite and set out in the middle of the night, which felt a little lacking in confidence.
Seeing His Majesty Li Er's appearance, Yang Fan quickly explained: "These ships are not only material, but also weapons and equipment for the Ezo people. Wei Chen has already said this. These things will inevitably be too much during the day.
If you are conspicuous, you are afraid of being taken advantage of by someone with ulterior motives, which will inevitably lead to a lot of gossip."
"However, if you want to open up a situation in Jiangnan, you can't do it with your bare hands. You must know that those Jiangnan nobles seem to be docile, but they eat people without spitting out their bones."
After looking at Li Er who came all the way to support me in the middle of the night, it would be nonsense to say he was not impressed.
He naturally understood the implication of His Majesty Li Er's words and said with a smile: "Wei Chen is going south this time to have a head-on battle with the Jiangnan nobles. Those little tricks will not make the Jiangnan nobles afraid."
"Once interests are involved, it's not an exaggeration to say it's life and death. No one will give in easily, so naturally we have to take some people away."
His Majesty Li Er remained silent.
Of course he knew that Yang Fan's trip south would be difficult, but he didn't expect that Yang Fan would take it so seriously.
However, there was a little more expectation in my heart, so I asked with concern: "Then what are your plans? However, I have to warn you not to cause a bloody storm in Jiangnan."
Yang Fan laughed, pointed at the guards behind him, and said boldly: "Your Majesty, you can rest assured. How can it be so easy for those people to stop me from going to the south of the Yangtze River?"
"Your Majesty, just wait. When I, Yang Fan, come back, I will regain Jiangnan. Do you still remember Wei Chen's words? Jiangnan is just a bunch of clowns. Wei Chen's ambition is the boundless distance and the majestic sea!"
"
There were more than a thousand guards, hundreds of accompanying descendants of aristocratic families, and countless carriage horses, loading nearly fifty ships of various types.
Taking advantage of the moonlight, the boats sailed into the Wei River and flowed eastward, filling the river with mighty force. It was a grand scene of hundreds of boats competing for the current.
Watching the ship gradually go away, Li Er couldn't help but confess: "It would be great if you can open up the situation by going to Jiangnan. If it doesn't work, don't force it. I would like to make Chang Le and Gao Yang widows."
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty." Yang Fan was inexplicably moved and hurriedly clasped his fists and said, "I will definitely not disappoint Your Majesty when I go to Jiangnan."
After saying that, he was ready to turn around and leave.
But before Yang Fan could turn around, he heard Li Er say again: "Concubine Yang asked me to go to the south of the Yangtze River to pay homage to Emperor Sui Yang. I have given my permission and she has already set off. Please help take care of her on the way!"
Hearing this, Yang Fan was a little surprised and quickly agreed.
I thought that Concubine Yang was just joking, but I didn't know that it was actually true.
However, if you have someone with you, you won't be lonely along the way.
When the sky gradually became brighter, Yang Fan's fleet finally caught up with Yang Fei's ship in Tongguan.
Tongguan faces Shanxi across the Yellow River to the north, borders Hangu to the east and borders Henan. At the same time, the Yellow River and the Wei River meet here. It has been an important military location for military strategists since ancient times.
Throughout the dynasties, checkpoints were set up on the river in Tongguan to collect commercial taxes from merchant ships.
However, as long as you see these hundreds of ships and the flags on their bows from a distance, naturally no one will be blind and try to intercept them.
The Tongguan garrison even ordered the soldiers to open the gate and disperse all the merchant ships to ensure that Yang Fan's fleet passed through first. On the other hand, they seized the time to board the ship to pay homage to the imperial concubine.
Even officials with strong backgrounds would not dare to take it easy when the feudal officials and imperial concubines passed by.
The rule in the officialdom is that everyone carries the sedan chair. If you have offended such a promising official today, how do you know that you will not fall into their hands in the future?
As the saying goes, it's not surprising to be polite to many people. Even if they are from different camps, there is rarely any overt neglect.
What's more, who knows when the wind above will change and the current enemies will become comrades in the same camp?
He casually met the Tongguan guard, and then passed through Tongguan in a mighty manner.
After leaving Tongguan, Yang Fan came to Concubine Yang's ship to pay her respects.
The person responsible for guarding the safety of the ship was a general named Cheng. He was in his forties, tall and strong, with a body as strong as an iron tower.
"The county hero is a young man, and he is already the governor of Jiangnan at a young age. What a blessing! Congratulations!"
"However, at such a young age, you can go south to show off your talents, while I can only escort the imperial concubine. I am really envious of you!
This man was very familiar to me. Although he didn't recognize Yang Fan, he didn't see him outside.
It's not offensive to give off a flurry of compliments as soon as you meet someone.
As the saying goes, don't hit someone with a smiling face. Yang Fan smiled and clasped his fists and said: "My lord, Yang Fan, have you not asked the general what your name is?"
The middle-aged man clasped his fists carelessly and laughed at himself: "Thank you for your kindness, sir. I am Cheng Mingzhen. The main reason for your return to Beijing this time is that your majesty has no one to escort your empress back to Jiangnan for the wedding."
Yang Fan was stunned for a moment, a little surprised!
Cheng Mingzhen?
Speaking of Cheng Mingzhen, although he is not one of the twenty-four heroes of Lingyan Pavilion, he is also a brave and strategic general who can defeat thousands of miles away.
Moreover, he followed the Li family earlier than most court officials.
At the end of the Sui Dynasty, wars broke out all over the land, and heroes competed for the throne.
The Li family took advantage of the situation and competed with several other forces for hegemony in the world.
Among these forces, the one that caused the most headache for Li Yuan and his son was Dou Jiande from Hebei Province. Cheng Mingzhen was a civil servant under Dou Jiande.
As the magistrate of Pule County, Cheng Mingzhen had the discernment to choose Li Yuan and his son as his new boss after seeing Dou Jiande's defeat.
After Li Yuan and his son gained a county in vain, they placed him in other counties as county magistrate. At the same time, they also remembered this man who knew current affairs.
Soon after, Cheng Mingzhen was ordered to work part-time as the manager of Hebei Province.
Cheng Mingzhen had always been a civilian official before, but the Hebei Dao Jinglue was a military attaché and general.
Perhaps the Lis and their sons realized that the man who surrendered had the talent to lead troops in war.
So after Cheng Mingzhen issued a transfer order, he changed from a clerk sitting in an office to a military general fighting against Li Shimin.
Li Yuan and his son were no less than the founding fathers of the People's Republic of China. Their accuracy in looking at people was once again verified by Cheng Mingzhen.
After changing his career from a civil servant, he was unambiguous in fighting wars. When he was a manager, he changed from his old bookishness and turned into a decisive and decisive devil.
Cheng Mingzhen led his men to victory in many battles.
Among them, his greatest achievement was his defeat of the dominant Liu Heitai, who was the new king of Hebei after Dou Jiande.
It is estimated that Liu Heitai never imagined that he would be defeated by the civil servants he had worked with.
With such brilliant military exploits, why is it that Cheng Minzhen is just an unknown person and has been exiled for many years without being promoted?
The reason is very simple. Although he and Li Shimin
They had worked together for many years, but Cheng Mingzhen turned to the then crown prince Li Jiancheng and became the crown prince's confidant.
As for Li Jiancheng's ending, we all know it - during the Xuanwumen Incident, Li Jiancheng died on the spot.
In view of the fact that he was on the wrong team, although Li Shimin did not execute Cheng Mingzhen based on his talent and the friendship between the two of them working together for many years, he did let him go for many years.
I didn't expect that such a famous general would be used to protect a noble concubine during her wedding ceremony. It was really surprising.
Yang Fan recalled carefully that it seemed that it was in the 18th year of Zhenguan that the famous general Cheng Mingzhen began to shine.
Now that he meets such a person, Yang Fan will certainly not let him go.
However, Yang Fan still feels that he is very lucky. Within a few years of coming here, famous generals have appeared one after another.
Xue Rengui, Wang Xiaojie, Xi Junmai, Su Dingfang, Pei Xingjian, Cheng Mingzhen, Liu Rengui...
Each one of them will be a mainstay of the Tang Dynasty in the future.
How lucky are these famous generals who used to be revered and revered like myths in history books to cross paths with me one after another?
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. Yang Fanke said politely: "I have always heard of General Cheng's reputation, but it is a pity that I have not been able to meet him. I have heard of General Cheng's reputation as a brave man more than once. If I have the chance, I really want to listen to his teachings."
"
Cheng Mingzhen laughed loudly and said: "My father-in-law is overly praised. I am afraid that I will be so excited that I can't sleep tonight if I get such a comment from you!"
"However, in recent years, I have only been able to do some trivial escort tasks. I really don't dare to claim the name of bravery."
"Oh, how can I always be a guard if I have the strength? But no one speaks for me in the court, so I can only stay in obscurity. Now I see the county magistrate going to the south of the Yangtze River to make great achievements, I am really jealous!"
After saying that, a pair of eyes secretly looked at Yang Fan, trying to test Yang Fan's reaction.
Yang Fan secretly laughed in his heart, this guy looked rough and reckless, but in fact he was also brave and resourceful.
He actually wants to find a way out on his own side...
As a later generation thought, Yang Fan was not disgusted with it.
After all, the aroma of wine is also afraid of the depth of the alley!
What's more, this guy is indeed capable. With this tough guy by his side, he will have a strong man even if he expands overseas in the future.
Thinking of this, Yang Fan became so excited that he patted his chest and promised: "How can a hero fall into recklessness? If Brother Cheng can trust me, I would like to report to Your Majesty, please allow Brother Cheng to serve under my younger brother, and we brothers will level the sea together."
, how about traveling across the ocean?"
Cheng Mingzhen was overjoyed: "Sir, are you serious about what you said?"
Yang Fan pretended to be furious and glared: "You can go and ask around. Although everyone says that Yang Fan is a stickler, who dares to say that we don't keep our word?"
Cheng Minzhen's face was full of excitement: "I heard long ago that the county magistrate is a bole, and he is indeed worthy of his reputation. When the transfer order comes, all my more than 100 kilograms will be handed over to the grandfather! From now on, you will hit wherever you point me. I will fight with swords and fire.
We are sons of bitches with eyebrows!"
After saying that, the two looked at each other and smiled.