Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 230: Chapter 221 Husband is the Most Powerful

After the banquet, Yang Zhenshan returned to An Yuan City.

These past few days, the Yang family had received many New Year gifts; with Yang Mingwu and Yang Chengze being independent, they had truly become officials.

Every festive season, they would send a gift to Yang Zhenshan.

The Yang family was growing stronger, and so were they.

Perhaps their growth rate was nowhere near that of Yang Zhenshan, but they had already taken charge independently; today was unlike the past, they were no longer the young lads, but true officials.

Looking at the letters sent by Yang Mingwu and Yang Chengze, Yang Zhenshan felt a gratifying warmth in his heart.

These two were Yang Zhenshan’s most proud descendants, although Yang Chengxu and Yang Qinwu were also doing well, just not as exceptional as Yang Mingwu and Yang Chengze.

Now under Zhou Lan’s command, the descendants of the Yang family had become a distinct group.

Ming Zhi, Ming Wu, Chengze, and the others supported and looked out for each other, and even without Yang Zhenshan, they could still protect their interests.

With Zhou Lan’s care, the descendants of the Yang family held significant status in Jianning Guard, Jianzhou City, and Ningzhou City.

“The younger generation of the Yang family is truly brimming with talent!” Yu Qingyi leaned close to Yang Zhenshan and, after reading the letters, couldn’t help but exclaim.

She wasn’t familiar with people like Ming Wu and Chengze, but she had heard quite a bit about them in the Yang family, since she was always in charge of preparing the festival gifts.

The abundance of outstanding descendants in the Yang family made her both happy and envious.

Happy because she was now the mistress of the Yang family and these people were her descendants, envious because the Sky Blue Sword Sect did not have as many excellent descendants.

In the entire Sky Blue Sword Sect, only Luo Feiyu could be mentioned in the same breath as Chengze and Ming Wu.

“That’s because your husband has taught them well!” Yang Zhenshan said proudly.

This was true; Ming Wu, Chengze, and the others were all personally taught by him, and if not for his arrival, they might still be farmers today.

“I know, my husband is the most remarkable!” Yu Qingyi covered her mouth and giggled.

“Of course!” Yang Zhenshan stroked his beard, utterly pleased with himself.

The next day, people still flocked to the Yang family to deliver festival gifts.

Yang Zhenshan was busy entertaining waves of guests.

From the Yang family came Ming Hui; Zhengxiang had aged and his health was declining, he could no longer travel far, and in recent years, Ming Hui had fully taken over the Yang family affairs, effectively becoming the new Family Head.

This was met with calmness within the Yang family, as it was a natural progression.

As long as Zhenshan did not contest for the position of Family Head, no one could threaten Ming Hui’s leadership.

And in these years, the Yang family continued to grow stronger.

Although the number of descendants becoming Martial Artists had decreased, the rise of the Yang family was already unstoppable, and they were growing in all aspects.

The establishment of a family school gave the Yang family descendants the opportunity to study, and in Martial Arts cultivation, Zhengxiang also organized Martial Artists to guide the Yang family descendants.

Only, without Zhenshan and Spiritual Spring Water, the number of Yang family becoming Martial Artists these years had markedly decreased.

This was normal; the one hundred people initially led by Zhenshan had almost all become Martial Artists, so the peak period for increased numbers of Martial Artists was the two years Zhenshan stayed at Yinghe Castle.

After the peak period, the chances for the Yang family descendants becoming Martial Artists also returned to normal.

Even so, it was still significantly higher than before, as the Yang family was becoming wealthier and thus had increasing resources.

This would, to some extent, improve the chances for Yang family descendants to become Martial Artists.

Moreover, Yang Zhenshan would often look after the Yang family; he could not directly provide them Spiritual Spring Water, but he could mix some into certain things.

For instance, sometimes he would send back some wine with Spiritual Spring Water mixed in, or send over some medicinal herbs cultivated in the Spiritual Spring Space.

Though the quantity was small, it still had some effect.

In the past two years, Yang family descendants had come successively to seek out Zhenshan, of course, recommended by Zhengxiang and Ming Hui.

As for these Yang family descendants, Zhenshan did not keep them all but allowed them to train at City Gate Castle for two or three months, keeping a few at the garrison camp, while most were sent to assist Ming Zhi, Chengze, and Ming Wu.

Having them train at City Gate Castle was to offer them Spiritual Spring Water to enhance their future potential.

Sending them elsewhere was also to allow them opportunities for their own futures.

Staying all under Zhenshan’s command, he couldn’t assign them enough official positions.

It would be better to let them spread out, giving them more opportunities and mutual support to go further.

In conclusion, the current Yang family was becoming more formidable; in Anning County, the Yang family had become a prominent new clan.

The day after Ming Hui arrived in An Yuan City, the Lu family also came.

However, this time it was not Mr. Lu, but Lu Qi.

That once arrogant young boy had now become a composed young man.

“Nephew pays respect to uncle!”

Upon seeing Yang Zhenshan, Lu Qi greeted him affectionately.

Over the years, the Yang family and the Lu family had maintained a good relationship; although Zhenshan had never met the Lu family head Lu Zhongdao, or the eldest son Lu Zhi, this did not hinder the friendship between the two families.

Stroking his beard, Yang Zhenshan smiled and said, “Sit, my worthy nephew!”

He had the most contact with people from the Lu family, mainly Mr. Lu and Lu Qi.

“How is the Second Young Master’s health?”

“Uncle’s health is quite robust, just that he’s been too busy this year to visit during the New Year!” Lu Qi said.

Mr. Lu is not a Martial Artist, so naturally, his physique isn’t as strong as that of a Martial Artist, but he is not very old either, having just turned sixty this year.

“That’s good, that’s good! By the way, I have recently brewed some medicinal liquor. When the time comes, bring some back for the Second Young Master!” Yang Zhenshan said.

Yang Mingcheng had already delivered the seasonal gifts prepared for the Lu family, but they did not include any medicinal liquor.

The medicinal liquor he brewed was quite good now, which is why he gave out so little, only sending a few jars to Zhou Lan, Liang Chu, and Liu Yuanfu in the Capital City, not even sparing any for Wang Bin.

In the past, Mr. Lu had taken great care of him, and it was with this sentiment in mind that Yang Zhenshan thought of giving some medicinal liquor to Mr. Lu.

If Yang Mingcheng were to bring the medicinal liquor with the seasonal gifts, it was likely that it would not end up in Mr. Lu’s hands.

One reason is that the seasonal gifts were for the Lu family, not specifically for Mr. Lu, and another reason is that the Lu family might not value the contents of the seasonal gifts, mistaking his medicinal liquor for ordinary alcohol, which would be a waste.

Thus, Yang Zhenshan did not include the medicinal liquor in the seasonal gifts for the Lu family.

“This medicinal liquor is good stuff. Make sure you don’t waste it, and be sure to deliver it to the Second Young Master’s hands!”

Yang Zhenshan, worried that Lu Qi might not take it seriously, specifically instructed him.

Lu Qi nodded quickly, smiling as he said: “Uncle, rest assured, I will personally deliver the medicinal liquor to Uncle!”

The Medical Skill and Martial Arts are closely related, with Martial Artists often knowing how to brew medicinal liquors.

Although Lu Qi is not a Martial Artist, he knows that the medicinal ingredients used by Martial Artists are treasures.

Rather than resenting this, he was very happy.

It showed that Yang Zhenshan genuinely cared about Mr. Lu and kept him in mind, not just dealing with him out of formalities.

Lu Qi stayed in An Yuan City for one night and returned the next day with Yang Minghui.

Yang Zhenshan also prepared two jars of medicinal liquor for Yang Zhengxiang, and he did not need to specially instruct Yang Minghui, as he would certainly take great care in bringing them back to Yang Zhengxiang.

As days passed by, Yang Mingcheng returned from Anning County, and Yang Minghao also returned with Zhou Lan’s seasonal gifts.

Zhou Lan was still as generous as ever, but it was clear that Zhou Lan did not put much thought into the seasonal gifts, as they were basically the same every year.

The quantity was fixed, and the items were roughly the same, with only slight variations in types, but the total value was fixed.

This is normal, as large families have a fixed number of seasonal gifts, and there are generally not many changes. Nowadays, the gifts the Yang family sends out are also roughly fixed in value, generally bought according to the gifts sent in previous years.

As Zhou Lan lives alone in Jianning Guard, without family nearby, and given her personality, she probably lets the servants handle such matters, which is why the seasonal gift became uninspired.

Of course, Yang Zhenshan would never resent Zhou Lan for the seasonal gifts.

Another Spring Festival has arrived.

This year, the Yang family had an exceptionally joyful Spring Festival because there were several happy events this year.

The first, Ms. Wang gave birth to another son for the Yang family.

The second, the Liang family finally became pregnant, and the Yang family would welcome another child next April.

The third, Yu Qingyi was pregnant, probably the happiest event for Yang Zhenshan.

The fourth, the marriage of Yang Yunxue was settled.

Moreover, this year the Li family also came back for the New Year, so apart from Yang Mingzhi, the whole family was gathered.

With continuous joyous events and the reunion of family members, the Yang family’s Spring Festival was spent amidst a lively atmosphere.

However, after the Spring Festival, the atmosphere in Chongshan Town suddenly became tense.

Although the news of the expedition against the Dynasty had not fully spread yet, everyone in Chongshan Town who knew about it was nervously preparing.

Food and forage were being gathered, armaments repaired, soldiers were moved – each activity indicated that a great battle was imminent.

There was not much to keep secret in terms of confidentiality.

The campaign against the Dynasty was a large-scale war, involving between sixty to a hundred thousand troops from Da Rong, plus about a hundred thousand civilians.

Such a large-scale operation was almost impossible to keep secret.

Of course, specific tactics and strategies still needed to be kept confidential.

On the twentieth day of the first lunar month, the Governor’s Office and the General Mansion convened all Assistant Generals to enter Chongshan Pass to discuss matters related to the campaign.

All the generals gathered, and Yang Zhenshan was not clear about the specifics of what was discussed since his rank was too low.

Nevertheless, what they discussed must have included the timing of the campaign, the specific routes, and tasks for the various branches.

This campaign from Chongshan Town was clearly not just about crippling the East Sea Hu Clan; if it was only about crippling them, then Liang Chu could have pursued them after the battle at Chongshan Pass more than three years ago.

Lu Chongde and Liang Chu had been preparing for so long with one goal in mind: to completely annihilate the East Sea Hu Clan and extinguish the newly established Dynasty.

Annihilating the East Sea Hu Clan is not as simple as just capturing Fushan City.

While Fushan City is a settlement of the East Sea Hu Clan, it is not their foundation; as a nomadic tribe, their foundation lies in their large tribes.

Only by completely eliminating these large tribes can the foundation for the resurgence of the East Sea Hu Clan be cut off.

Therefore, this campaign would certainly not be a simple attack on Fushan City.