Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 482: Chapter 445 We just want Marquis Jing’an not to be too ruthless in handling the matter

The date was June 22nd.

Beneath Black Cloud Mountain, the construction of Black Cloud City, which had been underway for over a year, was finally completed.

Yang Zhenshan and Pang Tang personally visited Black Cloud City to inspect the construction work.

Like Chongshan Pass, Black Cloud City was divided into South City and North City, with the North City being relatively smaller, approximately one-third the size of the entire city, and intended to serve as the garrison post for Black Cloud Guard. South City was designated as the dwellings for merchants and the common people.

In South City, there were four city gates, and North-South, East-West main streets ran through the entire city. The city was further divided into residential areas, commercial districts, market areas, and other designated zones.

The perimeter of Black Cloud City measured about eight li and three hundred and twelve steps, capable of accommodating a population of thirty thousand, not including the garrison quarters in North City.

Outside the city, to the west about thirty li away, spread the plowlands under the jurisdiction of the Black Cloud Guard, featuring many thousand households’ offices, hundred household offices, and garrison fortresses.

To the east, numerous villages and towns would be constructed around Black Cloud Mountain and along the soon-to-be-built official road.

Meanwhile, some villages and towns would be created in the south, but among them, there would be many estates or horse farms established as prospective properties for large landlords and merchants.

The Governor’s Office had already sold quite a few estates and horse farms in the south, and now there were many large landlords and merchants developing the wasteland there.

Yang Zhenshan and Pang Tang rode around Black Cloud City, gazing at a village that was still under construction.

”How many villages can we build before winter comes?” Yang Zhenshan inquired.

Pang Tang gestured to a scribe behind him, who immediately stepped forward and responded, ”Reporting to Marquis, according to the previous plans, we will construct approximately seven towns and one hundred and twenty villages around Black Cloud City!”

Now, Northern Lands was one vast construction site; the Governor’s Office was in charge of the area around Black Cloud Mountain, while the newly established Black Cloud Guard took responsibility for the construction of the thousand households’ offices, the hundred household offices, and the garrison fortresses outside the city.

Fuzhou City of the northern route was in charge of building the official road leading to Black Cloud City and the villages and towns along the way.

Jianning Guard of the central route was tasked with constructing the official road from Chongshan Pass to Black Cloud City and the settlements en route.

East Road Songzhou Guard was responsible for building the official road from Songzhou City to Fuzhou City and the villages and towns along the way.

Yang Zhenshan silently calculated in his mind.

A town could accommodate three hundred households of people, and a village could accommodate fifty households, which cumulatively amounted to eight thousand one hundred households. If the city dwellers are included, then the area around Black Cloud Guard could potentially settle roughly sixty to eighty thousand people.

Compared to the million refugees, this number was undoubtedly a drop in the bucket.

However, it was a reasonable plan.

How many people a village could accommodate didn’t depend on the number of houses inside it, but on the amount of arable land surrounding it.

Farmers’ fields couldn’t be too far from the village; you couldn’t expect them to walk over a dozen li to their farmland.

It doesn’t matter if there are fewer people settled in Black Cloud City since the three official roads can accommodate a large number of refugees.

Furthermore, large numbers of refugees can also be settled around Fuzhou City, and indeed, Fuzhou City could potentially accommodate even more refugees than Black Cloud City.

As long as everything proceeded according to Yang Zhenshan’s plan, settling a million refugees in the Northern Lands would not be a problem.

”Mr. Pang, we may need your Governor’s Office to assist in the construction of the villages and towns next!” Yang Zhenshan said to Pang Tang.

With the completion of Black Cloud City, the Governor’s Office still had many laborers and skilled craftsmen who excelled at building houses. Putting their skills to good use, it was ideal to have them build the villages and towns along the official roads.

”Rest assured, this official has already made arrangements. Once they finish building the villages and towns around Black Cloud City, they will start constructing settlements along the official roads,” Pang Tang said with a smile.

Yang Zhenshan nodded and then rode back to Chongshan Pass with Pang Tang.

Chongshan Pass was a good four hundred or so li from Black Cloud City, and the official road between the two locations was not yet complete. There was only a path worn down by foot traffic, rough and uneven, which made a round trip at least three to four days’ travel.

It was rare for Yang Zhenshan to spare so much time for a visit to Black Cloud City. Along the way, he also inspected the construction of the official road. By the time he returned to Chongshan Pass, it was the end of June.

As soon as he had returned home, Ding Qiu came looking for him.

”Marquis, we have fully investigated the matter concerning Ning Dongsheng!” said Ding Qiu.

Yang Zhenshan walked into the front yard study and asked, ”Is there anything amiss?”

”There is. We’ve discovered that Ning Dongsheng has close ties with many salt merchants and grain merchants in Ping Yuan, most of whom are harboring resentment towards the Marquis,” Ding Qiu reported.

A cold sneer touched Yang Zhenshan’s face.

Discontent?

Indeed, it was much as he had suspected.

Ning Dongsheng was no fool. Although Yang Zhenshan had embarrassed him at Tenglong Guard six or seven years ago, this was an event from years past, and Ning Dongsheng would not be plotting revenge against Yang Zhenshan just now.

For Ning Dongsheng to risk such a thing as to impeach Yang Zhenshan, there must be unknown benefits entangled behind the scenes.

Salt merchants being discontent with Yang Zhenshan was quite normal.

Because the price of salt in Liao Yuan Province had already fallen to twelve wen per jin. To achieve this drop in price, Yang Zhenshan had exerted much effort.

He pressured the Salt Transport Commissioner’s government office and suppressed Liao Yuan’s salt merchants while working in conjunction with the Luo Family and many other merchants with business ties to Tenglong Guard, eventually reducing the price from thirty wen per jin to twelve wen.

Not only did he lower the selling price of salt, but he also raised the price at which Stove House could sell their salt, drastically cutting into the salt merchants’ profits.

Previously, the salt business was undoubtedly the most lucrative trade in Liaodong, but now, in Liao Yuan, the salt business was almost ordinary, focusing on small margins with high volume.

Although Yang Zhenshan’s salt pricing policy targeted only Liao Yuan Province, in reality, the salt business in Ping Yuan Province was also significantly affected.

Especially in the northern region of Ping Yuan, where most of the salt came from Liao Yuan Province, it forced the salt merchants in Ping Yuan to lower their prices and reduce their profit margin.

As the saying goes, cutting off one’s livelihood is like killing one’s parents; while Yang Zhenshan did not completely cut off their means of living, he had severely fractured it.

Previously, they could earn hundreds of thousands, even millions of Silver annually; now, they were limited to earning a meager tens of thousands or a hundred thousand Silver a year.

It’s no wonder the salt merchants resented Yang Zhenshan.

As for the grain merchants being discontent with Yang Zhenshan, it was quite normal as well. Although the General Mansion did not purchase grain in Ping Yuan, it was buying up large quantities of grain in Jiangnan, effectively competing with them for their supply.

If it were in previous years, the grain merchants of Ping Yuan might not care, but now the drought in Ping Yuan has become evident, and anyone with clear eyes can see that grain prices in Liaodong will skyrocket in the coming year.

According to Yang Zhenshan’s estimation, the period from this winter to next spring, when the crops are scarce, will be when grain prices in Liaodong reach their peak.

Inflating grain prices six or seven times is no issue.

Moreover, during this period, the grain merchants in Ping Yuan won’t have much stock, as most of the grain in Ping Yuan will reduce in yield or completely fail due to drought, making it impossible for them to acquire enough grain locally.

They would have to purchase grain from Jiangnan or southeast regions.

But now, Tenglong Guard has taken over most of the sea merchants in Liaodong, and Chongshan Town is buying up grain from Jiangnan on a large scale, practically cutting off their source of goods and transportation channels.

Without a source of goods and transportation channels, they can only watch the price of grain soar like a juicy piece of meat in front of them, yet can only smell it.

To be able to receive grain from places like Jiangnan, and for the sake of their upcoming fortunes, they must stop Chongshan Town from continuing to buy grain.

Therefore, adding some trouble to Yang Zhenshan has become their most pressing task.

A coalition of grain and salt merchants, leveraging their immense wealth to influence the government office, is not impossible in Da Rong.

Ning Dongsheng is merely cannon fodder pushed out by these grain and salt merchants, and that impeachment is just a probe.

Yang Zhenshan knows these crafty merchants surely have a backup plan.

”Have you found out which crafty merchants are involved?” asked Yang Zhenshan.

Ding Qiu spoke softly, ”We can confirm that the merchants colluding with Ning Dongsheng include Lu family, Yu family, and Zhen family from Guang’an Prefecture; Ning family, Zhen family from Dongyang Prefecture; Yi family from Fuzhou, Ma family from Shunzhou, and Luo family from Jizhou!”

Yang Zhenshan’s eyes narrowed slightly. ”Guang’an Prefecture’s Zhen family and Dongyang Prefecture’s Zhen family! Are you sure?”

The Zhen clan is undoubtedly the largest and most prestigious family in Ping Yuan Province, with countless branches in Ping Yuan, with a presence in almost every prefecture and state.

For instance, Zhen Yang represents the Yan State branch of the Zhen clan.

However, the Zhen families of Guang’an Prefecture and Dongyang Prefecture are the two largest branches of the Zhen clan.

The main lineage is from Luozhou State’s Zhen family, which has always maintained a tradition of farming and scholarship, not business—they are a family of officials.

Zhen Shijie from Shuntian Prefecture is a descendant of Luozhou State’s Zhen family.

Undoubtedly, the Zhen family is an immensely large clan, but such a clan has long become fragmented, sharing the same ancestry but with weak blood relationships.

Just like the Yang Family, Yang Zhenshan can’t even find a relative within the fifth degree of kinship with those of Yang Family Village.

”Certain, Guang’an’s Zhen family and Dongyang’s Zhen family are the largest salt merchants in Ping Yuan, and other salt merchants all follow their lead!” said Ding Qiu.

”And the Luo family of Jizhou! They dare to get involved in this affair?” Yang Zhenshan’s expression turned ugly.

”The Luo family of Jizhou is not only Jizhou’s largest cloth merchant but also its largest grain merchant!” said Ding Qiu.

Yang Zhenshan rubbed his temples with a bit of a headache.

These rich merchants are really troublesome!

Although merchants have a low status in Da Rong, these wealthy merchants control vast fortunes and have myriad connections with officialdom. If they unite, they most certainly form a not insignificant force.

And this Jizhou Luo family has ties to Yang Zhenshan because Luo Shang is from the Jizhou Luo family.

Over the years, Yang Zhenshan has supported Luo Shang, and Luo Shang has leveraged a great deal of power from the Jizhou Luo family, which has also benefitted from Luo Shang’s rise.

But now, the Jizhou Luo family has actually brought trouble to him!

”Go and find Luo Shang!” Yang Zhenshan ordered coldly.

”Yes!”

”Send someone to Tenglong Guard as well, and have Zhen Yang come visit,” Yang Zhenshan added.

Although Zhen Yang represents the Yan State Zhen family, most of her business is in Tenglong Guard and Chongshan Town, so she has been living in Tenglong Guard with her son.

Ding Qiu responded and left the study.

At this moment, Luo Shang was in a state of panic.

In the Luo family’s hall, Luo Shang watched the visitor before him, his face alternating between shades of green and white.

”Are you, are you out of your minds?”

Luo Shang was somewhat frantic and fuming with anger.

The visitor in his home was none other than Luo Changsheng, the head of the Jizhou Luo family.

By seniority, Luo Shang should be addressed as ’Uncle’ by Luo Changsheng, being a generation above him.

But Luo Changsheng is the direct heir of Jizhou Luo family, while Luo Shang is just a distant relative from a sidestream of the family.

If it weren’t for Luo Shang’s rise with Yang Zhenshan’s support, the Jizhou Luo family wouldn’t even acknowledge the existence of a member like Luo Shang.

Now Luo Shang is wealthy and powerful in his own right, but in the eyes of the Jizhou Luo family, no matter how wealthy Luo Shang becomes, he is still just a branch of theirs, merely a side member they helped rise.

That’s right, they believe they supported Luo Shang’s rise, after all, they did indeed help him a lot initially, providing trade goods, letting their own family members manage Luo Shang’s business, and taking great care of Luo Shang’s trade affairs.

It’s not too far-fetched to say that they supported Luo Shang, but Luo Shang’s foundation is built on Yang Zhenshan’s support, not the Jizhou Luo family.

Luo Shang is not an ungrateful person; he appreciates the help from Jizhou Luo family, so over the years, he has been very close and considerate towards the business of Jizhou Luo family.

But he never expected the Jizhou Luo family to target Yang Zhenshan.

Damn it, this is like a lantern in a cesspit!

At this moment, Luo Shang really wanted to kill this kinsman before him. If Jizhou Luo family wants to court death, don’t drag our Luo family into it!

The Luo family has always been close to the Yang family, and if this matter displeases Yang Zhenshan towards him and the Luo family, Luo Shang will truly be at odds with the Jizhou Luo family!

Luo Shang still knows who the mainstay is.